Michael's Musings

Official Tumblr of Michael Chulsky, Author of The Descending Darkness (2019), The Last Umorei (2019), and Emily's Heart (2019). The following will be posted here: promotion stuff, quotes from the books, schedules, pictures, etc. So enjoy or be stabbed in the eye with a salted french fry. :D

[shsl-fantasy-writer]

Super strength, enhanced reflexes, biological immortality, and his own castle to live in…most people would say seventeen-year-old SHADOW has a pretty simple life. Except he’s half-vampire so sunlight can kill him. And he has major issues because his father murdered his mother when he was a baby. And he’ll do anything to get the information he needs in order to avenge his mother’s death - including making a deal to save the world from impending doom. Unfortunately, Shadow can’t do it alone. He’s forced to recruit other teens with super powers in the hopes that together, they’ll be strong enough to defend the world from the latest threat - a murderous, shoe-loving, fashion-obsessed, super diva named MAEDARA. Shadow’s not used to working with others. Which is a problem, considering he has to teach the teens how to work together as a team. He also has to somehow convince them that fighting against the forces of evil is more important than against each other. And in the middle of it all, there might be a traitor in his midst. Maybe his life isn’t so simple after all. — — Out now! Available on Kindle (ebook) or Barnes & Noble (print).

[parentheticalaside]

The bookselling behemoth is making life harder for writers, but so is the public perception that art doesn’t need to be paid for

“People have always felt a sort of ownership over art, and that’s actually good. It’s why you keep a book on your shelf and return to it, it’s why you hang a picture on your wall that speaks to you. But when this gets out of hand and you mistake access or a personal connection with your rights, as happens so often in our Internet age, it leads to a dangerous sense of entitlement. That’s why readers feel empowered to complain, directly to the creator, that a book or show doesn’t have absolutely everything they want: the romantic pairing they’d hoped for, the language they find most friendly, the ending they desired. And it’s also why, for instance, the last Harry Potter book leaked on the internet before it was officially published: fans saw the book as something they were owed, not the product of labor that deserved compensation. Not that J.K. Rowling needs more money—but she, and all authors, deserve to have their work recognized as work.

“Consumers hold a pernicious power, so this trend towards free content won’t reverse itself unless we want it to. This is a sad thing, and we will all be much worse off if we can only hear stories from people who can afford to write.”

[roane72]

Please please please do NOT pirate books if you want to keep having books to read. The median income for full-time authors in 2017 is reported at $20,857. That means half of all authors reporting income made LESS. 

And of the authors that reported that they were, in fact, full-time authors, only 63% had ANY earnings to report. The average of those who did earn something was $43,247. Which means, looking at the difference between the median and average, the average is heavily weighted by the superstars.

MOST of your favorite authors are either working a second (or third, or more) job, have a partner who earns more money, or is living hand-to-mouth, or some combination of the three. 

Libraries are your friends. Most have ebook collections now. I know readers gotta eat, but writers do too.

Signed, Someone whose book isn’t out for another 4 months, and is ALREADY being pirated :( 

[mchulskywrites]

I’ll second this: please don’t pirate novels. Heck, here’s a fun fact: if you don’t want to buy a novel - like if you really cannot afford it, most authors (myself included) will give you an e-copy FOR FREE in exchange for an honest review. That’s it. So if you cannot afford a novel, contact the author if possible. Most of them, at least all the ones I know, would happily make that trade.

[inthemidstofbuddie]

I saw someone on facebook saying that the YA genre wasn't just for young adults, that it only meant that young adults were the protagonists. I wanted to facepalm into eternity.

yo i have face-palmed myself all the way to the goddamn sun bc why the fuck is this still an argument???????

[mchulskywrites]

Gonna have to agree with you. YA is for teenagers. Adults need to stop trying to get it tailored for them. Either you enjoy it for what it is or you don’t. But it’s for the youngins.

