Tag: writing

The End Is Near…

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

Finally finished the novella tonight that I started in the middle of May.  In fact, I think it turned out pretty well.

I’ve also, of course, have been moving to Toledo this week.  Made three round trips (1 1/2 hours each way) so far, but the next one should be my last.  I also have an interview for a ‘day job’ on Tuesday, as well – so I guess you could say things are finally starting to look up.

Now it’s time to relax after a long week of moving and celebrate the completion of the novella by, how else, going to the bar for a cold brew.

Hope ya’ll are enjoying your weekends…I’ll be seeing ya again in a few days after I’m settled in Toledo.

Now back to your regular scheduled web-surfing.

The move to T-Town and some updates

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

I rarely, if ever, mention personal stuff on here, though I feel like making an exception this time.  Well, that and some other stuff.

As you know, I currently live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.  Though, in one week from now I will be moving a hour and a half west to T-Town or better known as Toledo, Ohio – The Glass City.  This is not only because I have yet to find a ‘day job’ after being downsized in February after being with the company for 5 1/2 years, but also for personal reasons, that I won’t be mentioning here. 

With the move looming, I find myself looking back at the last nine years here in Cleveland, after graduating college in 2000.  The city and people have provided me with some good and not so good times.  I often wonder how things would have turned out if I wouldn’t have moved here after college.  Not that I had much choice.  Ya gotta go where the job takes you, ya know!?  Which is why I moved here to begin with.  The best thing to come out of living in Cleveland, of course, was the birth of my youngest daughter.  She rocks!

Anyway, at this point I am pretty much starting over.  Starting at the bottom and working my way back up, again.  Not that there is anything wrong with having to do that.  Ultimately it  may build my character.  That or it will just kick my ass and leave me lying in the gutter.  Either way, I am pretty much exhausted at this point in more ways than one.  It IS time for a fresh start.  Either way, I plan on continuing to pursue my writing career. 

There is one thing currently in the works (that I haven’t officially announced, but if you cruise the page you’ll see what it is already) and I am still awaiting word from a publisher on my short story collection that I sent out for consideration.  In addition, I am about 2,500 words away from finishing the novella that I mentioned here.  Though, there has been a little bump in the road with one of the authors I mentioned disappearing on us.  So, at this point, I have contacted another author and inquired if he would be interested in the project.  Then, after my novella is completed, I will be moving onto the ‘novel-in-progress’ that I had to put aside when Night School was published.  Currently, I’m at 25K words and my goal is to have it completed at the end of this summer and then sent out for consideration.  After that, I’m going to be switching gears a bit and venture into writing something else besides horror (don’t worry, I’ll come right back to it), that someone suggested I give a try.  I’m not going to mention what genre it’s in yet, though you can see quite a bit of ‘it’ in Night School.

That’s it.  Some random thoughts and some updates to tide you over until the 2nd (2 of 2.  The first being the hardcover edition of Night School coming out) major annoucement that I mentioned was coming a week or two ago, finally gets made official.

With that, I’ve got the SUV packed up and ready for a drive to T-Town tomorrow, er, today!  Time to get some rest and hit the road bright and early.

New Links Added

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

As you are probably aware, I met quite a few authors at Hypericon 5.  Besides getting to spend quite a bit of time hanging out with Brian Keene, I got to meet the following authors:  Maurice Broaddus, PS Gifford and Steven (Shrews) Shrewsbury.  I got to meet several others, as well, but these were the ones I spent the most time with.  All these guys were kind as can be and a joy to be around.

Their websites have also been added to Links on the right hand side of the page.

I highly suggest checking out their sites and work.

Lauren Conrad pens a novel – WTF?!

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

Tell me it ain’t so!  Lauren Conrad, star of The Hills, has written a novel, L.A. Candy, which was due out in stores on June 16th. 

Believe it or not – it is about a girl who moves to Los Angeles  for an internship and winds up being the subject of a reality show…humm…sound familiar?  If you want to see some photo’s of Conrad, her book and read an excerpt (though, I have no idea why you would want to), click here. 

As far as I’m concerned, this is a prime example of another one of these ‘stars’ writing a book, that more than likely can’t write worth a lick and getting published (but will ultimately sell a crap load of them) all because of their name.  Oh, and is it just me or does Conrad look like a bobble-head these days or what?  Damn, why do I even care?!

A Question from the Front Lines

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

I’ve been asked this quite a bit after getting published for the first time last year.  The question comes from a variety of places – family gatherings, via email, book signings, message boards, etc. 

I’ve written a (short story, novel, novella, etc.) where should I submit it?

While I won’t bore you with the total list of places I have submitted (rejected or accepted) in the past (and yes, you should keep a running list where you submit and the outcome), I will provide you with what is highly regarded as the two best places to search for submission openings (I use these myself):

Duotrope (my personal favorite)

Ralan’s

So dust off that story and start sending out it!  You never know when you might get that email saying, ‘Yes, we would like to publish your story’.  Quite simply, it’s the best feeling in the world.  Well, at least if you’re talking about writing that is.

