To celebrate the release of Under the Empyrean Sky, I’m gonna just leave this post here today for you to ask me anything you want. Ask me about the book. About young adult fiction. About my other books or my future books or whiskey preferences or toddler-wrangling techniques.
Anything.
Anything at all.
I’ll swing by here around noon EST and answer the first volley.
Then I’ll pop by come evening and answer more.
BECAUSE I’M FUNKY LIKE THAT.
Further! I’ll toss some swag and free books and such to my favorite five questions.
What kind of swag? Hell, I dunno. FREE STUFF. Mmmm. Free.
I am very excited and also very nervous about this book release (I got seven other books out now with publishers and each time I still get that “I might vomit up a cloud of nervous moths at any moment” feeling on release day). I am maybe a leetle teeny weeny bit more nervous this time because this book was a riskier story for me. It’s young adult, more worldbuildy, more sci-fi-flavored, and so forth. Plus it’s got stuff about sons and fathers, about food and agriculture and my memories of farm-life. It tries to be exciting and yet say something at the same time — yet also say something without being preachy about it and aaaaaaah *head asplodes*
What I’m saying is:
It was a tricky book to write and I hope it paid off.
And so, my plea: I only get to keep doing this if you tell folks and those folks maybe check out the book? I live and die by the grace of goodly readers such as yourselves — and, more to the point, this website lives or dies in much the same way. My writing helps fund this website (and monthly costs are no longer cheap, sadly), and so it’s folks buying my books and talking about those books that keeps this whole set of plates spinning.
So, again:
Check out the book.
Tell folks.
If you’re so inclined to leave a review somewhere: yay.
I appreciate it.
This website appreciates it.
My two-year-old appreciates it.
High-five to each and every one of you.
Now ask me some questions, willya?
Josh Loomis says:
Have you seen the show Supernatural at all, and if so, what are your thoughts on it?
July 30, 2013 — 9:44 AM
terribleminds says:
I watched the first season and quite liked it. For some bizarre-o reason, the second season DVDs never played in our Xbox 360 — no matter the disc, they failed to play. They’re on Netflix streaming so I should make the effort again at some point when I have free time HA HA HA FREE TIME GOOD ONE, ME
July 30, 2013 — 10:18 AM
Tammy Sparks says:
Chuck, I just finished UNDER THE EMPYREAN SKY and loved it. (Review coming soon to my blog). My question is how did you end up at Amazon Children’s Publishing for this one rather than Strange Chemistry? (Since you are already an Angry Robot author)?
July 30, 2013 — 9:45 AM
terribleminds says:
YAY WOOOOOOO thanks!
The book actually went through an auction process. Which was exciting and stressful. At the end, Skyscape was the auction winner, so, ta-da!
They’ve been really awesome so far.
July 30, 2013 — 11:09 AM
Tammy Sparks says:
That’s awesome. Yay for auctions!!
July 31, 2013 — 4:29 PM
Lee Robson says:
If I was to give you some money to go to the shop and buy some candy, what would you buy?
July 30, 2013 — 9:46 AM
terribleminds says:
A fancy chocolate bar. Like, some foodie choco-bar with pink peppercorns or Martian sea salt or some kind of rare civet-shit coffee beans crushed inside.
July 30, 2013 — 11:07 AM
Liz Blocker (@lizblocker) says:
Get Vosges chocolate. All of it. It is exactly what you’re talking about.
July 30, 2013 — 12:01 PM
terribleminds says:
I adore Vosges.
July 30, 2013 — 3:36 PM
mirymom says:
How much coffee do you drink daily?
July 30, 2013 — 9:50 AM
terribleminds says:
One big cup, and then sometimes an iced coffee later. But generally tea after the coffee.
July 30, 2013 — 11:07 AM
nmeunier says:
Hey man, congrats on the launch! Question: do you find that your non-fiction writing ebooks continue to sell steadily on Kindle now that they’ve been out for awhile? If so, what’s your magic? Curious, as I’m about to launch my self-pub freelance guidebook Up Up Down Down Left WRITE: The Freelance Guide to Video Game Journalism next week! Woo!
