Guest Post: “How to Write a Book a Year, and Work Full Time” by William C. Dietz

June 20, 2017June 12, 2017 Civilian Reader Guest Post America Rising, Dystopia, Military Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalypse, Seek and Destroy, Titan Books, William C Dietz, Writing

I had always wanted to write a novel, and with luck, publish it. And for some reason I chose age 40 as my deadline. But the years passed and, on the day when I turned 39, I hadn’t written a single page. There were numerous reasons for that not the least of which was the fact that I had a demanding job, a wife, and two children.

What to do? Should I slip the deadline to 50? Give up? Or make the book happen somehow. I chose option three. All you have to do is write one page a day, I reasoned (about 300 words), and you’ll have a rough draft 365 days later! (300 words a day x 365 = 109,500 words.) And guess what? It worked. The book (Galactic Bounty) sold right away. Continue reading →

New Books (March-April)

April 15, 2017August 23, 2018 Civilian Reader New Books Anne Stephens, Ben Sanders, C.L. Werner, David Annandale, David Grann, David Swinson, Don Carpenter, Giacomo Bevilacqua, Graham McNeill, Ivy Pochoda, J.D. Barker, Jardine Libaire, Jonathan Dee, Jonathan Lethem, Karin Tidbeck, L R Fredericks, L.J. Goulding, Leena Likitalo, Marcus Thompson, Margaret Killjoy, Melissa Scrivner Love, Michael R Fletcher, Omar El Akkad, Paul Kearney, Peter Newman, Richard Kadrey, Robbie MacNiven, Sarah Lotz, Sarah Menkedick, Tom Perrotta, William C Dietz

Featuring: David Annandale, Neal Asher, J.D. Barker, Giacomo Bevilacqua, Edward Carlson, Don Carpenter, Jonathan Dee, William C. Dietz, Omar El Akkad, Michael R. Fletcher, L.R. Fredericks, L.J. Goulding, David Grann, Richard Kadrey, Paul Kearney, Jardine Libaire, Leena Likitalo, Sarah Lotz, Melissa Scrivner Love, Robbie MacNiven, Graham McNeill, Sarah Menkedick, Peter Newman, Tom Perotta, Ivy Pochoda, Ben Sanders, John Scalzi, Anna Stephens, David Swinson, Marcus Thompson II, Karen Tidbek, C.L. Werner, Timothy Zahn

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Guest Post: “So You Want To Write Military Science Fiction” by William C. Dietz

November 2, 2016October 29, 2016 Civilian Reader Guest Post Action, America Rising, Dystopia, Into the Guns, Military Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalypse, Titan Books, William C Dietz

So you’d like to write a military science fiction series. Good. You came to the right place. I’ve written some, and would be happy to share my secrets, the first of which is to understand the true nature of business that you hope to be part of. No, it isn’t the book business. What you’re planning to do is join the entertainment industry.

In addition to books you’re going to compete with movies, TV, and social media for eyeballs and dollars. Oh, and while you do that, pirates will steal your stuff, fans will give you one-star reviews because “the book costs too much,” and Amazon will offer cheap used copies right next to the new ones. And guess what? You won’t make a cent off them. Continue reading →

New Books (October)

October 29, 2016August 23, 2018 Civilian Reader New Books A.J. Smith, Adam Roberts, Annie Hauxwell, Becky Chambers, Ben Aaronovitch, Benjamin Percy, Brent Weeks, Charles Cumming, Daniel Pyne, David Dalglish, Douglas Coupland, Elan Mastai, Ezekiel Boone, Gav Thorpe, Gavin Extence, George Saunders, Ian Tregillis, J.D. Oswald, James Islington, James Rollins, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Jilly Gagnon, John Grisham, John Sandford, Joseph Knox, K.B. Wagers, Laura Hickman, Laurell K Hamilton, Laurence Scott, Liz Harmer, Marcus Sedgwick, Michael Harvey, Mur Lafferty, Nnedi Okorafor, Noah Richler, Oliver Harris, Paulette Jiles, Plutarch, Reed Karaim, Roger Zelazny, Ron Chernow, Ronald Wright, Scott Reardon, Tana French, Tracy Hickman, Will McIntosh, William C Dietz

Featuring: Ben Aaronovitch, Ray Bradbury, Ron Chernow, Douglas Coupland, Charles Cumming, David Dalglish, William C. Dietz, Gavin Extence, Tana French, Jilly Gagnon, John Grisham, Laurell K. Hamilton, Liz Harmer, Oliver Harris, Michael Harvey, Annie Hauxwell, Tracy & Laura Hickman, James Islington, Paulette Jiles, Reed Karaim, Joseph Knox, Mur Lafferty, Mike MacDonald, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Elan Mastai, Will McIntosh, Nnedi Okorafor, J.D. Oswald, Benjamin Percy, Plutarch, Daniel Pyne, Scott Reardon, Noah Richler, Adam Roberts, James Rollins, John Sandford, George Saunders, Laurence Scott, Marcus Sedgwick, A.J. Smith, Gerard Stembridge, Gav Thorpe, Ian Tregillis, K.B. Wagers, Brent Weeks, Ronald Wright, Roger Zelazny

Above Image: Cover Crop of Bunker #19 (Oni Press)

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Excerpt: REDZONE by William C. Dietz

July 27, 2015July 16, 2015 Civilian Reader Excerpt Ace Books, Crime, Mutant Files, Redzone, Supernatural, Titan Books, Urban Fantasy, William C Dietz

Redzone, the second novel in William C. Dietz’s new urban fantasy The Mutant Files series, is out tomorrow in the UK, published by Titan Books. Below you can find an excerpt from the novel. First, though, here’s the synopsis:

The year is 2065, almost thirty years since a bioterrorist attack decimated the population. The world has been divided, and new nations have formed. Those mutated from exposure inhabit the red zones, while “norms” live in the green zones.

In the nation of Pacifica, Los Angeles detective Cassandra Lee is in charge of investigating a disturbing case, tracking a cop killer dubbed the Bonebreaker. But strange new murders have occurred, falling outside the normal pattern and leaving Lee and her team wondering if the serial killer has become unpredictable — or if he’s no longer acting alone…

To make matters worse, Lee’s attention is diverted after she receives a letter from her long-lost mother. Now she must venture into the red zone, a lawless land where might makes right — and where the biggest danger may be her own family.

It is the sequel to Deadeye. Read on for the excerpt… Continue reading →