Well, as promised, Don and Wilcoy were kind enough to have me on their weekly radio show on Quiet Earth. It was a fun and unique experience, and a total blast to be able to discuss Solstice and apocalyptic fiction/movies in general with two guys who clearly know and love the genre. Seriously, how cool is it to be able to talk about Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days/Weeks Later, and heartwarming end-of-the-world stories with someone? ^^; If you missed the interview, you can still hear it on their archives! Just look for the October 28 show ^_^
Anywayz, this is a short post...thankfully ^^;
Oh, and Solstice is available bla bla bla bla bla ^^;
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
So I get to write about something other than writing for a change! ^_^
Last night, my good friend Dan and I went to see Polysics here at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit. For those of you who don’t know Polysics, they’re essentially known as a Japanese Devo. They’re a four-piece Japanese band with a sort of surf/techno rock to them. Very quirky, very wild, but very good!
It was, unfortunately, a very short set, with Polysics having to share the stage with three other bands that, in my own humble opinion, weren’t that good. So much so, Dan and I shrugged off the second band, and then left the show two songs into the third band ^^; Polysics were tagged as the opening act, even though they probably should be headlining. But, they didn’t disappoint, even if they only played for about 30-35 minutes.
Their onstage presence was amazing. They channeled so much enthusiasm, so much energy, and so much power into their performance, it made me forget all sense of inhibition. I was jumping up and down, singing along, headbanging, and all the while not worrying that, as a 34-year-old grandpa lost amidst the gaggle of 19 year olds around me, I probably looked silly ^^; Hiro, the lead singer/guitarist, was his usual madman self, thrashing about the stage, screaming out to the audience, jumping up and down, and working magic on his guitar. No one seems to enjoy the music he plays as much as he does. Fumi, the bassist, was her usual rocking self. In fact, I consider her my sensei ^^, because I base my own bass playing style off her. Her fretwork is blinding, and her bass notes are deep and crunchy. Oh, and she’s cute as hell ^^;. So much so, I had to yell out, “Fumi-chan! I love you!” just cos I was being a total doofus at that point, and because, well, Fumi is on my List ^^;. Kayo, the keyboardist/singer, was her usual quirky self. She’s the serious one, the one who maintains a perfectly stoic demeanor throughout the performance, even when she’s jumping up and down waving pom poms or making funny little hand motions to the audience. She’s the perfect contrast and complement to Hiro’s antics.
Polysics is the reason why I wanted to play live. I was reminded of this yesterday, because the first time I saw them was in September of 2004. I remember the day well. Why? Because the day of the show was the day after I completed the first draft of Solstice! How’s that for crazy cosmic coincidences? I only found out about the show the day of, but when I did, I figured it was the perfect way to celebrate the completion of the first draft. And that show went down in my memory as the best show I’d ever seen, ever. It was a show that made me feel like a teenager again. And it was the show that really made me want to renew my pursuit of music, and renew my goal of playing in a band.
I’m grateful that it did happen, and that I did play in a band this year. More so because, believe it or not, our first gig was in that same bar where Dan and I first saw Polysics! I guess it was meant to happen. I couldn’t have scripted it better. It was an amazing experience to know that I was standing on the same stage where Polysics had been. I even went over to the spot where Fumi had stood and touched it. For good luck ^__^;
Wow, I’m babbling again… Anyway, after last night’s show, I guess I want to re-renew my musical pursuits again. My friend Brian is going to loan me some recording gear tonight, so hopefully I can start recording these songs that I’ve written. And while I don’t expect to follow the trend and one day play on the stage of the Fillmore, I do hope to hit the stage again some day, and play with the same passion and energy that Polysics plays with. They are, after all, my musical inspiration ^_^
Oh, *ahem* Solstice is now available wherever books are sold. Or you can order direct from Tragical Mirth Publishing and get an autographed copy ^^;;
P.S.: Tsubashi-san?! Four times????!!! Sugoi!!
P.S.S.: Razorsmile, I passed that message on to the artist! And you're right, I probably didn't! ^^;
It was, unfortunately, a very short set, with Polysics having to share the stage with three other bands that, in my own humble opinion, weren’t that good. So much so, Dan and I shrugged off the second band, and then left the show two songs into the third band ^^; Polysics were tagged as the opening act, even though they probably should be headlining. But, they didn’t disappoint, even if they only played for about 30-35 minutes.
