iFanboy Spotlight on Harry Houdini

Paul Montgomery over at iFanboy recently posted a Spotlight review on two Campfire Comic graphic novels, including my very own HARRY HOUDINI.

Welsh peppers facsimiles of relevant newspaper clippings and journal entries throughout, employing a young apprentice as an anchor for the nonlinear tale. Houdini’s life was a marvel and this comic captures a lot of what made him so captivating.

I don’t know what is more exciting; that readers like Paul are still discovering and talking about HARRY HOUDINI (the graphic novel) or that it is available on Graphicly for only $3.99!

Close up of panel in HARRY HOUDINI

The Countdown to Free has begun

Soon Amazon.com will list “A.I. Trigger” as $0.00, and a doorway to possibility will fly open.

Everything I do now is an experiment. The world of publishing has broken wide open, and the cries of “Go Virtual, Young Man!” ring down every inter-tube to seize the imagination of every writer with ears to hear. Now, not only have I gained the understanding that all writing is practice from Dean Wesley Smith, but from the same source and many others I have learned that there has never been a better time in history to make a living as a writer. Thanks again to those who go before me, like Mike Jasper and David Gaughran, who are so free with sharing their advice and experience, and to all those writer-soldiers who retweet the countless others sharing their battle stories and personal pilgrimages.This will be one of mine to share.

Will it work?

Pricing, like countless other facets of self publishing, is under my control. Which is scary when you consider I have no idea what I am doing. Okay, I have an idea, and I’m learning fast, but until I am consistently making a living from my fiction writing I’m just guessing. Experimenting. And this is the latest experiment, one that many have done before, and now it is my turn: giving a story away.

Not just posting a story on my blog for folks to stumble upon, but putting it out in the world, right along side all the other books from all the other writers, most notably those listed on Amazon. As you may or may not know, Amazon and B&N do not allow you to set your price to “Free.” This means you have to travel a circuitous  path to get there. You publish your work on Smashwords, which does let you price it for free; then, once they approve it for their premium catalog (not a difficult thing to achieve) the pricing information will eventually flow out to Amazon and B&N, where they will price-match.

Badda-boom, badda-bing, you know have a free offering on the two major distributors of self published work.

From just about every story I’ve read of others who have done this, the result is a massive jump in the downloads of their work. Primarily the book that is now gratis, but there is a carry over, too, to the books that produce a profit. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” as they say.

Last night my story A.I. Trigger was finally approved for the Smashwords premium catalog, about six days after I published it on Smash. Now, it’s done pretty well on Smashwords; as of this writing 78 copies have been downloaded, and that’s pretty exciting. I’ve been led to believe, again through the consumption of virtual fire-side stories told by Those Who Have Been There, that once the story goes free on Amazon (and B&N, although they are minor league in comparison) I should expect A.I. Trigger to fly off the ever-replenishing virtual shelves.

The Countdown to Free has begun. I will report back here once Amazon makes the story free, and let you know if I have been led astray, or told true.

- Magician for Hire –

Ohhhh, YEAH.  If there was ever any doubt I used to perform magic professionally, here is the PROOF!

Or, at least, proof that I scrounged up $15 when I was a kid and had these business cards made. And proof that I was completely obsessed with this large, Chinese coin that I turned into a necklace. No, my magic act did not have any Chinese magic in it; so why did I wear it?

Come on, LOOK at it! It’s cool. Yes, I’d say this card sums up why I love magic so much, and why I studied and practiced countless hours, memorizing passes and holds and catching angles in a mirror. Magic uses props that are interesting and eye-catching and imaginative, or takes mundane objects and transform them into the same. In short, magic is cool. This is why, despite not possessing the dexterity–or the time–to perform magic any longer, I remain fascinated enough that I’ll perform magic in my own way, by writing about it.

Now THIS guy could do some serious Chinese magic. I wonder if he had a coin necklace like mine?

My next project in this area (yet to have a start date) will be a story revolving around the life and times of Billy Robinson, an American magician who rose to stardom under the name Chung Ling Soo. Yep, that’s right. Not Chinese. Totally fooled everyone, for YEARS. Without a doubt the inspiration behind the “living the illusion” theme in the Prestige movie. Come to think of it, he is a great example of the OTHER reason I love magic so much, and germane to the reason I chose to write about him: the stories. Stories woven in magic acts and stories about magicians…they never fail to amaze. Can’t wait to get started!

