C.R. Langille
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An Interview with Brian B. Baker

10/24/2022

 
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Hi there, Brian. Thanks for joining me here in my crazy little corner of the internet. First things first, please tell us a little bit about yourself. What got you into writing? 

I’ve written since I was a teenager. My father bought a word processor, and I was home alone. I’d get it out and write a story when I should have been doing homework. I read a lot as a kid. It’s something I’ve continued as I grew older. Books and writing always went hand-in-hand with me.
 

I see you write both horror and military thrillers. Tell us more about that. Do you approach those projects differently?  

When it comes to thrillers, I write out a detailed outline, create a beat sheet, and follow both as close as possible.
I allow for movement in the story, but the beat sheet and outline are necessary. It’s usually following different characters or checking in with them throughout the novel, so I have to allow some leeway for those scenes. 

With horror, it’s all discovery. I’ve tried numerous times to create an outline or follow a beat sheet, but it never works. I don’t know why my brain won’t work that way, but it’s quite annoying. 

Where did your love of horror come from?

I grew up in the 80s with all of those horror movies. As I said, I was home alone a lot, and because of that, I’d stay up late watching horror on HBO or Cinemax. Sometimes I'd find something out there, those were the fun nights. The movies never scared me as it should have. I found a fascination in them.
 
 
What about military thrillers? Where did your interest spark for those? 

When I wasn’t home by myself, I read what my father read, which were the 80s military, political, and techno-thrillers. I read those books in 6
th grade. Tom Clancy was always a writing idol of mine. I read Red Storm Rising, Patriot Games, Cardinal of the Kremlin, and others before I learned algebra. My reading skills were always more advanced than those around me, I think I owe that to my father pushing me to read more difficult books. Reading college-level books in elementary school did get some looks from teachers, though. I didn’t read my first horror story until I was in my teens. My father didn’t allow me to read those books. I had to read what he read. I think it stunted my reading a bit, but I've tried to catch up. 

I saw in a Twitter post you mentioned you grew up near an airbase and had a fascination with military aircraft. How has that influenced your writing? 

My father and most of my family worked at Hill Air Force Base in Utah during the 80s. We went to the base open house every year and watched the Air Force’s Air Demonstration Team, The Thunderbirds. I wanted to be a pilot for a long time, but I never had eyes for it. My father worked on aircraft, and growing up, everything about aircraft fascinated me. I made models of various aircraft growing up just to learn about them. It’s something I’ll be doing for the follow-up to Disunion.
 

Tell us about your new book, Disunion by Force.

Disunion came about because I wanted to see if I could write the kind of books I grew up with. It’s about a drone that goes missing and an ex-air force pilot, Jackson (Jax) Reed, who lost his wings and became an FBI agent. He’s called in to handle a case at the last place he worked, Creech Air Force base in Nevada. Creech is where most of the drones are flown from. They have little boxes that are no more than railcars, and they’ve modified them, and the drone pilots work out of them. Jax hates going back to where everything in his life collapsed. It’s a story about a guy who lost almost everything and comes to the other side to discover himself again. I did a lot of research on drones, where it's set, Virginia, DC, Las Vegas, and a bit of Utah. I had a lot of fun writing this one. 
​

What are you working on now?

On the thriller side, I’ve started the beginnings of book two with Jax, and I have another story in that world that I’m playing around with. On the horror side, I’m working on extending a novella into a novel length. It’s fighting with me over it, but it’s moving along. I have a collection of travel horror stories I will do something with next year. There are two novellas I’ll be cleaning up and doing something within the next year. When I’m writing, it goes quickly. I get about 2,000 words daily, sometimes more, but 2k is my goal. I have so many things in my head that can’t always get them down. 
Get Your Copy of Disunion by Force Today!
Get Your Copy of The Demon Woods Today!

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Brian B. Baker writes horror and military/political thrillers. His book Disunion by Force comes out on November 8th, election day in the US. He lives with his wife and kids in Utah. ​

Author Interview: Scott A. Johnson and the Mime Court

12/5/2017

 
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Check out the cover for Scott A. Johnson's upcoming book!
What kind of books/stories do you write?
 
I write horror, dark urban fantasy, and sci fi.
  
