Author: Nicole

I Am On Patreon. Come Support Me!

 

That’s where we’re at these days. And by WE, I mean me. But I also mean WE as a community of artists and creators. I insert myself into that community because it seems like that’s what you have to do these days if you don’t get a formal invitation from the in-crowd.

Which I haven’t. Because the want-to-be-in-the-in-crowd crowd is massive and endless. And so like always, I’m just standing outside the posh restaurant (the metaphor for the in-crowd), and I’ve had enough of simply looking in through the glass with a hungry, longing expression on my face. So I’ve gone inside and flipped off the maitre d’ and said, “Hey mother-f!$*ers, I’m in.”

And because I was so bold, they let me have a seat! Ha! Also, I actually said it. The F-word. In my head. But I disguised it for all my sensitive readers (hi mom!) who think I should be better than that.

But anyway. If you’ve ever supported anything through crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe), the Patreon concept shouldn’t be unfamiliar to you. The difference is that support can be given endlessly, through an eternal campaign that continually rewards supporters. It’s like supporting public radio or television. It’s like the old patron system that brought about great works via the wealthy elites bolstering artists like Michelangelo in Italy and Shakespeare in England.

It’s pretty fantastic. I’m patronizing (in a good way!) some top creators whose work I love and I’m excited to have some of my own support from people I coincidentally adore and love (because they support me!) So if you’ve ever read any of my work and enjoyed it and wanted more, please find your way to my Patreon and show me encouragement with as little as $1, which will get you all my stories digitally (previous releases to when you pledged support and all future releases).

Additionally, there are free stories available just to show you what I do and how well I do it. With every new story I write, I get better–my stories get more exciting, my characters more real and empathetic, my pacing better–you name it! In short, it is through the generosity of friends and strangers who believe in me that I become a better creator.

I love interacting with people who read my stories. So please, don’t ever hesitate to contact me, through Twitter, Goodreads, Patreon, Facebook, email. Whatever! I respond to every message I get! This work can be lonely. Hearing from you makes it feel less like I’m sending my work out into the void.

Be awesome. You. I’ll continue trying to be awesome as well. We can meet in the middle of awesome!

Oh yeah. This story is posted for free on Patreon!

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Feed 3 Teaser #41: Long Excerpt

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He got up and went to the window. The view was immense. Mountains in the distance were a black shadow hovering over the golden lights of the endless sprawl. This city was a diamond on the edge of a strand of desert like a necklace. He’d never been here before, but now he could hardly enjoy it. No. He was no sightseer, not a tourist in the slightest. He touched the back of his neck, remembering that he was onscreen. Someone’s screen. Somewhere. Were they coming for him? Did they know he was up to no good, again? He shivered as he recalled what that evil woman had done to him. How did she justify it? He clenched a fist and felt a sneer coming to his lips. The same way he’d justified his previous work, probably. It made it harder to feel the rage he wanted to feel, because it was either understand her or hate himself for the justifications he’d worked out in his own head.

Well, I was a dick. I was wrong. I was part of the evil.

He sighed. There was still a taint in him. He could imagine the perfect angles for what he was doing now. He could visualize how he would look as the main subject of a scene and what an Editor would guess he was thinking so the music they pasted onto it could reflect his inward thoughts. The perfect song for this moment, “All the Light Within,” by Kat and Bodie. Sort of a love song, but the mood was right for it, pensive, brooding. Weighted in a way that could lend gravity to the scene without any sort of dialogue.

Love. A love song.

There’s no time for love, is there? In these strange times? There was no sanctuary for him to conceal his heart within so the world could never know his pain or joy. But, well, there was Beth and that moment at the camp, and no one had seen except the two of them. If he was honest, he hadn’t been into it. At least, not enough. Not enough to stick through the rough patches.

He no longer trusted her. His sights were elsewhere.

In the courtyard beneath his window, he caught movement beneath the strings of lights and soft-glowing lanterns. He inched closer to the patio door and squinted. It was Marci, wandering. He’d hardly expected her to not be in her room. What was she doing? His heart tripped over itself as he watched her sit beside the fountain and draw her legs up to her chest. God, she was beautiful. But something else, as well. Kind. Vulnerable. Guileless.

He knew so much about her. Had seen more than anyone should see of a person, a real person and not some actor in an old film, actually, the kind no one bothered to make anymore. Ghosteye trained himself with those pieces of art. He knew that there was power in the unsaid and unseen as much as the spoken and seen. When he’d made his own feeds, he’d been careful with those ideas, always trying to strike a balance.

Though he’d seen much of Marci, he saw how she wore silent things. Her own quietness, her secrets, were overlooked by nearly everyone. What did she hold in that vault of ribs?

 

 

Feed 3 Teaser #33.5

It’s finally here! A new teaser!

Geez. I don’t know what happened. I fell off the wagon or something.

No but seriously, sometimes it’s hard to keep your momentum. I got sidetracked by actually, I don’t know, writing the book and editing it, so much so that I forgot to try to keep you guys in the loop.

