Is That Satire or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” – Mark Twain.

Satire n. (from the Free Dictionary)

1.

a. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.
b. The branch of literature constituting such works.

2. Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

Even if you didn’t know the definition of satire before you read the above paragraph, you’ve more than likely read it or watched it on television. South Park, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are examples of modern satire. Mark Twain was considered a brilliant satirist. Jonathan Swift, of Gulliver’s Travels fame, was a gifted satirist. Dorothy Parker is a personal favorite. The Onion is a news satire organization that has been around since 1988.

It’s everywhere.

Poking fun at society’s idiosyncrasies is an age-old vehicle to reveal humanity’s foibles and is an entertaining outlet for writers and other artists in a *free* society. And, it’s a heck of a lot of fun to write. I’ve used satire to poke fun at politicians, serial killers, reality shows and the like. It’s all in good fun and readers get a glimpse of my (twisted) view of the world. That’s one of the things I love about satire: reading it is a sure-fire way to view the world through another’s eyes. It makes life more fun and I remember not to take myself or my own views quite so seriously. Continue reading “Is That Satire or Are You Just Happy to See Me?”

Formula for a Bestselling Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Of course, yes, I know you’ve been waiting for this. Who hasn’t been? I’ve already shared with you the formula for writing a blockbuster action/adventure bestseller, a knock-em dead romance bestsellerand a spine- and pants-tingling romantic thriller. I know you’re a tad disgruntled because those weren’t your genres of choice. But no worries, here it is – the long-awaited formula for that explosive young adult paranormal romance!

I’m a step ahead of you with my credentials for this one. I bet you didn’t know I’ve secretly been writing a vampire book for years. Yeah, that’s right, I started it back in 1998 I think. So I know a few things about vampires. And I’ve seen every bloody commercial for the sparkly vampire series, whatever that’s called. The clincher, however, is that I’ve been to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State where they filmed those movies. That’s right. So listen up.

Follow my advice below, and you’ll be instructing your limo driver to plow down those paparazzis, my friend!

Formula for a best-selling young adult paranormal romance: Continue reading “Formula for a Bestselling Young Adult Paranormal Romance”

Formula for a Bestselling Romantic Thriller

UPGRADE by Stephen Hise
Every thriller should have a main character with flaws and a deep, dark secret.

In this series, so far I’ve shared with you the formula for writing a blockbuster action/adventure bestseller, and a knock-em dead romance bestseller. In this installment, we’re going to cover writing an earth-shattering, edge-of-the-seat romantic thriller!

Yeah, I knew you were going to ask what qualifies me to give this advice. Aside from the fact that I’ve extensively researched stalking (for my books, of course), and I’ve won awards for my action-adventure thriller Lust for Danger, I got help this time. Our very own Evil Mastermind, Stephen Hise – author of the psychological thriller Upgrade, has contributed to this special recipe. So grab your pen and take notes. This is going to blow you away.

Now let’s get to it. Follow my advice below, and you’ll be Hollywood-bound, my friend!

Continue reading “Formula for a Bestselling Romantic Thriller”

Review Action Package!

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I know, I know: getting reviews out of readers is one of the great mysteries of our days. Why, oh why, are people so averse to posting their opinions online? You put your books out there, bared your soul for all to see – some even for free – yet these readers will not reward you with a meager review. What’s an author to do?

Don’t worry – you’re not alone. The good folks over at Stalkopedia and Zhitty Airlines have teamed up to bring Indie Authors another solution: the Review Action Package! Continue reading “Review Action Package!”