July 30, 2013 — 9:52 AM
terribleminds says:
They sell okay — slower now then they used to, but usually one or two of my books floats into the Top 20 of Authorship or Writing Skills e-books at Amazon now and again. So, they keep floating! NOT LIKE TURDS BUT RATHER LIKE MAGICAL FAIRY BOATS SHUT UP
July 30, 2013 — 11:07 AM
tssharp says:
If a writer farts in his writing den, and no one else is around, does it still stink?
July 30, 2013 — 9:58 AM
terribleminds says:
Writers, like women, do not pass gas.
August 2, 2013 — 11:59 AM
Shakes says:
How do I even begin looking for a reputable agent? Phone book? Google? Magic 8-Ball? And on an unrelated note, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
July 30, 2013 — 10:04 AM
terribleminds says:
Agentquery! Agentshark! Twitter! The Devil!
August 2, 2013 — 12:00 PM
Kirk Jolly says:
When are we going to get more blog posts about cooking or better yet, a full-fledged Cooking with Chuck cookbook?
July 30, 2013 — 10:15 AM
terribleminds says:
I will do more cooking posts! And I have a cookbook in mind — actually a collection of humorous essays which also features recipes — REVELATIONS OF THE BACON ANGEL.
July 30, 2013 — 11:05 AM
Ian says:
mmmmm, bacon. please include a short story about the Bacon Angel who delivers bacon to all the good boys and girls while riding atop her pork belly rickshaw…
July 30, 2013 — 11:53 AM
Kirk Jolly says:
Awesome. My wife cooked both soup recipes and they were delicious. Can’t wait for more.
July 30, 2013 — 12:15 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Please, for the love of God, no books on naked cooking. And put on a beard net.
July 30, 2013 — 12:31 PM
terribleminds says:
WHATEVER
*cooks naked*
*rubs beard in the food*
July 30, 2013 — 3:31 PM
itsfamilyjules says:
I’d buy it. And one for my bacon-obsessed coworker 🙂
July 30, 2013 — 4:56 PM
EldritchGirl says:
I hate Microsoft Word with the passion of several firey celestrial bodies. Do you know of some good simple writing software? What do you write with?
Also, I’m trying to write a little everyday, as your very useful 360 plan screams at me to do. But I always feel like I’m doing something wrong. My desk isn’t clean enough, my elbow smacks into my desk, I’m wearing the wrong pajamas, my tea isn’t hot enough… How can I find my writing zen and get all these distractions out of my brain and let all the words out? The words want to get out, Chuck! They are trying to devour my brains! D:
July 30, 2013 — 10:20 AM
terribleminds says:
Well, Scrivener is much beloved, though it’s not *simple.*
A lot of iPad apps are pretty simple. Plaintext, for instance. Pages on Mac is simple, too.
As for distractions: well, no magic answer, really — just eradicate them before you begin. Practice and discipline are key.
July 30, 2013 — 3:38 PM
esselle says:
Nisus Pro is good and not that expensive. I use it lots. Also Scrivener. But I’m not a Hater of Word. I use it too and all the other Office stuff but I drive a Mac. Could be the difference?
July 30, 2013 — 6:12 PM
Martin Cahill says:
Ahoy Cap’n Wordslinger,
1: What are your thoughts on MFA programs? Do you feel that a genre writer or writer outside the lit fic norm could make a home there? Or does it depend on the program?
2: What did working in the game industry teach you about writing? How did you get started?
3: What’s the most important element of craft that new writers tend to overlook?
4: Any interest in writing comics/graphic novels? You’ve got a finger in every other kind of media pie, I’m curious if you have any comic ideas floating around.
Thanks for your time sir, and congrats on the launch! It’s a great book, can’t wait for Blightborn!
July 30, 2013 — 10:27 AM
terribleminds says:
1: Depends on the program. Certainly not necessary to get published or learn the craft.
2: DEADLINES. I got started by writing an essay — an application of sorts.
3: Theme, maybe.
4: I have my first comic work coming out soon with Vs. Comics!
— c.
July 30, 2013 — 3:42 PM
Martin Cahill says:
Awesome, thanks for getting back to me Chuck!
The Wendig pen scrawled across the comic pages? YES. Be still my beating heart!
