#tim marquitz

[skjam]

Goodreads Recommends: Anthologies! Mark V

Collections of short stories or essays are a great boon to the reader who just doesn't have the time to read a whole novel; and the form lends itself to a certain kind of creativity.  Let's see what Goodreads has for me in the way of recommendations!  (A lot of Christmas stories, I notice.)

Ashes and Entropy by Robert S. Wilson Beneath the Skin by Jonathan Maberry Best of British Science Fiction 2018 by Donna Scott The Book of Frank Herbert by Frank Herbert The Book of Fritz Leiber by Fritz Leiber The Book of Philip Jose Farmer by Philip Jose Farmer The Book of Philip K. Dick by Philip K. Dick

Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? by Robert Sheckley Chill Tidings: Dark Tales of the Christmas Season by Tanya Kirk Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories by Martin Edwards The Compleat Crow by Brian Lumley Crimson Snow: Winter Mysteries by Martin Edwards Cthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis by Scott R. Jones Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts by Clive James

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden The Dark Rites of Cthulhu by Brian M. Sammons Dark Water by Koji Suzuki The Dying Earth by Jack Vance

Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers by Natalie Eve Garrett Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat

Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters by Nikita Gill Hark! the Herald Angels Scream: An Anthology by Christopher Golden Haunted by Claire Buss Haunted Nights by Ellen Datlow Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery by Christopher Golden

I Am No One You Know by Joyce Carol Oates In the Shadow of Agatha Christie: Classic Crime Fiction by Forgotten Female Writers: 1850-1917 by Leslie S. Klinger

The Mammoth Book of Kaiju by Sean Wallace The Mammoth Book of Nightmare Stories: Twisted Tales Not to Be Read at Night! by Stephen Jones The Mammoth Book of the Lost Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes by Denis O. Smith Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit The Metallic Muse by Lloyd Biggle Jr. Mistletoe Mysteries by Charlotte MacLeod The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories about Facing the Unknown by Catherine Burns Murder Under the Christmas Tree: Ten Classic Crime Stories for the Festive Season by Cecily Gayford

Noon: 22nd Century by Arkady Strugatsky Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie

SNAFU: Future Warfare by Geoff Brown Something Wicked Anthology by Murphy Wallace Spirits of the Season: Christmas Hauntings by Tanya Kirk Strange Doings by R.A. Lafferty A surprise for Christmas and other seasonal mysteries by Martin Edwards

Target Rich Environment by Larry Correia Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman

The Wandering Earth: Classic Science Fiction Collection by Liu Cixin The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories by Vandana Singh

The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 1 by Lin Carter The Year's Best Horror Stories No. 2 by Richard Davis The Year's Best Horror Stories No. 3 by Richard Davis

And now, the Anthology Writer Hall of Fame!

Christie, Agatha-18 Marquitz, Tim-16 Anderson, Poul-14 Copper, Basil-2

Our winners this time are the authors of The Last Seance and Kaiju Rising!

Your thoughts, comments and favorite anthologies?

[dailybookwormblog]

War God Rising

War God Rising by Tim Marquitz Kaede, the ex-pit fighter and Bess, the Witch, are a team, in the need for a mark; Sand aka SheepBoy just happens to be that lucky fellow, shame he was found hanging from the gallows. However, with some sorcery and guile he is soon saved and offered a challenge, so the story begins. There is a smirk, giggle or blood encrusted gore fest on nearly every page, but…

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[zombiecarter]

ZILF! A Comedic Zombie Novel.

ZILF! A Comedic Zombie Novel.

Help my friend Tim Marquitz give you want you crave…. what you want…. Ultimately what you need. I’m a part of this Kickstarter and Tim is an amazing writer. Support his work for some zombie awesomeness. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1862998032/zilf-a-comedic-zombie-novel/widget/video.html A humorous zombie novel written by the dark and demented mind behind the Demon Squad! Join Ashford…

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[dailybookwormblog]

Aftermath (Demon Squad Book 9)

Aftermath (Demon Squad Book 9)

Aftermath: Demon Squad series, bk 9 By Tim Marquitz Poor Frank (aka Trigg, son of the “off on his jollies” Devil) has descended into abject grief at the loss of his Karra and inability to care for Abigail, their daughter. Breaking his already shattered heart he leaves Abigail to his Angel cousin Scarlett and her Vampire lover Katon, not forgetting Chatterbox my favourite zombie head as lead baby…

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[dailybookwormblog]

Dirge by Tim Marquitz

Dirge by Tim Marquitz

Dirge

Dirge

by Tim Marquitz

In the world of Delham where Necrolords roam the land and bring havoc and destruction to all they touch with their undead armies, Kallie is a ray of hope, albeit with swords and daggers.

(more…)

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[dailybookwormblog]

Eyes Deep - A Clandestine Daze

Eyes Deep – A Clandestine Daze

Eyes Deep: A Clandestine Daze

by Tim Marquitz

When the first few lines include a gross out murder followed by some sort of eyeball eating ritual I could not help but be hooked. But this is no out and out horror novel, more a supernatural, dark urban thriller.

Our main “man” is simply named Z but goes by so many other personas and skins!

