Lights, Camera, Boredom!

I was interviewed on the local talkshow, "Weekly Entertainment" this past Thursday. The show airs next week. I had a blast being interviewed and was amazed at how quickly the time went without one moment of awkward silence.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch it, but I will post the airdate and any related links so those who are interested can watch me talk about such things as motivation, my views on self-publishing, and why it's important to have an inner crap filter.

I'm sure you'll find me riveting~

My Most Recent Printerview. (I just coined that phrase 'cause I'm so clever)

I'm proud to say I have a story appearing in the third Pill Hill Press Monster Hunters anthology, meaning I will now have appeared in all three volumes. Editor Miles Boothe, one of the cooler guys in the industry, interviewed me for the upcoming publication.

Click here for the interview and don't forget to scroll down to the bottom, where you can find a link to my brand new website being unveiled here for the first time!

Yep.

The Hazards of Mentoring Mediocrity

If there's one thing the Internet has taught me, it is that I am a writer because I tell people that's what I am. Wait, that's not exactly true. I'm a writer because I decided I'm one. Wait. Maybe I'm a writer because I put some stuff on the Internet with my name next to it.

Never mind the years of training and trial and error and being mentored. None of that shit means a thing these days. Apparently, all one needs is a "Fuck You" attitude and they too are writers. I'm not sure when everybody decided to emulate Harlan Ellison, but there is one vital component to his personality they just might be lacking: HE'S A GENIUS!

I have no quarrell with the Eminem School of "Me Being Me." We all bring different experiences and outlooks to the table. It's what makes life bearable. But it isn't the final word on whether or not someone has talent. In fact, the worse a person's attitude, the worse their prose, in many cases.

I've always subscribed to the Pay it Forward mentality when it comes to aspiring writers, a trait I've learned is rare among my colleagues. Lately I've begun to see why they may be right and I may be wrong. Too often mediocre "talents" attempt to glom onto anyone they think they can learn from. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself; on the surface, it's a valid way of learning, especially when you haven't the slightest fucking clue what you're doing.

But what seems to eventually happen in some cases is that eager beaver turns into a shark seeking blood in order to validate itself. When that happens, they put me in the mind of the hired gun in "The Outlaw Josey Wales" who prompted the title character to remark that "dyin' ain't much of a livin'." In other words, they seem to need to tear down the one who's doing what they want so desperately to be perceived as doing because they've begun realizing maybe they're not going to do it after all.

It has happened in the distant and recent past and I've finally reached a point of zero tolerance.  But when someone tries to act like a bigshot with industry knowledge while still a neophyte and nobody checks them on it, my opening sentence becomes a prophecy well on its way to being fulfilled.

If it does, I won't be party to helping it along. I'm too busy writing and getting published and having people read my work to deal with that particular bullshit anymore. Latch onto someone else likes the ticks that you are~

An Example of the Editorial Process.

Hey, guess what, Children of the Internet? Rejection is not only a reality, it's also a necessity and, honest to goshness, it's okay and you'll survive to be rejected again. So, instead of immediately accusing editors of being evil gatekeepers trying to prevent new talent from being seen (in reality their job is the exact opposite) and running to Amazon's self-pub crutch, try accepting the feedback and fixing the submission's issues.

That's what old Chris does, and it often pays off nicely. I'll give you an example, assuming you're still reading at this point. eFiction recently rejected a story I sent them, but were kind enough to advise me the story had potential and they'd love to take a second look at it once I'd done a rewrite. They even provided a link to an online writers workshop via their site so I could have someone go through it!

If a writer is unwilling to take advantage of that kind of resource, he or she might as well start writing pamphlets. Below are some of the comments the editor who workshopped my short story sent me:

"Jesus, I am loving this story, but you are missing an awesome moment." 

"You have a few problem areas that need to be fixed, but this story is where it is at. Good on you... damn it, I love being wrong when something turns out so wicked."

"To tell you the truth... you do not need another book to help your story. Your story can hold its own without mentioning someone else's work... but I love how you are informing us of another writer. So, make me understand what I don't."
"Freaking loved it!"
"Christopher Nadeau,

You evil bastard you.

Your's is the third that I've workshopped in conjunction with efiction. The first two I couldn't make it halfway... story is very important to me - more so than grammar.

It was midnight when I got off my eight hour factory shift and it is 2am now. I've spent two hours and three 22 ounce Cheladas reading your story.

I am extremely impressed. You have some definite problem areas that need to be corrected and I have thrown in a few suggestions here and there.

I want to see this story in the October edition of efiction - it deserves to be there."

Frankly, his comments are more entertaining than my story! I've only included a few here but he sent me five separate emails. Naturally, not all responses will be so positive, but without this type of feedback you're basically singing in the shower when the house is empty and expecting people to consider you a professional singer~

On the Death of Intelligent Discourse.

Somewhere along the line, due in no small measure to the Internet and social networking, people got the mistaken notion that one shouldn't discuss a topic if one isn't on the "right side" of it. In this case, my comments on where I was when former Princess Diana's untimely but probably planned death occured in 1997.

In a sea of "I was so sad" replies, mine naturally stood out among a select few who were basically unaffected.

The exact question on this particular message board read as follows:

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Princess Diana's death.
Where were you when you found out she had been killed in the now infamous car crash?


My initial reply is below:

Dealing with my mother's death and not caring about this screwed up woman.


