Author: John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

TGIF Haiku and Margarita Friday

May 23, 2014May 16, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

Feels good to have the work week finished. (well eight hours from now) Looking forward to the memorial Day weekend. Although it is usually a hassle getting around town, Memorial Day is one of those holidays that is like a gateway to something better. Up North, Memorial Day means you might be safe putting out those tender plants. I know when I lived in Indiana, we used Memorial Day as the final safe measure for planting tomatoes. Down south, Memorial Day used to mean putting on white shoes, pants and belt for the men. Not sure it still does, but if so, good wishes to you all.

Here at the beach Memorial Day means crowds and the need to get to the store before Friday or be face to face with (wait for it) tourists. Most tourists are nice folks who pretty much behave as if they are at home. Others are the kinds of folks you wish you could go visit and do unto them as they do unto you. The saving grace is those folks never get away from themselves. They do eventually leave our space for which we are thankful. Here is a Haiku celebrating the start of summer. It is called Memorial Day.

Warm breeze touches skin,

Sunlight kisses still cold ground . . .

Gateway to summer.

Wednesday – Story Day and Yes Hump Day Too

May 21, 2014May 16, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 12 Comments

Wednesday has come around again. This is a good thing since it allows us a momentary rest from the work week in anticipation of finishing out on Friday. I was asked the other day about inspiration for stories which show up on Fiction Favorites on story Wednesday. The question was really, “how do you think up the stories you write?” My answer was a little confusing I’m sure , but it is the truth. My stories come to me when I am doing something other than writing. Since I write these stories the same week they are published, the idea usually comes to me in kind of a flash. I’ll give you an example. This week’s story came to me while I was riding my bike on the beach. I have taken to listening to music while I ride since the guys I used to ride with have all fallen out of the routine. Well anyway, my mix includes a number of different kinds of music from all decades. I was riding against a 24 knot wind and “It don’t matter to me,” by Bread started to play. There is one line in the song that caught my attention story wise. The line, “There will always be an empty room waiting for you,” started the sequence to the story.

So here it is. The title is Empty Room. I hope you like it. Oh yeah, I put the song up so you might listen.

“Be careful Frank. I don’t want you to trip on this loose board.”

“Yeah I see it. Thanks.”

“So what we have here is a two bedroom one bath bungalow. Shall we go inside?”

“I like the door with that half-moon glass piece up on top there.”

“This house was built-in the mid-fifties and is now a classic. The style is called Mid Century and it’s all the rage.”

“I grew up in a house like this.”

“Yeah me too. Come this way Frank and look at this spacious living room. There are hardwood floors and even a fireplace.”

“I sure would enjoy that in the winter.”

“Back here is the dining room. You know you could turn these two rooms into one big one for entertaining. I don’t think there is any load bearing walls between.”

“I don’t do much entertaining.”

“Well it was just an idea. Come see the kitchen.”

“Wow this looks like it has been updated.”

“Good eye Frank. You are right. The countertops are granite and all the appliances have been traded out for stainless.”

“I see there is gas for cooking.”

“Yup and you have a microwave right over here. Don’t you love how light this kitchen is?”

“I could really be happy in this kitchen.”

“Let’s go look at the bedrooms and bath. Follow me. Here is the master bedroom. You have to admit it is a good size.”

“It sure is. Is that a walk-in closet?”

“You’re very observant Frank. Yes as rare as they were back in the fifties, this house has a walk-in closet. I have a surprise for you as well. This house is listed as a one bathroom, but in fact there is one connected to this room right through that door. I don’t know why they said there is only one. Go have a look.”

“Wow there is everything in here. A commode and a shower as well. This is very nice.”

“Okay follow me to the other bedroom and let’s take a look at the bathroom on the way.”

“I see there is a full tub and two sinks.”

“Yeah you might have to redo the pink and grey tile, since that was the style back then.”

“I sort of like it.”

“How about this bedroom?”

