Tag: Lane Diamond Author (Page 7 of 8)

Who has time to read for pleasure?

October 12, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 11 Comments

Like all writers, I came to writing through reading. I didn’t kick my pleasure reading into high gear until 1980. I was serving in the U.S. Air Force at Ramstein Air Base in [West] Germany. I had time on my hands, sitting in my little efficiency apartment off base with no television and no phone in those pre-internet days.

I’d always been a proficient reader as a kid, but hadn’t done much of it. Although I enjoyed a few exceptions, books tended to bore me, a sad alternative to playing outside with my friends. In 1980, no longer a kid running around the neighborhood, I looked to reading as a remedy for boredom. Wow! I realized just how much I’d been missing.

I started with Stephen King (and his alter ego Richard Bachman), because he was producing a lot of material and could keep me engaged. I also read everything Robert Ludlum had available. Indeed, after I made my first trip to Berlin, and actually went through Checkpoint Charlie into communist East Germany, espionage thrillers moved to the front of my reading list. Enter John LeCarre, Frederick Forsyth and others.

From that point on, I couldn’t even imagine life without books, though I’ve suffered some downtime—gaps in my reading—on occasion. This, I’m sorry to say, is one of those occasions. I’m so busy writing my own book, and editing the work of several authors in our Evolved Publishinggroup, that I just can’t seem to find time for pleasure reading.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m thrilled that our publishing venture is about to rocket forward. Still, I miss the simple joy of reading without deadlines, without pressure to find every little word that doesn’t quite work, without authors breathing down my neck like a bunch of….

Just kidding. Our authors are a fine, patient bunch. Nonetheless, I’ll be glad to get past this initial big launch of our publishing venture (7-10 more books in the next 2-3 months). I’ll be glad to relax at night with a snifter of cognac in one hand, a book or my Kindle in the other, and read for the shear escapist joy of it.

I’m curious: Which authors first hooked you on reading?

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New Book Cover Art for Psychological Thriller Novel, FORGIVE ME, ALEX

October 1, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 4 Comments

Josh Evans, one of the great artists with our Evolved Publishing group, has created the new book cover for my debut novel, Forgive Me, Alex, due out in November 2011.

He captured the themes well, of both the Psychological Thriller genre and the book itself, and worked with me to make the actual content of the image relevant to the story. I think he did a great job. I hope you’ll agree.

‘Til next time, and as always, remember: To write well, you must work hard. To succeed in this tough gig, you mustn’t be lazy (or discouraged).

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Why Are So Many Snarks Circling the Internet Waters?

September 27, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 4 Comments

“The reputation through a thousand years may depend upon the conduct through a single moment.” – Ernest Bramah

I’ve been seeing quite a few heated conversations on the internet lately. Of course, certain subjects lend themselves to such warfare more than do others, as do certain venues. Nonetheless, I’ve been surprised by a few of them.

Who would have thought, for example, that posting a job opening at LinkedIn would generate snarky, combative responses? Do potential applicants think that will leave them any chance of acceptance? Really? Who goes into a job interview, for example, and blurts right out, “Okay, Mr. Hiring Official, so what are you going to do for me?” Yeah, there’s a recipe for success.

Well, once you realize that some of those snarky comments come from potential competitors, it’s easier to understand their attitudes, at least. What I don’t understand is why they would they engage in that sort of activity on a site dedicated to professional advancement.

Seriously, what could such behavior possibly do for their reputations?

That brings me to the overall point of this post. In the new internet environment, it seems to me that one must be careful not to weave a web of discontent and anger at every opportunity. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t be honest; of course, we should. I am suggesting that sometimes it’s simply best to walk away. Be polite. Be quiet. Don’t pick fights.

I doubt anyone wins those fights, in the end. I suspect both parties are damaged, to some degree. That naturally begs the question: What should I do if someone attacks me? Should I not respond at all?

