buried in books

i have close to 30 boxes of books. my own books, dating back 20 years. i have over a hundred new copies of a single book. i have boxes and boxes of multiple foreign copies. i can't keep hauling these around, and i've actually contemplated throwing most of them out because i simply don't know what to do with them. most are romance and romantic suspense. those never stayed in print long, so after a few books i learned to buy extra copies and also purchase the remainders when offered. years ago i tried to sell them online, but that was such a pain in the ass that i quit doing it.

killing the main character

a lot has been written about killing off a main character. I tend to think this should never be done simply because most readers aren't going to like it. i get that, because i don't like characters i care about to die when i'm watching a movie or reading a book.

i just sent in my option proposal for a third book in the Tuonela series. I wanted to kill Evan, but didn't. But without killing him the book seems to lack the impact and feeling of completion it should have brought to the trilogy. when you put the three books together his death would have brought everything full circle and finalized a story arc that carries through all the books. but i don't want to betray readers by killing off somebody they care about.

ENDLESS HOUR short fiction contest

Jason at The Clarity of Night is hosting another one of his wonderful fiction contests.


from Jason:
Whether you're an old friend, or new to The Clarity of Night, welcome!

Spring is finally underway (I think). Let's celebrate with a contest, shall we? It has been about a year since my first contest, and this one will be my fifth. Thanks for the great run!

Using the photograph above for inspiration, compose a short fiction piece of no more than 250 words in any genre or style. Send your entry to me by email at jevanswriter at yahoo dot com before 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 25th (Eastern Time, United States). I'd prefer attachments formatted in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect, but if you have something more exotic, you can paste the text into the body of an email. Each entry will be posted and indexed.

To make things interesting, the following prizes are on the line:

* 1st Place: $25 Amazon gift certificate, 8 x 10 print of the "Endless Hour" photograph (inscribed by Jason Evans)
* 2nd Place: $20 Amazon gift certificate
* 3rd Place: $15 Amazon gift certificate
* 4th Place: $10 Amazon gift certificate
* 5th Place: $5 Amazon gift certificate
* Readers' Choice Award $15 Amazon Gift certificate, 8 x 10 print of the "Endless Hour" photograph (inscribed by Jason Evans)


But this is about more than prizes. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity to meet and interact with your fellow writers. It's amazing how many perspectives, styles, and skills shine when we all start from the same place. There is so much we can learn from each other.


read more at The Clarity of Night