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Onto My Next Story…

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

IT’S BEEN JUST ONE WEEK since The House on Dunning Drive went live and as much as I enjoy writing, I tend to take a step back and just do nothing (writing related) for the next week. I’m usually up between 5-5:30 and within 15 minutes, I’m writing. But as previously stated, the week after a book goes live, I tend to do nothing…I may sleep in, goof off on the internet, maybe go into my art studio a little early…or whatever. I do this to just mentally prep myself for the next story/book, and I think that stopping and giving things a moment to just breathe, is how I recalibrate. It’s been that way for years, and it tends to work well for me.

So here we are, and for my next short story, things are going to take a different turn. The last few stories have been heavily race-based and this is on purpose. The reason for this is because racial issues seem to be a touchy subject these days, and people either tend to stay away from the subject or go completely overboard with it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with writing about the subject, as it is something that all of us are affected by (more than we should be). I was recently reading an article from Atlantic Black Star, a race-heavy narrative company (yes, I know, consider your source) about a podcaster named Bobbi Althoff, and how she handles celebrity interviews. The article talks about critics and how they want to cancel her with one critic from South Africa named MashotoKomane with 3,000 followers saying, ‘Idk how, but she’s racist.’ Yes, you read that right…I don’t know how, but she’s racist. This is news now, and this is the ‘overboard’ part I’m talking about; that someone is automatically racist based off of the color of their skin. I generally tend to stay away from articles like that because they’re intentionally divisive, and where there’s an extreme in one direction, there’s also a market for the oppression Olympics.

Anyway, I intentionally wrote the first few stories in this collection heavily centered on race because I often think we take it too seriously, and yes, I know for some people it is. It’s almost like we’re required to be overly sensitive or take things to the extremes on the opposite front. Nothing could be further from the truth. Should we stay away from sexually dominant stories just because of the Metoo movement? Not at all. That said, in this next story, I do stay within the theme of people’s lives interacting, but I move in a completely different direction. At the end of the book, The House on Dunning Drive does make an appearance…it’s brief, but it’s there.

The story is called Finger of the Gods and I’d like to have it out and published before the year is up. I’ve written three drafts, but I think I’m going to take my time and write out a fourth one. At first, I wanted to try and have one of these stories written and out every 45-60 days, but then I got to thinking, what are you rushing for? Take your time.

And so I will.

While I do have a deadline of wanting to have it by the end of the year, I’m in no rush. I will try to put things in the blog and promote it as I go along. Maybe the next time I blog, I’ll post a few hundred words just to get some feedback. Until next time, keep writing.

Cover Concept for The House on Dunning Drive

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

HERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT COVER concepts I have for my next short story, ‘The House on Dunning Drive. As previously mentioned, the story was originally called ‘The House on L_cy Dr_ve’, and I discussed the name change in the last blog post. The top left would be a dark grey background, silhouettes of trees, and then the image of the house in the book, with one single light on. The second would be of an old, rusty mailbox, signifying to the reader that wherever this house is on Dunning Drive, it’s old, and not much really goes on there, unless it’s of a visitor. The third is the one that is the most visually appealing to me…a light image of the house, and a noose where the ‘O’ will be. I’m thinking of going with the bottom left, as it really kind of signifies an event in the story that is really important.

This week, I have an art vending booth at the Chesterfield County Fair, and don’t have a lot of time to work on the cover, but I kind of knew this was the direction I wanted to go. So last week, I pulled out a canvas and painted it black to prep it for the cover.

I’m looking forward to putting this book out there, and moving on to the next.

My Next Short Story

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

USUALLY, WHEN I WRITE A new story or book, I post the proposed cover with the blog. Unfortunately, I won’t be doing that this time because not only has the title changed, but the overall design is too similar to my last cover. Though they were written years ago, when I was designing the cover, the cover concept was similar. The title of the book was ‘The House on L_cy Dr_ve’ but is now ‘The House on Dunning Drive’. If you’ll notice, there are missing letters in the first title. The reason for the missing letters in the first title was because the letters on the mailbox in the story are missing. I changed ‘Lucy’ because when I wrote it there used to be a Lucy Drive in the area where the story takes place. That drive was a dead end that honestly led to nowhere. I don’t even know if it was an official road, but when I looked it up to at least describe the area accurately, it no longer exists. As developers have started to build the area up, some roads that used to be there have been wiped off.

