All We Used To Know

I have long been a fan of Alicia Witt's music. Many people know her as an actor; but it's her music that I am fascinated with. And yes, she started her acting career in 1984 as a child actress in the movie Dune. Her television and movie credits are almost too numerous to mention with some of the TV spots alone including Friday Night Lights, Cybill, Twin Peaks and The Walking Dead.

The first time in more recent memory that I recall paying attention to Alicia was when she appeared, on perhaps half a dozen episodes of Law and Order as Detective Nola Falacci, the temporary partner of Mike Logan (played by Chris Noth) in the mid aughts.

It was a couple of years after that, I think, that I somehow stumbled upon her cover version of Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al. Simon's Graceland is among my all-time favourite albums, and Witt's piano-forward stylistic rendition of the song made me sit up and take notice. I wanted to know who that was; and when I saw, I recognized her from Law & Order.

Alicia Witt in a still from her "Anyway" music video

At that point, I started to check out the self-titled album the song came from, bought it on iTunes and fell in love with the powerful song Anyway. (Her talent as an actress helps with the dramatic presentation of that video as well)

Since then I have been following along and purchasing all of her music. She is a fave of so many of the indie musicians that I adore.

Her song "I'm Not Ready for Christmas" which she wrote to accompany a Hallmark Christmas Romantic Comedy of the same name that she starred in, is among my favourite Christmas songs. (And not just because of lines such as "I don't give a sh*t how many shopping days are left" and "I need a f*cking holiday" - BTW, here's the "radio safe" version of that song if the explicit version is too much for your sensitive ears)

And not all that long ago, when I saw she was launching a Kickstarter for her 15,000 Days EP project, I knew I wanted to be among the fans who contributed to helping make it happen. (15,000 Days was a reference to her age at the time of initially planning and recording the album)

It has been exciting watching Witt in the lead up, the process and the forthcoming EP release, particularly since, as a Kickstarter supporter, I've had the pleasure of regular updates on how it was working. It was so fun to get a behind-the-scenes look.

A few weeks ago, the first single, "Younger" was released. And just yesterday, the official music video was released.

The song itself is a beautiful one and alludes to the incredible power, adventurousness and spirit of youth. Something that we all either lose, or allow ourselves to let go as we embrace the restrictions and cages and chains that apparently come with maturity. I have listened to it multiple times and I do quite love the song.

And then the video was released. And the video, directed by Paula Kay Hornick, adds in a heart-warming lifelong love story visual that brings out a unique flavour to the song. It opens with the brilliant magic of imagination and youth, which, on its own is pure and delightful, but then, as the video moves along, you see these children who have grown up, have married, had children, and have lost that magic they once had.

As the song and the story ends, I will admit to shedding a tear of happiness at the beautiful story, and I marveled at how, though I had already thought the world of the song, that the video could allow me to re-appreciate it on a whole new level.

Compilation of images from video for "Younger"

The song, written by Alicia Witt, Catt Gravitt and Tofer Brown includes these following amazing lyrics . . .

let's be honest
   it's not too late
to fade away
and disappear into the stars
  above the noise
and rise the silence like a wave
you have the choice to
     reveal the quiet that you're hiding in your voice

let's take the world and discover
all we used to know.... I
wanna find a way to the wonder, like
when we were younger

It is a great look at the importance of so many of the things that make our youth so magical, which include open-ness, acceptance, imagination and all that comes with that. Perhaps the reason I write speculative fiction is my desire to want to continue to capture and share that sense of wonder I first experienced when reading that type of fiction in my youth.

Of course, part of the brilliance in this song isn't that it's "when we were young" but "when we were younger" - meaning it's never too late (which the song also says) for us to use any of our previous experiences, and not just the earliest ones, to learn and grow and reflect. After all, we always have that choice no matter how old we grow.


With these introspective lyrics that make one reflect back on the power and magic of our own pasts, with the beautiful accompanying music and the powerfully produced video, I have to say Kudos to the amazing collaboration of talent that made that happen.

And I can't wait for the rest of the EP's release and to enjoy more of Alicia Witt's incredible music.

Mining for Ghosts

Last week I was back in my home town of Levack, Ontario, helping my mom with painting a few rooms in her home. Because Alexander had a PD day off school, we managed to get up there earlier in the week so I could get the work done.

