Introducing my New Guest Poster: Caleb Flanagan of 20four12

Caleb Flanagan of 20four12 has been a regular commenter here on The Mad Reviewer for many months and we’ve had some very interesting conversations.  Naturally, we have developed a professional relationship and when he wanted to expand into guest posting, he contacted me first (which was very flattering).  Although I resigned at We Heart Reading on Wednesday, I am still very much interested in guest posting.  So why did I resign?  I wasn’t getting any content in return.

The reason I love guest posting with The Streetlight Reader is that we do exchanges: she writes one review for me, I write one for her.  At We Heart Reading, I would post every week for no content in return and significantly less traffic.  However, the way Caleb and I have worked things out will give us each regular content.  I will be posting for him every other Friday and he will be posting for me every other Friday.  My first post for him will be today, the 7th and his first post for me will be on the 14th.  And we’ll take things from there.

Since Caleb did an amazing post introducing me to his readers, I might as well introduce him.  Here’s a section from his about page:

My name is Caleb Flanagan. I’m a former English major at Brigham Young University who now works as a Front-End Web Developer for a marketing firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am married to an amazing woman by the name of Holly, and I’m lucky enough to be the father of two totally awesome kids, my son, Jack, and my daughter, Lucy.

20four12 is a blog that focuses on books and how I perceive them as a whole as well as the more nebulous topics behind being an avid reader. My personal reading taste leans quite heavily to the science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian genres. However, I have been known to cross over into just about any genre if I think the book has an interesting concept behind it. Lately I’ve been discovering that I quite enjoy the characters and plots that can be found in YA fiction, something I never really thought I would be all that interested in. It’s always great to discover new things with books.

Occasionally you might find posts here that deal with topics other than books, but I promise that if you do, they will always be interesting!

Other interests that I spend time on include following sports news quite voraciously, watching movies (especially in the theater), and a little bit of online gaming when time and mood permits.

So if you haven’t already checked out 20four12, you should now!  Caleb does some amazing in-depth posts about books chapter-by-chapter as well as reviews, articles on gaming, movies, etc.  He caters to a more adult audience, but I know for a fact that many teens will love the books he reviews.

Farewell to We Heart Reading

As you probably don’t know, last Wednesday was my last day posting over at We Heart Reading.  I know my ‘resignation’ is pretty sudden and you’re probably all asking yourselves why did I quit, but I’m going to keep things brief:

1.  I want to focus on my own blog more.

2.  In September I’ve taken on a lot of projects, most notably my collaboration with Mark of The Masquerade Crew on his first anthology.  My role as developmental (content) editor will take up a lot of my time and the fact is that guest posting regularly takes a lot more time than just posting on my blog.  Both Mark and I are hoping that there will be more anthologies in the future, so to put it bluntly: editing pays and guest posting doesn’t.  I am human and would like to make a little extra money, so I feel that my energy is better spent on paying work than on We Heart Reading.

3.  It wasn’t meeting my expectations.  I’m a perfectionist and when things don’t turn out, I often lose interest in them.  This is no one’s fault but my own.  We Heart Reading hasn’t turned out nearly as well as I thought it would; it was just not a good fit for a control freak like myself.  However, for non-control freak book reviewers I would highly recommend joining it.  It’s a great place to build a community of book reviewers and fellow book lovers.

Even though I’m saying ‘addio’ to We Heart Reading, that doesn’t mean I’m saying farewell to guest posting in general.  It’s just that I will be guest posting less frequently, as in once every two weeks.  But more on that later.

For now, just know that I will no longer be posting at We Heart Reading, but I will still do everything I can to help the site out.  It was a great place to meet fellow book reviewers and book lovers and I’m going to miss it.

Writing the Popular Novel by Loren D. Estleman

(Cover picture courtesy of Amazon.)

Writing great fiction is, quite simply, hard work.  It requires dedication to the craft, hours of thought and research, attention to detail and sentence structure, a clear understanding of the submission process, and so much more.  In Writing the Popular Novel, Pulitzer Prize-nominee and award-winning author Loren D. Estleman draws on his vast experience to teach you the awareness and skills you need to turn your efforts into a rewarding, exciting experience.

Estleman offers invaluable instruction on the craft behind writing commercial fiction and provides you with a smart, honest look at today’s competitive publishing industry.  This thorough guide features:

  • A detailed overview of literary genres with information on how to decide which one is right for you.
  • Instruction on how to conduct research and how to make the leap from research to writing.
  • An in-depth look at dialogue, point of view, and other writing techniques.
  • Tips on how to know who your target audience is and how to deliver a story that will keep them reading.
  • A look at more than twenty opening lines from popular novels, with ideas on how to create your own.
  • Advice on working with agents and editors to develop a successful, long-term career.

