For those who participated in my online Oscar pool, everyone who submitted with a working email address has been sent a results message. Didn’t get your message? Something was wrong with your contact info. Send me a new message and we’ll get it sorted out.
Now then, some of you may have noticed we’ve got a new logo for Click Your Poison books! It’s already live on the homepage, and being updated on my Amazon sales pages. So if you’ve already got a paperback edition of either title, congrats! It’s now a collector’s edition.
A logo for the series is something I’ve been considering for a while now, as a way to show that these are interactive, branching path novels. What do you think? Did I succeed? Think the new CYP traffic sign will direct readers towards the books?
Add your opinion in the comments below. And don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
Here are my picks. Winners will be announced early next week. Good luck to everyone!
Name: schannepj
Best Picture (3 pts): The Imitation Game
Directing (2 pts): Boyhood
Original Screenplay (2 pts): The Grand Budapest Hotel
Adapted Screenplay (2 pts): The Theory of Everything
Leading Actor (2 pts): Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Leading Actress (2 pts): Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Supporting Actor (2 pts): J. K. Simmons – Whiplash
Supporting Actress (2 pts): Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Production Design (1 pt): Interstellar
Documentary Feature (1 pt): Last Days in Vietnam
Documentary Short(1 pt): Crisis Hotline – Veterans Press 1
Animated Short(1 pt): Feast
Live Action Short Film (1 pt): Parvaneh
Foreign Language Film (1 pt): Ida – Poland
Animated Feature (1 pt): Big Hero 6
Film Editing (1 pt): Boyhood
Sound Editing (1 pt): Interstellar
Sound Mixing (1 pt): Interstellar
Cinematography (1 pt): Birdman
Visual Effects (1 pt): Interstellar
Costume Design (1 pt): Maleficent
Makeup and Hairstyling (1 pt): Foxcatcher
Original Score (1 pt): The Theory of Everything
Original Song (1 pt): “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie
As is my tradition, I’m hosting a friendly Oscar competition. Friendly in that I don’t get anything if I win, but if you beat my predictions for the 2015 Academy Awards, I’ll gift you or a friend an e-copy of a Click Your Poison book. The highest scoring participant also gets a $10 giftcard to Amazon.com.
All you have to do is fill out the form below before showtime on Feb 22nd (I’ll post mine online before then too) to qualify.
The complete list of the nominees can be found here.
It’s 2015 and my website is getting a long overdue face-lift. I started messing around with the layout to prep for a new SUPERPOWERED tab (Coming Soon™) and yeah…I thought I’d try out something new. What do you think?
As someone who writes interactive fiction, I live and die by flowcharts, so I found the background an appropriate greeting. For my long-time readers, you should still be able to find everything using the tabs at the top, and the only real navigation difference are the “widgets” (where you can subscribe, buy the books, find me on facebook & twitter, etc) which are now over on the right.
That’s it! Oh, and stay tuned (read: SUBSCRIBE) because the SUPERPOWERED cover reveal should hit later this week.
So, what do YOU think? Falling in love with the site all over again?
The earlier blog entry on my favorite books of 2014 got me thinking. I may not have a new book out this year for the holidays, but I do have a few extra copies of INFECTED and MURDERED lying around.
If you’re interested, I’ll sign and ship to you, a friend, family, co-worker, Secret Santa, whoever or wherever. Call it $20 even and I’ll pay for shipping. I’m limited to what I have on hand, so it’s first-come first-served until they’re gone.
Hit me up on my contact form and we can iron out the payment details over email. Priority mail is 1-3 business days, so you’ve got a week or so to get your orders in!
I believe this makes my first “online author signing.” I usually reserve signed books for in-person appearances but you’ve caught me in a rare non-Grinch mood. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
None of these books are Christmas themed, but they all make great gifts.
No, SUPERPOWERED won’t be out in time for the Holiday Season. So I figured I’d do the next best thing and recommend the best books I’ve read this year (even though Click Your Poison Books make great stocking stuffers… /end_shameless.plug)
Here they are, the five books I absolutely could not put down in 2014. I’ve given a brief explanation why you should read each, but hopefully not enough to ruin your chances of a Monet Experience.
1) First up is The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is probably the year’s biggest self-publishing success story. From obscure indie, to bestseller with movie rights optioned by 20th Century Fox, Mr. Weir’s ride is enviable to any author. But I didn’t know any of this when I picked it up, and that’s not the reason you should. You should read it because it’s a great book! Fast-paced, believable near-future science fiction at its best. In fact, once you’ve read this one yourself, check out my Martian Theory.
2) Next is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, a non-fiction book that bills itself as “The Story of Success.” This is a book that will change the way you look at the world. Do you really need more of a recommendation than that? I listened to the audiobook here and it’s one of the few author-narrated books that doesn’t suffer from the lack of a professional voice actor. Good luck reading this one and not telling everyone you know about what you learn from it.