After he has consumed said eyeball he is now able to become…

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[dailybookwormblog]

Exit Wounds by Tim Marquitz

Exit Wounds by Tim Marquitz

Red Fox Reviews: Exit Wounds (Demon Squad Book 7)  by Tim Marquitz

We are thrust straight back into the story line and TM does an amazing job of intertwining new information with old to bring you back up to speed since the last DS novel (which was far too long ago may I point out). Frank and his gang are on the run in a strange land, hiding from monsters they are unsure of as Scarlett is in…

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[bastardbooks]

Guest Post: A Tale from the Trenches from author Tim Marquitz

The dilemma of self-publishing is the constant nagging thought of, “What do I have to offer that people can’t find elsewhere and how do I get it to them?” At least it is for me.

With the shelves of (remaining) bookstores stocked full of traditionally published books and those of the big small houses, being self-published without a traditional publishing background is a challenge. It’s not insurmountable, as many authors have shown, but it certainly puts the onus of marketing and promotion and the drive toward success squarely on the shoulders of the author. And while I’ve got the internet to spread the word and hopefully sing the praises of my books, the reality of it is more like throwing a book into the ocean and hoping it hits each and every shore. It’s an unrealistic expectation, especially at the outset; a hopeless dream that appears doomed from the onset.

And that’s exactly what it felt like when I started publishing. I’d sold a few hundred copies of Armageddon Bound, the first of my Demon Squad series, and while that was awesome, it certainly didn’t pay me back the money I’d spent on giveaways or my web page, and it definitely didn’t pay for my occasional convention trip. Not that it’s all about money, mind you. I write because I love to, but there’s an uncomfortable reality of return when you’re writing for public consumption. You can’t just constantly hemorrhage cash trying to get your name out there with no return and expect any sort of longevity.

For me, the first few years were hard as far as my aspirations were concerned. Seriously, $400 a year doesn’t go very far. I was fortunate—and still am—to have a solid, full time job with benefits. I’m no starving artist living on the street, but for me, the goal is to write for a living. $400 isn’t going to get me there. It’s not going to get anyone there.

Seeing that paltry sum in return for all the long hours I’d spent writing and editing and imagining was a kick to the baby parts. The first four novels I’d written were stashed in a trunk, rejections having piled up with no substantive advice buried in them, and writing the fifth felt like taking a swim with a cannonball. I was drowning.

Early on, I was under the delusion that writing was all about the writing. Turns out I was wrong. It isn’t how good a writer you are these days, and it isn’t about how poetic your prose or awe-inspiring your plots are. Of course those matter, but they’re just one piece of the publishing puzzle. It took me a while to realize this, focused as I was on bettering my skills and storytelling.

In the end I learned it was about writing plus marketing plus promotion plus networking plus—and this is the most ephemeral piece of the puzzle—plain luck. You can be the best storyteller in the world but if no one hears you, you’re nothing. Same goes for promotion. You can pitch a sack of gussied up poo all day long but once folks figure out what it is, you’re done. A successful author has to be all things publishing-related if they hope to make a name for themselves. And they have to be lucky, right place, right time.

Once I figured that out—after plenty of mistakes and the mantric advice from more talented buddies and colleagues echoing inside my head—things changed. They changed a lot. The relationships I’d formed with bloggers—people I now consider friends—gave me a soapbox for my work, a pedestal to display it where more than just my wife and the cats got to see. It was the same with conventions. While I blew more than a year’s worth of royalties booking a flight and was forced to nickel and dime to eat while I was there, the relationships I’ve created at these conventions have more than made each and every trip worth the effort.

Add this to what I learned with regards to my actual writing and I suddenly had more of a platform. People were starting to tune in. That increased as I put more effort into not being an anti-social introvert and expanded my visibility through social media. Just like in real life (if you can believe it) I made friends and met folks whose skills and willingness to help only furthered my ability to grow an audience. Word of mouth had gone from forced self-promotion to something more natural, folks talking about my books on their own, discussing them and telling their friends. It’s a great feeling seeing the tiny seed of my career sprout.

While I’m hardly one of the Michael J Sullivans or Hugh Howeys of the world, I’m finding my groove, and I know for a fact it isn’t because of just one thing I’ve done (write) but the sum of all I’ve done and has been done for me, and that elusive bit of luck I’ve managed to catch a wisp of. And as solitary as writing might seem, the long hours cooped up in front of keyboard making stuff up, it really becomes a community when you expand beyond the function of writing and step into publishing. It has to if you want to get your manuscript into the hands of someone not related to you.

Ultimately, self-publishing is a lot of work with no guarantees of success—just like life. There’s no certainty you’ll wake up every morning, and there’s definitely no certainty you’ll wake up with a contract from one of the big publishing houses in your inbox. So, if your dream is to write and be published and your options are limited, just do it. Tell your stories, make friends, dream big, and work your ass off. There are no guarantees but there’s plenty of regret to go around. And while I might not be the textbook example of success when it comes to self-publishing, the fact that I can make something of myself doing it is proof there are opportunities out there. You simply have to make the most of them.

As always a pleasure to have Tim around, author of one of my favorite urban fantasy series in Demon Squad. Most here should already know him as I keep inviting him over. His newest novel is the latest in the Demon Squad series, the fifth installment Beyond the Veil, which was great. You can follow Tim Marquitz on Twitter @Marquitz, Facebook, his website, and his blog.