Well, sometimes yes… and sometimes no. Perhaps a simple “Oh brother” or “Good grief” will make your point, and throw the dirt back on the muddy snark. Perhaps you’ll require a larger response at times, but exercise caution. Remember your mother’s admonition when you were in the third grade: “Just because Billy wants to jump off a bridge, doesn’t mean you have to jump off a bridge.”

In an electronic medium, where we never meet face-to-face or engage in coordinated physical activities, we have only our posted words to build and protect our reputations. Furthermore, that reputation will be the primary means by which we build our business, whatever that may be.

It sure is difficult, at times. I’ve encountered circumstances in which I wanted to unleash a barrage of 4-letter words. Yet whom would that harm more? My target… or me?

To quote the bard, “Aye, there’s the rub.”

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Authors – To Blog or Not To Blog

September 21, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 3 Comments

Blogger and soon-to-be-published author, Roni Loren, has posted a blog that’s already drawing some interesting comments. I’m happy to recommend that you pop over and participate in the conversation.

Tell her Diamond sent you. 🙂

Is Blogging Dead?

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‘Til next time, and as always, remember: To write well, you must work hard. To succeed in this tough gig, you mustn’t be lazy (or discouraged).

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Quality Counts when Publishing eBooks

September 12, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 3 Comments

I’ve been sampling some indie-published eBooks lately, and I must say that most writers are not helping the long, sad reputation held by self-published authors. Only the rare exception is edited and polished to a fine sheen.

No, I don’t think readers expect to see absolute perfection, which is, in any event, largely subjective. Even legacy publishers put out the occasional sloppy piece. The difference is that their sloppiness represents perhaps 10% of releases, whereas self-publishers offer sloppiness at the rate of about 99%. Big difference.

Spelling errors, bad grammar, punctuation errors, a bucketful of adverbs, POV issues and structural errors—all on the first 2 pages? Come on. How are they going to succeed in the long run when presenting that to readers?

I’m fascinated by the manner in which indie publishers respond to these kinds of posts. Most of them get angry, or feel offended, or both. Yet they’re often just one step away from an excellent book: professional editing. I’m not trying to insult, I’m trying to help. I promise.

Too many indie authors choose to forgo this expense, offering any number of excuses—though it’s invariably about money. They fear they won’t recoup their investment. Let’s be honest: that’s possible. They enjoy no guarantee of success, no assurance they’ll sell enough copies of their book, at a high enough royalty, to recoup those costs. Yet without solid editing, their chances of success decrease dramatically. We return to the old “chicken and egg” argument. Q1: How can I afford editing until I’ve sold a lot of books? Q2: How can I sell a lot of books if I don’t have them professionally edited?

If they stop for a moment to extend the logic, to consider their business model, they’ll come time and time again to Q2—and to its clearly implied answer.

When they publish their own work, they’re no longer JUST an author; they’re now a publisher. And publishing, like any business, requires a little up-front investment in order to do it right. They can minimize these costs, if creative (heck, just look at the Evolved Publishing model), but they cannot eliminate them—at least, not without dooming their business to failure before they’ve even left the starting blocks.

Many indie publishers are languishing with poor sales, finding the spigot turned off as soon as their family and friends stop buying. Why? Because only their family and friends will support them no matter what… even if the work is substandard.

They simply must have a well-edited manuscript, and an attractive, professional cover, and some kind of coherent marketing plan, preferably with the help of others working on their behalf.

When will I get tired of this preaching? When the world of indie publishers has converted. Let me have an, “Amen!”

Look, I say this not just as a publisher of eBooks, or as an editor of eBooks, or as an author of eBooks—I say this as a READER of eBooks. I’ve been sampling works to purchase and download to my Kindle, but I’m picky. If I’m going to spend my hard-earned money on a book, whatever the price, I expect a professional product.

One look at how few indie authors are actually making a living at it makes one thing clear: I’m not alone in that requirement.

Please, Dear Aspiring Author, do not shoot yourself in the foot. Be a professional. Do it right. And reap the rewards.

