Every year I raise money for March of Dimes, which is a foundation established to study the causes and develop cures for premature birth. This year, rather than simply beg friends and family for donations, I’m taking donations to read Harry Potter. More about this strange donation tactic at the full intro video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCVBPVLXJAU

I want to thank every single person who donated money to this great cause. In total, we raised over $600, which meant I had enough money to completely finish reading the first Harry Potter book, but more importantly that’s $600 more dollars going toward the March of Dimes effort.

Apologies if I mispronounce names

Special Thanks to

• Simon West-Bulford (http://www.simonwb.com/)

ManArchy Magazine (http://www.manarchymag.com)

• Jesse Wichterman
• Misty Bennett
• Gordon Highland (http://www.gordonhighland.com)

Books and Booze podcast

• Renee Pickup (http://www.books-booze.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/BooksnBooze)

Booktubers/Readers

• Chenoa Shannon (http://www.youtube.com/chenoash)
• Martine Svanevik (http://nascentnovelist.wordpress.com/)
• Rincey Abraham (http://www.youtube.com/user/rinceyreads)

Books, Beer, and Bullshit podcast

• Frank Edler (http://booksbeerbullshit.podbean.com/)

Others

• Cassandra Chu
• Warren Mueller 
• Sean Nickerson
• Roxy, Ryan, Kyler and Kailey Marcotte
• Adonna and Christian Thompson
• Karsten Weseth
• Erin Pettit

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Rule #8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

This time, I’m doing something a bit different: one shot, no cuts. I figure what better way to explore the idea of moving on to new projects than to fully embrace the idea of letting go of a current one.

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Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

A good outline lays the foundation for a story that honors the core of this rule: you must know your ending of your story so that you can be sure to support that ending with a well-structured beginning and middle.

Vonnegut, too, knew what he was talking about when he said “Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible… Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.”

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Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

Meet my cat, Burrito, which I received as a gift from my caring girlfriend (now wife). I wasn’t expecting to own a cat. I had a certain lifestyle, with a set routine, and established boundaries. How did I handle this change? Watch and find out.

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Every year I raise money for March of Dimes, which is a foundation established to study the causes and develop cures for premature birth. This year, rather than simply beg friends and family for donations, I’m taking donations to read Harry Potter. More about this strange donation tactic at the full intro video here.

In this video, I discuss my thoughts on the first 295 pages of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone.

Well, well, well, the book has gotten much better. I never thought I’d say this, but ever since the unicorn scene, the book has been legitimately fun to read. Here’s hoping I can get the next $20 worth of donations to help me read the final 10 pages.

If you think Harry Potter is a great series, and feel that I should read it, please consider donating to March of Dimes by visiting http://www.calebjross.com/potterbaby. This link takes you directly to the donation page.

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The Cost of Living will easily make my top 10 of 2013 list.

I’ve read all of Roberge’s work, all that I’m aware of (Drive [novel], More than they Could Chew [novel], Working Backwards from the Worst Moment of My Life [stories]) and I’d read anything else in the future. He’s one of my favorite writers, so you know, having the history I do, you can trust my words.

To read The Cost of Living is to read the rock and roll story that everyone’s always wanted, but could never find; there’s too much glitter and groupies, too much ego in other rock and roll stories. With The Cost of Living, you’re forced to deal with, and ultimately fall in love with, a life that’s been destroyed by the stage. Every rock and roll story you’ve read before will seem cliche compared to The Cost of Living.

• Buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Cost-Living-Rob-Roberge/dp/1938604296
• Visit the author: http://robroberge.com/
• Visit the publisher: http://www.dzancbooks.org/storage/OVBooks/OVfront.html

P.S: I promise my praise has nothing to do with the fact that Roberge blurbed my novel, Stranger Will. I was a fan of his way before he read my book.

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Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

There are two classic pieces of writing advice that support this storytelling rule:

The first, from William Faulkner, author of The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, Absalom!, goes: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” meaning you must get rid of those elements of your story that serve your ego rather than the story.

The second, from Anton Chekhov, author of countless stories, plays, and novellas, goes: “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.” Translation: again, only include things that have a purpose.

The message is to always question why elements of your story exist.

