Category Archives: Reading

Reading, Writing

A Place for Readers and Writers

For the past few months, I’ve been a member of Medium.com and have been posting stories there, some fiction, some nonfiction.  The idea behind Medium is simple. Writers post stories, then readers read them and “clap” for the ones they like. (There’s a little hand icon you can click repeatedly to signal how much you like a story. That’s “clapping.”) Writers get paid based on how well their work is received, measured by story views, time spent reading a story, and claps.

How do writers get paid? Medium could have splashed ads all over the place, but they don’t do that. Instead, they charge a small subscription fee. You can read three stories per month for free, but to really use the service you’ll need to pay $5.00 per month, or $50 per year (which saves you $10 over the monthly rate). Do that and you’ll have access to everything Medium offers. The writers you engage with (by reading and clapping) earn a share of your subscription fee.

For readers, this isn’t a bad deal. What else can you get for $5.00 per month? Not even your morning coffee, or if you’re a coffee-hater like me, your morning tea. It’s really a very small price to pay, especially since there are a wide variety of stories to read, written by a wide variety of writers.

For writers, it’s also a great deal, because you can get paid for your work. Likely you won’t get rich off of it, but I and a number of other writers I know who have ventured into the world of Medium find it insanely easy to make back that investment of $50 per year plus a small profit. Initially I was making about $5 per week. By now, I’m earning nearly $30 per month, and I expect that to slowly rise as I gain more followers and publish more stories.

Of course, you want to publish good stories that people enjoy reading. It also helps if you can be accepted as a writer for a publication. Publications can be created by anyone and run the gamut from one-person shows to major productions like the one managed by the Washington Post. Generally, publications have much wider reach than most individuals can achieve. I’m currently writing for two publications, The Writing Cooperative, which is all about writing and the writing life, and Lit Up, which focuses on short fiction and poetry. I’ve also published material under my own account, mostly nonfiction as well as flash fiction I’ve written for the weekly Indies Unlimited contests.

I’d encourage you to check out Medium and consider joining. If you do, please follow me and read my stories. Here are a few to whet your appetite, but remember, you can only read three a month without joining:

Running Down the Track – a short story from Lit Up

How a Roadrunner Saved my Wife’s Sanity – a true story of parental genius

Moonlight Sonata – a flash fiction SF tale

Baha’i Houses of Worship – the growth of a religion illustrated in architecture

Plotting When you Hate Plotting – advice for writers like me from The Writing Cooperative

Enjoy, and see you there!

Reading, Science fiction

Alex Carver: Gangsters in Space

Casimir (Cas) Dragunov’s big brother Nikolai is in trouble. Again. Nikolai was the reason Cas joined the Armed Forces of the Federation Planets (AFFP) in the first place, but after being court martialed and dishonorably discharged, he went from trouble to trouble, always relying on Cas to bail him out. This time, it’s different. When Cas arrives on Dormero Station to pay off Nikolai’s debts to crime boss Valen Massio, his brother is dead and Massio wants payment in the form of work, starting with the delivery of a mysterious package. Cas has little choice but to take the job, but he’s pursued by Massio’s rival, who also wants the package. Taking ownership of his brother’s decrepit spaceship and unexpectedly helped by a fellow soldier, Cas dodges and battles gangsters as well as security forces in a race to make the delivery, knowing that his military career, if not his life, is over.

Although it’s pretty straightforward, I really enjoyed this story. Carver doesn’t throw us too many curves, but he does throw a few good ones. Also, this is the first novel of a planned series. The author has introduced us to his world and his characters, and invites us to follow their further adventures. The questions left open at the end of An Unwanted Inheritance are no doubt springboards to those adventures. So while a richer story would have been possible, this isn’t a bad start, with solid characters and enough action to pull the reader through. I’ll give it 4 stars for story.

While the writing is a bit rough around the edges, it’s not bad. I noticed a number of sentences I would consider run-ons, but I’ve seen the same thing from other British indie authors. It’s less common from my fellow American authors. Maybe that kind of structure is in vogue on the other side of the Atlantic? Either way, the book is readable enough, so I wouldn’t downgrade the writing too seriously. Let’s call it 3.5 stars, with 4 stars for the overall rating. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

 I recently asked Alex Carver about the novel and his writing. Here’s what he said:

Cas Dragunov is an honorable man who finds himself in a situation where honor is hard to maintain. He insists he’s not a criminal but realizes that he’s become one in order to pay his deceased brother’s ill-gotten debts. Is his decision motivated by his sense of honor–a debt is a debt, no matter how it arose–or by his adversary’s long reach–there would be no place to run?

I think Cas is in an impossible situation. If he thought he could get himself beyond the reach of Valen Massio I suspect he would, but even if he did I think he would make arrangements to pay off his brother’s debt, just without breaking the law.

The first book in a series. Have you started the second volume yet? Can you give us any clues regarding the further adventures of Cas and his “crew”?