July 31, 2013 — 12:19 AM
Davy says:
Hiya Chuck! I’m a long-time reader of your blog, first-time commenter and some-time Twitter-botherer.
I used to write a lot when I was younger, and as long as I never really let anyone read it, I could keep thinking I was some hot shit. Paradoxically, the better I got at “writing” (and noticing things like plot, structure, etc), the more I started to realise my stories kind of sucked! I hear from my other artsy friends that all this is sort of normal, how there’s a period in your life where what you produce is just trite and boring and doesn’t live up to your own taste and standards and it’s demotivating (the writing advice on your blog really helps with that!)
ANYWAYS my question is: if you ever felt like this, how did you stay motivated to keep trying better and harder? How long did it take before your mad writing skillz caught up with your refined reading tastez?
July 30, 2013 — 10:28 AM
terribleminds says:
This is normal. The goal is to write and write and write and develop instinct and confidence. Write until you lose your mind. Then write some more.
July 30, 2013 — 3:43 PM
SilverPenScribe says:
Alright, I’ll keep it simple; Considering the rural element of the setting I am curious – did you grow up in a rural environment or have some personal experiences that lent themselves to your shaping of the story?
July 30, 2013 — 10:38 AM
terribleminds says:
I grew up on a farm in a farmer’s family. (Well, my mother’s side were coal miners.)
Pretty rural. In fact, where I’m at is still suburban on the edge of rural.
July 30, 2013 — 3:44 PM
Rick Cook Jr says:
A slightly complex question: You’ve talked about killing your darlings a time or two before. When was the first time you realized you had written a scene or character that seemed to transcend the rest of the story, but that its excellence didn’t fit the story and had to be killed (or saved for future exploitation)?
July 30, 2013 — 10:41 AM
terribleminds says:
I’m sure it happened before, but in BLUE BLAZES was a whole character and plotline I loved that just plain had to go.
July 30, 2013 — 3:45 PM
Rick Cook Jr says:
That’s what prompted the question, because I remembered the post where you talked about that instance. Was curious if it had happened before that, because I have a VERY hard time removing things.
July 31, 2013 — 8:04 AM
Kelsey says:
How much of yourself do you think there is in your main characters (Cael or Mookie, or any of your other characters)?
July 30, 2013 — 10:51 AM
terribleminds says:
I don’t think I can extract myself from my characters entirely, though they’re also very different from me and make choices I’d never make.
So, let’s go with an arbitrary 20%.
😀
July 30, 2013 — 11:04 AM
Alisha Miller (@hostilecrayon) says:
Do you celebrate when you finish a novel?
July 30, 2013 — 10:54 AM
terribleminds says:
I do! Not like, in a big way. I eat ice cream or have a glass of good whiskey.
Now, when I SELL a novel, I celebrate like an EMMEREFFER.
July 30, 2013 — 11:04 AM
Jed Thomas says:
I’m really excited to read your serial in Fireside Magazine. When Brian released some details on what it was about, I became a little discouraged because the brief synopsis was so similar to my WIP. I’m sure you have some great reasons as to why I shouldn’t be discouraged about this sort of thing. Also, did the experimental story take the direction you intended, or is it a completely different outcome? Looking forward to reading it either way.
Congrats on the launch, by the way!
July 30, 2013 — 10:55 AM
terribleminds says:
The story is interesting in that I’m letting it unfold slowly. It’s nowhere near done! Still have more chapters to write…
Thanks! And I’m sure yours is very different. We all stamp the works and worlds with our own psyche, I think.
July 30, 2013 — 11:03 AM
Edna Scarlett Montes (@Edna_Montes) says:
Which is the first book you remember reading in your life?
July 30, 2013 — 11:07 AM
terribleminds says:
Oddly enough, I remember reading the newspaper at a very young age (3 or 4).
The first book that I remember being utterly entranced by were the books of Lloyd Alexander.
July 30, 2013 — 9:41 PM
Emmie Mears says:
ERMAHGERD!
Sorry. It’s just that I know them feels. The Chronicles of Prydain are what forever captured me for the fantasy genre. I actually bought all five of them in their newest edition last year.
