Unless you've been living under a rock in a galaxy far, far away, you've probably heard that the last installment in the Harry Potter movie series premieres this week. What you probably haven't heard is that online book retailer Lulu.com has a special promotion running this week that'll get you 20% off any order. Just enter the word BIG at checkout and save some green! You can use it to purchase a paperback or eBook copy of my novel, "Crawl" or maybe even some Harry Potter books, if you haven't read them yet (for shame)!
Since it's "All Things Harry Potter" week pretty much everywhere there's some semblance of civilization, I thought I'd join in on the fun. Though they seem to do this every weekend, the ABC Family channel had a Harry Potter marathon on over the last few days. I've heard the titles so many times that they almost start to lose meaning. So as I was watching them for the umpteenth time, I started to think of new titles for them, titles that represented either my favorite scenes or most memorable differences from the books. This is what I came up with:
1) Harry Potter and the Troll Bogies
2) Harry Potter and the Letter Opener (honestly, was Gryffindor a goblin? That sword was barely bigger than a wand!)
3) Harry Potter and the Anorexic Werewolf (or Harry Potter and Doctor Who, if you prefer David Tennant as the Doctor instead of Barty Crouch Ju-nee-or the Death-Eater)
4) Harry Potter and the Boob Hats (makes me laugh like a 12-year-old boy every time)
5) Harry Potter and the Awkward Teenage Groping
6) Harry Potter and the...Wait, Are These Kids Even Going to Class Anymore?
7) Harry Potter and the Death of Pretty Much Everyone Else That Was Still Alive: Parts 1 and 2
What do you think, did I hit the mark? Do you have any suggestions for alternate titles? Leave them in the comments below!
~VK
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Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
All Locke'd Up
Hey friends! Long time, no blog!
Lately, there has been so much time devoted to writerly-type things and it has left me with little other time for sleeping, eating, maintaining a general state of cleanliness. Recently, I had to take a micro-break from some writing stuff to take care of things around the house; the place was beginning to look like a bad Tolkien map. There was the Leaning Pillars of Unwashed Dishware, the Stagnant Swamp of Soiled Linens and the Overflowing Wastes of Catbox Canyon. Apparently, in my neglect of all things domestic, there grew the "thing that shall not be named" in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator and the Blind Beast became increasingly destructive due to my inattentiveness. (I've never seen a house cat turn feral so fast! Just kidding, he's rather spoiled.)
So now that my domicile has been restored to some semblance of livability, I can return to the task(s) at hand. I might be putting the kibosh on "Midnight Society" submissions for a few weeks since I'm trying to get my edits finished up, start a new project and really focus on shopping my past projects around. So much to do, so little access to a time machine!
However, while I was busy domesticating, the world decided it still wanted to churn out some pertinent writing news. Recently, Amanda Hocking was in the news for her wildly successful collection of books that she self-published and has sold over 1 million copies through Amazon alone and has a traditional book deal now OH GOD! Well, not to upstage her, but an author by the name of John Locke bumped Ms. Hocking from the self-pubbed headlines for a bit.
No, not this John Locke.
And not this one either.
But this one!
Mr. Locke made headlines for joining the ranks of 1,000,000+ sellers on Amazon! So, of course, I went through the various jealous, proud, desperate, happy and ambitious-wanna-be-like-that-guy reactions. Then I came across a non-fiction book of John Locke's called "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!" And I might be a sucker, but I bought it (and if P.T. Barnum is right, at least I'll have a lot of friends). I'm anxious to get into the book and see what advice he has, because, let's face it, he's DONE it already! From what I can tell by his book covers, one secret to his success is putting the bare legs of a lovely lady on the cover. How novel.
I'll post a review of Mr. Locke's advice once I get through it and start crushing my sales numbers. (Also, I'll have my review of David Moody's "Dog Blood" posted tomorrow! I'm very much looking forward to "Them or Us," the last segment in the "Hater" trilogy!)
