Donald J. Bingle December 2021 Newsletter |
|
|
Starbright by Donald J. Bingle Should you ever gaze at the silent stars above and they begin to blink off one by one by wondrous one, do not be alarmed. Have no fear. The twinkling light you perceive has traveled far from the past to reach you, to reach out to you, from hundreds, even millions or billions, of light-years away across an expanding universe. For the stars to extinguish light by lonely light as you watch would require a meticulous coordination of events on a cosmic scale over all of eternity. The gathering darkness would serve only to confirm there is a God and man is not only the center of the universe, but the focus of His abiding attention. |
|
|
Despite the fact that cards, envelopes, and postage cost much more, I've not had much success getting people to send my Christmas Carol Critique Collection tales as electronic holiday cards, but in case you are inclined to do so and want to start a tradition, remember that you don't have to send the entire collection at once. Each of my tales is available separately for just 99 cents each: Season's Critiquings; Merry Mark-Up; Holiday Workshopping; and Santa Clauses and Phrases. Ho, Ho, Ho! |
|
|
The holiday shopping season is upon us and all the experts are encouraging people to shop early because of supply chain issues. Of course, ebooks don't have those problems. But, whether you are shopping for my books, someone else's books, or any of the two or ten bazillion other items sold on Amazon, please keep in mind that if you access Amazon through my Affiliate Link, I get a miniscule percentage of your purchase at no cost to you. It's a way to support independent authors even when you are just doing your regular, non-literary shopping. Go ahead and shop right now; I'll wait. |
|
|
| | True Confessions: I Am Not The World's Best Writer (a blog from July 2014) There's no M. Night Shyamalan twist here. I'm not the world's best writer. Duh. I know that. As this blog proves, I'm not the world's best writing marketer, either. I will never write and, truth be told, have no interest in writing The Great American Novel. For one thing, The Great American Novel would probably have to be all literary and serious, which are not my natural inclination. For another, such a product would probably require a type of fanatic dedication to writing that is beyond me. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't have an ego or that I don't work at my writing and do my best to improve it. I meet deadlines, try new things, read plenty, and do my best to polish my drafts until they are ready to see the light of day. It's just that I know where I stand in the order of things. I read some things by other authors and know that I could never write something as beautiful or complex or subtle or popular as they did. I also read things by other authors--even best-selling or highly-regarded authors--and know that I can (and sometimes have) written better than that. It's not that I'm not competitive. If you've ever played a board game, card game, or role-playing game with me, you know that I'm competitive. Heck, when I was playing in the RPGA's tournament circuit, I hated playing "no points" games, not so much because I needed or wanted the points, but because I believed (and still believe) that people don't try as hard or play as well in non-competitive situations. But, I've not arranged my writing to be optimally competitive in the marketplace. My writing is a smattering of output in a wide variety of scattered fields. I write in many different genres: thriller, scifi, fantasy, action-adventure, horror, steampunk, romance, mystery, comedy, memoir, essays, etc. All interesting, but mostly niche, non-mainstream, non-literary categories. I write a variety of lengths: shorts, short stories, novelettes, novellas, and novels. I write on spec and on deadline to a specific topic and word-count. Sure, I have a bit of a reputation for clever tales and have been accused of having a "signature dark humor" and I'm always pleased when one of my stories gets singled out in a review of an anthology in which it appeared and am happy when an editor seeks me out because they know I can write competently and quickly to help them meet their needs, but it's not like I've concentrated all of my artistic effort in one place. When my wife and I go to art fairs and art galleries, you can always tell the artists who are smart marketers. They're the ones who are the "fuzzy tree" artist or the "cartoon gremlin face" artist or whatever. Not me. I'm that guy who does a bunch of different things. And, all that diversity in my writing comes at a price. Being Writer on Demand TM may play well to harried editors, but it doesn't really define me for readers. And readers can't be faulted for always searching for the very, very best in the genre(s) they choose to read. And that's not going to be me. Why? I think, in part, because I am not a fanatic about much. (Moderation in all things, including