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I’ll never win father of the year. But I won’t win worst father of the year, either. Though, these guys might. Here I look at four father/son bonding moments which I would say are some of the worst. Though, I reserve the right to happen upon some crazy sex and murder fest to take over one of these spots.

Bad Father/Son Bonding #1:
In late 2012 in Albuquerque NM, a father and son team, armed only with a wheelchair were caught shoplifting.

Bad Father/Son Bonding #2:
In October 2012, a father and his 9-year old son were caught on tape mocking a young girl’s cerebral palsy.

Bad Father/Son Bonding #3:
In 2009 in Nottingham, England a man attempted to solicit a prostitute to take his 14-year old son’s virginity.

Bad Father/Son Bonding #4:
In 2011 a father and son went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico in a kayak. They caught an effing shark!

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Determining possible career options is easier than you think. Just consider these 3 aspects:

1. A career must involve something you enjoy.
2. A career should involve something you are good at.
3. A career should involve something you can do over and over and over again

Watch the embedded video for some much needed extrapolation.

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On Monday April 1, 2013, The Colbert Report managed to squeeze in a subtle reference to Shirley Jackson’s famous short story “The Lottery” at the very end of the clip below (titled “Health Care Lottery”). What’s especially impressive is that he doesn’t draw attention to the source material. This is ballsy considering that many people probably wouldn’t get the reference (unless of course there was a recent film adaptation or something that I don’t know about).

Click the image above to watch the clip

This isn’t the first time “The Lottery” has made it’s way into popular media. Both South Park and The Simpsons have made references in the past.

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The Perfect Edge Books blog tour has officially started! What is it? A tour in which blog posts about 3 Perfect Edge Books releases will be posted on various super-duper blogs over the next few weeks.

I’m telling you, Perfect Edge Books is going places. Big places. I’ve genuinely enjoyed and/or loved every book they’ve published so far in their short few months of existence. If you like my books, or like insightful, rough-around-the-edges, intelligent novels, then definitely check out Perfect Edge Books!

See the tour schedule below. I’ll be updating the dedicated The Perfect Edge Trifecta tour page as new posts are published. Be sure to check back often for updated links.

While you’re at it, head over to the blogs listed below and subscribe, why don’t ya? You’ll like them. They have good stuff to offer.

Perfect Edge Books was founded in late 2011 to unite authors whose books weren’t “obviously” commercial. Our books tend to sit in various genres all at once: literary fiction, satire, neo-noir, sci-fi, experimental prose. We believe that literary doesn’t have to mean difficult, and that difficult doesn’t just mean pointless. We prefer to cultivate a word-of-mouth approach to marketing, and keep production as simple as we can. Learn more at www.PerfectEdgeBooks.com.

Blog Tour Schedule:

Stranger Will

Angel Falls

The Sound of Loneliness

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Click the image above to view the lesson

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling (the full list can be found here). Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

This “rule” isn’t so much a rule as it is a template for storytelling. A simple and very effective template, I might add.

The most important element of this formula, I feel, is the repetition of the “Because of that” which speaks to the importance of constantly elevating stakes. Nothing is ever stagnant in an engaging story. Even if two characters are alone in a room, or if poo can’t fart, there should always be something imminent to further complicate matters, to stress every potential for conflict.

My immaturity is on full display with this writing lesson. Buckle in and prepare to hate me even more.

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Every year I raise money for March of Dimes, which is a foundation established to study the causes and develop cures for premature birth. This year, rather than simply beg friends and family for donations, I’m taking donations to read Harry Potter. More about this strange donation tactic at the full into video here or scroll down further to watch.

In this video, I discuss my thoughts on the first 193 pages of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone.

If you think Harry Potter is a great series, and feel that I should read it, please consider donating to March of Dimes by visiting http://www.calebjross.com/potterbaby. This link takes you directly to the donation page.

Also, be sure to leave your YouTube channel name, as I will be making a Thank You video and will be sure to mention your channel.

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Click the image above to watch the video book review

Craig Wallwork’s The Sound of Loneliness (Perfect Edge Books) takes the concept of a tired, alcoholic, depressed writer and recesses it a generation or so, using a 22 year old protagonist with 52 year old problems.