July 30, 2013 — 10:39 PM
Happiness is Not a Disease says:
Other than spewing out discernible creative cussing (I am so assuming haha), what things do you do when you’re angry? (Like, are you the passive-aggressive type or are you the just-castrated bull type or a fusion or what have you?)
July 30, 2013 — 11:09 AM
terribleminds says:
Angry? Well, mostly I just yell and act grumpy. In older days (read: teen years), I’d punch things. I punched a locker one time and still have the scar from where the locker vents took a bite.
July 30, 2013 — 9:42 PM
Zac Dozier says:
I’m a Central Pennsylvanian, help me settle an argument. Lancaster County IS part of Pennsyltucky, right?
July 30, 2013 — 11:11 AM
terribleminds says:
It is indeed Pennsyltucky.
July 30, 2013 — 9:42 PM
David Alex Shepherd says:
In the whiskey “Writers Tears,” what percentage of the tears are yours as compared to other writers?
July 30, 2013 — 11:12 AM
terribleminds says:
ZERO for I destroyed my tear ducts with matchtips when I got into this industry.
July 30, 2013 — 9:43 PM
William Pepper says:
Having stretched a little into sci-fi, what other genres might you be interested in trying? Also, would you ever write for TV?
July 30, 2013 — 11:28 AM
terribleminds says:
All of them, really.
And I did write for TV, though it didn’t get picked up. My writing partner and I had a pilot with TNT for a year or so. A real education, that.
July 30, 2013 — 9:43 PM
Jen Dornan-Fish says:
Really looking forward to reading EMPYREAN SKY, you had me at cornpunk. I’m interested in what you said about this book being more worldbuildy, how did you go about building said world?
I’m just starting a new book (breaking cardinal rule 63, do not start sexy new project till previous one complete) and it is also worldbuildy. I find I’m overwhelmed at the tangents and details and I wonder how you knew where to stop. What’s enough history? Enough detail about the monster lurking in the mangroves that your characters will probably never even see, etc.?
And practically, how did you keep notes?
July 30, 2013 — 11:31 AM
terribleminds says:
A lot of notes that sort of got compiled into a “world bible.” Which was not very short — I built a lot of it into the first draft and through revisions. I’m always concerned only about those aspects of the world that impact the story directly. The rest is just window dressing that I generally avoid.
I keep notes on SimpleNote (app) and in Word.
July 30, 2013 — 9:44 PM
CJ Jessop says:
How do you juggle it all? You write prolifically, blog prolifically, tweet prolifically and have a family. It must be quite the balancing act. How do you manage it all without going crazy?
July 30, 2013 — 11:41 AM
terribleminds says:
WHO SAID I AIN’T CRAZY *eats a fistload of bees*
Umm, mostly I just enjoy writing and try to do a lot of it.
July 30, 2013 — 9:46 PM
Chrisv says:
Your blog: it makes me smile, it encourages me, and it inspires me. Thank you so much for that. Buying a book of yours and talking about it is the least I can do by way of thanks.
Do you have different processes for your different projects? By that I mean: do you outline for some projects, and discovery write for others?
July 30, 2013 — 11:52 AM
terribleminds says:
I almost always outline, though I didn’t outline the first Atlanta Burns story, I don’t think. And I’m writing a thing now that has no outline.
July 30, 2013 — 9:46 PM
terribleminds says:
Oh, and thanks for the kind words!
July 30, 2013 — 9:47 PM
Mark H says:
What is a question you’ve always wanted to be asked, but never actually been?
July 30, 2013 — 11:53 AM
terribleminds says:
YOU JUST ASKED IT
BOOSH DID I BLOW YOUR MIND?
July 30, 2013 — 9:47 PM
Morgyn says:
Another post beat me to ‘fire in the belly.’ Beyond that source, the psychotic part of writing, (most of it ), the asking yourself questions about a WIP and then answering them, that ability to analyze your own work, what laid down the base for you? Beyond life, how did you ass back into the standards you’ve set for yourself?
Who Avatared for you? A particular writer on writing? Or a whole stable full?
What’s on YOUR writing book shelf?
July 30, 2013 — 11:56 AM
terribleminds says:
Some teachers, like Mike Kobre. Other writers like Stephen King and Lawrence Block. My screenwriting mentor, Stephen Susco.
