STL Books - No Commitment Book Club!

Looking for a book club, but not sure you have the time?

STL Books has a new book club – The No Commitment Book Club!

Join STL Books on Wednesday, September 24 from 6:30 to 9pm for the first-ever meeting of “The No Commitment Book Club.” For the first pick, they are discussing The Weirdness, the debut novel of Jeremy Bushnell, who teaches writing at Northeastern.

The panel will be reading the book as the weeks go by and randomly posting their insights on our Bookscape Blog. You can chime in with your own comments, too. The book includes discussion questions to get you revved up.

Then, on the 4th Wednesday of every month (except December–they’re all really busy then), The No Commitment Book Club will hold a gathering at StLBooks. Arrive at 6:30pm for friendship, cheese and wine (bring a bottle to share). At 7pm, sharp, we will begin our one-hour LiveStream discussion. Everyone is welcome to participate–in the flesh or online.

You don’t have to join
You don’t have to attend the meetings
Heck, you don’t even have to read the book!

But you’re going to want to!

The Weirdness is available now at StLBooks. Just mention The No Commitment Book Club to one of our booksellers to receive a 15% discount, or purchase it on our website and use Discount code NCBC092014 at checkout.

http://www.stlbooks.com/bookscape/

Ready to join? No need. Just show up on September 24th.
STL Books hopes to see you, but then that's entirely up to you.

To view the event, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysVxMGelrJo

Once the event starts they will be broadcasting live, participants can ask questions or make comments via a text chat that is just below the video and will be answered in real time. Once the event is over, the video will be uploaded to YouTube.

See you tonight! 

Whatcha Readin'?

Whatcha Readin’?

By Brad R. Cook

Books are immortal sons defying their sires. – Plato

Here at the Writers’ Lens, Fridays are for books. A time to focus on readers. We all love books (at least I'm assuming if you're reading this blog you love books) and over the last few weeks, I’ve talked about reading your genre and other book related topics.

But today, I want to ask a simple question – Whatcha Readin'?

I’ll start –

I read Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Yeah, it’s a paranormal romance, I read it for research and because it was suggested by an agent. It was good, great voice and pacing. Beware; those not wanting a romance between a half-vampire and a hunter may want to check the comments for another book.

I also read Senshi by Cole Gibsen

Yeah, I’ve already read the second book in the Katana Series, but I hadn’t read the finished copy yet. I devoured it before vacation. It too has a great voice, and I like Rileigh, she kicks ass with a katana… I need say no more.

I recently finished Daring Missions of World War II by William Breuer

This was passed on to me by my uncle and is a great collection of stories. Some I knew, others I only knew because I have a freakish knowledge of history and I watch way too much H2, Nat Geo, Smithsonian, and Discovery – all the Discovery’s.

Right now, I’m reading a couple of Middle Grades for research, but I’m not mentioning the titles because I don’t like talking too much about a book until it’s done. I’m superstitious like that.

It’s been a weird end to the summer, literary-ily speaking. *groan*

So, what’s been on your summer reading list? Or what are you flipping through right now. Let us know in the comments.

Book lovers enjoy hearing about new novels. Maybe you’ll find the next novel that is going to move you. Also let us know on Twitter using @writerslens.

By the way, if you are looking for a book, or what people are reading, check out #FridayReads on Twitter. If you want, tag your #FridayReads with @writerslens and spread the word!

Yes, feel free to mention your own book in the comments, you read it right? Then it counts.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend, I know some us will be spending it in a book!

Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com , follow me on Twitter @bradrcook  https://twitter.com/bradrcook , or my tumblr page Thoughts from Midnight http://bradrcook.tumblr.com/

St. Louis Reflections http://www.stlbooks.com/B009271-1211-51/Review.aspx

Are You Reading Your Genre?

Are You Reading Your Genre?

By Brad R. Cook

It seems like every time I pitch at a conference, I get hit with the infamous agent gotcha question. For those who haven’t pitched, here’s the way it goes, you've practiced your pitch over and over until you know everything you’re going to talk about. As the two of you discuss the book, a question comes from the agent for which you don’t have a beautifully crafted response. The palms sweat, the mind races back-and-forth, as time slowly ticks by in deafening silence.  

Every agent must go to a seminar on how to ask the nerve numbing gotcha questions, because they are better than HR Reps.  

My favorite question from this last round of pitches – What else had I read in this genre, and how did my book compare to those books? Another agent asked me what novels did my book compare to and why?

First, I told myself to breathe and tried not to show my anxiety level rising.

I know some of you are thinking – those aren’t that bad – and sure if we were sitting in a coffee house letting the day slip away, I would love to get into this discussion. But I had five minutes and already used two. My mind sped through hundreds of titles and their plots, comparing each one to mine. I wish I could say I came up with some crazy comparison but in truth I grabbed the first thing that made sense and luckily came up with a descent answer. I had an ace up my sleeve though – I’d read my genre.

We all read what we want, what we love, and most writers I know read their friends books, but are you reading your genre? One can call it research, or scouting the competition, but reading your genre is really more about staying current in your profession. Doctors keep up with the latest in medicine, lawyers keep track of every change to the law, and architects keep up on the latest building innovations. As writers reading your genre not only keeps us up to date on the industry, but also on the latest trends, what publishers have bought and what agents have sold.

I also believe in reading the history of your genre. You have to know where your genre’s been to know where it can go. So, if you want to write science fiction or are writing sci-fi, start off with Jules Verne, check out Clarke, Asimov, and Adams, maybe even a couple of the Star Wars novels, then move up to Card, Gaiman, or even T.W. Fendley’s Zero Time. To name just a few…

What genre are you writing and what books do recommend in that genre? Let us know in the comments section.

I’ll start,

Genre – Steampunk

Check out 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, or Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Never stop reading, never stop writing, and be part of your genre.

Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com , follow me on Twitter @bradrcook  https://twitter.com/bradrcook , or my tumblr page Thoughts from Midnight http://bradrcook.tumblr.com/

St. Louis Reflections http://www.stlbooks.com/B009271-1211-51/Review.aspx