Much of the story’s tension lies between this 22 year old Daniel Crabtree and his teenage infatuation Emma, a tension that similar to Lolita, is meant to rouse conflict, but unlike Lolita, the age and maturity difference between the two characters is such that the reader can imagine the two characters actually working out, given another decade.

Also, I manage to work in a Roseanne reference which makes me happier than you can even imagine.

Buy The Sound of Loneliness by clicking here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sound-Loneliness-Craig-Wallwork/dp/1780996012

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I am proud to say that after this first week we have raised $386! That’s 193 pages I have to read by March 29^th. My plan is to make a video at the end of each week where I will talk about my feelings toward the book at that point. Full disclosure: I honestly have no desire to read this book. But, because so many people seem to love it, I’m giving it a chance.

Please, consider donating. Even a few dollars helps. Simply click over to www.calebjross.com/potterbaby to donate (NOTE: the page will be under the name Jennifer Ross).

If you can’t spare a few dollars, please, please, please consider sharing the video above. The more people who see the video, the more money we can potentially raise for March of Dimes.

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Click the image to watch the video

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.

It’s painful to know that during an entire first draft of a novel or story, very little of that first draft will survive.  At least, it won’t if you’re a good enough writer.
A writer cannot make sense of a story until the story exists. Otherwise, we’re looking at a pile of jigsaw puzzle pieces and trying to know the final image without putting the pieces together.

(Additional metaphor here)

With this, the third video in my 22 part series, I step up my game with a fake mustache.

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In celebration of the release of his novel My Pet Serial Killer, Michael J Seidlinger is stopping by to transform me into a fictional serial killer, one of My Pet Serial Killer main character Claire Wilkinson’s ex-boyfriends? I’m…honored?

Alias/Known As: “Hipster Casanova”

Real name: Caleb Ross

Number of victims: 29

Description:

• Met victims at literature readings and art gallery events.
• Spoke with a clear and alluring accent said to be very charming by those that turned down his offers.
• Used self-deprecating, laid back conversation to let victim’s guard down.
• Often used the opening line, “Do I have something stuck between my teeth?” to start a conversation.
• Courted victim for approximately a week while waiting for inspiration to mount.
• Upon finding inspiration, approached victim with proposal to be a part of latest work of art.
• Used bladed weapons, nails, and other items to puncture, carve, and write into victim’s skin.
• After body was carved into with words and floral designs, made cast molds of the victim’s body to be later hardened into saleable pewter sculptures.

Be Mine

“I’m saying, ‘You can’t just covet that body. Take the surgical knife and carve!’

He’s coming up for air and saying, ‘She tastes like strawberries!’

And I’m shaking my head wanting to move things forward.

‘You’ve gotten your taste now what are we going to do?’

He’s sighing a loud sigh and I’m hearing it, raspy and apprehensive.

I’m asking him, ‘Hey, what’s wrong with you?’
He’s not telling me.

Enough is enough. I can’t have him acting up like this.

‘What does a pet do, hmm?’”

Buy My Pet Serial Killer by Michael J. Seidlinger at Amazon.com now!

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Click the image to watch the video book review

A few days ago someone suggested I do more Wordless Book Review videos. I hesitated, mainly because it seems I’ve beaten that dead horse too much. But then I realized that I have access to a huge library of sound effects. Hence, Wordless Book Reviews: Sound Effects Edition.

Books Reviewed/Sound Effected-ed:

• Save Your Own Life by Amy Sage Webb
• Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye by Paul Tremblay
• Mafia Summit: J. Edgar Hoover, the Kennedy Brothers, and the Meeting That Unmasked the Mob by Gil Reavill

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Anyway, the change did motivate me to make a Channel Trailer of my own, which is something I probably should have done long ago. Check it out. This trailer summarizes my channel nicely, in just around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Admittedly, that amount of time is practically feature-length in the world of YouTube trailers, but I’ve never been one for brevity (as evidenced by this unnecessary parenthetical statement you are currently reading).

Click the image below to watch the trailer. Then subscribe to my channel, dammit!

Click the image above to watch the Channel Trailer

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Click the image above to watch the video

So, you say you love Harry Potter and that everyone should read it? Now is your chance to put your money where you mouth is.