July 30, 2013 — 9:50 PM
Terri Herrington says:
How DO you keep your manly figure? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve, for those of us still working a day job plus trying to hit our wordsmithy goal in the evening, to help us stay svelte?
July 30, 2013 — 11:58 AM
terribleminds says:
Svelte? Hahaha, I’m a chubby schlub.
July 30, 2013 — 11:59 AM
Tia Kalla (@tiakall) says:
I’m a writer with ladybits. Should I still go for the power of the beard? Or should I hijack someone else’s beard for this?
On a writing note, how would you go about looking for agents on Twitter? Any hashtags agents frequent that gives an idea as to their preferences? (#MSWL was awesome for that.)
July 30, 2013 — 12:03 PM
terribleminds says:
Yarnbeards are totally doable.
As for agents — I think #AskAgent is a good hashtag? Better too to research on the web then find ’em on the Twittertubes.
July 30, 2013 — 9:51 PM
Elizabeth Stadtmueller says:
Have you ever read both “Girl, Interrupted” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”? I can’t help but find them ODDLY SIMILAR.
July 30, 2013 — 12:05 PM
Alisha Miller (@hostilecrayon) says:
Do you still feel accomplished if you finish a project but don’t sell it?
July 30, 2013 — 12:06 PM
churnage says:
Where were you on the night of the 22nd, and why are your fingerprints all over the glove compartment?
July 30, 2013 — 12:14 PM
terribleminds says:
BECAUSE ON THE 22ND I ATE YOUR MAPS.
July 30, 2013 — 12:19 PM
Edi says:
As an editor (and a fairly slow thinker), I’m extremely curious about your editing process given that you write so much so fast, and also considering that you self-publish a fair amount.
Does your work seem to slip onto the page mostly well-formed and in need of only minimal editing, or do you find that your 3k/day (or whatever) habit leaves you with, say, 1000 decent words/day? Do you do most/all of the editing yourself or do you farm it out?
If it’s the former, roughly what percentage of your time do you devote to editing vs writing? What’s your basic editorial process? Do you edit day by day, chapter by chapter, not until the whole work is complete?
If it’s the latter, do you have a dedicated person that you always turn to who knows your work and your mind super well or do you constantly have to look for someone to do the work and then go through the whole familiarizing process again? (To clarify, I find that I do much better work for a particular writer once I’ve read and/or edited several pieces of their writing and thereby learned their voice better.)
Either way, is there anything that works especially well or doesn’t work well about the way you do it? Etc etc, stuff like that. Believe me, anything you want to say on this topic will be extremely interesting to me.
Thanks!!
July 30, 2013 — 12:20 PM
terribleminds says:
My actual writing itself doesn’t seem to need a ton of work. It’s fairly clean prose.
The content varies in terms of how much demolition it needs.
I tend to write in the mornings. Edit in the afternoons. Unless editing also means a lot of rewriting, in which case the story becomes the sole target of the day’s work.
July 30, 2013 — 9:53 PM
Lana says:
Where did your farm life take place and when? I grew up on a farm I NY.
July 30, 2013 — 12:27 PM
terribleminds says:
Pennsylvania! A few decades ago.
July 30, 2013 — 3:31 PM
Edi says:
Ooh, cool. Is it too personal to ask what part of PA? I grew up in northern WV (just below the PA border), though I’m guessing you grew up several years behind me. #ediisold 🙂
July 30, 2013 — 3:34 PM
Toni Rakestraw says:
To create horror… that psychological, grip your mind and twist it til it hurts type of horror so you can’t put the book down… is a great skill. Any suggestions on honing that skill so it can slice, dice, and julienne? I’m working on it, and I think I’m getting there. Maybe one of your oh so helpful lists of 25 Things would be in order… if your muse is so inclined. 🙂
July 30, 2013 — 12:37 PM
terribleminds says:
Read it. Find out what works. Emulate it. Write in a way that mirrors your emotion, your fear — ? I do have a horror list around here somewhere already posted…
July 30, 2013 — 3:34 PM
jamescurcio says:
How old were you when you decided that you were going to make a serious go at being a full-time writer? Not when you first started toying with the idea but when you went and did it.
Just curious, for no particular reason.
