COFFEE WITH A WRITER! Frostburg Center for Literary Arts, Saturday, October 3

Hosted by the Frostburg Center for Literary Arts

22 East Main St, Frostbugh

Mt. Pleasant Writers Circle to host award-winning author

Thursday, March 19
Book signing at 4:30
Discussion at 5:30 
At the Mt. Pleasant Public Library

Read more: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmtpleasant/7836081-74/miller-circle-local#ixzz3Ue2fDNKg

Uniontown's Jason Jack Miller will serve as the guest speaker for the Mt. Pleasant Public Library Writers Circle session at 5:30 p.m. March 19. He will also conduct a book signing beginning an hour prior on that date at the facility at 120 S. Church St. in the borough.

By Marilyn Forbes

Award-winning author Jason Jack Miller of Uniontown will serve as the guest speaker of the Mt. Pleasant Public Library Writers Circle at the group's meeting March 19.

Miller will be at the library at 120 S. Church St. at 4:30 p.m. to sign books. He will then conduct a discussion and reading at 5:30 p.m.

He will talk to members of the circle about his own works and the art of adding local color and flair to their work.

Read the rest: http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourmtpleasant/7836081-74/miller-circle-local#ixzz3Ue2fDNKg

MURDER BALLADS AND WHISKEY IN SF SIGNAL

John DeNardo, Managing Editor at SF Signal and columnist for Kirkus Reviews, researched this great list of 385 Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror eBooks Priced Less than $5 Each. He has generously included my novels--The Devil and Preston Black, Hellbender, The Revelations of Preston Black--as well as Heidi's Marked by Light, the first book in her Ambasadora space opera series.

Other authors include fellow Seton Hill Writer Tim Waggoner as well as Brandon Sanderson, Paul S. Kemp, Michael Swanwick, Tim Powers, Peter Straub, Lilith Saintcrow, Gail Carriger, Philip Pullman, Marissa Meyer, Justin Gustainis, Chuck Wendig, and about 270 more, give or take.

WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR

Thank you Albert Wendland for inviting me to participate in the My Writing Process (#mywritingprocess) blog tour.

1) What am I working on?

Right now I'm juggling a few things. As long as they don't fall at the same time, I'm good.

ALL SAINTS is the next part of the MURDER BALLADS AND WHISKEY series. It tells Ben's story after the events in THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK. Ben is dealing with his PTSD and some other issues as a few of some of Dani's old enemies close in. Right now I'm working on a section from Dani's POV that sets the stage for the events in ALL SAINTS to play out. I'm really excited to be telling her story, and in a way, I think I'm seeing MURDER BALLADS AND WHISKEY is as much about her as it is Preston, Katy and the gang. 

The other big thing I got going is the thriller I'm working on with Heidi. Kind of like CHILD 44 meets THE X FILES. Very, very excited about this.

Lastly, I'm repackaging THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK and THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK into an Amazon bundle which will include song lyrics, short stories, some article I've written about the music I curated for the books. Kind of a Preston Black 'starter kit.'
 

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

If anything, it's urban/dark fantasy meets rural noir. The back cover blurb for HELLBENDER describes it as 'JUSTIFIED with witches,' but it's a lot more than that. THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK reveals some strong literary elements while sticking to a fairly structured plot. Most of the horror elements are subtle, and of a more personal/less supernatural nature. THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK is a more tightly structured plot that lets it sit firmly in the catbird seat between dark fantasy, horror, and supernatural thriller.

The best part of this nebulous genre labeling? My readers come from across the spectrum. Literary readers see deeper meaning in Preston's actions. Romance readers see the love triangle between Preston, Katy and Dani. The only thing it isn't, is SF (until PRESTON BLACK AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, that is.)  

3) Why do I write what I do?

I write what I know and love. Music, travel and the power of place, meeting the girl of your dreams. I try to live in a way that puts her first, and I think that's why the relationships are always at the center of my plots. And then there's the drinking...

