Creativity and Research

Every writer is different and goes about getting to the elements of their story in a different fashion.  Being a fan of the late and great Patrick O'Brian, who was by trade a Naval Historian and consequently wrote a great series of books that I know as the Master and Commander Series.  Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Maturin were made up and fictional characters but the ships they sailed on, the exploits of what happened between this ship and that ship came right out of the history books.  More specifically they came out of Naval Journals, Captains Logs, and British Naval History.  There is a paragraph or so at the beginning of each of his books where he explains he couldn't come up with stuff that would overshadow the actual feats of true history.  He also explains...

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Posted in: Research Fictional Real Learn

Would Be Assassination!

On January 30, in 1835, President Andrew Jackson narrowly escaped being the first President to be assassinated.  President Jackson was leaving a funeral at the Capital Building when Richard Lawrence attempted to murder him.  He pulled a pistol and fired, but the weapon misfired.  Jackson attacked his would be assassin with his walking stick.  Lawrence, who had brought a second pistol, pulled it and fired again, it also misfired!  The odds of two guns misfiring consecutively were figured at around one in 125,000. The incident left Jackson a touch paranoid.  Lawrence was found to have no ties to Jackson’s political rivals, but Jackson was convinced that Lawrence had been hired by his Whig Party opponents to assassinate him.  His Vice President, Martin Van Buren,...

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Posted in: Assassination Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren

The Art of Designing Book Covers

As promised L.K. Hunsaker, Author and Cover Artist has written today's post for us. Thank you L.K., for the guest post and sharing your insights with us. Books are indeed judged by their covers. Fair or not, it’s fact,whether we mean it as a metaphor for people or as actual books. You can’t get around this simple truth and no matter how often you scream that it’s unfair, it won’t change as long as we have eyes and unique personalities. I’d like to thank Thomas for having me today to talk about cover design. A little about my background: I started my college career headed toward a commercial design major. It felt a little too stifling (no computers for it in those days – it was done by hand on paper sketching one symbol for a three hour class...

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Posted in: Cover Art Designs Book Artists

What do you know? Ignorance or Naivety

I have a history calendar on my desk which tells about some event in history that happened on this specific date.Today for January 25th it tells about how Paul McCartney was released from a Tokyo jail and deported from Japan.My first impression after reading this was Paul McCartney in Jail?  Really?  For What?Reading the bit, apparently he was stopped coming into Japan with nearly half a pound of marijuana.  He had arrived on January 16, 1980, his first visit to Japan since the Beatles Tour of 1966.  The plan was for a concert tour of eleven cities by his band Wings.Seriously, Sir Paul McCartney, in jail on drug charges?  This was the first I had ever heard of this.  Where the hell was I at in 1980?My First impression of this shows my ignorance or naivety of the...

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Posted in: Beatles Ignorance Perception Reality

Blogging for one year!

I can't believe I missed my own blogging anniversary!Exactly one year ago, last week, January 17th I did my first blog post of this blog.Finished My First Novel Wow, how the time flies.  I had just e-published my first novel on Smashwords."Whisper   A Wiley Randolph Novel"I think back at how much I didn't know a year ago.  I barely knew what I was doing and I honestly thought by publishing on Smashwords that my book was going to be distributed on Amazon also.  I remember back to when it dawned on me that I could publish on both, and began the process of reformatting Whisper for Amazon.I didn't have a clue about having an Inter-net Presence; I had never been on any social sites like My Space, Face Book or Twitter.  I was flying blindly with the blogging, and socializing,...

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Posted in: Blogging Published Books Writing Editing

Shut Up And Read

Check this out . . . http://shutupandreadgroup.blogspot.com/2012/01/read-it-reap-january-20.h...