Every year I help raise money for a foundation called The March of Dimes. My child, who you can see hilariously featured a few videos from my daily vlog channel (linked above) was born about 5 weeks early, and so benefited greatly from the research and advances in care for premature infants, which is what March of Dimes does.

Normally, I just beg friends and susceptible strangers for donations. This year I wanted to do something different.

For every 2 dollars I receive in donations, I will read 1 page of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. At the end of each week, I will tally the donations, read the appropriate number of pages, and then record a video where I will offer my thoughts on the book so far.

If I don’t receive enough donations for The March of Dimes to read all 309-ish pages (that’s about $618, depending on the edition I read) then I won’t finish the book…ever. I’m not kidding. So, it’s in your hands Potter fans.

To donate, simply go to http://cjrlit.com/potterbaby, all lowercase to donate. Any amount of money helps.

Also, if you put your youtube channel name in the message box when you donate then I will mention you and your channel in my final Thank You video after APRIL 28th.

The deadline for donations is APRIL 28th!

Please, share this video. It’s the only donation drive of its kind that I’m aware of.

Donate now by clicking here

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About Candour:

An unnamed man suddenly begins succumbing to the horrors of a nightmarish disease. Secluding himself in his apartment rooms, his only companion is his cat, Alastair Cello, who he determines to keep unaware of his impending death.

BUY IT HERE – a hardcopy straight from the printer is 47% off list price ($4.24, down from $10) by entering the following DISCOUNT CODE: SSZ8VB6L

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NOTE: If the video below shows an error, or looks to be not working, please have patience. I have scheduled this post to go live at 6:00 EST, but the reading may not start exactly on time.

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Click the image above to watch the video

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule #2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

Simply put, you are not your audience. Yes, you are a member of your audience, but an audience of one does not a paycheck make. As a storyteller, you’ve got to 1) know your audience and 2) be willing to make that audience happy. Even if that means making poop jokes for 3 minutes, which is what I do in this video, as much as it disgusts me.

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Myself, along with Phil Jourdan, Michael Paul Gonzalez, Ben Loory, Cameron Pierce, and Kirsten Pierce will be reading at the famous International Poster Gallery on March 7th. You should be there. Seriously. I anticipate it will be quite the event. Read all about it at the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/340073609438138/

Even cooler, you can embed the live stream on your blog or website. In fact, I would love you if you did. Simply paste either of the follow two code options to your website (it’s exactly the same as embedding any other YouTube video). Note that until the event goes live 6:00 EST on March 7th the video will probably give you an error or something. But once I click the broadcast button, the world will rejoice.

iFrame:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a4F7ngMBDhk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Old embed code:

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4F7ngMBDhk?hl=en_US&amp;version=3&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a4F7ngMBDhk?hl=en_US&amp;version=3&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

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Click the image above to watch the video

Yes, I am going to make a video for each of the Pixar’s 22 Rules for Storytelling. Be sure to subscribe to this channel to not miss any of the forthcoming videos. I plan to release one/week.

Rule # 1 is You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

Success is defined as a pass/fail dichotomy. There’s no gray area, meaning there’s no room for humanity. Humanity is a gray area,  constantly redefined by context.  And narrative relies on a “gray area” approach to be successful.

We, as readers, rarely accept winning v. losing as a satisfying climax to a  narrative series of events. Rather, we care more about the characters that shape those series of events.

Sports fans don’t just care who wins or loses; sports fans watch ESPN for hours every day to learn about the statistics and human interest stories behind their favorite teams, and more appropriately, their favorite players.

Watch. Learn.

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Click the image above to watch the video

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Many of us don’t know the true origins of Valentine’s Day…scrap that, ALL of us don’t know the true origins of Valentine’s Day, but what most people can agree on is that Valentine’s Day originated after the death of St. Valentine. Come with me as I take a humorous, and probably offensive, look into this holiday’s mysterious origins.

Fun fact: this is the second video this month in which I apologize to black people.

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Click the image above to watch the video.

500 subscribers! This is incredible. Wow. (more gushing on the actual video)

Time for a milestone giveaway. I think this giveaway is unique in the YouTube world. Maybe I’m wrong. Probably not though. I rarely am.

