Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog

Caleb J Ross

I hope to have the episode edited and posted within a week. As always, taking with Pablo is a true joy. I hope the listener gets as much from the episode as I got from recording it.

I’ll be reading in St. Louis as part of the Noir at the Bar series at the Meshuggah Café on February, 28th. The next day, I’ll be at the AWP Conference in Chicago just hanging out. Head over to the Facebook event page for more info. You should be there.

Family Guy’s Brian runs over Dean Koontz

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:44:48 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

Though the episode is quite old, I caught this reference to Stephen King and Dean Koontz in the episode called “Brian in Love” from season 2 of Family Guy. On the surface, the gag speaks simply to the poor man’s Stephen King perception of Dean Koontz. But, when you consider the real life car accident that Stephen King suffered in 1999 the gag gets way gaggier.

What is Domestic Grotesque Fiction and Why Do I Write It?

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:21:04 +0000

I’ve called myself a writer of grotesque family fiction, but what does that term really mean? I give a brief definition of grotesque domestic fiction, or grotesque family fiction, by way of example, in an earlier blog post:

Take a family situation—usually some sort of broken family dynamic—mix in something grotesque—possibly morbid but not necessarily—and you’ve probably got domestic grotesque.

But I don’t know if that fully captures it. Up front, I have to say that I’ve always been the type to back away from definitions that try too hard to avoid definition. You know the type; those writers who say, “No, I don’t write horror fiction, I write transgressive commentaries on modernist life where social norms are exposed as metaphorical fangs in the collective neck…” But in the world of marketing, it is important to simultaneously embrace and reject established genres. You know, ride coattails while sewing your own. So, I write literary fiction but I actually write domestic grotesque fiction.

With that in mind, I coined the term “domestic grotesque” fiction, which Solarcide called a genre all my own (though, probably because I’ve been promoting the term as my own). In that Solarcide interview, I use a scene from Stranger Will to exemplify the term:

I find something inherently interesting with taking the trope of father/son catch and twisting it just enough to be jarring (re: dead raccoon) but still remain entirely relatable. These subtle twists are where I get the descriptor for my work, domestic grotesque.

So why do I write domestic grotesque fiction? Part aesthetics and part concept penetration. Domestic grotesque fiction isn’t only fun to write, it also allows me to very effectively zero in on an idea by pairing dissimilar concepts. Stranger Will = pregnancy and cleaning up dead bodies. I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin = lost parenthood and body parts. “Click-Clack” = newborn baby (implying potential) and mental retardation (no potential). It’s fun.

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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulgrand/451080165/

Am I Jaded? Are Unexpected Literary References Everywhere?

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:59:48 +0000

I love cartoons. I love books. I love when these two vices come together. Since June 2010, when I noticed a Shirley Jackson nod in an episode of South Park, I’ve become sensitive to other literary references in pop-culture, specifically cartoons. These past few months have been strong for my Unexpected Literary References series. South Park, American Dad, Looney Tunes, Conan O’Brien, and The Simpsons all delivered.

But what makes this blog post worthy is a comment on a recent-ish blog post (about Neil Gaiman’s appearance on The Simpsons):

“why are they ‘unexpected’? Especially in the programs you tend to feature (especially in the Looney Toons!–not to mention Hannah and Barbara stuff, not that you’ve mention that, yet) it is actually quite expected and part of the draw of the programs.”

What do you think? Am I jaded? Are references to literature in pop culture more common than I give credit for? I’m seriously considering writing a book about the intersection of popular culture with “hi-culture” specifically in regards to cartoons and literature. Help me. Guide me.

I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin is here!!!

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:52:34 +0000

How the hell did I not post about this already? Things have been busy around here, in all good ways, I assure you. But that’s no excuse. You should have known much earlier than now that I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin is officially here!

For now, it’s available in the Kindle store and will be going live in other stores, both electronic and print, in the coming days. Get it now.

They Know Your Name, but They Aren’t the Ones You Want. Directional Marketing for Authors

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:15:35 +0000

Back in November I wrote a blog post about standardizing your name for search engines. One of the most common responses I received from this post was from authors with unique pen names who cited their unique names as a reason to exempt them from the post’s advice. Basically, their ideas went that a writer with an uncommon name—we’ll use Maximus Pandroistien for this example—should not be worried about being outranked by other websites in a search results page because the likelihood of a similar name existing is nil. While this logic is true, it is narrow-minded. And please, pass along my condolences to Mr. Maxie Pandy and his presumably horrible childhood.

But here’s the important bit: potential readers who already know your name are not your target demographic. After all, they already know about you. You want to reach those who may be interested in your style of work but have no idea you exist. This is the difference between branding and directional marketing (branding = getting your name out there; directional marketing = being available when/where customers are looking).

Your Domain Name

Your initial focus should be your domain name. If you are able to buy your own name (branding) definitely do. Though search engines will try to downplay the power of keywords in a domain name (see this video of Google Matt Cutts dancing around the issue) research consistently speaks to their importance. In fact, in the aforementioned name standardization post, I speak to own troubles with acquiring my own name as a domain.

So, what if your name isn’t available as a domain name? Then, you are free to focus on directional marketing names, ones that speak to your writing in terms of content, aim, or marketing desire. For example, I currently own the domain names TheSocialMediaAuthor.com and NoirLiterature.com, which contain keywords that speak to the content I create. (note: these two domain names aren’t the best examples, as they currently redirect to CalebJRoss.com; in order for keywords in domains to matter to search engines, the domains generally have to represent unique sites. Search engines are smart enough to know when people are trying to game the system by buying and redirecting keyword-stuffed domains).

Your Site Content

Now that you’ve taken care of your domain name, the next consideration should be the actual content of your site. When writing content, whether that is pages or blog posts (or meta content, which is a different post entirely), keep your desired keyword targets in mind. If you write about vampire dinosaurs on mars, use phrases that speak to that content as often as possible. Of course, keep readability in mind; don’t stuff your content full of keywords solely for the sake of the search engines.

The basic idea is to help your website rank for search terms that could lead to more readers. When someone types in “book about vampire dinosaurs” or “I want to read about dinosaurs and vampires” or “are vampire dinosaurs real?” then you want your website (and by extension, your book) to appear in the results.

When blogging, write about themes in your book, the characters, the plot, and any other interesting element that could be expanded upon in an entertaining way for your blog readers. Pair these ideas with the overall tone you are trying to establish with your content to create something unique that speaks to your personality. For example, if you are a fiction writer, but you also love movies, write about movies that share elements with your books. If you pride yourself on knowing about cutting edge technological advances, writing about how new technology helps you as a writer of vampire dinosaur fiction.

Of course, all this speaks solely to on-site content. I haven’t even touched off-site elements yet (social networks, inbound links to your site, and offline media). I’ll save those for a future post.

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“As a Machine and Parts: LOVING IT! So sharp, so sharp…”

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:43:12 +0000

As a Machine and Parts is getting some love:

“As a Machine and Parts: LOVING IT! So sharp, so sharp…”

-Mr. Sean P. Ferguson

“Fucking insane”

-Mr. Chester Pane

“This book is fantastic. I think you guys are going to love it. Very inventive but it doesn’t crumble under its own weight and devolve into merely clever.”

-Mr. Nik Korpon

So, if you are easily swayed by the words of people you might not know, then rush out to get your copy of As a Machine and Parts now. While you are at it, this guy I know says that Cheez-Its are good. So, I guess you should buy those.

99 cents, now through January 17th, Charactered Pieces and Murmurs.

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:13:03 +0000

All eBook versions of either Charactered Pieces or Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One are only $0.99 from now through January 17th. Why January 17th? Because that is the official release date for my newest novel, I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin.

Just click a link below to go either directly to the Amazon Kindle store or to the Smashwords pages where other formats can be purchased (including NOOK, Sony, Kobo, iBooks, etc.)

Please, spread the word if you are willing and able. This is a damn fine deal, I must say, and is a great opportunity to whet your appetite for the upcoming I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin.

Charactered Pieces

Amazon Kindle $0.99

Smashwords $0.99

Murmurs

Amazon Kindle $0.99

Smashwords $0.99

Bookstores can get ebook readers into their stores. Here’s how:

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:28:07 +0000

The slow eBook adoption of many publishers, and especially of bookstores, is not surprising. For the publishers, monetizing an eBook, with the lack of overhead and reduced production costs, makes justifying print book sticker prices tough. For bookstores, well, it’s pretty obvious why they wouldn’t jump on the eBook wagon.

But there has to be a way to keep bookstores alive, right? Bookstores aren’t like traditional commerce storefronts, in that they represent a mindset, a way of life, and the best ones promote a sense of community. People don’t just buy books there. People feel at home there. Which makes me believe that book shoppers haven’t stopped shopping in brick and mortar stores because eBooks are so much more convienent and so much cheaper. I think book shoppers have stopped simply because bookstores aren’t offering a “bookstore experience” for shoppers. If bookstores sold eBooks, I think readers who enjoy the bookstore experience would be willing to visit said bookstores to buy eBooks.

But how to make it work? Introducing the Wireless Purchase Radius.

Bookstores should set up a secured wireless network for their shoppers (most of them have these already). Now, instead of simply offering the wireless service as a convenience to coffee drinkers, use the service to entice readers to purchase eBooks at the bookstore.

Here’s the methodology: a shopper enters the store, logs on to the wireless network, and begins shopping online for eBooks. The store can leverage this shopper’s intent to purchase in one of two ways:

The store has set up it’s own eBook storefront, available only to people logged into their secure network (hotels do this all the time), which offers eBooks either at a discounted rate or with value-added specials. Perhaps, in keeping with the sense of community, a purchase through the store eBook site also offers free copies of local writer’s books. Or maybe every purchase comes with a ticket to some local event or coupons for store coffee.
The other idea is that the bookstore sets up affiliate programs with established sites (Amazon.com, B&N.com, etc.). Affiliate links are already something that anyone can set up; the bookstore would not even have to establish new relationships with the book sites. In this method, the shopper would log onto the bookstore wi-fi network, and would be greeted with a store screen (just like in the above example) only this time there would be links to each of the major book seller sites. Once a user clicks on one of those sites any purchase the user makes would be part of the total affiliate buy, meaning the store would get a percentage of purchases from each of the items that the shopper buys (not even just books).

This would work, right? Especially, if there is a way to set up affiliate code tagging on a mass level to anyone using the store’s wi-fi network (this would remove the need for a store screen when the shopper first logs on). Of course, I’m not sure if such a thing is possible.

But the general idea, of using a wi-fi radius to encourage in-store sales is a good one.

Someone do this now!

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Why I Write What I Write When I Write it: The Cymbal Analogy

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:40:43 +0000

Picture a drum cymbal, delicately balanced upon a point, say, a pencil tip. This represents my general mental stability. Without any external force, the cymbal remains unmoving. This is me in a vacuum, a sensory deprivation chamber of sorts, without anything to shift my head in any way.

But of course, I don’t live in a vacuum.

Instead, I live in a world constantly shifting and changing, and with those shifts, my head shifts. Writing is a way to help maintain equilibrium. Not in a padded room sort of way. Simply, in the way that other people may watch TV or exercise or read a book to maintain that equilibrium.

But when I write something, despite the intentions to establish a stasis, the writing itself throws the cymbal off balance. Every word, every realized concept and idea, moves the cymbal. The more I write, the more the cymbal teeters further and further from stasis. This is the simple, unavoidable nature of creation. When other people read and comment on my writing, the cymbal moves more. Sometimes, if someone disagrees with what I’ve written (morally, aesthetically, whatever) the cymbal may continue to teeter. But when someone agrees with what I’ve written, finds a shared comfort in it (though, don’t confuse confront with blind dedication; intellectually stimulating topics, even those one may disagree with, can bring comfort) the cymbal may fall back toward equilibrium.

But remember, the cymbal exists in three dimensions. So, even agreement may bring with it some disagreement, thus shifting the cymbal off balance on another axis entirely.

You’re starting to see that establishing perfect equilibrium is impossible, right?

So, when I decide to start a new project, I consider the weight of previous writings, and the wake they may have caused, in hopes for narrowing in on a project that might encourage balance.

Example: I wrote Stranger Will, a novel about a man who does not want his child to be born. Cue nihilism. Cue concern from friends. Cue some agreement from readers. My cymbal, at this point, would resemble the tilted rings of Saturn, with the low end being weighed down by the general commentary about the book. All of the changes that happened to me, all of the emotions I felt, the attacks I fought against, everything that this book contributed to since its creation brought down the low end. So, I then wrote I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin, thinking that to write from an alternate, and almost opposite, viewpoint—that of a child wanting a parent—the equilibrium may return. Of course, this book, by the very act of its creation and publication, will put new thoughts into the world, which will alter the level of the cymbal in ways I can’t anticipate.

And on and on and on.

UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com. Exchange Print for eBooks. It could work.

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:50:20 +0000

A service that allows readers to exchange print books for e-versions. Why doesn’t this exist yet? Mail in the book, get ebook.

December 29, 2011 9:23 pm via HootSuite ReplyRetweetFavorite

Caleb J Ross

It could work.

An online used book selling site, that also manufactures an eReader device, such as Barnes and Noble or the Amazon Marketplace, partners with publishers to provide kickbacks on used book sales in exchange for distribution rights of eBooks. Let’s call it UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com. It would work like this:

Here’s an example:

Let’s say Bookseller_675 has a print copy of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But he’d like to read it on his Kindle. It’s not in this reader’s best interest to purchase the book again. The publisher gets no new money. The book sales site gets no new money. The reader gets no eBook.

What do to do?

Bookseller_675 decides to sell the book on the Amazon Marketplace using the UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com platform for $6. Amazon takes its cut (15%; $0.90), but for this transaction the seller agreed to kick an extra 35% to Amazon in exchange for an eBook copy. Amazon then gives that $2.10 to the publisher and facilitates distribution of Bookseller_675’s Kindle copy of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

I know what you are thinking? Why would a publisher sell an eBook for $2.10 when they would normally net around $7.00 (70% of a $10 cover price, as an example)? Consider this: a person selling the print book has already bought a copy of the book. So the publisher, under the current model, makes no money off of Bookseller_675 for the $6 resale. Under the UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com model, the publisher has the potential of making money multiple times.

There, a print book is essentially traded for an eBook.

What’s to keep the buyer of the book from reselling the book the same way? Nothing. The publisher gets money from each transaction, so the publisher, and the book site, would actually encourage resale.

Where are the holes? What’s to keep this from working?

For all those crime and forensics science writers out there, a bloodstain pattern infographic. You’re welcome.

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:16:03 +0000

Christmas is almost over, but Christmas hookers work late.

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:11:18 +0000

As a Machine and Parts is the official January 2012 Book Club pick at LitReactor

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:35:33 +0000

For those of you not in the know, LitReactor is a writer-focus site spawned by the minds behind ChuckPalahniuk.net, the official Chuck Palahniuk site. The site has received some high-praise not only from the writers who’ve come together to make up the blood of the community, but even Huffington Post has come out to offer a few kind words. Having my new novella, As a Machine and Parts, as the January Book Club pick for LitReactor feels a bit like a legacy of sorts, as my novel Stranger Will was the ChuckPalahniuk.net pick back in May 2011.

So, head over to Amazon.com or directly to the Aqueous Books (the publisher) to purchase a copy and get ready for some elitist discussion on the finer points of snobbery.

It’s official. I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin releases January 17, 2012. Preorders start December 19th.

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:08:44 +0000

Preorder details for my new novel, I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin are forthcoming. Until then, get all excited with this synopsis. Tis the season for Caleb, more Caleb, and a little bit of Jesus (if there’s time).

I lost $ 75.48 on a Facebook ad campaign, and you can too! -OR- Can Facebook ads sell books? Quick answer: no. Long answer: noooooooooooooooo.

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:13:10 +0000

(part of my ongoing Search Engine Optimization for Authors series^[1])

Part of being a great author-marketer is knowing how to filter promotion time wastes from time worthwhiles. Some options are simple to filter. “Should I do a Goodreads.com giveaway to attract potential readers?” Yes (all it costs is the price of a few copies of a book to receive interest from hundreds of readers). “Should I rent a billboard for a month?” No (billboards offer either 1) travel-oriented products/services or 2) products with a high profit margin). Some options aren’t so simple. And in the case of the Facebook ad, prominence adds to the should I or shouldn’t I debate. Well, I’m here to help.

Are Facebook ads a good choice for self-promoting authors to sell books? Simple answer: no.

Scroll down to the bottom of this post is you want the quick n’ filthy results. Otherwise, continue reading for the in-depth analysis.

During the past month, I’ve been testing a Facebook ad campaign for one of my books. I approached the project with the intentions of sharing the results with you lovely readers. So, it was important to me that I document everything—to a nauseating level of detail—to best understand not only the results but the methodology as well. My hope is that I not only provide you with the campaign’s success (or lack thereof, in this case) but also with some possible alterations that may be worth trying should you or I decide to run a second campaign.

My credentials -or- “Why the hell should I listen to you?”

I have over 7 years of search marketing experience working with SEO and Paid Search (Google Ads, Facebook ads, etc.) interactive marketing agencies. I am also an author, so I understand that even though money is important, often a readership is a valid KPI (that’s Key Performance Indicator; see, I know some jargon). This Facebook campaign, however, will be focused on sales and profit.

Campaign structure -or- “You didn’t show a naked woman in the ad just to trick a user to click, did you?”

First, what is a paid search (Facebook or Google AdWords) ad? Basically, the idea is that an advertiser gets charged per click. If a user doesn’t click an ad, then then the advertiser doesn’t pay for the impression. Sounds good, right? Yes, and that’s one of the reasons it is such a lucrative model for the ad publishers and for many businesses who use the ads.

A note about timing: though I have two books coming out at the end of this year, I did not want to skew the results of this Facebook campaign with other promotional efforts. Therefore, I did not mention the titles of the new books in the campaign. Some could argue that this sort of additional branding may have helped the Facebook campaign. I can’t argue with that. However, for the sake of making this test as sterile as possible, I wanted to the ad to stand on its own as much as possible.

Here is how I set up my ad:

I established four versions of the ad (shown below), changing things like the ad image, title, and copy. However, each ad spoke to the same product offering. This is called A/B testing, which is a way to help identify successful ad variations. Basically, if you were wondering, does the ad title “Dark Literary Fiction” get more clicks than “Like Your Fiction Dark?” A/B testing would be the way to determine this. Ideally, with A/B testing, only a single element would vary between two ad variations. In my case, I was not as interested in these minute changes.
Each ad version pointed to the same landing page on my website. Because I decided to do the A/B testing at the ad copy level, I didn’t want to confuse the results by also altering the landing page copy. However, testing the landing page is a perfectly valid option in general (and in encouraged for most ad campaigns). Here is the landing page (with a few tweaks, as mentioned below). Though I’m not using the page for the Facebook campaign any longer, the deal is still valid if anyone wants in on it.
This landing page was unique to the Facebook campaign. For tracking purposes, I don’t want to skew results by having multiple campaigns lead to a single page.
This landing page included a nofollow, noindex tag, which means it will not be crawled or indexed by search engines. I did not want a user finding this landing page via a search engine. If I were not testing this ad, then I would be okay with having this page indexed. However, because I am testing a specific ad I wanted to keep all other sources of traffic far, far away.
My own computer IP address is filtered out in my analytics program (Google Analytics, for me). This is something that anyone using an analytics program should do, whether testing an ad or just curiously interested in site traffic. Basically, it is important to not count your own visits to your site when determining the popularity of your site.
The ad used a Cost per Click (CPC) model (vs. a Cost per Impression (CPM or CPI) model, which charges by impression. The reason for selecting the CPC model is that I wanted to equate specific clicks with specific actions and costs.