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First of the Twenty-One

No Rules Of Engagement by Thomas Wilson (Goodreads Author) Carolina's review Jan 23, 12 bookshelves: currently-reading I own a copy This is an amazing book. It has a fantastic plot line and I have to admit that I've never read anything like it. Usually I am not one for heavy duty science fiction novels. The plot peaked my interest and once I started to read, I could not manage to put it down. Wilson is a wonderful author and I hope to read more of his work in the future. It doesn't show up when viewing the book, but I am tickled beyond belief.I am really excited on two counts in particular, one that she liked it so much while reading it so fast!  Secondly, that it is not her normal genre of reading and she still enjoyed it. In...

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Posted in: First of twenty-one Reviews

Chinese New Year and Frisbees!

Happy New Year CHINA!!Still wish I knew how to find a Chinese Book Forum and put an add or blurb about my books in Chinese!  It couldn't do any worse than Amazon DE, IT, FR, or ES.  I have yet to sell a single book anywhere besides the US and UK on Amazon.FrisbeesGrowing up in the back woods of Idaho, on a dirt farm against the edge of thousands of acres of National Forest, in the evenings when the work was done my Dad and Great Uncle Garth would throw the Frisbee after dinner until it was too dark.  As I got older the Frisbee bug bit me also.  Partly because of the nostalgia of my childhood watching my dad and uncle, and partly because when you play with another good player you can pretty much stand there and throw one for hours and never move more than a foot or two from...

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Posted in: Chinese New Year Frisbee Frisbie Wham-O

Life as a Publisher - Guest Blog Post

One Mountain At A Time - Guest Post by Thomas Wilson on the website Life as a Publisher ! http://karensyed.wordpress.com/ Inspirational Advice for the aspiring author!  Check it o...

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Posted in: Guest Post Aspiring Author Inspirational

Indie Authors and Cover Art

As Independent Authors we must wear all the hats and do all the work to make our books as professional as we possibly can before we publish them.  This includes writing, re-writing, editing, creating a cover for the book and promotional efforts.  If we have extra money we can pay for outside help.  But unless you have built up a following and have several books out there generating income you can not afford to pay for outside help. Well I have run across a lady who does good quality covers very inexpensively!  So if you're writing a book and still have no clue as to what you're going to do for a cover this may be a possible option.  Loraine Hunsaker has a web site http://www.lkhunsaker.com/designs.htm where you can check her out and see some samples of her...

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Posted in: Cover Art Inexpensive Guest Post

Book Reviewers For "No Rules Of Engagement"

As I posted last night Goodreads dot com has been knocking themselves out with challenges, promotions, games, discussions, and so much more for readers and authors alike. A group affectionately called Shut Up and Read, has been running this promotion Read It & Reap, where authors sign up to have their books reviewed.  Readers sign up to to review them and in turn get the books for FREE. It's a WIN-WIN situation for all, absolutely Brilliant. So today was my day, "No Rules Of Engagement" went up today with twenty books offered to give away to those who wanted to read it and review it.  I didn't think I would get twenty volunteers to read my book at the same time even with Goodreads having over six million members.  I told Tt the lady organizing and doing...

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Shut Up And Read - Goodreads Dot Com

It's started! On Goodreads dot com, Shut Up And Read - Read It & Reap Is featuring "No Rules Of Engagement" Today The first twenty to sign up will recieve a FREE Copy of the book to read over the next two weeks and Review on Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/776544-read-it-reap8-no-rules-of-engagement-by-thomas-wil...

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Posted in: Read It Reap Shut Up Goodreads

Read It and Reap on Goodreads

Read It and Reap is a Book Reviewing Promotion that Goodreads dot com started this January!  The way it works is authors sign up on one thread and list their name, the title of their book, and their E-mail Address if they want to enter their book to be reviewed.  The Group Administrators contact you and find out how many copies of your book you would like to give away to be reviewed.  Then every Monday and Friday they offer a new book and the first to sign up get a free E-copy of the book to read for reviewing on Goodreads dot com.  So if an author says he is giving away five copies the first five who respond get the book!  Ten copies the first ten get them and so on.  Those who receive the copies have two weeks to read the book and post a review of the book on...

