I tend to fantasize a lot. Sometimes I write about it.Tumblr (3.0; @woelfmad)http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/21eaa9736524af9ecfb891f11d5a98c6/tumblr_mmpxgevmhD1r7rjswo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><strong>Raymond Chandler On Writing </strong></p> <p><span>It’s already Monday afternoon here in Hobbit country. I received </span><a href="http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/08/raymond-chandler-on-writing/" title="this" target="_blank">this</a><span> in my email earlier today. I discovered Raymond Chandler when I read a book of his that Robert B. Parker completed after his death called </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodle_Springs" title="Poodle Springs" target="_blank">Poodle Springs</a><span>. At the time I was reading Parker ferociously. Parker had tried—and succeeded in my opinion—to mimic Chandler’s rough-hewn noir style of writing. A style that, if done right, amounts to a stripped-to-the-bone prose rich with poetic imagery. It’s a difficult style to copy. I began reading Chandler’s work after Poodle Springs. Like Parker, Chandler will forever be on my list of much-loved authors whose voices shaped my own. And like Parker’s, Chandler’s writing is yet another example of why I don’t limit myself to reading only one genre. You miss out on so much if you do.</span></p> <p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/05/13/raymond-chandler-on-writing-brain-pickings/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/50318611950http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/50318611950Sun, 12 May 2013 23:53:00 -0400fiction writingHardboiled Detective NoirRaymond ChandlerRobert B. Parker File:Underwood_typewriter_2008.jpg I’m in Book Addict Mumma’s Author Spotlight today. The Seals of...http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49894195450http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49894195450Tue, 07 May 2013 20:27:00 -0400Woelf DietrichInterviewAuthorThe Seals of AbgalDark Fantasy<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/789c7666c1e0cd5bc9ff54500c324bcb/tumblr_mmb7gkST5O1r7rjswo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>The Author Exploitation Business | David Gaughran</big></p><blockquote><p>I like to believe there is a huge chasm between vanity publishing and self-publishing. Vanity…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/05/05/the-author-exploitation-business-david-gaughran/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49656353356http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49656353356Sun, 05 May 2013 01:05:08 -0400Author SolutionsDavid GaughranPublishingSmashwordsVanity pressWriter<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/c84cd40b0d119edf728c6efc67b20557/tumblr_mm5ke9BJYC1r7rjswo1_250.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>The Seals of Abgal: A Homage to Lovecraft</big></p><blockquote><p>Seals received an interesting review on Monday. Apart from the reference to <a title="Robert Crumb" href="http://crumbproducts.com" rel="homepage">R. Crumb</a>which I thought…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/05/02/the-seals-of-abgal-a-homage-to-lovecraft/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49415669982http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49415669982Wed, 01 May 2013 23:58:57 -0400Amazon ReviewH.P. LovecraftHorrorKindleThe Seals of Abgal<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/40fb632c30fa1a4367366614ba832c37/tumblr_mm1qlq0vev1r7rjswo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Ghost Novel: The Process of Writing A 70,000 Word Novel In 10 Days</big></p><blockquote><p>Bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith just finished a 70,000 word novel in 10 days. In my previous…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/30/ghost-novel-the-process-of-writing-a-70000-word-novel-in-10-days/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49228993635http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49228993635Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:22:37 -0400Dean Wesley SmithWriters ResourcesWriting AdviceNovelWriter<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/ed12d458eee65a885903092c4a5c0439/tumblr_mlyshpoUkz1rnvzfwo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Three Theories of Time Travel…</p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49149982753http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/49149982753Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:46:14 -0400Time TravelSci-FiScience FictionThe free promo day was an interesting experience, but it’s clear that I have a long way to go when...http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/48907142241http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/48907142241Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:48:24 -0400AmazonDark FantasyKindleThe Seals of AbgalWoelf Dietrich<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/a24d64f7525a6328d6580a264232e2e2/tumblr_mlplgiRjR91r7rjswo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Seals of Abgal is Free for 24 Hours</big></p><blockquote><p>I’ve gone and done it. In a rush of madness I went ahead and made <a title="Seals free for 24 hours" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AV5STPM/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00AV5STPM&linkCode=as2&tag=wo3l-20">Seals free for 24 hours</a>. This is…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/24/seals-of-abgal-is-free-for-24-hours/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/48690400623http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/48690400623Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:00:17 -0400Amazon KindleContemporary Dark Fantasye-BookFreeKindleParanormalThe Seals of Abgal<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/5886cb86726750f5acc77e85fe4ee13d/tumblr_mllrvlhyHb1r7rjswo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>That Which Takes My Imagination for a