The ad demographic targets are as follows:

These ads targeted about 436,800 users:
who live in the United States
between the ages of 18 and 45 inclusive
who like Choke (novel), Chuck Palahniuk, Craig Clevenger, Fight Club (novel), Invisible Monsters, Lullaby (novel) or noir
I set an initial CPC bid amount of $0.60 which I varied +/- about $0.30 as ad competition warranted. The initial CPC bid amount was determined based on a Facebook recommendation.

Ad Duration and Budget Terms -or- “SHOW ME THE PARAMETERS!!!!”

Campaign dates: 11/16 to 12/13 (28 days)
Initial budget: $10/day. On 11/24 the budget was reduced to $5/day. After 10 days I was already seeing that clicks were not converting into sales. Halving the budget allowed me to continue testing the ad, but without totally losing my ass in the process.

Conversion funnel -or- “Exactly what things did you track to determine success or failure?”

Now that the ad parameters have been established, the next step is tracking the effectiveness of the ad. This is done in three steps:

How many people click on the ad vs. the number of times the ad appears? This is called the Click-thru-Rate or CTR.
How many people take some sort of action on the landing page after clicking the ad? This can be either clicking to purchase a book or it can be something as simple as just leaving the page without taking an action.
How many people follow through by acting on the ad offering (in this case, submitting an email for a free eBook)?

1. Click thru Rate

For the purposes of this test, the CTR isn’t that important. I am only paying when a user clicks the ad, so knowing the CTR really only tells me how compelling the ad copy is. It has no real effect on my bottom line. If I were advertising using the CPM or CPI models, CTR would factor more heavily into the final determination of success.

2. Landing page actions

The landing page for the test ad has two purchase buttons (one for Stranger Will and one for Charactered Pieces). Each purchase button has been appended with event tracking tags so that Google Analytics can tell me exactly how many times each button is clicked. Because I can’t tap into Amazon’s Point of Sale system, I will assume every Buy Button click on my website is a conversion. A 100% conversion rate is wishful thinking, true, but my thoughts are that if someone has already made it this far into the funnel, and has clicked to the buy button, then actually buying a book is likely.

Each event action is given a monetary value based on things such as my royalty percentage, affiliate fees, partner takes, etc. So, these values represent the true profit for me, the author, when a book is purchased. For the sake of transparency, the values are listed below.

Charactered Pieces from Amazon.com: $2.09; from Barnes & Noble: $1.81
Stranger Will from Amazon.com: $2.50; from Barnes & Noble: $2.50

3. Offer completions

The point of the ad campaign is to provide readers with a free ebook (which is attained by purchasing a copy of one of my books). In order to claim the ebook, readers must email order confirmations directly to me (details can be found toward the bottom of the Murmurs product page). Receiving one of these order confirmations acts as the “Holy Grail” conversion, as it definitively shows a conversion. However, my entire determination of success cannot be based on this alone, as it is likely not all buyers will care to redeem the offer of a free ebook. Therefore, an Offer Completion is like icing on the Landing Page Action cake.

Observations and Adjustments -or- “You didn’t just ‘set it and forget it, did you Ronco?”

No, I didn’t “set it and forget it” you obvious fan of late night informercials. As the test progressed, I did make subtle tweaks based on observations. I will outline those here.

11/21 – age, copy, and images changed due to poor performance (without enough data, I can’t make conclusions)
11/28 – I found that I have a 74% bounce-rate, but a time-on-page of about 1:49, meaning people are leaving the page without clicking another on my site, but they are at least reading the page (judging by the 1:49 time-on-page). This means one of two things. Either 1) the free ebook deal just isn’t intriguing enough or 2) the layout of the page is not optimized for conversion. Because I can’t really change the deal without altering the basis of the test, I decided to tweak a few items on the landing page:

The Results

Total Amount spent: $79.48
Total Clicks: 152 (strange though that Google Analytics reported only 54 visits; is Facebook over-reporting? Here’s an article from 2009 about one such case. I should look more into this.)
Total events (clicks from the landing page to buy a book): 2…that’s not a misprint
Total estimated value: $5
Is the total estimated value for the campaign larger than the total amount spent? Hells no!
Average bounce rate: 85.19%
Average time on page: 1:22

What would I do differently with a second campaign?

Use a CPM ad instead of a CPC ad. Does the low margin on a book simply make CPC advertising unfeasible? Would a CPM (cost per impressions) model work better? If so, a focus on the book cover itself would be important (rather than shots of people or more “conversion friendly” imagery)?
Create a more enticing offer. Do people even care about free ebooks? Maybe readers would be willing to buy a full price book if additional freebies were offered. Or, maybe a purchase offer isn’t even necessary. Perhaps a simple “like my page to be entered into a contest for a free print book” would work.
Promote a different book. Maybe I should write a non-fiction book. I would image those to have better conversions.
A month long test is overkill. I would not test for a full month. I knew after one week that this campaign was not going to work. I should have used the remaining 3 weeks to test dramatically different versions of the ad or perhaps tested another platform entirely (Google AdWords, for example, though I anticipate the results would not be much different). I will take what I’ve learned and apply to another test at some time in the future, for sure. Be sure to subscribe to this blog RSS feed to ensure that you never miss a post. Another option, subscribe using the button below to get new blog posts sent to you via email.

Other helpful articles about Facebook ads and book selling:

Do Pay-Per-Click Ads Sell Books? by Laura Pepper Wu
Do Facebook ads work for authors?
Facebook Ad sells a Bazillion Books! by Arthur Slade

^[1] I understand that paid search ads aren’t traditionally umbrellaed under search engine optimization. However, because tracking and optimization is involved, I’m including it in the series ↩

How can authors use Google Analytics Events Tracking to understand their readers?

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:49:46 +0000

How many times did readers download your sample chapters? How many times did readers view your new book trailer? How many times did your website visitors click a button to buy one of your books? How many times did someone click a link to read one of your stories posted at another website? All of these items can be tracked using Event Tracking in Google Analytics.

What is Event Tracking? I’ll leave the details up to Google itself, but for our purposes think of Event Tracking as a second, deeper level of website analytics. Most of you are probably using your analytics program primarily to track how users interact with your website on a macro level (how many visits, most popular pages, how long visitors stay, etc). Event Tracking allows a micro level of tracking, where actual clicks and downloads on specific pages can be tracked.

Anywhere a user can click, Event Tracking can be used. Let’s look at an example that an author could definitely use.

How many times did readers download my sample chapters?

Let’s say you have a sample chapters .pdf that users can download. It’s been available for a while, but you’ve decided to start promoting it more. Is the promotion working?

In this case, you’d likely put something like the following as your Event Tracking tag. The important part is highlighted in blue. Notice everything that is not blue is a simple html link. Nothing special or complicated there.

onClick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'samples', 'download', 'samplechapters.pdf']);">Click to download sample chapters

What does this code mean?

This example has the specific labels replaced with dummy labels:

onClick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'category', 'action', 'label']);">Click to download sample chapters

And here is what each of the bolded codes means:

Category

This is the name you supply for the group of objects you want to track. It is important to think in terms of scalability, so that should you want to track more events in the future, you can assign the tracked events to appropriate buckets. This is why I use the category ‘samples’ rather than something hyper-specific like ‘NovelChapterDownloads.’ This way, I could use the same category of ‘samples’ should I decide to offer short story samples or even sample chapters for future books.

Action

This tag is commonly used to define the type of user interaction for the event. In this case, I use ‘download.’ With a .pdf there really is only this one option. If I were to track video events, however, I could use any variation of ‘play,’ pause,’ ‘stop’ or something else.

Label

This tag is optional. This can be any bit of additional data that might help understand your data. In the case of a .pdf download, I tend to use the file name for this label.

What does the end data look like? Here’s an example, tracking link clicks to various pages, pulled from the doteduguru.com website. In this example we are looking primarily at the Label tag. You can see the number of interactions on each of these Labels as well as which page they happened on.

Some possible scenarios

I mentioned a few at the beginning of this post (How many times did readers download your sample chapters? How many times did readers view your new book trailer? How many times did your website visitors click a button to buy one of your books? How many times did someone click a link to read one of your stories posted at another website?). By now, you should have a general understanding of what event tracking can do. But you can also adapt its use for very specific ends.

Does your book interest readers?

Let’s say you have a finished novel. You want to post three sample chapters on your site. However, instead of posting all three chapters in a single .pdf, why not post each one as a separate .pdf. That way, you can gauge reader interest in your book by measuring the number of subsequent chapter downloads after the first. If you find that your first chapter was downloaded 300 or so times, but the second was only downloaded 6 times, then you may want to revisit your first chapter.

How interesting is your title?

You could post a vote on Facebook for readers to give feedback on a title. Or, you could post sample chapters to a few “different” books and measure which one received the most interaction. Each file would contain the same chapters, but the titles would be different. Does Nerdy Babes from Planet Chess get more downloads than Intelligent Females from the Game Planet? I’m not saying you should use these results blindly, but they may offer some insight.

Measure the effectiveness of an online advertising campaign

I’ll get more into this option in my next SEO for Authors post. Basically, you can establish an ad, in my case on Facebook, and drive clicks to a specific landing page. That page can have tracking on various action buttons. Activity can then be measured to determine success. Stay tuned to this SEO for Authors blog category for more on this Event Tracking possibility. Better yet, subscribe to this blog RSS feed to ensure that you never miss a post. Another option, subscribe using the button below to get new blog posts sent to you via email.

Choosing the right blogging platform for an author: it’s all about scripts and Google Analytics.

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:13:38 +0000

(Announcing a new post category: Search Engine Optimization for Authors. Well, it’s new in that I’ve finally given a name to it, but as you can see by clicking over to the category, there are a few past posts that fit within this category)

If you’ve read Christina Katz’s fantastic Get Known Before the Book Deal, or have been at all concerned about building that illusive “platform” so many industry types talk about then either 1) you are an author with a career somewhere between beginning and burgeoning, or 2) you’re interested in the publishing industry for slightly different, though I’m sure equally masochistic, reasons. Either way, one of the cornerstones of author presence in our Web 2.0 world (aren’t we at Web 2.1 yet, at least?) is the blog. Despite its cornerstone status, many authors aren’t sure where to begin. Or worse, they take the leap into bloggery without considering how to leverage such a forum for their own career goals (okay, time to put on the Purina checkerboard slacks, you sleazy salesman).

Which blogging platform to use?

There are hundreds of blogging platforms available, ranging from the well-known (WordPress, Blogger, Blogspot, even Facebook Notes can be considered a form of blogging) to the lesser-knowing (Gather, Posterous) to the entirely made up (IdeasAndThings.com, BloggingForBeer). Though my experience is limited primarily to Blogger and WordPress, based on research and my own empirical data I really only need this limited experience. I’ll say it now: WordPress.ORG is the ultimate blogging platform. But is it the best for authors? Yes. Yes, it is.

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

A free WordPress.com blog (www.example.wordpress.com) is not the same as a self-hosted WordPress.org blog^[1]. Unfortunately for those of you who use the former, even if you’ve purchased your own domain name to mask the .wordpress.com part, you aren’t getting the full benefit of the WordPress software. My goal then will be to convince you to pony up the few dollars per month for some hosting space so you can host your own website. I use Bluehost and haven’t had any trouble with it.

The problem with a free blog, like WordPress.com, Blogger, or any other, is that the free software has limitations that prevent you from really being able to do everything you might like to do with your website. These limitations generally have to do with using (or not using, as is the case) any type of scripting, such as Javascript or Flash video^[2]. Stop yawning! This is important.

Scripts are used more than most people are aware. That fancy Twitter feed in my sidebar. That’s a script. Those media players in my podcast episode posts. Script. The Currently Reading box to the right where I can show off my elitist in-the-know brainery. Script. The rotating banner at the top of my homepage. Yep. Script. Those social sharing buttons at the bottom of this post and floating to the right of the screen. Guilty. Script. And with WordPress, there are literally thousands of plugins that allow someone with no knowledge of any kind of script to dynamically adapt the look of a blog to suit his or her current fancy. Basically, if you can dream it, there’s probably a plugin for it. (I often say the same thing about Microsoft Excel, but I won’t get into that now as I’ve probably already surpassed by nerdery limit for this post).

The most important script of all: Google Analytics.

Most free blogging platforms will give you some general traffic data (number of page views, number of hits…and that’s about it). Google Analytics (free, by the way) gathers, digests, and excretes so much information you’ll need to consult a doctor for having a 4-hour+ raging data boner.

Who cares about so much information, right? You, the entrepreneurial author should. As authors are increasingly being charged with marketing tasks, it is important to think like a marketer. What do marketers do well? They test, measure, and replicate. Google Analytics allows you to test promotional ideas, measure the results, and repeat with equal or better results.

Say you wrote a blog post. You know how many times the post was viewed (which is different than the number of page visitors, by the way). Shouldn’t that be all you need? No. You might need to know how long a person spent on that post (to estimate engagement); if it was the first post visited upon entering the site (landing page) or last post visited before leaving the site (exit page); what keywords brought the visitor to that page; and what actions a person took on that page. Why? How else are you going to know if what you wrote resonated with people? How else are you going to know if you should write more content with a similar intent? The more you can understand your audience, the more likely they are to come back for more (and perhaps buy a book). I know, I know, there is magic is simply creating the words and not caring who reads it, right? Try telling that to the agent or publisher you are trying so hard to lasso.

Over the next few weeks I plan to explore some of the more important aspects of Google Analytics with particular attention paid to how understanding data can help an author connect with readers and ultimately sell a few books. Some of the topics might be:

using event tracking to see how many times your chapter samples were downloaded
using a custom landing page to determine the effectiveness of a Facebook ad
digging into popular keywords to mine for blog content
where your visitors come from can help you focus your outreach
using a URL builder and custom shortlinks to track the effectiveness of non-internet advertising (how well did those postcards work, really?)

To keep up, either check back here often or subscribe to my RSS feed. If you want to subscribe only to the SEO for Authors category (which will make me sad, but I understand) you can do that too by clicking this subscribe to Search Engine Optimization for Authors category link. Last option, subscribe to receive new posts by email:

^[1] Wordpress offers its software for free at WordPress.ORG. Simply download the software and install on your new server space. Some hosts, like Bluehost, let you bypass the download part entirely and install the software directly from the web host account dashboard. ↩
^[2] Some free blogging platforms allow some scripts. But the selection is limited and usually not very customizable. ↩

Bart Simpson and Little Women

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:48:50 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

Though the wonderful Pablo D’Stair recently called me out on the possible inaccuracy of calling this series “unexpected” literary references, I’m too far in to change the name (re: too lazy to change the name). And this latest find, from last week’s episode of The Simpsons, does not help defend any point I may have had about the unexpectedness of lit references in cartoons. Perhaps the series should be called “Great Unexpected Literary References For Those Who Don’t Watch Much TV But Also Don’t Read Much So Therefore Probably Only Bake Cookies And Make Crafts With Hot Glue Guns.”

In this episode (S23E7 – “The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants”) Bart learns that he actually enjoys reading, and in doing so must hide his new love from Nelson and the rest of the bullies.

Why is this reference blog worthy? First, I’m not very discriminating. Second, it’s refreshing to see the act of reading so directly supported in a TV medium. Many references appear as clever asides or Easter Eggs for the astute watcher, but here we see reading actually addressed directly as a worthy form of entertainment.

UPDATE: I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin pushed back to January 2012

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:44:17 +0000

Just some last-minute tidying up that neither I nor the publisher wanted to rush.

Guest Post – Compelling and Inspiring Short Fiction Writers by Nadia Jones

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:38:47 +0000

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at accredited online colleges about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

I consider myself an indiscriminant and voracious consumer of fiction. While I mostly read novels, occasionally I find myself balking at the prospect of beginning yet another huge work of fiction, too exhausted by a previous book to dive into the new world of the next one. In these moments of reader fatigue, I take great solace in the numerous gifted short fiction authors writing today. I could go on about the classics (Carver, O’Conner, Hemingway, etc.) but I think current short fiction authors are much more fascinating reads, partly because their work is so immersed in the present.

Jennifer Egan

Jennifer Egan is a writer currently working out of Brooklyn, most recently recognized for her Pulitzer-Prize winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad, released in 2010. The novel is called a novel but it reads more like a short story collection, with thirteen chapters cataloging the lives of interconnected characters across several decades. The characters deal with disappointment in their careers (mostly centered on the music industry) and in love, with the unrelenting passage of time driving the theme of every story. Seemingly insignificant characters in one story will reappear as the main character in a story several hundred pages later with new dimension and nuanced development. A character who you first encountered in high school will end up a completely different person by the last time you see them. Each story also follows a slightly different narrative structure; one story is even written in Power Point! I highly recommend any story in Egan’s “novel,” as they can all be enjoyed independently of each other.

Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie is a Native American author who writes about being a Native American in America, but the themes in his stories are relatable on a universal level. His short story collection The Toughest Indian in the World, published in 2000, is probably the best example of Alexie’s outstanding talent as a short fiction writer. Among his best stories in the collection is “Dear John Wayne,” an elderly Native American woman’s recollection to a professor about an affair she had with John Wayne over 100 years ago. More than just about being a Native American, the focus of Alexie’s stories can be distilled into the broader theme of identity. Who are you, what does it mean to be who everyone says you are, and how is that different from what you see in the mirror every day? His stories are often funny, and sometimes harsh and bleak in their subject matter, but they always ring true.

Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami became a superstar writer with his surrealist novels blending everyday life in Japan with unexplainable, even psychedelic events that make his characters question the nature of reality. But for all his mind-bending fiction, Murakami has also cultivated a strong collection of simple but powerful short stories. His collection After the Quake, published in 2000, features stories roughly associated with events following the 1995 earthquakes in Kobe, Japan. The stories reflect upon the unexpected events that can completely reshape ordinary life. The stories may initially read as breezy portraits of idiosyncratic characters, but look closer and you’ll see a depth of meaning behind every passage. Even though the stories are translated from Murakami’s Japanese, they don’t seem to lose any narrative impact as they weave between the lives of Japanese people trying to cope with events beyond their control.

A selection of my strangest gifts ever given

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:24:05 +0000

I write domestic grotesque fiction, which is a term I think I made up, but is quite suiting to the themes and content of my stories and books. The most famous short story that I think would fit into the domestic grotesque genre is “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Conner (visualized quite creepily in this short film from the 1960s and quite cheesily in this student clip). Take a family situation—usually some sort of broken family dynamic—mix in something grotesque—possibly morbid but not necessarily—and you’ve probably got domestic grotesque.

As you can imagine, Christmas is a fun time for my family.