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Posted in: Read It Reap Guest Post

Being Bad

I did a blog post sometime ago about how when I get bored I plan out crimes.  It's something to do for a compulsive planner who gets extremely bored with the mundane aspects of everyday life in a civilized world.  Well, civilized world is stretching it a bit, but for the majority of people in the United States life can get pretty predictable and boring from time to time.  I have to admit I haven't planned out any crimes in the last two years since I have started writing every day, that seems to have cured my boredom.As in my previous blog post, one of the reasons I started writing was to provide an outlet for my over active imagination and a means of doing the crimes I have planned in the past if only in a fictional sense through the characters in my books.  The problem...

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Posted in: Being Bad Crime Death Fictional

Book Review Of "The Best of Me" By Nicholas Sparks

Let me start with the fact that Nicholas Sparks is an extremely talented writer. I have stated before in my blog and publically that I hate Nicholas Sparks, not persoanlly, just his stories! It is like being invited to watch a car wreck with your family members and not being able to do anything about it except witness and experience the carnage! Getting severely upset and emotional in a sad way is not what I consider entertainment. I think this guy owns stock in the Klennex company! Obvouisly some people like this type of tear gerking books because he keeps writing them and people keep buying them. I have to read at least one of his books a year for my book club and I read it under protest. You always know it it start out sweet and hopeful...

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Posted in: Nicholas Sparks Book Review

Happy Birthday A.A. Milne

Many are probably going I know that name from somewhere.  Along with Dr. Suess, A.A. Milne was one of the best known childrens authors of all time, and with a thank you going out to the Disney companies, who hasn't ever heard of Winnie-the-Pooh! A.A. Milne was born on January 18th, 1882.  In 1925 he bought Cotchford Farm in Sussex where a nearby forest inspired the Hundred Acre Wood.  His only child, a son, named Christopher Robin received a stuffed bear as a present when he was around one year old.  Milne began writing stories about his son and his stuffed animals and their adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.  Winnie-the-Pooh was published in 1925. The House at Pooh Corner in 1928.  A gentleman named Ernest Shepard illustrated the books, using Chistopher...

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Posted in: A.A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh

Author Interview NROE No Rules Of Engagement

Author Interview of Thomas D. Wilson and his New novel   No Rules Of Engagement GMTA PROBOARD : http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=interviews&thread=1001&page=1 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gmtabookclub/doc/300140200038789/ BLOGSPOT: http://greatmindsthinkaloud.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-with-author-thomas-wilson.html TUMBLR: http://greatmindsthinkaloud.tumblr.com/post/15906139015/interview-with-author-of-no-rules-of-engagement WORDPRESS: http://greatmindsthinkaloudbookclub.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/interview-with-author-thomas-wilson/ DIGG: http://digg.com/news/entertainment/interview_with_author_thomas_wilson_greatmindsthinkaloud_s_blog_message_on_netlog STUMBLE UPON: http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/gbookclub DELICIOUS:...

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Posted in: Author Interview Thomas Wilson NROE

Writers Block, Dead End, or Chance to Dazzle!

From time to time everybody who writes either gets stuck staring at the white page and considers slamming their head into the desk repeatedly or has been writing up a storm until you run into a wall.  You inadvertently wrote yourself into something that you didn't mean to.  The idea or line of thought was flowing and just dissipated like the morning's fog after the sun comes up.  Either way you're stuck.  Now part of me gets frustrated by my impatience because my time to write is so limited and to waste it by staring at a blank page or getting stalled midway through the next chapter of my book seems like a terrible waste of my time.Sometimes the problem is you!  Maybe you have an emotional hang up with what you're writing.  For an example I was attacked from behind...

