Chuck is the author of the published novels: Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Under the Empyrean Sky, Blue Blazes, Double Dead, Bait Dog, Dinocalypse Now, Beyond Dinocalypse and Gods & Monsters: Unclean Spirits. He also the author of the soon-to-be-published novels: The Cormorant, Blightborn (Heartland Book #2), Heartland Book #3, Dinocalypse Forever, Frack You, and The Hellsblood Bride. Also coming soon is his compilation book of writing advice from this very blog: The Kick-Ass Writer, coming from Writers Digest.
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is an alum of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, showed at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producers Ted Hope and Anne Carey. Together they co-wrote the digital transmedia drama Collapsus, which was nominated for an International Digital Emmy and a Games 4 Change award.
Chuck has contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP). He was a frequent contributor to The Escapist, writing about games and pop culture.
Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.
He currently lives in the forests of Pennsyltucky with wife, two dogs, and tiny human.
He is likely drunk and untrustworthy. This blog is NSFW and probably NSFL.
You may reach him at terribleminds [at] gmail [dot] com.
Related
Christopher Robin Negelein
August 8, 2014 at 12:42 PM //
The frustrating thing for me is that this cover is from stock photography. Maybe this is why I don’t work in advertising now. Because if I was going to do a 50th anniversary cover to a book and put out a press release about it, I would have used original art.
Using stock is nothing to write a press release about.
leedunning
August 8, 2014 at 12:49 PM //
Wait… This is a joke, right? That looks more like something out of the “Stepford Wives” or “Children of the Corn”.
kentuckygal50
August 8, 2014 at 2:03 PM //
I was going to say, I can do that in 5 words: “Stepford Females of All Ages”. :O) I’ll put my thinking cap on.
Allison Maruska
August 9, 2014 at 5:20 PM //
I was thinking the same thing. My brain keeps wanting to go to some horror plot.
Erin
August 8, 2014 at 12:52 PM //
I had to read some of the news articles on this to realize that’s a girl on the cover, not Charlie in drag. (One story: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28703254)
Kait Nolan
August 8, 2014 at 1:29 PM //
Wait wait. That was SERIOUS? I saw it flying around yesterday and thought it was a joke!
Badger
August 8, 2014 at 1:34 PM //
I can’t stand that cover for that book. Maybe if someone was doing a biography of Veruca Salt, great, but that for Charlie? What relationship does that have to that book? NONE.
Laurie McLean
August 8, 2014 at 2:07 PM //
The title is now: “Where’s…my…CHOCOLATE, you Wonka!”
Nelson
August 8, 2014 at 3:00 PM //
Considering the book is cautionary tale about spoiled children and bad parenting, and since Veruca Salt is the worst of all the kids, I think this cover is perfect. Also, it’s a Penguin Classic release aimed at adults, not a brand new book the publisher is introducing to an audience, so they can get away with a more creative cover. I think too many people are basing their opinions about this cover on the film(s) instead of the book. Then again, I think the Dahl cartoon covers are ridiculously stupid, so maybe it’s a taste thing.
Helena Hann-Basquiat
August 8, 2014 at 3:34 PM //
You sure that’s not Ira Levine’s The Stepford Wives?
Helena Hann-Basquiat
August 8, 2014 at 3:36 PM //
Also, could have been worse. Could have featured these couche-tards: http://www.alwaysontherun.net/veruca7.jpg
S. J. Paige
August 8, 2014 at 4:28 PM //
I get more of a Jonbenet Ramsey vibe…
decayingorbits
August 9, 2014 at 8:12 AM //
Bingo.
Allison Maruska
August 9, 2014 at 5:20 PM //
Yes.
Jodi McMaster
August 8, 2014 at 4:55 PM //
Me, too. Good prompt, though. http://www.writingpast.com/writing-challenges-or-see-the-crappy-first-drafts/valley-of-the-doll
Mark Gardner
August 10, 2014 at 1:01 PM //
It was an interesting story. You mentioned you were concerned about the voice of the narrator, but I suspect a girl in that situation would think older than her years.
Jodi McMaster
August 10, 2014 at 11:41 PM //
Thanks for reading and the feedback. Much appreciated.
Mark Gardner
August 8, 2014 at 5:30 PM //
Mine is up at http://article94.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/16-sunsets-revelations/
Mozette
August 9, 2014 at 12:36 AM //
Ooooh, good and creepy… I like it! 😀
Mark Gardner
August 9, 2014 at 12:37 AM //
Yay! Did you read the older stuff?