moderation.) I have my interests and preferences, but I always know there is someone out there more interested, more knowledgeable, and more fanatical than I am. When I chat with my mundane, mostly non-genre-fiction-reading friends, they may think of me as well-versed in science fiction, but when I chat with my writing friends or my fellow convention attendees, I feel woefully inadequate in my knowledge of current and even classic authors and works in the field. Pick any historical event and there are plenty of people who know more about it than me. Pick any piece of popular culture and there are scads of fans more devoted and knowledgeable about it than me. Instead, I know a scattering of bizarre trivia and interesting facts about a wide variety of unrelated topics which can, if judiciously applied in the right context, make me seem smarter and more clever and knowledgeable about things than I am. And, with a little research, I can also find a few obscure, interesting facts or observations about whatever topic I need or want to be writing about at any given moment, tidbits which I can drop into the work to give it an aura of expertise. I can't tell you how many times readers have asked me how I know about certain things in my spy novel or my scifi or time travel writing and been generally perplexed because, to me, it all is information I either picked up in the course of my mundane life or is simply the logical way something would be handled if a reasonably intelligent person thought about the issue/problem/task for a few minutes. Logical extrapolation is a critical skill for a writer. Not only what could happen, but what would realistically happen in response and reaction to an event at a variety of levels (personal, political, societal). Being able to see and understand different perspectives to most events (and issues) may make you a less lively and idealistic participant in political discussions and flame wars about the latest issues (trust me, I would be more tolerant of the views expressed by my various social network friends if there was any evidence they thought about the subtleties and complexities of the issues seriously, rather than just regurgitating some piece of propaganda or name-calling), but it can be a blessing when writing realistic characters caught in conflict. So, don't be surprised when I continue to come out with various pieces of writing which range far afield in genre, tone, and length. They may not be clever pieces in some grand marketing scheme, but in some way they are all pieces of me (whether or not they reflect my personal views or point of view on any particular subject). Check out the various published pieces of me at www.donaldjbingle.com. Aloha, Don | | |
|
| | The Future of this Newsletter The article just before this one talks about how I'm not the world's best writer. This one is about how I am apparently the world's worst marketer. This newsletter has been coming out on a regular basis for more than two years. And, while I've upped the number of subscribers from a few dozen to around seven hundred, I'm coming to the conclusion that it is simply not worth the time and effort put into it. Sure, I've re-used some old content from my earlier blogs (which few people read), and many of the promos come with pre-packaged pictures and links, but putting a newsletter together does take a fair amount of time and effort. Formatting, checking links, uploading pictures, downloading subscriber lists, etc. Yes, I'm retired and have a pretty flexible schedule, so it is easy to say that I have the time, but the real question is whether this whole process is worth the time. The truth is that the newsletter (and the blog before it) just don't seem to generate any sales of my books and stories ... or even any indirect sales that I can track. Of course, neither do my various other marketing efforts, from stories on The Infinite Bard and Simily.co, to Amazon ads, book release tours, social media posts, public readings, or book promotion ads (with the exception, perhaps, of BookBub, but you can only get a promo there sporadically and only with a large price discount for the book involved). Conventions and book fairs are fine, but given the time and expense involved, they are not really big positive cash generators. And, when I do sell some books, not that many of my readers post reviews, so I'm not generating the kind of interest that will cause Amazon or other online readers to promote me for their own benefit. In some ways, this is whole writer thing is an academic exercise. I don't live--I couldn't possibly afford to live--off my income from being a writer. And, I'm not one of those people who just has to write. I just feel like a chump for putting so much time into researching and writing and re-writing and editing and looking for markets and reading and signing contracts and promoting and trying to sell my stuff and not really seeing any return (emotional or financial) on that investment. Yes, I know I'm venting ... or, more accurately, whining. And, I don't really like to whine (except when playing board games), but I've been mulling over this a bit lately and, well, it is the season for mulled wines/whines. What's all of this 'woe is me' introspection and analysis mean? It means that future issues of this newsletter are likely to be more infrequent. There will be a January newsletter, but it may be a couple months til the next after that. My books and stories will still be out there and I'll still try to do things to promote them from time to time. I may even write more. But, you can only keep doing things that don't seem to work for so long before you need to stop and try something else ... or just go take a nap or read a book. You see, reading is a lot less work than writing ... and it pays about the same. Napping, too. Holiday Traditions When I was quite young, my parents would often vacation over Christmas by driving down to Treasure Island, Florida, and getting a room at a beachfront (Gulf of Mexico) motel. Sure, it meant doing the whole Christmas packages thing early, before we left, but it also made for a nice winter vacation in a warm, sunny place. Good things included searching for sand dollars with our toes out on a sandbar in the Gulf, playing in the motel pool, and buying Wink soda pop from the vending machine (most especially the year the machine started giving 35 cents in change when you put in a quarter for the 15 cent bottle of pop--my sister and I racked up a case of Wink and several dollars before my mom caught on to what we were doing). Bad things included the time most everyone in the family got way too much sunburn and the drive home one year when my dad listened to the same static-permeated headlines repeating every six minutes from Atlanta, Georgia to the Chicago suburbs on Chicago's AM NewsRadio 78. One of the especially cool things was that there was another family who stayed at the same motel most years. Don't know their names and I don't think they had kids--at least none with them. But every Christmas morning, he would get fifty--one time, a hundred--dollars worth of change and toss it into the swimming pool right before it opened on Christmas morning. Then, at the stroke of 9 a.m. or whatever, someone from the motel would blow a whistle and all of the kids staying at the motel would jump in the pool and dive down to the bottom to collect the coins. You could snarf up coins one by one in the shallow end or dive down to the drain in the ten-foot-deep section off the diving board and scoop up a handful of coins at a time. Awesome. Another one of those things that you could never do today without someone worrying about liability. Sigh. Don't know who these people were, but they were generous to complete strangers and provided a bunch of kids a fun time, just out of the kindness of their hearts. So, with the holidays upon us, I just wanted to thank the mysterious guy at the pool at the motel where my sister and I spent quite a few Christmases for understanding and passing on the spirit of Christmas to complete strangers. I encourage you all to go do the same. Acts of random kindness do more than you will ever know. Happy Holidays, Don Photo Credit Thanks to Chuck Bennorth for the photos of me, above, both taken at Waterline Writers events. | | |
|
|
Find out what happens when a couple’s dream home turns into the place they can’t wait to escape in this horror story! Clive and Adrien Done are eager to start their lives together. When they purchase an old, dilapidated home for a steal, they’re cautiously optimistic they’ll be able to restore it to its old glory. But on their first official night in the home, their optimism turns to terror. The previous owners failed to disclose the home’s dark history and the even more disturbing truths about former occupant, Albert Knewl. When day turns to night and night turns to living nightmare, the couple faces unspeakable fear and a formidable sadistic ghost who hasn’t yet lost his appetite for torturing others. See what other readers are saying: "Wow! What a buzz! The speculation of the townsfolk in regards to Albert Knewl allows you to add your own, which in turn adds to the creepiness of the story." - Goodreads Review |
|
|
What would you do if you knew that, for one night only, you couldn't lose?
On a chilly Christmas Eve in Las Vegas, jaded barfly and good-time-girl Mercy encounters a handsome stranger who claims just that. Incredulous (and fairly sure he's lying to try to take advantage), she agrees to go along with the hustle. It's not like she has anything better to do.
But then he starts winning...and he doesn't stop. Intoxicated by this rare taste of victory, Mercy joins him for a romp down the Las Vegas Strip where every hand is a winner and the chips rain down. But every hot streak has to end somewhere. For Mercy and the enigmatic Mr. Lucky, it's an ending that will change their lives forever. |
|
|
The stakes are high: a career on the line and nuclear secrets up for grabs...
