Project Threshold: Team Berger: Division 1 by Craig Crawford

10/15/2023

Multi-volume, horror-and-science-fiction author Craig Crawford introduces us to the first volume in his genre-mashup series, Project Threshold, “Team Berger: Division 1”:
In a multiverse where the walls are thin between our world and others, Project Threshold stands between humanity and monsters crossing over to threaten us. Harris Berger and his team intervenes on our behalf. Death waits around every corner but dying isn’t the worst thing they have to endure. Berger wades in with his team: Sam, Billy, Jacks, Jessie, and their new recruit, Pendelhaven. Team Berger faces an unknown advanced civilization, mimics loose on the streets of Chicago killing homeless people, dealing with the aftermath of witnessing awful things, mermaids in the Midwest and an apartment where people start committing suicide for no apparent reason.

These short stories are connected by an overarching mission to keep the public safe and ignorant of serious, paranormal threats to humanity. They share different characters within the same secret agency and there is a joint history for some and a short history for others.
The extraterrestrial bend is unmistakable and there are definite elements of horror. Mermaids in the American mid-west might be considered part of the urban fantasy genre. I am not a fan of large amounts of gore but I enjoyed all of these stories and got chills in a number of places.
I can't say anymore because I am committed to not spoiling a story for others.
I award 4.8 stars to “Project Threshold: Team Berger: Division 1”.

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Project-Threshold-Team-Berger-Division-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-pt-team-berger-craig-crawford
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/project-threshold-team-berger-craig-crawford
https://www.thriftbooks.com/project-threshold-team-berger-craig-crawford

You can connect with the author:
https://twitter.com/CRAIGLCrawford
https://www.facebook.com/CraigLCrawfordWriter
https://craiglcrawfordbooks.com
https://projectthreshold.com

I reviewed the second book in the series here:
www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/p-t-team-talise
I reviewed the third book in the series here:
www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/team-riker-by-craig-crawford
I reviewed the fourth book in the series:
www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/project-threshold-finale

Tags: alien, demon, paranormal, supernatural, science fiction, urban fantasy, horror

Copyright © 2023 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

128 Comments

Craig Crawford link

10/15/2023 06:39:22 pm

Hi Mark,

I got it. Thanks for doing this. I appreciate the opportunity to talk writing--I find the entire process fascinating.

Mark

10/15/2023 07:03:02 pm

Thanks for joining me on the Word Refiner channel. We are going to talk about your writing processes and bits and pieces of your publishing and marketing adventures.

First question.

Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

Craig Crawford link

10/15/2023 07:14:21 pm

I started writing at 14. It was a complicated time for me. My parents divorced the previous year and going into middle school I ended up meeting a new set of friends who were into science fiction and fantasy. I jumped in with both feet, having previously only really read mysteries and some horror. I met my best friend and from that experience I tend to believe things are meant to happen. He wrote and I got curious and started trying to write too. And I've been at it ever since.

DA Wysong

10/17/2023 10:01:28 am

Curious if either of your parents or other adults ever encouraged your writing?
I went through a similar experience as my parents divorced when I was 15. Ruff stuff when going into nrw territory.

Craig Crawford link

10/17/2023 10:13:14 am

Yeah, being a teen during that--you've got enough crap going on as is...but my mom definitely encouraged my writing. Dad wasn't around much after. My grandparents lived a few blocks away and my grandfather loved sci-fi and fantasy and he and I shared the love of reading as I found those genres--we'd read the same stuff and talk about the books. He was supportive of my writing too.

Mark

10/15/2023 07:47:44 pm

Parental divorce has a profound effect on children of all ages. I was about five years old when my parents were divorced though they had separated a year before that. The divorce has influenced my entire life.

By my 14th birthday, I had been reading mostly science fiction above any other genre. It was about that time I was given a paperback set of Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. I read through the set three times before graduating from high school. I read The Hobbit a couple of times also. There are some horrific bits in those books. I think JRRT had a strong dislike for spiders.

New questions.

Are you a full-time or part-time writer?

What kind of work do you do if you are a part-time writer? Feel free to skip that question, if you would rather not answer.

Craig Crawford link

10/15/2023 08:03:47 pm

Agreed on the divorce. You learn to live with it, but it has a huge impact.

Part Time. I'd love to be able to not work and write, but, eh, it is what it is right now. I actually work for a university as a buyer for the college. Totally unrelated to writing and honestly I see it as a positive because being something different, it gives my creative side time to rest while I do other things.

Mark

10/15/2023 08:16:14 pm

Few authors write fulltime unless they have retired from a career in the working world. For those relatively few writers who are fulltime they are actually running a small business with writing books as their primary product. For an indie author it can be a fulltime job.

I certainly agree with your conclusion, having a career in a field not related to writing and publishing does allow the muse to work in the background and solve many writing conundrums for you.

New question.

Why do you write?

Craig Crawford link

10/15/2023 08:19:00 pm

In the beginning it was to see if I could create a story. It progressed to the next level when I wrote my first novel. After I finished, I just started to get ideas for stories coming out of almost nowhere and they wouldn't leave me alone until I got them on paper.

Mark

10/15/2023 09:25:21 pm

Stories are an important part of who we are as humans, family members and family creators. Stories offer a unique method to share the difficult in an easier way as well as entertain.

Many set out to write a story or even a book with no understanding of the process. Few are those who get past a few chapters without getting lost in the story or realizing how bad the first draft is. They didn't understand the first draft is supposed to be terrible, but it gets the story out of the author's head and can be rewritten and edited into brilliance.

Congratulations are in order because you persevered and beat the odds!

I hope you are keeping a story idea log, it would be a shame to lose good ideas. Many authors report the need to get stories out of their head. You are not alone.

New questions.

How has writing changed your life?

Craig Crawford link

10/15/2023 09:45:25 pm

Back to ideas--I do write some down but I keep important ones in my head. The 2nd story in Berger's book, that monster was something I thought of back in college and just never had a use for it until now. I never wrote it down but it was cool enough it just stuck with me waiting for it's time.

Writing it therapeutic--it's helped me get through some bad things--being kind of an escape just like reading. I do tend to enjoy writing burdened or even broken characters trying to find some kind of peace or redemption.

Mark

10/16/2023 06:26:38 pm

That idea is quite original! I was very surprised at the revelation.

A number of authors have mentioned similar things. I do understand it because I am that reader, books are my escape.

New questions.

What inspired you to write this book and this series?

Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?

Craig Crawford link

10/16/2023 07:18:18 pm

It started as a single story--The Cave. I wrote that and had this vague idea of Project Threshold but after I started writing a novel on it focusing on my Kurt and Cass characters. However, I sold the story really quickly to a small press and their editor asked if I'd consider writing a few more stories and they'd publish a short serial. It inspired me and I started writing two more stories. However, finishing those, I thought of another team and then a third. I sold the first story in September 2020 and between October and January I wrote another 18. Along the way, as I fleshed out these teams and characters I realized I needed something to bring them altogether and the finale came into being. Then I went back and finished five stories for each team. The one idea exploded and here we are.

Mark

10/17/2023 10:24:20 am

I love how that worked out. Getting a request for more stories had to be a very exciting moment. Congratulations!

New question.

Did you run into any copyright issues compiling the short stories the magazine published into books?

Craig Crawford link

10/17/2023 11:07:39 am

Yes actually. Project Threshold is the second incarnation of what I was going to call these stories. I consulted and have a lawyer in my court who helped me hunt down the original name which I found out someone else was loosely using and so had to come up with Project Threshold--it's in the process of being trademarked as we speak.

As for the stories themselves, I strung them together under the banner of Project Threshold, though I did enough research to know Amazon gets quirky about titles with the same names so you have to be careful.

I also mention that the original press is no longer involved. I wrote too many stories for them to be able to handle and they talked about finding other presses to split the stories between. It's when I reached out to Red Cape Publishing and Mannison Press, who have published some of my other works. Mannison helped me shape the logo and other creative aspects and Red Cape ended up taking on the entire project to publish. The original press was going in different directions by the time we got to actually publishing and backed out, but I am still grateful to them for inspiring me and being supportive of my writing.

Mark

10/17/2023 01:34:39 pm

That is quite a convoluted path! Being persistent makes a lot of difference much of the time. Your fans thank you.

New questions.

Can you elaborate on Amazon being quirky about titles?

Were the character names difficult to develop?

How did you choose them?

Craig Crawford link

10/17/2023 01:59:34 pm

It was an exercise in patience and letting things happen. The parameters kept changing on me and I had to keep the end goal firmly in mind to get where we are.

In the beginning 3 presses were going to release the stories by teams and I discovered, in talking to Amazon Publishing that we were going to have to differentiate the book titles and add notations that they were different stories otherwise Amazon would see it as 3 publishers trying to put out the same thing. It's when I discovered there are a lot of rules and quirks to publishing, especially through Amazon, so you have to be careful.

As to character names it started with Harris Berger. I wanted a main character who was a veteran, seemed a bit more savvy and maybe older than the other agents, and who was disciplined and protocol oriented. The second team to pop was my Alaska Team. From my reading on legend and mythology, I wanted a leader who encompassed the vast wastelands and melting pot of monsters and stories. It's when I came up with Hannah Riker. Her parents were killed by a monster and she joined Project Threshold to use their resources to find and revenge herself. Finally, Team Talise came into being and I wanted a leader who was not quite as militant as Berger and not as Wild West as Riker, so Talise is savvy but thinks on her feet and will change tactics as needs dictate.

Mark

10/17/2023 04:05:16 pm

Rather tortuous! I am not surprised that Amazon has many different rules for things like that. In the early years, they tried hard to be accommodating for publishers of all sizes. But now, Amazon is so big when it sneezes another large publisher winds up in ICU.

In the end, I think it was a wise choice to find a single publisher for the series.

I am looking forward to reading more of the series.

New question.

You have just given us a bit of insight into the next two volumes in the series.

What other books and genres have you written?

Craig Crawford link

10/17/2023 04:22:48 pm

At first it seemed very cool to have multiple presses teaming up to put out these stories but it got more complicated as time went on and I'm happy the way it ended up too.

I do write a lot of horror. I've published 22 short stories with fifteen different presses. Mannison Press, who I mentioned before, published my very first short, called Don't Mess With Bunnies--a horror short which they turned into a standalone mini book which is still active. Mannison also published a novella I wrote called, Dave E. Lish Presents: The Beginner's Guide to Being Evil. It's humor all the way. I've published fantasy, science fiction and speculative lit as well.