Their onstage presence was amazing. They channeled so much enthusiasm, so much energy, and so much power into their performance, it made me forget all sense of inhibition. I was jumping up and down, singing along, headbanging, and all the while not worrying that, as a 34-year-old grandpa lost amidst the gaggle of 19 year olds around me, I probably looked silly ^^; Hiro, the lead singer/guitarist, was his usual madman self, thrashing about the stage, screaming out to the audience, jumping up and down, and working magic on his guitar. No one seems to enjoy the music he plays as much as he does. Fumi, the bassist, was her usual rocking self. In fact, I consider her my sensei ^^, because I base my own bass playing style off her. Her fretwork is blinding, and her bass notes are deep and crunchy. Oh, and she’s cute as hell ^^;. So much so, I had to yell out, “Fumi-chan! I love you!” just cos I was being a total doofus at that point, and because, well, Fumi is on my List ^^;. Kayo, the keyboardist/singer, was her usual quirky self. She’s the serious one, the one who maintains a perfectly stoic demeanor throughout the performance, even when she’s jumping up and down waving pom poms or making funny little hand motions to the audience. She’s the perfect contrast and complement to Hiro’s antics.
Polysics is the reason why I wanted to play live. I was reminded of this yesterday, because the first time I saw them was in September of 2004. I remember the day well. Why? Because the day of the show was the day after I completed the first draft of Solstice! How’s that for crazy cosmic coincidences? I only found out about the show the day of, but when I did, I figured it was the perfect way to celebrate the completion of the first draft. And that show went down in my memory as the best show I’d ever seen, ever. It was a show that made me feel like a teenager again. And it was the show that really made me want to renew my pursuit of music, and renew my goal of playing in a band.
I’m grateful that it did happen, and that I did play in a band this year. More so because, believe it or not, our first gig was in that same bar where Dan and I first saw Polysics! I guess it was meant to happen. I couldn’t have scripted it better. It was an amazing experience to know that I was standing on the same stage where Polysics had been. I even went over to the spot where Fumi had stood and touched it. For good luck ^__^;
Wow, I’m babbling again… Anyway, after last night’s show, I guess I want to re-renew my musical pursuits again. My friend Brian is going to loan me some recording gear tonight, so hopefully I can start recording these songs that I’ve written. And while I don’t expect to follow the trend and one day play on the stage of the Fillmore, I do hope to hit the stage again some day, and play with the same passion and energy that Polysics plays with. They are, after all, my musical inspiration ^_^
Oh, *ahem* Solstice is now available wherever books are sold. Or you can order direct from Tragical Mirth Publishing and get an autographed copy ^^;;
P.S.: Tsubashi-san?! Four times????!!! Sugoi!!
P.S.S.: Razorsmile, I passed that message on to the artist! And you're right, I probably didn't! ^^;
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The reviews are in! And a radio interview this Sunday!
Wow. So it turns out there were some reviews coming after all, from places I hadn’t expected ^_^ No wonder my distributor has been making some sales. Turns out libraries have been picking the book up thanks to a couple of library-friendly reviews that hit!
So, what are they saying?
Booklist Reviews says “This debut speculative fiction/horror novel is reminiscent of The Matrix and John Twelve Hawks’ The Traveler (2005). Although a little drawn out in the middle and preachy near the end, it indicates that Silva has promise.”
Library Journal says, “Latino author Silva brings a fresh new voice to the genre in this debut featuring a Latino-Asian hero and expanding the demographic appeal of sf. A good selection for most sf collections.”
Wow ^^;; And we’re still anxiously waiting for the next edition of SciFiNow to reach US shores; I believe there’s a review in there as well. So all of a sudden, Solstice is getting some publicity, and some sales. Wow…
It was a shock, for sure, to see those reviews. In fact, I just kind of stumbled into them, so you can imagine how speechless I was once I realized they were reviews. What’s most stunning about it is that, based on what everyone says in the industry, this was not supposed to happen! Reviewers, especially noted reviewers like Library Journal (affiliated with Publishers Weekly, so you know they’re not messing around), have a major bias against independently published works. I knew that going in, which is why I assumed they wouldn’t even look at Solstice. But obviously, something about our media kits and the book itself caught their eye and made them look past the stigma.
