I have recently read duma key and needful things by stephen king. I currently have “it”, cuja, cell and the girl who loved tom gordon. I don’t know which of the 4 books to start with. At the moment duma key is definately my favourite. Also If you could reccommend any other of kings books as well as any vampire themed books that would be great thanks. tall order My apologies .

The best novels you’ve ever read—the ones that stuck in your mind and kept you going back to re-read them, that made you think, that made you feel, maybe that scared your socks off—were not about what they were about.

Sound cryptic? It is, sort of. Novels that change the way you look at the world were written by novelists who had things going on underneath that they were working through on paper. Angry divorces, fights at work, health problems, fears for their kids, rage at politics and injustice, fear of war, loss of loved ones—the whole gamut of human trials and tribulations.

Some of these novelists knew they were burying their struggles in their books, some didn’t. But while they were writing about running into elves in the deep woods or opening a door to find themselves looking down the barrel of a gun, they were telling two stories. The one you read, and the one they lived. While you were reading, you felt the second, hidden story. That’s why you keep going back to the book, and why you can’t get it out of your head. Your gut knows there’s more in that book than meets the eye.

Do you want to write books that keep readers reading, that keep them thinking, that let them look at the world through different eyes? Do you want to find the stories beneath the stories in your own work, and make sure you put them in there on purpose, instead of accidentally hitting one just right, and never again knowing how you got there?

This is doable. It’s not comfortable—few things worth doing ever are. But it is a repeatable process. And here’s where you start. Read each step below, and write down your answers.

STEP ONE:

Plato had it right when he said, “Know thyself.” You don’t get to have a starry-eyed vision of yourself as this nearly-perfect person if you’re going to write meaningful books. You have to dig deep.

* You have to figure out what YOU did wrong in every relationship that went south on you. (Innocent victimhood is worthless as a novel-writing perspective. You end up with passive main characters who do nothing, and books that bore readers to death. So accept the truth that you have been and done wrong in your life, and buy your characters some credibility.)

* You have to admit to moments when you lied, and not make excuses about why you did it.

* You have to recall the people you hurt.

* And admit the things you did that you should not have done.

* And face the things you did not do that you should have.

This is a no-excuses zone. You did what you did, you meant to do it, consequences resulted and those were your fault.

Is this process all negative? No. But you’ll already remember all your greatest moments; saving a life, sacrificing to help someone else, opening doors for old ladies, teaching Seeing Eye dogs for the blind. Those are great. And your readers will believe your characters do those things when, and only when, you have first proved that your characters are human. Humans are not perfect. We all know this about each other, even if we don’t like to admit it about ourselves. But we know a real character when we read one, and this is where you find real characters.

STEP TWO:

You’ve admitted who you are. Now discover who you need to be, what you need to have, and what you dread. Again, skip the Miss America “I want world peace and free healthcare and kittens and puppies for all the children in the world” routine. What do YOU want…for YOU? What do you NEED? Do you need to be loved and admired? Do you need to be rich, powerful, famous? Do you need to be safe? What drives you? What eats at you at night? What haunts your nightmares? When you look in the mirror and see something wrong, what is the first thing you fear? When you hear a bump in the attic, a scrap at the front door, what do you dread?

STEP THREE:

Who you are and what you need and fear are part of why you write. But writing fiction itself is a strange process that involves baring bits of you that you may not even realize you’re baring to complete strangers. It involves creating characters who are the best of what you have in you, and it involves, if you’re doing it right, creating characters who are the worst of what you have in you.

You are, while you’re writing, your characters. You have to believe in them for readers to believe in them, and you have to find it in yourself to make them do evil as well as good—to do the things you would do IF YOU WERE THEM—knowing that if you make your characters real enough, you’ll hit nerves, you’ll hear from the readers you’ve shocked or scared as well as from the ones you’ve moved to joy and tears. So, why do you want to do that? What’s in in for you?

When you’ve answered these questions, if you’ve answered them honestly, you have your themes. The things you had the hardest time admitting to, the hardest time writing down, the hardest time facing—those will be your best themes. Because if you can take characters built from your deepest flaws and your worst fears and bring them to transcendence, then, my friend, you will have written a book with a pulse—and a story that matters.

In BRING YOUR NOVEL TO LIFE Part III: Burying Your Novel’s Message, you’ll learn how to use the themes you’ve discovered without being preachy or obvious, and without writing a Message Book.

I am looking for some fantasy fiction novels (preferably trilogy) that have an adventurous main theme and also a little side romance along with it. Something like Eragon I guess, thanks.

For years I’ve heard complaints about a lack of Occult fiction portraying Witches realistically in a contemporary setting. And it’s true. As a Wiccan and novelist writing Occult fiction, I’m just as much a fan of the genre as any reader. However, I have found if you search carefully, there are dazzling gems awaiting discovery, novels that should be a part of your contemporary Occult fiction collection.

To find these novels I have narrowed my search criteria to dark urban fantasy novels set in contemporary times or in the near future. At least half the rituals, magick, or sorcery used by the main character must be based on real magickal principles. The main character must be human, and the plot not overshadowed by trendy leagues of vampires.

Having set those guidelines, I want to present my first recommendation for must-read Occult fiction. All I can say is if you’ve never read Lilith Saintcrow’s “Dante Valentine” series you are in for a treat!

Saintcrow is best known for her paranormal romance novels, the “Watcher” series, featuring elemental Witches and their handsome guardians. However, Dante Valentine was created from an entirely different cut of cloth!

There are five novels in the series. The first two, “Working for the Devil” and “Dead Man Rising” have already been published. The last three novels are scheduled for publication in 2007 and 2008.

Dante Valentine is a Neocromance, who works for lawyers, raising the spirits of the dead when wills come into question. She also takes a few bounty hunting jobs on the side to help pay her mortgage. “Danny” is a wise-cracking whirlwind of energy with a haunting past that won’t quit. Devoted to the Egyptian god Anubis, she entertains Pagan readers with plenty of rituals, spells, and magick.

The series takes place in the near future, as the plot races from one high to the next at lightning speed. This is contemporary Occult fiction at its finest, the kind of book you can’t put down until you finish it. And one you’ll still be thinking about months later.

Saintcrow is a master at creating memorable characters and deftly plotted novels. If you’ve been searching for awesome Occult fiction to add to your personal collection, this should be the first series on your list. You won’t be disappointed!

I’m a relatively new science fiction author and I’d like to know what kind of science fiction readers like to read currently. I have a time travel novella and an alternate history novel, so I’d like to find out from science fiction fans.

Product Description

On February 14th, Gabe Stone finds a living, breathing valentine on his doorstep. The tiny pink bundle of fleece appears to be his daughter, and her mother has given Gabe four hours to get to know his new baby. Four hours to adjust to fatherhood, resolve custody and win back his ex-wife?

After you’ve written your work, getting published is no doubt a elaborate task. Here are some constructive instructions that will help you write an award winning science fiction novel and publish it profitably.

Step 1: First Draft and Structure

A science fiction book should be structured in three portions: the opening, the middle, and the climax. Once you establish your story plot, you need to reinforce it with any required research. Afterward, you just have to outline your ideas on paper. High doses of imagination are the chief imperative for a triumphant science fiction novel.

Try to uplift your readers from the colorless blandness of ordinary routine life with your novel. Try to conserve suspense in each segment of the novel to make the story line consuming. Let the reader indulge in speculation over imponderable gripping situations. Sketch each segment of the story markedly.

Recognize with your work that good science fiction has believable elements. Science fiction takes current technology and builds upon it. If your ideas are too implausible or past average comprehension, your novel will not strike a chord with readers.

Step 2: Evaluation by Peers

Your initial draft needs to be criticized by several of your colleagues. They will assist not just as proof readers, but will aid you in identifying partial story lines, areas that are not believable, plots that aren’t believable, and characters that are too heroic. Science fiction is based on the suspension of disbelief, but disbelief can only be extended so far.