Mark

10/17/2023 06:43:47 pm

The cover for Don't Mess With Bunnies appears quite benign, and I am sure it was planned that way.

New questions.

How many books are you planning for the Project Threshold series?

Any side stories?

Craig Crawford link

10/17/2023 06:57:49 pm

I'm planning a similar format for the second set of stories. It will pick up a few weeks after the first ends. I already have all of Team Talise's stories written and one for for Riker's team. I have started the finale and know the direction for both Berger and Riker's teams.

Right now I am story building for the others--some of the teams are going to need replacement agents. All in all, at the moment I have three sets of stories planned and about 40K on a novel featuring Kurt and Cass.

I do have a plan after that, but I want to sit on it until I see where this goes ;)

Mark

10/17/2023 08:32:18 pm

That sounds good. That will keep your fans happy for a while.

New question.

What do you think of the current controversy regarding AI?

Craig Crawford link

10/17/2023 11:38:12 pm

For good or ill and not matter what people want, AI is here to stay.

To me, at least for the moment, it's another tool. Basically you can look at AI as a super form of Google. You can tap into it to scour the entire internet, much faster than Google and then it can be used to create documents, emails, presentations and all kinds of other things, I'm sure we have just scratched the surface of it.

As a tool, it could be advantageous.

Will AI replace creativity? I don't think so. Writers and other creatives put experience and emotion into their work, their creations, and trying to get a program to match that will never replace real anguish, love and other core emotions. It's those intangibles which push art to the next level and while AI can try to mimic it, unless you can feel, you're never really going to get it.

Are we headed for Skynet or the Matrix like everyone is afraid of--I doubt it. We are going to need parameters on Ai because people will try to abuse it, like any technology, but that will come too. Most presses I submit to have a statement about banning the use of AI in story creation. Honestly, I want to create my own stories independent of another source--that's where the magic comes from; being able to create characters like Berger and Talise and Riker, who have so much heart and depth and seeing how they react when they come up against the strange. Using AI would take all the fun out of it.

Anna Casamento Arrigo

10/18/2023 08:28:21 am

Excellent!!

Mark

10/18/2023 10:00:18 am

Hi Anna, thanks for dropping in. You and I will talk more down the road.

Mark

10/18/2023 10:23:16 am

What was that thing someone said about great minds? ;-)

You have mirrored my thoughts so much.

In the late 1970s, personal computers came on the market. Spell checkers were not far behind. For a brief period, I thought I might be out of work as a proofreader. It didn't take long for me to learn that was not going to be a problem for me. Word processing made writing easier not better. More people writing more meant more mistakes. My future was secure.

AI, in this context, is merely a keeper of massive lists of words, phrases, paragraphs and pages of books already written. It can cobble together sentences and paragraphs of passable writing. It will be lacking the forward momentum that humans have creatively. I would be surprised if a book written by AI and edited by editing software was free of spelling and grammatical errors. Especially considering that AI has "read" tens of thousands of books and most of them have spelling errors.

I used AI to write different versions of some of my regular tweets. I rejected most of them as being awkward or rather silly. I did get a couple of good ones that I use.

New question.

Did you use AI in any of your writing, planning or research for your books?

Craig Crawford link

10/18/2023 11:47:41 am

Great minds indeed. For my day job, I work in the IT department in a college, though I am a buyer and not in depth into IT. However, AI is becoming part of our department's research and my supervisor is getting heavily into VR/AR with headsets and he's been experimenting with AI. Because he also teaches classes, he played around with creating presentations using AI. He had to do a lot of editing to get it to fit his needs, but once completed, he was able to upload his avatar and translate his presentation into multiple languages and it looked pretty good.

Again, the more I've seen, the more it is just the "next level" in a standard Google search.

At present I don't use AI in my books or research. However, I rely heavily on Google to look up information for me when it comes to settings for my Project Threshold stories. For one of Talise's stories I set it in New Mexico and I looked up the type of landscape there, trees, etc to get the feel. Also other incidentals, like military bases and so one. Assuming Google uses AI in its search engines for predictive text and overall searching, technically maybe I do :)

I'm also hearing the next incarnation of Word products through Microsoft are going to heavily incorporate AI for use in constructing emails, powerpoint presentations and so on. As I said before, AI is here to stay and it's going to be incorporated into everything before long.

Unless you live off the grid, chances are you are already using AI features in some form because more and more applications are turning to AI. Grammarly and other products use AI--probably more than we're even aware of.

Mark

10/18/2023 03:50:37 pm

When I open a new browser window to search for something some kind of AI enhancement appears to assist me in my search. Sometimes I use it.

You mentioned translation. That is one area that AI will be useful in, translating books into other languages, down the road.

Audio books is another area that I think AI will shine in. Currently, it takes a good human narrator around 10 hours to produce one hour of audio narration. An average book needs three to six hours of audio. We have had machine-based audio for several years, but it sounds robotic and is not nearly as interesting to the ear. I have found that I have a hard time "reading" an audiobook because I trained myself, when I was very young, to block out environmental noises when reading a book. If I don't speed an audiobook up to 1.4 or 1.5 times the normal speed I get distracted too easily. The high-speed listening experience is quite good now, that technology works very well, the story is clear and understandable.

AI will reach a point where the narration will sound like a human. Maybe it already does and I don't know it because I haven't "read" an audiobook in probably two years. Many narrators fear being replaced by AI of course. I think the situation could evolve that human narrators will oversee the AI and provide different levels of smoothing the narration. The human narrator will likely be able to program an AI with his or her voice. Soon, celebrity voices will be available to rent for audiobook narration also. For the budget-conscious author, different price points will be available for their books. Some authors and some readers will be willing to pay top dollar for a completely human narrator for their audiobook.

I agree with you, AI will spread and the world will not be the same.

New question.

Have you done any public speaking? If so, will you be doing more in the future?

Craig Crawford link

10/18/2023 04:13:33 pm

Back to your statements--yes, I could see AI working into audio books and being able to render stories. The tech will get better and better over time. There will be a lot of great uses for AI and also abuses--humanity seems to love using everything at its disposal to con someone out of cash sooner or later.

Concerning public speaking, not a lot so far. My workplace has a staff group who puts on events and they found out I'm published and talked me into a book talk. For about an hour I talked about story writing, processes and read excerpts from my Project Threshold stories. I did a lot of preparation for it and enjoyed it. I could see doing it again.

Mark

10/18/2023 06:50:44 pm

Almost all authors are pretty solitary individuals. The first draft of a book is a solitary process. After the first draft is complete, others are slowly brought into the circle, alpha readers, beta readers, perhaps a critique group, then an editor and proofreader. Almost every author is deathly afraid of public speaking. Indeed, public speaking is one of the top 5 fears for most people.

There is a secret I learned in a Dale Carnegie class for public speaking many years ago. Do not speak about anything unless you are the expert. Who knows your book better than you? No one! People love listening to an expert knowing they will learn a secret or two and feel like they have an inside track. People will hang on every word.

New questions.

Have you entered any writing contests?

Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

Craig Crawford link

10/18/2023 07:03:54 pm

I agree with your statement and I think it's why I wasn't all that nervous. I love talking about the writing process and I got to share some of my stories.

For contests and awards: I've entered stories into a few, but I have yet to win anything. For short stories most of the contests I've run across seem to have an entrance fee and I tend to shy away from those but who who knows.

Mark

10/18/2023 08:16:44 pm

I have heard it said that short stories are good practice for writers. Many readers like short books and gravitate away from long novels.

I have recommended to writers that writing contests, especially those that provide feedback from the judges, can help a writer improve their writing skills. I do have a warning, there are a lot of shady contests out there. Some want to extract as much as they can from your wallet, others want to steal your intellectual property. Here is a copy-and-paste link about those things: Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags. https://annerallen.com/2019/05/beware-bogus-writing-contests. You can also use the search box below to find the link. There are other blogs I have links for on my Highly Regarded Blogs page.

New question.

I noticed that your book is not in Kindle Unlimited. Is there a reason for that?

Craig Crawford link

10/18/2023 08:54:55 pm

I agree. Lots of "contests" I look into cost enough to enter it's a great moneymaker for the places that put them out there and the prizes they offer leave them plenty of profit margin.

I subscribe to Writer Beware and I try to thoroughly vet any press or program that approaches me. I think that's the key though--you ask questions and make sure places supply good answers and details about what your getting into.

As for Kindle Unlimited, right now, we're releasing these books on a variety of platforms which you cannot do if you're on Kindle Unlimited. I don't have enough experience yet to know which route gets the most exposure, but we'll see. We've been discussing different avenues to offer deals once all four novellas are out. Along the way, I'm experimenting with other ways to market and advertise these books..

Mark

10/19/2023 09:10:56 am

You are on top of a lot of possible scams if you are connected to Writer Beware. Victoria Strauss has been exposing scams for years with the help of a lot of people. I have links to quite a few of her blogs on my website.

There are multiple ways to promote books. On my Twitter page, I have lists of people I have found on Twitter who provide services to authors, both reviewers and promoters. You might want to hit the search box below, I have a lot of links to blogs about book promotion including Dave Chesson at kindlepreneur.com. He is all about helping authors maximize their presence on Amazon. Some of his stuff is free.

I am glad you are not putting all of your eggs in one basket even if it is the biggest basket around. It is not impossible to think that Amazon would stop selling books. If it became unprofitable, they would shut it down in a heartbeat.

New questions.

Have you ever gone through the query process?

Were you seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers and why did you choose that path?

Craig Crawford link

10/19/2023 10:16:19 am

Thanks--I am always looking for different avenues to market. Being new to this side of things I think it's worthwhile to explore every possible path--even some of the scammers I've talked to on Twitter. It has helped me refine what I should expect out of a legit group/company/promoter. I will find and scour through your other links.

I started writing novels back in 2000. I queried a lot and probably have a stack of rejections as big as Stevie King--probably bigger. I've written 14 novels now (I'm not counting Project Threshold though it's over 95K words). I have not published a one. I got very discouraged with traditional publishing. Granted my earlier books were not near as good as what I'm writing now, but the more I look at traditional publishing the more it seems they are very cookie cutter in their production. I attended 3 writer's conferences in Chicago, talking and pitching to agents and they were always very optimistic in person but once it got back to emails, it was the brush off. Also, it doesn't seem like traditional publishers do nearly as much for their authors anymore--expecting authors to do marketing and share much more of the load than what they used to.

