Charles Philipp Martin’s NEON PANIC signing at THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP

Charles Philipp Martin outside the bookshop-- Photo Courtesy of NEON PANIC's Facebook Page

On Friday, December 9th, THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP hosted a meet and greet with west coast-based author Charles Philipp Martin, in celebration of his new debut novel NEON PANIC.

The quaint MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP–located in downtown Manhattan–was the perfect setting on a cold winter night for the small but lively crowd who, while munching on personalized NEON PANIC fortune cookies provided, came prepared with their burning questions for the author. Such queries included the characters in the book, the author’s writing process, and Martin’s experience in Hong Kong. According to Martin, many of the characters were in fact inspired by actual people he met during his 17 year stay in the city (talk about doing your homework!). Martin claims to be a big advocate for having a structured outline, half joking that he wrote his first draft “before I knew what I was doing”. The both “mysterious” and”radiant” aspects of Hong Kong helped to inspire Martin in writing the novel–specifically, Hong Kong’s police force and the city’s penchant for crime–both in which Martin had first-hand experiences with during his stay.

Recently hailed by the SEATTLE TIMES as “ENGROSSING … evokes the fizzy chaos of modern Hong Kong,” NEON PANIC is a smart, suspenseful and ultimately shocking murder mystery centered around the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra. With a setting this corrupt and a mystery this complex…everyone is a suspect and no one is safe.

If you’re still in need of a great novel of suspense to cozy up with this winter season, check out the NEON PANIC website for more information on how to order your own copy.

Last-Minute Holiday Giveaway! Stress Less: Let US Pick the Book for YOU

In the spirit of last-minute gift-shopping, VANTAGE POINT BOOKS is hosting a quickie giveaway to help you cross off that one last person on your list. Be it for your impossible-to-shop-for crazy aunt, or your office Secret Santa, or maybe just the perfect stocking stuffer for your loved one–you tell us the situation which has you stumped, and our experts will send you a SIGNED copy of the perfect VANTAGE POINT match just in time for Christmas. With authors like Michael Musto, Rexanne Becnel, Seth Rudetsky, and more, any book will be sure to delight!

THE CONTEST

From Monday, Dec 12-Tuesday, Dec 20, 2011, Vantage Point Books will be looking for you to send us descriptions (via Twitter) of the type of person/situation that is leaving you at a loss for gift ideas. For example (in 140 characters or less):

“@pointbooks My friend loves to laugh but takes himself so seriously. Whats the perfect balance of funny & not too frivolous? #help”

How about a signed copy of Trashy Chic: A Bertie Mallowan Mystery by Cathy Lubenski, the murder mystery that T. Jefferson Parker describes as having “a perfect humor-to-heart ratio“?

OR

“@PointBooks All I know about my secret santa is she’s the office gossip, which makes me even more afraid of getting the wrong gift! #help”

Obviously, the best way to get on her good side is to stuff her stocking with a signed copy of Michael Musto’s Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back–just make sure to point out the cover blurb, where Joan Rivers calls him a genius!

We will then chose the winner through a random drawing, and alert them of their perfect book match, just in time for the holidays!

–

THE PRIZE
The winner of our drawing will win ONE (1) signed copy of a Vantage Point book of our choosing.

TO ENTER
To enter our drawing, you must simply be a follower of @pointbooks on Twitter and “tweet” your descriptions at us, using the hashtag #help (If you’re not using Twitter, you can sign up for a free account here.).

ELIGIBILITY
Offer open only to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. No groups, clubs, organizations or Vantage Press employees or contractors may participate. Limited to one entry per person and one entry per Twitter handle. Vantage Point Books is not responsible for lost, misrouted or garbled tweets or computer or network failure of any kind. Offer expires at noon EST on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

NOTIFICATION
Winner will be notified by direct message on Twitter, and asked to send a U.S. mailing address to which the prize will be shipped.

More Vantage Point NaNoWriMo Tips to Close out November!

