Monday 27 August 2012


WHO
IS...
THE MONSTER 
IN THE
BASEMENT?


AVAILABLE NOW!

The MONSTER is available to purchase from Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

www.johnbomanauthor.blogspot.com

Friday 24 August 2012


WHO
IS...
THE BURNING
LAMPPOST?


SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

The MONSTER is coming to Amazon and all good bookstores.

www.johnbomanauthor.blogspot.com

Thursday 23 August 2012


WHO
IS...
THE RANGER?


SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

The MONSTER is coming to Amazon and all good bookstores.

www.johnbomanauthor.blogspot.com

Wednesday 22 August 2012


WHO
IS...
FIRESTONE
JOHNSON?


SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

The MONSTER is coming to Amazon and all good bookstores.

www.johnbomanauthor.blogspot.com

Tuesday 21 August 2012


WHO
IS...
GRANDFATHER
TREE?

SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

The monster is coming to Amazon and all good bookstores.


Read book one of the Sovereign Creek Saga:

Monday 20 August 2012

WHO
IS...
SYLVESTER
PUMBLEJAM?


SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

The MONSTER is coming to Amazon and all good bookstores.

www.johnbomanauthor.blogspot.com

Monday 9 July 2012

THE HUNGER GAMES

     I fed a dolphin...and I liked it. I can't remember his name, but he was the 'alpha' male in charge of a pod of freshwater dolphins that have lived in the area for three generations. He weighed about 200 kilograms, was beautiful and ate a right royal tonne of fish. A wonderful experience not to be missed.
     The family and I were up in Tin Can Bay, which is in Queensland, Australia, for those who don't know. It's a secluded little hamlet that hasn't succumbed to the decadence of over tourism. Yet. We were staying in the area because my daredevil wife was doing her first skydive, in nearby Rainbow Bay. (So named for it's wonderful rainbow coloured sands. A true natural wonder of the world.). All completed. No splat. No limbs broken. And probably one of the greatest experiences of her life thus far. Lucky her. 
     But the natural beauty of the area was astounding. We journeyed by foot to an area near the township of Rainbow Beach called THE CARLO SAND BLOW. This area is reached by walking on a bush track for some fifteen minutes until you reach a natural corridor of sand that stretches from the sea right back into the forest. It's long and wide, almost desert like in its configuration. A wind corridor that has been depositing sand for thousands of years, most likely. Look at this sunset photo and tell me it doesn't remind you of Egypt.



This is me and my children sitting on the edge of the forest, contemplating the majesty of it all.

I highly recommend visiting the area, which is still relatively unspoiled. Jumping out of a plane is optional.

While it was nice to get away, if only for a weekend, I'm starting to feel the pressure for the release of THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT. So much editing and prep work to do before September the first and the time is fleeting, like sands blowing in the wind.

Reading at the moment: Half way through SCALPED: DEAD MOTHERS by Jason Aaron. This is my comic book crack. It really is.

THE BRADBURY CHRONICLES by Sam Weller. Bradbury was the man.

And...for research purposes, for a new short children's book that will tie into the Sovereign Creek saga and hopefully come out before the third book in the series, THE PENGUIN BOOK OF NORSE MYTHS: GODS OF THE VIKINGS translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland. 

Haven't seen any movies, but still plowing through the second series of Justified.

What are you all reading/watching.

It's going to be a busy two months.

Cheers,

John 

Monday 2 July 2012

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

     Editing a book is a funny thing. On my first novel, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, I went straight into the editing process when the story was completed. I was burnt and tired after six weeks writing but I persevered   and began what was the systematic cutting of my first literary baby. Was it the right decision to do this, so soon after finishing? I remember reading in ON WRITING by Stephen King (every aspiring writer, READ THIS BOOK!) and he states that he waits at least six weeks after the completion of a novel before he edits. Locks it in a draw, forgets it and moves onto the next writing assignment. I thought at the time that 'sure you can wait Mr King. You have millions of dollars to afford that luxury. I don't. I need to get the damn thing done, in between work and family and get it out of the house as soon as possible. Get them readers while you can...'
     But you know what? He was right. And you know why? Not looking at your book gives you distance. It gives you a perspective that you wouldn't have had before. My second novel, THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, turned into an actual monster in size and commitment. I was shot when it was done, the birth was painful and I couldn't look at it any more. But now reading it two months later, I can see the story for what it is...what kind of child I gave birth too. And in having spent that time away, I can see with fresh eyes all those little imperfections that are stopping a good story become a great story. Sometimes you have to let your babies go, live there own lives and like any good parent, come back and give the best advice you can. 


