Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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Busty barbarian queens

Back in September, when I did my post about firm-breasted lawyers, in the comments section I vented my hope that by writing better stories we can build a better audience.

And yet… a few days back I crashed into a sword & sorcery plot synopsis featuring

busty and cruel queen Whatshername

And I thought – is the fact that she’s busty so damn important to the plot that we need to know about her busty-ness even before we buy the story?
Because that’s what we get about her – a name, her cruel personality, and her boobs.
And so ok, Whatshername’s cruel – it makes sense you tell me early, because this way I know who the bad guy is going to be.
A bit of a spoiler, but it figures.
But busty?
Am I supposed to buy the book because of that?
Because that’s what the synopsis is for – hooking me and getting me to buy the book. Continue reading →


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Return to Zanthodon

ZNTHDNVVJN1980In May 2013 I did a post on Lin Carter’s Zanthodon novels, which I discovered when I was in high-school, back when the dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Last month, Wildside Press reprinted the five Zanthodon novels as a single, massive ebook that goes for about one buck, aptly called The Zanthodon MEGAPACK TM: The Complete 5-Book Series.

And yes, I bought a copy.
My DAW Books original paperbacks are stashed somewhere in a box, and the one-volume collection on my kindle reader is a nice, cheap replacement. Continue reading →


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Plans and re-designs

Plans are made to be changed – and so my finely defined writing and publishing plan for 2015 is undergoing some radical redesign.

On the other hand, somewhat unexpectedly, I’m outlining a new novel – the pitch, based on an original request I was sent, is currently being evaluated by my publisher, and while I wait for a (hopefully) positive response, I’m thinking ahead and mapping my story.

how-freelance-writers-can-overcome-writers-block11

My current modus operandi for fiction is more or less like this…

Continue reading →


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My savvy how fashion do

59fb5c5d-1514-4e94-9fc8-49b29369f01fOne of the fun bits of writing my novel (yes, it’s been a while since last we talked about it) was finding out how my characters speak. The speech-patterns, grammar errors and lexical quirks are something I can use to define and get to know my characters.
Really, I need to listen to them speaking to truly get the characterization right.

And It’s something that has to come naturally – I have to write dialogues, and see what happens, what they’ll come up with.
Get to know, them. Continue reading →


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It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt