Posts Tagged ‘nanowrimo’

Jan

Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Posted by: Michell in Books, Irreverent Muse, Networking and Marketing

Lorina Stephens was kind enough to tag me in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop, which is a Goodreads promotional enterprise among indie authors and publishers to highlight authors and books which might otherwise slide under the radar of many readers.

We all answer the same 10 questions, which allows readers an opportunity to receive a brief overview of either a published work or a work in progress.

1. What is the working title of the book?

Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I grew up reading comic books. I always wanted to be a superhero myself and tried various things to get my own super-powers (too goofy to go into at this point). When I started writing, I knew the story of a boy who wanted to become a superhero was one that I had to eventually write.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult (YA) Fantasy

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Tough question. I haven’t really seen any young actors who could pull off Mik right now. Jennifer Lawrence would be great as Miss Purdy. John Schneider as the father and Amanda Tapping as the mother.

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

8-year-old boy decides to become a superhero and protect his town.

6. What is the longer synopsis of your book?

Mik Murdoch, a kind-hearted eight-year-old decides to become a superhero after watching Spider-man at the movies. His first challenge though is how to do it? Can he somehow get super-powers through radiation or chemicals? If so, how? He begins his journey by striving to gain powers of his own, helping people along the way and dealing with issues that all young people face (like bullying). He eventually comes to realize that the true mark of a hero isn’t any special abilities but how you work to help people and be a good person.

7. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Mik Murdoch was published by Five Rivers Publishing on August 1, 2012.

8. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

22 days. The first draft was written during NaNoWriMo.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My love of comic books was really the basis of this book. I also wanted to write something that my children could read and enjoy.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

While this book is a YA fantasy, the characters are very real. Mik faces a lot of hard choices and problems that most, if not all, children come up against. Bullying, peer pressure, self-sacrifice and loss. Mik is a kid who makes both bad and good choices and he has to deal with the repercussions of both. I’ve read chapters of the book to my Scout Troop and to others and the things Mik does to try and gain super-powers have had them all groaning and giggling at the mis-adventures.

Mik is the boy I would like to have been when I was young.

The novel is available in both print and eBook versions through online retailers globally, and will soon be released as an audiobook through Iambik and Audible.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop bounces over to Aaron Kite on January 23rd. Aaron’s debut novel, A Touch of Poison, is coming out later this year.

Tags: 5 rivers, aaron kite, boy superhero, five rivers, five rivers publishing, lorina stephens, Michell Plested, mik murdoch, nanowrimo, next big thing blog hop

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Sep

Get Published Episode 93 – Putting Experiences into Your Writing

Posted by: Michell in Get Published (Podcast)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about how my own experiences have affected my writing. I have looked at several of my better stories and I have been able to pick out things I’ve learned, people I have known and even different events in my life.

That is not to say I’ve recorded those things in the stories, but used the experiences to provide flavour to the writing. Definitely not word for word, but more in how they would cause my characters to act and the story to develop.

So, I decided it would be fun to have a few people join me to discuss this. As often happens, I was only able to line up the schedule with a couple people, specifically Jeff Hite and JR Murdoch. We met via Google Hangout and just talked about how experiences have affected our own writing.

This is the first time I’ve used Google Hangout in this way, so, the audio is not quite as crisp as I would like. Still the discussion is good so I hope you enjoy that portion of the show.

I’ve also read and reviewed John Campbell’s book, Dreadnaught, which is part of his new “The Lost Fleet, Beyond the Frontier” series. You will hear that review today.

That’s today’s episode. I hope you enjoy it.

Show Notes

00:00 — Opening – Get Published Episode 93 – Putting Experiences into Your Writing

Everything has to start somewhere and this is the start of “Get Published”

00:14 — Introduction – Get Published Episode 93 – Putting Experiences into Your Writing

Welcome to the show.

01:28 Promo: BabylonPodcast

02:31 -Tips and Typos

Mike reviews Jack Campbell’s The Lost Fleet, Beyond the Frontier: Dreadnaught

04:13 - Promo – Nutty Bites

04:43 — Get Published Episode 93 – Putting Experiences into Your Writing (continued)

Mike, Jeff Hite and JR Murdock talk about using personal experiences in writing.

47:03 - Promo - Flying Island Press

47:48 — Closing

Thank you for listening.

Websites mentioned in this episode:

Michell Plested - http://www.michellplested.com/

Jeff Hite - http://jeffhite.com/

JR Murdock - http://jrmurdock.com/

Babylon Podcast - http://www.babylonpodcast.com/

NIMLAS Studios/Nutty Bites - http://nimlas.org/blog/

Flying Island Press - http://flyingislandpress.com/

Tags: action pack podcast, Alex 486 beowolf cluster, Aliens, Alterego, anne mccaffrey, Bbc, boy superhero, boyscouts of the apocalypse, Bullies, Cave of wonders, Character driven, Character elements, Coffee, Discovery writer, Disease vectors, Doctor, douglas adams, Emotional, fantasy, Fire lizards, Galaxybillies, Get Published, Great hites Television, halloween, hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, Information technology, Items of interest, jeff hite, jr murdock, Legend, Legionaires disease, Life experience, Mars, Mcdonalds, Menolly, Method to the madness: a guide to the super evil, Michell Plested, mik murdoch, movies, Mythology, nanowrimo, Nasa, nathan lowell, Newspapers, People watching, pern, Plot elements, podcast, Remembering, Research studies, Science, science fiction, Share series, Song, Space ship, super hero, Swordmaster, Terraforming, Thread, Treehouse, Trick or treat, twitter, v&a shipping, Venus, zombie

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Jul

Get Published Episode 87 – Brand Gamblin Talks Self Publishing

Posted by: Michell in Get Published (Podcast)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today’s episode is a bit of a departure for Get Published. Ordinarily, you will hear promos from various people or podcasts. You will get a Tips and Typos section about a topic and finally an interview with one of my special guests.

You will still be getting all of those things, but today, they will all be related to Brand Gamblin. For those of you who do not know Brand, he is a self-published author of three novels currently, some of which are podcast. He also has several short stories published.

Why am I dedicating an episode to Brand? I guess my best answer is “Why not?” He has a number of great things to say and talks at length about self-publishing. A topic that I know is of interest to many people.

I also will have a book review of his first novel, “Tumbler”. Brand is a great writer and an even nicer guy. I am very happy to have him on the show.

That’s today’s episode. I hope you enjoy it.

Show Notes

00:00 —Brand Bumper

00:06 — Opening – Get Published Episode 87 – Brand Gamblin Talks Self Publishing

Everything has to start somewhere and this is the start of “Get Published”

00:20 — Introduction – Get Published Episode 87 – Brand Gamblin Talks Self Publishing

Welcome to the show.

01:26 Promo: Tumbler

02:46 -Tips and Typos

Mike gives a book review of Brand Gamblin’s book, Tumbler.

05:07 – Promo: The Hidden Institute