“Gee it’s kind of small. I don’t think it will serve very well as a bedroom. Maybe an office.”

“Okay then. An office it is.”

“But I can’t have a house with only one bedroom.”

“This has two Frank.”

“No I don’t think so.”

“You have family Frank?”

“No. No I don’t.”

“Then why be concerned about this room as a bedroom.”

“Well it’s a long story─”

“Frank I’m your real estate agent. If there is something about this room I need to know so I can help.”

“I don’t think you can help.”

“Try me.”

“I told someone I would always have an empty room for them.”

“This room would work.”

“You don’t know the person. It would have to be perfect. I have to make sure everything is perfect before they come back. They left in the first place because I couldn’t keep everything perfect. This room won’t work.”

Rave Reviews Book Club Recruiting Day

May 20, 2014May 20, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

Today is recruiting day for the Rave Reviews Book Club. Fiction Favorites is included in a number of blogs posting some information about Rave Reviews Book Club throughout the blogosphere. The purpose of this post is to give you an idea about the club and to provide an easy way for you to get even more information and to sign up if you wish.

RRBC Mission:

The Mission of Rave Reviews Book Club is to Profile, Promote & Propel the careers of indie authors. The only way the club can do that, is by supporting each of our author members with book sales and reviews. The club encourages and hopes each of the members will “PURCHASE” (either in e-book or paperback format) the selected author’s books AND when finished with the complete read, post an honest “REVIEW”. In this way each author’s book will be in that wonderful seat of being Profiled, Promoted & Propelled, will have the same courtesy extended. We proudly work on the HONORS SYSTEM here at Rave Reviews Book Club

Rave Reviews Book Club is a virtual book club made up of authors and readers. Books reviewed by the club will be selected by the Book Selection committee. All are encouraged to join, especially if you are an author, as members expect the books selected to propel the careers and sales of authors. The more members of the club, the more successful and stronger the collective voices will be. For more info on the club, please visit Rave Reviews Book Club FAQ page.

For you who are may be new to book clubs, here is how it works: Once the club has made a selection, our members get their copy of the selected book, read and then post their reviews on Amazon, B&N.com or whatever other forum they use for reviews. Then, once the club meets (virtually) on its scheduled meeting date, all members will join in with the discussion. When circumstances allow, the author will also be a part of the discussion for Q & A. After our meeting/discussion, a collective review of the bi-monthly selection will be posted on the club page under Book Club Reviews. Please be mindful of the club’s selection, as it is our hope to support, and propel the awareness and sales of each author during their selection period. Each member is required to buy and review at least four books for the year.

In addition to book reviews and purchases there are ample opportunities for an RRBC author to gain awareness on several levels.

The club selects an author each week for #PUSHTUESDAY which is a concentrated push all day by club members on Twitter
The club selects an author for a SPOTLIGHT honor which includes a number of blog tour appearances for at least a week and sometimes longer
The club runs several writing contests throughout the year
There are opportunities to participate in giveaways
A group of members working as the Tweet Support Team will be tweeting all member’s tweet handles to their followers every day each week (Except Sunday)
There is no fee (now. All you need to do is sign up and commit to supporting your fellow authors

If all of this sounds good to you sign up HERE.

Also please go to Rave Reviews Book Club and use the special voting button to select your favorite recruiting blog after visiting them.

Rave Reviews Book Club “SPOTLIGHT Tour” Author, Nicholas Rossis!!!

May 19, 2014May 16, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

I am very pleased to welcome Rave Reviews Book Club “SPOTLIGHT” Author, Nicholas Rossis author of: Pearseus,Year 18: The Schism (Book 1), Pearseus, Rise of the Prince (Book 2),and The Power of Six: Science Fiction Short Stories. Nicholas discusses the Snowfall Project.

Two Years After The Snowfall Project: What Happened to the New Way of Reading?

Have you heard of the New York Times Snow Fall project? It is an interactive web-based project called Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek by John Branch.

