Haunting Social Media

Andrea Van Orsouw

Haunting.
It sounds better than stalking.
Because it is.
A stalker shows up outside your house. They look through your mail. They wait for you at your favorite places. They peek in the windows. They want to be a part of your life. A big part.
You close the shades. You leave town. You file a restraining order.
The real world sucks.
Social media is different.
If social media were the real world,

Don't Blog Drunk III

Alcohol is a depressant. We forget that as we dance the night away. 
But soon it opens our eyes to the tired people around us. The women, desperate trollops dressed up in hopes of impregnation.  The men, in fits of testosterone fury. All reduced to the basest instincts of procreation, frivolity, and sadness.  
And you. 
Alcohol holds up a mirror and shouts, "Laugh, you fool. Laugh before you cry!"
I want no more of this. But others; they live for this... release. They beg alcohol to loose the chains of societal oppression. They proceed with another and another. They throw away the compass even as the fog closes in, as if this gesture lends the illusion of freedom.  You must, you must get lost with them or you are shunned. 
Into the darkness you go. Tomorrow be damned for today. The darker it gets, the less you pretend to feel, until the illusion cocoons you in bliss. 
Then morning lights your silk on fire.  

Maslow and Prosopagnosia

I live in New York, and every building I walk into has a man behind a desk asking me to sign in. I think about those men. For eight hours a day they sit at a desk, bored beyond belief. They expend 1000 calories, occupy two square feet, consume 185 liters of oxygen, and ingest several cups of water all to provide a modest amount of security for the people upstairs who pretty much do the same thing.

Is this what their parents hoped for when they spent eighteen years raising them? Is this an adequate result of twelve years of school? Was this worth emigrating thousands of miles? Is this a reason to get up in the morning?

Even more pressing, are any of us, in any job, any different?

How to Take Criticism

Be as humble in victory as in defeat. 

This week one of my novels won an award, but I did not attend the ceremony. I'd like to say I eschew popular support or that I write for arts' sake or some similar nonsense. No. The truth is, I avoided it. I am very grateful for the selection and pleased that someone not only read my work but was inspired to an opinion. That said, the only way to weather the manic storm of infamy is to watertight both bow and stern against the spittle of the masses.

Authorship is self-motivational. Seldom are we asked to retire from humanity for the lengthy production of speculative work. No, we bring it on ourselves and, whether tortuous or fair, some part of us believes the exercise worthwhile, either for our own benefit or the edification of our peers. I believe the concise word is 'conceit'. For that reason, the best thing that can happen to any author is

Five Promotion Mistakes Writers Make

Now more than ever, all authors must self-promote in order to survive. But how do you do that without irritating your audience? Here are five things to watch out for:

Self-promotion on Twitter. One word. Don’t. This holds for any form of social media. Too often, you see writers who only tweet like this: “This is my favorite sentence from my book! Buy it here: bitly/xy123”. If I wanted ads in my feed, I’d go to Facebook. Twitter is a way to connect and build an audience. To do that, you need to post something the reader finds interesting.

Contact

Contact Info
I always welcome feedback, interview requests, fan mail, and free beer.
Email me: ronancray [at] gmail
Facebook: ronancray Like me to receive updates and events news.
Twitter: @ronancray
Pinterest: ronancray See photos that inspired my novels.

Need more?

Read these interviews:
Indie Author Land
Zigzag Timeline

Listen to this interview:
Writestream Radio

Watch this interview:
CCTV Interview

Read reviews of Red Sand here:
Ronan Cray Named Top 10 New Horror
Matt Molgaard, Horror Novel Reviews
Zigzag Timeline
Goodreads
Horrornews.net
Lucidity

Kickstarter Kicks My Ass

Maybe you've heard of Kickstarter? It's the new diet and exercise program. You worry about pledges to the exclusion of eating and run around looking for donors. It's more grueling than a zombie 5K. But don't take my word for it. Read my recent post over at The Scrib!

Setting a World Record

This wasn't the first time I felt nude in public. 