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Posted in: Writers Block Dead End Stuck

Color and Creativity

When I read this blog post this morning it got me thinking about Creativity and Color.http://www.rachellegardner.com/ Needs, Wants, and Pretty Blue Pens Posted: 11 Jan 2012 08:01 PM PSTGuest Blogger: Billy CoffeyIt was my wife—God bless her—who said I was insane. And not only was I insane, but probably all the people in the world who called themselves writers were too. Certifiable. In need of round the clock psychological care and Thorazine milkshakes. It was the pens, you see. She was going to the store, and I asked her to pick me up some pens. In my wife’s defense, I didn’t specify what sort of pens. And in my defense, I didn’t think I had to. We’ve been married for fifteen years. She’s seen me write before.But she brought home black pens. I thought it was a joke at first. I even laughed....

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Posted in: Color Creativity Pens Writing

Author Interview / Part of Chapter One

Awesome Author Interview of ME!! Also an excerpt from my newest novel!  I sincerely hope Science Fiction fans give this book a try, the reviews have been great! Thank You Jo Murphey, once again you knocked one out of the ball park!!  Thank You from the bottom of my heart. Hope over and check it out.  http://jomurphey.blogspot.c...

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Posted in: Science Fiction Author Interview

Author Interview : Thomas Wilson

Author of “No Rules Of Engagement” On December 26, My blog posted an Interview of a very dear friend and fellow writer, Jo Murphey.  Jo is extremely more talented than I am and wears many more hats throughout the normal course of a week than I do.  With all that she has on her plate she has graciously interviewed me for a post on her blog, ‘The Murphey Saga.’ It is scheduled to be on her blog on January 11, 2012, tomorrow. I implore my followers and all those who happen by this blog to pop over to Jo’s Blog sometime today, read her interview of me, and possibly an excerpt from my latest novel.  While you’re there click to follow her blog, it is great reading, wonderful insights, from a wise woman with a surprising view of the world. May God Bless and have a great d...

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Posted in: Author Interview Thomas Wilson No Rules Engagement

Doctor Oz and Breakfast

Part of my newfound passion in life besides writing is to take better care of myself in order to try and live longer thus being able to write more books before I croak.  I know it is just past the start of the new year and lots of people are joining gyms and trying to get into better shape.  My plan is not that extensive, yet.Right before the end of 2011, I tore something in my right knee.  From all I have managed to gather from the symptoms it is probably a ligament are cartilage tear.  I managed to borrow a knee brace, because what I read on line is that taking it easy and letting nature take its course in six weeks I should be good as new.  So joining the gym, running on the treadmill, and especially deep knee bends are out of bounds for the time being.No what I...

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Posted in: Dr Oz Breakfast Vitamins Healthy

"Ender's Game" might make it to the Big Screen

I remember over the holiday season a couple of weeks ago hearing about the woes of the cinemas because less people are going to the movies.  I remember thinking when I heard the radio broadcast that if anybody in Hollywood ever learned to pick up a book and started getting some original stories to turn into movies you would see a flood of people going to see them.  Also during the month of December there has been a group thread on Goodreads discussing Ender's Game being made into a movie.  I didn't get too excited at first because I have heard this rumor before twice for sure that I can remember where myself and fans I know of the book got all excited only to find out the project fizzled out because of one reason or another.Well it has come to my attention that there is actually...

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Posted in: Enders Game Movie Orson Scott Card

Cage Fighting

Sometime ago I went to my first cage fight event.  One of the salesman where I work, Mr. Scott Cutbirth, is a manager of a number of guys who are into this extreme sport.  I consider any event you compete in where it is a standard practice to have an ambulance standing by and a qualified Doctor readily standing by just incase as an extreme sport.  The first event I went to was seeing Scott fight because it was something he said he always wanted to do.  As a manger of fighters he wanted to have the experience and reference of actually climbing into a cage with another person who would be intent on causing severe bodily damage as quickly as possible. Last night I attended my second cage fighting event.  One of the guys who works for me was entered in an event at area...

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Posted in: Cage Fighting thinking reasons