It is my pleasure to share a guest post from author Brian Paone, who shares his...
Advice for writers
by
Brian Paone
-
My two pieces of advice for new or aspiring writers:
1) hire
a professional editor. Do not think you can edit your own novel (you can’t …
forest for the trees and all that). Also, do not think a friend of family
member (unless they ARE a professional editor) will do your book any justice
either. A poorly edited (or not edited at all) novel is a disservice to the
entire literary community and will most likely guarantee that you won’t have
any return readers on your next release.
2) Writing an engaging book is only
50% of your job as being a successful writer. The other 50% comes afterward:
marketing. I see so many novice writers think that just by putting their book
on Amazon, they can sit back and watch the sales come flying in. Then, six
month later, they are complaining in my writing group why they have only sold 3
copies, and 2 of them were to Uncle Bob and their parents. Marketing should
start early and happen on a consistent basis. At a minimum, do one thing a week
to get your book in front of potential reader’s eyes.
************************
by Brian Paone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Crime/Thriller Romantic Paranormal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Snapshot in the parking lot. Man and
woman embrace. Betrayal, I see it every day, like my own reflection in the
mirror staring back at me. Another case, another bottle of booze, life is no
longer a mystery to me …
… Because I’m the private eye, hot
on your trail; the top gun for hire. You’ll find me lurking in the shadows,
always searching for a clue. I’m the bulletproof detective. I got my eye on you
…
What’s a little sin under the
covers, what’s a little blood between lovers? What’s a little death to be
discovered, cold stiff body under the covers?
I’m digging you a desert grave,
underneath the burning sun. You won’t be found by anyone. Vultures circle in
the sky, and you, my dear, are the reason why.
… I was always easily influenced.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Smith
spit out another peanut shell onto his Chevy’s floorboard as his gaze stayed
trained on the Desert Palms Motel’s front entrance. His fingers instinctively
found the opened bag in the complete darkness and pinched another nut. He
squeezed his eyes closed to ward off the simmering residual headache from the
most recent blackout. The sound of the rain pelting the windshield was
soothing.
“Come
on. Where are you? You took the last two nights off. I can’t imagine you being
on vacation.”
Headlights
turning into the parking lot diverted his attention from the motel’s front
door. He squinted to decipher the make and model of the vehicle through the
downpour. A Bentley. He sighed and returned his focus to the motel as he
fingered the brim of his newly purchased replacement fedora and then tossed it
next to him in frustration.
Smith
removed his revolver from his shoulder holster and checked that all six
chambers were loaded for the umpteenth time. He secured the weapon and grabbed
the small notebook from underneath his discarded fedora, lying on the passenger
seat, where Wynn should be sitting. But she had maintained radio silence
throughout the past two days since storming from Hank’s office. He shook his
head in disgust for letting Wynn’s drama distract him from the job at hand.
He
swiped the Chevy’s dashboard with his palm to clean off the thick layer of dust
that had collected from months of neglect. He wiped his hands on his pants,
leaving a graying smear across the fabric covering his thighs. He reached into
his trench coat’s inner pocket and removed a silver flask. He opened the top
and looked at the engraved insignia on the front. His index finger traced the
shining eyeball hanging freely in the cut-out middle of a pyramid. Taking a
swig from the decorated flask, he grimaced as the brown liquid hit the back of
his throat.
Smith
retrieved the Polaroid from the dashboard and cleared his throat. “Let’s see
what tricks you’re playing on me now.” He flicked the corner of the photograph
as he sighed deeply in expected disappointment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Brian Paone was born and
raised in the Salem, Massachusetts area. Brian has, thus far, published four
novels: a memoir about being friends with a drug-addicted rock star, Dreams are Unfinished Thoughts; a macabre cerebral-horror novel, Welcome to Parkview; a
time-travel romance novel, Yours Truly, 2095, (which was nominated for a Hugo
Award, though it did not make the finalists); and a supernatural, crime-noir
detective novel, Moonlight City Drive. Along with his four novels, Brian has
published three short stories: Outside of Heaven, which is featured in the
anthology, A Matter of Words; The Whaler’s Dues, which is featured in the
anthology, A Journey of Words; and Anesthetize (or A Dream Played in Reverse
on Piano Keys), which is featured in the anthology, A Haunting of Words.
Brian
is also a vocalist and has released seven albums with his four bands: Yellow
#1, Drop Kick Jesus, The Grave Machine, and Transpose. He is married to a US
Naval Officer, and they have four children. Brian is also a police officer and
has been working in law enforcement since 2002. He is a self-proclaimed roller
coaster junkie, a New England Patriots fanatic, and his favorite color is burnt
orange. For more information on all his books and music, visit his website.
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