I'm hoping that martial arts novels can be as popular as martial arts movies. The reason is obvious. Martial arts movies are very popular, and they have been for a long time. Bruce Lee movies back in the 70s were part of the rise in popularity for martial arts movies, and that old TV show with David Carradine, Kung Fu, was another reason for the rise.
And since then, martial arts movies have been coming out quite regularly. And always with success. I saw the latest one, The Man with the Iron Fists, and it was good. Martial arts novels aren't too numerous, however. I've heard they are in China, but here in America, there are just a few. I tried to read them, but lost interest. Don't know why. Mostly they are about police detectives or some private investigator, or something like that. And I just didn't get into them.
I found someone who wrote martial arts novels while searching for them on the internet, but they seemed to be self-published novels, and the formatting seemed very unconventional. Doesn't mean they weren't good, but, again, I couldn't get very far when I tried to read the samples. Maybe those authors can't read much of my book, either.
But my debut novel, Killer of Killers is more than just a martial arts story. It's also a love story. A compelling one, too, but with a lot of action, a brooding hero, and a deep theme. When I started writing it, I wasn't too concerned about including a theme, but as the plot unfolded, the theme seemed to spring out. So I went with it. I don't want to put in spoilers here, which would happen if I explained the theme, but it's one that people face their entire lives.
And the bad guys? Well, they may not be so bad after all. Interesting, yes, but evil? Well, again, I don't want to include any spoilers here. I'll leave it to the readers to decide.
Showing posts with label Debut Novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Debut Novel. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Paper vs. Digital
There has been a lot of discussion about printed books going the way of the dinosaur. The digital age has arrived, and eBooks are the new thing. Well, it's true that the digital age has arrived and eBooks are the new thing, but I don't believe that printed books will go the way of the dinosaur. At least not for another few years, anyway. Like fifty, I'd say.
One of the reasons I say that, other than the fact that a lot of people just plain prefer paper, is that having a real physical book in your hands is really a different experience than sitting in front of a computer screen or an eReader screen. Turning pages, smelling the print, feeling the paper, is all part of the experience of reading a book. And digital books remove all of that.
Of course, you still have the words. And therefore you can still read. But it's not the same. Like now, for me. I have yet to receive my debut book, Killer of Killers, in print. I do have the digital copy. And I've been happy perusing it on a computer screen. But I long for the moment when I can hold my book in my hands and turn the pages and read the ink. So, even now, the fact that I'm a published author has not been, shall I say, consummated yet. Because even though it has happened, I don't have a real book in my possession to show for it.
Well, I expect to have one this week. In fact, I expect to have ten or eleven this week. And when they arrive, only then will I be able to hold my book and say, "I wrote this book." And I will sit down and I will read it, and turn the pages just like in the olden days. Somehow that just sounds better. Is that an old school thing? Maybe it is. Maybe I'm just an old school type of guy.
One of the reasons I say that, other than the fact that a lot of people just plain prefer paper, is that having a real physical book in your hands is really a different experience than sitting in front of a computer screen or an eReader screen. Turning pages, smelling the print, feeling the paper, is all part of the experience of reading a book. And digital books remove all of that.
Of course, you still have the words. And therefore you can still read. But it's not the same. Like now, for me. I have yet to receive my debut book, Killer of Killers, in print. I do have the digital copy. And I've been happy perusing it on a computer screen. But I long for the moment when I can hold my book in my hands and turn the pages and read the ink. So, even now, the fact that I'm a published author has not been, shall I say, consummated yet. Because even though it has happened, I don't have a real book in my possession to show for it.
Well, I expect to have one this week. In fact, I expect to have ten or eleven this week. And when they arrive, only then will I be able to hold my book and say, "I wrote this book." And I will sit down and I will read it, and turn the pages just like in the olden days. Somehow that just sounds better. Is that an old school thing? Maybe it is. Maybe I'm just an old school type of guy.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Summer is Here!
And since my debut novel, KILLER OF KILLERS, is due to be released in August, I should be kicking my promotional efforts into high gear. Except for one thing: being a debut novelist is kind of new to me. Yeah, imagine that. But I've had a couple other times I came close to being a debut novelist as any readers of this blog already know.
It's why the blog is named THE VASE, after all. That was supposed to have been my debut novel. But why it's not has already been chronicled. It's KILLER OF KILLERS which is going to be my debut novel, now. And as I've said before, it's fitting, since that's the first book I wrote anyway. THE VASE, being the second novel I wrote SHOULD be the second book I get published.