It's when I started realizing the Indie publishers and presses are out there and they strike me as more of what a publisher should be. Granted they don't have the budgets to get the word out, but if I'm going to have to do marketing anyway, I'd rather spend my time working with a publisher or press who is actively interested in my writing and stories and not just looking at the bottom line of profit.

I've had great experiences with the Indie publishing world and met some great people who love to cheer on great stories.

Mark

10/19/2023 12:19:17 pm

You're right on all of those conclusions. Traditional publishers are running scared. Thanks to Amazon, the traditional publishing industry has been contracting for over two decades, from the big 12 we are down to the big 4 or 5. This situation is not going to turn around anytime soon also. The industry has avoided and pilloried eBooks for so long that they will never recover. Their profit margins are so slim now they have quit taking chances on unknown authors and advances have shrunk like crazy also. They are mostly only one failed book away from bankruptcy. That is also why they do so little to promote books that may not make it. Running. Scared.

Agents, like the publishers, don't get any money unless a contract is signed, and books are sold.

Some indie publishers don't do a whole lot of promotion either, but some do. Everything boils down to time or money. Quite a few authors realize too slowly that as lovely as their book is, it's little more than a box of cereal on a store shelf to the publisher. The only way a publisher makes money is to sell lots of books. The publisher is going to do everything they think they need to do to maximize sales. That might include changing the cover, if you already had one made, asking you to rewrite the book, change the title or delay publication for a year or more. If any of those things are not specifically negotiated for in the contract then it will be in the publisher's favor, not the author's.

I agree, there are a lot of wonderful people in the industry.

New questions.

Did you seek specific help in formulating your query letters?

Did you use querytracker.net or some other website like that?

Craig Crawford link

10/19/2023 12:35:17 pm

Agreed. The big publishers are sketchy at best right now and even if one approached me, I'd have to really see the fine details before I would consider publishing with one, and I'd run everything through an intellectual property rights lawyer I have access too. It's really too bad because the traditional route is quickly becoming so narrow it's almost impossible to sign with them...and I'm not sure I want to anymore.

I used to buy Novel and Short Story Market guides and there were examples of query letters there which I used and tweaked. Over the years I have discovered that really you want to treat it as a resume and "formal" request, almost like asking to be interviewed for a job. You give them exactly what they ask for, no less, no more. If they ask for a BIO or extras, give them but tailor each submission to the presses asks and needs. Deviating can jeopardize your chances for publication.

I have looked at query trackers and honestly I created and use my own spreadsheet on submissions. I keep track of dates sent, to whom and what, when I hear back and the result. I also make notes on whether I received any feedback and so on. I do pay attention to the turnaround time for various presses and keep track of that for future submissions. All of that information helps me learn who is professional and who is just winging things :) Also, I go back to those presses that show interest even when they reject stories.

Mark

10/19/2023 03:13:18 pm

It sounds like you have a good system going and you are more organized than many other authors. Visitors to this interview can learn quite a bit from you.

You make two good points, first about treating queries seriously like a job interview is appropriate, second about, in not so many words, paying attention to detail and following simple instructions is critical. I think some make it difficult on purpose to weed out those who are not paying attention, they deselect themselves and save the publisher or agent valuable time.

New question.

When you decided to indie-publish how did you pick a publisher?

Craig Crawford link

10/19/2023 03:36:40 pm

Back to guidelines--agreed. I have seen some crazy, almost silly guidelines for submission and I know this is a weed-out for people who don't take the time to read all of the guidelines.

For short stories, I really try to read what presses are looking for and see if any of my collection of unpublished stories fit what they're after. 1)_I don't want to waste my time sending out a story if it doesn't fit their themes. 2) I don't want to waste their time either. Also, I have a feeling if I send them something they're not even remotely looking for, they might remember that next time I send them something.

For Project Threshold, I said it started with one press buying The Cave story. When that wasn't going to work, I went back to presses I have published with. I've worked with Mannison Press and Red Cape Publishing before and they are both easy and wonderful to work with. I sent a simple email, telling them what was going on, pitched what I was up to and told them that if they wanted to read the stories, I'd send them. Mannison was interested but the multiple presses was too complicated and they were smart backing out. Red Cape had published my work before and knew my style so I like to believe it was an easy "yes" :) :) :)

Either way, again, I am approaching the submission side as professional and respectful as I can. No gimmicks, no sideways asking, just straight forward 'this is what I have to offer. If you're interested let me know.' Like so many other business oriented things, short, sweet and to the point feels like the best way to go. I've collected enough rejections over the years that hearing the word "no" is just a no and I can both live with that and go look for someone else.

Mark

10/19/2023 05:20:10 pm

That professional approach is a winner. It is about finding the right fit for the market a publisher works in and the right audience for your books. Many new authors find it hard to keep their emotions in check. It is one thing to be excited about your book, it is a completely different thing to reply to a rejection with insults or threats. That kind of unprofessional behavior will get a writer exactly nowhere.

Everyone feels they are overworked and underpaid, it is a universal constant. Anything an author can do to make that person's job easier will get that author closer to the desired goal.

New question.

What is your publisher doing to market your book?

Craig Crawford link

10/19/2023 08:00:27 pm

Agreed. I also realized (after a long bout of rejections and time) that there really is still subjectivity involved. Sure, you have to write a good story and add all the little things everyone says are needed, but you still have to make a connection with your reader, and in this case, the gatekeepers to publication. Which means if an editor or press connects with what you create, your publishing chances go way up. I think about movies or books I love. Others may shrug or roll their eyes at them but I connected. And vice versa, so, to a certain extent there is still a subjective quality to a submission.

Now an author can improve their chances on that connection by writing well, crafting a greats story, and as you said, make your gatekeeper have to work less hard with your submission.

Moving on :)

My publisher is doing similar things right now. They have followers and are working to get them to read and review for me. They are pushing Project Threshold on social media and are going to do events in the UK. Primarily they're waiting for the compendium to come out before doing anything extensive. I'm doing a lot of the footwork for the individual novellas.

Mark

10/19/2023 08:22:43 pm

Subjectivity! you nailed it. There is a lot of subjectivity involved because a publisher isn't going to put out something they don't like unless it is a vanity press. The only thing a vanity press likes is the money in your wallet.

New question.

How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

Craig Crawford link

10/19/2023 08:32:47 pm

I think my Project Threshold stories are edgier and definitely appeal to the horror crowd. I also think the format is good--it's novel length in its entirety yet told in short stories leading to a finale like a regular novel. The way it's partitioned out, you could read a story here and there in short increments. In today's age of short attention spans, I think it's perfect for reading a bit here and there, but still getting the novel feel.

I'm going to toot my horn here, but I think the quality is on par with anything coming out from a major publisher and could go nose to nose with other books in the horror genre.

Mark

10/20/2023 07:38:23 am

Scary and edgier, definitely; we are afraid of things that go bump in the night. I love novels, getting to know characters and relish a good plot twist. I had questions in my mind about your short story format. I was afraid character development might suffer. Your skill as a writer of short stories knocked that fear right out of my mind.

I agree, your books measure quite well against anything put out by a major publisher.

New question.

There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 08:31:57 am

Thanks. I suppose all writers have some imposter syndrome going and I'm no different. I write these stories and I "think" they're good, but just am never quite sure if they hit people like they hit me.

This is a shame on the traditional publishers but they take advantage. The system in place sets up this image of getting published traditionally and "it's how it should be" as opposed to going it alone and they really don't seem to do much for their authors other than profit off of them. I think the gatekeepers intentionally make it very difficult in order to make people think it's what you should do.

Outside traditional publishing, I think it's terrible, all the groups out there who prey on writers. We have a hard enough time getting together the cash to do small scale advertising and marketing and then you have a lot of groups who promise all kinds of marketing but then do little next to nothing (like said traditional publishers) and charge you big money for it. I've gone back and forth with and dug into several "marketing" options and groups and most make big claims but don't actually do much. Had one place contact me and gave me very detailed overviews of what they were going to do for me for my $3K but when I asked about the details of what that meant, I got the same spiels and no details. They can look and sound very professional but watch out. I went to their site and found authors on it who had worked for them and hunted them down on Twitter and their websites to ask about their experiences. One woman told me she'd never worked with them and went off to tell them to remove her and her books. Yeah.

That's the key for writers: ask questions and lots of them when people start telling you they're going to put you on the map and other nonsense. The old axiom is correct: if it seems too good to be true, it almost surely is. Sadly, assume they're scamming you first and go from there.

Mark

10/20/2023 10:10:08 am

Thank you for that candid assessment, I completely agree. I follow a lot of book reviewer and promoters on Twitter. I don't follow those who make extravagant claims and guarantee to sell x-number of books. That is when it sounds too good to be true in my mind. When I have pressed them for details, like you, it becomes smoke and mirrors.

I hope other authors take a page from your playbook and assume all of those people are scammers until they prove otherwise.

New questions.

Is there a book that causes strong emotions to come up no matter how many times you read it?

Do you ever read a book more than once? If so, which one?

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 10:21:26 am

There's an author I love for this and his name is John Steakley. To my knowledge he's only written a couple of novels but they pack punch. The first is Armor. It's a standard scifi about being at war with alien bugs. Soldiers use high powered suits to fight and the main character is a man named Felix who seems built to use these suits but he keeps surviving battles when everyone else around him dies and it gets into the psychology of that. Emotionally powerful. And Steakley's other novel, which has been made into movies (James Woods) is Vampires Incorporated. It's about a team of vampire hunters backed by the Vatican and it's about Jack Crow and the emotional and mental toll it takes on him killing vampires, who in the book, are more like gods than just blood suckers. He and those books definitely influenced me on the type of stories I like to tell.

Talking about them now I can see corollaries between those books and my Project Threshold stories where fighting monsters gets very personal very quickly.

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 11:12:38 am

I guess I never directly answered the 2nd question but yes I read both of those books every couple of years.