What I'm reading and watching at the moment:


Raylan by Elmore Leonard (Huge fan of Justified, haven't read Fire in the Hole yet, but want to see Leonard's take on Marshal Givens)


Scalped by Jason Aaron (I'm up to the third trade Dead Mothers. I know, I know, I'm behind but this is consistently so good. This is my comic equivalent of Breaking Bad). Speaking of which...


Finally got around to season 4 of Breaking Bad last week and  God damn if this isn't the best show on television. "I'm the guy that does the knocking!" say Walt to Skylar who looks on in sheer terror at what her husband may have become. So, so, good, edge of your seat stuff. Season five debuts in the US mid July and I can't wait to see how it all ends.


Nothing at the movies I'm afraid. The Amazing Spider-man opens in Australia today and I have no desire to see it at all. They better do some more convincing if they want my money. I'll wait for the Avengers Blu Ray thanks...with a dose of Dark Knight around the corner.




Cheers,


John


Monday 16 April 2012

THE AVENGERS

     It was only last week that I made the following declaration: after my next book is published, I was going to lay off the children's writing for a while. No more fantasy, paranormal boogaloo. No more witches, ghosts and goblins taking up my every waking hour. Even though I have committed myself to a six book series, I have been feeling burnt out on those particular genres. Is it time to do something a bit more adult? A bit more literary?
     I don't know where my book, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, came from. I never had any intention of writing a fantasy novel or even a book. It was always going to be about screenplays for me, a format I feel more comfortable inhabiting. But fate has a way of intervening and there you go, a book was born. But it has been doing my research that I have been astounded by how many new writers today (specifically the $0.99 pot boilers on Kindle and Smashwords...don't worry, I'm one of 'em!) are writing supernatural, paranormal themes into their work particularly populated with vampires and zombies. I wonder, are these people after the big bucks in the wake of Twilight, or do they generally have an interest in these genres? Do they read outside these genres and find more comfort in the styles of more traditional writers? I barely read any fantasy or paranormal fiction which I guess is strange for someone writing in those genres. It never has interested me particularly, other than reading a few comics in my lifetime. Good god, I had to put Lord of the Rings down half way through and just go "No, no, I don't think I have time for this. Get to the mountain already. Enough with the names and introduction and...well, you get the picture." Does an over saturation of paranormal fantasy represent the human condition in any viable way? Novels should reflect the human condition after all, so with the proliferation of these genres....what does that say about us now? I would love to hear from other authors who feel the same way. Or if they don't. I love process stories either way.
     So this brings my ranting into the present moment, as I finish edits and readying publication on THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, the second book in my series. I'm proud of the story. It's bigger and grander in it's theme and written a little better than it's predecessor. But I'm quite happy to lock the door on that world for a while. But soon I have to start writing again. Plenty of non fantasy ideas, to be sure, so now may be the time to start. The itch of the daily grind is starting to crawl up my back and infect my musing thoughts. But no goblins working their foul magic on me. Time to start...yes, time to start.


Let me know if you have any thoughts on the subjects raised.


Reading at the moment: No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. As a writer you could do no wrong in studying McCarthy, particularly The Road with it's spartan dialogue. What a master class right there...after reading Child of God, my brain nearly melted and Blood Meridian is sublime!


Watching: Justified Season 1. Up to episode 7 and I get my Deadwood fix with Timothy Olyphant (also noticed a couple of Deadwood actors scattered in there as well.Give me Ian McShane in Justified and we are in Heaven).


Have a great week and see you soon!


Cheers,


John

Tuesday 27 March 2012

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

     As I become older (I'm only a young 38), I find that I am becoming more interested in how the universe works, what is reality and the state of the mind (Currently reading HYPERSPACE by Michio Kaku. A little out of date  but a good primer on the state of physics, string theory, wormholes, parallel dimensions...you get the picture. Also have biographies of Einstein and Oppenheimer waiting for me too. This is why I should have listened in Physics class in high school). I guess this all goes along with being a believer since I was a little boy, in all things fantastic. I devoured comics and cartoons, read fantasy and scifi books, checked out guides on ghosts and all sorts of paranormal goodies from the library. What was not normal or perhaps what most people saw as unbelievable, always seemed to have some truth to me. I could never explain why, but I felt all those weird and unexplained mysteries where somehow true. Did I have an over active imagination? Sure. And most forward thinking people do. It was Einstein who said after all that it's not intelligence that served him well during his life but his IMAGINATION. The ability to dream and believe that the impossible is actually the probable.  Yep, I was one of those kids.
     I guess that's why in THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, we have boy named Maximus Walker who lives in a town that has a reputation for weird, paranormal events to happen, but no one really believes or remembers them. But he does. He always believed, so much so he investigates every little rumour or innuendo about the ghosts and goblins of his town Sovereign Creek, becoming what he calls 'a detective of the weird.' I never thought before, until now, that maybe Max and I share very similar traits. maybe MAx is a younger me, although certainly not intentional and I never had a magical sword. Sigh. I don't like the mundane. I want to believe there is more out there. I want to use my imagination every day. I crave for my over active imagination. And that suits me just fine. It's all out there, trust me. You just have to believe. And have imagination. Then comes the discoveries of a lifetime. How is you imagination? Have you listened to it lately? 