3) As part of my superhero research, I picked up Watchmenfor the first time. Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, this graphic novel redefined comic books. All the dark and gritty superhero movies we love so much owe their existence to Watchmen. I learned much about writing a compelling superhero tale from the pages within, and though I didn’t really enjoy the movie when it came out, I had a newfound respect for the film after reading the book. Isn’t that always the way?
4) After thoroughly enjoying The Edge of Tomorrow with Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise (you can read my blog on the ending if you’ve seen it), I sought out the script and novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. And while they don’t line up with the movie much at all, I enjoyed the novel in its own right. It’s a much more philosophical and romantic journey, clearly inspired by videogames, but still kicks ass and takes names with buckets of sci fi action.
5) Rounding out the list as my anchor is the Ex series by Peter Clines. Start with Ex-Heroes and go from there. The book is heralded as The Walking Dead meets The Avengers, but for my money, it surpasses both. As someone who writes zombies and superheroes myself, this series is right up my alley and highly recommended as worthy of your time.
Honorable Mentions
First we haveWearing the Cape by Marrion Harmon. Another self-published gem, Mr. Harmon has some extremely creative ideas in here. I enjoyed the read overall, but it didn’t quite make my list because of the simplistic characters. Caveat: I don’t read much Young Adult, so I wasn’t the target audience, but if you’ve got a youngster on your list–go ahead and pick this one up.
Next isThe Boys written by Garth Ennis and iillustrated by Darick Robertson. Another superhero tale that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s dark, twisted, and rounds out with a great surprise. The only reason it doesn’t make my list is that it’s too gratuitous. If you’ve read my books and chosen some of the more sinister options, you know that’s saying something. I don’t mind dark and gritty, but this graphic novel went over the top IMO.
My other favorite non-fiction read in 2014 was Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne. I had no idea just how far science has come since Darwin first published his theory, and this book does a great job presenting those proofs. Want to know how new species come about? This book will explain it. My only complaint is that the author spends a bit too much time battling his religious opposition in these pages, to the point that it might turn off some readers who would otherwise give the book a read with a more open mind.
Rounding out the honorable mentions isSuicide Squad written by Adam Glass and illustrated by Federico Dallocchio. I only read a few issues of this bad-guys-are-the-good-guys graphic novel, and while I initially enjoyed the story, it didn’t manage to hold my attention. That said, I am really looking forward to the movie!
So, what do YOU think? Have you read any of the titles listed? Any suggestions for me?
Feel free to comment below, like, share, and subscribe (top left)!
Now that I’m prepping for my third book, I thought it time to update my bio. The old one was a little outdated anyway; it still had me living in California and talked about achievements prior to 2011. But I also wanted to shake it up. Write something a little…different…from your standard Amazon author page.
Here’s what I came up with:
One February day, when Hephaestus was hitting on The Muses, they began a playful argument: Is it possible for a mortal man to be *too* creative? What would happen to his primitive brain if it were to suddenly overflow with ideas? Zeus, never one to leave an argument to the fate of mere words, sent a lightning bolt to earth where it struck upon a hapless young man–your author, James Schannep.
Thus Click Your Poison books were created as a repository to store the overabundant brain fruit. Each of Schannep’s books split into three unique storylines and contain over 50 possible endings. But the fate of each book; nay, of mankind, rests with YOU, dear reader. For it is your choices that will shape the story in these books.
So dive in and find out:
Will You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? (INFECTED)
Could You Solve a Murder? (MURDERED)
What if You Had Superpowers? (SUPERPOWERED – Coming soon!)”
How’d I do? Is it sufficiently odd enough to attract your attention without adding the fervent desire sit far away if we were on the subway together? Let me know in the comments below.
And as long as we’re talking about bios, there’s a rumor going around that Amazon’s promotion algorithms take into account how many “likes” an author page has. I’m sure some of you didn’t even know you could “like” an author on Amazon, but if you fee like hopping over to my author page and clicking LIKE, I’d be much obliged.
I’ve had this image in my head for a few years now, and as I’m writing a superhero book this year, I thought it an appropriate time to post on my blog for Patriot Day.
Now, I’m not normally one to reminisce or to be filled with sudden bouts of patriotism just because it’s a holiday. I spent nearly a decade in the military (9/11 was a big reason I joined), so I probably see these days of remembrance a bit differently from the general public. However, as part of writing SUPERPOWERED, I’ve been analyzing the nature of what it means to be a hero on just about a daily basis. Maybe that’s why the sacrifice of our first responders and soldiers has hit home a little more this year.
I’m not sure how many of you have seen the above picture before; probably quite a few. But take a look at it again, and maybe give a few seconds to consider what it means to put a total stranger’s well-being above your own. On my more cynical days, I tend to think the simplistic “Women and Children First” should be updated to “Cancer Researchers and Nobel Laureates first” but there’s something powerful in putting value in another human being, simply because of that shared humanity. You don’t have to make the ultimate sacrifice to be a hero. Everyday heroism can be just as inspiring. And today, I hope to inspire a few of you to make a difference in everyday life.