Ok, more to the point. All this news of self-published authors selling over a million copies with nary an agent or publisher or fairy godmother has gotten me thinking strategy again. Do I go traditional and hope for the best, putting my fate into the hands of strangers? Do I go 100% self-pub and use my limited resources to get my work out there? Or do I do some combination of the two, hoping that my sales increase one way or the other?
I'm leaning towards this last option. But there are two ways (at least) to go about it: 1) Build a reader base through self-publication and hope that the big boys notice and then come looking for you (which is what happened to Ms. Hocking). Or, 2) Keep writing and sending queries and hoping for manuscript requests in the old fashioned model, but setting a time limit for responses to those requests before adding them to the virtual shelves for public consumption.
Again, leaning towards this last option, though I will see what Mr. Locke has to say about it. Perhaps my opinion on the matter will be swayed one way or another. We shall see!
Well thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check back tomorrow for my "Dog Blood" review and perhaps some hints of what I'm working on next. Oh and maybe we can discuss POTTERMORE!
~VK
Lately, there has been so much time devoted to writerly-type things and it has left me with little other time for sleeping, eating, maintaining a general state of cleanliness. Recently, I had to take a micro-break from some writing stuff to take care of things around the house; the place was beginning to look like a bad Tolkien map. There was the Leaning Pillars of Unwashed Dishware, the Stagnant Swamp of Soiled Linens and the Overflowing Wastes of Catbox Canyon. Apparently, in my neglect of all things domestic, there grew the "thing that shall not be named" in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator and the Blind Beast became increasingly destructive due to my inattentiveness. (I've never seen a house cat turn feral so fast! Just kidding, he's rather spoiled.)
So now that my domicile has been restored to some semblance of livability, I can return to the task(s) at hand. I might be putting the kibosh on "Midnight Society" submissions for a few weeks since I'm trying to get my edits finished up, start a new project and really focus on shopping my past projects around. So much to do, so little access to a time machine!
However, while I was busy domesticating, the world decided it still wanted to churn out some pertinent writing news. Recently, Amanda Hocking was in the news for her wildly successful collection of books that she self-published and has sold over 1 million copies through Amazon alone and has a traditional book deal now OH GOD! Well, not to upstage her, but an author by the name of John Locke bumped Ms. Hocking from the self-pubbed headlines for a bit.
No, not this John Locke.
And not this one either.
But this one!
Mr. Locke made headlines for joining the ranks of 1,000,000+ sellers on Amazon! So, of course, I went through the various jealous, proud, desperate, happy and ambitious-wanna-be-like-that-guy reactions. Then I came across a non-fiction book of John Locke's called "How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!" And I might be a sucker, but I bought it (and if P.T. Barnum is right, at least I'll have a lot of friends). I'm anxious to get into the book and see what advice he has, because, let's face it, he's DONE it already! From what I can tell by his book covers, one secret to his success is putting the bare legs of a lovely lady on the cover. How novel.
I'll post a review of Mr. Locke's advice once I get through it and start crushing my sales numbers. (Also, I'll have my review of David Moody's "Dog Blood" posted tomorrow! I'm very much looking forward to "Them or Us," the last segment in the "Hater" trilogy!)
Ok, more to the point. All this news of self-published authors selling over a million copies with nary an agent or publisher or fairy godmother has gotten me thinking strategy again. Do I go traditional and hope for the best, putting my fate into the hands of strangers? Do I go 100% self-pub and use my limited resources to get my work out there? Or do I do some combination of the two, hoping that my sales increase one way or the other?
I'm leaning towards this last option. But there are two ways (at least) to go about it: 1) Build a reader base through self-publication and hope that the big boys notice and then come looking for you (which is what happened to Ms. Hocking). Or, 2) Keep writing and sending queries and hoping for manuscript requests in the old fashioned model, but setting a time limit for responses to those requests before adding them to the virtual shelves for public consumption.
Again, leaning towards this last option, though I will see what Mr. Locke has to say about it. Perhaps my opinion on the matter will be swayed one way or another. We shall see!