New Doctor Who!!!!!!!


And currently enjoying with the kids, Young Justice!
 Have fun everyone!


Cheers,


John

Monday 19 March 2012

PROMETHEUS

     Let's make this short and sweet, as business calls and I have much to do. I'm currently at the moment editing THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, the sequel to last years little baby, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, and I started noticing a few peculiarities. I started the book, I think, in September last year and as I have stated on many occasions, it was a terribly difficult conception. I never believed in the curse of the second book, but it was true and I was living in its torturous nightmare. The first three chapters were conceived and written during that time, before I had the break to regroup and come back full of gusto and vinegar.
     Now, what I've noticed in the editing process, going over those three chapters, is how hard I was trying to write at the time. What do I mean by this? As you write each successive book, I think you have to up your game from the last. You have to learn from your mistakes, learn from your structure, your composition and the story itself and start to get a sense of what you're good at and ultimately what you are poor at. Now take this with a grain of salt. I'm no expert, certainly no best seller, but I have a sense of what works for me. By the time I started that second story, I wanted the book to be so much better that I committed a sin, the big no-no in writing...I OVERWROTE! I  found the prose to be flowery, cumbersome and pretentious. It was as if I was using each word, each sentence, each paragraph to build a wall around my unconscious to stop the story downloading from brain to page. It was horrible, frustrating, but it wasn't writers block. I don't believe in writers block. I believe in doing the job and gaining perspective. Which is what I did. 
     That break from the story was what I needed. I re-evaluated what I was doing and ceased being the writer I thought I ought to be, and became the writer I originally was. And that made all the difference. Except now I find editing those frist three chapters a pain in the arse, but live and learn. It's all we can do, people.       


Fun stuff:
Saw John Carter at the movies and enjoyed it (no 3D for me. Fool me once Hollywood but never again, unless it's shot using actual 3D cameras!) It was a wonderful mix of whimsy, old style sci-fi with a certain European sensibility. I would love to see where the story goes in a sequel but alas I doubt that will see the light of day. Perhaps I shall buy the books... ( I have a wonderful idea for the Green Lantern movie franchise, let me tell you one day. It would have been Star wars on steroids, only with Green magic rings...)


Reading at he moment:
The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie which is occult techniques used as psychology. Intersting stuff.


And still plowing through The Kamandi Omnibus by Jack Kirby. 'Nuff said.


Have a great week!


Cheers,


John 

Friday 9 March 2012

DRIVE

     It was a wonderful feeling today. I drove down to the printers to pick up this:


My second novel, THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, was a reality. Not just letters on a computer screen, not just endless hours of imaginings and plottings and connivings and characters whispering in my ear, telling me the story should go north and not south...
Holding that bound first draft is magic. That's all I can call it: MAGIC.
     I had read many times, by authors more experienced than myself, that the second book was always the hardest to write. Maybe that first book came bursting out in furious righteousness, demanding to be born and before you knew it, the book was there. You don't know how you did it or where it came from, but it arrived safe and sound; your first literary child. 
     My first book, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, was published in June 2011, an accidental birth of glorious proportions. It was in September 2011, that I decided to write the sequel. I had a vague idea of what the story was about, who some of the characters where (new and old) and what I wanted to achieve. I knew it would be bigger in scale in some regards, expanding the microcosm of the town featured in my adventures, SOVEREIGN CREEK. But the themes also had to be relevant, to where I was in that moment. And so a vague outline was born. I knew how the novel would start and end, a crucial scene was written first that plays into the overall story arc of the six planned books of the series. But then everything went dead, I wrote the first chapter and after that nothing was coming. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stand facing that page, day after day. I was a frustrated, emotional train wreck. I felt like a con artist, a bad stage magician. I read the prophesies and they came true. 
     It was in December that I contemplated stopping the book, shunting it into that little corner on the laptop, never to be seen again. Maybe it was a break I needed, get away from it all, and come back fresh in the new year...which is what I DID. And what a difference it made.
     I guess what I want to say is, when then manuscript is getting you down, when nothing seems to work and you feel like a fraud, a failure, a wanna be writer playing in the big pond...don't give up. Don't ever give up. And if you absolutely feel that your story is dead, then give it a funeral fit for a king and move on. 
     I finally understand that the difference between good and bad writers is this: Good writers DO and BAD writers amble around, procrastinating and moaning. Don't worry, just DO! If you're a writer, sitting in the empty space, all alone inside your head, staring at the blank screen, then decide right now... what type of writer are you?