I’ve given quite a few quirky gifts. Though none could be tagged as grotesque, they are representative of the type of mind that would write a domestic grotesque story, I think. Tis the season and all that, so I figured I would share a few that I’ve so graciously given over the years.

Kangaroo Scrotum change purse

Lucky Recipient: uncle

Yep, it’s a real kangaroo scrotum. I bought one for myself years ago and still use it to this day. Quite durable, those marsupial nut sacks.

Remote Triggered Farting Bear

Lucky recipient: sister

Elegantly simple. Place bear near unsuspecting grandmother. Press remote button. Watch rest of family pretend to ignore what they assume is just a more audible version of what grandma does all the time.

Huggable Swearing Bear

Lucky recipient: sister

Elegantly simple. Place bear near unsuspecting grandmother. Tell grandmother to hug bear. Watch rest of family pretend not to be embarrassed as we hear an audible version of what grandma is thinking all the time.

Zebra/Tiger Table

Lucky recipient: mother.

My mother refused to tell me what she wanted for Christmas, so I taught her a lesson by giving her a bunch of stupid crap. This table is probably the stupidest. Lesson learned, mom. I actually gave a zebra table (sans the tiger), but I couldn’t find a picture of it anywhere online. Though I think I like this one better. 2011 gift idea!

Bath towel with my giant face on it

Lucky recipient: mother

I specifically made sure to call this gift a bath towel, rather than a beach towel or dish towel, so as to enhance the creepy factor. That face is actual size…if my face suffered from Elephantiasis. that face is actually about the size of a couch cushion. Bonus funny: I’m my mother’s only son.

Way-too-old child footprints

Luck recipient: mother

You remember those cute infant-to-toddler foot print pictures that children often make for their parents. This is kinda like that except instead of ohhh-ing and awwww-ing there was much ewwww-ing and therapist calling. I actually think this was a Mother’s Day gift. Either way, ha!

Might I recommend you do the same? Creep out your family by gifting one of the items above. Or, better yet, mix in some bookage and give a copy of one of my books. Click below to go to heaven.

Episode 012: November is NaNoWriNo. December is UhOhWriLess.

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:35:29 +0000

November is NaNoWriMo. December is UhOhWriLess.

November 19, 2011 8:18 pm via HootSuite ReplyRetweetFavorite

Caleb J Ross

NaNoWriMo is a month-long event in which writers of all experience levels attempt to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. Sounds good, right? There is a sense of accomplishment for accomplishment’s sake with vomiting so many words, with setting and meeting a goal. However, I’m not so couch-therapy optimistic about it.

Send any comments on this episode, or any writing and publishing related questions to caleb [at] calebjross.com. I will answer them in a future episode.

Show Notes and Mentions

National Novel Writing Month official website
Follow comedian Doug Wilson at @idigthedoug

Preorders are now being accepted for As a Machine and Parts. Preorders will be SIGNED.

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:16:21 +0000

I am so incredibly thrilled to announce that my newest book, As a Machine and Parts, is now available for preorder. Simply click over to the Aqueous Books website to order. ALL PREORDERS WILL BE SIGNED. Unfortunately, they will be signed by me. I tried to reanimate Christopher Reeves or get Stephen Hawking here to do the signing–as that would not only be incredible, but would play nicely into the man/machine hybrid themes of the book–but for some reason I couldn’t get their people to connect with my people. Maybe their people are dead and/or paralyzed, too.

There are a few amazing deals going on that make preordering even more worth your time and money.

If you preorder As a Machine and Parts (or buy any of my books, actually) you will get a copy of my newest short story collection, Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One for FREE! Click here for details.
Word on the street is that Aqueous Books will be running a Black Friday sale (not what you think, fans of slavery) where any 2 Aqueous Books titles can be had for a measly $20. Check out the Aqueous Books store page for details. My recommendation would be pair As a Machine and Parts with Aaron Polson’s The Saints are Dead. It’s a damn fine read.
You can actually combine the two offers above and still get Murmurs for free.

If you don’t order the book, you are basically calling these people liars:

There was once a Marvel comic book called “What if…” and in it Uatu the Watcher, a bald sage-like character with an enormous head spun speculative tales of alternative versions of the Marvel Universe you thought you knew. With As a Machine & Parts Caleb J. Ross continues to stake his claim as his generation’s Watcher, which should not be construed as a commentary on his beautiful, yet clearly fake head of hair, but instead as an observation about the scope of his imagination and his ongoing vision of what the world can be, might be and just maybe will be if Ross has anything to say about it.

—Ben Tanzer, author of Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine

As a Machine and Parts is equal parts hilarious, absurd and touching. It’s the kind of book that after reading makes you say, ‘Damn, why didn’t I think of that first?’ only to realize you couldn’t have done it so well. Wildly inventive without collapsing under the weight of its own genius, As a Machine and Parts proves that Caleb J. Ross is one of the most exciting young authors writing today.

—Nik Korpon, author of Stay God and Old Ghosts

Neil Gaiman on The Simpsons, tween lit lovers rejoice and/or get depressed

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:53:21 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

Yesterday (11-20-2011) The Simpsons continued its legacy of literary references with an episode featuring Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods, Anansi Boys, and many others . The episode, “The Book Job” (season 23, episode 6), explores the culture of tween lit, specifically stories featuring vampires and magicians, using an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist as the plot backdrop. Though the episode speaks primarily to the idea that tween lit may be hugely factory produced for market consumption rather than intellectual stimulation, the optimistic take-away is that even in a world where television and the internet dominate as means of entertainment and information distribution, books seem to be making a resurgence. This, my hope anyway, will seed these tween literateurs with a life-long love of reading.

About “The Book Job“:

Lisa becomes disheartened when she learns the shocking truth behind the “tween lit” industry and her beloved fantasy novel characters, but Homer decides to cash in on the craze and forms a team to group-write the next “tween lit” hit, with the king of fantasy, Neil Gaiman, lending his expertise to the effort. After catching the eye of a slick industry publisher at the Springfield Book Fair, the team gets an advanced copy of their work and discovers that the corporate lit business is a bigger operation than they imagined.

The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs vs. The Catcher in the Rye

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:39:58 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

I briefly mentioned this Unexpected Literary Reference way back on the first official post of this series, but this one certainly deserves some special attention. The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs (Season 14, Episode 2) is an episode of South Park that speaks directly to the idea that historically banned books, placed in the context of modern media, simply don’t have the power that they once may have. The is called out for being a poor commentary on contemporary teenage angst.

About The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs (taken from Wikipedia):

The students at South Park Elementary are assigned to read The Catcher in the Rye, and grow excited when Mr. Garrison tells them that the book has caused so much controversy, it has been banned frompublic schools in the past. However, after reading the book, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny are angry to find the content completely inoffensive, and feel the school has “tricked” them into reading. They decide to write their own offensive novel, The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs, with the intention of disgusting as many people as possible and getting the book banned…Fearful they will get into trouble for the book’s content, Stan and the boys tell Butters he actually wrote the book.

Two Looney Tunes literary references (well, one literary and one drama)

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:57:56 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

It has been quite a number of years since I woke early to watch Saturday morning cartoons. People of my age (late 20s) will remember that Saturday morning was often reserved for a solid 3-4 hour block of cartoon watching. But since the introduction of all-cartoon networks like Cartoon Network and even Nick Jr. (as a stand-alone network, not as a day-time block on Nickelodeon), the idea that cartoons are something to be packaged and presented only once per week has become a bit of a foreign concept.

So, you can imagine my glee when I brought my son (2 1/2) into the living room this morning, turned on the TV, and found not only cartoons, but the very Looney Tunes cartoons I watched as a child (and as a hungover college student). Looney Tunes always had a reputation for mixing the literary with the cartoon. Back in the 50s and 60s (when the episodes I am most familiar with were originally made) books were still a key form of entertainment. Therefore, including literary references wouldn’t have been such a shocker. Which is why finding two references, back-to-back, wasn’t surprising this morning.

This first one actually comes from a play, not a book, but the writer, Tennessee Williams, is considered by many to be as much a literateur as any author. I am not familiar enough with A Streetcar Named Desire to know if this Looney Tunes’ episode plot of “A Street Cat Named Sylvester” actually reflects the plot of the play.

About “A Street Cat Named Sylvester“:

Tweety stumbles into Sylvester’s house looking for shelter and Sylvester hesistates if he saw a tweety bird in the same manner Tweety wonders if he saw a ‘Putty Cat’. Sylvester snatches him inside but has to hide Tweety in a vase covered by books, when Granny appears. While an injured Hector remains bedridden, Sylvester causes whatever diversion he can to stop Granny from spotting Tweety, making Granny give multiple doses of medicine to Hector. When Hector gets in Sylvester’s way from eating Tweety, Sylvester injures himself. Tweety spikes Hector’s medicine resulting in Sylvester ingesting the disgusting stuff.

The second reference of the morning comes from an episode called “Rabbitson Crusoe” which obviously comes from the title of the novel Robinson Crusoe. Like the previous reference, I don’t know enough about the original referent to know how much the Looney Tunes episode plot plays off of the literature plot. I can say that the Looney Tunes episode is pretty good (Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam; you can hardly do better)

About “Rabbitson Crusoe“:

Yosemite Sam narrates that a low tide and high rocks caused his shipwreck on a small island. After the ship’s remaining food stores have been used up, the only source of food is from a coconut tree on an adjacent island. Crossing between the islands, however, is always difficult because of a man-eating shark called Dopey Dick (another parody, this time based on Moby-Dick). Sam manages to get rid of the shark, who jumps after him on land, only by having a mallet ready on the tree with which to whack the shark back. On his way back to his island, he’s chased again by the shark, but this time has a baseball bat ready to whack the shark. Sam mutters that the shark has tried getting him for 20 years, but misses every time. As a result, one can infer that since the shipwreck, Sam has been marooned on the island for the amount of time described above.

Enter Bugs Bunny and the chase antics we all know and love.

Side-note, the new, updated version of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies called The Looney Tunes Show is actually pretty amazing. I recommend for anyone who grew up on the original.

American Dad says The Hunt for Red October is boring

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:00:16 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

Another Unexpected Literary Reference spotting, this one from Season 9, Episode 4 (“Stan Time”) of the amazing series American Dad. the screenshots below don’t translate the humor very well, so if you can find a full version of the episode online. Basically, Stan has been trying to read The Hunt for Red October for years, but is never able to get past the first paragraph. In this sequence, he still doesn’t make it.

Episode 011: Where your work goes when you die OR Long Live Everything!

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:25:50 +0000

Seriously, no Foursquare check-in at this funeral?!

November 17, 2011 12:03 am via HootSuite ReplyRetweetFavorite

Caleb J Ross

I’ll start by saying that the recording for this episode cut off prematurely due to dying batteries. I was going to re-record, but the considering the content of the episode, dying off seems especially relevant.

Though short, I think this episode addresses some important ideas. What happens to our work when we die? And, more importantly, should we even care? How much should we try to control our future reputation?

These questions, and more, will be asked in this episode (but will not be answered; see paragraph one above).

Solarcide interviews me, one of the most interesting interviews yet: The Digital Age of Domestic Grotesque

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:30:22 +0000

Nathan Pettigrew, one of the two minds behind the lit site Solarcide, asked me for an interview a few days ago. This guy knows how to ask questions, ones that not only evoke my own passion for the subject matter but also make it easy for me to answer in a way that is hopefully entertaining for readers.

Head over to Solarcide now. Read the interview. Learn of my greatness.

Here’s a taste of Nathan’s humbling intro:

He’s one of literature’s most lethal rising stars and highly prolific with not one, but four new releases in 2011.

His debut novel from earlier this year, Stranger Will (Otherworld Publications), established Caleb J. Ross as a true talent to be reckoned with. His writing can be described as stylistically beautiful while depicting some of the darkest and most disturbing worlds that fiction has to offer.

Picking up on concurrent themes throughout his work pertaining to family, some have begun to refer to his style as Domestic Grotesque—a genre all his own.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #75: Big Other, CALEB HAS LEFT THE BLOGOSPHERE!

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:51:45 +0000

75 blog posts. Seven-five. It’s hard to believe that I started this marathon blog tour back in March. I’ve had some good times promoting my novels, and it’s fitting that I can revisit and summarize some of those good times at the Big Other blog, which was the second stop on my tour all those months ago.

Click here to read the final guest post of the Stranger Will Tour for Strange blog tour. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

The Conan O’Brien Always Has Obscure Show Titles

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:45:19 +0000

(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series)

The title of the November 14th episode of Conan is adapted from the James M. Cain novel The Postman Always Rings Twice. This is a bit of a ballsy move, as reading does not seem to be a primary cultural referent these days (even though The Postman is one of the more famous novels out there).Then again, I may give TV too much credit here; the Conan title references are notoriously obscure.

I’m quite sad; I was hoping to keep this ol’ blog honest and almost 100% cartoons. But I suppose Conan O’Brien is a bit of a cartoon.

Kind words from Ken Wohlrob, author of The Love Book: “Ross writes the macabre better than most”

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:20:25 +0000

Ken Wohlrob, author of The Love Book and Songs of Vagabonds, Misfits, and Sinners made this early morning a bit more bearable by offering a very humbling, very nice review of Stranger Will over at his official site.

Here’s a few snippets:

“It’s been a while since I have read a solid, eerie tale of actual human depravity — let’s face it, most writers are too zombie and vampire obsessed these days — but Stranger Will hits the mark perfectly.

The plot, is taught, well-crafted, and 2/3 of the way in hits you with the right-hook to the head where you suddenly realize everything that came before was just a warm-up for the real action. And Ross, never winks, never let’s down his guard — very important for this kind of tale. He could have tried to temper the darkness with humor, but that would’ve undercut the atmosphere. As written, there is no letup for the reader.

Ross has outdone himself on this one…Ross writes the macabre better than most.”

Many thanks to Ken for these kind words. While you are over at his site being equally dumbstruck by the full content of his kind words, be sure to check out his books. I haven’t read his new one yet, but if these Goodreads reviews are any indication, the read will be well worth your time.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #74: Shaking Like a Mountain – I own way too many domains

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:27:04 +0000

I have a problem with purchasing domains and never using them. In all I have about 20, all but 5 or so go unused. Many of the domains are literature themed. Today at Shaking Like a Mountain, I offer possible uses for these domains.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #73: Dan Donche’s blog – a reaction video to Donche’s website (Video Blog Ep 003)

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:16:24 +0000

I’ve been making a few videos lately. They aren’t well-produced by any means, but hopefully they bring a smile to 80% of people who watch them (for the other 20% I hope for frowns; got to maintain my street cred, right?). Today my blog tour brings me to Dan Donche’s blog where I offer a reaction video of me watching content on his website. It’s meta.

Click here to watch the guest post video. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

UPDATE: Here’s the video for your viewing pleasure.

[Guest Post] The importance bringing people together through fiction by Jane Smith

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:42:38 +0000

This is a guest post by Jane Smith. Jane Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. She writes about free background checks for Backgroundcheck.org. Questions and comments can be sent to: janesmth161 @ gmail.com

If you’re reading this, you’d likely agree that nothing delivers the same intellectual delight as reading a compelling work of fiction. Generations of writers and casual readers alike have sought shelter in the sheer joy of reading as a means of escape or as a landscape by which to navigate and explore their imagination. The long line of omnivorous consumers of books from Gutenberg to you, dear reader, stands as a testament to the universal allure of the bound volume.

But for all the draw to reading, there’s an complicit solitude involved; while reading engrosses us, it simultaneously isolates us from sharing the experience with others by virtue of being a solitary activity. This truth is particularly difficult to bear when we read a work that blows our minds or takes our breath away; there’s an irresistible urge to share how this sentence shook us or how that stanza made us rethink the fundamental ideas of time and space. And all too often when we do approach someone about fiction, we do so out of context and come off as a babbling and solipsistic bookworm gushing about our latest read. But reading doesn’t and needn’t be a solitary activity. No, there’s deep and meaningful enjoyment to be derived from a group of people gathering for the sole purpose of discussing a work of fiction together.

Unfortunately, the term “book club” has acquired a stigma thanks to the popularity of celebrity book clubs whose only goal seems to be to determine the summer book list of the nation’s uninformed readership. The popularized celebrity book clubs don’t bring people together through fiction as much as they serve as an excuse to socialize. What’s more, these book clubs do little to encourage readers to bring their own favorite works to discuss; a work is simply “chosen” ostensibly for its literary merit and participants generally agree about its greatness.

Real book clubs should foster intense discussion about a work of fiction: the reactions drawn from every reader, analyses as to how and why everyone reacted the way they did, sharing in the agonies and ecstasies of the actual text. People shouldn’t feel anxious about sharing their passions for fiction, nor should they hesitate to discuss how they feel certain works impact their lives. True works of fiction connect people attuned to those works on a very deep and personal level. It’s a linkage worth cultivating if you have the time and the resource.

If you have an urge to discuss your latest literary obsession, be proactive and found a local reading group. If you’re in a major metropolitan city, you’d be surprised at how many like-minded readers cast about for partners-in-reading. As for the specifics, start simply and with reasonable expectations. You can easily design a flier to advertising your club, filled with enough information to entice the passing reader. Disclose the first book/short story/poem/author in the flier, as well as a tentative location for the event (probably in a public place for starters) as well as an email where interested parties can contact you. I’d recommend posting the fliers in local coffee shops and book stores that would likely attract avid readers. And draw readers you will, because as intoxicating as it is to revel in a great book on your own, it’s infinitely more enjoyable to share the experience with someone else who can appreciate and understand your enthusiasm.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/auntie/

How to standardize your author name for search engines

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:37:59 +0000

The always wonderful Jane Friedman recently posted and responded to a question from a writer about the standardization of an author name and how search engines interpret (or cannot interpret) the various spellings of a single author’s name. I won’t post Jan O’Hara’s entire question here, but definitely check it out. A representative excerpt follows:

Depending upon the blogging platform I’m using, it variously codes my name as OHara, O’Hara, O\Hara, or Hara…While some search engines or bookselling sites prompt the reader to find the correct spelling, this is not consistent. I cannot be guaranteed a reader who searches for “ohara” will be sent on to “O’Hara.”

This is an important dilemma. In fact, it’s one I myself have wrestled with for years. The truth is, way back in 2000 or so when I first started seriously considering a career as an author, I went by Caleb Ross (sans the middle J ). The reason: calebross.com was already taken. And not just by another nobody. Caleb Ross is apparently a well-known actor, most famous for his role on TV show called The Tribe. So, my secret goal in life was to become so popular that searches for Caleb Ross would instead lead to Caleb J. Ross content.

But after so many years of fledgling popularity, I pretty much gave up and decided to focus (rightly) on my writing instead of my name. Little did I know that focusing on my writing would become a huge help in gaining that coveted #1 position in the search results (more on that later). As I become more aware of how search engines work my efforts to take the #1 position became more focused. How did I do it? How did I “train” the search engines to know that searches for Caleb Ross could indicate a desire for Caleb J. Ross content?

First, how do search engines work?

I eat and breathe search engines, but I understand that most people don’t. Therefore, I want to give a quick summary of how a search engine works, with special respects to the problem of standardizing names. If you know how search engines work, skip this first section.