Taking six months to develop, it was designed as a completely immersive, interactive and dynamic reading experience. The format was touted as the future of online storytelling and the work is amazing – both from the standpoint of a programmer and an author. However, I am not sure that’s what books are about: we find it hard enough to get used to the ebook, that this vibrant knowledge can seem a bit overwhelming. It seems I’m not alone in that.

OK, the book is about an avalanche –obviously! There is a story behind it regarding skiers trapped under various levels of snow. The e-book has a video-like image of the mountains where the avalanche is supposed to have taken place and you have an aerial view of the whole area. You are also shown a satellite image of how, on February 19^th 2012 snow clouds gathered around this area (Washington state, apparently). Moreover, you get background information of how this area was discovered, what gave it its name (Stevens Pass), photos of the early 20^th century and other details –real ones, not -imagined of what the area looks like, how people have survived there, what sort of people used to live there –OK, you get the gist.

Additionally, you are presented with photos of the heroes –wherever the name of a hero appears on the text, it’s clickable and you can see various photos of that people, along with their age, profession and other important facts. You also find a geological map of how snow was amassing on the ground and what the earth under the snow must have looked like. Some chapters begin with all the photos of the people appearing in the chapter, just like a movie. All in all, this e-book has really taken advantage of how we can present a book in a really interactive way, using all the tools that media offer us.

And yet, like many others, I found it unsettling, and not for the usual reasons cited: that the bells and whistles distracted from the story. No, my first hesitation was due to a different factor altogether. I remember when I wrote my book, I had put an actual image of a hero in the cover, and a kind friend who was beta-reading it thought that it was absolutely awful not to be allowed to imagine what the hero looks like. She really considered this off-putting, since she wanted to dream and visualize, rather than being shown what the author had in mind. So, I guess she would not have impressed by the avalanche e-book. As we were discussing it, I realized that reading a fiction book means that you are given space to invent, dream up and create a whole environment besides the one the author has produced. How many times have we been disappointed by a book that has been turned into a movie; I often find myself saying ‘but that’s not how I had seen the hero’.

And yes, my second hesitation would be that all the outside-of-the-story information, although supporting and very informative, was directing my attention away from the plot. I was distracted because all the facts they were presenting were actually interesting: I read about history, climatology and sociological facts regarding the area, but then I forgot where I had left the story.

I might be saying all that because I am growing old. Oh dear, I sound like those old people who say ‘back in my days, things were better’ –or any other positive adjective you can think of – and I had sworn I would never be like that! Or, because I have been reading for the last 40 years, so perhaps I am used to how a book “should” be and my brain just can’t process huge differences compared to what I know. The fact of the matter is that I just found this e-book presentation complicated and I couldn’t get myself to continue reading the story.

What I can say is that this sort of story arrangement could really work well in kids’ books or school books. The facts are presented in an amazing way and they just catch your attention and make you want to read more, irrespective of the story. The interaction between videos, photos, quotes and historic elements is such that you can communicate pretty much any material that way and I can assure you that kids will love it. Also, spreading the text over multiple pages and diluting it with images and other visual material will convince the most skeptical of kids to keep reading.

I can also say that the writing is really good; the story flows, the description of the actual avalanche is impressive and I thought that describing the snow flakes on her face as ‘breadcrumbs’ was beautiful. So, I might buy the book in normal e-book format and just read the story!

Could this be a problem unique to the specific project? There have been many attempts to mimic it, and even a startup called Scroll Kit, that advertised the fact that “The NYT spent hundreds of hours hand-coding ‘Snow Fall.’ We made a replica in an hour” (a statement that landed them into trouble). The NYT itself created similar projects, as did a number of others.

I do like it that we can now talk of ‘normal ebook format’ as opposed to, say, ‘interactive ebook format’. It seems that we have gone a long way from the plain physical book, and the new medium certainly has a lot of endearing qualities. Is it beautiful? Absolutely stunning. Elegant? Definitely. Novel? You bet. But is it the future of reading?