July 30, 2013 — 12:38 PM
terribleminds says:
Full-time?
Not sure. I was 22 when I started freelancing and maybe by late 20s I did a full-time stint for a few years until I had to buy a house. The mortgage monsters wanted me to have like, you know, a “REAL” job (assholes), and so I worked for the public library for a few years and then in my 30s I once more went full-time and have not yet looked back.
July 30, 2013 — 3:33 PM
Laurie Evans says:
Did you ever pick a romance novel from all the suggestions you asked for a while ago? Didja read it, or stow a title away in your head bank for later?
July 30, 2013 — 12:38 PM
terribleminds says:
I bought some titles but haven’t read any yet (my tbr pile teeters like a Jenga tower). Will report when I read some!
July 30, 2013 — 3:32 PM
Jessica Nelson says:
I live in Minnesota. A few days ago, I had to go to Iowa for something. Driving through county roads with corn fields on all sides, we discovered a store selling marine goods… boats, life vests and the like. I looked at Google maps and couldn’t find a boatable body of water for an unreasonable distance, considering the existence of the store. We laughed it off and drove on. Twenty minutes later, we found a similar store, also buried among the corn.
My question is: Should I be concerned for the people of Iowa? Is there anything Minnesota can do to ensure we aren’t likewise swallowed by lake-eating corn?
July 30, 2013 — 12:42 PM
Morgyn says:
Sweetie, be careful, very careful of venturing over that border, LOL. As another MN’ian, you gotta know, that’s where Davenport (John Sanford) always be digging up bodies.
July 30, 2013 — 12:47 PM
Rick Cook Jr says:
Flooding.
July 30, 2013 — 1:52 PM
terribleminds says:
Man, that’s weird.
There’s a cool story in that, though I don’t yet know what it is…
July 30, 2013 — 3:30 PM
Jessica Nelson says:
Perhaps I should have asked specifically, can Under the Empyrean Sky be used as a guide book on how to protect one’s self and thousands of lakes from the savage corn?
July 30, 2013 — 3:35 PM
Andrew Money says:
Congratulations on your latest book – I’m looking forward to reading it this weekend.
The inquiring minds of the inkernet want to know… boxers or briefs?
July 30, 2013 — 1:04 PM
terribleminds says:
I wear boxers.
Made from the skins of my 13 foes.
Not really.
But boxers, yes.
July 30, 2013 — 3:29 PM
Alex Kane (@alexjkane) says:
What is your opinion on trying to forge a career as a novelist through media tie-ins?
Is that an ideal way to hone your craft, or do you think it somehow puts your creativity and reputation at risk? (Considering it as a potential long-term avenue toward becoming a “career novelist.”)
July 30, 2013 — 1:16 PM
terribleminds says:
I know a lot of authors who have done great work in this space — it no longer has the stigma it once did. Writers are geeks about stuff. So, it’s not a bad idea, just realize they frequently want established authors for media tie-ins these days.
July 30, 2013 — 3:29 PM
davebessom says:
Have you ever tried Old Pulteney Scotch Whisky? If not (or if so), what IS your whisk(e)y of choice?
July 30, 2013 — 1:17 PM
terribleminds says:
I have not!
My whisky of choice is Balvenie Doublewood, though I’ve recently come around to Macallan 12 as a wonderful go-to Scotch.
July 30, 2013 — 3:28 PM
thesexiestwriter says:
Doublewood is magnificent. I have a soft spot for Cragganmore. I prefer smoky over peaty, so i would naturally gravitate toward a speyside. In the end, my favorites are the ones with alcohol in them.
July 30, 2013 — 4:52 PM
joeturner87 says:
I prefer Cognac, am I still a writer???
July 31, 2013 — 3:30 PM
Amanda says:
How do you know when a novel is beyond repair and not worth rewriting? I’m a teenager and I finished my first novel a couple of months ago. I’ve been trying to save it but I’m pretty sure it’s a hopeless case. I’m not even sure if the plot is something reader-me would like. Has this ever happened to you, and what would you do?
July 30, 2013 — 1:40 PM
terribleminds says:
No novel is ever beyond repair; your love of said novel might be. If you’re just, you know, game over done with it, that’s how you know. Because you personally think it’s unsalvageable and your interest in fixing it is zip zero null.