So far, from the little that I’ve heard from users, the book is going over well. One person even wrote about it in their livejournal (thank you, razorsmile!). So who knows, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Oh, and if you’re not doing anything on Sunday night (October 28) at 9:30 p.m., check out quietearth.us. Why? I’ll be on their weekly radio show ^^; Site co-hosts Don and Wilcoy have graciously offered to have me on to discuss the book. If you miss the show, you can always download a copy of it later on. This should be fun ^^;;
Of course, I still worry about how my readers (all 16 of them) will react to the seismic change in writing style once my new novel is completed and published. Moving right along past page 530 (meaning it's now officially longer than Solstice), I guess I’m already looking ahead, trying to figure out how to market it to the same people who thought Solstice—and its heartwarming story about the end of the world—was a good read. Like I’ve said, the new novel is a comedic satire, and although it bears some similarities to Solstice (namely in that Liliana has one vomit scene, reminiscent of Io’s 49 vomit scenes ^^), it goes without saying that the two books are completely different genres. Oh well, I guess I’ll worry about that once I get to that point. Right now, it’s just first draft stage.
Anyway, Solstice is now available wherever books are sold. You may have to ask for it at your bookstore, but rest assured, it can be ordered. Or you can do the easy thing and order direct from me (and get an autographed copy in the process, which will one day be worth…um…56 cents on ebay ^^)! Thanks!
So, what are they saying?
Booklist Reviews says “This debut speculative fiction/horror novel is reminiscent of The Matrix and John Twelve Hawks’ The Traveler (2005). Although a little drawn out in the middle and preachy near the end, it indicates that Silva has promise.”
Library Journal says, “Latino author Silva brings a fresh new voice to the genre in this debut featuring a Latino-Asian hero and expanding the demographic appeal of sf. A good selection for most sf collections.”
Wow ^^;; And we’re still anxiously waiting for the next edition of SciFiNow to reach US shores; I believe there’s a review in there as well. So all of a sudden, Solstice is getting some publicity, and some sales. Wow…
It was a shock, for sure, to see those reviews. In fact, I just kind of stumbled into them, so you can imagine how speechless I was once I realized they were reviews. What’s most stunning about it is that, based on what everyone says in the industry, this was not supposed to happen! Reviewers, especially noted reviewers like Library Journal (affiliated with Publishers Weekly, so you know they’re not messing around), have a major bias against independently published works. I knew that going in, which is why I assumed they wouldn’t even look at Solstice. But obviously, something about our media kits and the book itself caught their eye and made them look past the stigma.
So far, from the little that I’ve heard from users, the book is going over well. One person even wrote about it in their livejournal (thank you, razorsmile!). So who knows, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Oh, and if you’re not doing anything on Sunday night (October 28) at 9:30 p.m., check out quietearth.us. Why? I’ll be on their weekly radio show ^^; Site co-hosts Don and Wilcoy have graciously offered to have me on to discuss the book. If you miss the show, you can always download a copy of it later on. This should be fun ^^;;
Of course, I still worry about how my readers (all 16 of them) will react to the seismic change in writing style once my new novel is completed and published. Moving right along past page 530 (meaning it's now officially longer than Solstice), I guess I’m already looking ahead, trying to figure out how to market it to the same people who thought Solstice—and its heartwarming story about the end of the world—was a good read. Like I’ve said, the new novel is a comedic satire, and although it bears some similarities to Solstice (namely in that Liliana has one vomit scene, reminiscent of Io’s 49 vomit scenes ^^), it goes without saying that the two books are completely different genres. Oh well, I guess I’ll worry about that once I get to that point. Right now, it’s just first draft stage.
Anyway, Solstice is now available wherever books are sold. You may have to ask for it at your bookstore, but rest assured, it can be ordered. Or you can do the easy thing and order direct from me (and get an autographed copy in the process, which will one day be worth…um…56 cents on ebay ^^)! Thanks!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Babble babble babble
Wow, it’s been a while since I last updated this thing. I’m such a bad blogger -_-;
Keeping busy here, as usual ^_^ With less than a month to go before my first book signing (November 10, 1 p.m, at the Huron Village Barnes and Noble in Ann Arbor), I’m still trying to drum up some publicity for it with the local papers. It’s been a slow, difficult process, but there’s some hope that at least one of the major local publications, the Metro Times, will do something on Solstice. I also contacted my old school, the University at Buffalo, and it looks like they’ll mention the book in their quarterly newsletter to UB alumni.
