The website of the fantasy novelist
Last month, fellow Dark Oak Press writer, Pat Sawtelle and I did a world building panel at the Germantown Library (I’m sure this is a big surprise, given the title of this post).
Here’s the video, with captions. And remember, this is part of a series of panels Dark Oak Press writers and editors deliver regularly. What’s more, after the camera’s turned off, we keep going. So the best way to get the most out of these panels, is to actually be there in person.
For those who don’t know, Reed Farrel Coleman has written more than twenty-eight novels and a large number of essays, short fiction, and poetry. He’s also won more than a dozen awards for his writing, including the Anthony, Gumshoe, Macavity, Shamus, and the Edgar. So he knows what he’s doing when it comes to writing.
Since 2014 he’s been the author of the Jessie Stone books, the second writer to pick up Robert B Parker’s character. In the four books leading up to Colorblind, Reed has put the character, and the town of Paradise, Massachusetts, through a number of changes and challenges. He keeps that up in this one.
I had the good fortune to be in a position to interview Reed at his appearance at the Novel bookstore in Memphis, and managed to have the good sense to record it. I apologize for the camera stopping twice, and then altogether toward the end (hence the sudden change in perspective), but I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did conducting it. I promise I wasn’t so startled as I seem to look on the link below.
Every story happens someplace and on the evening of August 16th I will be with fellow Dark Oak Press writer Pat Sawtelle at the Germantown Library to discuss tips on how to make those someplaces.
We’ll be covering how to make your world believable, how to work in the details, how to prioritize what you share about the world to best serve your story, what kind of things to avoid, and how to get started (hint – there’s more than one way).
Whether you’re writing a fantasy, a science fiction story, a modern thriller, or bizarre horror story, you’ve got a world to build. We hope to help you do that.
It all begins at 7 pm on the 16th at the Germantown Community Library: 1925 Exeter Road. Sign up thru the Germantown Community Library website. Show up. Have fun!!!
As part of the Dark Oak Press Authors About Town series, I’ll be with Robert J. Krog & Kristi Bradley. Our plan is to talk about how folklore, especially local folklore, works its way into fiction – specifically ours. Even if not, we’ll be there with books and our own fun presence in a great bookstore in Cooper-Young. Thanks to Heather of Two Rivers Bookstore for hosting us. If you want to make sure you get any of our books, contact Two Rivers and they can pre-order what you want!
Here’s a shot from the first one of these. I need to learn better smiling!
On Saturday, July 11 2015, the South Main Book Juggler honored me with my very first in-store appearance and reading. They still carry my book (and many others from Dark Oak Press) and I am still grateful.
Wes Yahola 