My Guest Article at BookLife.com: Rolling the Dice in Freelancing

The Bones | To help promote THE BONES, a collection of essays about dice, Jeremy Jones is running a series over at BookLife.com about rolling the dice in freelancing. Jeremy is an excellent interviewer who writes “the best” introductions about people. Just recently, he talked about how Matt Forbeck was his hero in If You Play It Safe: Matt Forbeck on Taking Risks In Writing. (Mine, too.) After reading what he said about me, I was thinking about paying him to write my bio for me. Sheesh.

I first met Valentinelli at GenCon three years ago. I was immediately struck with her ability to distill a complex project down to its core elements and by her seemingly undying enthusiasm for whichever creative project she was working on.

Both as a gamer and as a freelancer, Valentinelli has rolled a lot of dice. Here’s what she had to say about the importance of taking risks in writing and freelancing. — SOURCE: Always Rolling the Dice: Monica Valentinelli on Taking Risks in Writing

To read what my responses were, be sure to check out Always Rolling the Dice: Monica Valentinelli on Taking Risks in Writing.

Not sure who else is slated for this series, but BookLife always has some great career advice for you to read. So don’t be shy and check the site out!

December 15, 2010
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Leafy Links for Mon, Dec 13: Writing, Blogging and Publishing

Thought I’d pop in and offer you some reading material. This is a mix of links about query letters, publishing, blogging and writing. A virtual link salad filled with leafy goodness to feed your head.

  • Why You Can’t Make Money Blogging from Copyblogger.com – I stumbled upon this late yesterday, and I absolutely have to put this one at the top of the list. The message of the article really resonates with my own observations about being online. To quote the article: “If you don’t offer customers something they dearly want, whether it’s to gain some great pleasure or escape some great pain, you’re not going to make any money.” Amen.

  • Seth Godin’s Domino Project – Hot off the heels from the PR frenzy that this marketing guru left his publisher, Amazon.com is now backing a new publishing venture. Why am I watching this? For two reasons: one, Godin is a brilliant marketer and strategist. Two, I’m more interested to see how other people will react and whether or not someone will apply this to fiction. To be clear: The Domino Project will be run by a small press comprised of hand-picked people specifically for non-fiction.

  • 10 Tips for Writing Flash Fiction from Bethestory.com – Flash fiction is extremely popular right now. Writer’s Digest featured a ton of markets you can sell your flash fiction story earlier this year. More and more—this format is turning into a great way to offer a free sample of your own writing. These 10 tips are a great wrap-up for helping you shore up this fun format. I love writing flash!

  • How to Write a Query Letter from Writer Beware – Victoria Strauss is one of my virtual heroines. If you haven’t checked out Writer Beware, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. In this post, she gives a step-by-step process for writing a query letter

  • Top 10 Query Mistakes from Rachelle Gardner – This article is written from a literary agent’s perspective and gives you the skinny on what mistakes to avoid. Be sure to check out the comments, too, for more information.

  • Write and Wrong from Ari Marmell on Suvudu.com – I’ve known Ari for a while via the gaming industry. He’s a really personable guy who has managed to expand his publications to include his original work. In his article this week on Suvudu.com, he talks about why you should be cautious when reading books giving advice on writing. If you’re interested in learning more about Ari’s work, be sure to check out his preview of THE CONQUEROR’S SHADOW on FlamesRising.com.
  • Daily Blog Tips – There’s quite a few sites and personalities out there that talk about blogging, but I was impressed with this one because of articles like How to Build Your Credibility as an Expert While Blogging and 30 Traffic Generating Tips, which was written by several, different contributors. And, they have a whole category devoted to “Strategy.” A site after my own heart!

  • Writing Conferences for January to March 2011 from the How To Write Shop – I don’t know about you, but I hate having to hunt down news about writing conferences, conventions and events. This is a list compiled by my friend Lori Devoti covering writing conferences that are going on around the U.S.

  • Galley Cat on Mediabistro.com – You may already read publishing news from Publisher’s Weekly; keep up-to-date with Galley Cat and I guarantee you’ll be well-versed in industry news. I’ve backed off from reading industry news unless it comes sprawling in my lap, just because I want to pay attention to what’s relevant to what I’m pitching or doing now. News about bankruptcies, the changing market, etc. can really get depressing, but I’m a long ways away from being affected by the flux.


    • Hope you enjoy your link salad!

    December 13, 2010
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    [Video] Why We Don’t Put Up a Tree

    December 11, 2010
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    Zombie Week at FlamesRising.com and Contest

    Zombie WeekJust wanted to drop by and mention that FlamesRising.com is having another week of themed content. This time around, we’re all about braaaaaaaaiiiinnnnnnnsssss.

    What’s New at Zombie Week?

    Here’s a round-up of a few articles you might be interested in.

    • Lori Devoti: Contest and Her Thoughts on Romance and Zombies – This past year, Lori released Zombie Moon, which was published by Silhouette Nocturne. How do these unlikely elements go together? Read Lori’s thoughts and find out! If you enjoy reading paranormal romance, be sure to enter our contest for a free novel from this talented author, too.
    • Interview with Game Designer, Daniel Davis – Daniel worked on a series of games that I’ve also contributed to called All Flesh Must Be Eaten from Eden Studios. This interview, conducted by editor-in-chief Matt M McElroy, offers an in-depth look at some of the trials and tribulations Daniel experienced while writing and developing new material for this popular line.

    Hope you get the chance to drop by FlamesRising.com and check out Zombie Week. Brains not required! Er…

    December 9, 2010
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    Daily Bites of Flesh Now Available

    Daily Bites of Flesh: 365 Days of Horrifying Flash FictionJust wanted to drop in and mention that DAILY BITES OF FLESH: 365 DAYS OF HORRIFYING FLASH FICTION is now available! My story entitled The Saint, The Pickpocket and the Manticore is the entry for July 15th.

    Here’s a little bit more about the anthology:

    DAILY BITES OF FLESH 2011: 365 DAYS OF HORRIFYING FLASH FICTION is a 2011 flash fiction calendar anthology, with a 500 word or less horror short story featured for every day of the calendar year. Filled with 365 short stories, this is a fun and practical anthology designed for busy readers of the horror genre.

    The book is 552 pages long and features dozens of authors. Each of us wrote a story with a flesh-eating creature as part of the theme. Besides being available online, you’ll also be able to pick it up in several bookstores as well.

    Hope you enjoy it!

    December 7, 2010
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