Another regular read is a dark, gritty sci-fi called Liege Killer by Christopher Hinz. Definitely trigger warnings for violence, drugs and sexual content. Basically--technology evolved and some Scottish scientists managed to create a being who had one mind but shared two bodies. Called Paratwa, I always equated it with being conscious in two separate locations--kind of like your own brain controlling both hands. Except the reality of that led to many of these paratwa being psychopaths. Perverted by governments, these paratwa were trained as assassins and hired out as mercenaries and all hell broke loose. The book takes place several centuries after Earth was decimated and humanity now lives in colonies in orbit around Earth. It's dark but wow! One of my fav books of all time and I've read it many time.

Mark

10/20/2023 12:06:20 pm

Mechanized warriors are sub-genre of science fiction. I have read one or two and enjoyed them. I think I have read Armor except I don't recall the author's name and the cover is different from what I recall. Some authors refresh their covers at least once a year.

I read a book called "Superego" a couple of years ago. I think you might enjoy it. It's about a top assassin in a guild of assassins. His success is due in no small part to him being a psychopath. He goes through quite a bit of introspection trying to help a family who has been targeted, unjustly in his mind.

The shared mind is an interesting concept. It has a quantum entanglement feel to it. I love what Albert Einstein said about quantum entanglement, he called it spooky action at a distance.

New question.

What book has changed your mind about any particular topic?

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 12:44:25 pm

Being interested in a lot of folklore and mythology, it is one of my non-fiction reading topics. Related to this is the field of cryptozoology and the paranormal. It is one of those arenas where I draw from for my horror stories.

A few years ago I ran across a guy named David Paulides who started cataloguing people disappearing in national parks. Turns out over 1000 during the last several decades and these are unique cases not due to predation or just getting lost. It started me down a road of looking into theories and the possibility of us living in a multiverse...which also gives me fuel for my stories...like Project Threshold ;)

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 01:30:10 pm

And I added Superego to my read list. Thanks!

Mark

10/20/2023 06:10:27 pm

Cryptozoology is a fascinating subject. I have read a few books and articles in the past. The occasional Nessie sighting or Bigfoot trail makes the news sometimes. While there are proven frauds there are also unresolved evidences that need an explanation for many of these creatures.

More than 1,000 disappearing in the last several decades is serious business. Chances are there are more than that because some of the population don't go to national parks, they head off into the wilderness alone or with a friend.

New question.

Did you have a favorite book as a child?

Which of your stories is your favorite, and why?

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 06:46:12 pm

Yes the cryptozoology world is a hobby of mine and I love reading about that stuff. And it definitely plays a role in the Project Threshold world. And the Missing 411 is newer. It's fascinating because Paulides only deals with cases where people are never found or don't fit the parameters of normal disappearances.

It was in my teen years when I got into science fiction and fantasy that I found a writer named Roger Zelazny. He wrote a series of five books starting with Nine Princes in Amber and it has always been my favorite. It's actually gets into the whole idea of the world being a metaverse and a series of worlds the main characters can walk to. They refer to all the worlds as "shadows" of the one true world--Amber, and that series blew me away. I think I've always been interested in a multiverse/metaverse since then. And again, those ideas worked their way into my writing.

For cryptozoology, when I was in elementary school I came across a book in the library called Monster, Giants and Little Green Men From Mars by Daniel Cohen and it was my intro into cryptozoology and fascinated me. I also grew up with shows like Leonard Nimoy's In Search Of which fed my curiosity for things like Nessie and Bigfoot.

Mark

10/20/2023 07:50:34 pm

They all sound like good books. I just want to read all of the books. I would settle for science fiction and fantasy books, but I doubt if I will live long enough.

New question.

If you could ask every person, who has read one of your books, only one question what would you ask them?

Craig Crawford link

10/20/2023 08:18:48 pm

What would have made the stories even better?

Mark

10/21/2023 08:20:01 am

That is a good question. It brings to mind how subjective writing and reading are. I have heard it said that no book is complete until someone other than the author reads it. Since every person has a different set of filters they experience life through the reading experience will be different for them also.

New question.

How do you handle bad reviews?

Craig Crawford link

10/21/2023 10:30:54 am

I agree with that. I subscribe to a daily quote in my email and I copied down one. It's from a guy named Brian Ashcroft and for the life of me, now I can't seem to find him on the net, but his quote stuck with me:

"Art is not finished when the artist says it is. Art must be viewed and interpreted by an audience. Sometimes it's correctly interpreted and sometimes it's not--that's for the audience to decide."

Reading that rings true for me. I took a lot of English lit classes in high school and college and teachers were always telling me what stories meant, regardless of what I think. Now, second tangent--my mother in law actually got to listen to Robert Frost speak in college and someone asked him about his piece Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. He laughed and said he just needed something to do on the long trip to get him through. After he left, a student asked about that and the teacher scoffed and said, "You can't believe an old fox like Robert Frost."

So I do believe it's up to the audience to interpret and decide the meaning and weight of stories. It's how they affect us.

Now, to answer your question :) I think it's the same as rejections. I run into this on Twitter from other authors often--genuinely clobbered and feeling that imposter syndrome when they get a crappy review. I respond thusly: there are 8 billion people on the planet. Chances are, at least half of them are going to hate your stuff. Of the remaining 4, probably only a fraction will like your stories and only a few will be emotionally moved by your words, but it's enough. AND, people who hate your stories--they were still emotionally affected by your story, and enough so to take the time to write about it (insert eye wink here)

Mark

10/21/2023 01:27:49 pm

I love that story about Robert Frost. Old fox, indeed!

That is a good perspective. Everyone has different tastes, there is no getting around that. There will never be a book loved by every person on earth, ignoring the challenges of language and translation. I tell authors the first bad review should be celebrated! It proves all of the good reviews are not just from the author's family. If the review is from a troll most people will be able to tell and give it all due credence it deserves. A bad review certainly can sting but there may well be something worth gleaning and taking to heart.

New question.

Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

Craig Crawford link

10/21/2023 06:29:24 pm

It does. I tend to love writing about broken characters and trying to help them find some kind of peace or solace. Read into that what you will.

I think most people struggle with something and when I write I root for my MCs even though I almost never feel like I'm in charge. Many times after writing I feel physically exhausted and feel worn out mentally like it has taken some toll on me. Not sure what it means, but I KNOW writing takes energy.

Mark

10/21/2023 08:20:39 pm

Writing does take energy! I have no doubt about that. So does proofreading. Many authors have mentioned that writing gives them a tired yet satisfied feeling.

New question.

Since a copyright in America lasts for 75 years after the author's passing, do you have a plan for all of your books in your estate?

Craig Crawford link

10/21/2023 08:24:02 pm

Yep. I have an intellectual property rights lawyer in my pocket and keep this in mind as I publish and keep my stories going ;)

Mark

10/22/2023 07:45:00 am

Excellent. You are one of the few I have talked with that have taken appropriate steps.

New questions.

Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo, National November Writing Month?

Craig Crawford link

10/22/2023 11:20:39 am

Maybe because of my age, but I try to look at the long game and not just the immediate of everything I'm doing.

Character emotions. That's how you connect with your readers. The comic book style of writing where your hero of the story wades in, kicks butt and gets the girl works when you're in your teens and only for so long. Real readers want and need to know the human side of these characters you bring to life. They need to connect and identify with something in your characters to make it personal. If you can do that your readers will be hooked.

Harris Berger in my stories, he's divorced, because of his job, and he's got a lot of latent anger and frustration because he doesn't have a normal life. And because of the secretive nature of his work, he can't tell anyone he's really keeping everyone safe and he's at the point he sees how much he's sacrificing for all these "people" and ultimately they will probably never know. Add to that, the "job" really is important to him and he has to mentally deal with that too. That's a lot of heavy and I think readers can feel at least parts of that from their own complicated lives...and be thankful they aren't in his shoes :) :) :)

And no, I have never done the NaNoWriMo. It runs counter to my own writing schedule and process. I don't need that to push me. I spend enough time writing and put out at least a novel's worth of stories every year and I'm content with that.

One of my biggest pet peeves and writing myths is that you HAVE to write every day and turn out XXXX amounts of words.

I think it's silly. I have always thought of writing and any creative endeavor in terms of exercise. If you want to get strong, you have to do it regularly, but you also have to take breaks. You allow your muscles time to rest and rejuvenate. Push too hard and you can pull a muscle. I think steady effort over time is the key.

For writing, if you're not writing regularly every week, you're not taking it seriously. Now there are times when life gets in the way and that is okay, but if you're serious about writing you have to tackle it every week.

Having said that, taking time away from it to rejuvenate that creativity is a good thing. For me, I write heaviest from January through April or May. Summer I write very little because I have a lot going on during those months in my day to day life. Fall, I start in again and do some, but I also never get much done during the holidays because there's a lot going on. Now, I did break my own rules when it came to Project Threshold--aside from The Cave, I wrote this entire set of stories between October and January, but I was really into it.

Still, it's good to take breaks. I think creativity is like a battery and you have to recharge it.

Mark

10/22/2023 01:39:23 pm

You are right about emotions. That is a primary pathway for writers to help readers connect with and care about the characters in the story. The lack of emotional connection makes a story seem flat and the characters shallow.

Every writer has a different style and method of writing. I agree that regular writing is important. The muse is far more likely to show up if fingers are on the keyboard or pen to paper. Regular recharging is essential also, refilling the creative tank is necessary.

New question.

Does your muse or inspiration show up regularly or randomly?

Craig Crawford link

10/22/2023 02:04:13 pm

My muse shows up often and also often when I'm not thinking about writing. It "often" happens when I'm doing mundane things like house projects/work, going for a walk or doing non-writing related things. I've gotten lots of great story ideas on walks.

Mark

10/22/2023 03:26:56 pm

I have recommended to those that struggle connecting with their muse to do activities such as what you describe. Leaf raking and lawn mowing worked for me when I was a homeowner. For some others house cleaning, ironing or gardening were effective.

You are fortunate to have a muse in your time zone. One author described to me how her muse would regularly show up around 2:30 in the morning. She kept a notepad and a pen on her nightstand. She took lots of notes and could even read some of them later when she got up for the day.

Another client lamented that her muse would invariably show up while she was taking a shower and lost so many good ideas because she couldn't get out of the shower fast enough to record them. I recommended she get a pad of waterproof paper and a Fisher Space pen. That pen will write under water.

New questions.

Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?

When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?

