Decimate the Lightning Bugs

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Mark Twain

Let's talk about the word decimate. It's a lightning word when used correctly, but more often than not it's used as a lightning bug.

Goodreads and the "Community"

Here is an interesting perspective on Goodreads and the "community" that it has created.

First, I have to say that I really like Goodreads for all of the reasons stated in the article. It gives a place where authors can engage readers and vice versa. It gives a good "landing place" for your novel. It also connects to your blog, so that what I'm typing here will show up there eventually. Goodreads is a great site for authors and readers.

Dealing with negative reviews is tough, however. As authors, we spend so much time with our work that it is easy to be sensitive about it. The books we write are like our children, and nobody wants to have their little snowflakes criticized. That being said, though, once we bring our work to the table and release it, it's up to the public to judge it, even if we might think that judgment is unfair, incorrect, or even spiteful in origin.

Risan Bracelet Design

This is a preliminary design of the "entwined, opposed serpents" that appears in my upcoming novel, Fallen Rise. The symbol is used in several places, such as the design of a pledge bracelet, the cross-guard of a sword, and a banner. It figured heavily enough that I wanted to see it visually, so I built it using a CAD program called Campaign Cartographer 2, followed by a pass in Photoshop. The snake heads are stylized and do not represent a specific serpent,though they are closer in design to the heads of venomous vipers. I'm also considering making a more iconographic version for a chapter header flourish.