‘Til next time, and as always, remember: To write well, you must work hard. To succeed in this tough gig, you mustn’t be lazy (or discouraged).

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Lane Diamond’s New Facebook Page

August 30, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 0 Comments

I’ve set up a new Facebook “Page.” This means you must “Like” my new page if you were a “Friend” to my old one.

As I prepare to launch my novel, Forgive Me, Alex, in November, I figured it was time to “go pro” on Facebook.

Whether you were a “Friend” before, or you’re a new visitor, I hope you’ll “Like” my new page: Lane Diamond, Author – Facebook Page

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Guest Blog – Tony Hooper #2

August 23, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 3 Comments

To kill another person is… such an easy thing. Sometimes, it even feels good. For a moment. Then, like paper through the office shredder, your soul is torn to the core.

I can almost remember a time when I slept through the night. Almost. I have to remind myself that it’s only been twenty years. Sure, only more than half my life. It’s June 7, 1995. Last night I said goodbye to Linda at the bar, but first I agreed to meet her for breakfast today. She didn’t invite me to her hotel room, nor did she ask to accompany me home, nor did I breach the subject in any way. There was an underlying tension, a thought that we might rekindle the flame from three years ago. I sure felt it, and I believe she did too, but in the end, we said goodnight and went our separate ways.

Until now.

I’ve anticipated this meeting from the instant she offered to buy me breakfast, yet as I drive to her hotel, the lingering effects of another restless night distract me. My dream of Alex, reduced to a puff of smoke in a gale-force wind, still cuts me to the bone. I struggle to regain my composure, but my emotions remain on edge, as though the smallest catalyst will tumble me into the abyss, the black chasm of my mind. I’ve long stood upon the precipice, waiting—almost hoping—for the ledge to collapse beneath me.

I attempt to suppress the memory in a blast of music from a cassette, an upbeat, kick-ass mixed tape designed to improve my mood and get me going on days like this. Robin Zander of Cheap Trick screams that he’s All Wound Up. I could use a little of that myself.

Linda said last night that she wanted to talk about Mitchell Norton. What’s to talk about? I want to return to the job I started seventeen years ago and failed to finish. I want to slit his goddamned throat.

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“Forgive Me, Alex”

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Compelling Characters – Great Books Are All About the People

August 20, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 6 Comments

Think of your favorite novels. What did you love most about them? Sure, they offered a fun and interesting story, but I’ll bet that, in many of those books, you were compelled most by the people you met on your journey—the characters.

We’re not just readers; we’re people. We relate to other people… even if they’re fictional. The real trick to effective writing is to make us suspend our disbelief long enough to consider that maybe, just maybe, your characters are real people too.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee – If you love this book as much as I do, then you also love Atticus Finch and Scout. You see what they see. You feel what they feel. Personally, I imagined myself seated in a rocker on Atticus’s front porch, as we spoke of the law, of politics, of our mutual hope that Scout would know a better world someday. Perhaps because I knew so little of my own father, I imagined what life might be like if Atticus were my dad. Such is the power of great characterization.

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck – I can still feel the dust of Oklahoma layered over me. I can still smell my traveling mates, the Joad family and Casy, as it had been several days since we last had the opportunity to take a decent bath. I can still taste the mush, made only slightly better by the one spoon of sugar Ma allowed each of us. I can’t see Tom in that coal-black cave of vines, but I can hear him breathing. “I swar, I even spoke Okey fer awhile, like they done.” I loved the Joad family—Ma, Tom, Rose of Sharon, and the whole gang. I starved with them. I cried with them. I hoped against all odds with them. Such is the power of great characterization.

The Stand, by Stephen King – This story offers a character-rich environment—easily a dozen characters to whom you can open your heart. How could you possibly not like Nick, Stu, Glen, Frances, and of course, Mother Abigail. You can even sink your teeth into a number of bad guys. It’s an imaginative story, to be sure, but the characters kept me going for all 1,153 pages (complete & uncut edition). I feared with them. I cared with them. I sacrificed with them. Such is the power of great characterization.