Sales appear to be moving along, which is surprising considering none of the reviews have hit yet. My distributor is already running low on the quantities I sent them originally, and I’m already in the process of having to send a new batch. Wow. While it would be nice to be able to sell more copies directly, I’m excited nonetheless. I’m just hoping people are enjoying the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Speaking of writing, I’m now at page 498 of my new novel, and still no end in sight. This novel’s easily going to be about 700 pages by the time everything is done. I’m sure a lot will get cut out, but then again, I’m sure other things will have to be added in as well ^^;; Eep… But it’s a lot of fun to write. And *gasp* I’ve written my first…*gulp* sex scene ^^;;; My girlfriend thought it’d be a good idea, probably cos she’s a pervert *wink wink*
Came up with a new life goal, too. See, one of the ways I keep myself moving forward is by setting new long-term goals for myself. Last year, it was buying my first house. This year, it was publishing Solstice. I hadn’t expected it, but I also achieved the goal of joining a band and playing a gig. A couple of weeks ago, realizing I’d sort of out-goaled myself for a while, I came up with a new one: record an album. Thanks to the awesome Fender strat my good friend Brian loaned me months ago, I’ve now written about eight new punk/pop songs that I’m going to record soon. In fact, Brian’s going to loan me some kind of recording device so that I can do so. For now, I just want to record a demo, and I’ll probably be playing all the instruments myself (guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards. My girlfriend will probably do the vocals, since I can’t sing to save my life). But, I decided that, down the line, once I’ve finalized and worked out all the new songs, I want to record an actual album and distribute it on a small scale. I even have a working band name now ^^;; So that’s a new goal that should keep me busy for a while ^__^;; Because, clearly, I don’t have enough things to do in my life.
Actually, I guess I’m just silly. Goals, I have plenty. I’ve already have two more novels planned after the one I’m currently writing. At the rate I’m going, I’ll probably start the new one in January. I think I just have to keep myself busy. I’m the kind of person that, the more I do, the happier I am. When I don’t produce, I tend to fall into depression. I guess this is one way to stave off depression, huh? Keep myself insanely busy with multiple projects at once ^^;;;
Anywayz, Solstice is now available at bookstores, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble,com, and generally anywhere else where books are sold.
Keeping busy here, as usual ^_^ With less than a month to go before my first book signing (November 10, 1 p.m, at the Huron Village Barnes and Noble in Ann Arbor), I’m still trying to drum up some publicity for it with the local papers. It’s been a slow, difficult process, but there’s some hope that at least one of the major local publications, the Metro Times, will do something on Solstice. I also contacted my old school, the University at Buffalo, and it looks like they’ll mention the book in their quarterly newsletter to UB alumni.
Sales appear to be moving along, which is surprising considering none of the reviews have hit yet. My distributor is already running low on the quantities I sent them originally, and I’m already in the process of having to send a new batch. Wow. While it would be nice to be able to sell more copies directly, I’m excited nonetheless. I’m just hoping people are enjoying the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Speaking of writing, I’m now at page 498 of my new novel, and still no end in sight. This novel’s easily going to be about 700 pages by the time everything is done. I’m sure a lot will get cut out, but then again, I’m sure other things will have to be added in as well ^^;; Eep… But it’s a lot of fun to write. And *gasp* I’ve written my first…*gulp* sex scene ^^;;; My girlfriend thought it’d be a good idea, probably cos she’s a pervert *wink wink*
Came up with a new life goal, too. See, one of the ways I keep myself moving forward is by setting new long-term goals for myself. Last year, it was buying my first house. This year, it was publishing Solstice. I hadn’t expected it, but I also achieved the goal of joining a band and playing a gig. A couple of weeks ago, realizing I’d sort of out-goaled myself for a while, I came up with a new one: record an album. Thanks to the awesome Fender strat my good friend Brian loaned me months ago, I’ve now written about eight new punk/pop songs that I’m going to record soon. In fact, Brian’s going to loan me some kind of recording device so that I can do so. For now, I just want to record a demo, and I’ll probably be playing all the instruments myself (guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards. My girlfriend will probably do the vocals, since I can’t sing to save my life). But, I decided that, down the line, once I’ve finalized and worked out all the new songs, I want to record an actual album and distribute it on a small scale. I even have a working band name now ^^;; So that’s a new goal that should keep me busy for a while ^__^;; Because, clearly, I don’t have enough things to do in my life.
Actually, I guess I’m just silly. Goals, I have plenty. I’ve already have two more novels planned after the one I’m currently writing. At the rate I’m going, I’ll probably start the new one in January. I think I just have to keep myself busy. I’m the kind of person that, the more I do, the happier I am. When I don’t produce, I tend to fall into depression. I guess this is one way to stave off depression, huh? Keep myself insanely busy with multiple projects at once ^^;;;
Anywayz, Solstice is now available at bookstores, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble,com, and generally anywhere else where books are sold.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