One random winner will receive a package from me in the mail/post. How I go about accumulating the item or items in this package is the magic. The winner and myself will have a short, 20 min or so, Google+ Hangout where I will get to know the winner. I will then use this data to go on a shopping spree to find something special for the winner. NOTE: Shopping “spree” will likely take place at a second-hand shop/thrift shop/charity shop, as my hope is to find something cost-conscious but still interesting.

The shopping excursion will be recorded, edited for maximum hilarity, and uploaded for all of YouTube to enjoy.

But that’s not all. There will be a second-place winner who will also receive a package. However, this package will contain purchases made solely on what I learn by creeping through your publicly available internet profiles. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, I’ll use all of these methods to learn about you enough to hopefully find something special/probably weird.

But the “That’s Not All” doesn’t end there. How do I choose this runner up, you ask? Well, I don’t. I will ask the 1st place winner how he/she found out about my channel. That person will be the runner up.

To break it down for you, the more people you get to subscribe to my channel, the more chances you have of winning something.

If the winner doesn’t remember exactly how they came to my channel, I will let the winner simply choose who they want to be the runner up.

Rules:

1. Must be a subscriber
2. Must be over 18 years old
3. Must favorite this video
4. Must leave a comment on this video. Bonus points (not really) for suggestions for future videos.
5. And of course you must be willing to Google Hangout with me, live, for one short session, and you must be okay with me mailing something to you.

Status Starters:

• I just had my mind blown by the best video I’ve seen in my entire life (also, I might win something). Watch it: http://youtu.be/7BGQPzeSRMY
• @calebjross, yes the YouTube personality with the handome biceps, has 500 subscribers. You should be one: http://youtu.be/7BGQPzeSRMY
• @calebjross is going shopping just for you. Simply subscribe to his YouTube channel (and win a random drawing): http://youtu.be/7BGQPzeSRMY
• If you subscribe to the @calebjross YouTube channel, we both might win something cool (or lame): http://youtu.be/7BGQPzeSRMY
• Watch this @calebjross 500 subscriber video. It might save a kitten: http://youtu.be/7BGQPzeSRMY

Mentioned:

• The BookTube Network Google+ LIVE Hangouts are announced here:
• Elizzie Books Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/114449107625626410412/114449107625626410412
• Elizzie Books YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/elizziebooks
• Caleb J. Ross Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/101908296579409026598

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To honor Black History Month I was prepared to make a “my favorite books I own by black Americans” video. But when preparing for this video, I noticed that I own very few books written by black Americans. I have plenty of books by non-whites and non-Americans so I can check diversity off of my white-guilt bucket list, but black Americans specifically seem under-represented. This video asks, why?

Also, I’ve somehow managed to work farts into this video. You’re welcome MLK.

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The post Celebrating Black History Month: Is my bookshelf racist? appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

@calebjross Just finished your book #StrangerWill and I totally cried. my God. I wasn’t expecting this!!

— MartheBozart (@MartheBozart) February 4, 2013

Buy Stranger Will

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The post Sometimes, it feels good to make a person cry. appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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Many people don’t realize that the term Super Bowl is trademarked, and is actually quite expensive to use, which is why one is likely to hear a version of the term “The Big Game” as a replacement in media not directly connected to the NFL.

What about all those other ubiquitous terms out there that are also trademarked? I’m going to look at 4 such terms in an effort to make you think I’m some fancy learnin’ specialist.

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The post Sherpa Bowel XLVII and Other Trademarks You Didn’t Know Were Trademarked appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review. It feels weird, like I’m returning to an abandoned lover, hoping for a warm reception. Please, viewer, take me back!

This time I’m looking at The Colony by Jillian Weise, a novel about a science collective/get-away for people with genetic abnormalities. But this book is less The X-Men and more if Gilmore Girls had predispositions to suicide and strange abilities to grow missing appendages. Trust me, it makes sense.