When you do a search on Google (I’ll speak to Google specifically here, but most of this information can be applied to any good search engine) the search engine results page (SERP) is not actually displaying live data from the websites it lists. Instead, the SERP is actually showing copies of the website data. Google routinely takes snapshots of every website in the world (called crawling or spidering) and stores copies in its own databases (called indexing), much like a giant file cabinet. Why is this important? Because before a search engine displays the results for a query, it is applying a top-secret algorithm to all of the websites in its file cabinet. This algorithm attempts to determine which websites are most relevant to your search query (FYI, the fact that websites are indexed on Google’s own servers rather than stored only on local website servers is one of the reasons why search results appear so quickly…if that interests you, look for your Welcome to the Nerd Club membership card in the mail shortly).

So how does Google decide that one website is more relevant than another? How would Google know that when someone is searching for ohara that he actually means O’Hara? That, my friend, is why Google rules the world. Few people know the actual algorithm. However, there are some known factors which can be used to help make sure Google understands that ohara is the same person as o’hara.

The importance of proper anchor text

One of the most important ranking factors is inbound links, which are the links on other websites that point back to your own site. Google considers each inbound link like a vote for the linked site. Basically, the more other sites link to your site, the more important Google assumes your site to be. Of course there are caveats to this, but the basics are all we need right now. But the link itself isn’t all that matters. Also important is the anchor text, or the highlighted part of a link. For example, in this sentence the anchor text would be “this sentence.” For a better example, see the first paragraph of this (already lengthy) blog post where I link back to Jane Friedman’s blog using the anchor text “posted and responded to a question from a writer about the standardization of an author name.” Basically, I am telling the search engines that the linked page on Jane Friedman’s blog has something to do with a question from a writer involving the standardization of an author name and that Jane Friedman’s blog should get a vote for that query.

Back to author name standardization. If I want people searching for Caleb Ross to see calebjross.com in the search results, one way to encourage that would be to place links throughout the internet that point to calebjross.com and contain the anchor text “Caleb Ross.” And this is exactly what I did.

Since March I have been involved in a 70+ blog tour where I have offered guest posts to a variety of literary and author blogs. Each blog post contained a short bio, in which, for the last 10 or so guest posts, I included the following line (links included):

This is a guest post by Caleb J Ross (also known as Caleb Ross, to people who hate Js) as part of his Stranger Will Tour for Strange blog tour.

What seems like a slight humorous aside is actually a conscious effort to help Google understand that people searching for Caleb Ross may in fact mean Caleb J. Ross. Couple this sly insertion with the boatloads of content I was creating and distributing online, and eventually the search engines recognized that Caleb J. Ross may be worthy of Caleb Ross searches (though The Tribe’s Caleb Ross still appears predominately in image searches…and rightfully so; he’s way better looking than me).

The importance of tying all of your social profiles and blogs together

We all have social profiles. Way too many social profiles. Counting all of the profiles I maintain with regularity, I have about nine. Most social profiles offer an area to include external links to other sites. Utilize these areas to include links to each of your other social profiles.

For the more advanced user consider implementing the rel=”author” markup. I won’t go into depth about how to implement it (go to this official Google support answer topic for in-depth info), but it is important to understand its potential power. Consider this: you write for multiple blogs, have multiple social profiles online, and you want to help Google understand that single authors often produce content all over the internet. Enter the rel=”author” markup. When implemented correctly, here’s what a SERP will look like:

Google has been pushing this markup a LOT lately. And if Google is pushing something, you can be certain that it is important, or at least will be in the near future.

Which brings me to Google+. To some, Google+ is just another social network. To search engine nerds like myself, Google+ is nothing short of a revolution. I won’t turn this post into a manifesto, but I do want to highlight a couple very important aspects of the Google+ profile. First, at this time Google+ requires either a real name or a known pseudonym which means the name in a Google+ profile will certainly carry more weight than a name in a different social profile. My recommendation is to build your Google+ profile around your preferred professional name. Second, Google+ contains a dedicated profiles sidebar (see screenshot below). Most important to note is the “Contributor to” section. If you’ve read this blog post then you probably already know what to do here. If you skipped everything above: list the author archive page urls for all the blogs you contribute to in this section.

Now, go to sleep. This has been quite the lengthy post.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #72: Bukowski’s Basement – Writing in Weird Places

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:16:02 +0000

I drop by Bukowski’s Basement today to offer a few words on the romance of writing to unique locales.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

A short list of books I own, are currently within reaching distance, but have not yet been read

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Not enough time. The forever growing stack of to-reads will never be tamed due to this one simple fact. Though I read every day, sometimes for hours at a time, I’m never able to get to all of the books I feel deserve to be read. With that, I bring you this short list of to-reads that I own already but have, embarrassingly, not had the chance to read. Why this post? Perhaps to keep me honest. Or, perhaps a way to get a few people to comment with variations of “what?” and “how could you?”

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Is my procrastination justified? No. This book was required reading in high school, yet I managed to coast by with barely even cracking the spine. Back then I was not into reading. I existed on a steady intellectual diet of video games and Family Guy. Even if the message of this book lacks any true modern day application, a classic is a classic for a reason, I suppose.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

Is my procrastination justified? Maybe. Part of me embraces the hipster implications of having never read a classic, especially a classic such as this one, heralded as a shining example of teenage angst in literature. I’m proud of never having read this book in the same way I am proud to have never seen any of the Star Wars movies.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Is my procrastination justified? Yes. I’ve tried reading this tome more than a few times. I think my contemporary attention span prevents me from getting past the fifteenth hexa-syllablic Russian name. I’ll likely try again in the future. Otherwise, I suppose, it wouldn’t be on this list, right?

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

Is my procrastination justified? No. I’ve been told by many people whose opinion I respect that this book is amazing and should be a staple in any literatuer’s diet. However, I’ve been told by an equal number of people whose opinion I respect that the book is too self-indulgent, too non-linear, and all around too terrible for me to waste my time. Anything this divided deserves at least one attempt.

Arc D’X by Steve Erickson

Is my procrastination justified? No. Though Arc d’X isn’t considered by most Erickson fans as his best work, I picked it up at a bargain book sale simply because it is an Erickson work. I’ve read The Sea Came in at Midnight, Rubicon Beach, and Tours of the Black Clock (and I have Our Ecstatic Days on my to-read as well), so being the completest that I am, this book is bound to get read at some point. It’s been a while since I’ve read an Erickson book, which is why at least one of them finds its way to this list.

The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay

Is my procrastination justified? No. I’ve only read short fiction by Tremblay, and judging from my experience with those shorter works it’s a travesty that I haven’t yet read The Little Sleep. Tremblay and I hang out a bit at the same Liternets so my procrastination is even more non-justified. At least with The Little Sleep being unread I’ll have something to really, really look forward to.

[EDIT: I have officially started reading this book. I have unofficially already crapped my pants in awe]

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World by Lewis Hyde

Is my procrastination justified? Maybe. Author friends have told me that this book reads like a definitive manifesto on creativity. Sounds great. The problem is that I have an aversion, albeit an unwarranted one, to books that have self-help titles and pictures of hearts on the cover. Call the book Creativity Kicks So Much Ass and replace the heart with some titties or a fist and you’ve got me interested.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Is my procrastination justified? Maybe. Much of what I said above about Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot can be said here as well. Crime and Punishment carries a bit more gravitas, thus placing it higher on my to-read stack on my nightstand. That is if impressing visitors were important to me. Though, the kind of visitor that would be within close proximity to my nightstand probably doesn’t need any more impressing.

The Colony by Jillian Weise

Is my procrastination justified? No. I met Jillian earlier this year at the AWP conference in Washington, DC. She’s a gem. She has presence, can crack a damn fine joke, and knows her way around a conversation. In fact, she’s such a great person that I feel bad not having read this book before even leaving the conference for the airport. I’m terrible.

C by Tom McCarthy

Is my procrastination justified? Maybe. I’ve never read a McCarthy book. I’ve heard so many mixed opinions both from strangers and from people who know my tastes well. What ultimately brought me to wanting to read this book is the way Jennifer Eagan goes on and on about it on the Sept 10, 2010 episode of the NY Times Book Review Podcast. So, if it sucks, it’s your fault Eagan.

A Pint of Plain: Tradition, Change and the Fate of the Irish Pub by Bill Barich

Is my procrastination justified? Probably. Every since visiting Ireland in 20…um…2007 I think, I’ve been quite interested in the pub life of the country. Hell, I’ve been interested in the pub life of every country since I first started drinking, but never before have I actually been to the native pubs (Ireland is the only trip abroad I’ve ever taken). Having a physical association with the content of this book makes me think it will be well worth my time and worth the inevitable Guinness flashbacks.

The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones

Is my procrastination justified? No. Stephen Graham Jones is one of those authors who can get away with writing any genre. He’s just so good. My favorite pieces of his, short fiction, are what make up this entire book. Couple those passed-thru filters with the fact that Stephen hangs out at The Velvet writing forums more than most non-super-amazing-authors, and there is just no reason for me not having read this book.

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

Is my procrastination justified? Yes. I don’t know much about this book other than the author is dead and a lot of my reading friends rave about it. The reason I give this book a “yes” to the question above is simply because I know so little of it.

Freight by Mel Bosworth

Is my procrastination justified? No. I’ve known Mel on the interwebs for a while. He’s a fellow contributor over at Outsider Writers Collective, he’s written a handful of amazing short books, he’s beloved by all, and this book is apparently somewhat of a departure not just for him but for contemporary literature in general. It’s a Choose Your Own Adventure type of book, from what I hear. Amazing, right?

Stranger Will Tour Stop #71: Tom Williams’ blog – In Defense of Concept Fiction

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:51:47 +0000

For this post, so graciously hosted by Tom Williams, author of the incredible The Mimic’s Own Voice, I was going to take the title of his book literally and write something verbatim from one of Tom’s previous posts. But then I realized that such a thing would be stupid. Instead I write about something that I feel I am always defending, so I figure it’s time I write a post about it.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #70: Chris Deal’s blog – more comics created using author bio pictures

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:30:45 +0000

Author bio photos often seem to me as stuffy, strangely manicured posturing that is supposed to be a way to connect the reader to the author (and drive sales), but do they work? I’m not sure. However, they are good for displaying humorous captions. Check some out today at Chris Deal’s blog.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #69: xTx’s blog and why the hell must I (try to) be so funny all the time

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:17:19 +0000

I’ve been awful about posting notices here telling all you lovely people when I have a new blog tour post go live. And today’s (yesterday’s) failure on my part is especially effed up, as the infamous and aesthetically mysterious xTx has allowed me a day on her blog. See if I ever get invited back.

I write about my inherent, and unnecessary, need to turn everything I say into something potentially humorous. Success or no, I’m addicted.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #68: Le Salon Annex (Kristin Fouquet’s blog), Cleaning Up Death is Becoming Popular

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:55:15 +0000

The wonderfully talented Kristin Fouquet offers some space at her blog today where I write a bit about how dead body clean up has become more and more popular over the last few years. Thanks for Kristin for letting me stop by!

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will Tour Stop #67: Eject! Jason Kane’s blog and Steve Urkel/Stephan Urquelle

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:53:14 +0000

Steve Urkel. I need not say more. But I will. Steve Urkel = nerd. Stephan Urquelle = smooth, respected, man. What’s the difference? Looks. And what does this have to do with fiction writing? Head over to the Eject! blog to find out.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #66: Bradley sands’ blog – the funniest quotes from a sex robot documentary

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:41:41 +0000

I can’t believe I failed to notify everyone about this new Blog Tour post that went live on Bradely Sands’ site a couple of days ago. I should be killed.

I try to be open to hilarity everywhere in life. Sometimes, I don’t have to look far. At Bradley Sands’ blog today I provide a list of quotes, take verbatim, from a documentary on the Discovery channel called, simply, Sex Robot. Here’s a taste:

Delosian: “You know that…Snow White, singing about ‘someday my prince will come.’ Well, someday my android will come, damn-it.”

Again, these are 100% real. Don’t miss out.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

How do readers choose books? (Poll Results)

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:32:49 +0000

I’m a data nerd. I’m a spreadsheet and chart nerd. Therefore, I could have made this lede a bit shorter and simply said “I’m a nerd.” Recently, I conducted a very unscientific poll on Twitter and Facebook, asking a general group of readers how they decide what to read when choosing a book.

While this is an admittedly small poll with a slight slant toward people I know, even if tangentially (they are connected to me via Facebook and Twitter in some way), I feel the findings are still valid, at least as part of a possible larger survey. If anyone has the resources to conduct a larger poll, contact me. I’d love to see the data.

Here are the results:

Observations:

It has long been said that word of mouth is the best advertising for books, so it is slightly surprising to see “Recommendations” appear 3^rd on the list.
“Author” being so high on the list is not surprising. We live in egotistical times. And with the embrace of ego comes the worship of ego.
I didn’t think that “Cover/Title/Synopsis” would have been so important. It is especially interesting that this option was a voter submitted option.
“Price” is very far down on the list. In a world of so much free content, seeing that people are still willing to pay for perceived value is encouraging.

Episode 010: Twitter and the author. A novel with 140 characters, bad. An author with 140 characters, good.

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:27:00 +0000

Twitter is like looking for constellations; in the morning, i’ll regret having stayed up late to experience it.

February 23, 2011 1:33 am via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

Resource found at Sonogram Technician

Caleb J Ross

What good is Twitter, really? How do authors use it? How should authors use it? How can readers use it? How can readers and authors use it together? How many more questions can I type here that essentially ask the same thing? In this episode I talk about how I, as an author and reader, use Twitter. But most importantly, I address its limitations. Enjoy.

Send any writing and publishing related questions to caleb [at] calebjross.com. I will answer them in a future episode.

Show Notes and Mentions:

Yes, again, Jane Friedman teaches at the University of Cincinnati. Twitter handle: @JaneFriedman
Personal examples of professional success using Twitter:

Invited to contribute a story to a Rainstorm Press horror anthology
Live tweeting at literary events such as the reading at Czar bar in Kansas City and the social media panel at AWP in 2011.
Many bloggers and authors have contacted me via Twitter about doing guests posts for my blog tour: The Stranger Will Tour for Strange

Summary:

Chances are, nobody is listening on Twitter anyway
The best way to get people to listen to you is to be honest. Leave the sales pitch at the door.
Use Twitter as a notebook or mini-workshop
Cultivate your own personal PR department
Engage with the reading community even before you have a book deal. Read Christina Katz’s Get Known Before the Book Deal.

Stranger Will tour stop #65: Richard Thomas’ blog, we argue the merits (or non-) of an MFA

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:03:00 +0000

Today marks a special stop on my blog tour. Richard Thomas and I have it out a new installment of his dueling columns series which essentially pits two writers against one another to voice their individuals takes on a hot-button issue of the day. Our issue: to MFA or not to MFA. I’ve posted both of our write-ups below, which can also be seen at Richard Thomas’ site.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

FOR MFA PROGRAMS – Richard

As Caleb mentioned in his column, if you want to teach at the university level, then you must get an MFA. And at many fine universities, you may need a PhD these days as well. In addition to that, most schools want you to have at least one published novel or short story collection (the bigger and better the press, the greater the recognition) as well as many stories published in the best journals and magazines in the country, and some teaching experience as well. But we’re not talking about that today, we’re talking about everything else that comes with your MFA experience and why you should spend the time, money, and effort to get an MFA. Here’s what I think about it all.

Forced Reading and Analysis

I know it seems like a horrible thing to say, but if you have deadlines, and if you’re spending money on something, you will most likely pay attention and work hard at it. If you have to turn in a short story, an annotation (based on a novel or collection that you had to read first, of course) by the end of each month, you are going to do it. I certainly do write stories on my own, and without deadlines, but I can honestly say that having a word count, a book (or two) to read each month, it kept me producing. My low-res MFA program down at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky (where I’m just finishing up my studies) really pushed me—to write, to read and to analyze. I doubt I would have done this on my own. Maybe I would have, but the forced requirements left me no room to play around. And since I did pay for my MFA, no grants, scholarships or other aid, I took it seriously.

Working Outside of Your Comfort Zone

I can honestly say that there are many authors that I definitely would not have read if it wasn’t for my MFA program. While we did have the ability to pick our books to read over the course of each semester (7-11 titles), some of what my professors asked me to read were not up for discussion: the Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, The New Yorker, and the Best American Short Stories anthology series. I read a wide range of authors that really helped me to see what the literary landscape is like today, as well as in the past hundred years or so. For our fiction genre lectures as well, we read Poe, Murakami, McCarthy, and many other authors that I either didn’t know very well, had read some of their work, or were totally new to me. Since my undergraduate studies at Bradley University were in Advertising/Communication, I was lacking in my literary studies. Between the work I found on my own (Holly Goddard Jones, Mary Gaitskill, Flannery O’Connor, Ron Rash), the work that was assigned, and the authors that I already loved, and decided to re-read or dig into deeper, the scope of my reading and analysis was much wider than I would have assigned to myself on the outside, in the real world. That’s something to consider.

Mentors, Professors and Peers

I studied under Lynn Pruett my first semester and she really helped me to hone in on the authors I already enjoyed and to write the first half of my second neo-noir novel (Disintegration) which I’m shopping now. But it was studying under Dale Ray Phillips(nominated for a Pulitzer Prize) that I really pushed myself. Or maybe I should say—was pushed. DRP got me away from the crutches and tricks that I used in my genre writing, where I often leaned heavily on sex and violence and the occasional twist ending, exploring fantasy, horror, crime, neo-noir, you name it. He wanted straight literary stories where nobody died at the end. What was his big line to me? Leave the slow reveal to the strippers. It was hard—really hard. I had to focus on the story, and the classic structure of a story, find my narrative hook, explore the conflicts in the lives of my characters, and bring it to a satisfying end. Above and beyond these two professors, I talked to many talented authors, teachers, and guest authors, who really enlightened me on so many subjects, as well as a gifted group of fellow fiction writers, poets, and essayists.

Guest Authors

I was talking to some author friends at a recent residency I was awarded (Writers in the Heartland) and I mentioned to the poet that I was constantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the guest poets at MSU. The same goes for a lot of the non-fiction authors. I was always surprised at how talented all of the guests were, from fiction writer Richard Bausch making me cry with his emotional truths, and essayist Heather Sellers making me laugh with her stories of facial blindness, to poets Linda Bierds and Alice Friman showing me the power of poetry, and journalist Nick Reding exploring the haunting world of crystal meth and addiction. The readings blew me away and the craft lectures were always enlightening and educational.

Conclusion

Do you need an MFA to write? No, you do not. You are certainly, if you are driven enough, capable of reading extensively, publishing widely, and studying on your own. But if you want to work with published authors in an environment with your peers, and get that extra push you may need to read, write and publish, then an MFA is a great place to study and create. I really enjoyed my time at MSU, and this program is still a relatively unknown and emerging program. If you can get into a top program, and get some financial aid, and especially if you are still unencumbered by a wife or husband and a household full of children, then I can’t think of a better way to massage your voice and grow as an author.