So why Dunning Drive? Dunning is my father’s middle name and I thought, ‘what the hell, why not?’ The name ‘Dunning’ isn’t significant to the story. I just needed a street name to put the house in the book on. Anyway, the story is being edited and my proposed release date for the book will be on Tuesday, September 19.

Why Tuesday? That’s a good question. Most new books, movies, music, etc., are released on Tuesdays. The reason for this goes back to the year 1866, the very year ‘The House on Dunning Drive’ takes place. Just kidding, nobody really seems to know why. There are several theories, but it’s not clear why that day was chosen, but there are some theories. One theory is for ease of distribution. If all the bookstores got their book on Tuesday and the book was popular enough, they could put in another order and have it delivered to the store by the weekend. Another theory is that it creates a level playing field for booksellers. If, for example, a popular book is ready to drop and only one store is carrying them, that store has the advantage in sales. Amazon has not played by this rule, and it has pissed some of the smaller bookstores off. Remember, before Amazon was dominating the market with Prime Day and having employees work in ungodly conditions, it was a bookstore. There are other theories out there, but those are the two that kind of stuck out to me.

That said, once the cover for ‘The House on Dunning Drive’ is complete, I will release it. As before, this cover will be traditionally painted/designed, and as the release date grows closer, I will also promote the stories that precede this one.

Until next time…

The New Gardeners – Now Available For Purchase

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

To Purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8M93CLZ

AS ROBERT MILLER SAT DOWN to drink a cup of coffee one morning, he watched as the door to his room slowly close. He put the cup down on a small nightstand next to the bed and listened as it was locked. The problem was, he was the only one at home. This was not the first time something eerie happened, but sinister incidents were occurring more often.

While waiting for their house to be built, Robert and Ashleigh have just rented a room in a house in Richmond, Virginia from an elderly lady and her son across the street from Hollywood Cemetery. With almost all of the houses on the block boarded up, the house felt isolated and alone. The landlord’s son works at night, and though they never see him come or go, it’s clear he lives there…but so does something else. With just a few weeks remaining on their lease, Ashleigh makes a horrifying discovery. Following a series of unexplainable events and unmistakable whispers in the night, will they be able to break the lease early? Or are the whispering echoes a sign that it’s already too late to leave?

The New Gardeners

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

I THOUGHT I’D POST A time-lapse of the cover of The New Gardeners. If you follow this blog, then you know I write and publish short stories. Most of them are horror, thriller, or murder mystery, and the majority of them are set in Richmond, VA (or just outside of it).

When I graduated from college, my first job was at a publishing company where I designed book covers and magazine layouts. I began in that transition phase where traditionally painted book covers were on their way out, and digital covers were becoming the norm. I had the unique opportunity to do both, and still have some of the old canvases and papers where I designed, painted, and later scanned for the text to be laid over the cover. Traditional covers take considerably longer and where a traditional cover can take a month to do, a digital cover (with Canva) can be completed and ready for print in less than an hour. 

For the time being, my covers will be traditionally painted. Why? Because I’m a glutton for punishment. Below is a link to the time-lapse. For whatever reason, WordPress is saying I cannot upload this video and I’m not sure why. It’s converted to an MP4, but WordPress isn’t allowing it to play or even load. 

http://johnpriceart.blogspot.com/2023/06/time-lapse-of-another-short-story-book.html

The New Gardeners Cover WIP

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

JUST OVER A MONTH AGO, I shared the digital cover for my next short story, The New Gardeners. I’ll be sharing the entire work in progress album here soon, prior to releasing this story. Most of my covers take 7-10 days to paint. I don’t put a lot of detail into them, because they’re more or less intended to have a painterly feel to them. This one, however, took considerably longer because I glazed the cover with multiple layers of paint. The image of the person through the window in the background was originally painted all black. Once that dried, I took a very small amount of white paint and diluted the hell out of it and glazed it over the image. I let that completely dry and cure for a day or so, and then went back over it with another layer of white paint…each one thinned down to where you could barely even see the white. But over the course of 20 layers, the effect you have is a ghostly figure in the back. Was it a little over the top? Maybe. But I’m happy with it. Soon, I’ll be sharing the final image, and then a release date for The New Gardeners. 

