Well, not really. She is at a workshop and we got an SOS from her earlier to let us know that her travel laptop has crapped out. Now, besides being a pain because it means her writing will be impacted, it means she isn’t able to do a blog today. So here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to post a few links — some of them are very interesting reading and some show just how strange things can get on the internet — and I’m going to post a few book promos. Then I’m going to throw open the comments. I’d like to hear what you guys think about what’s going on in publishing, what you think about the links I posted and you can post ONE promo link. Sound good?
So, what better way than to start the day with a link to last week’s Book Plug Friday by our own Sarah and ChaSJWrlie Martin. For those who haven’t discovered BPF, it is a wonderful — and free — promotion tool for authors. That’s important. But even more important is how Charlie and Sarah discuss what is going on in publishing and, as they do in last week’s piece, show that the SJWs don’t even check their facts before staking to their soapboxes to complain about how women have been locked out of science fiction. In this particular case, they burst the bubble that has been put forth that women are “finally” making inroads into the awards scene in SF. Unlike the special ones, they did their homework and listed the female winners of the Nebulas. Funny, I don’t see how women were pushed out, do you?
And, while we’re talking about Sarah, let’s have an example of just how strange things can get on the internet. Back on the 6th, Laura J. Mixon posted her investigation into the blogger Requires Hate. You can find that post here. Needless to say, the interwebs blew up as the SJWs tried to process all that had happened and who RH turned out to be. And this is where things got more than a little weird. On another blog, a commenter posted that they thought our own Sarah and Requires Hate were one and the same. Yes, you read that right. I’ll leave you a few moments to consider that and to quit laughing. Sarah’s response when it was brought to her attention? Stunned silence and then hysterical laughter. Sort of like everyone else who knows her has reacted to read the comment.
The best response to the entire “report” has come, imo, from Larry Correia. Read it. Enjoy it. Consider all he says and let’s pop the popcorn and watch as this feeding frenzy becomes more and more frequent.
(BTW, apparently there has now been a call for the “whites” to step out of the conversation about RH and everything surrounding Mixon’s report. It seems the POC community needs time to consider and reflect on what has been revealed. Sorry, but if this is an issue of real import, then the voices of all should be heard. My opinion, of course.)
Now, onto something a bit more fun. I loved Larry’s reaction to his Czech book covers.
The Czechs are like “Patriarchy? What is this word? Is the succubus not sexy enough? Wait… Cis what? Do you mean we should make the werewolves on fire? We can do that. Dmitri! More fire! Now, why does this flabby man pose in his underwear like sexy pole dancer? You do not want to appeal to people who give you money? America is strange place.”
Take a look at the covers and you will see what he means and, to be honest, he’s right. I wish more American publishers would consider just how important a cover is in getting folks to pick a book up off the shelf — for those who still go to bookstores. But then, I’m not enlightened enough for the SJH/GHH set. I happen to like the covers.
Now, for a few book promos.
The Chaplain’s War
by Brad Torgersen
The mantis cyborgs: insectlike, cruel, and determined to wipe humanity from the face of the galaxy.
The Fleet is humanity’s last chance: a multi-world, multi-national task force assembled to hold the line against the aliens’ overwhelming technology and firepower. Enter Harrison Barlow, who like so many young men of wars past, simply wants to serve his people and partake of the grand adventure of military life. Only, Harrison is not a hot pilot, nor a crack shot with a rifle. What good is a Chaplain’s Assistant in the interstellar battles which will decide the fate of all?
More than he thinks. Because while the mantis insectoids are determined to eliminate the human threat to mantis supremacy, they remember the errors of their past. Is there the slightest chance that humans might have value? Especially since humans seem to have the one thing the mantes explicitly do not: an innate ability to believe in what cannot be proven nor seen God. Captured and stranded behind enemy lines, Barlow must come to grips with the fact that he is not only bargaining for his own life, but the lives of everyone he knows and loves. And so he embarks upon an improbable gambit, determined to alter the course of the entire war.
***
Joy Cometh With The Mourning: A Reverend Joy Mystery
by Dave Freer
Reverend Joy Norton is a timid city girl, and she’s never been the primary priest in any parish. When her bishop sends her out to a remote back-country church, she doubts both her ability and her suitability. Those doubts grow when she hears of the mysterious death of her predecessor. But from the first encounter with her congregation — having her little car rescued from a muddy ditch, she finds herself deeply involved with her parishioners and touched by their qualities and eccentricities. Which makes it worse for her to think that one of the people she’s coming to care for murdered the previous priest…
***
Jaxson: Military Romance (Island Warriors Book 1)
by Kris Keldaran
In book one of the Island Warriors: Kehau Makoa thought her life was on track. Fun-loving and taking everything in stride, until a combat veteran steps into her sight. The gorgeous dance teacher never imagined that on her agenda. Till now.
Jaxson “Johnny Rocket” Kuznia never saw a brawl he didn’t wade into with both fists flying. Broad, burly, and an expert with his hands, the Marine soon realizes Uncle Sam didn’t prepare him for everything that would be thrown into his path. It doesn’t take Jax long to figure out he will need every bit of skill and luck he’s got if he wants to win the heart of a woman he seems unable to live without.
