Barry Lyga's Blog: The BLog, page 61

Over on his Terrible Minds blog, Chuck Wendig asked me some questions about Unsoul’d. I answered them with stuff like this:

I have this bizarre, misunderstood empathy for bad people.

Go read it!

How am I spending my birthday? Pretty much by getting fat…

Thanks to the folks at Little Brown for the delicious chocolates from John and Kira’s!

With the exception of when I was very young, I’ve never really made a big deal out of my birthday. And I’ve never understood people who do. I’ve never understood the attitude of “this is my Special Day.” Sometimes you can actually hear the capital letters in their voices.

Part of it may be the time of year when I was born. Once you get too old for big parties, your birthday becomes about your family and your close friends. But when your birthday is in early September, something funny happens — people are still getting into the school year, still adjusting to the post-summer social upheaval, and an early September birthday tends to get overlooked. Those of you born in the summer know that it sort of sucked because there was no big to-do at school for you. Believe it or not, the same was true for those of us who had birthdays right after school started (back in the days when school always started after Labor Day). And with divorced parents, birthdays seemed like one more opportunity for one-upping each other or yelling at each other and it just wasn’t worth it.

So, no one was making a big deal out of my birthday, so I never did, either. And that was fine. It became even more fine on September 11, 2001, which was my birthday, sure, but some other stuff happened that day, too. And I remember thinking at some point on that day, “Well, I’m done with birthdays, then.”

And, again, this was fine. Because I never really cared one way or the other. Birthdays, I felt, were really times of celebration for children. Unlike most of my peers, I never bothered to take a vacation day on my birthday and I didn’t insist that the world acknowledge it in any way. In the wake of 9/11, I just stopped thinking about my birthday much at all. And this made me feel odd, often, because there’s all of this social pressure to celebrate our birthdays and the people around us so frequently want to turn it into something big and special and amazing, and then I feel guilty when I’m like, “Nah, that’s okay, I’m fine the way I am.”

But something weird has happened in the past few years. Maybe it’s a sign of getting older and confronting my own mortality. Maybe it’s a sign of being generally happy with my life. I don’t know. But for some reason, I’ve begun treating my birthday as something special. I don’t want anyone else doing that, mind you. I don’t think anyone else should. But nowadays, on my birthday, I sort of…chill. It’s not that I don’t do anything at all. It’s that I only do the things I like doing. If I’m in the middle of a book that’s a chore, I put it down and re-read something I know I’ll love. I eat the foods I love, no matter how bad they are for me. I go to the movies alone in the middle of the day, when I have the theater to myself.

One thing I don’t do: Turn on the TV or read the news. Not since 9/11. It’s just too depressing to watch the anniversary stuff every year.

And you know what? I write! I really do. I work like any other day, but I only work on the project I feel most passionate about in the moment. (I wish I could tell you about today’s…but I can’t. Not yet. But I think you’ll like it!)

So, yeah, that’s my little rumination on birthdays. You won’t see much of me today because I’m going to be relaxing and enjoying the analog world. I know that to some people it’s odd or even off-putting not to make a big to-do about a birthday, but truly: I am so happy with my quiet, personal celebration. You have no idea.

See ya tomorrow!

So, yes, it’s my birthday. And I’ve decided to give you a present.

It’s simple: I want to give away some signed copies of I Hunt Killers, Boy Toy, and Hero-Type.

All you have to do is this: In the comments below, tell me what birthday gift you think Billy Dent might get for his son, Jazz.

Easy, right?

Post your answer. Contest runs only today — get your answer in before midnight September 13!

Good luck!

(Oh, and don’t forget — you still have until the end of the day on September 12 to enter the “Sell Your Soul” Contest for a copy of Unsoul’d!)

Here’s what I posted recently on Tumblr…

neil-gaiman:

amandapalmer:

alan moore speaks from inside my…

"be aware when you get advice from a fellow writer. Are they trying to help you make this story the…"

"Anyone that loves Springsteen can do whatever they want."

rachelfershleiser:

reblogbookclub:

Welcome to the Reblog Book…

"A tabula rasa is wonderful, but only if there is literally nothing to learn from history."

I require clarification on one point: When I sell my soul, is it taken immediately, leaving me alive but soulless (like in Metanoia), or am I just guaranteed to go straight to hell when I die (like in Supernatural)? Because that changes the answer somewhat. The thing about selling your soul is that you have to HAVE a soul to enjoy most of the things you'd conceivably sell your soul for.

Exclusive: Thing We Exclusively Reported Is Exclusively False

"Yeah, I know that boiling down your novel to a single paragraph like that is a bitch and half, but…"

"Too many people think graphic design is not a specialty, but something anyone can do, because the…"

The “Sell Your Soul” Contest! — Barry Lyga Dot Com

Memory Monday: Funny Animals

"Stop fretting over the little things. Focus on the work itself. The rest of it has a tendency to…"

From Unsoul’d.

jonnyskov: Extreme, rapid, and unpredictable …

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If you follow me at all on any social media outlet anywhere, you know that I recently published my first book for adults, Unsoul’d. And I like to celebrate.

So, I am going to give away a bunch of free copies of the ebook! Winning a free copy is both easy and fun. And just might reveal more about you than you’d think!

In Unsoul’d, Randall Banner sells his soul to the devil in exchange for a hit book. Hijinks ensue.

What would you sell your soul to the devil for?

Let me know in the comments below. This contest runs through midnight, Eastern time, on September 12.

C’mon… What’s worth your soul? I want to know, Randall wants to know, and hey — maybe the devil’s listening…

You know it’s true: If our world ever goes all sci-fi one of these days, the comic book artists will be the ones best equipped to handle it.

(From Captain Carrot & His Amazing Zoo Crew insert in New Teen Titans #16, February 1982. Written by Roy Thomas, art by Ross Andru.)

Here’s what I posted recently on Tumblr…

"Have you written? Have you written a LOT? Have you finished multiple books, put them through the…"

"For me, it’s all about finding an interesting story to tell and then telling it in the most…"

Photo

Thanks for the ebook update about Unsould. After reading a few pages of your new book I knew I wanted to read the whole thing and went right to my kindal and almost bought the wrong book, it had a very similar title. Now I have the correct book, YEAH!

"An agent goes off and does the ugly footwork of finding someone to publish your book, leaving you…"

Unsoul'd is Now Being, er, Sold!

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Lisa Amowitz designed the cover to Unsoul’d. Lisa is more than a designer, though — she’s also a new YA author. Her debut novel, Breaking Glass, about a boy struggling with alcoholism, just came in July and has gotten some great reviews.

Once I was done being a pain in the ass about the Unsoul’d cover, Lisa heroically wanted to spend even more time with me, so we sat down for a brief interview on her blog. Here’s a tiny snippet to make you click the link:

For me, it’s all about finding an interesting story to tell and then telling it in the most honest, truthful manner possible.

Now go read the whole thing!

Hey, gang!

Here we go... It's Unsoul'd Day!

My first novel for adults is now available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo for the nigh-obscenely low price of just $3.99! And if you're still worried about spending the bucks before you're sure, I've posted almost half the book here on Goodreads. Try before you buy!

Since the book is on Kobo, this also means that your local indie bookstore can sell it on their website. Because I love me some indie bookstores!

I hope you enjoy Unsoul'd! Let me know what you think!