Two years down the line, it’s clearly part of the future; but definitely not the future.

His books:

Pearseus, Year 18: The Schism (Book 1): www.amazon.com/dp/B00FXOJQA8/ Pearseus, Rise of the Prince (Book 2): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FYRKLPI The Power of Six: Science Fiction Short Stories: www.amazon.com/dp/B00K57JTAA/

Top Ten Things Not to Do While Trying to Write at Work

May 19, 2014May 16, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 16 Comments

Here is the 46th installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do by Marie Ann Bailey of 1WriteWay at http://1writeway.com and John W. Howell of Fiction Favorites at http://johnwhowell.com. These lists are simu-published on our blogs each Monday. We hope you enjoy.

Top Ten Things Not To Do When Trying to Sneak Time to Write at Work (A Special List for Writers Whose Best Hours for Writing Are Between 9 and 5). Special apologies in advance to all those bosses out there who have employees who want to write.

10. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think that putting a black curtain across the entry to your cubicle will keep your boss and co-workers at bay. At best, your boss will just think you are being anti-social and enroll you in a workplace team building course. At worst, your boss will hear you typing for once, suspect you of engaging in a double-cross with a competitor, and have company security pay a visit to your cube after hours.

9. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think arranging to work after 5 pm will allow you to play catch-up on the work you should have been doing earlier. At best, you will find out your boss likes to cruise the cubicles and chat after 5 pm, making it difficult for you to concentrate and finish up. At worst, your boss decides to spend the late evening with you in your cubicle, telling you such hair-raising stories about the psychopathic upper management which (although good fodder for your writing) frightens you into giving up trying to sneak time to write at work just so you can spend less time there and more with the psychologist.

8. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not steal your cubicle mate’s sign that says, “Do Not Enter: Breastfeeding in Progress.” At best, you are of the right age and gender to have such a sign on your door, but unless you have a baby, your boss may decide to move you to a low-wall cubicle in the bull pen. At worst, you are not of the right age or gender and your boss, who is renowned for not having a sense of humor, decides to transfer you to the unemployment office.

7. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think that you can simply delete your erotic novel after saving your draft to a thumb drive. At best, you gain a small and unknown-to-you bevy of readers in the IT department who eagerly retrieve every installment of your book after you think you have deleted it. At worst, an installment of your novel is secretly emailed to your boss as evidence of your abusing work time and work equipment. Of course, your boss will wait until after you have finished the novel before firing you.

6. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not choose to write during a period of competing deadlines and high activity. At best, you might be able to save and close your Word document safely every time your boss bursts into your office with yet another due-yesterday project. At worst, you become so frazzled by the constant interruptions you inadvertently send your boss a synopsis of your romantic novel when you were supposed to send an Environmental Impact Report on a proposed shopping mall development and now the boss looks at you differently.

5. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think that getting to work early (and away from the chaos of your own household) will help you. At best, your colleagues who are already there will soon tire of your constant refusal to hang out with them in the break room until the work day officially starts. At worst, your boss is one of those who also shows up early and decides to take advantage of your presence by sending you more work earlier every day.

4. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think you can gracefully shift from typing like a fiend on your personal laptop to entering data on your work computer whenever someone walks by your office or cubicle. At best, you learn how to position your personal laptop by your work computer so it is out-of-sight and you appear as if you are working. At worst, you eventually develop such a bad case of carpal tunnel syndrome that you have to go on medical leave and abstain from writing altogether.

3. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think simply hiding under your desk with your laptop will be enough to keep your boss from knowing what you are doing. At best, there is already so much keyboarding going on at your workplace that no one even notices the tap-tap-tapping of your laptop as you pound out another short story. At worst, you become so engrossed in your writing, you don’t realize that your tapping is the only sound in the workplace until you stop and peek out from under your desk to see your boss standing in the entry way, resignation letter ready for your signature in hand.

2. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think that you can get away with writing another scene in your comedic screenplay during a staff meeting by making it seem as if you are simply taking notes. At best, another staff is actually delegated to take notes and so your boss just thinks you are being diligent and doesn’t ask you to share. At worst, since you are writing a comedy, you have to frequently stifle laughter which eventually gets the attention of your boss who takes your stifled laughter personally and decides to fire you via an email with the subject: Death of a Salesman.

1. When trying to sneak time to write at work, do not think you can (for long) get away with claiming to have stomach problems and then trying to write on your tablet in the restroom. At best, you will become adept at balancing your tablet on your knees, but the words you type might not be worth the loss of feeling in your bum from sitting on the toilet for too long. At worst, you will learn more about your colleagues’ bathroom habits than any sane person should know, making you really afraid to touch the doorknob on your way out.

It Takes a Village Idiot

May 18, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

I love this. Maybe you will as well. Cayman Thorn is a genius

drinkswellwithothers

I had a dream I was sitting in a bistro at dawn eating smoked salmon and capers and washing it down with Coors Light while being interviewed by a girl wearing a thong. There was a German Shepherd seated in the booth next to mine.

I know it was a dream because I don’t drink Coors Light. But cable news makes my tawdry dreams seem tame in comparison. So I made up three questions, just for kicks.

1-Did Donald Sterling become a racist five minutes ago?

2-Is CNN experiencing a hangover now that its morbidly extensive coverage of the missing Malaysian airliner has given way to other news, like yanno . . . Donald Sterling?

3-Will Fox News offer Monica Lewinksy a prime time show?

Answers:

1- What are you? Crazy?
2- Absofuckinglutely
3- Depends on whether she can prove Hilary watched

I mean, we get that Donald Sterling’s human…

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Eat, Sleep, Write: Podcast Interview with Charles E. Yallowitz

May 17, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

Interesting interview of Charles Yallowitz on the subject of the Fantasy Genre and self publishing

Legends of Windemere

Yahoo Image Search

A little over a week ago, I sat down for an interview with Adam Scull who runs Eat, Sleep, Write. Well, it’s up now and you can click on the picture at the bottom to hear it.

It’s about world-building in fantasy, which was a great topic for my first big podcast interview. I talk a little about my experiences in self-publishing too. I think everyone will have some fun and I hope I didn’t stutter or race through my words too much. You can tell I was nervous.

If anyone wants to share the link to this interview then I’d greatly appreciate it. Enjoy.

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TGIF and Haiku

May 16, 2014May 10, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 20 Comments

Friday at last. As amazing as it is the month is half over. Soon we will be graced with the Memorial Day holiday which is worth the expectation of good times, weather and a little time off. Of course we must keep going for another two weeks before the promise of pleasure. Today’s Haiku is a small tribute to the fact that the winter weather is finally behind us and the warmth of summer nearly upon us.

Shiver in the cold,

Too long waiting for the sun . . .

Complaining, too hot.

Wednesday – Story and Hump Day

May 14, 2014May 10, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 16 Comments

Wednesday is story day as those who follow (and read) know. Today’s story explores the concept of time travel. I’m sure at one time or another we have all wished we could either go forward or back in order to see how things turn out or to revisit a favorite time. Wednesday is the day when we usually wish we could jump forward a couple of days to reach the blessed weekend. Our story today involves a time warp in which the subject has no idea what is going on. It is titled Brooks Brothers and I hope you enjoy it.

“Sir. Can you hear me? Sir.”

“Yes son I can hear you. In fact I’m not deaf and you’re speaking too loud.”

“Oh. I’m sorry sir. It’s just you were sitting here staring off and I wasn’t sure if you were still with us.”

“Yes I’m still here. I’m only seventy-three. I’m not yet in a box.”

“Were you just lost in thought then, cause you sure looked like it.”

“I guess so son. I was trying to get my bearings. You see I got on my bike and decided to go to Wendell’s bakery for some chocolate covered donuts. My wife loves them.”