4) How does my individual writing process work?

My process doesn't emanate from any particular place. The plot of REVELATIONS came from an image I had in my head—a woman walking through a swamp with fistfuls of vipers. HELLBENDER was conceived when a crazy weekend on Spruce Knob, West Virginia joined forces with a bunch of guide stories I hoped to tell one day. The book is is essentially a result of my love of the mountains. THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK is my love letter to music.

But the process begins with a complete outline. Okay, 80% of an outline. Pages and pages of research—setting details, colloquialisms, historical details. I need to get as immersed in a world as I possibly can. The details let plot points reveal themselves to me as I go. That deep knowledge lets my outline—maybe that final 20%—materialize while I write.    

Here are some other participant responses:
Heidi Ruby Miller

Jen Brooks

Anika Denise 
Shawn Hopkins
Eva Hudson
Rhonda Mason
Albert Wendland
K. Ceres Wright

Murder Ballads and Whiskey on Kindle Unlimited!

All three of my novels are available on Kindle Unlimited! If you know anybody who is trying Kindle Unlimited out (and you enjoyed Preston Black's antics) please recommend these. I'd greatly appreciate it.

If you're unfamiliar with Kindle Unlimited, here's the description from Amazon:
 

Kindle Unlimited gives you the freedom to explore. Try new genres, discover new authors, and dive into new adventures with unlimited access to our wide and varied selection of books. From rhetoric to romance, or comedy to tragedy, you will find unlimited stories waiting to be discovered. Relive the classics you grew up with, start on that best seller you’ve been wanting to read or try one of the hundreds of thousands of books you won’t find anywhere. Find your next great read today. 

The Revelations of Preston Black Goodreads Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Revelations of Preston Black

by Jason Jack Miller

Giveaway ends February 26, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

BOOTLEG: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Oakdale Theater, Wallingford, CT, February 5, 1999

The days are getting longer, but not warmer. Back in the day Dave would take a break from the band and hit a bunch of small colleges with Tim Reynolds for a series of acoustic shows. This is one of them. Perfect listening for this time of year.

Download the show at Sugarmegs.


Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Oakdale Theater, Wallingford, CT, February 5, 1999

------------------------------------------------------
Disc 1 - set I
------------------------------------------------------
1. Dave talking
2. Granny
3. Say Goodbye
4. Lie In Our Graves
5. Best Of What's Around
6. Jimi Thing >
7. What Will Become Of Me>Pantala Naga Pampa
8. Too Much
9. Reconcile Our Differences
10. Don’t Drink The Water (This Land Is Our Land)
------------------------------------------------------
Disc 2 (set I cont.)
------------------------------------------------------
1. The Stone>Cant Help Falling In Love
2. Tim Solo
3. Crush
4. Two Step
5. Satellite
6. #41
------------------------------------------------------
Disc 3: (set I cont.)
------------------------------------------------------
1. Lover Lay Down
2. So Much To Say
3. Tim Reynolds solo
4. Crash
5. Dancing Nancies
-encore-
6. Typical Situation
7. I'll Back You Up
8. Watchtower
------------------------------------------------------

Ghosts of Christmas Past--THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING!

Take off one point if you said, "Jelly of the Month Club ." 

Ghosts of Christmas Past--Drunken Uncles!

It ain't really Christmas until the uncles are on the verge of passing out beneath the tree with their copy of THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK.

KRAMPUS APPROVES OF KRASS KOMMERCIALISM!

Otherwise, he would've been more careful with licensing his image.

Trade paperback at http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/devil-and-preston-black/

eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Preston-Murder-Ballads-Whiskey-ebook/dp/B004SURM0O 

Trade paperback at http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/hellbender/

eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Hellbender-Murder-Ballads-Whiskey-ebook/dp/B006AHKFRU/

Trade paperback at http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/the-revelations-of-preston-black/

eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Preston-Ballads-Whiskey-ebook/dp/B00DLJPZLG/ 

More than happy to share my contribution to crass commercialization!