Going to see JOHN CARTER at the movies tomorrow so hopefully I can do a mini review in the next couple of days. I have high hopes for this so fingers and whatever other extremities you have, crossed.


Cheers,


John

Monday 5 March 2012

MISERY

Just a short one today...


     I was heartened to read a blog by author Neil Gaiman on the weekend (you can access here)which dove a little into the writing process. He's in the middle of another book and he describes how someday's it's like going through fog, where you can't see where you going but just gradually...gradually you get there. What a terrific feeling that is! I guess other days it's like shooting down the autobahn in a Ferrari doing 150 kph, with no brakes and no way of stopping. The story pours out of you, coming from God knows where. The key board is smoking, your fingers are sore to the bone... He also said that on those foggy days, when you only do 1500 words (half his usual output!), but you end up with something...you have it! Your there! It's on paper (or the screen as may be the case)! You've done it! Oh, what a grand feeling that is...
     But what made this beginner happy is that an experienced author such as Gaiman has THOSE DAYS that every writer, be they beginner or pro I guess, has where the words come easy or other days you fight hard for every consonant and vowel, every paragraph, page and chapter. At the moment I average 2500 words a day and to have  a master such as Gaiman acknowledge an output of 3000 words is heartening. I'm constantly fighting a battle as to whether I've done enough, is this what normal writers do, etc. I've learnt to appreciate my inversion of an old motto: 'quality over quantity.' Being an author I think is not just about learning, but about DOING. That's the big secret to becoming an author, not whether you can or not, it's about whether you can DO IT. Make a start, finish it. Learn the process along the way. Now we know. Still, writing is a lonely process and I can understand why artists go mad. Living in your mind, day in and day out. Our poor husbands and wives. But you know what, it's better than digging ditches...
***
     In case you didn't see, I released the cover for my new book, THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, the second book in my Sovereign Creek saga. 

I'm as pleased as punch that my cover artist, Juha Veltti has come up with another stunning piece of art. I've formed a relationship with this Finnish master that I hope will last for many, many years to come.
***
     With the release of MONSTER in June, I've decided to offer the first book in the series, THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON, for free as an Ebook from SMASHWORDS here. Why have I done this? Am I crazy? Well, no. I want as many people to enjoy SPIRIT before reading its bigger, newer sister and enjoy the ride in old  scary SOVEREIGN CREEK. But I hope that if you like the story so much, maybe you can buy the paperback edition from all good online and local bookstores, so my family and I don't starve entirely :)
***
     Lastly, I'm taking my boys to see JOHN CARTER at the movies this weekend. Watch this fan made trailer here as Disney have woefully mismanaged all marketing for this movie. I think it will be fun and visually entertaining. 

 Have fun and see you all next week.

Cheers,

John

Thursday 23 February 2012

WAG THE DOG

     I'm feeling very pessimistic this week so I hope I don't bring anyone down too much. My goal for the end of the week was to have the first draft of THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT finished. A huge task to be sure, but one that was achievable. That was, until I became sick with the flu, suffering all the stings and bile that come with that, coupled with the fact my neck on the right side decided to swell up and become extremely sore for no particular reason. The bloody joys of getting old, yes?
     As a result of all this impending joy, I haven't been able to write, let alone look at a computer screen (looking at this now makes me nauseous and my neck hurts), but this is not a woe is me blog. Just stating the facts, bub. My wife seems to think that I am again being plagued by the, well, plague, because of the pressures of a) writing the new book THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT and b) stressing about the sales of my books. As I said last week I have no job, taking a volutary redundancy package from my previous employer. It will tide me over for a few more weeks but the hour of searching for a job is looming fast, unless a miracle happens. And maybe the thought of working for someone else will drive me crazy and make me sick. God knows I hate being stuck in a cubicle or doing some ridiculous menial task just to bring home the bacon, but that's what you have to do right? But I found my mind slipping back to those dark days of bad thoughts, of self loathing that seems to beguile creative people in the modern world. I found myself after a karate class last Friday having a mini breakdown, having to rush home, for no particular reason. What was the cause? Hell if I know. But it wasn't pleasant and not a space I want to be in. I try to pride my self in being positive most of the time, I mean, how else do you get the job done? But by God it's hard and hats of to all of you who have to struggle day in and day out doing what you hate just to survive. That's what being a real hero is about in the modern world.
     Wow, that is a pessimistic assessment, reading back over it. But it's true and I hate not telling the truth. It gets you nowhere. We all have coping mechanisms (mine are probably reading good stories) and whenever your feeling blue or lack the energy to go on, put them into overdrive. At least that's what I plan to do. So I hear by pledge to do nothing for the rest of the week except for this:

