STARS and SPLATS

The writings of author, illustrator Scott Cahan - focused on his works and the works of others who create entertainment for kids..

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Stay In The Moment

Introduction The writing advice I’m giving today is more of a pet peeve of mine than a hard rule. What I’m going to talk about is mentioned in most books about writing, and I believe it kind of relates to one of the main rules for writers, “show don’t tell.” But, I think it bothers me more than most people. It’s kind of like speed limit signs. Everyone knows they’re showing us the legal speed we…

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Find Me on Substack

I’m now putting out weekly newsletters through Substack. I’ll be focusing most of my writing energy there rather than on this blog. I would be honored if you, my blog readers, would follow me to Substack and subscribe. All it requires from you is to go to scottcahan.substack.com and put in your email. That’s all there is to it. What that means is you’ll get my newsletters delivered directly to…

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Inspired by a Movie, Again!

It happened again. I watched a movie a few nights ago that inspired me in my fiction writing. One scene in particular brought tears to my eyes and made me feel all warm inside. By the time the closing credits rolled across my TV screen my mind was already churning about how I could add a similar scene to the book that I’m currently working on.  These inspirational epiphanies happen all the time.…

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My Next Novel - Crash Planet

My Writing Goals for 2024 I’ve set 3 goals for my writing career in 2024. Keep in mind I am still writing in my spare time. There are plenty of writers out there who can crank out 3 or 4 or 10 books each year, but that’s not me. I hope that someday I will be able to write full-time and make a living at it, but that’s still a long way off. I work a full-time job which means most of my writing is…

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My Top 100 Songs of All Time

I just turned 60 and wanted to do something fun to celebrate. I’m kind of a nerd about the music I like, so this is what I chose to do. Of course, I also had a party with my family that was really awesome, but this is more of a private treat. I’ve been a music fan since I was really young, and am still getting so much enjoyment out of music today. I’m not a musician, just someone who appreciates…

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Starlite - Book Review

Starlite, by Jonathan Latt, is a space opera science fiction novel with a healthy dose of humor. The tone is closer to Guardians of the Galaxy than Star Wars. The story centers around Bevil Cyrex, a young man from a good family who spends more time flying through space in his beloved spaceship than staying at home with his loving family whose main concern is to find him a mate. On one of his…

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Standard Candles - Book Review

Standard Candles – Book Review

Standard Candles by Rachel Lulich is a fantastic conclusion to a great series. Ms. Lulich has succeeded in bringing her readers an intelligent, suspenseful, entertaining science fiction series. I won’t spoil the ending but I will say it brought me to tears. I’m not telling if they were happy or sad tears. You’ll have to read to find out. I enjoyed all three books, but I think I’d have to say,…

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I'm Giving Away 25 Copies of My New Book!

I’m Giving Away 25 Copies of My New Book!

I’m looking for 25 Advance Readers who will agree to read my book, Caged Animals, and post an honest review on Amazon. There is no catch and no cost to the reader. Simply provide me with your email and I’ll send you a link to download your free e-book copy of my novel. I won’t use your email for anything else, I promise. To REGISTER, click HERE. Once you sign up I’ll send you an email with…

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I'm Giving Away 25 Copies of My New Book!

I’m Giving Away 25 Copies of My New Book!

I’m looking for 25 Advance Readers who will agree to read my book, Caged Animals, and post an honest review on Amazon. There is no catch and no cost to the reader. Simply provide me with your email and I’ll send you a link to download your free e-book copy of my novel. I won’t use your email for anything else, I promise. To REGISTER, click HERE. Once you sign up I’ll send you an email with…

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My Two New Sci-Fi Novels

My Two New Sci-Fi Novels

My two new books, Caged Animals and Escaped Animals have just been released! They are now available as paperbacks or e-books on Amazon. I’m extremely proud of the story told in these books (they’re parts 1 and 2 of a series called GRUNTS.) It took me two years to write it and close to another year to finalize them and get them out to the public. The other thing that I absolutely love about my…

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Glazed Man & Rat Girl WEBCOMIC is a Hit!

Glazed Man & Rat Girl WEBCOMIC is a Hit!

My new Webcomic, Glazed Man & Rat Girl has been in existence for only 9 months and its already building a huge following on Instagram. The input I’m receiving from fans is that they love it for four big reasons. 1. IT’S FUNNY. More and more people are looking for something light-hearted to laugh at these days when so much of our world feels sad and depressing. The webcomic, like the classic…

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Lost Bits - Book Review

Lost Bits – Book Review

Lost Bits by Kerry Nietz is a science fiction story about a robot named 404 who wakes up in a junkyard after many years of being disabled. He sets out on a journey to find the people and things in his past that once gave him purpose. Along the way he meets up with a variety of other robots of all shapes and sizes, some friendly, some not so friendly. The world around has changed for the worse…

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Warehouse 51 - A Fantastic Read on Kindle Vella

Warehouse 51 – A Fantastic Read on Kindle Vella

Being a Kindle Vella author myself, I decided to test the platform out to see what its like to read a book on the Kindle Vella website. I did the typical Vella reader thing and scrolled through the endless titles that range the spectrum of fiction reading. Everything from Romance to Horror, from Kings and Queens to Space Pirates to flesh eating zombies is available on Vella to be read one short…

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My Top 6 Books of 2021

My Top 6 Books of 2021

It’s time for my annual list of my favorite books from the past year. My total number of books read and reviewed during 2021 is slightly lower than past years. In 2021 I only made it through 22 fiction books. What can I say. It’s been a busy year. However, 22 books read and reviewed are still enough that I can easily look back and choose a few that stood out above the small crowd. These are the…

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Vicarious - Book Review

Vicarious – Book Review

Vicarious by Rhett C. Bruno is a science fiction fantasy about the future of popular entertainment and how it affects two very different people. Mission is the name of a young woman who has spent her entire life on board a space vessel that carries the last surviving humans through space on their way to live on another planet. The ship she lives on is called Ignus. Asher is a young man who has…

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Premiere Episode of Glazed Man & Rat Girl Webcomic

Premiere Episode of Glazed Man & Rat Girl Webcomic

My new webcomic, Glazed Man & Rat Girl has officially launched. The two lovable star characters have begun the process of taking over the world, one silly comic panel at a time. To follow their adventures, look for them on Instagram under #glazedmanandratgirl. I know some of you, maybe just a few, might be asking “who the heck are Glazed Man & Rat Girl?” Because I know many of my readers are…

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I'm Launching a Web Comic

I’m Launching a Web Comic

A New Adventure I’ve decided to take a break from writing fiction and shift my creativity toward something I’ve wanted to try for a long long time. I’ll be launching a web comic on November 1st of this year. In my younger days I would have said my dream was to produce a comic strip that would appear in newspapers. Something like one of my favorites, Calvin & Hobbes, Bloom County, and Far Side.…

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