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
 
I didn’t really want to be a writer until later in life. Most people write all through high school, or that sort of thing. Not me. It wasn’t until I got into college, and I took a critique class because it was the only thing that fit my schedule. So I wrote my first story, about a guy who wakes up in the middle of the night and discovers his whole family’s been butchered, and handed it in. Next class period, no one wanted to sit next to me. People were telling me that I scared them with my story, that I disturbed them, and I thought really?  So I tried again. I wrote a story about a guy who beat up a mime in Central Park. Then mimes come out from everywhere and drag him under the park to “mime court,” where they turn him into a mime and sentence him to life in the invisible box. And that was “Mimes,” my first professionally published short story. And I thought you’re kidding… People will pay me for this weird stuff I have rolling around in my head?  And I’ve been doing it ever since.
 
What do you consider the most influential book you've ever read?
 
The one with the biggest influence on me was Richard Matheson’s “Hell House.” But that’s also a very long list. Hell House would have to be at the top of it.
  
What other authors are you friends with, and how have they helped you become a better writer?
 
So many… Nikki Hopeman, Kristin Dearborn, Gary Braunbeck, Tim Waggoner, Gabrielle Faust, Cody Langille *cough*, Lucy Snider… There are so many that I know, and they help me by challenging me to continue to improve.
 
What’s the best way you've found to market your books?
 
Heh… I’ll let you know when I figure it out. Right now, I’m working through social media.
 
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
 
Depends on the book. I mean, I’m writing one right now about the first people to colonize a moon, so I’m doing a great deal of research on space travel, physics, environmental issues, etc. I do a great deal of research by doing, by which I mean if I need to know what it’s like to ride a horse, I go ride a horse. If I need to know what it’s like to be kidnapped, I have a buddy throw me in the trunk of his car and drive me about for a bit.
 
Any last thoughts for our readers?
 
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things: Read everything you can get your hands on, and write every day. No excuses. Those are what you have to do.

You can find out more about Scott A. Johnson by visiting his website: http://www.creepylittlebastard.com

Steel Empires Book 3: Steel Blood by J.L. Gribble

7/22/2017

 
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I love doing cross promotion on my site. Here's another one by the talented author, J.L. Gribble.
As her children begin lives of their own, Victory struggles with the loneliness of an empty nest. Just when the city of Limani could not seem smaller, an old friend requests that she come out of retirement for one final mercenary contract—to bodyguard his granddaughter, a princess of the Qin Empire.

For the first time in a century, the Qin and British Empires are reopening diplomatic relations. Alongside the British delegation, Victory and her daywalker Mikelos arrive in the Qin colony city of Jiang Yi Yue. As the Qin weredragons and British werewolves take careful steps toward a lasting peace between their people, a connection between the Qin princess and a British nobleman throw everyone’s plans in disarray.

Meanwhile, a third faction stalks the city under the cover of darkness.

This is not a typical romance. It’s a good thing Victory is not a typical vampire.

Buy links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pPShZH
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steel-blood-jl-gribble/1126268372
From the publisher: http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/steel-blood/


About the author:

By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing. She is currently working on the Steel Empires series for Dog Star Books, the science-fiction/adventure imprint of Raw Dog Screaming Press. Previously, she was an editor for the Far Worldsanthology.
Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where her debut novel Steel Victory was her thesis for the program.
​

She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jlgribblewriter), and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits).


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Cross-Promotion: A Knack for Embarrassment

5/11/2017

 
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As you may well know, I love promoting and helping out other authors. A Knack for Embarrassment is written by James D. Beers. Check this book out, among others on his website: www.writingwithbeers.com 

​Have you ever wondered why a thrown flat rock never flies straight? Spent a long and sleepless night in a den of snorers? Did you ever blow up cuisine in the microwave and then try and hide it?

Follow the author and his family and friends in their rollicking adventures as they test the science of throwing flat rocks, battle snorers through long sleepless nights, and turn microwave tapioca pudding into pudding grenade shrapnel. Join the foreign exchange student, Diego, as he takes on the dreaded Sleddin’ Road and ride into the sunset with the author in a Volkswagen Rabbit that smokes more than a steam locomotive. Finally, just try not to laugh as you read about the cutthroat cookie decorating contest from Christmas 2007 or as the author guinea pigs his younger brother in a game of spit wads.
             