So when I was in town, I recorded a short video at Levack Mine, referencing a chapter from my book Spooky Sudbury. I did this as part of my ongoing #FreeFridayFrights weekly series of live Facebook videos where I either read a story (FICTION) or relay a true tale (NON-FICTION).

In the short video I recalled, mostly off the top of my head, the tale about an eerie encounter from the 1970s at the mine in Levack that I wrote about in a chapter called "Haunted Level 2650 at Levack Mine"

I was startled to find that, within just a few days of posting it, the video has already had more than 2,600 views. I also, of course, realized I had goofed up and used incorrect terminology when relaying the story. So, when I did the post-live video upload (where I add sound effects, graphics and other enhancements to the video, I thought it best to record an introductory apology for getting the terms wrong and then also a conclusion where I read part of that chapter to share the proper and more full story.

I have been doing the Free Friday Frights videos every week since April 6, 2018, but this one, by far, has been the most watched video of all. I was delighted to see how many folks from my home town area commented, shared and then re-shared the video.

It reminds me of an old adage that my friend, fellow author Robert J. Sawyer said years ago and which stuck with me. He said it was important, when marketing yourself as an author, to define yourself as a big fish in a small pool.

The idea is that, as a writer of thrillers, horror and ghost stories, if I compare myself to Stephen King, I barely make it onto the radar. But if I compare myself to all the other thriller, horror and ghost story writers in the Sudbury area, at least I rank a spot on the charts. (There actually are a few authors who write those same things, but at least my presence, compared to them, is a lot more even than my comparison to Stephen King)

I find it fascinating that my largest success from writing always related back to my home town. When I launched my first book, One Hand Screaming there in 2004, there was a line-up of people, the newspapers and radio featured the release. And then, of course, in 2013, when Spooky Sudbury was released, the support from local media and the local public was truly overwhelming. Jenny and I sold out at both the Chapters and the Coles on the day of our book launch, and the following day, I spent 8 hours at the local Costco and sold most of a skid of books.

And, reflecting back on the comparison to Stephen King, it was awesome to see that, at least in one city in one afternoon in one store, I outsold the master of horror. (Of course, I was there signing copies, and he wasn't. Let's ignore the fact that, if King had been there signing copies of his book the only thing people might be looking at me for would be directions to the restrooms or where to find more copies of his books, because the skid sold out yet again. But best NOT to focus on that.)

Sales on that particular title continue to dominate my annual royalties, even though the local population of the City of Great Sudbury (about 165,000) is far smaller than the cities of Hamilton (550,000) and Ottawa (950,000) where a couple of my other books are set. A smaller community seems to take much more pride either in celebrating the accomplishments of a home town boy, or wanting to read about their home town itself.

For writers, the lesson is important. Focusing on defining a smaller and more focused target audience seems to be a consistent key for larger success.

Cashing In On Creativity

I was recently a guest on the Cashing In On Creativity Podcast, hosted by Bruce Outridge, a speaker, cartoonist, podcaster and writer that I met through CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers).

I was in Episode 80: Haunted Tales with Mark Leslie

In the interview, I talk about my passion for sharing ghostly tales, ring ghostly tales, strategies on how to pitch to a publisher, how that is similar to identifying your target audience when self-publishing, how I believe in ghosts but not in writer's block, the joys of visiting bars and breweries and the friends made there, and more.

It was a great chat with a great guy.

Because we 1) Enjoy craft beer and 2) Adore efficiency, Bruce and I met for lunch in a great Hamilton bar called The Ship, had lunch and then took turns interviewing one another for our respective podcasts.

For those who are interested in learning more about Bruce, I interviewed him on my Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Podcast for Episode 19.

Pete's Blog & Grille: Top 10 Iris Cat FAQs.

I have to share this.

I've been reading and laughing about this amazing series of signs. Too funny.

A couple of recent examples . . .

Here is Peter's FAQ about it:

Pete's Blog & Grille: Top 10 Iris Cat FAQs.: A PEEK BEHIND THE SIGNS Instead of a regular card this past Valentine's Day, I bought my wife Helena an electric sign. It went on th...

Great review of Unexpected Strangers

Because I missed getting my stories out into the world, I started collecting a few of them in small themed packs of work under the "Nocturnal Screams" banner.

Each of the mini-books in the "Nocturnal Screams" series has between 12,000 to 16,000 words of stories (usually three tales), along with the "behind the story" notes - something I enjoy reading myself in other authors' works and have received compliments about in the past.