From North Shore to Waikiki, and Ko ‘Olina to Kailua, the Jaëger Guardsmen put their hearts and lives on the line to learn if they’ve found a love that will last a lifetime.
***
The Galileo Syndrome (Born Between Worlds) (Volume 1)
by Stephen J. Simmon
The world can be very frightened of change. History offers us endless examples of geniuses who were treated badly because their ideas threatened the established order … That’s because Galileo didn’t have a little sister named Peaches. Ricky Benson is a genius who was born with the ability to perceive – and travel between – parallel universes. Luckily, he was also born with a sister who is devoted to defending him, at any cost.
(The e-book will be available very soon — so keep checking back if you want digital instead of hard copy.)
***
Farmhand (Bluehills Book 1)
by Lilania Begley
Wounded veteran Dev Macquire needs some farm help until he recovers. When his father, Gray, brings home a new hand, he’s dismayed to meet Irina. How can a woman do the rough, heavy work they need? As she works her way into their life, and into his heart, he’s faced with a new dilemma. Can he persuade her to stay, and to accept a new role in his life?
Irina took the job on a whim. She just wanted to work hard enough to forget why her life was on hold and her future uncertain. Daily reminded of a brighter past, a childhood spent on horseback…but her new feelings for Dev were definitely not sisterly. At the end of the summer she’d leave, it was too dangerous to risk staying near him.
As a wildfire threatens the countryside, racing toward the Macquire place, Dev and Irina discover what true partnership can feel like, working together to find the arsonist who is responsible. When the fires die out, are there embers left smoldering in hearts?
***
Duty from Ashes (Honor and Duty Book 2)
by Sam Schall
Duty calls. Honor demands action.
Major Ashlyn Shaw has survived false accusations and a brutal military prison. Now free, she finds her homeworld once again at war with an enemy that will stop at nothing to destroy everything she holds dear. Duty has Ashlyn once again answering the call to serve. She has seen what the enemy is capable of and will do everything she can to prevent it from happening to the home she loves and the people she took an oath to protect.
But something has changed. It goes beyond the fact that the enemy has changed tactics they never wavered from during the previous war. It even goes beyond the fact that there is still a nagging doubt in the back of Ashlyn’s mind that those who betrayed her once before might do so again. No, there is more to the resumption of hostilities, something that seems to point at a new player in the game. But who and what are they playing at?
Will Ashlyn be able to unmask the real enemy before it is too late?
Mad Genius Club 
The more I work with traditional publishing, the happier I am about having the indie option. I discovered that my history book is not available in either of the main regional bookstores (one stand-alone, one a chain) because “the print run was too small.” So I’m trying to encourage people to buy a book to support local history efforts that you can’t buy in local bookstores. *sigh*
No links but if all goes well, _Elizabeth and Empire_ will be out early next week in both mobi and epub. I’m skipping Kindle Select for the moment.
The taking apart of the whimpering about portrayals on covers had me giggling, and I still chuckle whenever I happen to glance at it.
I’ll be that good one day. *cracks knuckles* just gotta keep practising!
Oh, and have a VERY nice take apart of the Gamergate bullcrap situation, from someone who clearly recognizes the playbook tactics – because of growing up behind the Iron Curtain.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/gamergate-interviews/12400-Daniel-Vavra-GamerGate-Interview
I love this:
This whole concept of victimhood is bullshit. I grew up in a communist country without the freedom of speech, without comic books, without Lego, without videogames, without computers, without American movies. I couldn’t even learn English at school. All this was considered to be capitalist evil and prohibited. You could hardly call me privileged. And you know what? I never blamed Americans for being luckier than me. I never wanted them to give me anything for free. I wanted to be like them! And here I am, making games, doing the stuff I always wanted. I never felt the need to blame anyone.
Two things:
1) I loved your Larry the Seal Smasher cartoon.
2) I picked up your story from Amazon once I knew it was out there (mentioned in the comments of another blog). Have I just managed to miss the posts where you mention it or are you just being coy and waiting for us to find it? Since it’s not MY story, no one can complain if I promote it a bit, right? Shadowdancer’s story can be found here:
Ages ago, I wrote a comic book superhero team featuring a dragon. So, yeah, dragons are cool. They also tend to win flame wars in a rather spectacular fashion. They do not, however, like eating SJWs — all that bile disagrees with dragons’ stomachs.
*smiles and shakes head* No, I’m not being coy; I’ve sent the links to Book Plug Friday and the one our good Free Range Oyster does. Wombat Socho also included the original non-Amazon release with a review and plug on The Other McCain, very briefly. It took a long while before the Amazon link showed up. I do creative work blogging on my deviantart and that’s where the links and announcements to it go up.
I’m glad you like the picture and I hope you enjoy the book! ^_^ I put out a couple of other pictures in the post that Larry showcases the first one in, featuring the Special Snowflake SJW Seals and the ‘Cruel Correia Chibi’.
