If you're ready for a zombie apocalypse, then you're ready for any emergency. emergency.cdc.gov
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Sevenfold contest

Anyone who joins my mailing list now through October 15, 2012 will be entered into a drawing to win my upcoming horror anthology, Sevenfold.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Zombie Idol singing contest


I Left My Brains in San Francisco
The second Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator book
Author Karina Fabian
Special Favor to Ask:
“Are You the Next Zombie Idol” singing contest?  Damnation Books and I are looking for someone to sing the theme song I wrote for I Left My Brains in San Francisco.  I have the words and the tune; but we need a singer.  We are offering prizes for the best singer, the most creative audition video, and are giving one in ten entries a copy of the e-book.  The details are at http://fabianspace.blogspot.com/p/are-you-next-zombie-idol.html

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Rejections

Okay, so I'm used to getting rejections that say stuff like "not the right fit for them" or "does not meet their needs at this time", but this is a new one:

"We enjoyed your work but we don't have the resources to make it the success it should be"

So what exactly does that mean? Is this simply a nice way of saying my story wasn't good enough? They did say they enjoyed it though.

Hmmm...


Monday, September 10, 2012

Doing Research before Writing your Fiction!


How to Do Research

            The writing is in the details. In order to prepare a piece of fiction set in a real world, the author needs a semblance of reality. To make that happen, extensive research is oftentimes necessary. However, not everyone is capable of such feats. It involves much more than just visiting a site and saving the link for future reference or copying and pasting a long block of text into a word processing program. Here are some tips to save time in order to help with detailed research projects:

  1. Select your topic(s) and list keywords related to them.

    1. Ex: Cursed object brings an ancient Egyptian goddess to life. Keywords: Egypt, tombs, Egyptian mythology, archaeology, dig sites, curses.

  2. Search for resources, both offline and online, to get an overview of the topic.

    1. Websites, Encyclopedias, Maps, History Books, Myths and Legends, Archeology Magazines, similar topics in literature and the media.

  3. Take notes. Can be created as complete background information, but later needs to be condensed into bulleted facts that relate to the specific topic.

  4. Find experts who can handle answering questions you can’t find anywhere else or who can fill in the blanks with their knowledge. Visit forums or ask around. You just may know someone who can help. For example, let’s say you are writing a forensic detective novel and need first-hand knowledge of forensic technology. You may not know someone who does that but perhaps the second cousin of your best friend’s wife does?

  5. Only look at information from verified “true” sources. A lot of information circulating is not entirely true. How do you know for sure? Look at WHO wrote it and WHEN it was written. If you are planning a story that takes place in 2012 and find a book written by some unknown author in 1962, take another look. Things may have changed based on what you’re looking up. Does the author CITE any sources or have a degree/well-educated title? Is he/she well respected in his field? For instance, if you are writing the next medical thriller, a great resource would be a doctor who has had reports published in a medical journal on the specific trauma, disease, chemical, etc. you plan to use.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Kerrytown Book Fest

Heading over to the Ann Arbor farmer's market today from 11 am to 5 pm. Come down and check out the book festival.