While I normally enjoy seeing that one of my books has been reviewed (social proof is great), I tend to not put a lot of stock into them (other than that it is important to have reviews). Reviews mean that people are actually reading the books. The reason I try not to focus on reviews is I find that many reviews are vague little "it was okay" with two or three stars, and if you start taking those things to heart, you'll drown in writerly self-doubt. And writers have more than their share of that.

And if you pay too much attention to one star reviews, well, that's a death knell. Not every book is for everyone, and, rather than take those to heart, I usually just have to consign myself to the understanding that I or my publisher or a bookseller (or however it happened), did something wrong to get the book into the absolute WRONG reader's hands. IE, the targeting was somehow off and the wrong person (ie, NOT the ideal reader) picked it up and had a bad experience with it.

In any case, reviews are necessary, but not something one should focus on.

Heck, if I get just a handful of three or four star reviews, I consider myself blessed.

But this morning I woke to find a wonderful four star review of a recently published collection called Unexpected Strangers. Volume 5 in my Nocturnal Screams series. And I couldn't help but bask just a little bit in that.

This in depth and well-thought out review from Silver Screen Videos is quite complimentary, while recognizing imperfections, etc. was six full paragraphs.

Here are some excellent pull-quotes from it:

In addition to the three short stories in “Unexpected Strangers,” author Leslie provides several pages of “behind the scenes” material. For each story, he describes how he came to write it, including a description of his creative thought processes in detail, as the three stories gradually took shape from rudimentary early ideas. For anyone who is interested in possibly becoming a writer, or in the writing process itself, this extra material is a solid companion piece to the stories themselves.

. . . and also this . . .

All three are well constructed, well written, and quite entertaining. Further, most people will probably be able to finish all three stories, with bonus material, over the course of a lunch hour. And, while it didn’t bother me that none of the stories were really scary in any sense, that shouldn’t deter anyone who likes either horror or suspense fiction. You will probably find that “Unexpected Strangers” makes for unexpectedly good reading.

Of course, one of my favourite lines from the review is this delightful compliment about the story "Captive Audience."

The author contends that his stories are reminiscent of old “Twilight Zone” episodes, but this one could more easily have come from the pages of “Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine,” and I mean that as quite a compliment.

For those who aren't familiar, Hitchcock is, and has long been one of the most prestigious thriller/mystery/dark fiction magazines available.


And, for the sake of 100% transparency, so you can read, the good, the bad and the ugly, (the reviewer does a great job of calling out things that they don't like about some of the writing - all quite valid points that I can appreciate - here is a link to the item page where you can read the full review.

If you're curious to check out the first in the Nocturnal Screams series, Night Cries (pictured below) is free on all major retail platforms.

My Evil Reaction To LAUREL vs YANNY

I'm not sure where that dark part of my imagination comes from.

But ever since I have been writing, my mind regularly turns to the shadows, pulls something either darkly humorous or perhaps just dark in general.

Below are two examples.

During the recent LAUREL vs YANNY audio debates (where, based on a released file, some people hear "Laurel" and other people hear "Yanny") I had two different, yet somewhat similar reactions.

One was dark humour.

The other was just dark and a bit mean and evil.

Depending on your own preferred poison, I present, for you, a choice from two videos that display how my twisted mind works.

Here is the dark humor one:

 

And here is the more evil one:

You may not want to watch either one.

As I said, I can be twisted. 

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Talk at Kitchener Public Library: Success in Self Publishing

[UPDATE:  This event has been cancelled in May and re-scheduled to later in the year]

I'll be giving a talk at the Kitchener Public Library in a few weeks.

It's called SUCCESS IN SELF PUBLISHING and it'll run Saturday May 26th from 10 AM until Noon.

I love being able to share with writers the fact that they have more choice, more options and more control over their writing journey than ever before. Yes, I embrace and celebrate self-publishing and I enjoy reminding authors of just how empowered they can be; but I'm also cautiously optimistic in my approach and also like to ensure writers recognize that there's no single path for success, just like there are multiple publishing paths that a single author can take.

After all, I have made conscious business-driven decisions to embrace both self-publishing and traditional publishing for different book projects.

During the two hour session, we'll take a look at some common themes and patterns that successful self-published, hybrid and traditionally published authors have in common. We'll explore how authors can get started, strategies for optimizing your author brand, the importance of understanding the business of writing and publishing and much more.