And y'all are acting like this is something new. 

Buy my books for a loved one! (Or a hated one!)

http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/devil-and-preston-black/

http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/hellbender/

http://rawdogscreaming.com/books/the-revelations-of-preston-black/

HELLBENDER Nominated for Book of the Year by Appalachian Writers Association!

Just saw that HELLBENDER is an official nominee for the Appalachian Writers Association Book of the Year!

In case you've been living under a rock (like a real hellbender) here's the info from the back cover: Although the Collins clan is steeped in Appalachian magic, Henry has never paid it much attention. But when his younger sister dies mysteriously Henry can't shake the feeling that the decades-old feud between his family and another is to blame.

Strange things are happening at the edge of reality, deep in the forests and mountains of West-Virginia. Let Jason Jack Miller take you to a place where love is forever even when death isn't, where magic doesn't have to be seen to be believed, where a song might be the only thing that saves your soul.

Jason Jack Miller's Murder Ballads and Whiskey series is a unique blend of dark fiction, urban fantasy and horror. It's Appalachian Gothic, Alt.Magical.Realism, Hillbilly Horror. It's American Gods meets Justified. True Blood with witches. It's Johnny Cash with a fistful of copperheads singing the devil right back to hell.

And here's a little write-up that appeared on Popmatters: In 'Hellbender', Is He Speeding Away from Trouble? Or Toward It?

And one more from FEARNET: Jason Jack Miller's 'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains.

Check out the Appalachian Writers Association.

Jason Jack Miller's 'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains - See more at: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/jason-jack-millers-hellbender-finds-magic-and-murder-mountains#sthash.OyhFpFp3.dpuf

Jason Jack Miller's 'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains - See more at: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/jason-jack-millers-hellbender-finds-magic-and-murder-mountains#sthash.OyhFpFp3.dpuf

Jason Jack Miller's 'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains - See more at: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/jason-jack-millers-hellbender-finds-magic-and-murder-mountains#sthash.OyhFpFp3.dpuf

Jason Jack Miller's 'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains - See more at: http://www.fearnet.com/news/review/jason-jack-millers-hellbender-finds-magic-and-murder-mountains#sthash.OyhFpFp3.dpuf

THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK is live!

Get it for your Kindle or Kindle app now! 

DOWNLOAD: The Indie Band Survival Guide! (Works for writers, too.)

The secret? Works great for writers too. Special web edition available for free via Creative Commons.

http://www.reverbnation.com/ebook/indie_band_survival_guide.pdf

http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/8756

From TIME: Literary Revolution in the Supermarket Aisle: Genre Fiction Is Disruptive Technology

I happily avoid the literary/genre debate, because no good can come from such discussions. Feelings get hurt, people cry. But by not worrying about the distinctions between genres, or between genre and literary, I've been free to write pretty much whatever I've wanted. So don't call me a 'genre writer' or a 'literally writer.' I'm neither. I'm a happy writer.

Writers should take the time to read Grossman's commentary though, if only to arm yourselves against the haters.

"Blue-chip literary writers — finding that after years of deprivation under the modernist regime their stores of plot devices are sadly depleted — have been frantically borrowing from genre fiction, which is where plot has been safely stockpiled for all these decades."

"Something nagged at me while I was reading Krystal’s piece, something familiar, and I’ve finally figured out what it is: it’s another New Yorker piece, from a few weeks ago, a profile of Clayton Christensen, the Harvard business professor who first applied the word “disruptive” to technology. Christensen had observed that in many industries, established companies based on high-end, sophisticated technologies tend to become complacent. They consider themselves invulnerable, or at best they look for challenges from even-higher-end technologies. But they’re looking in the wrong places, and what in fact happens is that they are disrupted from below: crude, low-end technologies develop at the bottom of the marketplace, then evolve to the point where they take over their markets and displace the established high-end companies, who never saw it coming.