Craig Crawford link

10/22/2023 04:00:25 pm

I do keep a notebook by my bed. Had one novel coming to me at that time between wakefulness and sleep over several nights and I wrote things down. And I do get epiphanies in the shower frequently but I don't forget these things. They stay put until I can write them down. Not sure why, but it works that way for me.

I'm somewhere in between. First time through I tend to unconsciously block out action scenes in words on the page: "Stacy stood to the right of the end table as the killer advanced on her with the knife. Glancing around she noticed a flower vase amongst the magazines and reached for it." I get way more descriptive than that sometimes and I have to go back in and tighten things up and speed up the action.

However, on other occasions, while I'm writing, it's like I throw down the basics of what's happening and I have to go back in later and fill in with details. That often happens when a story is coming at me in such a flurry and so fast I have to get it all down before I lose the tempo and the pacing.

For my third set of stories in one called The Missing, I wrote the first draft in one sitting and the scenes were just hitting me almost faster than i could write them. I was exhausted and later went through it several times to even it out, adding details.

Mark

10/22/2023 05:36:34 pm

You are quite fortunate to not lose ideas while showering.

You are similar to many other authors, in terms of over- and under-writing. You described your typical experiences well.

I am not surprised that you were exhausted after writing the first draft of The Missing.

New question.

What type of material seems to need the most massaging in your stories: descriptions, dialogue or action?

Craig Crawford link

10/22/2023 05:56:46 pm

I think the action sequences for me. I "see" the story playing out as I'm writing but it's easy to get lost trying to describe everything without it feeling clunky or overly descriptive. Sometimes I'll throw everything down on the page and then go back later and decide what the central focus is and on whom and then whittle it down to what's necessary for the reader and how much.

Mark

10/22/2023 07:41:34 pm

That sounds pretty good. In fact, it sounds just like the advice I have been sharing with authors for a number of years. Get the first draft down on paper and edit later. There is no way to edit a blank page.

Every scene of every story has to be written from a particular point of view. It makes a difference. In well-written fiction, the antagonist thinks he is the star of the story.

In your whittling, a marvelous tale comes forth.

New questions.

Have you ever used yourself as a starting point for a character in a story?

Would family or friends recognize you in the story?

Craig Crawford link

10/22/2023 08:36:01 pm

I agree with you--Write the story and then you can clean it up later. Get the bones and skeleton in place and then fill in with flesh ;)

As for putting myself or other family and friends in as characters, I do not. This is where we descend into the metaphysical...I always get the story premise and often a rough idea of the ending. Then characters just start showing up. Like The Cave: I had this vague idea of Project Threshold and this group who investigated and tried to eliminate threats. That idea got me to thinking about what kind of people would do that job and Harris Berger popped. A veteran leading his team, he had to be experienced with this type of stuff and his character slowly started to unfold. Disciplined, military trained. These others are under his command so he feels responsible for them. Then Jacks and Billy popped--military backgrounds also but younger and still learning. Then Jessie. Savvy and smart, one of Harris's picks for his team because she's quiet and careful. Then Sam showed up--a long time friend who was into this too, he helped Harris make decisions and assisted in watching over the younger recruits. Then I decided on a "newbie" because Command would count on him to train new recruits and help them adapt and survive. So Katie Pendelhaven came into being.

I don't really base characters off of people I know. Perhaps a specific trait for a story, but the characters in these and all of my stories are born out of the roles intended for them.

Mark

10/23/2023 08:29:21 am

That is excellent! I was worried that you knew people who were special force operators. ;-)

Some fiction authors have done well with including family and/or friends in a story. Others haven't been as fortunate. One author told me about how excited the members of his extended family were to have characters in the story patterned after them. Until the author had a character do something the patterned-from relative didn't like. The relative said," I would never do that." The author tried to explain the necessity of the action but his reasoning fell on deaf ears. I don't know if the rift ever healed.

Most authors don't mind borrowing a mannerism or two from people they know but they make sure none of the characters are recognizable to anyone.

New question.

Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?

Craig Crawford link

10/23/2023 09:00:55 am

That could be a danger--never thought of that, but you're right. I think it could hem the author in.

to answer the question: both for different reasons but antagonists can be really fun when you get as deep into their mindset as the protagonists. I really do stand by the idea that most "villains" are made not born. Yes, you can have those people who are more likely to end up an antagonist based on their personality and circumstance, but it really seems to be those influences that hit early on.

One of my favorite movies is Split by M. Night because it gets into that whole idea of an antagonist who has both "good" and "bad" going for them. Seeing that struggle from within can be something really fun to write and deal with. And yes, that movie inspired me into a character and fantasy novel which will end up being a trilogy.

Mark

10/23/2023 09:19:38 am

I think every person has a good side and a bad side. I know I do. There is a man-child within me that is very selfish and mean-spirited in a passive-aggressive way. I sit on him all the time.

A lot of movie villains are played by wonderful and kind people. People that most would say are salt of the earth.

I recall "The Sixth Sense" with Bruce Willis, that ending caught me off guard. MKS is a master of the plot twist you don't see coming. It could just be me because whether movie or book, I slip into the story and plot deeply unless something jars me out of it.

Last question.

Which is more important to a story pace or flow?

How do you control it?

Craig Crawford link

10/23/2023 09:37:01 am

I agree--I'm always amazed at the actors who pull off really despicable characters because more often than not, they're nothing like those characters. And when I watch movies, IF it's a good movie, I'm not trying to guess the endings or the twists. I'm along for the ride to be amazed, scared and wowed.

Pace plays an important role, but flow, to me, ranks higher. With flow, you're keeping your audience in the story and moving them toward page End. if you break that flow you disconnect your readers, it takes them time to get back in, and do it too many times and you lose them altogether.

Mark

10/23/2023 09:51:38 am

Flow is very important. The smallest detail can sometimes knock a reader right out of the author's magic spell.

A valentine from an editor to an author:
Roses are red, the protagonist's eyes are blue, you said they were brown on page 52. Yes, I have encountered that error in more than one manuscript.

This is a good place to stop before I get too mushy. ;-)

Thank you, Craig, for being such a fabulous guest on the Word Refiner channel. I have enjoyed our chat a great deal. You gave some great answers.

Until next time, keep on writing.

Craig Crawford link

10/23/2023 10:40:53 am

Thanks to you too! This back and forth questioning was fun but also great for me as an author to think about all these different aspects of being an author. -Craig

Mark

11/5/2024 08:17:45 am

Welcome back to the Word Refiner channel, Craig. We are going to continue our discussion from Project Finale.

Craig Crawford link

11/5/2024 08:21:46 am

Hi Mark! Good to be chatting again. I miss these talks and discussions :)

Mark

11/5/2024 10:01:25 am

It's fun to talk books.

New question.

What is the next book to be released and when do you anticipate the release?

Craig Crawford link

11/5/2024 10:51:54 am

Project Threshold 2 will come out end of the year or early next. It will start with Team Berger again, but then will shift to Team Riker, followed by Team Talise.

Things were kicked back from a fall release because RedCape and I were discussing the release of a hardback volume including all four volumes. It released last month. We've also decided upon releasing an audio version of the complete serial so that has taken time to hammer out narrators and so on. But it's coming :) :)

Mark

11/5/2024 01:29:17 pm

Fabulous! I am sure fans will be pleased. Audiobook also!

Audiobooks are undergoing a serious change. At a certain website, (sorry, I lost the name) an author can train an AI to use the author's voice for the audiobook. The big question is, should an author narrate their book? Voice acting is not as easy as it seems.

Soon, if not already, an author can hire any number of famous actors to narrate their book, as in licensed to AI for the narration. Not the same as the actual actor, of course.

New question.

How do you balance the demands on your time as a writer with personal relationships?

Craig Crawford link

11/5/2024 01:47:00 pm

I'm getting more familiar with AI. I worked with a YouTuber--Nigel Watson who has narrated 3 of my Project Threshold stories now, using AI voices along with animations and images using AI. I really like the end product and it got my stories in front of new people. I am also using an AI software application called InVideo to create video ads. And yes--I've heard too that soon we'll be able to hire out celebrity voices for audio books.

I don't think I could ever narrate my own stories. It's a skill and I don't think I have it :)

For relationships, it is a tough one. I have a full time job but then family. Meal times we use to connect but then I also actively try to make time for both my wife and son. My son it's more difficult sometimes because he's in college and 'doing his own thing' many days, but we've gotten into the habit of taking walks at night and we get to chat.

Still, time is a commodity, and especially this year trying to write and learn this marketing aspect. It's always a proverbial juggling act.

Mark

11/5/2024 02:54:02 pm

Time is very precious without a doubt. It sounds like you are making good choices for your family.

I forgot to mention that I interviewed a narrator as part of an audiobook promotion, a few years ago. Here is the copy-and-paste link or hit the search box below: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/heir-to-a-prophecy-by-mercedes-rochelle-narrated-by-kevin-e-green

You are using AI to produce audiobooks and promotional material.

New question.

Did you use AI in any of your writing or planning for your books? I am not including research in this question because most of the major browsers have embedded AI in the browser.

Craig Crawford link

11/5/2024 03:17:19 pm

That is definitely a hot button topic but my answer is no.

For stories, and even coming up with story ideas, I've never had problems getting enough ideas for them.

Honestly, I don't want help writing my stories because it's part of that challenge to become a better story teller over time and with each story. I don't want help shaping my words or sentences because then it isn't my writing style any longer but more of a collaboration at best and at worst, not my perspective as a writer.

My vocabulary is part of my writing style and while yes, it will change and evolve too over time as I learn new words and ways of stringing them together, it should be an organic process. So using AI does not help me as a story teller.

I did use AI to help me plan a trip to London and Scotland and I did use it to create the structure of my video ads. However, even for my ads, I went back in and changed the words to fit my style--I wanted a certain feel and focus on the words and while AI is good at getting a general idea of what you're trying to convey, it's not me and I want even ads to have "me" in them. :)

Mark

11/5/2024 05:06:42 pm

It is the hottest topic currently.

I like your answer. Every word choice is part of an author's voice.

Some writers are using AI and I wonder if all of them are disclosing that fact as required by Amazon.

New questions.

Did you have pieces of the story that were removed from this book?

If, so why did you remove them?