I have started book 2. It is about 75% done on paper. Some other projects have claimed my attention for the time being, but I hope to have book 2 done by early next year. In it Cas tries to find a solution for the problem of Ettie [a child he rescues en route to delivering Valen Massio’s package], while dealing with some of the problems arising from book 1.

In future books I hope to increase the crew by a couple, including a female–tentatively I am thinking of having the medic Cas met briefly in book 1 come aboard for some reason, but I don’t know the reason yet–and having Cas and crew try to find ways of earning money that are legal.

You’ve written a number of other books, including your Inspector Stone mysteries. How many of those preceded An Unwanted Inheritance?

An Unwanted Inheritance is my fifth released book, I released the first three books in the Inspector Stone Mysteries and Written In Blood ahead of it, plus a short story.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I am working on a sequel to my thriller, Written In Blood, which I hope to release in July. Together the books form the duology, Murder In Oakhurst, and may lead to a mystery/thriller series set in the countryside.

What advice to you have for readers or writers?

About the only advice I feel confident to give is, if you’re sure there is something you can’t do for yourself (I suck at making covers, and I know I do) pay someone to do it for you. If you want to be successful, you have to know your limitations, and not let your pride get in the way of asking for success.

Where can readers find you?

On Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

Novels, Reading, Writing

Stevie Turner: Addictive Personalities

Frances and Martin Andrews have a serious problem: he’s addicted to pornography, and she’s addicted to spying on him to secure evidence of his transgressions. The lack of trust between them has shattered their marriage, and even counseling doesn’t offer much hope. Martin’s repeated lies render impotent his protestations that he’s changed. He desperately wants her back, but she desperately wants to be free of him.

That’s the set-up. What follows in this fast-paced and relatively short novel spans a few emotionally-charged years in which husband and wife must face their own flaws as well as each other’s. It’s a compelling read about a life-destroying indulgence that has ensnared all too many people, particularly in the Internet age. Turner does a creditable job of portraying the addiction and its effects, although I suspect she’s captured the wife’s trauma better than the husband’s. Frances grows considerably through the story, while Martin’s journey through hell ultimately seems fruitless. I’ll grant that’s one plausible outcome, but I found it disheartening. Maybe that’s the point? I at least would have liked a bit deeper glimpse into Martin’s psyche at the end to understand better how he ends up where he does.

The writing is good enough, although I thought phrases containing the word “porn” occurred a bit too often, and some of the dialogue, particularly with the counselor, seemed a bit stilted. (However, I’ve never been in a counseling session, so maybe that’s how it really is.) I also think the author missed some opportunities to delve deeper into the characters through the action. This is a complex situation that could easily support another fifty pages of development without feeling stretched.

A word of caution: Although this work is neither romance nor erotica, there are a few explicit passages, not excessively graphic but very direct.

The strengths and weaknesses of “Mind Games” had me hemming and hawing over a rating. I’ve settled on 4.5 stars for story and a bit better than 3.5 for the writing, yielding 4 stars overall.

 I recently asked Stevie Turner about the novel and her writing. Here’s what she said:

It looks like you’ve written a number of books. What subjects have you addressed, and where does “Mind Games” fit in?

Yes I have written a number of books over a 5 year period.  I always try to tackle subjects that haven’t been written about too many times before.  I am more interested in writing about relationships between middle-aged couples, as I find their problems and issues more interesting. With young people there is always the sexual chemistry and the bed-hopping which has been covered countless times in many different ways, but what happens to a couple when they age and passion dies away?  I prefer to write of problems that can occur in fifty-somethings, as they are more likely to face this scenario.

Addiction has become a major social issue. Readers might see aspects of their own lives mirrored in your  fiction and wonder if they could help someone who has an addiction. What has your research suggested?

No, it is not possible to change somebody who has an addictive nature. The change and motivation to stop needs to come from the person themselves.  Usually they would have to hit rock bottom before they decide to stop.

Which at one point in Mind Games seems to be where Martin ends up. But did he learn anything through his experience, or as the title suggests, has it indeed all been a game to him?

Martin is the kind of man that will not be told what to do by a woman, as he feels this will emasculate him.  However, he still loves Frances and wants her to return to the marital home.  If there is any chance that this might happen he would be prepared to do and say anything, but just as long as he can remain true to his own beliefs.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a novel-length version of one of my short stories which is in my published book Life: 18 Short Stories about Significant Life Events.  I think it might be ready later this year, because at the moment the words are tumbling out!

What advice to you have for readers or writers?

I would say for a start that unless writers read a lot, then they won’t learn to hone their craft.  It’s no good saying “I don’t get time to read because I’m too busy writing.”  If nobody is reading, then what’s the point of writing?  Also it’s best to have another source of income rather than rely on book royalties!  Beaver away and don’t give up writing just because somebody thinks your book sucks; sooner or later somebody will like it, it’s all a matter of opinion.

Where can readers find you? (You can just give me the links. I’ll format them for you.)