We are barely awake from our Thanksgiving turkey-comas, and suddenly it is the last week of November! For all the aspiring authors participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), this most likely means a mad dash to finish their 50,000 word novels. To light that final spark, here are our final NaNoWriMo tips from Vantage Point Books’ authors–tips that we believe to be important advice to any new writer, any month of the year. Congratulations to everyone who has made it thus far!

Joseph Pittman, author of TILTING AT WINDMILLS, A CHRISTMAS WISH, LONDON FROG: A Todd Gleason Crime Series, and the upcoming Todd Gleason Crime novel, CALIFORNIA SCHEMING.

1.       Stay focused.  Figure out who your protagonists are and keep the book in their point of view.  Don’t go overboard by using all your characters POV—this can make for an unnecessarily long book, and can affect the pacing of the book.

2.       Before writing a chapter, figure out which characters will appear, what you wish to accomplish in the chapter in terms of plot lines and character reveals, and how all of this pushes your story along.

3.       Don’t go back and rewrite.  Write the book first, then go back and adjust.  You learn new things about your characters as you write, most likely things you never anticipated.  You can work any necessary details back into the text when you go over what you wrote.

4.       Have fun.  Some writers prefer to have a full outline at the start; but what’s the fun in that, knowing all the details ahead of time?  It’s amazing how your story can change when you allow yourself some flexibility.

5.       Read your dialogue aloud.  Your ear can tell better than your eyes, so when you speak your characters’ dialogue you’ll be able to tell if they sound authentic or not.

 

 

Nancy S. Kyme, author of debut novel MEMORY LAKE: The Forever Friendships of Summer, out now.

Here are some tips to streamline the creative process and elevate writing quality:

• Avoid beginning sentences with; Then, Suddenly, Afterward, or Next.  Think them, but do not write them.  Avoid multiple adjectives and linking ideas with ‘that’.  For example, do not write a sentence like this: “Suddenly, we found ourselves in that state of mind that always renders the newcomer dumbfounded by the chaotic, deafening, raucous activity that is inherent in any large city.”  Do write a sentence like this; “We were dumbfounded by the city’s chaotic activity.”

 

• Grammar is important.  Punctuation is important.  Consistency is even more important.  If you decide to place your character’s thoughts in italics, without quotation marks, carry this style throughout the entire work.

 

• Don’t believe in ‘writer’s block’.  If you are staring at a blank page, just put something down.  All first drafts are basically awful.  If you have some pages written and can’t get motivated to move forward, do some editing.  Check your grammar.  Choose more descriptive words.  Take a walk and think about it.  There is always some work you can do, even when you’re not in front of the computer.  Most likely if you are having trouble moving forward with the story, it is because you need to go back and fix something.  Read what you’ve already written and you will find something to expand on which will pave the way to moving forward.

 

• Most everything can be saved with some thoughtful editing and proper grammar.  Suppose you spent hours on a section and decided later it deserved to be scrapped.  Don’t hit delete immediately.  Be optimistic.  Perhaps it just needs to be moved to another place, attributed to a different character, or expanded, or trimmed.  Then again, sometimes a passage just needs to be deleted.

 

• Don’t micro-manage the physical activity of action scenes.  In other words, don’t assume your readers know what your characters are thinking.  Do assume they know how your characters are moving.   I once spent weeks, and pages, on two characters climbing a cliff.  Every foot placement, every hand hold, was painstakingly described.  It was a waste of my effort and theirs.  When the characters’ fears were described instead, and the action streamlined, the reader was allowed to imagine their own foot placements and hand holds.

 

• Having a plan B helps reduce stress when the deadline looms.  As a last resort, (only if a finely-crafted denouement absolutely eludes you,) remember this plot device:

DEUS EX MACHINA: a person or thing (as in fiction or drama) that appears or is introduced suddenly and unexpectedly and provides a contrived solution to an apparently insoluble difficulty. (www.merriam-webster.com)

• There is no limit to creativity.  You can do this. It’s fun. Breathe!

 

Enter our Thanksgiving book giveaway!

THE CONTEST
Everyone has a story to tell, and to help you hone your memoir writing skills, Vantage Press is giving away a copy of Marion Roach Smith’s book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life.