Stroll</big></p> <blockquote> <p>I love Robert E. Howard’s stories. I grew up reading <em>Conan</em>, following his violent and bloody…</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/21/that-which-takes-my-imagination-for-a-stroll/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/48516360665http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/48516360665Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:28:00 -0400ConanRobert E. HowardH.P. LovecraftBrom<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/8f487a68e46ddf01c9aa3b7f5100e263/tumblr_ml4oxoMn8F1rnvzfwo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47999363445http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47999363445Sun, 14 Apr 2013 20:05:52 -0400Neil GaimanWriting AdviceWrite TipAuthor<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/7c85f5996226bc7dc1265fbf2f046435/tumblr_ml9nzuV9IP1r7rjswo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>I’m The Sunday Sample On Dumb White Husband</big></p> <blockquote> <p><span>An excerpt from Seals of Abgal is featured on </span><a href="http://www.dumbwhitehusband.com/2013/04/sunday-sample.html" title="DumbWhiteHusband.com" target="_blank">DumbWhiteHusband.com</a><span> as part of their regular</span><a href="http://www.dumbwhitehusband.com/2013/04/sunday-sample.html" title="Sunday Sample feature" target="_blank">Sunday Sample feature</a><span>. Dumb White Husband is the brainchild of author Benjamin Wallace. You may know him from his Dumb White Husband series of short stories in which he frolics with stereotypes. I say frolic, but what I mean is he makes fun of it.  I could’ve said he takes the stereotype as social construct and deconstructs it through satire to highlight it as a social phenomena, but that sounded phlegm-inducing. Okay, I suck at humor, but Ben doesn’t, so visit his blog, enjoy the </span><a href="http://www.dumbwhitehusband.com/2013/04/sunday-sample.html" title="sample of Seals" target="_blank">sample of Seals</a><span> and while you’re there, check out the rest of the blog. It’s funny as hell.</span></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/15/im-the-sunday-sample-on-dumb-white-husband/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47992317765http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47992317765Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:36:00 -0400The Seals of AbgalDWHParanormalBlogContemporary Dark Fantasy<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/a24d64f7525a6328d6580a264232e2e2/tumblr_ml6kupLG9d1r7rjswo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Another Awesome Review For The Seals of Abgal</big></p> <p>Today was a beautiful day. I woke up to a spike in my sales and this review. It still amazes me how praise for my work can affect me so deeply on so many levels. A lot of work and emotion went into writing Seals and in creating the concept for this series. But when you get a review like the one below, it inspires you to do more, to work harder. It rekindles in you that fire that made you write the thing in the first place.</p> <p>It also means that your investment paid off. You don’t write to please everyone in the world. It’s impossible. So you write to please one reader. You aim to connect with that one reader and hope that you’ve crafted your tale in such a way that all the right buttons get pushed and that your reader walks away emotionally satisfied, having experienced the imagery as you have imagined them. There is the payoff. I may write with the hope of providing a livelihood for my family, but if I achieve satisfaction in a reader, that is the thing that ignites the fuel. It makes the engine growl to life with renewed purpose and keeps you on the road. And staying on the road is the dream. It doesn’t matter whether I’m driving a Ford Pinto or a Dodge Charger, as long as I’m on the road, and I’m moving forward.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>The Story Definitely Matches The Cover</strong></p> <p>Okay, first of all, I must mention the cover. Anyone who knows me on Facebook knows I found the cover through there, and waffled on about it forever. It’s gorgeous. But, does the story match that stunning cover? YES.</p> <p>I was sucked in from the first page. I literally decided to read a few pages, to see how it was, and half an hour passes before I realised how far in I’d read! The imagery is lovely in this book, very poetic. It’s a richly described book that puts me in mind of books from another era. Which isn’t a bad thing, if you’re like me, and love that style. There were a few places where it could have been even better with more showing rather than telling, but it certainly doesn’t distract from the story itself.</p> <p>The plotline itself was well-though out and researched. I felt as though the author was leading me slowly through this winding tapestry of a story, instead of info-dumping all in one go. The story unfolded naturally, rather than rushing to get to the action-filled parts. The mixture of dark fantasy and folklore was a fabulous mixture, and I love it when authors go a little rogue from a genre and just write the story. And the twist was AMAZING…but you’ll have to pick it up to find out what it was. I’m not telling here!</p> <p>I cannot wait to read more from this author, and I seriously suggest you grab this book if you like richly-described, dark, fantastical plots, and well-imagined characters that will drag you into the basement with them. For a first book, this really is awesome. The only teeny weeny point is that it would be nice to have more ‘showing’ and less ‘telling’ in parts, but maybe that’s just me being over-critical. I would not hesitate to let everyone know about this book, and tell them to read it!