Craig Crawford link

11/5/2024 06:54:17 pm

I'm positive people using AI to help with their stories are not reporting it. I get published through a lot of Indie presses and most do not publish AI assisted stories and some will even ban you from their press for doing so. I tend to agree for the reasons I stated--AI is great for helping you research or learn some piece of information but if you're a writer and really serious about your craft, then you're not going to use it.

To answer your question I had to think about that a bit. For Berger's stories I had two pieces. In the story, Keeping The Monsters At Bay, I changed out the victims before it ever got to Red Cape. Originally I had two kids who disappeared and as the story unfolded and I realized where it was going and the ultimate end, it was just too gruesome for me to leave it that way it was and so it became an aunt and nephew out there. I've got a squeamish streak too :)

The second was the story, The Toll. And it wasn't so much removing parts, but the original story would have had a different title and it started out as Berger and his team investigating some kind of haunted inflatable holiday decoration. I really wanted that to work but no matter how I shifted it I just couldn't get it right. And then I finally let that go and the theme of The Toll sprouted and it really brought Berger's plight back around full circle. I think it added an emphatic exclamation point to the entire set of stories. Once I saw the entire string of stories is really about Berger thinking he's losing his edge, mentally accruing losses, and forgetting why he does the job, the end story came clearly into view.

Oh--and originally this serial did not start out being called Project Threshold. I had another over arcing title, but consulting with my lawyer who did some digging, he thought we might have some issues with the original title because another author had used it as a partial reference in a string of books even though we don't write about the same thing. In the end I had to come up with another title and honestly, I think this is every bit as good.

Assuming you're curious...my original was Division Zero. ;)

Mark

11/6/2024 07:55:00 am

Those changes are interesting. I thought I was the only squeamish one. Holiday inflatables are an interesting setup, almost as good as a plastic grocery sack.

Project Threshold is a good title.

New questions.

Do you have any other creative outlets to pursue if you didn't write?

Is there a cause you are passionate about, charitable or otherwise?

Craig Crawford link

11/6/2024 10:16:29 am

Before I started writing, I was very interested in cryptozoology. I grew up reading about Nessie, bigfoot and the host of other things people claim to see in the world from time to time. If I were to quit writing (and even if I don't) and had more time I would be investigating those things. It's always fascinated me. I personally may have had a couple of cryptid encounters, but I am not 100% sure so it's a maybe. However, there are enough reports of strange "creatures" being seen regularly and currently that I think it's worth investigating. Personally I will not say 100% any of it is true, but there is enough secondary evidence leading me to believe something exists...whatever it ends up to be ;)

I'm just more passionate about writing these days :)

As for causes, I really like St. Jude's Children's Hospital. They really seem like they're helping to the best of their ability. I also like helping out a few places locally as I can.

I also think it's worthwhile to support Veteran's groups. I have never served in the military but we ask them to risk their lives to protect us and our way of living and it's wrong that we do not support them better. To my mind, they should receive top notch healthcare and benefits and from what I've seen I don't think it happens. Or at least not as well as I think they should.

I don't have the financial power to help any of these causes as much as I would like, but I try when I can.

Mark

11/6/2024 02:01:03 pm

The cryptids are very mysterious. It seems like they are teasing us sometimes. At times, some are benign and others appear to be malevolent. It is puzzling.

There are many worthy causes and are always in need of funds. Helping when we can serves to further their cause.

New questions.

Have you any favorite literary journals?

Do you experiment with writing or prefer to stay in your comfort zone?

Craig Crawford link

11/6/2024 04:22:04 pm

I subscribe to quite a few different journals and presses. There's a lot of good writing going on out there, even outside my genres :) :) I will take the diplomatic way out and say I don't have a favorite but I do appreciate all of them for keeping the art of story telling alive :)

For writing, it is truly dependent upon the story. I will experiment with format and style when I come across an idea that seems to need another way to express it. I have a story I haven't published yet called Death Walked In and I played with seeing both sides of Death, but for that story it feels right. I've got a fantasy novel dealing with DID. It was tricky but very rewarding by the time I wrote "The End". I wanted to stay as factual to the topic as possible and have it feel organic.

I do really want to experiment telling a story through journal entries or newspaper articles though I just haven't found the right combination of ideas to lend itself to that. Yet.

Mark

11/6/2024 06:02:37 pm

I am not surprised that you can't pick a favorite.

The death story and the DID story sound quite interesting. A number of authors have personified Death in one way or another.

I knew a person with DID many years ago. She was rejected by her family and we took her to her therapy sessions. The therapist invited us to join the sessions a few times and witness the healings take place. I would love to read that story some day.

New questions.

Did you have a favorite book as a child?

What type of scene do you find hard to write and why?

Craig Crawford link

11/6/2024 06:50:09 pm

DID is fascinating to me mostly because it's amazing how the mind tries to protect a person against trauma. I've read a fair amount and studied it in the hope to be able to try to do it justice in a fiction novel.

Favorite books. I guess it depends on how far back we're going. As a pre-teen I read mysteries, mostly Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. That also my began my fascination with cryptozoology when I checked "Monsters, Giants and Little Green Men From Mars" by Daniel Cohen out from the library.

As a teen, my descent into science fiction and fantasy began with Roger Zelazny and Nine Princes in Amber. That story alone started me down the path to wanting to write. Really it was the first story I read focusing on the idea of a multiverse but it inspired me.

I think the hardest scenes to write are those involving multiple characters. Keeping everyone involved in a scene and making it feel organic without it coming off like just a turn-style of comments and actions is really difficult. I also think it's hard to write really emotional scenes well, portraying them realistically and powerfully for the reader.

Mark

11/6/2024 08:48:28 pm

I recall an old movie with Edward Norton and Richard Greer. Primal Fear, I think. Norton is a good actor.

That makes a lot of sense, I am sure it would be hard to write a scene with multiple characters, some engaged in different, simultaneous activities. I think movie makers struggle with that also.

New questions.

What did your family say when you announced your desire to be a writer?

What do they think now?

Craig Crawford link

11/6/2024 09:37:20 pm

Huh--I have not heard of that movie but I'm going to check it out!

As to family perspectives--Mom was a creative. She used to draw and she would actually create t-shirts of popular characters like Spiderman, Godzilla and other trendy things in the 70's and go sell them at Art Fairs (back then companies didn't come after people for that kind of thing ;) ) She encouraged me and was supportive though it took a long time to figure myself out on that front.

Dad was supportive too, and he was also a creative--he played guitar and was in a couple of bands--smaller, but he always had dreams of hitting big though he never got there. He never said it out loud but I think he hoped I would take up the guitar and step in where he left off. Not that he didn't encourage me--he was the one who kept telling me over and over that there wasn't anything I couldn't do if I wanted it. I know his words kept me going during those crappy times where I couldn't get a thing published.

The rest of my family was supportive too, but I also got a regular job and didn't do the "starving artist" thing. I am practical enough I got full time work and slowly worked on my writing over time. I don't regret that a bit because the writing fulfills me in all kinds of ways and even though it took me a long while to really get published (I did publish two non-fiction indices for a gaming company in the 90's, but I wanted published for fiction).

Nowadays my family is very excited for me and cheer me on with each new publication. If I have regrets, it's that Dad isn't here to see it (though he gave me a final gift which spurred me on to really take writing seriously), and my mom, while she's still alive, she has succumbed to dementia. She at least was cognizant enough to read some of my fantasy novels before she lost her faculties. I do wish I could have shared my horror stories with her because she was my inspiration on that front.

On the other hand, I know Dad's aware from where he's at, and somewhere in there Mom is too.

Mark

11/7/2024 08:22:29 am

That's so wonderful that you had lots of support in your creative endeavors.

I think dementia is far worse than cancer in terms of collateral, family damage and pain. My mother had dementia also. I feel your pain.

New questions.

How do you maintain the excitement for yourself when you are writing? Your excitement impacts your readers.

Do your friends and family members buy your books?

Craig Crawford link

11/7/2024 10:32:52 am

Yes, dementia is a nasty one all the way around.

For maintaining excitement, I really write only what I'm passionate about. When I get a story idea, I jump into it and just go. For short stories it's easier because you've only got a few thousand words to spend anyway so it's easy to maintain the momentum.

For novels, I tend to find a "carrot" to keep me moving. My very first novel, I had a particular scene in mind and I wouldn't let myself write that scene until I got to it in its proper place in the story. It was a climax of sorts anyway and when I finally got there, it fueled me to finis the rest of the book. I have a trilogy I'm trying to finish (in between everything else) and there I have stalled and I need that internal hook to get me fired up again. I haven't found it yet, but I'm close and I'm being patient, waiting for my internal creative side to help me figure it out.

As for book buying, I do not ask them to or even prod them in that direction. If someone asks about my stuff I'll often just give them a book. I am looking at the bigger markets to get to my success, not family and friends to support me. My wife will occasionally watch a horror movie with me but she's not really into it and I don't expect her to read my stories. She supports me by leaving me be when I'm in "writing mode" and that's perfect. My son has read a YA trilogy I have going and that's it, but again, all good. He complimented me by being only 14 at the time and reading a book with "girl" main characters and reading it to the very end on his own without any prompting on my part. I took that as a kudo to my writing ability :) :) :) That, and he absolutely hated one of my antagonists to the point he asked if she was going to "get it" by the end :) :) Again--my writing of that character did what it was supposed to.

Mark

11/7/2024 12:03:38 pm

Personal passion is critical in my thinking. It provides the fuel necessary to carry you through dry moments.

14's comments were very cool! You are a good writer.

New question.

Can you name one thing that you need to give up to become a better writer?

Craig Crawford link

11/7/2024 03:35:48 pm

I don't know if it's about giving things up to be a writer so much as orienting yourself to become a better writer.

Time--is definitely a prerequisite. Like any other endeavor, hobby or passion, you have to be willing and want to devote regular time to it.

Training--I always liken imagination and creative use to exercise. For writing, you have to train your mind to write--not just in taking classes but "exercising" your creativity by using it over and over. You have to write regularly pushing yourself to explore ideas and flesh out story snippets you get. Like physical muscles, the more you use them, the stronger they get.

Resiliency--writing for publishing is going to be met with lots of rejection, hard work and refining what and how you write. And if you look at a sport, art, career, when you first start out there will be lots of failures, mistakes and misfires, but you shouldn't get discouraged by that. It really is part of the learning process and it's not until you go through those efforts of creating stories over and over that you get "good." Getting a "no thanks" email after submissions is just another part of the learning curve and the longer you stick with it, the more you begin to understand that it's a rejection for a particular story to a particular outlet and has absolutely nothing to do with your ability (most of the time ;) )

Becoming a better writer requires determination, passion, fortitude and love of the process in all its forms.