For 14 years, Marion Roach Smith has taught “Writing What You Know,” and memoir, she says, is “as simple—and as complicated—as that.” Her book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life, was published this year by Grand Central. It has been described as “a disarmingly frank, but wildly fun, distillation of all the unsentimental lessons that WORK. Tired topics like writing exercises, morning pages and ‘writer’s block’ are replaced with quirky, provocative tactics that teach you to write with purpose.”

THE PRIZE
The winner of our drawing will receive a signed copy of Marion Roach Smith’s book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life.

TO ENTER
To enter our drawing you must simply be a follower of @vantagepress on Twitter. (If you’re not using Twitter, you can sign up for a free account here.)

ELIGIBILITY
Offer open only to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. No groups, clubs, organizations or Vantage Press employees or contractors may participate. Limited to one entry per person and one entry per Twitter handle. Vantage Press is not responsible for lost, misrouted or garbled tweets or computer or network failure of any kind. Offer expires at midnight EST on Wednesday, November 30, 2011.

NOTIFICATION
Winner will be notified by direct message on Twitter, and asked to send a U.S. mailing address to which the prize will be shipped.

Vantage Point’s NaNoWriMo Tips Continued!

As we are nearing the mid-end of November, Vantage Point Books has enlisted some more of our author’s to give NaNoWriMo participants inspiring and instructive advice, hopefully fueling that second wind of novel writing!

Allan Topol, National bestselling author of six novels of international intrigue, including SPY DANCE. THE CHINA GAMBIT, the first of his CRAIG PAGE THRILLER series, is out Jan 1, 2012.

1.  Begin with a detailed outline.  You would not build a house without detailed plans.

2.  Though using first person may be tempting, third person is easier.

3.  Select four or five characters who will be point of view characters and alternate among them, not evenly, but what is best for the story.  More POV scenes for your leading one or two characters.

4.  Each scene must be from the point of view from a single character.

5.  Write your first draft of the entire novel rapidly without going back to revise.

6.  When you revise, focus in detail on each scene.  Make sure each scene has drama, i.e., some conflict between characters.

7.  Read each scene aloud.  Listen carefully to hear how it sounds, particularly dialogue and characters voices.

8.  Description is critical.  But less is more.  A few carefully crafted sentences will generally suffice.

9.  Squeeze your writing like you would a sponge.  Get out every excess word, e.g., not:  “I hope I am able to go,” Instead:  “I hope to go.”

10.  Writing is a tough process.  Be prepared for rejection and don’t let that discourage you.

 

Cathy Lubenski, author of upcoming TRASHY CHIC: A Bertie Mallowan Mystery, and newspaper reporter for over 25 years.

If you’re writing what-feels-like nonstop for NanNoWriMo, a book or a freelance project, don’t forget to take a break. And not just to the kitchen for another cup of coffee and a brainstorming session, but an opportunity to get away from the process for a brain-clearing period of time.
Watch TV for a half-hour (my favorites? reruns of “Everybody Loves Raymond” or “30 Rock”), walk the dog in the fresh air, talk to the significant other about something totally insignificant, rake leaves – anything to give those new ideas that are germinating in your subconscious a chance to grow and flower.

 

 

Carter Wilson, whose debut thriller FINAL CROSSING will be out this June, shares his critique-group member and author Linda Anderson’s NaNoWriMo advice:

I spent years feeling that I would never be able to write a full length book.  After participating in NaNoWriMo two years and two completed rough drafts, I wonder if I will ever be able to write a short story again.  Ah, how one’s vision changes.

The idea that my friends could see how much I was progressing daily was very much an incentive…the competitive soul came forth.  

One thing you learn is to meet a daily goal, because it is very grueling to make up days.

You start with energetic optimism, middle with doubts and tiredness until the ending adrenaline kicks in and you fly ecstatically past the goal.

I did not participate in the group writes, because of not being able to concentrate with a lot of activity going on around me.  My writing places included picnic tables at various local mountain parks, the library where I had worked for 21 years…

 

Stay tuned for more NaNoWriMo tips to round out the month, and remember to keep writing!

Vantage Point Authors Share NaNoWriMo Tips and Advice!