At once thoughtful and engaging, Writing the Popular Novel provides new and experienced writers with an unmatched resource for writing and selling their fiction!

Writing the Popular Novel was the first book on writing I ever picked up and I’m glad it was because it remains one of the best ones I’ve ever read.  It’s comprehensive, concise, and gives practical advice on dealing with rejection from agents and editors.

One of the things modern writers (especially self-published ones) may not like is Loren Estleman’s views on self-publishing.  But you have to take into account that this book was written in 2004, before self-published writers had access to all of the great resources that are out there now.  More people are becoming accepting of self-publishing (myself included), but things weren’t nearly always like that.  Self-published authors are still looked on with disdain now, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was in 2004, or even 2009.

Other than his little spiel about self-publishing, Writing the Popular Novel is just as relevant today as it was in 2004.  Loren Estleman explains the five different points of view authors may use, how to write believable dialogue, using an outline, writing the climax of your novel and so many more practical things authors should learn about.  He also debunks some of the most prevalent and annoying myths that frequently crop up in fiction, especially ones about guns.  As someone who grew up in a rural area, I find myself laughing until I cry at some gun scenes in novels and short stories.  Please don’t be the author that makes me do this; I (and other reviewers) will call you out on your faulty research.

With an entertaining style and practical, relevant advice, I would recommend Writing the Popular Novel to any writers, both new and experienced, traditionally published or self-published.  If you’re going to buy only one book on writing, this should be the one.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

Amazon*    Barnes and Noble*

*Unfortunately, it’s out of print right now so you’ll have to pick up a used book or see if it’s been made into an ebook.

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony

Well, last Wednesday I posted over here, but this Wednesday I’m back guest posting over at We Heart Reading.  If you like fantasy and aren’t easily offended by sexism, you’ll love A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony, the first Xanth novel in a series that started in 1977 and is still being written today.  (Well, according to that ever-reliable Wikipedia.)

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Dangerous faeries.  Heartbreaking romance.  Thrilling action and limitless adventure.  The world of the fey has never been so powerful.  This collection includes three novellas set in the world of the Iron Fey plus the Guide to the Iron Fey with exclusive information about Julie Kagawa’s unforgettable world of Faery.

Winter’s Passage

Never make a promise to a faery.  They always come to collect.  Now Meghan Chase must fulfill her promise to Prince Ash of the Winter Court and embark upon a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory—while being pursued by a relentless new foe and guarding her own foolish heart.

Summer’s Crossing

What can turn enemies into reluctant allies?  A call from the Exile Queen, Leanansidhe, ties legendary prankster Puck to his archenemy, Prince Ash, on a journey that may end in betrayal and will set them both on an irreversible path.

Iron’s Prophecy

Before she ever knew what might become, Iron Queen Meghan Chase was warned by the oracle that her firstborn child would bring nothing but grief.  And even as Meghan and Ash celebrate their long-awaited union, the prophecy stirs….

Being the Luddite that I am, I still do not own an e-reader and frankly don’t plan on getting one.  Reading on a screen strains my eyes and paperbacks are much more portable (or at least, more convenient to move without worrying about the battery draining).  This is why I’m so glad that Julie Kagawa’s formerly e-book only novellas are now available in print—I never would have been able to read them otherwise.

For fans of The Iron Fey, the three novellas and the Guide to the Iron Fey will be great additions to the series.  If you haven’t read all of the books in the series, then you should not read The Iron Legends because there are some massive spoilers.  Besides that, you won’t be able to appreciate all of the interwoven plot lines nearly as much.  Much like how Cassandra Clare has joined her Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series, Julie Kagawa has joined her Iron Fey series with her brand new series, Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten.  And, as someone who obtained an ARC of The Lost Prince, let me say that you had better read the novella Iron’s Prophecy before you read it.  It explains a lot of the secondary characters’ behavior towards Ethan.

Although the Guide to the Iron Fey promises to have exclusive information, there really isn’t all that much that’s new.  Julie Kagawa expands a bit on the Nevernever, but there’s nothing really all that special that makes the guide a must-read.  Well, unless you’re a fan of Grimalkin because the Cait Sith has his own ‘comments’ on his biography and much of the information about the world of faeries.  However, what follows the guide is an excerpt from The Lost Prince and it definitely makes the wait for October 23 more difficult.  Even though I obtained an ARC from NetGalley and my review won’t appear until later this month, here’s a hint: it was so good I intend to buy a print copy when it comes out.

To wrap things up: if you love the Iron Fey, you’ll love this anthology, but you should read all four books in the series before you read The Iron Legends.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Amazon    Barnes and Noble