July 30, 2013 — 3:27 PM
K.C. Wise says:
I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old (15 months apart! Woo hoo!). I’ve been writing/blogging during nap time and after bedtime. Sometimes, I break out the Moleskine and write at the park and whatnot.What are two things that you do to keep all of your thoughts straight with a toddler in tow? What is your number one for balancing the boundless energy needed for child-rearing but also building words and telling stories?
July 30, 2013 — 2:09 PM
terribleminds says:
Two things?
HAHAHA LIQUOR
no, not really, I don’t drink while toddler-watching.
My wife is essential in making sure I have the time to write and do what I need to do in terms of wordsmithy. She is both things. She is all things in this regard!
July 30, 2013 — 3:26 PM
K.C. Wise says:
That’s awesome. Thanks for answering!! It is just me and my boys during the day, so the husband hasn’t been able to help out much. Will have to carve out more times during the weekends to get away.
With beer. Clearly.
Congratulations on the book launch! Will add to my summer reading list!
July 30, 2013 — 4:43 PM
Lala says:
Why did you decide to start writing fiction for young adults?
July 30, 2013 — 2:14 PM
terribleminds says:
When I had a story to tell for a young adult! I had a story for that space and so it seemed a good time to tell it. Part of it also coincides with having a child of my own, too.
July 30, 2013 — 3:25 PM
Ahimsa says:
Are there any plans to ever make (pen-and-paper) RPG’s out of any of your worlds?
July 30, 2013 — 2:28 PM
terribleminds says:
I’m in conversations with Storium about doing something like that — but no official discussions, really. If anybody wants to talk about a license, hey, I’m listening. 🙂
July 30, 2013 — 3:24 PM
Jacqueline Pinn says:
Someone may have asked this question, but I have got to know. Why corn out of all the plants you could have chosen? It’s the best concept I feel an author has ever had but how did you come up with it?
July 30, 2013 — 2:31 PM
terribleminds says:
Because corn and the science around corn is:
a) scary
and
b) creepy
This stuff is EVERYWHERE.
— c.
July 30, 2013 — 3:21 PM
Elise says:
I’m going to be 16 on Thursday (huzzah!), and I was wondering if you had any advice on how I should publish my book that I am nearly done writing. I already have an editor lined up, but I know next to nothing about the publishing process. Should I wait until I am older, or does that matter? The option I am looking at right now if publishing it as an e-book for kindle, but I don’t know if that is the bet option.
P.S. Thank you for your blog. It has helped me know how to be a better writer.
July 30, 2013 — 3:06 PM
terribleminds says:
You’re intending to self-publish, then? E-book for Kindle is a good way to start! Just make sure you’re happy with the editor and that you try to lock down a pro-grade cover. Good luck with it!
July 30, 2013 — 3:21 PM
Laura says:
Have you watched any “Orange Is the New Black”? Thoughts? (to quote McDonalds, I’m lovin’ it).
July 30, 2013 — 3:32 PM
terribleminds says:
One episode in, but it’s great so far.
July 30, 2013 — 9:53 PM
Esperanza says:
What is your favorite thing about YA fiction?
July 30, 2013 — 4:23 PM
terribleminds says:
Getting to talk about teen stuff that I knew when I was a teen but nobody else (in stories or outside them) was really addressing.
July 30, 2013 — 9:54 PM
petewoodworth says:
The bird? Or the cage?
Also: What’s your favorite book signing story? Can be where you were the one doing the signing or the guy lined up to receive a signature, either way.
July 30, 2013 — 4:23 PM
terribleminds says:
THE BIRD.
Signing: I was signing some Vampire book at Gen Con and the gamer proceeded to take up an hour of my time by hanging out nearby and telling me all the things wrong with the book. He had pages and whole swaths of text memorized.
July 30, 2013 — 9:54 PM
petewoodworth says:
Holy crap, that guy found you too? No joke. What did he look like?
July 30, 2013 — 10:02 PM
Wanderer says:
What does it feel like to be an epic writer?
July 30, 2013 — 4:27 PM
terribleminds says:
*dials up Pat Rothfuss to find out*
July 30, 2013 — 9:55 PM