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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
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
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!
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| Thanks to Ampren7a on DeviantArt |
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?
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?
*nom nom nom*
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