THINK ABOUT WHAT I CAN CHANGE TO GET THAT POSITIVE MINDSET BACK. WHAT ARE THE CHANGES THAT CAN FURTHER MY WRITING CAREER? TRY AND BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT I'VE GOT. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TREASURE THOSE THAT MEAN THE MOST.

Yes, well, not too much to ask is it?

I'll do a better post next time, I promise ;)

What I am reading:


Kirby: The King of Comics by Mark Evanier....A mini biography of one of the most influential artists ever to grace the medium, small on talk but packed with oversized art. A man full of imagination that was taken for granted by all that employed him. Heartbreaking yet inspiring stuff. Read a short bio here.

Have a great week and cheers!

John




    

Tuesday 14 February 2012

The Muppets

I finished working my day job about six weeks ago. It wasn't because I'd suddenly sold one million books and fell into the life of the leisurely writer. My former place of employment was downsizing, a product of the age we live in; increase in corporate profiteering followed by a shift in the determinants of where and how the work force actually, well, works. I won't name the company I was formerly employed for except to say to them good luck delivering all those letters whose volumes are currently in free fall. I received a payout. Not as big as I would have liked, but enough for me not to work for a couple of months to finish my next book, THE MONSTER IN THE BASEMENT, the sequel to my little book that could (I never get sick of saying that !) THE SPIRIT OF THE MOON. I am absolutely surprised how much not working in a deadend job that I loathed so much, improved the quality and output of my writing. I've doubled my daily word count (had a blitz last Friday of 4000 words which was astonishing!). Is it because I'm not meandering in said job that I'm doing so well or the pressure to get these books finished, selling more, and thus keeping me further and further away from the man? Who knows... I've also had the great pleasure over the last few months to working on a short comic book story called ENIGMA AND THE GAS STATION OF HORRORS.
ENIGMA Page 1.


 For those who know me well, I don't have to tell you how much I have loved the medium of comic books, graphic novels and sequential art all my life. I remember it was about 20 years ago, at the age of 19, that I first came up with the concept of the story. I had just moved away from home, after finishing year 12. I had moved from the country to live in the 'big smoke' with my sister. This was after an absolutely horrendous year of teenage angst, self doubt and general misery. I had no direction, no job, no life. I remember writing these two stories for an Australian anthology magazine called (appropriately enough as we will see) NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS. The first story was called NO MERCY and it was a short mafioso story about a made man who has to kill his cousin, because he's a general stuff up to the family. The twist at the end was that the mafia family are actually monsters. His cousin turns into a vampire at the end and bam, he kills him. Highly original. The second story was called ENIGMA and has the basic premise of the lone stranger walking into a diner and horror ensues.
ENIGMA Page 2.

 I sent them off but never heard off them again. Meanwhile I was going through my personal horror at the time of having a real life nervous breakdown, losing my mind, thinking of dying and generally in a sad, sad state. I was sent home with my tail between my legs, with everyone thinking I was stupid and lazy. I guess my point is that ENIGMA stayed with me all these years, I had my ups and downs mentally, but here I am today, ENIGMA drawn and about to published. That's how the world turns baby. Never give up!

Watching at the moment: Downton Abbey which was charming and well produced. Dodgy plots points redeemed by supurb acting and set pieces. Dame Maggie Smith as the Countess was my favorite. What a legend.

Reading: Casanova volume one by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba is James Bond on LSD. And a few other bloody books I can't be bothered remembering at the moment...

Haven't seen any movies for a while as I'm too busy writing! Still waiting for DRIVE to come out on DVD. 

See ya next time pilgrim.

Cheers,
John