Another Short Story

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

Here are the first few paragraphs of my next short story to be released within the next 60 days. I don’t have a final release date yet, but I will update as I go along. The cover below is just an idea, but I may not use it. I do all of my covers digitally, but then traditionally paint it in oil. Why? I have no idea. Anyway, here goes. I’d love to know your thoughts either in the comments or email – johnpriceauthor@gmail.com

The New Gardeners

3rd Draft

SHE LIT A CANDLE AND looked down. In the dark of the room, the light flickered off her aging skin. She was up in age, barely even able to see, but she still managed to get around on her own.

“When the candle gets low, would you please blow it out? Last time, you nearly set the damn house on fire,” she said with a chuckle. Here in the house, all by herself, she’d talk for hours on end.

“Would you like the fan off?” she asked. “I can leave it on for you if you’d like. I know how hot it can get in there.”

The room was ever so quiet, and there was no response. Anyone present would think she was mad. “The noise?” she asked. I wouldn’t concern yourself with the noise. Sooner or later it’ll be over; maybe a day or so at the most…if you can get over the scratching sound. That’s the hardest part.

It’s always the hardest part.”

You’re Not A Real Writer

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

I WAS ONLINE RECENTLY, AND as it is with most things, someone finds a way or reason to disagree with something I’ve said or a stance I take. For a moment or two, I felt kind of attacked, but in an effort not to be a victim, I pushed through the disagreement. Part of the reason I felt attacked is because they were coming at me, homing in on some vulnerable viewpoint I had. But as I looked at the disagreement, I took the time to wonder if maybe there was some validity to what he was saying…or maybe he was being an insufferable dick, which is often the point in online disputes.

At some point in a disagreement, a person may become hostile and even insult what I say. It’s at that point, the conversation really has lost any validity because it’s more or less, personal, and the issue is no longer being discussed. “Yeah, well you’re just stupid,” or “you’re such a fucking idiot.”

While such insults were not hurled my way, the person I was discussing things with, showed his ignorance. I was asked if I was a writer and when I said I was, the guy asked if I had anything published. I sent a link to my amazon store (to his inbox because on some sites you’re not allowed to self-promote) and after a few minutes he said, “oh you’re not a published writer. I mean, anyone can self-publish.” While I’m not really sure what traditional publishing has to do with whether or not someone is a ‘real’ writer, I will admit there’s a certain “feeling” of exhilaration a person may feel when a publishing company decides to take them on…as though there’s validity.

That said, someone not traditionally publishing their book means absolutely nothing when it comes to whether or not they are a real writer or not. Some are rejected countless times, while others just have no desire for the headache of querying. Regardless of their reason, they go the route of self-publishing. And because of this, there’s this idea that someone isn’t a ‘real’ writer. It’s as though the writing from people who haven’t been accepted by an establishment of sorts, aren’t genuine or well…good enough. Wizard of Oz was self-published, as was The Martian and countless other books. Again, this isn’t an argument to make one seem better than the other—whatever route a person goes through to publish is their business and there are benefits to both. What is interesting is the attitude that is taken about a self-published author.

We’ve all read the horror stories of Stephen King’s Carrie being turned down 80 times before it was accepted. It was obviously good the other 79 times, but those other companies didn’t see the validity in the story. Imagine how many authors just give up and self-publish. Are they not real writers? Was King not a real writer until he was published?

I’m an artist who has sold thousands of pieces of art (originals and prints). Up until 2020, I’d never received 1st place in an art show. The best I’d done was 2nd place for my Harriet Tubman painting, that lost to a collage of a deer. Because I’d never placed first, was I somehow not a good artist? No…not even close. Again, this is not a slam against traditionally published authors, I think it’s fantastic when someone gets a contract for a book. I personally am fine with self-publishing and haven’t queried a literary agent in years.

Whether or not someone self publishes or traditionally publishes…the moment you put pen to paper, keyboard keys in an older version of Microsoft Word that you don’t have to have a subscription for and get serious about it…you’re a real writer. Maybe you won’t sell a million copies, but maybe you will. One thing is certain, however if you give up, you’re not a real writer.

From George to Joe

Posted on by johnpriceauthor

So I logged out, got a new computer, tried to log back in, and couldn’t. For some reason, because it was a new computer, it wasn’t recognizing the device, and here I am, a month or so later, promoting a book that, well…already came out. For those of you who follow the blog and are interested in the book, it was featured on CBS6, NBC12, and all over my social media.

It’s available on Amazon in hardcover, or you can send me a direct message if you’d like a signed softcover for $15.99 plus Shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/George-Joe-Presidents-Uncensored-Unfiltered/dp/0578847566/ref=sr_1_1