Well thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check back tomorrow for my "Dog Blood" review and perhaps some hints of what I'm working on next. Oh and maybe we can discuss POTTERMORE!
~VK
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Obsession
The internets are all atwitter about the release of "Mockingjay," the third and final installment in the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. While I have yet to read any of the books (still waiting for my blasted Kindle...) I can't help but get excited at the anticipation surrounding the release.
And I wonder why that is...
What makes some books/trilogies/septologies into obsessions? What drives people to dress up as fictional characters or speak in made up languages?
Yes, the story has to be good/marketable and the writing has to be engaging, but for every Harry Potter there seem to be a dozen or more Artemis Fowl's and Charlie Bone's. There are scores of fantasy books and series that will never be turned into a multiple-Oscar winning trilogy like "Lord of the Rings." And "Twilight" copies still abound, without a fraction of the attention. Even the "Hunger Games Trilogy" doesn't seem to catch fire (pardon the pun) as easily as others.
I ask this question without being able to provide an answer. If I knew the secret, you'd better believe I'd be writing the next billion-dollar franchise instead of a blog post! I think it all comes down to hard work. Sure there is the necessary requirement of talent and a healthy bit of luck never hurts anyone. But persistence and tenacity must pay off in the long run, even if you never achieve over a million books in one printing.
I'll admit, I'm still obsessed with "Harry Potter." It was the reason I started writing (and I confess, the first book I ever wrote was a direct rip-off!). But I adore the series not only for the story, but for JK Rowling's story of her life. I just watched her the interview during the time that she was finishing up "The Deathly Hallows." It's inspiring, emotional and uplifting and I can't express how much I enjoy watching it.
And speaking of obsession, with the final Harry Potter movie coming up this fall (and...next summer?) I've decided to re-read the entire septology. It's as brilliant as ever and I can watch Rowling's progress and confidence grow as a writer with each installment. It's my life's ambition to write something as good as that series, not necessarily as well received, financially successful or as cult-inducing mind you, but just a work that in my mind is "as good as."
When that day arrives, I'll be sure to let you know!
~VK
And I wonder why that is...
What makes some books/trilogies/septologies into obsessions? What drives people to dress up as fictional characters or speak in made up languages?
Yes, the story has to be good/marketable and the writing has to be engaging, but for every Harry Potter there seem to be a dozen or more Artemis Fowl's and Charlie Bone's. There are scores of fantasy books and series that will never be turned into a multiple-Oscar winning trilogy like "Lord of the Rings." And "Twilight" copies still abound, without a fraction of the attention. Even the "Hunger Games Trilogy" doesn't seem to catch fire (pardon the pun) as easily as others.
I ask this question without being able to provide an answer. If I knew the secret, you'd better believe I'd be writing the next billion-dollar franchise instead of a blog post! I think it all comes down to hard work. Sure there is the necessary requirement of talent and a healthy bit of luck never hurts anyone. But persistence and tenacity must pay off in the long run, even if you never achieve over a million books in one printing.
I'll admit, I'm still obsessed with "Harry Potter." It was the reason I started writing (and I confess, the first book I ever wrote was a direct rip-off!). But I adore the series not only for the story, but for JK Rowling's story of her life. I just watched her the interview during the time that she was finishing up "The Deathly Hallows." It's inspiring, emotional and uplifting and I can't express how much I enjoy watching it.
And speaking of obsession, with the final Harry Potter movie coming up this fall (and...next summer?) I've decided to re-read the entire septology. It's as brilliant as ever and I can watch Rowling's progress and confidence grow as a writer with each installment. It's my life's ambition to write something as good as that series, not necessarily as well received, financially successful or as cult-inducing mind you, but just a work that in my mind is "as good as."
When that day arrives, I'll be sure to let you know!
~VK
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Identity
Who would you rather hang out with:
Clark Kent or Superman?
Peter Parker or Spider-Man?
Bruce Wayne or Batman?
