This is the first newsletter for Blazing Owl Press. We'll be running it weekly on our press website and on Patreon. It won't be only exclusive to books and articles by Terri DelCampo and Blaze McRob. We'll be sharing the great stuff that many other great authors, artists, and more are doing. Also, we're not limiting the newsletter to the horror genre only. I hope you'll find some fantastic people to add to your must-follow list.
I want everyone to know right off the bat that this is not a newsletter that will delve into politics or religion. Maybe, just maybe, some of what we believe may be in some of our writings. Or not. Fiction can be a tricky mother.
This newsletter will be divided into many segments. The past, present, and future. Here it comes.
Blaze
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Many authors believe that Amazon is the only game in town. It's not. While they're the big boys of the publishing industry, they're not the only ones. Neither do I believe that the Big Five is the way to go. I've had books published by big name publishers before, and I'll never do it again. An author loses control of their work with them, I believe. Also, if you're an indie author, you get a bigger piece of the pie. A novel author friend of mine was only getting 7&1/2 % for each book sold. That's crap.
Me? All my new writing is being done on Patreon now. That's the way it will be for the remainder of 2024. Perhaps longer. My account there is https://www.patreon.com/Blaze_McRob
Draft2Digital is another good option if you wish to go wide. https://www.draft2digital.com/
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Here's a link to a Woman In Horror post I wrote for Dona Fox a while back. She is a superb master of the craft.
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4527027449764294729/5072061380251534006
Terri DelCampo has been doing some great artwork, not only for our book covers, but for Fine Art America and local places in the city we live in. Here is one of her many pieces.
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Peg the Egg: An Introductory Resource to Allergens, Allergies & Anaphylaxis
by Amy L Marley
Peg the Egg is an introductory resource for kids of all ages to read with their parents, families, teachers, carers or specialists.
Information is presented with photographic illustrations to ensure there is no room for "make-believe".
A clear reminder that allergies are REAL. Reactions are REAL
Each of us is at different stages and plays various roles along the allergy journey, a journey nobody processes in precisely the same way. With that in mind, Pete the Peanut is a resource that is designed to dip in and out of as opportunities along their unique relationship living with allergies are presented.
While there is no one size fits all approach, the most important thing we can do is to educate our children with as much information as we possibly can. Bearing in mind each child's individual readiness to absorb and use while navigating their worlds and their lives. Expanding their understanding and assessing their personal risks as they experience, grow and learn, not only for themselves but for others around them too.
We can't allergy-proof the world but we can use our voices and share information as a powerful way to expand the awareness of allergies. In doing so, we empower children living with allergies to self-advocate in a world filled with distractions.
You'll love reading this cute book written about a serious matter. Amy does a great job explaining about food allergies. It is a must read!
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LIVING GREEN: WHY SILENT SPRING, BY RACHEL CARSON, IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT BOOK TO READ: BY BLAZE MCROB
Painting by Vi Huntley-Franck
Today, I’m going to suggest a great book to read for those of you concerned with pollution, climate change, and being a responsible human. I’ll be adding in more as my Living Green series continues.
I’ll start with the book that started it all off for environmentalists everywhere. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson.
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was first published in three serialized excerpts in the New Yorker in June of 1962. The book appeared in September of that year and the outcry that followed its publication forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Silent Spring, released in 1962, offered the first shattering look at widespread ecological degradation and touched off an environmental awareness that still exists. Rachel Carson's book focused on the poisons from insecticides, weed killers, and other common products as well as the use of sprays in agriculture, a practice that led to dangerous chemicals to the food source. Carson argued that those chemicals were more dangerous than radiation and that for the first time in history, humans were exposed to chemicals that stayed in their systems from birth to death. Presented with thorough documentation, the book opened more than a few eyes about the dangers of the modern world and stands today as a landmark work. --This text refers to an alternate kindle edition edition.
First published by Houghton Mifflin in 1962, Silent Spring alerted a large audience to the environmental and human dangers of indiscriminate use of pesticides, spurring revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. “Silent Spring became a runaway bestseller, with international reverberations . . . [It is] well crafted, fearless and succinct . . . Even if she had not inspired a generation of activists, Carson would prevail as one of the greatest nature writers in American letters” (Peter Matthiessen, for Time’s 100 Most Influential People of the Century).
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This is a great book which should be read by every person on the planet. We must not allow giant industries to pollute at will, solely for the purpose of making money. When Rachel Carson wrote this book, she was attacked mercilessly by the killer barons who couldn't care less if untold numbers of people died because of their greed. She fought these people to the grave. Read her book and learn what true dedication to a cause is all about.
Blaze McRob
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Here's a post I did a while back. I believe it's still relevant today.
WRITING IS EASY
Writing Is Easy! What, you ask? How can writing possibly be easy? Writing is one word after another. That's it. There's nothing difficult about that.
Someone in the back is shaking their head, thinking that I'm an idiot. No problem with that. That's his right. He can even leave the room and I won't care.
Ah, you ask. "What are the words?" Again: simple. Put a picture in your head of the story you want to write. Write about that picture. If you have no story in your mind, forget about writing. Writing is easy, but only if you have a tale to spin. I get one simple thought in my brain, many times a sentence, or even a single word. Wham! Go from there.
As an example: in an upcoming novel, I think about my garage. I sleep in the garage because my wife is a bitch. The start of the picture in the gray matter is forming. Other senses come into play. Mice pitter-patter around and they make me think of rats from 'Nam. A presence forms, cutting off my air supply; a moldy stench surrounds it. This is not the first time this has happened, but this time . . . this time something is different. What? It talks to me this time. It never has before.
See what I mean? One word, garage, got into my mind and horror surrounds me. No build up needed. Pure action from the beginning.
Some people will rebel against what I'm saying next. Do not outline! It kills the flow of your story.
Let your tale roll unfettered and free. I never know how my stories will end. That's the fun of writing. Let your story people determine the outcome.
Do not worry about perfection in your first draft. Just write a story that flows. Don't worry about anything else. Hemingway said the first draft of anything is shit. He was right. So concentrate on the story first, and then polish in your next drafts.
Now, your story is done, and a grand tale it is. Except for one thing. It sucks! The story itself is great, but it needs some serious editing. Comma splices abound. There's not enough white space. You have over-used words; you are redundant. Mark in chapter one is Matthew in chapter ten.
Now what? You work on your edits first. Don't annoy your friends and ask them to be beta readers. Do the job yourself. Read your story out loud as you edit. That will help with your commas. Over and over again, do your edits. When you are satisfied you have a good story, send it to an editor. An author is too close to her/his own story to do it justice in the final edits.
Okay, I'm sure many of you have heard the old beta reader thing over and over again from friends. They are not editors. Hire an editor. There are many good ones out there and they will not all gouge you. Many have great rates.
If you are going to self-publish, get a great cover artist. Don't go half-ass here. It is very important. Also, consider doing books with interior art scattered about. It is impressive, and a lot of Publishers are doing it.
Have someone who knows what they are doing, do your formatting. Make certain you check everything out before you publish your tale.
Happy writing to everyone!
Blaze
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Next week I'll add in more of the great authors I know, more articles, and more art. Let me know what else you want me to write.
Thank you for reading.
Blaze McRob
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