Mark

11/7/2024 05:49:29 pm

You brought up some great points! Those are important characteristics every writer needs to have or work towards.

It really boils down to one thing. How important is writing to the writer? It cannot be as important as eating and sleeping most of the time, but the priority of writing must be near the top of the list. If a writer wants to really be a writer, they must write.

New question.

What area of your writing has the greatest need for improvement at this time?

Craig Crawford link

11/7/2024 07:19:50 pm

I think so too. And it's okay if it's not your number one passion right now. You just need to know, like everything else, you get out of it what you put into it.

As for what I need improvement on...while I am a pantser by nature, I would like to put a little bit of structure into that so I can really build in some greater twists and foreshadowing along the way. I would like to set things up early one in a better fashion than I have so far by creating a few more bread crumbs to the finale of some of my stories. I do like embedding bits of story in early, alluding to something major later and making it organic as opposed to something thrown in or obvious.

Mark

11/7/2024 08:44:27 pm

I think that is a good idea. I heard about an author, a pantser like yourself, and your numbers are legion. He would outline every chapter as he finished it. It made finding a particular passage easier.

The idea came to my mind that you might find it helpful to go back and outline a book or two of yours. Seeing the bare bones and how you fleshed them out might be useful and give you ideas for planting those seed hints earlier in a future story.

An outline is not meant to be a straitjacket. It should function more like a guide on a wilderness adventure. At least that is what I have heard. I have heard of some writers that use sticky notes to function as an outline. The notes are certainly easy to move around.

New questions.

Can you think of a non-writing skill could you learn that might prove to be useful for writing in the future?

On average, how long does it take you to write a first draft of a book?

Craig, Jenny & Jack Crawford link

11/7/2024 09:22:07 pm

Actually I like that idea. If nothing else it would help me create a synopsis much more easily. I'll work on that for my novels. It might help me "see" the whole thing, and how ideas and the plot played out. Thanks!

Honestly I think I could be happy teaching writing to others starting on their journey. I gave a book talk at my work place before our trip to England and about 30ish people showed up. In talking about writing and editing I realized I do know a fair amount about the story creation process. I dissected one of my published short stories for them, going through my inspiration, problems I encountered, how I fixed them and reshaped the story. If only I'd thought to add a PhD to my English degree, I might be able to do that on a regular basis...

I guess that's writing related too, so let's get into one of my other favorite things: movies and specifically horror movies. I could learn to review movies in a way that would connect with audiences. I enjoy movies and most times I can "see" where movies fall down or apart, and why. Movies are condensed versions of books for the most part but similar principles apply and a movie is like a book on steroids for pacing.

For writing longer works, the first draft of a novel can take me anywhere from 4-6 months. While I am proud of being a pantser, part of me takes extra time to flesh out certain parts because I will hit kind of a snag and take a day or three to think it over. I get a feeling that something else needs taking care of and I will step away and let my mind work things out before starting in again. And I usually get my answers quickly and almost always when I'm not thinking about the book I'm working on.

I'm content writing a novel a year plus short stories at this point. Balancing that with work and family, I'm content with that pacing. If I could make enough to live off of my writing, I could see ramping that up because I have plenty of ideas sitting and waiting their turn.

Mark

11/8/2024 08:08:11 am

You're welcome. I thought it a brilliant hack when I first heard it.

Teaching beginners how to write is a good skill. The idea reminds me when I was an apprentice sheet metal worker. I worked with different journeymen and more advanced apprentices for five years. There was an annual test to be advanced to the next level. When I became a journeyman, I was assigned one or two apprentices to supervise while getting my own work done. I found I enjoyed working with apprentices quite a bit.

A book a year plus short stories sounds like good production to me.

New questions.

Have you ever developed a fondness or attachment to one of your characters?

Have you ever killed off a character unwillingly because it fit the plot?

Craig Crawford link

11/8/2024 08:20:21 am

I grow very fond of most of my characters. I get attached to many of them. In the Project Threshold world, I keep rooting for Riker to find her absolution, and I'm trying my damnedest to help her get it. I have a great fondness for Kali too--thinking of her makes me laugh because she's so irritated by most people and situations. And then there's Harris Berger, who has been through a lot in the first books but I think he's found a path, come #2.

I wrote a fantasy novel called Morana's Blades and I got very caught up with Rabbit. He has been through and endured so much, I couldn't help but keep hoping throughout the book he'd find some path to peace. Turns out that that story will probably be a trilogy because the first book only really started his journey.

As for killing characters, yes it really bugs me when it happens, but it's up to the story. Neville was a hard one for me--he was a guardian angel of sorts and I angled several different times and ways to keep him in the "game" but in the end there just wasn't a story path for keeping him alive.

Then again, the world of Project Threshold is not your average world....

Mark

11/8/2024 12:38:20 pm

It's easy for me to imagine you becoming attached to the characters considering how much time you have spent with them.

I love the Project Threshold world.

New question.

With sequels, how do you handle the wishes of readers compared to your original ideas?

Craig Crawford link

11/8/2024 02:22:43 pm

I haven't had much experience with that, except with Project Threshold.

I have a couple of beta readers who have given me feedback about the characters and plenty of it. I think Project Threshold 1, while it seems very "wild west" in terms of characters dying, I think #2 puts it in perspective of who my main people are. I may be copping out and using the Star Trek "red shirt" approach more often in the sequels, but I do intend to stand by certain rules set for by the stories themselves.

Certain things were set up in the first set of stories and I intend on following through on at least four story lines set up in the beginning. I'll throw out some teasers and let people know that all is not said and done with what happened to Katie Pendelhaven. Also, it seems Talise is intent on another head to head with the thing that wiped part of her team at the cabin. Riker is going to discover some key things concerning her ongoing quest and Kurt Brodenstein is going to play a role. And finally, Kali is going to deal with the aftermath of what happened to her in the finale :) :) :)

On another story line, my son who read my YA sci-fi book, Refuge, was adamant that one of the antagonists "get it" because he literally wanted her to die (insert smileys and halo emojis here). Sadly that character has a bigger role in the second book and even into #3, she is still hanging around (we won't tell him...he's only read #1 and it's a sore spot with him). :).

So--the bottom line for me is that the story dictates who lives and dies, but I like to think too that it is dependent on the individual characters and the actions they take which decides their fates. I am a firm believer that, while I write the stories and have a role in the shape the plots take, I am not completely in control of outcomes...

Mark

11/8/2024 04:10:57 pm

Your fans, including me, are looking forward to the further adventures of Project Threshold.

The experienced can't always protect the newbies from their own mistakes or misconceptions. I get it.

New question.

Have you read any fiction books that have changed your perception of that genre or style of writing?

Craig Crawford link

11/8/2024 04:19:45 pm

For Paranormal YA, Mary Downing Hahn. Such a great writer. I read her "One For Sorrow" and was hooked on her writing. For YA it's very intense but such a great story.

A good friend on Twitter put me onto another great writer: Christina Henry. She takes tales like Alice In Wonderland and The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow and turns them on their heads. Very dark writing but I love her stories. She's got one about Captain Hook and Peter Pan which I have not gotten to yet, but I hear Peter is not the fun loving protagonist in her book--can't wait.

I'm going back a few decades but for dark science fiction I read Liege Killer by Christopher Hinz. Post apocalyptic, we basically almost wiped ourselves out advancing technology and the original threat may not be dead. That book blew me away and I still read it again every couple of years.

Mark

11/8/2024 07:08:35 pm

Those sound like great stories! Especially if you reread the Liege Killer every couple of years.

New question.

Do you use music or some other stimulus to cultivate a feeling within that will help you write certain types of scenes?

Craig Crawford link

11/8/2024 07:39:15 pm

I listen to music regularly, and it does play a role in my writing. Yes, I will sometimes use music to set a tone or a tempo. In Project Threshold's Riker story, The Missing, I wanted a feeling of urgency.

I love John Carpenter's music and queued up the Escape From New York soundtrack, in particular, a track called Over The Wall. :) It created the mood and the beat I wanted for that story. And I think it turned out well--I was pleased with the final piece.

Sometimes I'm in my "Zone" and write without music, but often I'll have a collection of tunes or songs playing to accompany me while I write.

Mark

11/8/2024 08:15:05 pm

You have a lot of company in using music to stimulate the creative force. Some authors list the songs for particular chapters or characters in the back of their book. Sone have used titles for chapter or sub-chapter headings. Beware of using any song lyrics beyond acceptable usage. I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. ;-)

Music does carry a great deal of power and it can have a significant impact on the listeners.

New question.

Do the reviews of your books make an impact on how you write subsequent books or volumes?

D A Wysong

11/8/2024 09:59:50 pm

Craig what is the longest amount of time it’s taken you to write a book and what was the WC? Also the shortest duration?

Craig Crawford link

11/8/2024 11:47:52 pm

For DA--it actually took me a year to write my very first novel, but I ended up writing over 200,000 words and ended up splitting it into two books. It was my first attempt and I was feeling out the process of novel writing but it's how long it took.

My fantasy novels clock in at around 100,000 words, give or take and they take me 4-6 months.

It took me two and a half years to write a post apocalyptic novel called The New World. I just finished it a year or so back. I was working on it in between my Darby novels and my Refuge books but it gave me some troubles so I'd hit it for a while, walk away from it and then come back to it. I really like the story--mainly about a hero who isn't worth a damn at fighting back and he has to find other ways to defeat the bullying crowd. It just took me a while to figure out how to get where I wanted to be and uncover the ultimate ending.

Like much of the stuff I write, I usually have a rough idea of my endings but as characters pop up and side plots and tangents rear their heads, this one got muddy and it just took me a while to sort out. I'll start shopping it soon too.

Mark

11/9/2024 07:23:27 am

Good questions, Debbie. We will be talking soon.

Craig Crawford link

11/8/2024 11:18:51 pm

I've done some research on using music in books. From what I know, it is legal to use a song title in your book. They are not quite public domain but as I understand it you cannot be sued for using a song title. However, using song lyrics without permission (and usually paying a fee) can get you sued by the owners (and often it's the music producers who own the rights and not the artists). So you have to be careful. In Project Threshold 2 I danced with this topic--hence my research and consultations with the legal side, and have tread carefully.