Born in Idaho, raised on ice cream, and schooled in calamity and disaster, author James D. Beers writes the stories of his life from a unique, humorous, and slightly exaggerated perspective in A Knack for Embarrassment, his first collection of short stories.

Crazy Little Spring Called Love

4/3/2017

 
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Time for a little cross-promotion for friends and fellow Seton Hill alumni. Check it out!

CRAZY LITTLE SPRING CALLED LOVE
Eight Magical Stories of Fantasy Romance
Stars and Stone Books
 
Featuring: Heather Bythesea, Elsa Carruthers, M.T. DeSantis, Traci Douglass, L.J. Longo, Cara McKinnon, Sheri Queen, and Mary Rogers

Traci Douglass - "When Hermes Met Eos"
One night. Two star-crossed immortals. Will their vibrant connection survive beyond sunrise?
 
Sheri Queen - "The Girl with a Broken Wing"
A story of courage and sacrifice--and finding love where you never thought to look.
 
Cara McKinnon - "Love at Dawn"
Sometimes mortals need a little push from a god and goddess to fall in love…
 
M.T. DeSantis - "A Hunt for Love"
Can a djinn and a clueless guy beat the clock, avoid the curse, and maybe even find true love?
 
L.J. Longo – “Seaweed and Silk”
A mermaid: hundreds of miles from her home on the ice, on a ship with a troll, a goblin wizard, and a pack of wolves. What else can go wrong? Oh, right. A flippin’ sea monster.
 
Mary Rogers – “Spring Fling”
A druid’s bargain gives Carson revenge against his former lover Carrie–at the price of her memories of them together. But did she truly steal his magic all those years ago? Or was the real theft his heart?
 
 
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR AUTHORS
 
STARS AND STONE BOOKS: http://starsandstonebooks.com/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34686292-crazy-little-spring-called-love
FACEBOOK RELEASE PARTY: https://www.facebook.com/events/2062183134008615/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/starsstonebooks
ANTHOLOGY WEBSITE: http://starsandstonebooks.com/crazy-little-spring-called-love

Book Release: What's Left of Me

7/26/2016

 
Time for a little cross promotion! Here's a new release by the talented Jennifer Loring. Enjoy!

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✰✰ What’s Left of Me by Jennifer Loring ✰✰

Series: Book Two in the Firebird Trilogy

Tagline: “There is always one more secret…”

Release Date: July 26, 2016

Hosted by: Sizzling PR

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

#JenniferLoring #WhatsLeftOfMe #Firebird #SizzlingPR #Free #TeamLimitless

#Download today or #Read for #Free with #KindleUnlimted

Amazon US – http://amzn.to/2asADWf

Amazon UK – http://amzn.to/2arvxXo

#Synopsis: Recovering from years of living the superstar hockey life wasn’t easy, but now Aleksandr

Volynsky finally has everything…

He’s married to the love of his life, expecting a daughter, and has a new job as an assistant coach with

his old team, the Buffalo Gladiators. His happiness is short lived, however, when a sexual assault

allegation surfaces, and Alex is forced to cooperate with an investigation for a crime he didn’t commit.

Stephanie Hartwell is juggling her dream job with marriage and motherhood, but she’s not convinced

she’s doing any of it well…

Stephanie’s stress level goes from bad to worse when she’s diagnosed with a serious illness. Battling

declining health and the critics who question her commitment to Alex in light of the allegation, she

makes a decision that could change their relationship forever.

Alex is afraid he’s about to lose everything—especially when he sees Stephanie’s friend kiss her…

Devastated that his life is spiraling out of control again, Alex turns to his friend, Natasha, a Russian pop

star. Convinced that Stephanie and her friend Brandon are having an affair, Alex resumes his self-

destructive behavior.

What Alex doesn’t know is Stephanie has been conducting a secret investigation of her own. She learns

the truth behind the sexual assault—a truth no one, especially Alex, expects.

With everything now out in the open, can Stephanie and Alex commit to a fresh start for the sake of

their daughter, or will the ghosts of their pasts finally tear apart everything they have left?

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