Since 1999, the masterminds behind NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) have been challenging avid wordsmiths and aspiring authors to write a 50,000 word (approximately 175 page) novel from scratch–without ever stopping to revise or edit–in the short amount of time between Nov 1st-30th. Realizing that this may seem like an unattainable pipe-dream to many writers, Vantage Point Books queried a varied cross-section of our authors for any helpful tips and advice that they have to help motivate NaNoWriMo participants towards their goal. We will be posting continuously throughout the rest of the month of November, yet these diverse tips from our uniquely talented author’s will prove to be timeless for writers. Lets get started–we know time is of the essence!

Michael Musto, author of FORK ON THE LEFT, KNIFE IN THE BACK (Out Now) and writer of the popular entertainment column “La Dolce Musto” in the Village Voice and the breathlessly opinionated blog La Daily Musto on villagevoice.com:

The sharp-tongued writer's new book is dedicated to "everyone who is still speaking to me"

•   The hardest part of writing is getting started. The first sentence is always the most difficult one to generate–sometimes it can seem like some ungraspable, impossible dream–but usually once that’s out of your system, the rest can flow with relative ease. So it’s a good idea to just force something out of you–anything that’s on topic and makes reasonable sense–as an opening line rather than sit and stew about it for hours. Just type out any opener without obsessing over it! You can always rewrite that line 100 times later, but this way, getting a beginning out there will allow you to start the whole piece and even eventually get to an ending.

• Find your voice. You do that by writing as much as humanly possible, at every chance you get. Even if you’re just writing a diary for yourself or commenting on a Facebook page all day, you’ll be experimenting and learning en route to nabbing the tone and approach you will take as a writer. While you’re doing so, make sure to be bold and take chances. Don’t give us the same points of view everyone else is offering. Just today [Nov. 4] I wrote that Kim Kardashian doesn’t destroy the culture–after all, “15-minute” celebrities are a guilty pleasure that don’t detract from the more worthy stars, they just provide some fun watercooler bonding–and people were outraged. Get people outraged! Speak the truth!

 

Charles Philipp Martin, author of thrilling debut NEON PANIC: A Novel of Suspense (Out Now):

Charles Philipp Martin, earlier this Fall, posing with NEON PANIC at his debut Bouchercon World Mystery Conference

I do not know you. But if you’re attempting to write a novel in 30 days, I know a couple of things about you. One is, you’re insane. The other is you love books, writing, and words. And for this I think you’re a good person, and worth a bit of my time.

But I won’t kid you. What you’re trying to do is very difficult. Especially if you want to create something good. Perhaps these few hints of mine will help.

• First, writing is a job, like emptying Honey Buckets. This means you won’t like it every minute, but after it’s done, you’ll have something to show for it. Unlike the aforementioned job, this one probably won’t pay you, but will have other compensations. If it didn’t, this might as well be National Honey Bucket Emptying Week.

•  You probably know your daily goal – 2500 words or whatever. If you don’t have one, don’t bother reading any further, because without a daily goal you just won’t make it. You’ll start to fall behind as it gets more difficult, and you’ll end up with a chunk of a book at the end of the month. What fun is that? Chunks of books are kicking around everywhere, in drawers, attics, and on hard disks in folders marked “The Further Adventures of Moby Dick – Chapters 1-6.”

•  A time to write is important. If it’s every evening from five to eight, then it’s every evening from five to eight. For this month, cancel your Brazilian Butt Lift workout and postpone your dialysis.

•  You’re allowed a day off, but it must be a designated day off. The Honey Bucket guy doesn’t get to stop work when the inspiration isn’t there.

•  A place to write is also a big help – one without distractions such as phones, Internet connections, humanity. Writing is not for the gregarious. Sorry, you didn’t know that? You’re probably confusing the writer who’s chatting with Jon Stewart with the writer who’s sitting in a quiet room banging his head against his Ikea desk until those crappy screw fasteners come loose. The former is an off-duty writer. The latter is, sad to say, your role model for the month.

•  Finally, write as if the earth is about to fall from its orbit and fly into the sun, where it will vaporize in an immense fireball, erasing all of human civilization and achievement, and the only thing that is keeping the earth on course is your writing routine and the promise of the words “The End” at the close of a 50,000 word novel.