Coffeyville Now Available

I am thrilled to announce that my novella “Coffeyville” is now live on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and Smashwords!

I have been a fan of Harry Houdini all my life, and writing the Harry Houdini Graphic Novel, and now Coffeyville, pleases me to no end. When I visited Cannon’s Great Escapes in 2009 (an escape artist convention, can you believe it?) to promote the graphic novel, I met some of the most amazing people. I didn’t know how to pick a lock (I do now!) or slip a straight jacket, but I had an instant connection with this great community, all thanks to a shared love of Houdini.

Now that I have completed my second work of Houdini fiction, I look forward to all the similar connections that are sure to come.

Speaking of the convention, one of the wonderful folks I met there was John Cox. John runs a premier Houdini site that focuses on the very-much-alive world of Houdini today. If you want to keep up with all the new discoveries, enjoy rabbit-hunting esoteric bits of Houdini lore, or just want to be part of a community that is Wild About Harry, that is the place for you. Launching on his site today is a Houdini Quiz; be one of the first to take the quiz and get all the questions right and you could win a free copy of Coffeyville!

If you want to buy a copy of the ebook directly from your Kindle or Nook, use those links. Otherwise you can get your copy at Smashwords, where they have all formats available, including mobi and epub.

If you enjoy Coffeyville, tell a friend!

Chris

Coffeyville

A Harry Houdini Short Novel

Coffeyville, Kansas, is known as the “Town that stopped the Dalton Gang.” Many shots were fired in the early days of Coffeyville…but there was one lone bullet, fired some years after the Daltons were laid low, that passed unnoticed by most. One man, however, would never forget; a young Harry Houdini, still some years before fame would find him. The events of Coffeyville would ricochet down through the years, giving Houdini the ammunition he would need to pull off the greatest illusion of his epic career. Can you keep up with Houdini’s misdirection?

Follow Houdini’s assistant, Franz Kukol, as he discovers the secret behind Coffeville.

Book Cover Preview for Coffeyville

Here we go with yet ANOTHER Book Cover Sneak Peek! I am such a lucky author, let me tell you. This fantastic cover comes courtesy of my friend and editor, the Inimitable Mr. Interval.  “Coffeyville” is a short novel (or “novella”) about one of my favorite historical figures and his attempt to pull off the most dangerous magic trick of all time. Coming soon to all e-outlets! So, what do you think of the cover?

Book Cover Sneak Peek

My short story “A.I. Trigger” will be available for free shortly on Amazon, Kindle, Nook and so on, but I can’t wait to share this fantastic book cover, created by my equally fantastic brother.  SUPER excited about this one! What do you all think?

 

I submit to your judgment

In my last post I mentioned returning to work on my latest story, which can best be described as “Conan meets Road Warrior.” Some of you may have thought that was just me being clever. If you know me at all, you know that’s impossible, so therefore it must be true.

Just for fun I thought I’d toss the first paragraph up here for your consideration.  I was halfway done with this article about the importance of first pages and thought, “How does my first paragraph stand up?” My answer to that question is both relevant and ir-, so I put it to you:

Clutch

Sweetheart surged ahead as Clutch shifted gears and stomped on the go pedal, the deep traction of her oversized tires biting deep into the wild grasslands. Her engine roared a challenge, and the six-legged cougar that raced ahead answered back with a high-pitched scream. The middle pair of legs were longer than the other two, but rather than get in the cat’s way the odd rhythm this created seemed to grant the creature extra speed. Even with the mutant-born swiftness, however, Clutch and his passenger, Jorge, rode Sweetheart closer and closer to their quarry’s double-tipped tail.

What do you think?

Thank you, mystery reader.

The way I figure it, the odds are good that at least one person spotted one of my titles for sale on Nook or Amazon, liked the cover enough to read the description, perhaps read the sample, and then bought it. To that person I say, “Thank you!”

I put up my first titles via KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and PubIt! (for the Nook & Barnes and Noble) last week. Shortly after I got my first sale for Tubifex. That could have been a buddy helping me out (thanks, buddy!)or it could have been that other thing. You know, the thing where someone stumbles across your book, likes the look and sound of it, and wants to read it! And pay for it, too!