I worked my way through college, and one of the most demeaning jobs I took was a mascot for a casino. I sweated in a giant duck costume like a deep sea diver, making my way through the casino to promote a new gaming machine. I couldn't see anything through the mask, so someone led me through the narrow aisles between ringing slot and poker machines. Old men pinched my tail feathers, convinced only a woman would take such a job. Anyone shorter than me got tripped over. At the end of the day, they thanked me politely for my time, paid me, and said I didn't need to return tomorrow. 

So it wasn't without experience that I donned another costume to appear in public. This experience was much better. 

I participated in the New Jersey Zombie Walk 2013 in Asbury Park. The Guinness Book of World Records was on hand to officially announce it the largest gathering of zombies in the world. 9,592 zombies stalked the boardwalk in gleaming artificial blood, flaking latex, and gore. The variety was stunning. 

I wore the suit that best approximates the Eaters in the video game of our Kickstarter. Their skin rotted off, they look like something out of the Bodies Exhibit. 

The response took me totally off guard. 

Dust Eaters Kickstarter LIVE

Back in college I ran for Student Senate. Voter turnout was low the previous years, so I set a goal: win more votes than the highest voted person last year. I had no campaign manager, no team, nothing. I spoke in front of auditoriums filled with students, published articles in the school paper, inked out hand made signs based on Burma Shave ads paced out to and from the stadium and library.
The result?

Why We Need Horror

I often question the worth of the words I write. Does the world really need another gruesome horror novel? I look at writers like Nicholas Sparks and think, the world needs more writers like that, stories with romance and tension without death and carnage. The world is a tough, brutal place that needs a little light now and then.
A that's the problem.

Read Dust Eaters Prologue

Dear readers,
As I slave away at my next novel, I have to wonder, "Is this any good, or am I indulging in my own little fantasy?" Frankly, I can answer that question myself, but your opinion is equally valid. So I posted the Prologue and Chapters 1 and 2 on Wattpad. I hope you'll do me the favor of providing excruciating, excoriating feedback. What good is horror without a little discomfort, even for the author?
Cheers!
Ronan Cray

The Haunted Hotel

With the exception of the Grand Hyatt in Taipei, this weekend marked the first time I knowingly stayed in a haunted hotel.
Located in Callicoon, New York, on the banks of the Delaware River, The Western Hotel is said to be haunted by the ghost of Laura Darling Kahl. In 1921, she was shot to death on the front steps by her husband, the hotel's bartender. Her parents owned the hotel at the time. Ever since, sightings at the hotel

Don't Blog Drunk II

Most people believe they live at the end of history. They are the pinnacle of evolution. every thought a miracle. In action how like an angel. In apprehension how like a god.
Not me.
I see us at the middle of history. At the beginning, when I'm cynical. The world holds no wonder for me. We have so much ahead of us. The evolution of man. the ascention of man. what is this quintessence of dust? All those fucking beautiful things i will not see. i'll be dead.
the brilliance of a new world. The correction of all wrongs currently suffered. New wrongs to conquer. A world our primitive mind cannot imagine, any more than the mind of Christ our world today.
all that is modern is ancient history, antiquated, arcane. We live in a world that will soon be oudated, better, more efficient, happier, and more real.
Perhaps I'm a product of modernity. We change phones, houses, cars, jobs, styles, faster and faster. We hunt for the new, the better, the faster, the lovelier, the younger. We value so little, and why should we, knowing the future holds something even better if we just wait, a little, for it.
The result? What is there to be proud of, to enjoy, to covet, to value?
That is the crux. While others search for meaning, i search for value. The meaning of life: there is none. The value - that of an antique.
I won't be there to see it.
Neither will you.
What do we do with this expired present, this past happening now?
Live?

How To Be A Man - 8 Traits of Real Men

Ever wonder how to be a man? It isn't easy to find realistic advice these days. Glossy magazines push luxury products to dress us up, movies give us unrealistic impressions, our day jobs suck our manhood dry. In all that noise, it's a relief to find a site dedicated to real men, real issues, and real results. Check out my latest post on How to Be A Man on the great blog Fearless Men.

The path isn't easy, but that's why so few walk it.

How to Win the Self-Publishing Revolution!

