Dragon Page "Cover to Cover"

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.

Review: The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington

WebGenii — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:07:39 +0000

The Enterprise of Death really broke my normal reading rules. You see, normally if I stop reading a book that's it -- Game Over. I just don't pick books back up and continue them. I did put The Enterprise of Death down several times, because it was just too intense for me. And, at one point I stopped reading it for a couple of weeks while I went on to other books But I kept coming back to The Enterprise of Death, because I just had to find out what happened to the characters.

Review: Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

WebGenii — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:30:35 +0000

The setup for Coronets and Steel reminds me irresistibly of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Glenraven. Tho' to be honest. I think this is a better book with more realistic characters. And that is saying a lot when the plot involves identical cousins, magic, kidnappings, royalty, mysterious middle European countries and much daring do and plot twists.

Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

WebGenii — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:57:08 +0000

I was given a promotional copy of Enclave. It is the first book in a proposed series. Enclave deals with the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse in a world where those people who are trying to maintain civilization are all very young with a life expectancy of only their early twenties.

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

WebGenii — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:58:28 +0000

Red Glove is promoted as a YA novel, although I'd put it more at the 18 year old to adult end of the spectrum than the 13-16 year old range. If your kids are old enough to watch the "Sopranos" or "The Riches" and they like those shows, then this is the right book. Much like those shows, Red Glove contrasts the supposed glamour of a criminal lifestyle with the pain it causes our hero. A younger reader might only see the glamour and magic and miss the misery.

Cover to Cover #455: M D Lachlan

Summer Brooks — Mon, 30 May 2011 23:36:04 +0000

Interview: This week, Mike and Mike chat with MD Lachlan about the first book in his new series from Pyr Books, Wolfsangel. What happens when you take a werewolf story and combine it with Norse mythology and legends? This series is one look at how that could have happened.
M.D. also talks about his background and experiences with gaming and his thoughts on magic and science, and the limitations of Hollywood magic.

Cover to Cover #454: Bradley Beaulieu

Summer Brooks — Tue, 17 May 2011 02:03:55 +0000

Book News this week: The guys talk a little more about an article that goes deeper into the numbers from the AAP report on ebooks outselling paperbacks, and elaborate a little more on the challenges of auditing ebook sales. Mike Stackpole has a series of articles on digital publishing and self-publishing over at his website. [...]

Cover to Cover #453: Ian Fydell

Summer Brooks — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:31:55 +0000

This week, Mike and Mike chat with Ian Fydell about the first book in his Exodus Trilogy, "Breathing Space". Ian talks about his trilogy, the message about environmentalism he wanted to get out there through his fiction, how his publisher, Legwork, helped him get the book together, and his massive marketing efforts.

Cover to Cover #452: Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

Summer Brooks — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:35:42 +0000

Discussion continues on creating, publishing and marketing for authors marketing their own works themselves. Interview: This week, Mike and Mike chat with Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine about their new collaborative novel, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, sort of a steampunk flavored adventure in the fashion of “The Avengers” or “The X-Files”. [...]

Cover to Cover #451: Listener Feedback

Summer Brooks — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:46:58 +0000

It’s an all voicemail episode! Hopefully everyone who’s had questions or comments will have them answered here. Voicemails: Web Genii has begun gushing on Twelve by Jasper Kent, and wonders if there’s some unwritten rule that forces publishers in each region to begin the typography for a book from scratch, or if they could or [...]