AGAINST MFA PROGRAMS – Caleb

First, a bit of context. Richard has an undergrad degree in Advertising and Communications with a minor in Psychology. He is currently pursuing an MFA. I have an undergrad degree in English Lit with a minor in creative writing. I am not currently pursuing an MFA. Why is this important? To show that I am coming at this question of education with a different educational history than Richard. Furthermore, as far as I am aware, Richard’s goal is to teach creative writing at a college level. An MFA is a requirement to do so. I do not want to teach. So I must argue this as though he and I are both looking at the MFA as a way to develop one’s creative writing abilities, not as a way to ensure a career in academia. If you want to be a professor, you can stop reading now; there really is no pro vs con debate.

So, with all of those qualifiers out of the way, let’s get into the meat of the duel.

Cost analysis

At its core, an MFA program is an extension of the traditional 4-year undergrad program, and in being so carries financial and structure burdens similar to that of an undergrad program. What we are looking at then is cost. Basically, the cost of an MFA includes two things: connections and time. You’ll meet many famous writers and you’ll be forced to write. Both of these things are necessary for a serious writer. But, neither of these things is the sole intellectual property of the MFA program. For any serious writer, MFA or no, connections and productivity are things that will come as a result of dedication. Using my experience as an example (a sample size of one, I know, dangerous), within the first two years of post-undergrad life (2005-2007), I completed three novel-length manuscripts (two of which are to be published in 2011), became an editor at Outsider Writers Collective (where I’ve interacted with some of the best independent writers around), contributed book reviews to a variety of online zines, participated in Write Club (which surpassed my undergrad workshops in many ways, but not all ways), and met Richard Thomas (which ultimately led to my book being published by Otherworld Publications). Roxanne Gay, in a blog post at HTML Giant about this very topic of MFA, sums up my opinion nicely: “I do believe one should never pay for graduate school but that a graduate education is awesome.”

I feel any higher education in the liberal arts should focus as much on the how tos as thewhys. From what I know of MFAs, there is a large why focus, specifically in regards to pedagogy, which is great. A good writer can write. A great writer can think. But again, if you have the passion to be a great writer, you’ll seek out the whys on your own. Does this mean an MFA is essentially a writing desk with a $30,000 gun to your head? Yeah.

Craft analysis

I don’t believe that the MFA program offers anything in terms of learning how to tell a story that an adequate undergrad program can’t offer. Continuing with my personal experience as an example, it may be that my undergrad experience was so great that I gained what I would consider the equivalent of an MFA (in terms of education, not in terms of papered credentials). My professor, Amy Sage Webb, continues to be one of my strongest supporters, and without her I may very well have moved right into an MFA program after undergrad. Though ironically enough Amy pushed me almost daily to pursue graduate school; perhaps in a strange Socratic way. What I learned as an undergrad, when weighing the pros/cons of grad school, is what Lincoln Michel, Master of Fine Arts and co-editor of Gigantic Magazine says in his reaction piece to Elif Batuman ’s anti -MFA review “book review ”: “Studying and critiquing an art form isn ’t the same as practicing it.” MFA programs train students to study and critique writing. The craft itself can be learned elsewhere. Sure, there’s a thesis/novel to be written during a two-year program, but any writer worth his own cramped knuckles will produce a manuscript in two years.

I have to end by admitting that this opinion isn’t one I intend to keep, unchanged, for the rest of my life. I may want to teach one day. In fact, I’d be surprised if I didn’t attempt to teach someday. At that time, I’ll be in line for my MFA. But professorial aspirations aside, MFA’s just aren’t worth the time and financial investment.

Takeaways:

An MFA may guide a student more directly than self-navigation through the vast land of education, but at a great financial cost
An MFA is necessary for teaching at a college. I think this is the case all around, but correct me if I am wrong.
Given the right undergrad program, one can learn just as much in terms of how tos and whys without pursuing an MFA.
If you want to be a great writer you will be a great writer; no MFA necessary
The internet makes it almost impossible not to network with established writers; no MFA program necessary.

Episode 009: Do writers really need a writing room?

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:00:20 +0000

Virginia Woolf was an advocate of a writer having a dedicated place to write, as examined in her famous essay “A Room of One’s Own.” I know, the essay speaks specifically to women and how their treatment as lesser citizens prevented them from potential as serious writers. Hence, having the financial and social freedom afforded (or perhaps implied) by having a room of one’s own would be what makes the writer as woman a more accepted presence in the world of books. But me, I just read the title of the essay and have taken from it what I want.

Most writers would agree a dedicated writing space is important. But is it really? Is there something to be said about the paralyzing effect that comes with such a freedom? Is the wish of a dedicated room just an excuse some writers use to explain lack of productivity?

Show Notes and Mentions:

Rainstorm Press
Paris and the Hiltons
LitReactor
My blog tour: The Stranger Will Tour for Strange
Send any writing and publishing related questions to caleb [at] calebjross.com
Watch the new Stranger Will promo video here: Caleb J. Ross Answers Reader Questions about his novel Stranger Will

If you’ve read Stranger Will, you will definitely want to see this!

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:00:12 +0000

During the preorder phase of Stranger Will (around January(ish) of 2011) I decided to do something special, as I try to do with all of my book preorders. With Stranger Will, the temptation to integrate the preorder extras into the thematic content of the book itself was obvious and too persistent to ignore. A large part of the book deals with the trade of messenger pigeon messages between a woman named Mrs. Rose and to-be parents who are, shall we say, less than excited about their coming children. What comes of these transactions is an intricate, yet intentionally misdirected, sales pitch designed to encourage the to-be parents to abort their pregnancies. Heavy stuff, I know.

I decided to use one of those exchanges presented in Stranger Will as a base for expanding the communication chain into a longer dialog between Mrs. Rose and a parent. What became of this is a 14-part, all dialog, short story titled “Noise” (the title should be understood by those who have read the book). The distilled version of this dialog can be found in chapter 22 of Stranger Will).

Here I present “Noise” in it’s entirety. If you have a copy of Stranger Will in hand, I recommend re-reading chapter 22 to get the full effect. For those of you who don’t have a copy of Stranger Will, what the hell are you waiting for. Buy it!

(My handwriting is pretty bad, I know. Click here to skip down to the text-only version)

Noise

Mrs. Rose: It’s easy to rationalize what we are doing. The emotion is what gets in the way. That may change one day; we are still evolving.

Parent: Eugene, he’s a good kid, I want to be careful with how I say this, raising him feels like a failure from the start, you know? Of course you do.

Mrs. Rose: Of all people, yes, I know. You build this thing, this thing becomes a person, and slowly the realization that this person will never be immortal, this person will never be perfect, this person will die, that realization hits hard. This person will be forgotten.

Parent: I remember the first time I questioned everything. He was young, three or so. He burned his hand on a candle, twice in one day. Twice. He knew the pain the first time, he felt it the first time, cried for most of the day. Times like that, I wonder. But he loved me that day, too. Made me hug him more than he ever had. Maybe we shouldn’t do this. Maybe this whole idea is wrong.

Mrs. Rose: Don’t start inventing memories on me. He’s a kid, for sure, but a good kid? Sometimes people forget what words really mean, what power words have. Be more powerful than the words. Hell, power is why we started this discussion anyway, right? Or the belief in false power. Proceed as planned. Be the strength we are trying to craft.

Parent: Maybe he didn’t hug me more that day than any other…

Mrs. Rose: I am confident of that.

Parent: But maybe I’m missing something. Sometimes, I feel like one of these messages is gone, maybe. Maybe there’s something important that I’ll never have the chance to know.

Mrs. Rose: All the messages are there. You’ve already made the right decision. I just helped you see what you already knew.

Parent: So, when do we meet next? Where? I hate to take such a practical approach to things, but practicality is all I have left. I’m working on stripping the emotion away.

Mrs. Rose: No need to meet. Just send him to school like always. After that, the less you know, the better.

Parent: So this is it? I don’t need to do anything else?

Mrs. Rose: You have already done more than you, me, anyone could fully comprehend. God is, by definition, beyond comprehension. I’m not calling you God. But it’s okay to admit similarities.

Parent: He’s become a source of regret, as you know. I’m just unable to care for him anymore. Raising a child is hard. I feel out of options. So, the 23^rd then? Monday. He’s a difficult child to care for and this is the best way for all of us. I need to believe this. It’s hard, though.

Spinetingler Magazine reviews Click-Clack from Warmed and Bound: “This vignette is a song masquerading as short story. It achieves this with a brilliance as flawless as any modern masterpiece of music.”

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:44:56 +0000

“Click-Clack” is a favorite of my stories. It has a rhythm and a focus that I am particularly proud of. So, it makes me all warm and bound to read Matthew C. Funk‘s review of the story at Spinetinger Magazine. Spinetingler, for whatever beautiful reason, has decided to review a handful of stories from the recent Warmed and Bound anthology, in which my story, along with 37 others, appear for your reading pleasure.

Rather than blather on, I’ll just post a few of Mr. Funk’s words:

Click-Clack by Caleb J. Ross is attuned to these mortal rhythms, and makes them sing seamlessly in a narrative that is as much a ballad as it is lyrical prose. This vignette is a song masquerading as short story. It achieves this with a brilliance as flawless as any modern masterpiece of music.

Ross crafts wondrously illustrated personalities. Jack and Ernie are vivid as both symbols in a fable and people in a beautiful and brutal struggle.

This deep understanding of the dynamic between father and son is just one aspect of Click-Clack’s beauty. Ross also infuses the work with flourishes of consonance, rhyming words in a subtle way that make the power of rhythm a real force for the reader…His rhythms run through it like tides. They rise and fade in the writing like the passing of trains.

Click-Clack hits all the right notes. It is a pin-point, sad-hearted portrait of the track of birth and death that fathers and sons must follow. It took on speed, swept me up and kept echoing after it passed…Do not miss this train.

Read the full review at Spintingler Magazine. While there, take in the rest of the words, both kind and not so kind, about Warmed and Bound.

Caleb J. Ross Answers Reader Questions about his novel Stranger Will (Video Blog Ep 002)

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:00:01 +0000

Sometimes I get bored. When I get bored I tend to pretend there is a camera in front of me. This time, I pretended…FOR REAL!

I rather like making promotional videos for my books. Perhaps I will continue. But then again, the new season of Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time finally started so boredom may be a thing of the past.

Stranger Will tour stop #64: Nascent Novelist blog – Don’t let your stories disappoint you

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:44:26 +0000

Today at Martine Svanevik’s Nascent Novelist blog I talk a bit about my very first non-academic publication, years ago at Dogmatika.com (may it rest in peace). The lesson: I’m so glad one of my earlier tries at fiction writing didn’t get out there for everyone else to see. I’m as proud of this first story now as I was then.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #63: American Typo blog – Write. Don’t “have written.”

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:09:51 +0000

Today at the American Typo blog, I talk about some sound wisdom from a source I’ve long forgotten: too many writers don’t want to write, they want to have written. It’s hard to remember this at times (which may be indicative of the “writers” lack of reason for being a writer in the first place). I want to be the author performer. I want to be the author on display. But do I want to be the author, alone, in front of a computer screen? A valid question for most of us.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will is not a manifesto on overpopulation or bad parenting, but infographics on the subject are still fun.

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:55:12 +0000

Stranger Will is not a novel meant to be read as a personal manifesto. Definitely not. Stranger Will contains some direct (and no so direct) anti-parenting and overpopulation problem content, sure, but the author is not always the book. Or as Freud might say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

But that being said, I will forever be interested in data and trends regarding pregnancy. Hell, I’m nerdy enough to be interested in data and trends regarding anything. But pregnancy, and births, are for some reason a bit more interesting to me. Below I’ve pulled three interesting pieces of data from a larger infographic (which follows the three images below). Each one is interesting without any witty commentary from me, so I will shut up and just let the pictures and numbers speak for themselves.

Source of story ideas: Infographics

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:49:24 +0000

A question many writers get is “where do you get your ideas?” This question often originates from one of two sources: 1) a desire for a new writer to find that secret arterial idea spring, or 2) a reassurance that the author isn’t insane (I assure you that the idea to embed fingernails into The Bible was not based on an actual event in my life).

The truth is they come from everywhere. A mis-heard conversation, a sudden obsession with a particular song or painting, a dare; these things and more have been sources of my own stories for years. One of the recent areas where I’ve been seeing a lot of potential is infographics.

For those not aware, infographics are basically graphical ways to show data. Data can be boring. Colors and drawings are fun. Therefore, the infographic.

Below (way below, at the bottom of this post) I’ve included one such infographic that I think has some potential. I’ve isolated three of the data points following, and included a few initial thoughts on the possibilities each hold.

	That’s incredible. Imagine a what the science of such projection would look like in the hands of a madman. Or, imagine a climatic (though probably funny) scene in which a man stabs a guy and gets hit in the eye with blood.
	So, The Matrix was full of shit, then? Still, knowing how little amount of power the brain actually takes to function could make for some interesting machine/man hybrid stories.
	Stomach acid harvested for use in either torture or construction. What about when someone is murdered by way of a knife to the stomach? Has acid ever leaked out, leaving a permanent scare on the hand of the killer? Perhaps in your story it has.

The full infographic is below. Choose your own story source.

See larger version
Graphic Via: this useful resource: RadiologyTechnician.com

Stranger Will tour stop #62: UnRonic – A “very true” history of me from @UnRonic, and a stupid author comic I made

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:34:49 +0000

Stephen Krauska, over at the UnRonic blog, posted one of my author comics as part of this blog tour. Not only that, but he also provided a handy bulleted list of my life’s highlights. Thank you sir.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #61: Folded Word blog – an expression of love for the handmade book

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:29:13 +0000

The handmade book is special. The signed book is special. Anything that strengthens the bond between reader and writer is special. I discuss this and more today at the Folded Word blog.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #60: Dark Sky Magazine – Denis Johnson Almost Drank My Pee

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:40:49 +0000

Before I say too much about this guest post, it is important that I stress the ALMOST part of “Denis Johnson Almost Drank My Pee.” He did not actually drink any bodily fluids of mine at all. It’s just that in a particularly drunken state, I thought that perhaps I could get Denis Johnson to almost drink my pee when I attended the Tin House Writer’s Workshop in 2004.

Also, I recently had the privlidge of reading this non-fiction piece to a group of students at ESU, the same ESU that funded my attendance to the Tin House Writers Workshop. Stay in school, kids.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #59: Impose Magazine – Caleb Ross from The Tribe vs. Caleb J. Ross from the books

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 05:37:45 +0000

I still get monthly emails from fans of Caleb Ross. Usually, I respond with a quick note about the incorrect identity. So to avoid further confusion, I’ve offered a post at Impose Magazine to help lessen the disappoint from fans of the famous Caleb Ross when they find out they have actually contacted the sit-on-the-couch-and-eat-Doritos Caleb Ross.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 008: ESU Visiting Writers Series with Caleb J. Ross (or at least 15 minutes of it)

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:55:06 +0000

A few days ago I had the pleasure of being the first writer to participate in the 2011-12 ESU Visiting Writers Series. This was an enormous honor for me, as my time at ESU, those many years ago, was a formative (and formidable) time in my life both as a writer and as a person. Unfortunately, those times did not serve my tech savvy side well, as I failed to change the batteries in my audio recorder and thus came away with only the first 15 minutes of the 2 hour presentation. Oh well, hopefully ESU will invite me back soon.

This episode contains a reading of a couple of stories I’ve read before. But it’s worth checking out this new episode if only for the immensely humbling introduction from my ESU professor, Amy Sage Webb.

Ben Tanzer and Brandon Tietz get This Podcasted, and I’m there by association

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:25:16 +0000

de Tietz:

“Caleb J.Ross writes like “if Jonathan Franzen did way too many barbiturates and got into a downward spiral.”

As always, Ben Tanzer moderates a fantastic episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life. This episode brings with it Brandon Tietz, author of Out of Touch. He talks about his next book, Vanity, his work at The Cult, his contribution to Warmed and Bound, and much, much more.

Subscribe to This Podcast Will Change Your Life. Never miss an episode. Okay.

Stranger Will tour stop #58: Metazen

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:14:39 +0000

Music and creative writing have always coexisted for me. Not only do I write to music and edit to music, but now, music has been written to me. Confused? Be confused no more. Today at the Metazen blog I compare my story “My Family’s Rule” to the song, “Saint Thomas,” by the Tulsa, OK band Cecada.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 007: En-route to being a bad influence at ESU

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:48:22 +0000

That blog post title, she jests. In fact, this episode contains a few minutes of me talking to myself in preparation for being a good influence at ESU. ESU approached me a few weeks ago to be the first of their authors to participate in the Fall 2011 Visiting Writers Series. I was and still am honored.

Click the download button above to hear me fill some time in my car alone with a few words about the then upcoming reading.

Show Notes and Mentions:

Stranger Will tour stop #57: MudLuscious Facebook Page

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:45:10 +0000

In leiu of an actual blog post (due to the lack of an actual blog) ja tyler over at MudLuscious kindly allowed me to do a guest Facebook status at the MudLuscious Facebook page. I could post the entire status update here, as it comes in at around 400 characters in length, but I want you to get your clicking finger all sweaty.

Click here to read the guest status update. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

According to exclusive fake photos, celebrities love Stranger Will

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 00:59:57 +0000

Stephen Colbert "reads" Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

Oprah "reads" Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

Tamera Mowry "reads" Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

Rachel Dratch "reads" Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

Kim Kardashian "reads" Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

Stranger Will tour stop #56: We Who Are About to Die/Breed

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:03:54 +0000

Though today’s post over at the We Who Are About to Die blog isn’t an officially scheduled stop on my blog tour, it is still a guest post and it went live during my tour, so there! I talk about what it’s like to be a daddy author, as a contribution to We Who Are About to Die’s We Who Are About to Breed series.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

I’m still alive, and plan to be for another couple years at least

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:30:28 +0000

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeontheedge/

Way back in June 2011 when I started this podcast, my goal was to post a new episode each week. For those of you who look forward to weekly episodes I apologize for the absence as of late. I have good reason. But I’ll be back soon enough.

So, what the hell have I been up to?

Submitting my final I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin edits before submitting the final manuscript to Black Coffee Press
Completing a 6,000 word short story for an upcoming fake biography of the band Paris and the Hiltons
Completing a 3,000 word short story for an upcoming horror anthology
Completing a 3,000 word short story for a Sri Lanka literary publication
Starting a 25,000 word novella for a top secret project. More details to come when I’m given permission to spill the beans.
My wife and I just bought a house and are in the process of moving. Moving sucks.

I suppose being busy with writing is ultimately the goal of putting out fresh podcast content. In a strange way, being too busy to podcast is a good thing; things are moving for me. But I just love recording too much to give it up. I’ll be back with more audio shortly.

Stranger Will tour stop #55: PANK blog

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:46:11 +0000

Authors and booze go together like authors and self-destructive tendencies. Also, apparently like poorly articulated analogies. A great book on the subject is A Drinking Companion: Alcohol and Writers’ Lives. A great blog post on the subject of alcohol and authors is today’s tour stop at the PANK blog.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #54: Power is a State of Mind (Matt Tuckey’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:25:02 +0000

Today brings me to the site of an apparently data kindred. Matt Tuckey’s blog dabbles in talk of data and analytics, which is right where my head is at most of the day. I love data. And as a natural point of embarrassment, I have no friends (probably because I proudly announce that I love data). Over at Tuckey’s blog, I highlight a few data trends using my own Google Analytics data.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

[Guest Post] An excerpt from Pablo D’Stair’s upcoming novel VHS…lucky you!