Thanks to Ampren7a on DeviantArt

In every revolution there are quick wins and impossible walls, and self-publishing is no exception. That wall stands solidly on the line between the digital and physical realms, and, like any medieval construction, there are defenders and gatekeepers. I don’t know them by name, yet, but I do know the job descriptions. Let me introduce you...

The Problem: Publishers

I self-published. There. I said it. Like most authors, I was frustrated by the traditional method of publishing. It goes something like this:

1.  You send in a manuscript and wait months for someone to review it and get back to you. They get angry if you send it to more than one company, but it could take 100 submissions to find a publisher. A little math: (100 divided by… carry the one…) yeah, lucky to publish one book per lifetime.

2.  “What’s your platform?” That’s the first question a publisher asks. They don’t care if the book is good, what it’s about, or if you wrote the manuscript on a toilet paper roll in one sitting. They want to know how many people you, the author, can bring to it. Reality check: if you had time to write a book, you probably aren’t the most outgoing person. Long periods of fictional introspection trumps social advancement on your calendar. Publishers want the impossible – a popular writer, a contradiction if I ever heard one. (aka. "Why ghost writers exist")

3. Let’s say you convince them you are such a writer, and they publish you.

Ronan Cray Takes Manhattan!

If you happen to duck into St. Mark's Bookshop in Manhattan; if you happen to browse the Mystery section for the likes of Robin Cook, Michael Connelly, and Harlan Coben; and if you find yourself staring into the eye of a hurricane, it's your lucky day! You just found a signed, first edition copy of Red Sand. That's right, Red Sand is now available in stores!

Kickstarter with Emma Larkins and Mechalarum

How often do you get a drink named after your book? For Emma Larkins that moment came last week as she launched her Kickstarter campaign. The Mechalarum, a supreme green concoction mixed exclusively at Chelsea Manor in New York City, launched her guests into outer space just as she launched her effort to publish the book of the same name. Check out her seductive video and pitch in a few tenners here. 

What is the Zombie Death Toll?

Day 1
In a city like Shanghai, with 24 million people, 570 people die every day. Let's assume for the sake of argument that whatever causes zombies (alien slime, radioactive water, bacteria) has infected everyone in the city, so whoever dies turns into a zombie. That makes the math easy. That's 570 undead on day one.
Let's say each of them manages to kill, or cause to be killed, one person. Not greedy. You know, loved ones, neighbors, innocent bystanders.
The "cause to be killed" part is crucial because over a few days the death toll leads to mobs, riots, supply chain disruption, fires, anarchy, military crackdowns, martial law.... you get the picture. But I'm getting ahead of myself. On day two:

How do Zombies Taste?

Bitten by zombies? Bite back! Harcos Labs found a way to disinfect festering zombie parts and transform them into tasty snacks. What better way to amble through the zombie apocalypse than munching on a bag of Zombie Skin? Have a hankering for beef jerky? Snap into a Zombie! Need trail food? Zombie toenails make a crunchy treat. Thirsty? Nothing satisfies like detoxified zombie blood. They munched on your friends. Time to return the favor, but remember: revenge is a dish best served cold.
*nom nom nom*

Name This Book

I need your help to name my next book! It’s a zombie adventure with an ensemble cast that takes place around the world (no, not like World War Z. okay, maybe a little). The project is currently called “Dust Eaters”, but maybe something else is better.

Vote for your favorite on Twitter by typing in “ @ronancray #title “ or comment here or on my Facebook page. Thanks for your help!
(Is that right? I’m not too good at Twitter)

Here are the titles I’m considering, and why.

Dust Eaters
The Waiting Dead
Kings of the Apocalypse

Pros/Cons:

Dust Eaters
Pros: No known titles similarly named. Refers to, “Eat my dust”, cause they’re slow, and the characters refer to zombies as Eaters.
Cons: Evocative? Makes you want to read it? Meh.

The Waiting Dead
Pros: Has the word “Dead”. Sounds like “The Walking Dead”. A new way to describe being a zombie
Cons: Has the word “Dead”. Sounds like “The Walking Dead”. “Waiting” isn’t a compelling word for an action book.

Kings of the Apocalypse
Pros: Sounds kick-ass.
Cons: Hard to spell when searching for the book. Long. Sexist, considering the main character is a woman.