•  Because that is the truth.

Sure, it’s a big responsibility. But if you’re not up to it, the Honey Buckets are filling up fast.

Win a signed copy of The Memoir Project

THE CONTEST
Everyone has a story to tell, and to help you hone your memoir writing skills, Vantage Press is giving away a copy of Marion Roach Smith’s book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life.

For 14 years, Marion Roach Smith has taught “Writing What You Know,” and memoir, she says, is “as simple—and as complicated—as that.” Her book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life, was published this year by Grand Central. It has been described as “a disarmingly frank, but wildly fun, distillation of all the unsentimental lessons that WORK. Tired topics like writing exercises, morning pages and ‘writer’s block’ are replaced with quirky, provocative tactics that teach you to write with purpose.”

THE PRIZE
The winner of our drawing will receive a signed copy of Marion Roach Smith’s book, The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text on Writing & Life.

TO ENTER
To enter our drawing you must simply be a follower of @vantagepress on Twitter. (If you’re not using Twitter, you can sign up for a free account here.)

ELIGIBILITY
Offer open only to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. No groups, clubs, organizations or Vantage Press employees or contractors may participate. Limited to one entry per person and one entry per Twitter handle. Vantage Press is not responsible for lost, misrouted or garbled tweets or computer or network failure of any kind. Offer expires at midnight EST on Sunday, November 6, 2011.

NOTIFICATION
Winner will be notified by direct message on Twitter, and asked to send a U.S. mailing address to which the prize will be shipped.

Win TWO Signed Copies of TRULY YOURS: Wise Words on the Miracle of Adoption

“Adoption can be such a perfect match…It transcends race; it crosses borders and defies conviction, to form and sustain a family based on nothing but love…Somewhere in the world today…a family was born”
-Laura Dail, from the Introduction of Truly Yours

THE CONTEST

October 31st through November 6th, 2011 marks this year’s National Adoption Week, and in celebration of this wonderful event, Vantage Point Books is giving away TWO (2) signed copies of Laura Dail’s new book Truly Yours: Wise Words on the Miracle of Adoption.

Laura Dail is a literary agent and adoptive mom, who edited Truly Yours not only for readers who are considering adopting or already have, but also to provide direction for their extended families and friends who are seeking guidance. Told in a collection of quotations that range from Confucius to Rosie O’Donnell, this poignant and candid resource consistently provides solace and direction with what is often the most important decision in one’s life. Adoption is an act of unconditional love to be treasured, shared and embraced, and Truly Yours is written as toast to all who have or will be touched by that incomparable gift.

THE PRIZE
The winner of our drawing will receive TWO (2) signed copies of Laura Dail’s book Truly Yours: Wise Words on the Miracle of Adoption.

TO ENTER
To enter our drawing, you must simply retweet (RT) one of our tweets that contains the hashtag #NAW2011, and be a follower of @pointbooks on Twitter. (If you’re not using Twitter, you can sign up for a free account here.)

ELIGIBILITY
Offer open only to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. No groups, clubs, organizations or Vantage Press employees or contractors may participate. Limited to one entry per person and one entry per Twitter handle. Vantage Point Books is not responsible for lost, misrouted or garbled tweets or computer or network failure of any kind. Offer expires at midnight EST on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011.

NOTIFICATION
Winner will be notified by direct message on Twitter, and asked to send a U.S. mailing address to which the prize will be shipped.

Poems for Lovers, Via Iran and Israel

In his first collection of poetry, POEMS FOR LOVERS AND OTHERS, Morris Iren offers a rich collection of romantic verse as well as plaintive tributes to loves lost and remembered. Mr. Iren’s rich life experience as an Iranian who resettled in Israel informs his worldly and mature poetic voice. A thoroughgoing master of the English language (not his first, admittedly), Iren is a passionate communicator, as evidenced by the poem “A Voice Calls”:

If you ever see her, tell her I will go on craving

With ev’ry sunrise new hopes in my heart’ll be raving

The love I cherish she also carries in her heart

There must be some way we can give our love a new start

The night is dark

And so is my heart

This song someday will reach her

To tell her how much I miss her

And long so much to kiss her.