Here are some replies to my comment:

"Wow if you don't have anything nice to say then just move on! So many ugly, hateful people anymore!"

 

"@ Christopher --- sorry for your loss, ... been there done that!! ... BOTH parents.... but you don't have to be so cruel, and say ANYTHING then! .... >:("

 

I could handle the first one, no big deal. But the second one required a response, one I felt was diplomatic and in no way incendiary:

 

" Thank you. Sorry for yours too. I lost both parents before I was 30 so I also have been there, done that. To your second point, this is general deiscussion board asking people what they were doing. Not all responses need to be of the 'OMG I was so bummed"'category. Many of us didn't care for or about Diana and our views are just as valid."

 

You'll notice I not only acknowledged her acknowlegement but expressed my condolences as well, despite my resentment of people who think they're the only ones who've lost both parents. Her reply is below:

 

"@ Christopher!! .... THEN .... YOU DON'T NEED TO SAY ................ ANYTHING!!! ... shut! up!! ... and LEAVE the subject moron!! ... jeeeez!"

 

Gloves off at this point, I replied:

 

"I thanked you for what you wrote to me and expressed sympathy for your loss and your response is to call me a moron? You're a classless imbecile with no concept of intelligent discussion and no longer worth my time or the oxygen a tree could use. To hell with you and your narrow-minded stupidity."

 

No response came to that one. I could've been a lot ruder than I was, but I realize these people are like boils on the ass of humanity; symptoms of a greater disease.

POST#300! My Latest Novel.

I swore I wasn't going to post anything on here that wasn't a big news item since the very next post available to me was a landmark number 300. As it turned out, I only had to wait a few days after my previous post to receive something worthy, namely a first look at the cover of the next "Infinity's Core" novel, due out in September!

The cover is below. I love how it incorporates elements of the first book but establishes itself as something very different, which is exactly how I feel about the novel itself. Take a look:

More updates as they come in~



Order the first book in the trilogy here.

Uncle Mike.

My Uncle Mike, who unfortunately moved to Georgia a few years ago has been struggling with cancer recently. He says he's in recovery and planning to move out of the Confederacy and back to Michigan and soon as he's able.

He was always my favorite Uncle, the "cool" one whose own creative output was phenomenal. He, along with my other uncle, worked as a professional musician in the Sixties for Motown until they went to California. Uncle Mike stuck with it but some things in his personal life prevented him from going all the way. One night while sitting in his car, my Uncle Mike told a 15-year old me not to ever give up on my creative choice. I won't tell you why he told me this because it isn't for me to say, but he made me swear to him I never would.

Uncle Mike is now one of my most devoted readers. That means a lot considering my parents died before I was published and he was a very influential male figure in my early years. Because he is still recovering from cancer and because he refuses to get a computer, I have started mailing him copies of stories I've had published.

Recently, I sent him a text message advising I was about to send another one and received the following reply:

GREAT! It sure fills a void! By the way, I don't know if I told you, But I'm very proud of U!

I have no words~

An Example of a Class Act.

The following is an email I received from one of the editors of an anthology that rejected a story of mine. The story has since been accepted elsewhere. I was most impressed with the sincere follow-up:

Dear Dark Faith 2 Submitter,

After I wrapped up work on the original Dark Faith anthology, I wrote a note to all the writers that took the time to send me a story. Now that the second volume is headed to the printers, I can take a moment to say thank you. Whether you wrote a story specifically for us or already had one on hand, Maurice and I appreciate both your interest in our anthology and the time and energy you put into your work.

If you’re interested in a peek behind the scenes, I wrote a blog post on the process of making Dark Faith 2. It includes a breakdown of the number and type of submissions, the process we went through to get to a final table of contents, and an analysis of the stories we accepted.
We suffered from an embarrassment of riches when it came to this book and had to pass on far too many terrific stories. To that end, I asked the publisher if there was any way we could offer you a discount on the new book. I’m happy to say Apex agreed to give submitters a 20% discount and free shipping on preorders. So if you’re interested in picking it up, follow this link to the Apex store and enter the discount code:  (Code removed for obviously reasons)
Thanks again for your submission. I hope you’ll consider sending us more stories in the future.
Best,
Jerry Gordon
Co-editor, Dark Faith Invocations

She said it, I Didn't!

				A Feast of Frights from the Horror Zine Price: $4.99 Availability: Auto-delivered wirelessly		196 used & new from $4.84
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful exceptional quality of the stories, April 21, 2012 This review is from: A Feast of Frights from the Horror Zine (Kindle Edition) I was so pleasantly surprised by the exceptional quality of the stories included in this collection. The scary, scary ideas were rich in quality and uniqueness. This book also includes lots of commentary, interviews with famous authors, articles, poems and artwork. There is really something for everyone, as long as you like horror! Some of the work is reprints, but most is original. Joe McKinney is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. All his writings are chilling and smart. Joe R. Lansdale is also so incredible. I like a lot Jeff Strand and Ed Gorman and others. Oh, the book is a good mix of best-selling authors and young authors, too. There are many in this book that are new writers to watch for success. Eric J. Guignard is really amazing and also Christian A. Larsen and Christopher Nadeau and Taylor Grant.

Quote of the Week.

"Free speech isn't about freedom from consequences. It's about a willingness to be held accountable for when you say stupid and ugly things. Your actions in the real world are not immune from consequences." 

                                      -David Gerrold, the man who gave the world Tribbles