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This Writing Life 3: Making a Living
Every now and then I sit back in my kitchen chair, look around with surprise and wonder how I got this lucky. Because I am, make no mistake about it. Hard work is no guarantee for success. If it were, there’d be a lot more successful people in this world. I worked...
Marketing True Magics 2: It’s Not Just the Book
To review: I have finished True Magics, third book in my Magics Trilogy (you can buy Small Magics and Cold Magics here), I have a contract to have them published this fall, and I have time to build a proper marketing campaign. So what do I do next? Being a good little...
This Writing Life 2: How I Got Here
The final step was losing my job. The first step was thirty-five years earlier in grade 3 at William Grayson School in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan, when I decided to write a book. It wasn’t original – the characters and stories came from comics I was reading. It probably...
Marketing “True Magics” 1: It’s Written! Now What?
I’ve got True Magics written! It’s done! And I have a contract with a Dragon Moon Press to publish it! This is amazing! It’s wonderful! It’s… … the third time I’ve done this. And yes, it is still cool. My first published novel was Small Magics (2007), my second...
This Writing Life 1: Introductions
It's 8:30 a.m. and I am at my desk. Well, desk is a misnomer. I'm sitting at the kitchen table in our apartment in downtown Toronto, Canada. But this table is where I work, so until the family comes home it’s my desk. My name is Erik Buchanan. I’m a professional...
Blog Hop: My Writing Process
My good friend and fellow writer K.T. Briskie tagged me in a blog hop meme and gave me some questions about my writing process. Unfortunately, I have no other authors to tag to keep the meme going, but here's my answers. 1) What am I working on? I have a fair number...
Ad Astra! April 4 to 6, 2014
It's the Ad Astra Convention this weekend! I'm on panels, reading a new short story, and aiming to misbehave! Here's my schedule: Saturday Morning: 11:00 Swords: Not Just the Pointy End Saturday Afternoon: 1:00 How to Read...Good 2:00 Signings! 7:30 Reading: Sweater...
A New Year, a New Book
Well, at long last, I have it done. True Magics, the final book in my Magics trilogy is finished. (I wasn't planning to write a trilogy. It just worked out that way) I have the contract from my publisher, the ever-brilliant Dragon Moon Press, and we are aiming for a...
Ever wonder why we all like stories so much?
Lifehacker.com has a great article on The Science of Storytelling that explains why stories are so powerful, and why a good one works so well with an audience. My favourite quote: When we are being told a story, things change dramatically. Not only are the language...
That’s just neat: What was that book?
Ever tried to find a book where you couldn't remember the title or the author, just vaguely remembered snippets? You're in luck! What was that book? is an online community that reunites folks with the booksthat they've lost. This may be one of the best ideas ever. Hat...