Dragon Page "Cover to Cover"

Reading Diary #06: WebGenii's Reads

WebGenii — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:31:16 +0000

Tax season and house guests really cut into my April reading. But happily, I've been rewarded by a trip to the big city, which meant a trip to a bookstore.

Reading Diary #05: WebGenii's Reads

WebGenii — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:30:09 +0000

This is WebGenii, with an installment from my "Reading Diary". So what have I been reading lately?

Review: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

Laith Preston — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:38:48 +0000

The world is a fairly orderly place, talking mice, gorgons, Chupacabra... these are things of fairy tales, mythology and supermarket tabloids. Not so in Seanan McGuire's new novel Discount Armageddon, the first book in her new InCryptid series.

Reading Diary #04: WebGenii's Reads

WebGenii — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:28:41 +0000

This is WebGenii, with an installment from my “Reading Diary”. So, what have I been reading lately?

Reading Diary #03: WebGenii's Reads

WebGenii — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:28:21 +0000

This is WebGenii, with another installment from my "Reading Diary". So what have I been reading lately? I started with "The Bible Repairman and Other Stories" by Tim Powers, published by Tachyon Publications.

Cover to Cover #464: Understanding Character Growth

Summer Brooks — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:30:14 +0000

Discussing the News: Mike S talks about Amazon's Kindle Select program that allows Kindle owners to borrow ebooks, and the payment method they're using to compensate authors for the loans, but it's an Amazon exclusive program. The discussion swirls about whether the program is financially beneficial to the authors. Writing Discussion: Mike M got himself an iPhone at last, and he talks about how he's using Notepad to make notes on his story editing throughout the day, as well as using Siri to help him record notes faster. The talk then turns towards character growth, and the small things that you can add to the story to show how your characters can grow and change over time, taking into account how emotional impact can touch both character and reader.

Review: Alien Contact edited by Marty Halpern

Laith Preston — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:23:09 +0000

With twenty-six short stories telling tales of man meeting with other intelligences, Marty Halpern has pulled together an anthology filled with hours of enjoyable reading.

Cover to Cover #463: Techniques for Managing the Details

Summer Brooks — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:11:28 +0000

Mike S also recommends that everyone go out and purchase digital picture frames, scan in the covers of all their books, sit it on your shelf and have it display your book covers as slideshows. Writing Discussion: Mike M talks about the difficulties in trying not to expand the story he's currently working on and finding himself writing two different books at the same time, and Mike S delves into the usefulness of a toss ahead page, any series of story notes you can make to help you remember all of the details that need to be covered in future chapters or future novels, and modifying those items as needed.

Reading Diary #02: WebGenii's Reads

WebGenii — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:29:47 +0000

This is WebGenii, with an installment from my "Reading Diary". So what have I been reading lately?

Cover to Cover #462: Deconstructing the Story

Summer Brooks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:35:43 +0000

Mike S points out that the real kidney punch to B&N was done by Apple a few weeks ago with their ebook textbook deals, and the guys talk about how these deals could change how teachers teach and how people learn. Rewrite Update: Mike M details his first plunge back into rewriting Mistress of the Dragon in 12 years, and the guys talk about the deconstruction process and the details to focus on that can improve story depth and detail.

Reading Diary #01: WebGenii's Reads

WebGenii — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:22:48 +0000

This is WebGenii, with an installment from my “Reading Diary”. For those of you who’ve been listening to Cover to Cover for a while, it should come as no surprise that I read many more books than I actually review. But even if I don’t review a book, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t like it. It probably meant that I just ran out of time.

Cover to Cover #461: Building Your Audiences

Summer Brooks — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:56:32 +0000

Discussion: Mike S talks about the importance of developing a private audience, separate from the groups you're cultivating on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and other social networks. What's your favorite site for book reviews? Send them in, or mention them here... we'll collect the info and compile them into a list that we will use later to help publicize the finished stories after the process here. And yes, Summer is still taking applications for Dragon Page book reviewers. Wanna play?

Cover to Cover #460: Information Management and Story Questions

Summer Brooks — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:33:17 +0000

Mike S brings up some salient points about the legal tussle going on between HarperCollins and Open Road Media over the definition of "ebook" because of a new electronic version of Julie of the Wolves. Rewrite Status update: Mike M has cracked open his old manuscript, and reread it to better evaluate where it currently stands so he can determine which direction he wants to go with it. Mike S talks about asking more questions about your story in order to discover more about your world, your characters, and how those questions may lead you to tell a better story than the one you originally had in mind.