Should you be interested in reading The Colony, I’d appreciate you purchase using the link below (I get a very small percentage):

Paperback: http://amzn.to/10eJb1J

Kindle: http://amzn.to/Udf7nN

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The post The Colony by Jillian Weise video book review appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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Like most reasonable people, I tend to shy away from the grandiose, unachievable New Year’s Resolutions. Really, even though it took you 30 years to gain all that weight, you’re going to lose all of it in a single year? Sure, that’s reasonable.

Rather, I’m sticking to some promises that I might actually be able to keep. Join me. We can underachieve together.

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The post My New Year Resolutions Are Better than Yours (Video Blog ep 055) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

No, really, you should read it though. Realize that you have to just tell a goddamn story.

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The title says it all. I give a few books what’s coming to them. The torch comes this time to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Philip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly, Amy Hempel’s The Collected Stories, Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke, Lorrie Moore’s A Gate at the Stairs, and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.

Truthfully, I have no anger with these books.

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The post Burning More Books (Video Blog ep 054) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

Nathaniel Hawthorne makes an appearance in the Season 11, Episode 10 Family Guy titled “Space Cadet.”

From FamilyGuy.Wikia.com: When Chris presents a poorly written presentation for class in “Space Cadet“, he complains of not being Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne is seen chuckling over ruining ninth grade for everyone as he writes a story.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works include The House of the Seven Gablesand The Scarlett Letter.

Here’s the clip:

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I’m fast approaching 500 subscribers. This means nothing but good things for you.

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The post Channel Update – Get Ready for a 500 Subscriber Giveaway appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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Why dislike something that you’ve previously liked, once it becomes popular? Is there any logic to avoiding something once it becomes popular?

I explore my thoughts on this topic, from the perspective of someone who has hipster tendencies, but is at least willing to admit to it.

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The post Hipster Rationale: Does it Make Sense to Avoid Popular Culture? (Video Blog ep 053) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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My first novel, Stranger Will, is being re-released this January 25th, 2013 through Perfect Edge Books. However, I have a stack of unedited proof copies from the previous publication that I need to get rid of. Here’s where you come in.

I will send a free copy (until my limited supply runs out) to anyone willing to read the book and provide a video review. The review doesn’t even have to be positive. Just provide your honest response.

What’s the catch? No catch. I’ll even pay for shipping the book to you.

Because the book will be released on January 25th, 2013, I’m hoping for reviews to be uploaded as soon as possible. However, if you can’t meet the 25th deadline, anytime soon after is quite cool by me.

If you have questions, just ask in the comments at the YouTube video page.

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Writer’s block is just an excuse for broken storytelling. That’s the name of an article I wrote a while back for a site called Slothrop.com. The article, in so many words, says that the reason a writer gets stuck is not a spontaneous drain of energy or a mysterious lack of motivation. Writer’s block is simply a symptom of denial. Writer’s block is the writer’s intuition declaring that the story sucks and you need to fix it.

Share in the comments below: what has been your hardest bout of writer’s block and what did you do to cure it?

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The post Writer’s Block is Just an Excuse for Broken Storytelling (Video Blog ep 052) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

I’m not sure why I received this error message (I could read the issue just fine) but the language seems strangely apropo.

I’m honored to have been able to spout off a bit for the newest issue of Surreal Grotesque magazine.

Here’s a taste:

Your work doesn’t really resemble a genre in any way, which is nice, although people try to pigeonhole certain writers as being Chuck Palahniuk-esque or in the vein of “urban noir”. If you had to describe your writing style of work to someone who has never read you before, how would you describe your writing?

I use the term Domestic Grotesque a lot, which basically means family dynamic meets visceral irrationality. The best example I can think of—though this book came out after I coined the term Domestic Grotesque—is Matt Bell’s Cataclysm Baby. A lot of Brian Evenson’s work would also fit. I love the imagery I can get away with when I write the grotesque, and I love the inherent tension when dealing with a family and their inborn troubles.

I’m not against being compared or pigeonholed. In a way, it’s validating to know that I, as an author, belong to something greater than myself. Wow, that sentence makes me seem like my own anti-hero.

Head over to the Surreal Grotesque Issuu site to read the rest of the interview. Stick around for an interview with Richard Thomas and work from Chris Deal among others. You won’t be sorry.