My favorite part of Mr. Correia’s response was the second to last paragraph, “This is one reason I’ve been enjoying the hell out of GamerGate. First, it has been awesome having a great big group of people witness the same bullshit that my industry has been dealing with for years. Second, SF/F people tend to be squishy and polite, with a handful of outspoken outliers like me and the rest of the Evil League of Evil, so SJWs have run roughshod over my industry… But gamers? Holy shit. You really think you can pick a fight with people whose brains are programmed to win? Gamers will outlast, outthink, and outfight the SJWs. Tell a Gamer that there is loot or XP in it, and he’ll grind SJWs to the grave.”
That IS one heck of a point.
“If this is an issue of real import, then the voices of all should be heard.”
But the internet can only hold so much bloggage; anything a Person of Paleness write necessarily leaves less room on the Internet for PoC’s words.
(In any particular venue—say, the comments section on some blog—it is possible for a person or group to dominate the conversation to the point others find it awkward to chime in. [Well-meaning others, at least; trolls and other flamers will be just fine. Sarah’s repost today is appropos.]
(In this context, saying “This thread is primarily for those affected by BS/RH/WF” would be far more to the point than asking PoP to remain silent. But who ever accused SJWs of choosing an effective method when an identitarian one was available?)
Sit down, shut up and know your place.
Hmmmmm….I wonder where I’ve heard accusations of that happening before. Oh, yeah, I remember. It’s what the SJWs routinely say that we’re wanting out of “oppressed people” despite none of us saying anything of the sort.
Funny how what’s good for the goose isn’t good for the gander in their little world.
Clamps must be really butt-hurt about his spate of bannings. He’s gone to the Demented Guardian Writer and accused Larry of being a stalker.
This troll is starting to damage my calm.
Probably because you keep having to stifle laughter. I take his creepy antics seriously, but really, it is to laugh.
Ah, hon. *hugs*
One way to look at it is to look at all the accusations that Crampsy makes, and see it as projection. He claims that Larry is ‘stalking’ him? He’s projecting. He whimpers about my art not being worth looking at? He’s projecting. He yells at authors their writing sucks? He’s projecting. He stomps his feet and screams that someone is evil? He’s projecting.
“Let the man speak, so we may know what he thinks.”
*serene smile*
What I think about anything that’s going on in publishing?
::Looks around:: Oh? Has Trad Pub done something new and even stupider? :: shrug :: They’ve become completely irrelevant to me.
Well, SJW’s and GHH’s occasionally lighten my day with spectacular public displays of hypocrisy, stupidity and senseless screeching, but I wouldn’t actually miss that either.
Requires Hoyt is not to be confused with Requires Hate or Sarah Hoyt.
Requires Hoyt is the lost fourth child of Dan and Sarah, who was raised in a lab by Japanese mecha freaks. When the moon people invade, Requires Hoyt will be operating a giant robot shifter.
Aaaand I think I know who won the Internet today. 😀
Here is a question for you author/indie types. Does anyone have a recommendation for an independent copyeditor? My novel is now past the 90% point (I am cheating this NaNoWriMo, I started with about 80,000 words, but I am trying to get to 130,000 or so), and I am seriously looking at Life After First Draft. I have done my edits, but I want someone who is a pro to look at it, too. Hopefully, someone who is also able to critique flow, narrative structure and the other aspects of a decent novel.
This isn’t a direct answer to your question (a name), but information that will help you find exactly what you’re looking for, instead of what you’re asking for.
There are several types of editors. Someone who critiques flow and narrative structure is a Content Editor. That’s the person who’ll point out if you never resolved a character arc, or have two minor characters doing exactly the same job and should consider combining them, or where the pacing lags, or if you need more characterization. You’ll often end up sending in a sample – 5 pages or first chapter, and they’ll do a sample edit for you. Remember that you need to find a content editor who is genre savvy in your genre, because the reader expectations for plot and characterization vary wildly across genres and subgenres.
Someone who checks the number of times you used the word “seems” in a chapter, notes that you changed a character’s eyes from blue to brown on page 256, that the friend was mentioned owning a ford taurus in chapter 2, but shows up at the hospital to pick up your battered main character in a dodge neon in chapter 15, and fixes all your misspellings (including the oh-so-close but wrong words left by autocorrect) is a Copy Editor.
Make sure you specify which you’re looking for – content editors won’t copyedit, and copyeditors won’t content edit, unless you specifically hire someone who advertises they will do both.
I will add one thing to what Dorothy has said so well. There is a final level, one that is often combined into copy edits, and that is proofreading. It is important when you talk to someone about doing copy edits that they aren’t just going to proofread your book. If that is all they do, then you will not get the change in eye color or have he differences in cars noted.
One last warning, a lot of people billing themselves as “editors” these days are actually doing copy editing. So be sure when you are trying to find someone that you make sure you are clear on what you want done. Ask for references and for samples of their work — both before and after so you can judge the quality of what they did based on what they had to work from.