Good Luck!

LIVE from Nashville…

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

It took 8 1/2 hours to drive from Cleveland, OH to Nashville, TN, for a weekend filled of fun at Hypericon 5.

After the drive we checked out the hotel bar/grill, only to find that they had a limited selection of food.  We ended up driving a short distance to Shoney’s.  The fish n’ chips were great – the southern sweet tea was tasty.  After dinner we returned to the hotel bar for a night cap.

I was on my second beer when it happened.  A guy walked into the bar and asked the bartender if she was serving food.  Naturally, I turned around to look who was talking – it was Brian Keene!  After introducing myself and giving him a gift of appreciation for what he does as a horror author, we spent the next few hours drinking and talking.  Good times!  In fact, if I don’t meet anyone else during the convention, those few hours spent in the hotel bar were well worth the drive.

So that’s what happened yesterday.  As for today, I am now dressed and getting ready to head down to the convention when it opens to the public in 30 minutes.  As the weekend progresses, I’ll try to update you with what’s going on.  Better yet, if you’re in the Nashville area, come down and enjoy the Con for yourself!

Update:  Below are the panels I attended this afternoon and the authors who were involved.  I highly suggest you check out each of their websites and decide which of their books are right for you.  Please Note:  If authors are part of more than one panel, the link to their website will only be provided once.

Panel:  What Are We Reading?

Description:  Authors discussed what they’re currently reading, as well as their favorite authors and literally influences

Authors:  Brian Keene, P.S. Gifford, Steven Shrewsbury, Kimberly Raiser and Wrath James White

 

Panel:  Writing Realistic (and unrealistic) Fight Scenes

Description:  Authors discussed what makes a realistic fight scene as well as their pet peeves about common writing mistakes

Authors:  Jonathan Maberry, Julianne Lee, Glen Cook and D.A. Adams

 

Panel (last one attended on Friday):  Diversity In Horror

Description:  Authors discussed the wide range and types of horror

Authors:  Wrath James White, Ronald Kelly, Brian Keene and Maurice Broaddus

 

Saturday Update:  Didn’t go to any panels or the art/dealer room this afternoon.  Instead, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville, walked along the famous Broadway Street and looked in some shops and then finished our site seeing trip up with a visit to 132 acre Centennial Park near downtown Nashville.  Overall, it was a nice afternoon seeing some of Nashville.  I can definitely understand why people love it here.  The people are great and there are tons of things to do during the day and night. 

That’s all for now.  There are a few panels I am going to this evening and possibly a film screening.  I’ll update more later tonight.

Update:  I was originally going to attend two panels this evening.  Though, after attending the below panel, it seems that both topics were covered, so I don’t need to listen to the other one.  Below is the panel I just got back from.

Panel:  Writing For The Opposite Gender

Description:  Writers spoke about how they approach writing about characters of a different gender or from the POV of the opposite sex.  Also talked about, tips on how writers create interesting characters, and when the use of stereotypes are necessary.

Authors:  Jonathan Maberry, Matthew Warner, Alicia Benson, John Everson, Scott Nicholson and Sara Harvey

 

Weekend Wrap-Up:  Back home now in Cleveland, OH.  There were a few panels on Sunday, but instead of going to them, I enjoyed a 8 1/2 hour drive home.  The convention was a blast!  I got to meet, talk to and party with several of my favorite authors and got to meet several authors that I had never heard of before, but will now be checking out their work.  Overall, the trip to Nashville, TN, was well worth the long trek.  In fact, I’ll probably do it again next year.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention something that I was informed about on Saturday while checking my email.  I’m not going to tell you exactly what was in my email, yet, but there will be some big news (two-fold) coming up this week, so check back often!

On the road…

Posted on by Ty Schwamberger

By the time you read this, I’ll either be on my way from Cleveland, OH to Nashville, TN or have already arrived at Hypericon 5.  To read the background of me attending this event, click here.

As I previously mentioned, even though I won’t be an ‘author guest’ at the event, I’ll still be attending the event as a  fan – where it all started, anyway. 

If you’ll be in the area, I highly suggest you come down and check out the convention.  There will be quite a few ‘big name’ authors, dealers and just some downright good times going on – which should last late into the night at a bar or two.  If you do come to the event, feel free to bring a copy of Night School and I will be more than happy to sign it for you.  I’ll be easy enough to spot as I’ll be wearing one of the Night School T-Shirts (which are also available for purchase at the Storefront) on Friday and Saturday during the days when I am wandering around the convention.  I’ll also bring along (which will be kept in my hotel room) the Night School Knife, if you’re interested in checking it out in person.

As you might imagine, with me being at the event from the 4th – 7th, there more than likely won’t be any page updates – though, this may change depending on internet availability.  Though, I will make sure to post my thoughts and some pictures of the event on Monday the 8th.

This should be a lot of fun…hope to see some of you there!