[VIDEO REMOVED]

Below is a description from the website where you can register for one of the limited spots available: Register here


With Mark Leslie Lefebvre and Natalie Gibbons, Manager Collections KPL, and Rob Dawson, Georgetown Publications

Your writing is great, but where are you going to publish? Join industry professional Mark Leslie Lefebvre for top tips to self-publishing success. Under the name Mark Leslie, he’s published more than a dozen books, including fiction paranormal explorations for Dundurn. He has worked in every type of bookstore and has thrived on innovation in digital publishing. Mark also worked for six years as the Director of Self-Publishing and Author Relations for Kobo where he was the driving force behind the creation of Kobo Writing Life, a free and easy to use author/small-publisher friendly platform.

Following this event, meet with other writers in a reception room.

Registration required

How To Annoy a Science-Fiction Nerd Today

It is May the 4th! Star Wars day!

May the 4th be with you!

Of course, if you like to have a little fun, either in an attempt to annoy science-fiction nerds or perhaps just to throw a little confusion into the mix, you can share one of the many silly memes that involve mixing memes or confusing popular quotes from a variety of sources. And, of course, providing fictional attribution at the same time.

Here's one I was toying with earlier today.

 

If I counted correctly, I think this visual meme refers to thirteen different movies or television shows. I suppose I could have tried to add more, but I was already getting dizzy. Can you name the thirteen that I referenced?

Tell Me About The Early Days of Self-Publishing, George

The other day, while putting together material for my forthcoming Free Friday Frights, I was looking into the origin of the chapbook Active Reader that I had initially created in print.

It led back to 2008 when I had purchased an Espresso Book Machine for the then-bookstore at McMaster University which had been called Titles Bookstore, and we launched a "Titles on Demand" business using a large print-on-demand machine from On Demand Books.

We were the 2nd location in Canada and the 9th in the world to own an Espresso Book Machine. Exciting times.

And, of course, it was the early days of what was about to become the large self-publishing "Gold Rush" of 2011 / 2012. (To be honest, we're still in the early days of self-publishing, as, each year, thousands of more authors learn about the amazing possibilities of what they can do related to selling eBooks globally)

An article from the Dec 2008 McMaster Times

It was my work helping local authors who were interested in print (POD) self-publishing that eventually led me to my role as Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations at Kobo. Because, as amazing as the machine and having print-on-demand access was, I was still running into the issue of people in countries on the other side of the globe wanting access to locally produced books. So I helped the authors create eBook versions to load to Kindle and Kobo, so we didn't have to worry about shipping costs or logistics.

Pic from Hamilton Spectator article - The EBM, Donna (Bookstore Director) & me

Because the machine required a lot of testing; and, particularly in the early days of the machine, we were doing dozens of tours and demonstrations of it, we needed to create some smaller books so that we could go through the demonstrations quickly (also, without using a ton of paper - ie, printing a 300 page book). So I created a chapbook of about 50 pages that contained three of my previously published short stories. It was easier to use one of my own pieces of writing that I had the rights to than to worry about violating some sort of copyright.

I called the chapbook Active Reader: And Other Cautionary Tales from the Book World.

Of course, once I moved from McMaster to Kobo, and needed to have files to test the eBook self-publishing system (Kobo Writing Life) I had been responsible for creating there, I converted the book into eBook format.

 And, in mid 2017, I then had the book converted into audiobook format using Findaway Voices.
 

It was interesting how, when doing a book in print, you needed to have a minimum page count in order for the book to be properly bound using certain binding technologies. (For POD, I think the minimum page count that worked well might be somewhere between 30 and 40 pages). The maximum page count for an Espresso Book Machine was somewhere in the 550 to 600 page range. Of course, for ebooks, there's no minimum and no limit. As I have enjoyed sharing when talking to audiences who aren't familiar with ebooks, "you aren't limited to the standard format of 300 pages bound between two pieces of cloth."

Funny to look back about ten years ago and see what I had been up to.

Remembering how cutting-edge this POD machine in a bookstore was, I was only beginning to understand the power of digital publishing.

Who would have guessed what these past ten years have actually entailed?

In many ways it feels like only a few years have passed since I was cranking out POD books at the bookstore at McMaster and sharing the possibilities of that brave new world with anyone who would listen; in other ways, it feels like at least twenty years ago.