The Kutter Diaries, Day One

Today on this blog, I'm starting...The Kutter Diaries! I promise not to ruin the book for you, but I'm going to post regular updates about my work-in-progress, both on the writing side and the publication side.

Kutter will be a novella, approximately 35,000 words. I have a publisher and a publication date, along with an amusing story about how it sold, but I'm not allowed to blab about that yet. My deadline is December. The plan is to get Kutter done ridiculously early, but we'll see how well that works out. (Technically, it's due "by December," so we'll say 11:59 PM on Sunday, November 30th.)

For the purposes of this diary, I'm going to count today as the first official day of writing, even though I'd previously written a whopping 150 or so words, which I mostly rewrote today anyway. As with many of my projects, I know how the book ends, and I have a few key moments planned out, but much of the story remains a mystery. I've also written up a draft of the back-cover blurb, at the request of the publisher. So there's already a solid framework in place. But will it last...?

I don't do character sketches in advance beyond very broad strokes, so the first day of writing was mostly about a) developing the main character and b) refining the tone. I say "refine" because I already knew the overall tone...it's a dark comedy, but not over-the-top. It's not a laugh-a-minute, and in fact, there's very little genuine humor in what I wrote today. This is a much different approach than Benjamin's Parasite and a recently completed novelette, which are big, wacky horror/comedies.

Today's word count and total so far: 1211.

Elrod Review

I flew back from NECon last night. Details are forthcoming--at least those I'm authorized to share, which aren't many.

In the meantime, here's a review of my book for kids (and adults who were warped as kids) Elrod McBugle on the Loose.

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/07/19/review-elrod-mcbugle-on-the-loose-by-jeff-strand/

Great Big PRESSURE Announcement

A lot of you have said "Dude, these hardcover limited editions are swell and all, but when are you going to have a book out there that retails for, say, $7.99 plus sales tax? And that I can easily find at my local bookstore, airport, or grocery store?"

To which I've always replied "STOP RUSHING ME!!! I'M TRYING MY FRICKIN' BEST--WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, GET A MASS MARKET DEAL AT GUNPOINT???"

It turns out, that worked pretty well. Should've done that sooner. So I'm pleased to announce that my Bram Stoker Award-losing novel Pressure will be published in paperback next summer by Leisure Books, an imprint of Dorchester Publishing!

Yeah, you have to wait about a year. Anticipation builds character. Or you can grab one of the last remaining hardcover copies (there aren't many left, and when they're gone, they're gone!) from Earthling Publications right here:

http://www.earthlingpub.com/js_pressure.htm

Treasure Trove For Writers

While my blog is nothing but promo and tomfoolery, J.A. Konrath, my co-author for the awesome book Suckers, fills his blog with useful advice for writers. He has compiled all of his wisdom into a FREE 751-page e-book. My compiled wisdom would fill maybe 2-3 pages, tops, and there'd be a lot of errors, so you can clearly see that this is the must-download event of the century.

You don't have to read all 751 pages. It has a handy table of contents so you can easily find what most interests you. But odds are you'll look up and it'll be 4:30 AM and you'll think "Wowie-zowie! I can't believe I read all 751 pages! Now I'm unemployed! But armed with Mr. Konrath's helpful advice, I can start a new career as a successful author!"

http://www.jakonrath.com/TheNewbiesGuideToPublishingBook.pdf

For The Love of Benji's Parasite

Minutes ago (or years ago, if you're behind on your blog reading) I turned in a brand-new novelette. I'm not going to blab much about it now, except to say that, yes, it's another pitch-black comedy, and it's a publisher I haven't worked with before. More news later.

And this past Saturday I turned in Benjamin's Parasite, my next horror/comedy novel for Delirium Books. It won't be published anytime soon, and Delirium Books no longer has those lengthy pre-order periods (as with The Sinister Mr. Corpse and Gleefully Macabre Tales, where the books went up for pre-order six months before publication) so you probably won't hear much about it for a while. But the idea was to combine ghastly "body horror" with a goofy chase comedy...and, hey, that's exactly how the book ended up!

I'm pretty sure it's my most twisted and over-the-top novel thus far. The mighty Tod Clark, who I believe has read every one of my books, helped me with the proofreading and said "Benjamin's Parasite kicked major ass! I really think it is the best book you have written to date."

Now I have to get caught up on other people's books that I promised to read...

Yak Report

Well, last night I was a guest on Lair of the Yak. Not only did I get to field questions from a guy in a monkey mask, but I got to field questions from a guy in a monkey mask pretending to be Andrew "Dice" Clay. I bet you didn't get to do that last night. The same guy, who I will now expose as author L.L.Soares (Ha!!! Confidentiality agreement violated, baby!), also wore a Mr. T mask.

Tangent: Andrew "Dice" Clay did a show here in Tampa just last week. I didn't go.

I'm not big on the whole webcam thing--it's actually kind of spooky staring into that dark mechanical eye that looks suspiciously like a laser beam might shoot out of it if I fail to obey the prime directive--but now that I've got it all set up, I may do a live show where I sit at my desk and write my next book. Typing! Staring! Muttering in frustration! The occasional sip of a carbonated beverage! Cursing and deleting the past few sentences! It'll be pure online gold!

Live Webcam Show Tonight

Nope, my blog didn't get spammed, and I haven't changed careers. Tonight (Saturday the 5th) I'll be appearing LIVE on Lair of the Yak, starting at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and running as late as 11:00. The weekly show is hosted by Nick Cato and co-hosted by a guy in a monkey mask. You've been warned.

Now I need to figure out how to work this webcam...



http://www.blogstar.com/shows/154/episodes/2918

Way Cool Tampa Tribune Article

The Friday Extra in today's Tampa Tribune features a cover story about "Following Their Dreams: An artist, a novelist, a musician, and two filmmakers share their independent spirit." I'm the novelist.

I was under the impression that it would just be a quote or two, accompanied by a small picture of me looking like a total goober, but it actually takes up half a page, and the picture is me looking all manly in the wilderness...though still oddly gooberish.

If you're in the Tampa area or want to make a field trip, buy the July 4th edition and share it with those you love.

Coming Attractions!

Okay, so there hasn't been a lot of recent news here on my blog, but that doesn't mean that I'm sitting in shadowy corners, being all mopey while my writing career stagnates. Actually, there's all kinds of cool stuff going on. I'm going to parcel it out instead of flinging it all at you at once, but in the days and weeks ahead I'll babble about...

Signing with an awesome new agent (as of today). Completing my sickest, most outrageous novel to date. Several upcoming short stories. A demented little novelette about the hilarity of severed body parts. Kutter, a dark comedy with heart and my trickiest blend of humor and horror thus far.

And, coming very soon...my biggest announcement ever.

In the meantime, people seem to really like Suckers. You might, too. You never know. Check out all of my stuff right here at this handy Horror Mall ordering link:

http://www.horror-mall.com/Jeff-Strand-p-1-c-250.html