A Soldier of the Great War, by Mark Helprin – As I read the story, I truly learned to love Alessandro Giuliani, the protagonist. If I could have chosen my own grandfather, I might have chosen Alessandro. I so missed him ten years after first reading the book that I had to read it again. It didn’t matter that I knew the story; I needed to visit the old man I loved. Eight years later, I visited him for a third time. Soon, we’ll be meeting again. Such is the power of great characterization.

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving – How effectively did John Irving bring Owen Meany to life? Despite the fact that the story itself often antagonized me, the reader, by virtue of politics with which I often disagreed, I still couldn’t put the book down. Owen Meany is one of the most compelling and unique people I’ve ever met. Yes, I met him, and he was just as amazing as I imagined he would be. Such is the power of great characterization.

These are only a few examples, varied in genres and styles, of novels that succeeded wildly not just because the authors told good stories, but because they brought to life great characters. They gave to us people who breathed, walked and talked on the page. They came to life and, in doing so, became a part of our lives.

What makes for great characterization? I can tell you what it’s not: he has blue eyes; she has red hair; she’s short with tiny feet and freckles; he has an aristocratic nose and wavy blonde hair. Are those details bad? Not necessarily. Are those details good? Not necessarily.

As a reader, I don’t like a lot of physical description. I always develop, when the author allows me to, my own mental image of the characters. I knew what Jack Ryan, from Tom Clancy’s novels, looked like long before Alec Baldwin or Harrison Ford played the character in movies. I knew what Nick, from Stephen King’s The Stand, looked like long before they released the TV movie. Rob Lowe as Nick? Sorry, but I don’t think so. Have you ever had that same reaction to an actor? Have you ever said, “No, no, no; he doesn’t look anything like that character?”

I liked Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. I did not like Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. I liked Robert Urich as Spenser. I did not like Stacy Keach as Mike Hammer. I liked Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump.

You may feel different about each of those actors and characters, and that’s my point. For you, that female lead may be a short redhead with green eyes, a bit chubby, with freckles and an unfortunate birthmark. For me, she may be a long-legged blonde with blue eyes, a disarming smile, and a figure that takes my breath away. (Yeesh, I’m such a guy.) The freedom to exercise our imaginations draws us into a story, drives us to know your characters better.

Dear Author, please give us, your loyal readers, a little freedom.

What do readers really want in a character? We want to see her with our own eyes, hear her with our own ears, feel what she feels. We don’t want you to tell us that she’s afraid; we want you to show us the hair standing up on the back of her neck. We want to see her shiver, and see the goosebumps rise on her arms. We want to hear and feel her anguish over a lost love. We want to know her heart, her soul, her attitudes and desires—as if she were a good friend.

Such is the power of great characterization.

‘Til next time, and as always, remember: To write well, you must work hard. To succeed in this tough gig, you mustn’t be lazy (or discouraged).

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First 5 Chapters of “FORGIVE ME, ALEX” – A Psychological Thriller

August 8, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 0 Comments

Some of you may have already read the opening chapter of my upcoming novel. Well, now I’ve added Chapters 2-5 on the novel page at this site. Just click here, and please leave a comment at the end after reading.

Thank you.

‘Til next time, and as always, remember: To write well, you must work hard. To succeed in this tough gig, you mustn’t be lazy (or discouraged).

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Wind Tunnel – A Short Story

August 6, 2011 / Lane Diamond / 3 Comments

My second short story, Wind Tunnel, is more of a feel-good affair than my first one, Devane’s Reality. It is now available through Amazon, Smashwords and BookieJar.

Set first in Chicago and later in Argentina, it serves as a reminder that it pays to do good. Call it karma, call it paying-it-forward, call it what you will—sometimes, all is right with the universe.