Mozette
August 9, 2014 at 12:52 AM //
Ooh.. no… not yet… hang on, I’ll go and do that! 🙂
Mozette
August 9, 2014 at 1:19 AM //
Love it! Reminds me of ‘Constantine’ ! 😀
R. A. Opp
August 8, 2014 at 8:43 PM //
That is hella creepy…
Mozette
August 9, 2014 at 12:18 AM //
Okay… it’s twisted and creepy that photo… so is what I wrote… 😛
http://youcantgoback-andotherimpossibilities.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/charlie-and-thewoah.html
Mark Gardner
August 10, 2014 at 12:11 PM //
I love it! But, that’s to be expected from the author of Body Rentals.
Mozette
August 10, 2014 at 8:45 PM //
Body Rentals?
So happy you loved it Mark 😀
Mark Gardner
August 10, 2014 at 9:47 PM //
http://article94.wordpress.com/body-rentals/
Mozette
August 11, 2014 at 8:18 AM //
OOOOOHHH! I’ll be buying that when I’m at my folk’s place next!
Beth Turnage
August 9, 2014 at 7:14 PM //
Okay, this is a little out of my genre, but here goes:
The Good Girl: http://bethturnage.com/?p=186
JP Juniper
August 10, 2014 at 11:07 AM //
I really struggled with this one. So many false starts. Here’s what I came up with in the end:
http://www.jpjuniper.com/stories/2014/8/10/new-model-amy
Beth Turnage
August 10, 2014 at 4:03 PM //
This was a great start, and I loved the concept. But I thought the ending could be stronger. You mention her anger at the beginning. It was the gun that didn’t go off.
As Checkhov said:
Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there.
—Anton Chekhov
Beth Turnage
August 10, 2014 at 4:09 PM //
This was a reply to JP Juniper
JP Juniper
August 10, 2014 at 7:33 PM //
Thanks for reading. I appreciate the feedback!
Tonia Brown
August 11, 2014 at 6:46 AM //
Great work folks. Here is mine. http://thebackseatwriter.blogspot.com/2014/08/forever-perfect.html
Beth Turnage
August 13, 2014 at 10:57 AM //
Tonia–That was perfect.
Tonia Brown
August 13, 2014 at 6:21 PM //
Thanks! 🙂
Pam
August 11, 2014 at 11:56 AM //
First thought was a spin on Mommy Deareat vs Charlie as a drag queen…interesting choice Tonto.
Anthony Eichenlaub
August 11, 2014 at 2:28 PM //
Here is my entry. http://eichenblog.org/?p=2624
Helen Espinosa
August 11, 2014 at 10:51 PM //
Not sure if I should really include this, but I’ve seen people break the rules before. I just couldn’t bring myself to write 1,000 words – it was all too disturbing for me right now. So, I wrote a poem instead. At least I feel that I can move on.
https://helenespinosa.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/daydreams-and-wishes/
Catkins
August 13, 2014 at 11:33 AM //
Okay, I should never be allowed to write after midnight, it comes out super fucking dark. Have fun with The Misfortune Teller: http://dubious-gravity.tumblr.com/post/94635073909/the-misfortune-teller
underastarlitsky
August 13, 2014 at 11:42 PM //
Here’s my story. A Beautiful Disaster http://wp.me/pBqgu-b4 (glad i’m not alone in thinking the cover image is uber creepy!).
gembolding
August 14, 2014 at 5:19 PM //
Hope you like what I did with this… “A dirty mind is a Joy forever”
http://gembolding.wordpress.com/2014/08/14/a-dirty-mind-is-a-joy-forever/
mareng9
August 14, 2014 at 9:43 PM //
“Enjoy” as much as you can. Here is “Charlotte”: http://lickthespoonclean.com/?p=62
anastasiasoluna
August 15, 2014 at 12:08 AM //
http://theunstillpicture.wordpress.com/
My first blog post. The mirroring of the blog name and story title was completely unintentional– at least consciously.
Elvis M
August 15, 2014 at 1:54 AM //
Been a long time since I’ve done something like this so here goes! Please be gentle…
The Lisa
http://shuttrbear.tumblr.com/post/94796411033/i-decided-to-participate-in-a-flash-fiction
momdude
August 15, 2014 at 3:00 AM //
A tad long, but I liked the idea and where it led.
http://pauljwillett.com/2014/08/14/flash-fiction-i-remembered-it-was-thursday/