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The post The Art of the Domestic Grotesque: An Interview with Caleb J. Ross in the newest issue of Surreal Grotesque appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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Now that Christmas is over, we must begin the long process of thanking each of the kind people to have given us gifts this holiday. I know how arduous this can be, so I’ve taken it upon myself to offer some of my own thank yous as examples that you may wish to follow. Fair warning: don’t follow these examples.

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The post How to Write Christmas Thank You Letters for Crappy Books (Video Blog ep 051) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

We talked about how I (and other authors should probably) use YouTube not as a vehicle for pushing my books onto unwilling buyers, but as a way to showcase my personality. You know, lube the audience into acceptance. I had a ton of fun talking with these guys. After watching my video (below) be sure to check the ePublish Unum site for a ton more great author videos.

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The post YouTube for Authors discussed at ePublish Unum. Books and beer are both involved. appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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There’s a strange phenomenon in the world of visual character creation—puppetry, animated cartoons, robotics—where the more closely a character resembles a human, the more sympathy that character elicits and the more compassion we give it…until a certain point. This gap is called The Uncanny Canyon.

But how does this concept work in fiction? Here, I answer that very question.

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The post The Uncanny Canyon/Valley: Good for Fiction Writing and 90s Grunge Music Videos (Video Blog ep 049) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

It’s short notice, I know, but really you weren’t going to remember anyway.

THIS THURSDAY, December 20, I will be participating in the LIVE Google+ Hangout with Evo Terra and Jeff Moriarty of ePublish Unum and the Books & Beer Hangout.

Mark your calendars.

I’ll answer questions about how I use YouTube. More importantly, however, there will be a LIVE Q&A session where YOU can ask any question you want.

Total running time is only about 30 minutes, so I promise this won’t ruin your evening.

When:

• 6pm Pacific
• 8pm Central
• 9pm Eastern

Where:

Just click over to the ePublish Unum Google+ Page at the designated time. Can’t remember that? Just go to cjrlit.com/beerhangout and you’ll be immediately redirected to the proper place.

Want more of a taste? Watch this:

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The post How does an author use YouTube? This Thursday, LIVE Hangout. I drink and act a fool with ePublish Unum! You can be a part of it. appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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Why does fiction work? It’s all about a little thing called Theory of mind.

Theory of Mind is quite simply mind reading. We, as readers, utilize our understanding of the world to impart meaning upon the fictional worlds and characters in books. Without that frame of reference, without what we can understand as basic human truths—sadness, jealously, happiness, anger—we cannot understand the actions of the characters.

Mentioned:

• The Collector Collector by Tibor Fischer
• Why We Read Fiction: Theory of Mind and The Novel by Lisa Zunshine

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The post Why Does Fiction Work? (Video Blog ep 048) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

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Andrez Bergen knows how to write a good “text book novel.” What is a text book novel? Considering I just made up the term, I could define it however I want and you wouldn’t know any better. I’m not a jerk though, and will define it appropriately as such: a novel that entertains AND teaches, in some respects even teaches more than entertains.

100 Years of Vicissitude takes place during World War II. We learn a bit about the war, but more specifically, we learn a bit about Japanese culture during the time. You’ll like it.

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The post 100 Years of Vicissitude video book review (Video Blog ep 047) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.

It’s no secret that Catcher in the Rye is J.D Salinger’s most famous work. So, I suppose The Simpsons doesn’t so much insult Salinger as it does simply remind people that Salinger was important at one time, for one book.

In this, Season 22 Episode 16 episode called “A Midsummer’s Nice Dream” (the title itself a literary reference) Marge discovers “A box set of all of J.D Salinger’s novels except Catcher in the Rye” among a pile of garbage that once belonged to the town hoarder, implying that only a crazy hoarder would actually keep copies of these “other” books.

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Getting a signed copy of a book isn’t always easy. Though, sometimes, it’s incredibly easy. Behold, another unscripted account of how I managed to get a copy of a book signed by its author. In this episode, I discuss the long, arduous path to acquiring a signature by Caleb J. Ross.

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The post Getting the Signed Book – Charactered Pieces: Stories by Caleb J. Ross (Video Blog ep 046) appeared first on Caleb J Ross The World's First Author Blog. If you are reading this post anywhere else, please return to the original source when sharing.