“Wendell’s bakery? Where is Wendell’s bakery?”

“Well that’s what has me thinking. Wendell’s bakery is right on this corner. Elm and First Street. At least it was yesterday.”

“Yes sir, but as you can see there is only this bench and a park on this corner.”

“Thank you son. I figured that out by myself.”

“So why did you think Wendell’s was here?”

“I didn’t think it son. I knew it.”

“Wait a minute. Your bicycle has the name Schwinn on it. When did you get that bike?”

“It’s brand new. I bought it last week. Cost me thirty bucks. The white wall tires were what drove the price up.”

“It’s a beaut. I don’t think I have ever seen such a bike. I know they never had it when I was a kid.”

“As I said I got it last week.”

“I see it has a metal plate on the back. Hummm, it says the City of Royal Oak and has the number 1949.”

“Yeah that’s correct. As I said I just got it last week. Boy you sure have a hard time with simple facts.”

“That may be sir, but I’m not the one who lost Wendell’s.”

“Good point. Sorry.”

“Your shirt and pants look quite substantial and store-bought. Where d’you get them?”

“Why do you care?”

“I have a theory and am testing it.”

“Okay I got these from the Brooks Brothers catalog if you must know.”

“Nineteen Forty-Nine edition I’m guessing.”

“Are you saying this is not nineteen forty-nine?”

“Yes sir I am.”

“What year is it?

“Eighteen forty-nine and I think you are lost.”

Top Ten THings Not to Do With Allergies

May 12, 2014May 10, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

Here is the 45th installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do by Marie Ann Bailey of 1WriteWay at http://1writeway.com and John W. Howell of Fiction Favorites at http://johnwhowell.com. These lists are simu-published on our blogs each Monday. We hope you enjoy.

Top Ten Things Not to Do When You have Allergies
10. When you have allergies, do not offer to house sit for friends with animals. If you do, the best that will happen is your sneezing will cause the animals to hide from you. At worst, you may find yourself in the ER on a respirator trying to remember if you left the front door open.
9. When you have allergies, do not accept an offer to go for a nice ride in the country. If you do at best your nice ride will turn into a sneezing nightmare. At worst your companion will leave you beside the road with your address written on a note pinned to your shirt.
8. When you have allergies, do not eat anything out unless you know the ingredients. If you do, at best you may have to go home early to get some medicine. At worst, you might cause those around you concern as you begin to swell and turn purple as a reaction.
7. When you have allergies, do not volunteer to drive the hay wagon at the school fundraiser. If you do, at best you will be the source of too many “bless you’s.” At worst your sneezing will cause the horses to spook allowing for a runaway wagon and terrified children and adults.
6. When you have allergies, do not leave home without a spare handkerchief or tissues. If you do, at best you will need to use anything at hand to cover a sneezing fit. At worst there will be nothing at hand and you will cause everyone near you to run away in fear since they will assume you have the bubonic plague.
5. When you have allergies, do not think those who do not have allergies will understand your symptoms. If you do, at best you may get some concerned looks when the sneezing hits. At worst you might be trying to explain to the EMS team called by a well-meaning person that you are having an allergy attack.
4. When you have allergies, do not leave your medicine at home even for a short time. If you do, at best you will get by without any symptoms. At worst, you will find yourself curled in the fetal position praying to be spared another sneezing attack.
3. When you have allergies, do not think you can go on a picnic in the woods. If you do, at best you will survive with only sneezing bouts. At worst you will be stung by some strange insect and find you are slowly losing the ability to raise your arms to get your epi-pen.
2. When you have allergies, do not offer to deliver the flowers on special holidays no matter how heavily medicated. If you do, At best you could have a reaction to an unknown flower. At worst you could deliver only the stems after your sneezing caused all the blooms to fly off the bouquet.
1. When you have allergies and are heavily medicated, do not operate heavy machinery. If you do, at best you may injure yourself. At worst, you may just take down one wall too many and have a boss who expects you to pay for the damage.