[mchulskywrites]

Seeking Reviewers

Hello everyone! I am seeing reviewers for the 2nd Edition of The Descending Darkness. The story has undergone major changes, more editing, and will have a new cover. I plan to re-release it in March, so I’m looking for avid readers to give ARCs. If you’re interested in Fantasy, Young Adult novels, superheroes, Teen Titans, books like Twilight, etc. then I feel like this book would be a great fit for you.

[quotemadness]

Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.

Graham Greene (via quotemadness)

[roxannesmolen]

This is how I work. I don’t write the stories. My characters do. I just report what they’re doing.⠀ ⠀ #quotes #inspirationalquotes #writers #authors #writerslife

[damotp]

When someone asks "why do people read anyways?"

[musclebrain101-deactivated20190]

[fammigiraresulmondo]

“I’m not even sure she’s really a vampire, let alone a newborn. She’s too tame.“

breaking dawn part 2

[gotinstarblog-deactivated201512]

[half-black-phillip]

I’m so mad because this worked

[britney2007spears]

help me roger

[telanu]

Reblogging myself because

Originally posted by gifs-for-the-masses

[luthienebonyx]

Reblogging myself because… what was that? Five minutes?

O_O

[riskpig]

………my friend has made me curious

[maryburgers]

help me roger

[maryburgers]

Update: after I reblogged this someone messaged me offering me tickets to the sold out Hausu screening with a Q&A and autograph session with the director

[hermes-whore-deactivated2019021]

let’s do it, roger

[curvycorinneranga]

I need you Roger!

[sparrowatheart]

Roger, I need a job. Help. 

[sparrowatheart]

UPDATE: IT WORKED. I checked my email and I have a job interview on Wednesday! Now I just need the same luck for the actual interview…

[vedic]

Ya never know… I need good things to come my way! !

[goodquoteco]

There comes a point when you just love someone. Not because they’re good, or bad, or anything really. You just love them. It doesn’t mean you’ll be together forever. It doesn’t mean you won’t hurt each other. It just means you love them. Sometimes in spite of who they are, and sometimes because of who they are. And you know that they love you, sometimes because of who you are, and sometimes in spite of it.

Laurell K. Hamilton, Incubus Dreams (via hqlines)

[goodmorningsluts]

[shardwick]

[baerials-deactivated20210402]

Pooh stop running from your fucking problems

[corvid-apologist]

me

[mchulskywrites]

Today I talked to Eclipse Reviews about my dream cast for The Descending Darkness. If you're interested, you should totally give it a look ;) Blurb: "After going from demon hunter to babysitter, seventeen-year-old SHADOW has truly hit rock bottom. One week he's slaughtering demons, and the next he has ten super-powered teenagers in his care. Shadow needs them, because without them he can't hope to defeat his new foe. But he's never dealt with other teenagers before. He never had a real childhood. He's always been a loner. Hell, he's tried the whole having-a-pet thing. It died.

Shadow's mission: save the world and ensure his entire team survives the potential apocalypse. If MAEDARA, self-proclaimed fashionista and Queen of Evil, wasn't trying to rule the world, it'd be cake. Now, not only does Shadow have to deal with teens more concerned with going to the mall than fighting evil, but also a villain who, in his opinion, makes Lady Gaga look like Mother Theresa." www.facebook.com/tddnovel

[abottleofsodapop]

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Descending Darkness

by Michael Chulsky

Giveaway ends November 07, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

[maddyisfunsized]

I HATE WHEN THINGS ARE US ONLY

[mchulskywrites]

I don't want any potential fans to be alienated...so I'll tell you what. In addition to that giveaway, I'll have a mini one. Out of everyone (who isn't in the US) who reblogs/likes this post, I'll randomly draw and pick one person to send a copy. I don't know how exactly, but I'll think of something. =)

[abottleofsodapop]

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Descending Darkness

by Michael Chulsky

Giveaway ends November 07, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

[mchulskywrites]

Only a few more hours left until the big giveaway is over.

Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of The Descending Darkness, a 25 dollar Barnes & Noble gift card, and other fun stuff! http://bit.ly/15yD0sz (link)