This past weekend, I attended the 2025 edition of the Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity Conference. It’s an author/writer/reader/fan conference, and according to my records, I’ve been going for about 10 years now––apart from The Dark Times (2020).

This year’s guest authors were Jody Lynn Nye and Tom Straw.

I’ve been reading Jody Lynn Nye’s nye.com works since college when I came across the Myth series she co-authored with Robert Lynn Aspirin. I soon discovered that she, too, is a cat-person. Her keynote was fun and inspiring, with stories of writing as a child. Ms. Nye was on the short fiction panel with me.. Growing up, I would never have dreamed of such a thing. It was an honor and pleasure to meet and chat with her.

To be honest, I knew little about Tom Straw, https://www.tomstraw.com apart from his latest book, “The Accidental Joe”. I was surprised to learn that he worked on a few of my favorite TV series, notably the original “Night Court”. We quickly bonded over our mutual love of fountain pens when I produced one for him to sign his book. He’s friendly and outgoing, with a sense of humor I enjoy. His keynote was full of motivation and inspiration and rated a standing ovation from those attending. I feel I’ve made a new friend, even if I never see him again.

The conference’s sessions and panels were better, for me, this year. I didn’t moderate this year, since there were more authors in attendance. That’s fine. I’d rather answer awkwardly than ask awkward questions.

There were the usual book signings the first two days. Those are always fun, but mostly it’s authors signing their books for other authors. The hotel is a bit off the beaten path, so few outsiders show up. I sold a few books, but I don’t go to C3 to sell. I go to catch up with some friends I’ve made over the years, and make new ones.

I held another auction this year, which comprised a book from Jody Lynn Nye and Tom Straw, and one of my own, which every author signed. Along with the books, I included a bottle of Writer’s Tears whiskey and one of my espresso coffee mead, and a Boox Go 10.3 eInk tablet. This year, the auction raised $450.00 that will go to next year’s event.

Each evening, everyone retired to the hotel bar where everyone relaxed and chatted. That’s part of the conference I enjoy, even if, being an introvert, I’m about to fall over from spent energy.

Austin Camacho https://ascamacho.com his wife, Denice, and the rest of the C3 crew did a bang-up job as always. They put a lot of effort and work into making the entire thing work and everyone who attends feel welcome. I’ve run a conference way back when. I know it’s difficult. I appreciate them and their efforts.

I’ll definitely be back, the universe willing, next year. I enjoy catching up with friends, chatting with people who I enjoy being around and who can tolerate my weird (sense of humor).

I think this was the first year where I didn’t feel I had imposter syndrome, but belonged to a family of like-minded people.

Oh, and my Damon Runyonesque short story, “Hank the Hypochondriac” made it into the anthology.

Now, it’s time to get back to writing.

Word up!

#writing/c3

Hot take: Structure isn’t story.

Let’s clear any misunderstandings up right now. I’m not saying that structure isn’t important in story or writing.

It is.

But structure isn’t the most important thing, and it is not the same as story.

If you’re starting your writing career or are a seasoned writer, and you look at most of the books, podcasts, and articles on writing, the majority focus on structure with minor variation. They all sing the same song.

But none go into what a story is or how to write one.

You can have a story without structure, at least the structure found in the “Western

World. There is no universal structure––just the accepted ones we’ve all been programmed to use in order to get the publishers the most money and reader buzz.

You can have a story without structure.

A story is a narrative–a telling.

A story informs or with fiction, to entertain. That is its primary purpose–to entertain.

Everything else-–theme, character, setting, are all tools. As is the structure.

So, how can a story not have structure?

“A man died of heartache.” is a story.

Then structure, meaning, and in fact most of the story are left to the reader to fill in.

The reader may ask, what happened to cause the man to die? Who was he and who or what broke his heart?

How good of a story you believe it to be depends on your imagination––but it is a story.

Something that doesn’t let the reader use their imagination to “fill in the gaps” isn’t a story. It’s a report.

A story is full of holes. It provides just enough breadcrumbs to lead the reader.

A story is what you tell (or not), not how you tell it.

Again, I’m not saying structure isn’t important to story, it is. But it’s not the only part of writing a story. It is if you want to give people what they want–that is, if you want to sell more copies.

Publishers, agents, and editors have one job, make money promoting your story. They even go so far as to tell you they won’t promote your work because it won’t sell. As a writer, understand that. Your story has to be compelling enough and fall into a structure they accept and understand. But it can be sold.