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:00:21 +0000

The following is an excerpt from VHS, a literary novel by Pablo D’Stair being released in various e-formats, absolutely free-of-charge (and in limited edition print-editions-by-part through giveaways). Information on the project, including links to what is currently available, can be found at www.vhsbook.wordpress.com.

“Drain”

There was a distinct moaning coming from the sink drain in the bathroom of my basement—it didn’t start as distinct, in fact I hardly even heard it at first, had just ducked in to the bathroom to wash my hands because they’d felt sticky, and it took a few times thinking I’d heard something indistinct to focus and then it wasn’t until I had my ear over the basin it got clear, the moan.

I stared at the opening, put two fingers in it, looked in the cabinet space under the sink, mostly because I wondered if the sink had a pipe went straight down or what—pipe curved and vanished back in the house somewhere.

The moaning went on, I sat listening, trying to puzzle could it be this could it be this could it be that.

I said “Hello?” with my lips right to the drain opening. “Hello,” I said again, elongating the sound.

The moan wasn’t regular enough I could imagine it was anything but a voice, it changed tone and depth and pitch. A moan.

“Do you need help?” I said, loud, because it sounded kind of pleaful, like there was something no good at the bottom of this all.

Went and called Vladimir on the cordless phone—would have called Lexi but I seemed to remember she’d mentioned something about going around to yard sales with her sister for some kicks, that day—it took six rings and I really worried I was going to have to leave a message about the whole thing, but he finally picked up. I brought him up to speed on the situation and told him I would hold the phone over the drain when he asked if he could hear.

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“Are you sure? It’s a moan, I can hear it even right now.”

No, no, he couldn’t hear it, so I held the phone there a little longer, closed the bathroom door in case somehow the sound was going funny due to some subtle thing in the background.

“I don’t hear anything, man.”

“Come on, you’re kidding, right?”

“I think you might be kidding, why would your sink be moaning?”

“Well, can you come over, maybe you can hear it better if you’re here.”

“I can’t right now, I’ve got a lot of different things I was just about to do, I barely even decided to answer your call and now I wish I hadn’t because this is a waste of time.”

“Vladimir, are you seriously telling me you don’t hear this moaning?”

“I am. That’s just what I’m telling you. And for no other reason than because I honestly don’t hear it.”

“Listen.”

I held the phone over the drain and counted down all the way from sixty, then from ten again just because the moaning got a little bit louder toward the end of my first countdown.

“How about then?”

“Maybe it’s just something because of your phone, Des, okay? It could be this moaning is very much happening but is not, you know, coming over the telephone lines for some reason—that happens, you can’t always hear everything that’s going on over the telephone, right? Can we just agree that I believe you about the moaning and then I have to go?”

“But what about it?”

“I don’t know. Even if I was there, listening to the moaning, I probably wouldn’t care after a minute. Call the police or something.”

“I don’t know if it’s done anything wrong.”

“Ha ha ha, yes, I just mean to get the thing officially corroborated, who knows, maybe it’ll turn out there’s some way to wrangle prize money out of it.”

“Hold on, listen one more time.”

“Desmond.”

“It’s louder, now, just listen, it’s freaking me out.”

And he started saying Desmond, again, but I moved the phone back over the drain, then from a bit of a distance I started to moan, then I slowly moved in, making odd moans that didn’t even really sound like the moans from the drain, moved in a smidgen at a time toward the back of the phone, moans echoing and lengthening off the porcelain of the basin.

Abruptly, I brought the phone to my ear, excitedly said “Do you hear it now?”

“I’m telling you, I don’t hear anything. I do not hear anything and now you’re starting to worry me.”

“You didn’t just now hear that?”

“No, Desmond. Go for a walk, okay, you shouldn’t hang out in basements, your own or anyone else’s.”

“You didn’t hear, just now? This last time you didn’t hear all that moaning?”

“No.”

“You didn’t?”

“I didn’t, no.”

He didn’t seem to be lying and now the moaning had taken on more of a feminine lilt, it was more like someone sleeping very soundly, less like someone squirming and fatigued from lack of nourishment.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Alright, well, then you don’t believe me.”

Stranger Will tour stop #53: Shome Dasgupta’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:11:11 +0000

Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c

Borders Goes Out of Business

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

I’ve been writing a lot about the live author reading lately. Maybe because I’m heavy into promoting two books, and the live reading has become more and more common for me. Or because I think the live reading is a swell time and others should share in that swellness.

Today’s post at Shome Dasgupta’s blog talks about how to be a good live reading audience member. Read it. Act on it. Just don’t watch the depressing (yet hilarious) video above from The Daily Show in which John Hodgman and Jon Stewart discuss Borders going out of business.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #52: The Little Sleep (Paul Tremblay’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:20:44 +0000

Today I am honored to have a bit of page space at Paul Tremblay’s blog. Paul’s collection, In the Meantime, was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2010. He’s a frequent poster over at The Velvet, and an all around nice guy. He even recorded an episode of The Velvet Podcast with me, but tech complications made the episode unfortunately unusable. Damn shame, too. Maybe I’ll get him to let me try again in the future.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 006: A live reading at Czar Bar in Kansas City, MO

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:42:11 +0000

I’ve noticed that this podcast is slowly becoming less a weekly self-discussion platform for me to ramble on about crap and more a database where I can store audio snippets of my various non-self-discussion rambling ons about crap. You’re welcome.

With that in mind, this “episode” is a recording of a live reading at Czar Bar in Kansas City, MO on August 7th. The event was a huge load of fun. The roster consisted of myself, Brandon Tietz, Michael Gomez (as the emcee), DJ Preston, and the always amazing Jesus Angel Garcia. You’ll love this “episode,” quotes and all.

Stranger Will tour stop #51: Red Puffin Tobacco (Mlaz Corbier’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:30:53 +0000

For those of you out there fortunate enough to know Mlaz Corbier, you’ll know that he’s a bit of nut (in the best possible way), which makes me wish I would have written a crazier post for his blog during my Stranger Will Tour for Strange. Though, I think Mlaz would say that me admitting to liking The DaVinci Code (in terms of story, not writing) is plenty crazy.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #50: Cannoli Pie Magazine; I am the August editor

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:55:38 +0000

Cannoli Pie editor Stephen Krauska (@cannolipie or @unRonic or UnRonic) asked me to be a guest editor at Cannoli Pie for the August issue. Amazing man; I ask for a tour stop on his blog and he offers an entire guest house for a month. I’m honored.

I reached out to a few writers I know whom I believe represent various aspects of an aesthetic I’ve been slowly coming to understand over the last few years as being desirable both as a reader and a writer. It’s a good feeling, to finally being to understand one’s comfortable context.

This month Cannoli Pie presents work from Nik Korpon, Craig Wallwork Pablo D’Stair, Brandon Tietz, and Richard Thomas, as well as a short Letter from the Editor, starring me! Click the cover below to read.

Stranger Will tour stop #49: Obscuradrome (Bob Pastorella’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:16:53 +0000

Today I stop by Bob Pastorella’s blog, Obscuradrome, where I talk about my love of book-related podcasts. I spend plenty of time whoring out other people’s podcasts, so if you have one, and you know me, chances are I mention you.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 005: Reading Live, Dying Live

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:56:38 +0000

How do authors prepare for live readings? What is the draw of a live reading? In this episode I talk about how I approach live readings, set within the context of my upcoming reading in Kansas City with authors Brandon Tietz and Jesus Angel Garcia. Spoiler alert: I agree with you, live author readings tend to be kinda boring. And I agree with you too that the boring angle should be exiled.

Show notes and mentions:

Stranger Will tour stop #48: Justin Holt’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:15:44 +0000

Today I stop at Justin Holt’s blog. I was first introduced to Justin’s work back in 2005-ish, I think, during one of the earliest incarnations of Write Club. What stuck with me even more than his writing was his obsession with music. This guy is a true lover. He’s not a hipster elitist at all (which is the assumption with most people who preach a love of much). No, Justin is an equal opportunity lover. Check is blog archive for some of the most in-depth personal essays on music out there.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Hey Chicago-ers: Chicago Publisher ‘CCLaP’ Holds Quadruple Book Release Party, August 10th

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:00:41 +0000

(This post is cross-posted from the Outsider Writers site)

From CCLaP

The Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, or CCLaP, is proud to announce their latest local live event, a large-scale party to celebrate the release of their first four paper books this summer. An electronic publisher since 2007, CCLaP has been quietly releasing new special-edition, handmade “Hypermodern” paper editions of its four titles throughout the summer; and on August 10th the group will be gathering at the popular Beauty Bar in the Bucktown neighborhood for drinks, free food, and a half-hour reading from all four featured authors, as well as a few surprise guests. Beauty Bar is located at 1444 West Chicago Avenue, and the free event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m., the reading itself from 8:00 to 8:30. All four books will be for sale individually for $20 apiece; or for one night only, attendees can purchase all four in a bundle for only $50.

Books and performers being featured that night include the novella “Too Young to Fall Asleep” by SALLY WEIGEL, about a Radiohead-listening “emo” high-school student who volunteers for the Iraq War (originally published in 2009);“99 Problems” by BEN TANZER, essays about the mental intersection between running and writing (originally published in 2010); “Life After Sleep” by MARK R. BRAND, a day-after-tomorrow tale concerning a device that allows people to only need two hours of sleep a night (originally published this past winter); and “Salt Creek Anthology” by JASON FISK, a collection of linked “micro-stories” regarding four trashy couples in the far Chicago suburbs (published this summer).CCLaP’s “Hypermodern” series is an attempt to create special collector-worthy editions of all the center’s electronic books, reasonably priced yet expertly made; they feature handmade hardbound covers, including a color photo of the ebook’s original cover adhered to the front, external Coptic stitching, whimsical decorative endpapers, a special signature/provenance page for collectors, and a full Colophon in the back listing all materials used. CCLaP itself has been open online since 2007, and with a handful of local live events held in varying venues across the city each year; the center also produces a semi-weekly podcast, sells general giftstore-style merchandise, and publishes over 150 book reviews a year at its popular website. Among other accolades, it’s been featured twice at respected arts guide BoingBoing.net, and its blog is followed by almost ten thousand unique monthly visitors.

For questions or more information, please contact executive director
Jason Pettus at cclapcenter@gmail.com, or visit
[cclapcenter.com/events].

Stranger Will tour stop #47: Ryan W. Bradley’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:16:36 +0000

Today I stop by Ryan W. Bradley’s blog (publisher at Artistically Declined Press and future Black Coffee Press label-mate; his Code for Failure comes out in 2012, shortly after my I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin later this year). I offer a few words on my humility as a writer and the idea that being humble is way different than being self-depreciating (the latter of which my dumb ass tends to do).

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

[Guest Post] Character and Plot – One and The Same Thing..?: A guest post from David Baboulene

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:00:01 +0000

Following is a guest post from David Baboulene, author of The Story Book. He is currently preparing to defend his Ph.D. thesis at Brighton University that subtext is the defining substance of story, and by measuring subtext presence, depth and extent, he can tell you in advance how successful a story is likely to be.

If you are like me, you are unlikely to understand the next two paragraphs, but by the end of this article we will visit them again and hopefully you willunderstand them and your life will be all the richer for it and you will love me. Here we go, then:

Plot is character, and character is plot, because as soon as a character takes a meaningful action, his action is driving your plot (whether you like it or not). Conversely, as soon as an event happens which elicits a meaningful reaction from your character, then his true character is developing in the eyes of the audience (whether you like it or not).

Note that it is not the event which reveals a player’s character, but his reaction to the event. The action he takes defines his character. Similarly, it is not the event which drives the plot (as you might expect), but the action taken by the character that defines the event, and drives the plot.

Confused? Let’s step through some explanation, and then come back to these paragraphs at the end and see if we have got anywhere.

Action without character

Let’s look at what happens if we separate plot from character. There are three levels of action without character, each with increasing subtlety.

1. At the blatant end, we have an event with no character involvement whatsoever. Lightning strikes a tree in a remote forest. So what? It’s not a story because no reaction is required of an emotional protagonist. This is not a story. This is a screensaver.

2. In the middle ground, we have an ‘emotionally detached’ action. If you watch the news and see that someone was killed in New York, the event is meaningless because you are not emotionally connected with the individuals on the news.

If we increase the known character, we increase the emotion: say we find out that John Lennon has been shot in New York. This is a person we ‘know’; we have been through his Act l and Act ll, and now relate to the tragedy at climax. Look at the emotion on the faces of the friends and relatives of the deceased in New York as they experience the same death, but on a different level of emotional involvement.

3. The most subtle example of action without character actually happens rather a lot in stories that fail to grip. A character takes an action, but it is not a meaningful action, because there is no dilemma riding on his decision to act. If the character is, say, Luke Skywalker, we know he will ‘decide’ to kill the next stormtrooper to come round the corner, and the one after that, and the one after that. Sure, his life is under threat, but that just serves to make his decision to kill even more obvious. His decisions involve no dilemma, so we learn nothing about his true character. However, if the next representative of the Dark Side to come round the corner is also… his father, suddenly he has meaningful decisions and difficult choices with severe consequences. Can he kill his father? Can he risk not killing his father? Now his decision is meaningful… and we in the audience cannot move until we know what he is going to do…

Character without Action

From the opposite end of the argument, let’s say we are shown a man. So what? Until he does something, we don’t know anything about him. Let’s dress him up as a policeman. OK, so now we have some characteristics as our brains overlay stereotypical presumptions about what makes up ‘Policemen’, but beware: this is still an individual without character.

Characteristics are just the wrapping. We don’t know if this person is courageous, extrovert, alcoholic, cowardly or a good father. We don’t even know if he is a criminal or not! Only his actions can reveal these things. When he is faced with a difficult decision

- say, to risk his own life to save someone else’s,that is when we will find out about his true character. What he does will define him. And guess what: what he does – the actions he takes – instantly becomes the plot (whether you like it or not).

A player’s character is defined only by his meaningful actions. The plot is defined only by the actions taken by the players

Writers are taught to define their characters in isolation. They also have a plot they have mapped out to the finest detail. They then find that the way the character wants to behave, if he’s true to himself, is not helpful towards a plot which needs a different behaviour to drive it believably. The story is compromised from the outset because the character is not credible in taking the actions the plot demands.

Considering either plot or character in isolation from the other will trip you up, because whichever you consider will drive the other whether you like it or not. The practical point is that we effectively have to develop both plot and character at the same time and as the same thing. Join them together. Don’t think about ‘plot’ and ‘character’. Think about the two as a single entity made of Character Behaviours. This entity is called a story.

Stories are about character behaviours. What characters do is who they are and what characters do is what happens.

When your writing has this unity of character and plot, your stories will burst into a third dimension of power that comes from consummating their relationship. And you’ll know it and feel it when it happens, and you’ll never write without it again. So, do those first two paragraphs make sense now?! If not, do please get in touch and I will send you the complete chapter on Plot and Character from which this post is drawn.

Best of luck in your writing.

David

Since first being published in 2002, David Baboulene has produced two humorous books, two children’s books and has had three film productions deals, two in Hollywood and one in the UK. His fifth publication - ‘The Story Book‘ provided readers with an understanding of what stories are, why the exist and what authors do that give stories power.

Warmed and Bound reaches #3 in Barnes & Noble paperback bestsellers

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 05:03:04 +0000

By now, most of you know that I have a story in this amazing noir short fiction anthology called Warmed and Bound. What some of you may not yet know is just how successful the book has been already.

On the day of its release, Warmed and Bound reached third in the country on the Barnes & Noble Top Paperback Bestsellers list	Among all books, Warmed and Bound reached seventh in the country on the Barnes & Noble Top Bestseller list
Through its second day, it remained the number one trending book

Go here for purchase information. Don’t be left out.

Interviewed at Booked Podcast about the Warmed and Bound collection

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:33:14 +0000

The wonderful guys at Booked Podcast are conducting a marathon series of interviews with the contributors to Warmed and Bound story collection. I am lucky enough to have appeared at their podcast once before, so coming back feels more like a stop back to hang out than an actual interview in which I am trying to sell a book.

They’ve got an enormous number of authors lined up, so please check back there often for more Warmed and Bound-ery.

Get Warmed, Get Bound Today

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:15:32 +0000

The day of attrition is upon us. Also, coincidentally, the day that Warmed and Bound is released is also upon us. For those of you not yet in the know, prepare to be baptized.

Warmed and Bound is an anthology of short stories stitched together by the people at The Velvet and edited by the beautiful and talented Pela Via.

I’ve stated already the huge amount of talent crammed inside this amazing noir collection, so I won’t do that again.

For those with an tendency toward great noir fiction, this collection simply will not disappoint. In fact, the amazing Steve Erickson has offered his own view words to this effect:

“The writers of The Velvet are contemporary fiction’s most effective and least self-conscious aesthetic guerrillas…the result is fiction at once conceived from high artistic intent and executed with depraved populist energy.”

Head over to the Warmed and Bound site for all the purchase information. Currently the book can be ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powells.

Stranger Will tour stop #46: Monkeybicycle (again)

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:38:15 +0000

Today I squeeze into the (rightfully) crowded seats of Monkeybicycle once again, this time to express my sadness that I never truly got to experience the wonder that likely was the Penny Universities.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Six Personal Investigations of the Act of Reading: Caleb J. Ross’ Stranger Will at the Sri Lanka Sunday Observer

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:42:46 +0000

Pablo D’Stair returns with his second installment of his Six Personal Investigations of the Act of Reading, this time with my novel, Stranger Will, as the article’s referent object (with a focus on Genre). I simply could not be more delighted. He’s already tackled Stephen Graham Jones’ The Bird is Gone: a manifesto and is prepping investigations of Goodloe Byron’s The Wraith (which I am currently reading), Amelia Gray’s, AM/PM, D. Harlan Wilson’s Peckinpah: an ultraviolent romance, and Brian Olu’s So You Know It’s Me. This guy could run his own online psychology classes, I swear. I’d enroll (mostly so I could shoot virtual spitballs at his touchscreen whiteboard).

Here’s a bit from Pablo’s Stranger Will investigation:

There can come a point where the magnetism of the internal conflict of a central character can be abandoned or toned down for “the reveal” the exposition of the superficialities of the plot (“whodunit”, as they say, taking center stage) a delicate tension can be lost which to me is always a shame.

Returning to Chinatown, a piece exemplary of what I consider a flaw in some branches of noir, a piece in which the unveiling of who-did-what-to-who-and-why-and-when demolishes the connection to the world, takes the intimacy of the shared experience and makes it remote, only observed, no longer “lived” (even only vicariously). Because of Chinatown, of the letdown I feel every time I get wrapped in its spell and its spell for me falls limp, I always dread when it seems we’re going to learn of a “dark secret” or “a cover up” or any of the conventions, it gets my guard up.