Cover to Cover #459: How and Where to Get Started

Summer Brooks — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:30:58 +0000

Would you be interested in receiving PDFs of sample chapters from authors, writing prompts or assignments or items of that ilk? Let us know your thoughts on that! Mike S lays out some steps to keep in mind when you start your 2012 writing projects, then the guys mark Mike M's starting point in tackling the re-edit of his book, itemizing what he should do for character and story breakdowns.

Cover to Cover #458: Prepping and Planning A Story

Summer Brooks — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:30:57 +0000

Listener Questions: Tad from Mesa is one of the few who has an old edition of Mistress of Dragons and he's interested to see how the new version evolves, really enjoyed Stackpole's At the Queen's Command, and wants to know if there's an update on the Talion Revenant sequel ebook challenge. Mike S stresses the importance of keeping notes, having a way to make notes and take down story ideas -- whether that's pen and paper or iPhone or iPad, and giving yourself permission to allow the first draft to not be perfect and just complete it. They also talk about the plan to tear down and rebuild Mistress of the Dragon, and what to expect during the process.

Review: Roil by Trent Jamieson

Laith Preston — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:27:16 +0000

Trent Jamieson’s Roil, the first book in The Nightbound Land duology, promises... and delivers.

Cover to Cover #457: Listener Questions

Summer Brooks — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:01:09 +0000

The new "Cover to Cover" will be switching to an every other week schedule, mostly to give the guys and the listeners time to do the actual work required... MRM doing the writing for Mistress of the Dragon, and the listeners doing the assignments and asking questions via voicemail. Discussion: Alison in Denver airs her frustrations about the ever-increasing prices of ebooks, seemingly changing from week to week, and asks whether there's a guideline for consumers to effectively register their complaints about the out of scale ebook prices.

Review: Debris by Jo Anderton

Laith Preston — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:11:27 +0000

Jo Anderton’s debut novel is a compelling tale which pulls you in right from the start. Debris is told from the point of view of the protagonist Tanyana, as the story progresses she searches for the truth behind her change of circumstances and meets a number of interesting characters along the way.

Cover to Cover #456: DIY EBooks (We're Not Dead Yet!)

Summer Brooks — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:35:27 +0000

Mike M and Mike S jump back in the saddle, chatting about what they did on their extended summer vacations: Stackpole went to a few conventions (Gencon, Origins), and published his first digital original book, Perfectly Invisible, while Mennenga stretched his muscles as a TV show director with the new and improved Slice of SciFi TV. Starting in January, follow along with the guys as they delve into some "best practices" for writers who want to self-publish and digitally distribute their own works, from preparation to production to marketing and sales.

Dual Review: Twelve, Thirteen Years Later by Jasper Kent

WebGenii — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:09:06 +0000

Before I start reviewing “Twelve” and "Thirteen Years Later" I have to go on a rant, a rant about books with serial killers. The success of "The Silence of the Lambs" has meant a huge number of books featuring serial killers. I find the popularity of serial killer characters unnerving and annoying. Unnerving, because this hero worship of insane killers, is well unnerving.

Review: Steampunk edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

WebGenii — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:05:35 +0000

I do enjoy a good short story anthology and Steampunk really fits the bill. It offers 14 terrific stories all in the Steampunk genre (although some of them are pretty loosely connected -- I'm looking at you Garth Nix!). And the quality of the stories are uniformly good.

Review: 7th Sigma by Steven Gould

WebGenii — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:26:47 +0000

I have to admit that I didn't buy 7th Sigma because of the excerpt called "Bugs in the Arroyo" that you can find for free on the Tor website. I bought it because of Summer's love for Steven Gould's Jumper. I've never read Jumper, but Summer's enthusiasm for Gould is contagious.

Review: Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

WebGenii — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:32:58 +0000

In Heart's Blood Ms. Marillier has created believable characters, both living and dead who grow and change through the book. Far from being a knock-off, the story and style stand out nicely on their own. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to discover her work.

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

WebGenii — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:50:47 +0000

What I didn't expect was to be reaching for a tissue in the first twenty pages. Ms. Carter nicely sidesteps the whole unequal romance trope by placing the emotional center of the novel in the relationship between our heroine Kate and her mother Diana. Kate's frantic grief over her mother's looming death drives the plot and gives more weight to the story than a YA romance would normally command.

Guest Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Summer Brooks — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:41:09 +0000

I get a bit exhausted for Sookie. There are always someone or some things "out to get her." Throughout Book 11, there are constant threats from different sources, and Sookie is on high alert most of the novel. Sookie still struggles with being a good person, for her world is continually violent and evil visits her seemingly day in and day out. In Dead Reckoning, you don't see her grow much as a character, as she doesn't have time to do much of anything except try to stay alive.