And it's all very exciting to me. It didn't really matter all that much which one got published first. KILLER OF KILLERS is MY favorite book. It's the story I would like to read. It will be the story anyone who likes action and martial arts stories will want to read because it has plenty of action and plenty of martial arts in it.
But it also has love, romance, and a kind of science fiction element involved. You know, the wonder drug. It cures all disease, and even stops the aging process! So I guess you can call that a science fiction element. I mean, there's no aliens in it, and no space ships, or time travel. It's a contemporary story. And it is very much tied to reality in terms of the human condition, meaning human desire, weakness, and emotional bonds.
And that might be the ultimate draw. Love, hate, revenge, redemption. It's all there. Just like in THE VASE. Although that one is a completely different story. But still a contemporary one. And a very human one. Can't wait to talk about that one. But heck, it's promoted everyday just in the header of this blog.
In fact, I've considered changing the blog's name to the KILLER OF KILLERS blog. But I've decided to just keep it THE VASE. It's weird, now, calling my blog THE VASE when it's KOK getting published first. That wasn't the deal. But it's how it worked out. That's life for you. Filled with surprises, twists, and unexpected turns. Hey, just like a novel!
It's why the blog is named THE VASE, after all. That was supposed to have been my debut novel. But why it's not has already been chronicled. It's KILLER OF KILLERS which is going to be my debut novel, now. And as I've said before, it's fitting, since that's the first book I wrote anyway. THE VASE, being the second novel I wrote SHOULD be the second book I get published.
And it's all very exciting to me. It didn't really matter all that much which one got published first. KILLER OF KILLERS is MY favorite book. It's the story I would like to read. It will be the story anyone who likes action and martial arts stories will want to read because it has plenty of action and plenty of martial arts in it.
But it also has love, romance, and a kind of science fiction element involved. You know, the wonder drug. It cures all disease, and even stops the aging process! So I guess you can call that a science fiction element. I mean, there's no aliens in it, and no space ships, or time travel. It's a contemporary story. And it is very much tied to reality in terms of the human condition, meaning human desire, weakness, and emotional bonds.
And that might be the ultimate draw. Love, hate, revenge, redemption. It's all there. Just like in THE VASE. Although that one is a completely different story. But still a contemporary one. And a very human one. Can't wait to talk about that one. But heck, it's promoted everyday just in the header of this blog.
In fact, I've considered changing the blog's name to the KILLER OF KILLERS blog. But I've decided to just keep it THE VASE. It's weird, now, calling my blog THE VASE when it's KOK getting published first. That wasn't the deal. But it's how it worked out. That's life for you. Filled with surprises, twists, and unexpected turns. Hey, just like a novel!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Debut Novel, THE VASE
I am writing my fourth novel, now, and with three under the belt already, I was thinking that it's a good thing that my debut novel will be THE VASE.
I'm an art teacher after all. I teach ceramics as well as drawing and painting. And THE VASE is certainly a subject that has something to do with ceramics. I would like to make it known to my colleagues in education about this book when it comes out. I'm even hoping it might be included in the school libraries.
I know that my other two books, KILLER OF KILLERS and KILLER EYES, would not be included in any middle school library. It's too much of an adult read. There's too much violence and sex, and too much off the wall stuff that goes on in those two.
Maybe that's why they're so good. But regardless, if my Killer books came out first, I really couldn't say too much about them at my school. Not so for THE VASE. It's a great story that does have some violence but no sex, and if you are someone who needs sex to read a book, then you'll have to wait for the other ones. THE VASE is a good clean story for almost all ages.
I'm an art teacher after all. I teach ceramics as well as drawing and painting. And THE VASE is certainly a subject that has something to do with ceramics. I would like to make it known to my colleagues in education about this book when it comes out. I'm even hoping it might be included in the school libraries.
I know that my other two books, KILLER OF KILLERS and KILLER EYES, would not be included in any middle school library. It's too much of an adult read. There's too much violence and sex, and too much off the wall stuff that goes on in those two.
Maybe that's why they're so good. But regardless, if my Killer books came out first, I really couldn't say too much about them at my school. Not so for THE VASE. It's a great story that does have some violence but no sex, and if you are someone who needs sex to read a book, then you'll have to wait for the other ones. THE VASE is a good clean story for almost all ages.
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