I’m beginning to wonder if something like that is happening in contemporary fiction. We expect literary revolutions to come from above, from the literary end of the spectrum — the difficult, the avant-garde, the high-end, the densely written. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on. Instead we’re getting a revolution from below, coming up from the supermarket aisles. Genre fiction is the technology that will disrupt the literary novel as we know it."

Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/23/genre-fiction-is-disruptive-technology/#ixzz2MObwFIUE

Gruß vom Krampus!

A collection of my Krampus memes from the last few days!

  Happy Krampusnacht and Gruß vom Krampus!

 

Preston Black's Opening Act

Just a reminder that there's a little get-together at Black Bear on Pleasant Street this Saturday! Kind of a pre-launch for THE DEVIL AND PRESTON BLACK. It's a causal thing, and everybody's invited. Just stop by if you're in town. We'll have music by ABACUS JONES--an amazing group of guys--and a raffle to benefit The Friends of the Cheat.

Saturday, December 8, 2-4pm. Black Bear Burritos, Pleasant Street. Hope to see some of yinz there.

 

'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains

Jason Jack Miller's 'Hellbender' Finds Magic and Murder in the Mountains

"Family feuds are a huge part of the history and folklore of this country. The Hatfield and McCoy families alone have accounted for endless books, television shows and punch lines. People outside the feuds may see them as pointless and silly, but to those deeply entangled in them, they are a matter of life and death. They often start over matters like a piece of land or a broken relationship; important things, yes, but usually not worth the violence, heartbreak and bloodshed that stains their names for years and generations to follow."

Read the rest at Fearnet.com!

Worse than cold sores.

Sir John Edward of Lawson infected me (like I always knew he would,) and now it's my turn to spread the disease. Basically, it involves searching for the first  use of the word “look” in your work in progress, then pasting that paragraph, and those immediately before and after, into a blog post, after which you spread the disease to five other authors.   

 

This is from the very, very beginning of THE REVELATIONS OF PRESTON BLACK, a little alt newspaper article about an upcoming show. Kind of tells us a little about Katy and Preston since last we saw them.

     From the moment she walks across that stage, you know Katy Stefanic is the kind of girl you could fall in love with. Though romantically involved but not married, the pair play off of each other like they have been attached at the hip for no less than twenty years, instantaneously responding to frequent and impulsive key and tempo changes. Call me jaded, but watching Stefanic and Black work the aural space over the crowd mesmerized me in a way only more seasoned acts have been able to do in recent years. Except for the random, "Marry me, Katy," (or, "Call me, Preston,") the crowd remains stone silent during ballads and quiet instrumentals. Even more curious is the way audience responds to the mix of old time throw-down melodies and punk-fast tempos with fists in the air and good old-fashioned foot stomping. And when the lights came up for the first encore the frenzied crowd responded like Joe Strummer himself  was going to join them for a song or two.

     I had a chance to talk to Stefanic and Black after their show in D.C. last Saturday and asked them about their relationship and how it affected their musical development. Preston was more than content to let his beloved Katy do most of the talking. With a wide smile, she folded her  hands over her knee and explained, "Sharing music with somebody is a lot like sharing a bed. After a while you start to know when something's building, when things are going to sour, when the temperature's going to change with just a look."

     Preston added, "It's like yinz and y'all. Same language, just different ways of saying things. What the audience hears is where we meet in the middle."

---

Dog Con, Here We Come! Pink Floyd "Dogs"

You got to be crazy. You got to have a real need.
You got to sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street,
You got to be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed…

Nobody wants to run alone. The need to be part of the pack is in our DNA as much as eye color. You know you need the pack as much as the pack needs you. 

I'm part of Raw Dog Screaming Press's pack now, and that's what I've been counting down. A celebration of this innovative publisher's ten years in the business. It's a chance to strengthen our bonds, to have a laugh, and to figure out how to make 2013 a year filled with moments just right for striking.

PINK FLOYD "DOGS"

Roger Waters "Dogs" Better quality, but Waters only plays bass, so not really 'Pink Floyd's' "Dogs."