Karl Gruben, a junior Mossad agent, is thrust into a last-minute clandestine operation, his first assignment as a team leader: kidnap a runaway Iranian nuclear scientist. Dr. Vahan Nafisi witnessed the brutal murder of colleagues, barely escaping with his life—and secrets to nuclear supremacy—to America.
Gruben must secret a freshly formed team of hard-edged agents into the U.S. but his own inexperience, bad intel, and technical difficulties plunge them into a dangerous labyrinth of disasters. As he pursues the wily Dr. Nafisi, Gruben collides with a web of other international espionage agencies all bent on nabbing—or killing—the scientist.
Can the Mossad capture Nafisi in time? If the Iranian thugs hell-bent on returning the doctor to their labs get to him first, nuclear secrets will thrust the world into imminent peril. Karl Gruben must pull his team together, zero in on their quarry, and keep the whole thing a secret from American authorities in a race against time to save his career, the lives of his team, and protect humanity. |
|
|
Explosions, Action, Spycraft, Intrigue, Conspiracies, Family Strife, Adventure, More Explosions! Dick Thornby is not Hollywood's idea of a spy. He's got a wife, a kid, a mortgage, and a boss who thinks he's too fond of explosives. NET IMPACT Read the Opening for Free. Available in Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Print, and Audible Versions. Dick Thornby is not Hollywood's idea of a spy. In his rough and tumble job there are no tailored Italian suits, no bimbos eager to please, and no massive underground fortresses built by evil overlords seeking world domination—just an endless series of sinister threats to the safety and security of the billions of mundane citizens of the planet. Sure, Dick's tough and he knows a few tricks to help him get out of a tight spot, even if his boss accuses him of over-reliance on explosives. But he's also got a mortgage, a wife upset by his frequent absences on "business" trips, and an increasingly alienated teen-age son who spends way too much time playing in gaming worlds on the computer. When a mission to bust up an arms exchange in New Zealand goes spectacularly bad, Dick is thrown into a maze of conflict involving Hong Kong arms dealers, cyber-criminals, Chinese government goons, and even militant Maoris. When a young computer expert back at the Philadelphia headquarters for The Subsidiary, an international espionage agency created in the aftermath of 9/11, discovers that the bad guys are involved in a vast conspiracy, Dick is forced to partner with the espionage neophyte to battle evil on multiple fronts, leading to a final confrontation that incorporates real-world conspiracy theories and cutting-edge technology. In the end, Dick can save his partner, save his marriage, save his son, or save the world, but he can't do it all. Says Game Knight Reviews: "This is a spy novel that intersects with the world of MMORPGs and combines a set of topics I haven’t seen before. It is a bit of The DaVinci Code with some James Bond and a modern virtual reality spin ... Looking for a modern spy novel to sink your teeth into? Net Impact is a great way to while away some time." Want to continue the action? Look for Wet Work, then Flash Drive, the next two adventures in the Dick Thornby Thriller series by Donald J. Bingle. |
|
|
Donald J. Bingle is the author of seven books and more than sixty shorter works in the horror, thriller, science fiction, mystery, fantasy, steampunk, romance, comedy, and memoir genres. His books include Forced Conversion (near future military scifi), GREENSWORD (darkly comedic eco-thriller), Frame Shop (murder in a suburban writers' group), and the Dick Thornby spy thriller series (Net Impact, Wet Work, and Flash Drive). He also co-authored (with Jean Rabe) The Love-Haight Case Files series (a three-time Silver Falchion winning paranormal urban fantasy about two lawyers who represent the legal rights of supernatural creatures in a magic-filled San Francisco; Book 2 just came out). Don also edited Familiar Spirits (an anthology of ghost stories). Many of Don's shorter works can be found in his Writer on Demand TM collections. Get the audiobook version of Net Impact at Audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes and the audiobook version of Wet Work at Audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes. Full disclosure: Various links in my newsletter or on my website may include Amazon Affiliate coding, which gets me a small referral fee (at no cost to you) if you purchase after clicking through. |
|
|
|
|