</p> <p>A resounding 4.5 Stars—and as I can only leave whole stars on here, I’m going to make it a full 5 Stars, as I just can’t mark this down to 4 Stars. :) ~ M Stork</p> </blockquote>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47846526166http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47846526166Sat, 13 Apr 2013 02:32:00 -0400The Seals of AbgalParanormaldark fantasyKindleBookReviewWerewolfOdin<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/126e955966f98f3696f3a5fa3cfc948b/tumblr_mkz0a2dLNl1r7rjswo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/26019917c840ed18a378ea23481d34d5/tumblr_mkz0a2dLNl1r7rjswo2_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p><big>A Book Bomb for Ben Wolverton, Son of Award-Winning Fantasy Author David Farland</big></p> <blockquote> <p>This is a special post.</p> <p>My wife hurting her back had us worried for a while there because we…</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/09/a-book-bomb-for-ben-wolverton-son-of-award-winning-fantasy-author-david-farland/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47517713980http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47517713980Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:25:00 -0400David FarlandRunelordsFantasyNightingaleMillion Dollar OutlinesBookAuthorWriting<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/a3ee50a4b320465f7a643364027909b4/tumblr_mkxj4zZFzb1rpf7dco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://maifrem.tumblr.com/post/47446056283/necrodemon-by-ruan-jia">maifrem</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Necrodemon by Ruan Jia</p> </blockquote>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47485156865http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47485156865Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:55:30 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/9b237e92e361b140c1d5e126ef5c944a/tumblr_mkvvmfqveO1r7rjswo1_250.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Supernatural Obstructions and Price Reductions</big></p> <blockquote> <p>These last two weeks have been crazy. My wife, who is seven months pregnant, hurt her back while…</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/07/supernatural-obstructions-and-price-reductions/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47358447932http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47358447932Sun, 07 Apr 2013 07:51:00 -0400SaleKindleAmazonThe Seals of Abgal<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/4872f1ff0d40050eef4457e945c94883/tumblr_mksvyl7E7G1r7rjswo1_250.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing: Dealing with Bad Reviews</big></p><blockquote><p>You will have noticed I’ve registered this blog in my name. It makes it easier for people to find…</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://woelfdietrich.com/2013/04/06/a-newbies-guide-to-publishing-dealing-with-bad-reviews/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47217351665http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47217351665Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:06:21 -0400J.A. KonrathWriterReviewsAdvice<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/803f459471786b537c6da7141b55f64a/tumblr_mijpvoyO4M1rpf7dco1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://adayume.tumblr.com/post/47175815678/aural-by-mark-molchan" class="tumblr_blog">adayume</a>:</p> <blockquote><p><span>Aural by Mark Molchan</span></p></blockquote> <p>No words are necessary.</p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47180124542http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47180124542Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:39:34 -0400ArtFantasyHowey is at it again. He wrote an excellent piece on the future of writers: “I celebrate writing...http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47140588034http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/47140588034Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:36:52 -0400Hugh HoweyPublishingIndieAuthorWriter<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/76bddc5f42e392444a894b527f85e3fb/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/16e89dadeed3d7462d93c8675ae43bac/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/7d7683024a7fcb48a97146c23de0c48e/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/3aced6280ef7be340870f9de1b1be545/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/a2880e090163213950c5c74c82f7d84f/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/0601588a26242bfb1f512da8f3275a80/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/af357e0d5514c6174fa4dee89d33ca90/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/3a32728fb21345754081cb5f637571c0/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo10_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/f6f658a8bd81aed00d327c00c4e59374/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo8_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/5bf6f25db750fe0947a589596b8f7c19/tumblr_mkbhoiZ7sY1rvxdnqo9_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p><a class="tumblr_blog" href="http://culturapagan.tumblr.com/post/46414649113/barbarians">culturapagan</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Barbarians</p> </blockquote> <p>Because they’re awesome.</p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/46918464735http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/46918464735Tue, 02 Apr 2013 01:53:07 -0400BarbariansBerserkerFantasyArt<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/a8bb25ac7c00c345b80bda56f44bba94/tumblr_mkhzfrP15M1r7rjswo1_400.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><big>Neil Gaiman and Ernest Hemingway: Two Different Worlds, Same Approach</big></p> <blockquote> <p>Those who frequent this blog know how much value I place on writing advice from other authors. To…</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://wo3lf.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/neil-gaiman-and-ernest-hemingway-two-different-worlds-same-approach/">View Post</a></p>http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/46711988159http://woelfmad.tumblr.com/post/46711988159Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:47:00 -0400HemingwayErnest HemingwayNeil GaimanGaimanWritingAuthorWriting AdviceWriteTipgalleycat