But it could have been a buddy.

Then a copy of Shiver sold on KDP!

Now, my first thought was “The reader that bought Tubifex enjoyed it so much, they went back and picked up Shiver!” My second thought was, “My son’s friend’s dad was just asking me where he could find my work online, and I told him Amazon… so it could have been him.” Which, by the way, is not at all a disappointing thought, just an analytical one. You see, I’m still thrashing about, trying to figure out all of this independent publishing jazz. (Luckily I have folks like Dean Wesley Smith and David Gaughran showing the way.)

In other words, it still could have been a buddy.

Along the way I saw no movement at PubIt! Then, this morning, I found this:

Enough time has passed from when I put Shiver out and mentioned it to my buddies on Facebook that it is unlikely one of them went out to pick that up. Thus, with three sales in the can (watch out, Rowling) I feel pretty safe to say that at least one of these sales HAD to be a new reader. Just HAD to be.

And that idea makes me happy. Now, however, I should follow Dean Wesley Smith’s advice. One of those Sacred Cows that he’s all about killing, Book as Event is, basically, the build up around selling a book (in that case, to a traditional publisher, rather than just a COPY of a book) and then becoming so wrapped up in that one-time success that you stop working. Keeping that in mind, I shall dial my celebrations down to a dull roar, and get back to writing my “Conan meets Road Warrior” short novel.

But I’ll be grinning about that PubIt! sale the whole time.

Tubifex

Taking Aim at Coffeyville

Coffeyville, Kansas. A town famous for many reasons, including the end of the infamous Dalton Gang. But there is only one reason I came to know the name, and it was all do to my love of all things Harry Houdini.

The first professional publication I can lay credit to is a Harry Houdini graphic novel, and that book opened quite a few doors for me. I met a lot of great people because of that book, and worked on a project that was captivating. I had always planned to do more fiction work revolving around magicians in general, and Houdini in particular.

Now I have.

I just finished a short story (well, more of a novelette) that is the longest complete story I’ve written at 14,680 words…at the moment.  I pushed the draft out to my fabulous first readers and I’ll be giving it another once-over when I hear back from them, so that count may change. Not, I suspect, by a lot.

The story is Coffeyville, named after the town where Houdini had one of his most facinating encounters, in my ever-so-humble opinion. I found out about it  while doing research for the graphic novel, reading the superlative The Secret Life of Houdini. I had considered myself something of a Houdini expert before; I was sadly mistaken. When I traveled to do a meet-and-greet and hawk the book at Cannon’s Great Escapes (an escape artist convention! That’s right, I went to an escape artist convention. Yes, it was every bit as cool as it sounds) anyway, when I went there I met REAL experts. Folks that were actually interviewed by the authors of the book that had impressed me so, to check their facts!

So here I was, thinking I knew a thing or two about Houdini, yet I’d never heard of the events of Coffeyville. The story stuck with me, and I was determined to use the events in a short story of my own someday. And now I have.

What were the events? Here I am going to play coy, and not divulge. It wouldn’t be too hard for you to find out, but let’s just say I’m doing my part to cut back on spoilers.

I can tell you a bit about MY Coffeyville, though. The story is about what happens when Harry Houdini decided to perform the one feat he swore never to do–the bullet catch.

You know all about Chung Ling Soo, so you know how infamous the bullet catch is. Wait, what? You don’t know about Chung Ling Soo? Billy Robinson? Did you watch The Prestige? Okay, well…the bullet catch was a highly dangerous trick for the simple fact that a gun is pointed and discharged at the magician. Yes, a real gun. He uses his skills to…shall we say, obtain the bullet in a manner that makes it appear he snatched it out of the air in mid-flight. But some dastardly folks would sometimes supply their own missle (a button, a stone) and, at close range, that would be enough to end the magician’s life.

Houdini never needed to pull off the bullet catch. Tempted as I am sure he was by proving he was better than the danger inherent in the trick, wisdom prevailed. At least, until he figured out a way to pull it off in a purely Houdini fashion, and that is what my story Coffeyville is all about.

If you’d like to hear about it when it becomes available (I plan to self-publish it in all the standard e-book formats very soon), drop me a line, catch up with me on twitter, or let me know in the comments.

So…what do you think…would YOU do the bullet catch?