Here’s how:
A while back, Amazon introduced their Smile Program. Basically, whenever you shop on Amazon, if you enter “smile” instead of “www” in the web address, you may select a charity and Amazon will donate a small percentage of your purchase to that charity (at no cost to you). I use The Wounded Warrior Project for my purchases and I encourage you to do the same! This may only be a small “thank you” to those who’ve sacrificed their health for our freedoms, but if every Amazon shopper chooses to use the Smile Program, it can make a powerful difference. Obviously, there are numerous other ways to support charitable organizations, or even volunteer in your community, but I do most of my bookselling on Amazon so I wanted to help spread the word on this program.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank those of you who read my blog and books. After my time in the military I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, and it’s truly a gift to be typing away at my dream job day after day. I can’t say it enough: I’m only able to be a writer because you choose to be a reader! Thank you!
So, I’ve been devouring a ton of superhero material lately as I work on my third Click Your Poison book. As such, I recently watched TMNT in theaters, and yesterday I watched The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on DVD. These were hands down my two favorite cartoon franchises during my childhood, so in a way, I couldn’t help comparing them. But since one is currently in theaters and the other just now available for rent, many of you might have missed a little something I picked up on:
The two movies have the exact same plot.
It should seem obvious, but SPOILERSwill follow. Now then, let’s examine the similarities:
Our heroes, Peter Parker and April O’Neil, are both awkward young dreamers with moviestar looks who work for the local news.
Each of their fathers were tragically murdered when they were children, too young to realize that Dear Old Dad was actually destroying his own scientific work (mutating animals) once he realized that the corporation he was working for had nefarious plans for his bizarre experiments.
But fear not! For our heroes will discover old video footage (in the form of ancient video blogs that never made it to the internet) which clears dad’s name. Oh, and we learn he destroyed all but one tiny specimen that grew up to create a wise-cracking superhero (team).
That’s when our heroes must turn against the corporation they once thought was their friend, and face off against the latest in mechanized exo-suit technology.
The differences? There’s no Giant Pizza-Eating Spiders in one, and our Human Hero was not bitten by Radioactive Turtles in the other. Although, that would make for an amazing mash-up…
Why do they have the exact same plot? Good question. Let’s examine the possibilities.
Could it just be a giant coincidence? Yes, it could be. Parallel Development does happen. In fact, a friend of mine is doing a kickstarter for his graphic novel featuring little known x-mas legend, Krampus, only to learn there’s a Krampus movie in the works. PS — you should totally support the project, it looks awesome! (/end_friend-plug)
Could it be that there’s nothing new under the sun? That there are only so many variations of a story you can tell? Sure, could be. I know of the notorious Seven Storylines, but even so this seems a bit too similar.
Could it just be Hollywood Formula? AKA, (Repeat What Works = Money, where x = x and Money = Everything) Last couple of years the formula was “Hey villain, why not intentionally get yourself captured?” See: Latest Bond movie with Javier Bardem, Batman movie with Bane (and Joker prior to that), Loki in The Avengers, and KHAAAAANNN in the latest Star Trek.
My money’s on door #3. What do you think? Does it even matter? Or is it only story-perfectionists like me that care about/even notice this stuff? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Comment below and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog.
I’ve had the relationship between creativity and exercise on my mind for a while now. From moving to one of the Top 10 fittest cities in the US, to an article that I just can’t get out of my head about famous creatives and how they spent their days. The blog Info We Trust designed some pretty fantastic visualization of that data, gleaned from Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey. Check out my favorites below.
KEY:
But rather than making my a personal pinwheel of productivity, mapping out my own eccentricities, I simply analyzed my “ideal work day” and explored how to go about being more productive while maintaining a certain level of activity. In addition to writing every day, I usually take morning walks and try to work out most days. During the occasional afternoon run or swim, I often come up with some of my best ideas. I once found myself sprinting home so I could write down the twist ending to MURDERED, afraid I’d forget the burst of inspiration. Yesterday, while mowing the lawn, I came up with the plot for a pretty fantastic Sci-Fi horror film (I’ll let you know if it ever makes it to the big screen…).
Okay, so the relationship between exercise and creativity is long documented. So what? Well, here’s the problem with that daily segmented wheel–it’s finite. There are only so many hours in the day. But what if I could combine the act of walking and writing?
Enter the treadmill desk.
The plan is to walk while writing, researching, editing, and marketing. I just purchased a walking treadmill and raised one of my desks to accommodate. I’ll start off slowly, with sitting breaks, but I’d like to get up to several miles of work by the end of it. What do you think? Am I onto something or just “spinning my wheels”? What’s your secret to productivity?
Check out a video on “The Desk of the Future!” below:
Author James Schannep 