And Ross plays in the tropes, as though cognizant of precedent as something essential. This was evident to me from early on, inseminated in the prose, the clip-and it reinforced my reading it through my own stance on genre.

And perhaps even greater than Pablo’s inclusion of Stranger Will in his investigations, is an interview with the man himself, here, part one of Exploring writers’ intricate world
By Ranga Chandrarathne. Pablo is a true thinker, with words that could level armies.

Stranger Will tour stop #45: The Write Place (Simon West-Bulford’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:53:40 +0000

Today I stop by Simon West-Bulford’s blog to drop a bit of humbling knowledge on would-be authors about the real life cycle of a novel.

Click here to read the guest post, The process of Stranger Will: from done, to done, to really done, to seriously done, to “I’ve got to write another one?!”. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Listen to the full episode here.

More love from Orange Alert, Stranger Will gets Watched…

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 01:49:14 +0000

How could you not love Jason at Orange Alert? For the second day in a row I get a bit of love from that lovely soul. This time, in the from of a mention on his weekly The Watch List segment for my Stranger Will book trailer.

A rest from the road to read at Orange Alert Podcast, episode 70

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:06:32 +0000

Literature lover and good natured promoter of all things indy, Jason Behrends offers up his newest episode of the Orange Alert Podcast with lovely side dish of yours truly. He has included my reading of the first chapter of As a Machine and Parts (from a March reading at Method in Kansas City) in this newest episode. Jason was one of the earliest supporters of As a Machine and Parts, so it means a lot to have him include me.

Why’d You Go and Do That, Caleb? Pablo D’Stair asks and I ask Pablo.

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:44:13 +0000

Pablo D’Stair simply doesn’t stop. He has recently begun yet another project. His Why’d You Go and Do That? series asks authors to confess to a long hidden secret, and subsequently answer a few questions about how that secret may have forged the author’s thematic sensibilities. This guy has so much going on that he’s basically become his own Guide to Online Schools. Though I hope this trend of uncomfortable confession doesn’t take over his entire curriculum; someone will likely be calling HR.

Head over to the Why’d You Go and Do That? site to read my confession, my answers, Pablo’s confession, and his answers to my questions. Here’s a taste:

So, first thing I’d like to ask—coming at less the full on subject matter here, but one of your set-up points—is whether you feel in your desire to write some drive to eventually “be free of the tedium of a job” so to speak—do you, at this time, earnestly find time-at-work to be time-away from-writing? And to further a bit, do you think if you didn’t have to work, if you were set-up, well-to-do, that you would fill that time with writing, with active pursuit of your literature? I’ve always been good with having a job, myself, never really (principally) found it as something that takes away from writing and I’ve met some people who I think kind of say they think working is a drain, but really that’s just something they say (as in, I doubt if they didn’t have to work they’d really produce any more or less). Ideally, do you think writing, or any art, is something that should have room to breathe, space, time, something built of a life without such concerns as dayjobs and all? A lot of questions, so answer

however you like—I guess it boils down to “Do you think time away from writing, required time away, is the enemy of writing?”

For a long time I thought of my dayjob simply as something I do between bouts of writing. I’ve realized, fairly recently, that my position on the dayjob was due primarily to me having a shitty one. Now, I’m actually quite content and often find myself letting dayjob duties infringe in what would traditionally be considered my writing time. I hope this is not a testament to an eventual takeover of the dayjob stuff, wherein the writing would dissipate completely. I’m sure it isn’t; writing means too much to me.

More to your question, I know, quite for sure, that should I be given all day to write I wouldn’t use the day in that way. I work best with a balance of outside obligations and writing struggle. If writing were all I had to do, I wouldn’t have any other option to oppose. We need conflict. People need to work in order to appreciate their off-time. I need my job to appreciate my writing time. Required time away therefore might be quite the opposite of the enemy; it could be the best possible mate.

Stranger Will tour stop #44: Pela Via’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:47:23 +0000

What follows is a conversation between myself and writer and Warmed and Bound editor, Pela Via. Why? We like chatting about ourselves. Or, read a much prettier version at Pela’s blog.

Pela Via: Thanks for talking to me again, Caleb. You are one of the hardest workers in contemporary fiction; I always love a chance to corner you into a long, stifling conversation. Are you as prolific as you seem?

Caleb J. Ross: Prolific is a term that seems appropriate at first, but really a better way to say it would be “got lucky all at once.” Stranger Will and I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin, the two 2011 novels, were both written a few years ago, each a year or so apart. And the novella also to be released this year, As a Machine and Parts, was written even later than the novels. This is all to say that I spent about eight years writing the books, but the one year release schedule implies otherwise. I’m actually quite the disappointment.

PV: Hardly. Your short work is everywhere. Do you plan to release any books in 2012?

CJR: As for 2012, nothing is contracted yet. But I have plenty to write.

PV: What do these two novels represent in your writing career?

CJR: The books both deal with parenthood, but from opposite angles. Stranger Will is about a parent not wanting his child. IDMtbK is about a child wanting nothing more than to have a parent. IDMtbK was written later, and I see it as a reaction to Stranger Will; it is both a personal goal (as in “now, let me see if I can to the opposite of what I just did”) and a reader-based goal (as in “I had better show readers that I’m not as crazy as Stranger Will would imply”).

PV: Do you feel more official this year, as a writer? I know it’s not your first book, but Stranger Will is your first published novel. Has it helped your ego?

CJR: The ego has taken a bit of a stroke, for sure. What makes me feel the most validated with Stranger Will is that I have a lot of strangers commenting on the book. With Charactered Pieces, my first book, I would say about 70% of the readers knew me personally. With Stranger Will that number seems significantly different.

PV: I’m frightened of reaching that place where my work is just barely popular enough to be reviewed by non-friends (and consequently panned).

CJR: I wouldn’t worry about having strangers review your work. I’ve found that the panning is about the same with strangers and friends. The difference being that friends tend to critique you as a person along with the work (“Wow, I can’t imagine you writing something like this”) whereas strangers tend to focus on the work itself.

PV: Interesting. So does it sting a bit more, then, when it comes from friends, if they have a complaint? Does it feel like they’re speaking to your general ability as a human and writer?

CJR: Most of my friends who read early drafts are writers themselves, so I understand that all intentions are good. That said, it can still sting. But the sting is more because of my passion for the work rather than my relationship to the reader.

* * *

CJR: You have lately been very heavily involved in compiling and editing Warmed and Bound, the first collection from The Velvet Press. What can readers expect?

PV: They can expect to be launched into some soulful Axel Taiari sci-fi, then through some beautiful though malformed father-son affection with our Caleb J. Ross story, and some curious sisterlove with Amanda Gowin, then deep into some sexy despondency with Matt Bell and a nostalgic look at love and acid with Gavin Pate—

That’s the first five stories, of thirty-eight. I do believe readers can expect to be moved in the sweetest of ways, and at times, to be touched a little inappropriately, in the sweetest of ways.

CJR: Do you anticipate any critical commentary regarding your editorial work? You seem to have embraced your role as an editor with considerable fervor and the entire Velvet community has embraced your work as well.

PV: You know, the possibility of criticism didn’t enter my mind till very recently. And it’s awfully frightening. Because, honestly, I was off my guard. Never once thought we’d see criticism. The project was born into an adoring crowd, and I knew without trying more or less what it needed to be—who it needed to be—to please its audience. But so much has changed. Many of the contributors will bring their own readers. So, yes. I’m worried now.

CJR: How will those outside the community see your editorial work?

PV: The editorial work is probably like a good font (or an effective stalker) in that it’s invisible. I don’t expect anyone to set down the book, all said and done, and marvel at the editing, not at all. As far as the reader knows, the stories were whole and hard from day one. And many were. Maybe half. Ideally, nobody but me will ever know which half.

CJR: Do you fear the collection being perceived as too insular and in turn not being received by those outside the Velvet community?

PV: Good question. It was originally meant to be insular; it was conceived as a love letter to The Velvet. Never expected wider appeal. But the enthusiasm—from what feels like every direction—has been startling. Amid a true passion project, it became apparent we have something that interests more than just ourselves. The reactions suggest we brought something fresh to the literary table. And knowing we did it without a trace of pretentiousness, that there’s a purity to it, alleviates some of my fear.

CJR: How did you approach your role as editor? You’ve been critiquing short fiction for a while but never with the end result of a bound collection.

PV: I believe I know this group and their work really well. So the objective was getting everyone to show off what they do that makes them special. Past that, editing is not something I think about. I know what I want a story to do to me.

CJR: Has editing a collection changed how you approach your own fiction?

PV: It’s nearly ruined it! For me, there’s a rivalry between left-brain and right-brain style thinking. I can’t create and fix at the same time.

* * *

PV: I know your promotion is pretty hardcore; I have to think that takes time. Is that your sole focus for now?

CJR: Promotion has been my focus for sure. I haven’t written much fiction to speak of since late last year, aside from the story “Click-Clack,” which as you know will appear in Warmed and Bound. But, judging by your response to that story and the response from others I’m pretty happy with having my latest fiction be so well received. When I don’t write for a while, I start to fear that I’m losing any talent, like it slips away when not in use.

PV: Well “Click-Clack” is definitely one of my favorites. And I stand by my original comment, that it’s a perfect short story. I think you do what you do really well.

CJR: I hope you are right. Your editorial reputation depends on it (smiley emoticon).

* * *

CJR: When will you have a full-length piece or collection out there? Are you thinking in terms of bound publication when you write?

PV: I despise writing short fiction. It’s not the medium for me. I hate thinking up a whole new world at each sitting and I’m dying to get back to full immersion in longer, more involved projects. So, to answer, now that I’m (almost) focused solely on my current novel again, I’m maybe a year from having something I’m ready to shop. Longer if the book doesn’t come together right; I’ll scrap a dozen novels before I publish something I don’t personally believe is excellent. Which is to say, I’ll keep chucking finished novels, as I’ve done the last few years.

CJR: I’m surprised to hear that take on short stories. You post your fiction at your blog.

PV: I post what I should more prominently refer to as ‘throw-away fiction.’ And the idea was to just to aim for a certain amount, just to get more writing between editing days, but it has not gone as planned and I hate it. My mind so rarely goes there, to flash, anymore.

CJR: You start over, fresh with a new blog, each year. I’m curious as to why you do this. Does it have something to do with your aversion to the short form?

PV: I tire of what I have to offer.

* * *

PV: Do you hope your child(ren) will read your work, at the appropriate age?

CJR: Yeah, I’ll let my son read my work if he wants. My hope is that he will have the same sensibilities with books as I do, in that he will be able to make the distinction between fiction and real life. I mean, he will know me better than anyone, so I would hope that he would know that Caleb J. Ross is not daddy, and daddy is not Caleb J. Ross.

* * *

PV: At what point did you decide As a Machine and Parts would be finished at novella length?

CJR: I knew from the beginning that As a Machine and Parts would be novella length. Since reading Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves I knew I had to try to merge the textual and visual somehow; I was just so impressed with what he did. My concept, a story of a man slowly turning into a machine, lacked the grandiosity of Danielewski’s irregular house and in turn lacks HoL’s 700+ pages.

PV: When and with what publisher is that one to be released?

CJR: As a Machine and Parts will be released in late 2011 from Aqueous Books (at the same time as I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin). I’ve had a great relationship with Aqueous over the past few months, and I’m excited to see what they do with the book.

PV: Do you have a favorite of your published works so far?

CJR: The commercially appropriate response would be “the next one.”

PV: Do you like experimental work?

CJR: I think the term “experimental” is too often used as a catch-all, mostly by the authors themselves, for work that hasn’t been honed and focused enough. Maybe that’s the experiment, to throw a bunch of words on a page and see how many readers fall for it. It’s a cruel experiment, one that devalues a lot of great fiction, I think. But, if used as a description for work that truly challenges traditional views of what literature should do, and there is evidence of thought and effort put into the work, then I am all about experimentation.

At its heart, experimental work is meta in nature, as its purpose is to highlight the fact that it is experimental, that it is not part of the established literary tradition. Taking this approach, experimental work is actually a fairly narrow genre, and in being so, its mileage will vary from author to author. I guess I just don’t see it done effectively often enough. An obvious outlier to this observation would be House of Leaves.

PV: What authors have you been compared to?

CJR: I get Chuck Palahniuk a lot, I think because of our similar themes. Though, I think our writing style is quite a bit different. He tends to shock while providing somewhat superficial meaning, at least he has of late. Don’t get me wrong, I love his books, and specifically because of how he leverages the impact of superficiality.

PV: What is it you’re trying to do that is in contrast to this?

CJR: I think Palahniuk errs on the side of shock when he has opportunities to do much more. For example, with Snuff (which I really liked, by the way), he carries the pornified movie title idea to ridiculous lengths (pun intended), where he could have calmed that down and perhaps explored the motivation behind the names a bit. This could have merged nicely with the main theme, that of family, and allowed some exploration of name origins. But again, I love Palahniuk for what he does. Just because I try to distance myself from the comparisons doesn’t mean I don’t love what he does.

PV: What things, if any, have you vowed to never do as a writer?

CJR: I’ve never vowed against anything, officially, that I can recall. I’m pretty much open to anything. I’d love to try some hard genre fiction sometime. I’d love to publish ebook only stuff. I’d love to write an entire novel consisting of one sentence (like Vanessa Place’s Dies: A Sentence; there is nothing new under the son, I suppose). I guess my only real vow would be to never bore the reader.

PV: Do you think you’ll always help beginner writers?

CJR: Promoting other authors—the little guys or the big guys—will always be important to me. One of the reasons that being an author really intrigues me is the sense of cooperation and community. There isn’t any real competitiveness that I’ve experience so far. I’m a wuss; competition frightens me.

* * *

CJR: I’ve always been curious about how a writer sees her own work. Do you write, or have you ever written, with a specific author’s style in mind? Do you have a writer you would love to be compared to?

PV: I have a weird time finding others who do what I do, as I see it. Which suggests I keep my self-perception complicated to outsmart my own weaknesses… What I’d love is to reach a place where I can say audacious crap like ‘I write Pela Via fiction’ and have people nod like that’s a thing. Alas, not even I can keep a straight face with stuff like that.

CJR: So, how would you characterize what you do?

PV: I don’t know. As I get more serious about writing, I begin to think of my career as younger and younger (also, to spite my ass). I’ve lost the urgency to publish everything I produce and I no longer care much to categorize myself. It’s literary fiction, as store shelves go. Past that, I could take or leave any cool-sounding genre blends.

PV: What do you do? Grotesque Noir? Literary body horror? Other descriptions you like?

CJR: I’ve called it grotesque Noir, I’ve heard it called literary horror. I usually just refer to my fiction as Noir; that designation has a very wide net. Noir, as I see it, simply refers to a story wherein the protagonist starts morally conflicted, ends morally conflicted, and usually weaves through some sort of criminal life. The story isn’t so much the plot as it is an exploration of the protagonist’s reaction to the plot.

PV: Big sigh of relief from me—I will be delighted when everyone sees Noir as you described it there. It’s the fussiest label that nobody shuts up about. I like it till I’m using the term to make something sound important and conceptual and someone else uses Noir to mean rebellious, like we’re all flipping off our parents in story form. It’s like Punk Rock in that regard and I’ve gotten old.

* * *
PV: You’ve not been around The Velvet as much as you’ve gotten busier. Is it still a place to call home for you?

CJR: I have, unfortunately, been involved at The Velvet less lately than I would like. Mostly, that’s due to the aforementioned promotion. I’ll be back in full force soon enough. I’d love to get The Velvet Podcast on a more regular schedule.

PV: I’d love that. Do you think you’ll still be there 2-5-10 years from now?

CJR: I hope so. The Velvet has become a home for me. It’s a rare thing—and I know, as I’ve been lurking and participating in various forums over the years—to know so many like-minded readers and writers to a level that the pre-Facebook meaning of “friend” has legitimate value. The drawback, of course, is that when a community becomes your only home, you tend to forget that other opinions exist. That can be dangerous for a writer.

PV: Good point. Do you have experience with this, or examples? I fear it applies to me. My patience only goes so far, so I rarely stick around places that aren’t my kind of thing.

CJR: I may be more paranoid than my experience would justify. Perhaps I only feel like a community could become incestuous. Maybe my only specific example would be this dialog of ours; if you hated something I’ve written, would you let me know?

PV: Would you want me to let you know? Nobody has any business vocalizing that unless they get what you’re after, what you’re trying to accomplish in your work. In that respect, yes, I could easily pick apart something from you that I felt wasn’t at your potential.

CJR: Yes, I’d love to know.

PV: Well, I haven’t disliked anything of yours yet. I’ll remember you said this though.

* * *

CJR: You’ve been a member at The Velvet for a few years now. I remember when you first joined; you were embraced by the community much quicker than most new members. I credit this to your immediate and evident passion with the subject matter—dark fiction, Noir, writing, etc. What do you think when you look back on your first days at The Velvet?

PV: Actually, I’ve since had a couple people tell me they disliked me and avoided me, because of the way others seemed to take to me. And my experience felt completely different. Everyone’s kind on the Velvet, but they are not impressed easily. And I very rarely have anything substantial to offer in half the conversations. So yeah, passion’s high for me, but ‘I totally love …’ posts over and over don’t get a girl very far, especially among people where some likes are assumed on entry. So, if people were embracing me, it was because I would address them directly whenever I had a question or comment, through PMs or email. There’s just no such thing as popular in my world; you’re either connected to people as individuals or you’re not.

CJR: I love that sentiment.

* * *

PV: Has your writing changed its direction or style in the last 2-5 years?

CJR: Honestly, I don’t think so. My writing has become much more concise, I think (my responses to your questions not withstanding). But in terms of style and theme, I’m still an author of grotesque Noir. I have noticed a tendency to try more things, though never do I abandon existing thematic conventions.

PV: How do you fall on the commercial/artistic spectrum? You make a solid effort to gain and keep your readers, and you sell books, so I see some commercial viability. Where does integrity come in for you?

CJR: Integrity is extremely important to me. I take seriously how I am perceived by readers, at least in terms of the “sell out” label.

PV: If your publisher is offering some real cash for something you wouldn’t otherwise take? How far will you bend to obtain mass market appeal?

CJR: Now, I’ve never been offered a huge amount of money to write something that wasn’t entirely mine, so I don’t know how exactly I would react. Probably by throwing a ridiculous party.

PV: Good idea.

Thanks Caleb. Always a pleasure, tricking you to catch up with me. (a whole row of emoticons!)

Stranger Will tour stop #43: Monkeybicycle

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:56:42 +0000

The wonderful bl pawelek has invited me to participate in his Ten Everywhere questions series at Monkeybicycle.

Click here to read the question series. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Quoted for Tattooed Truth

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:13:19 +0000

This entire post is pulled from the Warmed & Bound book site, written by editor Pela Via. If she didn’t already have the words, I swear this could have come from my fingers verbatim (though with less Caleb Ross praise; I try to subdue the ego as much as I can):

It was this time last year I sent out the first anthology emails. If I remember right, first to JR Harlan, begging for his story “Love,” and to Craig Clevenger, with more unsubtle begging. Then others, Richard Thomas, Gordon Highland and Caleb Ross, asking for publishing advice and whether they liked various titles—one a play on the well-loved existing phrase: The Velvet warms and binds.