I have also learned that readers like to know when certain music has been used in the creation of certain stories, chapters and scenes because they like the idea of feeling the story in the same way the author did. I have started keeping loose track of the music I listen to while writing.

I'm always curious on the reviews but again, as with beta readers, the story itself ultimately decides the outcomes and the direction. On the other hand, if I have several readers who say, wanted more from specific characters I could see myself investing more time on said MC's. With Project Threshold I have lots of characters in play and I can see that some readers would get more attached to specific characters than others or want more back story or highlight on certain characters over others. I would take that into account in my writing, though with Project Threshold-2 I am putting more focus on some of the characters from P/T-1 that didn't get a lot of page time.

Mark

11/9/2024 08:05:09 am

Good to hear that you are cognizant of the dangers involved with song lyrics.

I am looking forward to PT-2.

New question.

Are there any secrets people are bound to learn about you when they read your books?

Craig Crawford link

11/9/2024 10:27:59 am

Hmmnnn...honestly, I'm not sure. I am definitely an underdog-er. I enjoy writing about flawed main characters. For Project Threshold, Berger is wondering if he's past his prime and self doubting. Talise is probably the strongest of my MC's--she's definitely the most centered. Riker is trying to atone (in her eyes) for something she couldn't possibly have helped with or done anything about, and it turns into a vendetta. Similar for Kali Jain, except she's carried more by her anger than feelings of guilt.

I don't know what that says about any "secrets" I might have. I do love the atonement theme--in my Black Lion Saga, the entire trilogy is about atonement for Collin. For other books that's not prevalent....just thinking through my works trying to decide what may be there :)

We'll leave that for English professors in rhetoric and literature classes to decide if I ever make it to the level where people are studying my stories to see if they can figure out what made me tick :) :) :)

Good question and maybe I need to spend a little more introspection time here thinking about what I'm really saying with my words....

Mark

11/9/2024 02:48:33 pm

Very reflective answer. Thank you. I might have opened a can of worms for you with that question but I think it will be beneficial in the end. Atonement, redemption and forgiveness are interrelated and deeply embedded in the human experience regardless of culture or time period.

New questions.

Is there any particular time of the day that ideas usually hit you?

Is it hard or easy to connect with your muse, why do you think it is that way?

Craig Crawford link

11/9/2024 04:30:29 pm

I dont personally feel like Im atoning or seeking redemption but they are powerful motivators and I love those story lines. I grew up reading Batman and his situation is so powerful I like exploring those ideas.

Good questions!

Ideas come at any time. I was walking downstairs at work in the afternoon when I got ideas for Riker and Project Threshold 3. I do tend to get solid ideas when Im half awake--either early morning ot laying in bed before sleep. I've solved more writing issues in the shower than I can count. My muse comes when I least expect it.

My muse and I have a great relationship. Shes always got my back. Just solved a major sticking point in the 3rd book of my Refuge trilogy today. Been stuck on "the next step" on the final book and sirtting in my driveway waiting for my wife it just popped. Wasnt even chewing on that story and I had that "Aha!" moment.

Mark

11/10/2024 05:58:52 pm

It is amazing how the muse shows up at such different times. I have heard many stories from authors attesting to that.

New questions.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or print books?

What books are you reading at present for your business and for pleasure?

Craig Crawford link

11/10/2024 08:17:30 pm

My mind flits about and usually it's like something will trigger and either lead me to a story or a plot point. Like this weekend--I was not actively thinking about my YA but I got to thinking about the kind of stories I write and it led me to the idea of intense emotional responses of characters, which I like to write about and my MC, Emi came floating to the top. I realized the crux of the current situation she's in and realized I had the answer--I just didn't see it at the time.

It's how my brain works ;)

Concerning the medium of books, right now I dance back and forth between the three. I am becoming a fan of audio books--took a road trip this fall and an audio book came in very handy. I just read two anthologies via ebooks and I always have a stack of physical books at bedside. I think I still prefer a real book in my hand most of the time, but I am shifting with this new 21st century mode.

Currently I am reading a book a friend wrote--scifi YA and I'm excited because he's new to the writing game. That's digital. Then I have two softback books on deck: The Tritium Hypothesis by Nicolle Morock who is an Indie Authoress, and I've always wanted to read The King In Yellow by Robert Chambers. It's on deck after Nikki's.

So not really business for my friend Carl--fun and to assist :) And for pleasure for Nikki's and Chambers. Either way it won't even make a dent in my TBR pile :)

Mark

11/11/2024 08:05:00 am

When I had a house in Oregon, my favorite muse-inducing activity was raking leaves. That was great in the fall. The rest of the time I think it was reading for pleasure.

Before I started moving a lot, I loved physical books. Each time I moved I shed some of the books. Now, I have a small pile of real books, only one or two shelves worth. E-books are much easier. Audio books are hard for me. I trained myself to read almost anywhere blocking out environmental noise. Now, I have to speed up the playback to 1.4 or 1.5 times the normal speed. That forces me to focus on the book exclusively. I can't do that when I am driving.

My TBR pile on my Kindle is so large it is starting to get heavy. ;-)

New question.

Do you see any advantages to traditional publishing as opposed to self-publishing?

Craig Crawford link

11/11/2024 08:59:34 am

I feel your pain on the weight of books, either physical or digital :) I keep crossing paths with authors and I want to read their stories plus my own interests in cryptids and I keep adding books :)

I have the ability to hyper focus on a variety of things so I can tune out external distractions. For driving, I am able to effectively stay safe and listen to a book at the same time--proof being I made it to West Virginia and back from Iowa this year and all in one piece. The audio book helped me pass the time without getting that road weariness.

For traditional publishing, I think it used to be the case that publishing was a great thing. Especially with the large publishers. In the early days, authors sold a book and most things were taken care of: covers, formatting, and even marketing was handled by the big publishers.

For mid level and smaller publishers, they still handled a lot of the side issues and it left more time to authors to continue writing.

Currently that seems to have changed, mostly for the big publishers. From the way I understand it, now the big publishers are pushing more and more back on their authors, expecting them to do a fair amount of marketing and to be active on social media. I do not believe they offer authors any more in the way of royalties than they used to in order to compensate the authors.

For mid level and smaller publishers, they expect some of the same, but they don't quite have the same reach. Also, mid-level and smaller publishers offer a much larger royalty ration which is fair to me because they know their authors are going to have to put some "skin in the game."

Self Publishing, while you get to keep all the profits of book sales, everything falls to them. Every single piece. From my perspective, having to balance a full time job and family, and then adding publishing to the mix, there is simply not enough time without running yourself ragged. I have my days where I just shut down because I don't have the energy to deal with everything I want to. I force breaks on myself in order to keep my sanity and maintain my love of writing.

I really like working with Red Cape and other presses. They're invested in my stories and we talk about options for marketing. They have more experience than I do and often offer advice. And I'll ask them questions about particular avenues of advertising and marketing. They create covers which I've been ecstatic about and I'm content with our relationship.

I would have to have full time available to properly launch self publishing and currently I'm leery of working with the largest publishers because I don't think they have a good understanding of the markets or readers any longer. I think they've lost touch and don't really represent their authors properly.

I'm sure they'd love to argue this point but it's what I've seen and been reading about the way they handle the business of writing.

Mark

11/11/2024 11:59:57 am

That is a good comparison of the publishing industry at this time. Most publishers are on the edge of failure. So many of the large publishers are gone. There are only 5 left in the USA.

I think there will always be small to medium publishers for the reason you identified for yourself. Time.

Last question.

Do you think independent publishers can produce a book as good as mainstream publishers?

Craig Crawford link

11/11/2024 12:59:30 pm

I listened to a podcast focused on a couple who self publish. The husband writes the books and the wife markets. They don't even have their books on Amazon because they've developed a following of loyal readers. The woman said that a huge part of the reason the Big 5 are only the big 5 and are continuing to fail is because they neglected to embrace the new world of marketing.

She said they were so used to having a captive audience with bookstores that when the market started shifting to the internet they largely ignored it. The cost was that they really have no idea who is buying their books. They don't have emails or even names of people to target ads to.

Amazon's power is in knowing which customers are buying what books and they can target toward specific groups because of genre.

This makes a lot of sense to me, and it is a decent explanation of why the big publishers are floundering. That, and I don't think they have the first clue about what readers really want. They're still guessing, and considering they keep losing money, they're either ignoring the market data or choose to assume certain groups will buy their books--which they're not.

These days, I'd hesitate to sign with one unless I had some clear cut assurances from said publisher.

As to your question--yes I think Indie publishers can and do put out quality books and stories. I think their limitations are probably limited staff which equates to time for editing and marketing, but I've read some really great stories by Indie presses so I know they're doing a great job of vetting submissions.

I've read a few books put out by the big 5 in the last few years and I have started to see more typos in the texts and other misfires, which tells me they're not even putting out as good of a product as they used to, and it also tells me they're cutting corners.

I see this as mirroring the movie industry where so many independent movie production companies have popped up--and they're putting out some heavy hitting films. My horror genre has seen some great films come out that probably never would have been made by the big movie conglomerates.

I may be biased working with an Indie publisher, but I like their versatility. Overall, the Indie publishers appear "hungrier" to get good quality fiction for their readers and build not only their name but their author's names as well. Which should be the end goal.

Mark

11/11/2024 07:02:21 pm

Some great comments from that couple. They are making a lot of sense. The traditional publishers are doing their level best to ignore e-books. They price them at or near the same as printed books.

Yes, Amazon knows a lot about the customers who buy stuff from them. They have gone to great lengths to bind their customers to them and have succeeded pretty well.

Thank you, Craig. I am grateful to partner with you in promoting your books. As always, you are a fabulous guest on the Word Refiner channel.

Until next time, keep on writing.

Craig Crawford link

11/11/2024 09:15:13 pm

Thanks to you too Mark. I always enjoy these talks and we'll do so again when Project Threshold 2 hits the market.

I appreciate you quizzing me down about this crazy process called writing and all that goes along with it. I love the introspection and trying to get at what is important in the writing game, and more importantly why I do the things I do.

Until next time, cheers my friend!

Project Threshold: Team Berger: Division 1 by Craig Crawford

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