With the exception of that last one, I'd always go with the superhuman. (A billionaire's party beats brooding in a bat-cave any day.) Why? They're just more fun! They get to do things that ordinary people don't, or can't. Even though each of them is fully capable of handling himself in a fight, his alter-ego/public identity is often as mild and vulnerable as the meekest of us. What does this have to do with books you ask?
Well, let me ask this:
Would you read a book by Stephenie Meyer that had nothing to do with vampires?
How about a Stephen King book about baseball?
Or a football story by John Grisham?
Maybe you'd read J.K. Rowling's next project even if it had nothing to do with Harry Potter?
My point is that most famous authors are known for a specific character or series or genre. Is it that they have no interest in writing different types of stories? Is it that the authors are most comfortable in that given style? Is it that the publishers/readers would refuse to step outside what they perceive is the author's identity?
One benefit an unpublished author (such as myself) has over the big names is that we can experiment. We can find what style and genre and length of story works for us. Someone who starts off writing literary poetry can end up cranking out kid's picture books or nonfiction how-to's, or vice versa.
The difficulty is in knowing when you've hit your stride. Was my first foray into writing, a YA fantasy similar to Harry Potter, the style I'll end up in? Was my second novel, an adult horror story, more my calling? Or will I find a home in YA sci-fi, as with my current project?
And in this day and age of e-reading and e-publishing, is it necessary to limit one's self to a particular series or genre or style? I appreciate Stephen King's novels, but I absolutely love his short story collections and The Green Mile series. I wasn't a fan of Meyer's "Twilight" series, but tried "The Host" just to see if it was better (it wasn't, in my opinion). I'd read anything ever written by Rowling, literally anything.
In other words, I'm still searching for my identity. But along the way, I'm enjoying the freedom of playing around in a variety of different worlds. Here, sea monsters are as real as abusive parents, time control is as possible and effortless as wireless communication and elves, orcs and dwarves party up right alongside aliens and cyborgs.
Is there really anything better than that?
~VK
Clark Kent or Superman?
Peter Parker or Spider-Man?
Bruce Wayne or Batman?
With the exception of that last one, I'd always go with the superhuman. (A billionaire's party beats brooding in a bat-cave any day.) Why? They're just more fun! They get to do things that ordinary people don't, or can't. Even though each of them is fully capable of handling himself in a fight, his alter-ego/public identity is often as mild and vulnerable as the meekest of us. What does this have to do with books you ask?
Well, let me ask this:
Would you read a book by Stephenie Meyer that had nothing to do with vampires?
How about a Stephen King book about baseball?
Or a football story by John Grisham?
Maybe you'd read J.K. Rowling's next project even if it had nothing to do with Harry Potter?
My point is that most famous authors are known for a specific character or series or genre. Is it that they have no interest in writing different types of stories? Is it that the authors are most comfortable in that given style? Is it that the publishers/readers would refuse to step outside what they perceive is the author's identity?
One benefit an unpublished author (such as myself) has over the big names is that we can experiment. We can find what style and genre and length of story works for us. Someone who starts off writing literary poetry can end up cranking out kid's picture books or nonfiction how-to's, or vice versa.
The difficulty is in knowing when you've hit your stride. Was my first foray into writing, a YA fantasy similar to Harry Potter, the style I'll end up in? Was my second novel, an adult horror story, more my calling? Or will I find a home in YA sci-fi, as with my current project?
And in this day and age of e-reading and e-publishing, is it necessary to limit one's self to a particular series or genre or style? I appreciate Stephen King's novels, but I absolutely love his short story collections and The Green Mile series. I wasn't a fan of Meyer's "Twilight" series, but tried "The Host" just to see if it was better (it wasn't, in my opinion). I'd read anything ever written by Rowling, literally anything.
In other words, I'm still searching for my identity. But along the way, I'm enjoying the freedom of playing around in a variety of different worlds. Here, sea monsters are as real as abusive parents, time control is as possible and effortless as wireless communication and elves, orcs and dwarves party up right alongside aliens and cyborgs.
Is there really anything better than that?
~VK
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