I don’t know what happened between then and now. But this photo, and rumors of other people to be similarly inked, tell one part of it better than I could.

The idea of a Velvet anthology existed well before I was involved. And somehow, we still managed to stumble into something incredible with this project. I am in awe. And tempted to frame Doc’s arm in my home. It has come to mean more to me each day I’ve known about it.

The ink makes sense when you see how much these writers care—about the work and about each other. I’m lucky to have been involved. The book is lucky to have these writers.

Episode 004: Fictional Money OR The Whore Part II

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:49:51 +0000

Yes, another episode about the role of the whore personality among the writer’s many bank of guises. This time, I approach the idea that perhaps an author shouldn’t take the largest advance offered to him. What does such a gesture mean in terms of the author’s career? When is it okay to take whatever money you’ve been given and run?

Show Notes and Mentions:

Paris and the Hiltons, and project mastermind Phil Jourdan
The other contributors: Gordon Highland, Richard Thomas, Michael Gonzalez, Brandon Tietz, and Michael Sonbert
Denis Dutton, The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/

Stranger Will tour stop #42: NOO Journal blog

Caleb J Ross — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:35:48 +0000

Today , NOO Journal is kind enough to post an interview that author Nik Korpon did with me a few weeks back. NOO is too good to me.

Click here to read the interview. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

An extremely stupid book trailer for Stranger Will. Share the stupidness.

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 20:33:27 +0000

Disclaimer: I actually really love each of the three aristocratic representative books in the above trailer. In fact, Freedom was definitely one of my favorites from last year. It’s just fun to chip away at pillars.

$0.99 for Stranger Will and others, through July 7th only!

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:53:54 +0000

You don’t want to hang out with family this July 4th weekend anyway, right? For a limited time, through July 7th to be exact, Otherworld Publications is offering all five titles from their “Brat Pack” authors at $0.99 each. That’s one penny for every moment of regret you’ll have reading this rubbish.

Stranger Will by Caleb J. Ross

$0.99

Nook

Stay God by Nik Korpon

$0.99

Out of Touch by Brandon Tietz

$0.99

Transubstantiate by Richard Thomas

$0.99

Nook

We are Oblivion by Michael Sonbert

$0.99

Nook

TOTAL

$4.95

Stranger Will gets the Pablo D’Stair treatment: Six investigations of the act of reading

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 02:16:48 +0000

Pablo D’Stair is easily the hardest working man in independent literature. The guy has operated his own publishing press (Brown Paper Publishing) for a few years now, he continuously produces his own amazing fiction (he’s authored about 43,000 books, I think), he’s innovative with his means of extracting meaningful dialog between author and reader (see: The Predicate Dialogues, and Norman Court for his latest projects in this space) and he works tirelessly to apply critical analysis to fiction in a way that maintains intellectual integrity without compromising accessibility. Above all, he’s a passionate thinker.

Though I’ve known Pablo for a while (I was involved in his first The Predicate Dialogues back in March 2010), his most recent critical contributions, and his inclusion of my novel Stranger Will, leave me no less impressed. Pablo is currently conducting a series of Six Investigations of the Act of Reading for the Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka’s largest circulation English newspaper, according to the logo above).

Here’s a bit from the introduction to the series:

In the order of the series, the authors and works I will be using, as well as the slant to each investigation, are as follow-Stephen Graham Jones, the Bird is Gone: a manifesto (Context); Caleb J. Ross, Stranger Will (Genre); Goodloe Byron, The Wraith (Subtext); Amelia Gray, AM/PM (Type); D. Harlan Wilson Peckinpah: an ultraviolent romance (Referent); Brian Olu, So You Know It’s Me (Framing). While familiarity with the works has no bearing on what I investigate in the series, it also couldn’t hurt-various excerpts, reactions, discussions can be found regarding all of these titles may places online. Additionally, I welcome any and all contact with regard to this series and will respond to all correspondence. I can be reach through unburiedcomments@gmail.com.

***

It is my sincere hope that this series will both be somewhat intriguing toward a further delving into the contemporary American Indie scene, and (moreso) that it will encourage a particular self-consciousness to reading which I believe is to be valued above all else, whether reading is done for leisure, study, or is merely dabbed at, incidentally.

I am damn excited to follow this series. More posts to come, for sure.

Warmed & Bound, a collection of Velvet Noir. You will be different after this.

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:34:08 +0000

You will be hearing about this a lot in the coming weeks. I sense a paradigm shift. Enter: Velvet Noir.

Website: warmedandbound.com
Twitter: @WarmedAndBound
Facebook: Warmed and Bound
Facebook (The Velvet): The Velvet

Stranger Will tour stop #41: Gordon Highland’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:56:39 +0000

Today I stop by Gordon Highland’s blog to deliver a quick list of author dos and don’ts. Gone is the blurry line between maybe and possibly. These are hard and fast rules for authors.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 003: Technology and the Author Whore

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 04:13:08 +0000

This week I talk about the necessary entrepreneurial spirit of the contemporary author. I know; “boooooooooo” you say. Me too. But the fact is that publishers, even (perhaps especially) independent and small press publishers are relying more and more on the marketing savvy of the author. Is this fair? Probably not. Is it the reality? Definitely yes.

Show Notes and Mentions:

Ebooks: the latest frontier for spam (via The Guardian)
E singles by Axel Taiari and Richard Thomas
Broadcastr

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rainerebert/

Stranger Will tour stop #40: The Outlet (Electric Literature’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:55:44 +0000

Today’s post is an interview I did with Gil Reavill, author of Aftermath, Inc.: Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home. The book was incredibly helpful for me when writing Stranger Will, as it offers some brilliant perspective on the world of human remains removal.

The interview, posted today at The Outlet (Electric Literature‘s blog component), is a shortened version of the original interview. I plan to post the full interview here at my homepage within the next few weeks or so. Until then, read this concentrated version. Then buy Gil’s book.

Click here to read the interview. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 002: Attention, Author Promotion! One Night Only!

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:23:40 +0000

Authors, you have to promote yourself. You can’t avoid it. But you can reinterpret what “promotion” means. Gone should be the negative connotations and skewed associations. Promotion should be embraced. At its core, promotion is simply a way to get readers to you books. As an author, you want people to read your books, right? No. Oh. Then go write a diary and quit muddying the waters for the rest of us!

Show Notes and Mentions:

photo credit: Chris Devers

Stranger Will tour stop #39: Craig Wallwork’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 05:09:42 +0000

This is a special stop. For the next 24 hours Craig Wallwork has given me free range at his blog. My early apologies to him and his accumulated blog following.

Click here to read the interview. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

@BenTanzer says “With As a Machine & Parts Caleb J. Ross continues to stake his claim as his generation’s Watcher”

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:30:19 +0000

Apparently there are a couple of Advance Reader Copies of my forthcoming book, As a Machine and Parts floating around out there, giving bad names to bookshelves across the country. One landed in Ben Tanzer’s filthy mitts (creepy refection in the image above is actually Nik Korpon, however). Having the man behind You Can Make Him Like You and My Father’s House say such nice things about my book makes me all crazy inside. His words, as he might say, have changed my life (that is a comment on the title of his own blog, This Blog Will Change Your Life, not a comment on Ben Tanzer’s ego).

His words, not mine:

“There was once a Marvel comic book called “What if…” and in it Uatu the Watcher, a bald sage-like character with an enormous head spun speculative tales of alternative versions of the Marvel Universe you thought you knew. With As a Machine & Parts Caleb J. Ross continues to stake his claim as his generation’s Watcher, which should not be construed as a commentary on his beautiful, yet clearly fake head of hair, but instead as an observation about the scope of his imagination and his ongoing vision of what the world can be, might be and just may will be if Ross has anything to say about it”

Stranger Will tour stop #38: WhoHub Interview

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:54:31 +0000

To be honest, I don’t really know what the WhoHub site is good for. But even the biggest of rockstars have to play an unfamiliar city.

Click here to read the interview. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 001: Rent-to-Own Your Landscape

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:46:43 +0000

Fresh from episode zero comes episode one. See, I’m good at math.

Here I talk a bit about the importance of a writer to claim ownership of his/her location. Too many writers, especially newer writers, still equate capital-P Publishing with the East coast (in the US, anyway). The problem with limiting scope to the coast is that it doesn’t allow writers to understand their existing context. In fact, I would say that it takes a better writer to leech from barren landscape. Anyone can siphon material from a crowded city.

Show Notes:

Stranger Will tour stop #37: Ferg’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:24:51 +0000

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Episode 000: Do I Really Need Three Numerical Placeholders for this Podcast?

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:55:42 +0000

Welcome to the world’s first blog post of the world’s first episode of The World’s First Author Podcast. For those who have somehow found your way here via anything other than my homepage, let me introduce myself. My name is Caleb J. Ross. I am an author of fiction, a bit of non-fiction, a couple of novels (Stranger Will, I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin), and perhaps one day a manifesto of some sort. I’m thinking I might go with 200 pages on the virtues of seasoned meat stuffed Greek sandwiches. I call it a Pitaco. Cookbooks and books about merging culture always sell.

This episode zero is basically a kick-start to what I hope to be a long and mutually beneficial podcast series. You, the listener, maybe get a nice lull to sleep and I, the talking, get to pretend you are listening. Win win.

Take a quick listen. If you like, even a little, be sure to come back often for more.

Show Notes:

I stole this podcast format from Mur Lafferty. Check out her I Should be Writing podcast.

Stranger Will tour stop #36: Undie Press

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:21:16 +0000

This is a post I have been meaning to write for a few years. Until this blog tour, I simply wasn’t sure how to write it. But with Undie Press and their recurring “Scars” segment, I knew I had found my motivation.

I plan to build upon this piece to make it a full-length non-fiction essay, but until then, enjoy this pre-version.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #35: an interview at Booked Podcast

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:06:14 +0000

Though this interview at Booked Podcast was not a pre-planned stop on my blog tour, the diversion is a welcomed one and certainly deserving of an official blog post. All in all, I had a great time with these guys. Robb and Livius are true book fans and were incredibly easy to talk with. I only hope my many asides did not make editing a nightmare for them.

Click here to listen to the interview. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #34: Words for Guns (Matt DeBenedictis’ blog)

Caleb J Ross — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:23:49 +0000

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #33: A Bitter Look (Georgina Kamsika’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:03:58 +0000

It’s true, rejection saved my writing career. How? Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

The lovely Kristin Fouquet reviews Stranger Will

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:38:21 +0000

Kristin Fouquet, author of Twenty Stories, which I loved, has written a very nice review of Stranger Will. But the center of her review shouldn’t be the review itself. She offers a snippet of her own life, one which shares thematic similarities to Stranger Will.

From the review:

With ease, Ross seems to dare you to turn the page. Chapter Eighteen is gut-wrenching. It reminded me of footage of Shias parading while flogging themselves. The children used soft, harmless cat-o-nine tails to emulate the self-flagellation they would later truly and painfully enact in their maturity. Ross is not so gentle with his children characters demonstrating their faith nor does he coddle his readers. His writing is fearless. The courageous reader will not be dissatisfied.

Stranger Will tour stop #32: Eye Brains (Mel Bosworth’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:18:23 +0000

Should you pursue the small press route or the large press route? Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will gets the Booked Podcast treatment; praise ensues

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 29 May 2011 22:44:56 +0000

A few weeks ago I was turned on to Booked Podcast via their review of Christopher Dwyer’s novel When October Falls. I am always looking for more literature podcasts, and I’ve been a fan and friend of Dwyer’s for a long time, so when the two came together I did not hesitate to jump in.

Livius Nedin and Robb Olson have not been doing Booked Podcast to very long yet, but they approach the format liked seasoned connoisseurs. It is the best kind of podcast; readers talking about books. Simple. Proven.

Last week they took on Stranger Will, and were not only kind enough to give my book their time but were kind enough to offer truly humbling amounts of praise. If every I meet Livius and/or Robb in person, the beers are on me.

I highly recommend you take a listen to their discussion of Stranger Will. http://www.bookedpodcast.com/2011/05/27/episode-9-stranger-will/

Then, immediately download their past episodes. Visit the Booked Podcast site here: http://www.bookedpodcast.com. Follow the Booked Podcast twitter feed here: http://twitter.com/bookedpodcast. You will regret nothing.

A few of the kind words follow, paraphrased:

“Wholly original story. Had I not been hampered by tedious things like work and sleep I probably would have read it in a single sitting. It is very well written and deals with some very dark issues….I strongly recommend you pick up Stranger Will for a very vivid picture of a guy going through some really bad stuff. 4.5 stars, highest number of stars we’ve given on Booked Podcast.”

“pulls absolutely no punches”

“The darkest book I’ve read in some time”

“a bizarre but truly original story”

“Will and Julie’s fragmented relationship is written so well. It made me feel uncomfortable”

“So disturbing in some places that I actually shuttered. This is hi-praise coming from me, as I don’t find much disturbing”

“very good at being descriptive without being pretentious”

“we should expect to see some really, really good things from Ross in the future”

“This book will stick with me for some time”

“Bravo for taking what most people would think as an impossible task and making something good of it”

Stranger Will tour stop #31: Alluringly Short (Erica Mena’s blog)

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:49:07 +0000

I am a little late posting this tour stop; I have been off the internet grid for the last few days (enjoying a few days at the lake). Though, if I were smart I would play off the late post as a simple mis-translation of the date. That would be fitting to the topic of this newest post, all about translation in literature.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Charactered Pieces gets Ben Tanzered

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:13:34 +0000

I have long known that Ben Tanzer is a fan of my story “An Optimist is the Human Personification of Spring” from my Charactered Pieces chapbook. Ben has been kind enough to tell me that very fact, saying to me that it is one of the most affecting stories he has read recently (even telling the world on his podcast). Simply stated, he likes the story, and his enthusiasm and praise is exactly the reason I write.

So, when he posted some more praise at Matt Bell’s blog, I once again felt the rush of what it means to truly be a writer. I can’t think this man enough (and Matt Bell for hosting the post).

“As the story unfolded, I knew it would go wrong, had to go wrong, and when it did, it took everything I had not to cry in the middle of the Red line “L” during the rush hour traffic, sitting saying to myself, breathe, hold it together bro, almost home, almost.

Ross and Ruland grasp that, in these stories anyway, and they hit me, and I was unprepared for it, and it’s wonderful being punched that way. It’s a gift in the way short stories are gifts. Quick and intimate. Sometimes violent. And then gone.”

Stranger Will tour stop #30: Phil Jourdan’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 21 May 2011 00:02:09 +0000

For the big three-ohhhh post on this blog tour I stop by Phil Jourdan’s blog. Phil is best known, to me at least, as the crazy smart philosophy guy and mastermind of the band Paris and the Hiltons. He’s a guy worth knowing now, because one day everyone will know him.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #29: Used Furniture Review (stop #2 of 2)

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:04:45 +0000

Today is my second of two (shed tear) stops at the always amazing Used Furniture Review. I love this site, so it’s an honor to be a part of it twice.

Today I write a bit about how book clubs have changed in our web 2.0 culture. I also use the post to highlight my own recent (and ongoing through May) experience with one of the cooler book clubs around, the Chuck Palahniuk fan site book club.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #28: Ben Tanzer’s This Podcast Will Change Your Life

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 16 May 2011 21:08:20 +0000

I have been a big, big fan of Ben Tanzer’s podcast, This Podcast Will Change Your Life, for a long time. In fact, the podcast may be where I first discovered Mr. Tanzer. I can’t remember; the beautiful memories just blur together sometimes.

Mr. Tanzer was kind enough to talk with me for his podcast. This episode is unique in that we conducted the discussion over the phone. Usually his podcast episodes are done life, with a few beers involved. But don’t worry, if you want the life, beer-filled Tanzer and Ross team, check out the episode of The Velvet Podcast that we recorded in Washington DC back in February.

Click here to read the guest post and to listen to the podcast. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #27: Big Northern Girl Goes Down

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 14 May 2011 18:34:54 +0000

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #26: Marie Schutt’s blog

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:06:00 +0000

Today is a two-fer. After my earlier post at Gloom Cupboard, here comes another, this one at Marie Schutt’s blog. I write about a topic I’ve long pondered, the idea of a pinnacle medium for every creative idea. Mainly: is there a pinnacle medium?

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #25: Gloom Cupboard

Caleb J Ross — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:03:32 +0000

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #24: The Nervous Breakdown

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:08:11 +0000

Update: My article on defending my novel, Stranger Will, is now live. But because I love the image below so much, I am going to keep it up.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #23: Used Furniture Review (stop #1 of 2)

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:39:34 +0000

Today’s post is something special. About a month ago I read with Brandon Tietz and Michael Sonbert as part of Brandon’s Super Sexy 100% Classy Author Reading. While the event was great fun, I approached the night more as a tourist than a participant. And as a tourist, I had to nerd-up the event as much as I could. That’s why I video recorded my reading so I could study it like I’m some kinda’ football player. Today’s post is a rundown of my findings.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #22: Anthony David Jacques’ blog

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 08 May 2011 01:41:41 +0000

I’ve been so damn busy lately. So busy, in fact, that I completely failed to post about my newest blog tour stop. I’m a fool. I deserve a slow death.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #21: Adam Robinson’s Publishing Genius Blog

Caleb J Ross — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:32:35 +0000

Writers can be pretentious. That’s why it is important for us to counter that stereotype whenever possible. I offer some ways to do just at today at Adam Robinson’s Publishing Genius blog.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #20: ChuckPalahniuk.net BOOK CLUB!!!!

Caleb J Ross — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:28:57 +0000

This stop is a big one for me. Oft visitors will know that I am a big Chuck Palahniuk fan (I even defend Tell-All and Snuff). And in being so, it goes without saying that I frequent the official Chuck Palahniuk fan site, The Cult, quite often (I’m thirstygerbil over there). So, when Stranger Will was chosen as the May 2011 official book club pick, I danced a bit.

If you’ve read Stranger Will, please head over to the forums and offer a few comments. Respond to other comments as well. Engage. Be a member of the literary community. Say what you like. Say what you hate. I can take it. And to further encourage your participation, know that I WILL NOT be posting in the book club forum until toward the end of the month, so feel free to be absolutely honest with your discussion. The only caveat being that if some contacts me (via email or PM) with a specific request to comment, then I will.

If you haven’t read Stranger Will, still swing by the forums and read what people are saying. Who knows, maybe it will entice you to read it. Or, maybe it will keep you from wasting your money on it.

Author Brandon Tietz (appropriately, brandon.tietz, at The Cult) will be moderating the discussion. He’s a great writer, and a damn smart guy, so I’m sure he will do my genius justice.

Click here to go to the discussion. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #19: Slushpile Hero (S. S. Michaels’ blog)

Caleb J Ross — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:45:30 +0000

What makes a writer a writer? The ability to give context to the seemingly innocuous.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

Stranger Will tour stop #18: Stephen Graham Jones’ blog

Caleb J Ross — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:10:30 +0000

What makes an autographed book valuable? I bastardize this question and many more today at Stephen Graham Jones’ blog.

Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.