If you want an authentic example of a story with a non-standard structure, I recommend you check out “No Period” by Harry Turtledove. No Period: A Tor.com Original

Structure is just a skeleton. The story is the flesh. Structure is the formula (of sorts). The story is the imagination.

You can have a story without structure. But you can’t have structure without a story to hang on to it. Knowing the difference is important. The story is more important than the structure since it is the thing readers will remember.

Flame on!

Word up!

#writing/blog

It’s been a while, but I got the proofs back for my pulp novel, “The Cat and the Warlock”. Here’s the preliminary cover design.

I need to have the artist adjust the back. The font is too small and there is too much dead space. Also, the contrast is off. Other than that, I like the design.

I also need to go through the content. There are usually a few things the editors and I have missed.

This is my 11th published novel. This one is significant for me because it will be the third book of the year for me. That’s something I never imagined myself being able to do.

“The Cat and the Warlock” is a pulp mystery/adventure/thriller. It’s my first foray into the pulp genre. It was a blast to write and, after a year, a fun read. I enjoyed creating the characters and the interplay between them. Because it was so much fun, I’m toying with a standalone sequel.

I discovered I enjoy writing pulp. It’s not as “stuffy” or demanding on the author as are other genres. It’s story over character, action over development. That said, I think I developed the characters well.

“The Cat and the Warlock” isn’t “literature”. It’s not meant to be. It’s just a good fast-moving tale that I enjoyed telling.

The book should be available in the next couple of months.

Word up!

I’m taking a few days off this holiday weekend from writing and editing. The past few months have been busy writing-wise.

I edited “To Wield Power - Coins of Destiny 2", had a cover designed, and It’s being published as you read this. It should be available within the next month or so.

I also edited my first pulp novel “The Cat and the Warlock” and this is now at the editor. Once I get it back, I’ll have a cover designed. It should be out sometime later this summer. I’m also finishing a short story for the Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity conference anthology. It’s called “Hank the Hypochondriac - A Damon Runyonesque Story”. I’m writing it in Damon Runyon’s voice. It’s tougher than it seems. The story needs to be done by July. The conference is in September.

On a side not, I updated my author site (this one). It’s not as cluttered to make it easier for me to update it. I’ve also added a mailing list signup option.

I’ll use it for announcements and deals on my book. Please sign up. I promise I won’t spam.

If you sign up, I’ll send you a coupon for 10% off the price of a physical copy of “To Preserve Health- Coins of Destiny 1”.

The next project on my list is plan and write “To Gain Knowledge - Coins of Destiny 3”, the last book in the series. Beyond that, I think I want to write a sequel to “The Cat and the Warlock” I like the characters and it’s a fun write.

That’s it for now. Again, please sign up for my mailing list. And if you’ve bought one of my books, I appreciate it. Please leave a review.

Word up!

As you may know, I’ve published “To Preserve Health”, the first book in my new “Coins of Destiny” series. This is a series that follows the arc of a single mother, Rachael Pesci. I’ve been planning this series for a few years and have struggled with how best to name the books in the series, although “Coins of Destiny” were a theme from day one. Well, while editing “Coins of Destiny 2”, I’ve come up with names appropriate to each of the books in the series. Here’s the final lineup:

* To Preserve Health - Coins of Destiny 1  - available for purchase

   - Rachael Pesci, a single mother, receives a coin that a rogue government project wants at any cost, and fights to protect her daughter while coming to grips with responsibilities and forces she can’t control.

* To Wield Power - Coins of Destiny 2 - coming 2025

   - Rachael Pesci must work to save her daughter and a friend from a gang war between the Yakuza and Triad, who both want her coin, while learning to trust and trying to decipher the secret behind the coins.

• To Gain Wisdom - Coins of Destiny 3 - coming 2026

  - In planning… Rachael discovers the true meaning of the coins while running from the government which searches for them.

In Other News:

My pulp novel, "The Cat and the Warlock" is next on my project list. I'll edit it and have it out later in the year. I'm considering doing a sequel. I'm not sure if this will be another series, but I enjoyed writing it so much that I want to continue the story. But any work on that book will have to wait for the first draft of Coins 3 to be done. I also need to come up with and write a short story for this year's Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity conference anthology.

Word up!