Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who have joined in the past month!
First off, thanks to all who have purchased a paperback or Kindle version of THE RED SKY. If you are reading it, and more importantly, enjoy it, please considering leaving a 4 or 5 star review at Goodreads or Amazon. You might say, but Tim, why are reviews important?
Here’s how Goodreads and Amazon work: Five stars is like an A, four stars is a B, or more accurately, a B-. Anything less (3, 2 or 1) is a D or F. The algorithm for both sites is very steep in either direction when it comes to ratings. The more 4 and 5 stars, the more opportunity other potential readers will see it.
Also, written reviews help even more. Some things to keep in mind:
Be honest - people reading reviews appreciate it more than “the best/worst book ever.”
It’s helpful for readers if you tell them why you felt a certain way. For example, “I loved it” is less helpful than “I loved it because of its fast pace and frequent twists.”
Stay spoiler-free. If someone uses your review to make a decision about buying the book, you don’t want to ruin their experience of learning the story for themselves.
Reminder: if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, it’s just $2.99 for THE RED SKY and it will be a part of Kindle Unlimited. Also, THE BLACK SKY is currently only 99 cents.
Reminder 2: There is a full soundtrack album that goes along with THE RED SKY. I had a few people ask if this is meant to be listened to while reading the book. Sure, but you don’t have to. It should stand on its own, hopefully you think it does. Not only did I push myself as a writer for the book, I pushed myself as a musician and composer making the music as well.
NANOWRIMO
Are you familiar with National Novel Writing Month? I wasn’t until this year, just wasn’t on my radar. Here’s the gist:
“National Novel Writing Month, or "NaNoWriMo" for short, is an annual event in which participants attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in November. The event was founded in 1999 by Chris Baty and a group of friends in Northern California's Bay Area, and has since grown to become a global phenomenon, with hundreds of thousands of participants.”
I have an idea I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while, so I’m going to use NaNoWriMo to get started on it. Will you be participating?
HERE’S A RECIPE
As a thank you to all who have been on this writing journey, however you arrived and however long you’ve been here, I want to share with you my favorite cookie recipe. It’s also my wife’s favorite, and hence the cookie is named “The Katie” after my wife.
THE KATIE AKA Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 Cup of Butter, Softened
1 1/2 Cups of White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup of Cocoa Powder
3/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
2 Cups of Dark Chocolate Chips (but you can substitute any chips you like)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl, combine wet ingredients - butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs last, one at a time.
In another bowl, combine dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt.
Combine wet into dry, then add the chips last.
Scoop out about 2 tablespoons worth of cookie dough, form into a ball, and place a baking sheet.
Flatten dough slightly, leave space for them to spread.
Bake 10 minutes, remove and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then move to a rack and let cool for another few minutes. This allows outside to harden just a bit but the inside to stay soft with a brownie-like texture.
Let me know if you make and enjoy them, or if you have any questions.
Here they are with peanut butter chips.
And another variation with salted caramel chips and brown butter caramel frosting.
RECENT TV/MOVIES
NEVER HAVE I EVER (S.2 & 3, Netflix) - Seasons two and three really do a nice job growing the characters but also elevating the drama of high school.
SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW (Disney+) - Smart and goofy at the same time.
THE BEAR (S.1, Hulu) - Intense look at the back of a professional kitchen with some very adult and dark humor.
REBOOT (S.1, Hulu) - A meta take on rebooting an old 90s sitcom, worth it just for the fantastic cast.
WARRIOR NUN (S.1, Netflix) - Gave this a shot but didn’t quite work for me. Interesting premise undone by some poor character, plot, and pacing choices.
MUSIC
OFF! - Free LSD (2022)
Stereolab - Pulse of the Early Brain/Switched On Vol. 5 (2022)
Romeo Void - Instincts (1984)
Rosetta Stone - self-titled (1978)
Trevor Rabin - self-titled (1978)
Starz - Violation (1977)
Ramatan - self-titled (1972)
A few reminders before you go:
READER REVIEWS! If you read and enjoyed any of my books, I would be grateful if you left a positive review or a rating at Amazon or GoodReads. Reviews help other people find the book!
All previous newsletters are archived. Lots of stuff to check out including a link to the original 2011 screenplay of THE BLACK SKY, hints and helps to get started on the real work easter egg hunt teased at the back of the book, and more
Spotify Playlists! I made them for when I was writing THE BLACK SKY, THE RED SKY, and there is also a special one for “The Dank” bar that is in THE BLACK SKY.
If you like instrumental electronic music, I have soundtracks for THE BLACK SKY and THE RED SKY available at most streaming services, along with several other releases.
Stay Safe!
Tim
Listen to my 90s music podcast: Dig Me Out