Online discussion groups like Critters.org provide helpful advice and appraisal. You can also attend your local library assessment workshop. Workshops permit you to get your book manuscript read by multiple people resulting in more extensive feedback. By permitting you the opportunity to review the stories of another, workshops aid you in honing your writing mettle.

Step 3: The Final Draft

After assessment by your peers, you need to edit your manuscript in order to tie up loose ends and remove the inconsistencies pointed out by your evaluators. Clear away the indistinct minutia and construct a final version that provides a firm narrative. If you are faced with a creativity block, it would be prudent to stash the novel on a shelf for a few days and engage yourself with something else. Once you are revitalized you can finish your novel with restored zeal. If major changes have been made to the novel, it should be reevaluated by your peers.

Step 4: Getting Published

There are a lot ways to locate a publisher for your novel. The first is to read science fiction trade publications. Publishers who openly accept submissions routinely advertise in these publications. A second possibility is to inquire with publishers directly. Look at a few of your cherished science fiction books and contact the editorial department. Request a copy of their submission guidelines and standards. It is most of the time best to do this by mail and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. In some instances, a publisher may have this information on their website.

When picking a publisher make sure they are writer friendly. They should have a track record of publicizing the writers and stories they publish.

Step 5: Critical Review

Get your novel critically reviewed before it is published. Give early review copies to authoritative critics. Then, right ahead of final publication, insert their reviews on the inside or back cover of your novel.

Giving the book to a critic who will pile profuse praise on it even if it is balderdash is not going to aid you in any way. You must have the book reviewed by an expert critic. A fair draft critique can save you from much future abasement. In addition, by getting your novel critiqued by a real critic, you’ll secure some promotion from the organization the critic represents.

Conclusion

These easy but effectual guidelines will go a long way in helping you write and sell your science fiction novel. It is a long process and should not be hurried. In some cases writing, rewriting, and publishing a work can take numerous years. It depends on a good deal of persistence and determination. If you possess these qualities and a good deal of imagination you can travel a long way in the science fiction universe.

• ISBN13: 9781598530124
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
The raucous, exuberant, often wildly funny account of a journey through America and Mexico, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road instantly defined a generation upon its publication in 1957: it was, in the words of a New York Times reviewer, “the clearest and most important utterance yet made by the generation Kerouac himself named years ago as ‘beat.’” Written in the mode of ecstatic improvisation that Allen Ginsberg described as “spontaneous bop prosody,” Kerouac’s novel remains electrifying in its thirst for experience and its defiant rebuke of American conformity.

In his portrayal of the fervent relationship between the writer Sal Paradise and his outrageous, exasperating, and inimitable friend Dean Moriarty, Kerouac created one of the great friendships in American literature; and his rendering of the cities and highways and wildernesses that his characters restlessly explore are a hallucinatory travelogue of a nation he both mourns and celebrates. Now, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Kerouac’s landmark novel, The Library of America collects On the Road together with four other autobiographical “road books” published in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The Dharma Bums (1958), at once an exploration of Buddhist spirituality and an account of the Bay Area poetry scene, is notable for its thinly veiled portraits of Kerouac’s acquaintances, including Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and Kenneth Rexroth. The Subterraneans (1958) recounts a love affair set amid the bars and bohemian haunts of San Francisco. Tristessa (1960) is a melancholy novella describing a relationship with a prostitute in Mexico City. Lonesome Traveler (1960) collects travel essays that evoke journeys in Mexico and Europe, and concludes with an elegiac lament for the lost world of the American hobo. Also included in Road Novels are selections from Kerouac’s journal, which provide a fascinating perspective on his early impressions of material eventually incorporated into On the Road.

I like Harry Potter because everything fits together very well and you never know what’s gonna happen.
I also like so many mystery books because I love guessing whats happening next and being astounded.

What are some books simmilar to that?
I also like realistic fiction. I liked the Alice books and the Boys vs. Girls books when I was younger.
I want to start reading a lot more so any book would be great!