So here it is. This is a small excerpt, meant to show you that Feed 3 isn’t just about overcoming the dark side of new tech and whatnot. It’s also about people getting butterflies in their stomachs over someone else.

I have about 500 more words from this little section scheduled to post to my blog tomorrow morning. This is a snippet from that excerpt. So be sure to come back to get further insight into what’s going on in Ghosteye’s head!

As usual, the typical stuff applies here: content is subject to change or just, you know, not even show up in the book! I might change it. I might decide I hate it and cut it entirely. Anything is possible right up to the day you’re actually reading the book.

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Cover Release for Feed 3

Feed 3 is gearing up for publication! So, with that in mind I wanted to throw the cover out there for your eyeballs to ogle and your brains to sup from.

Sup from. Sick.

I mean, that should be “from which for your brains to sup.” That . . . that looks wrong. Let me see. “for your brains from which to sup.” Still . . . just, not right.

Who cares? I will use the awkward phrase if I want!

Anyway, the Feed 3 cover is pretty awesome. I mean, what I love about it is the theme of surveillance, in this kind of old school propaganda look. That sort of propaganda is part of the corporate/government state within the books. So it’s fun to carry it out into the real world. *Shiver*

And remember, Feed 3 is ALL NEW MATERIAL. Some new characters turn up and things get a little more twisty-turny. I think you’ll have a hard time deciding who is bad and who is good, because, isn’t that the way it always is? I mean, who is all bad, like in real life? There’s a few out there, but hopefully most of us don’t have to hang out with that sort of abhorrent monster. Right?

Godfrey*. I hope not.

Hmm. I could probably sit here and ramble on about book 3 and 4 all night. But I’ll save it. Maybe for the cover reveal for book 4! OOOOOOH.

So here’s the cover for Feed 3.

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*Godfrey is a non-swear my mother likes to use. It’s similar to its brother “Gadfrey.” Or “Gad,” which she also uses.

If You Are a Fan of Blue Hearts of Mars…


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…and you’ve been longing to read something in that universe, well, here’s your chance. I have a story up for free on Inkitt’s site. This is your opportunity to find out what happened back in the war–the ugly battle for Mars’ independence from Earth! There’s even an appearance from a pretty favored character. One of my favorites, anyway. Check it out! 

You can leave me comments on the story, which is nice. You can also vote for it in their contest.

Feed Re-Release Cover Reveal!

Some of you may have heard that I’m re-packaging Feed. This is an experiment to see how the more serialized version of book-selling goes. There were also some major and minor changes to the first book and I wanted to transition those who’ve already read the first one so that when they pick up the second book, they’re not totally shocked. The big news then is that the second book is done!

The other news is that I’ll be releasing things all over again! Yay!

So, first off, is that Feed 1 (there will be Feed 2, Feed 3, and Feed 4 after that!) is done and ready. Not *that* much has changed, but I needed to announce that there *are* some changes. Keep that in mind if you get the new version.

That said, I’ll be releasing it fully in, two weeks, possibly sooner. It has about 110 pages, and will be available in both e-book and paperback. The paperback version won’t be released at the same time as the e-book, but will come out about two weeks after the e-book version comes out.

So here’s the new cover! I’d love to hear if you guys think it’s an improvement!

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Update on Feed

Just an update on Feed 2: the Sequel in Glorious Technicolor. Finishing up the first draft. I still have a lot of work to do before it’s ready for any eyes other than mine. But the point is that I’m near the end, so that will be nice, because then, you know, I’ll know where the characters end up and revisions will be easier.

What? You thought I knew where the characters ended up?! Ha.

Anyway, I’m considering repackaging the first book and figuring out cool ways to get these two books out to more readers. We’ll see where that all ends up. For now, my goal is to finish this draft and hammer out the revisions.

Happy rainy season!

Twin Shadow Finds His Pop Sound on Eclipse

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George Lewis, Jr., the singer and songwriter behind Twin Shadow, doesn’t want to be trapped under the weight of genre. This is obvious from his flat-out admissions in interviews about the direction of his third full length release, Eclipse, but it’s even more clear from the radio-friendly lineup of tracks that made the final cut after months generating material in his new hometown of L.A. This, coupled with the sudden move away from heavyweight independent label 4AD to media-giant Warner Bros., tells us that if Lewis wants to make pop music, he’ll make pop music, pigeon-holes be damned. {Read More on Treblezine…}

 

Purity Ring’s Sound Goes Bigger on “Another Eternity”

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If any question loomed about the overall direction Purity Ring would go on their sophomore release, it gets answered pretty quickly on “Heartsigh,” the opener onAnother Eternity. It’s bolder, brighter and beefier than anything on 2012′s Shrines, and Megan James and Corin Roddick’s playful, often introspective electro-pop has transitioned into a vast, aural landscape that manages to be upbeat and energetic, more fun than ominous. The sort of quiet, somber musical channels that were explored onShrines in tracks like “Obedear” and “Shuck” are missing. And the eerie, sometimes uncomfortable wordplay that has been a staple of James’ lyrical ventures are either more sanitized or simply gone in favor of less complex, more digestible bits. {Read more on Treblezine…}