 

Written over a period of fifty years, in both Iran and Israel, Iren’s poetry moves from newfound love to reminiscence with the lyrical touch of classic love songs.

POEMS FROM LOVERS AND OTHERS

BY: Morris Iren

Vantage Press

ISBN 13: 978-0-533-16294-9

92 pages l $12.50 paperback

Vantage Point Mystery Titles Make a Splash at Bouchercon 2011

Earlier this fall, from Sept 15-18^th, Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Book lovers from around the globe gathered in St. Louis, MO for the 42^nd annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. As their tagline proved, this celebration of all things spooky truly filled the city with the Spirits of St. Louis, and Vantage Point Books could not have been happier to get in on the action. We have been honing our upcoming lists with a strong focus on the Mystery/Suspense genre, including debut and veteran authors alike, so it was only natural that Vantage Point Books was represented on two different author panels, as well with one very special honoree.

Vantage Point author and Editorial Director Joseph Pittman is a familiar face at the convention, however this was his first year representing his own Todd Gleason Crime Series as well as his own imprint! He handled it like the professional we all know, stocking the Bouchercon gift bags with these striking postcards:

Every Bouchercon guest found this postcard in their gift bags, touting our Current Mystery/ Suspense Titles (Front)....

...and our Upcoming Mystery/Suspense Titles (back)!

in addition to running a corresponding print ad in Mystery Scene Magazine with the appropriate and statement-making tagline “It’s A Crime How Good Our Authors Are”. On the author front, you could find Joe entertaining the crowd while featured on the “Second Oldest Profession: When your hero isn’t a nice guy” panel, explaining how he created LONDON FROG’s charming protagonist Todd Gleason, the morally corrupt con-man readers can’t help but root for. LONDON FROG is out now in paperback, and it is only a short wait until Todd Gleason’s next hilarious crime caper—the follow-up CALIFORNIA SCHEMING will be out February 2012. For those who cannot wait, readers can find a sneak peak of the upcoming book in the paperback edition of LONDON FROG. Next up,  Joe will be signing books Wednesday, Oct 26th at 7pm in the Dewitt, NY Barnes and Noble.

As for NEON PANIC author Charles Philipp Martin, the Fall release of his debut novel perfectly coincided with his first-ever Bouchercon. When he wasn’t hitting the floor networking, he was sharing this new experience while featured on the “Hitting the Ground: New writers talk about their first book” panel. We could not be more proud to have Charles representing Vantage Point, as NEON PANIC is a smart, suspenseful and ultimately shocking thriller that the Seattle Times just touted as “Engrossing… nicely evokes the fizzy chaos of modern Hong Kong”. If you missed Charles at Bouchercon, and his two recent west coast book signings, he will be coast-hopping to New York City Fri, Dec 9^th for a book signing event from 6:30-8pm at The Mysterious Bookshop.

"Charlie" Martin finds NEON PANIC in the Bouchercon Book Room

Finally, Vantage Point Books can now brag that we have a “living legend” amongst our authors! St. Louis native Robert J. Randisi was awarded one of the Local Living Legend Awards for Bouchercon 20111. Heralded by Booklist as “one of the last true pulp writers”, Randisi’s credits include (but are not limited to) founding the Private Eye Writers of America, creating the Shamus Award, co-founding Mystery Scene Magazine and the American Crime Writer’s League, penning 540 books, 54 short stories and editing 30 anthologies. Now, he has one more title to add to this unbelievable list—Vantage Point writer! In March 2012, the Randisi-edited, New York City-themed mystery anthology CRIME SQUARE will be released, including a short story by the editor himself (also keep an eye out for a Todd Gleason appearance in the anthology!), and in August 2012, Nashville private-eye novel THE SESSION MAN marks the release of the first Randisi-penned Music City Mysteries.

Overall, Bouchercon 2011 was a wonderfully busy weekend, and a great way to introduce Vantage Point Books into the World Mystery scene. See you next year in Cleveland!