Monday, January 17, 2005

Catch-22

Catch-22 as defined in McGraw-Hill dictionary states: (noun) “An impossible situation where you are prevented from doing one thing until you have done another thing, but you can not do the other thing until you have done the first thing.”

When I first considered writing a book for possible publication I thought the hardest part would be ... well, writing the book. Wrong! I was told that there are only two ways that I could see my book in print. First; I might consider self-publishing. In other words a few hundred hours of my time in creating a business of my own and many thousands of my own dollars invested. Sorry, that’s not going to happen. Or, I was told, there is another way. I could find one of the many hundreds of publishing houses that are in business and try to get one of them to publish my manuscript.

I obtained the latest edition of Writer’s Market and I scrupulously followed their directions. I wrote only to those in my genre and only to the agents or houses that were open to novice or unpublished writers. Of the twenty-seven query letters that I sent I received in return twenty-five form letters stating, in essence, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Two of the people that I wrote to did not even bother to mail a dreaded form letter back to me. Perhaps they needed my SASE more than I did. To me the problem seemed insurmountable because they were not turning down anything that I had written, because none of them had read any of it. They all were turning down my even having the opportunity for them to read it.

Here is where the Catch-22 comes into play: In order for a publishing house to want to look at your work they want you to be represented by an agent. But in order for the agent to want to represent you, they want you to have a published work. WHAT? I thought only politicians talked like that.

So I decided to skip the only two ways that I was told that I could see my book published and I have made up a third way. I’ll call it, “having it my way.” Okay, I admit that it does sound suspiciously like the slogan that Burger King uses, but it was either that or “just do it” and I’m pretty sure that I’ve heard that one before also.

This is the part where all of you come in. The bloggers, geo-cachers, fervent readers, insomniacs, bored out of your minds, you’re mad as hell and your not going to take it anymore! ... Sorry. I was beginning to rant. As soon as I get a tissue and wipe the spittle from my lips I will type some more.

In addition to reading an unpublished manuscript and having the opportunity to act as my agent/publisher/proofreader and general audience you will have a chance to find and receive a buried treasure. Well, I can at least promise you that it is buried... honest (see the follow-up picture). Remember, “What is trash to one, may be treasure to another.”




This seven week contest is for you if you are adventurous, like to read, enjoy contests where you can win a prize, would like to match wits with others, good at riddles and problem solving, likes to take long walks along the beach... No wait, that last phrase is for a different ad I’m running. Here is how this contest will work.

Every Sunday at approximately 7:00 p.m. EST I will post between 30 and 40 pages of my new manuscript (15,000 - 20,000 words). At the end of each new posting there will be a riddle, puzzle, or a problem to solve. Each answer will build to a final climax where the last riddle will have to do with something that you read in the book. Once the entire puzzle is properly put together it will give you geographical coordinates that will tell you exactly where I buried the prize.

Because this is going out over the Internet it would be possible for the person that solves it to be half a world away from where the prize is located. So, I have decided to give away two prizes. The contents will be exactly the same for each winner. As soon as the final portion of the story and the corresponding riddle have been posted, I will begin to accept emails from readers that feel they have the answer. I will accept only the earliest email entry from each individual. In this way it will make it virtually impossible for any person to correctly guess the proper answer. The first person with the exact coordinates and location that emails the answer to me I will the following day send your prize to you by first-class mail. For the second winner, once the city, state, and the exact coordinates are known, if you live nearby and want to take a chance on being first, then you are welcome to come and dig your prize up for yourself.

What’s in it for me? I’m glad you asked. Since we can’t tell which came first, the chicken or the egg, the man or the child, the agent or the publisher et cetera, then my best hope for having my work published in book form is to have a lot of people read it; and I hope find it enjoyable. At that point a publisher might bypass the agents and give me a call. If you do like it then please email me and let me know. But if you are only lukewarm about it or do not care for it, even perhaps dislike it...or maybe...even...hate it! Well you can just, “EAT CRAP AND DIE!!!” Just kidding around...sort of.

All joking aside I really would value your input, both the positive and the negative comments. I have asked a few of my friends, co-workers and a couple of relatives to read it and to give me their opinions. I told them I would like to have their comments so that I could forward them to potential agents and publishers. To this they all readily agreed. But for the purpose of the Internet I removed any personal references to me and I am using only their initials and not their full names. The reason that I chose these six people was that I know that in their private lives they are all devoted readers of the type of fiction that I wrote. See the post below for their thoughts.

Reviews of the manuscript titled, "James Christens"

“----- ------- a friend of mine asked me to read his first attempt at writing a full-length novel. Before reading it I thought, ‘How can I give him my honest opinion and still keep him as my friend?’ But, after reading it, I know I can do both. I like books that capture my attention and the occasional one that might also teach me something. His novel James Christens did both. Early on his lead character divulges how he catches criminals, from that point on I thought, ‘What if this is not a work of fiction at all?’ Toward the end of the book there are several pages where the two main characters have a prolonged discourse, and the final secrets are revealed. Since that first time that I read that part I suppose that I have read those particular pages at least twenty more times. Now every time I read the daily paper and I see someone who acted out in a terrible manner I think about those passages.” --- M.C.

“----- -------- James Christens is a suspenseful thriller in the vein of Silence of the Lambs, but with a twist. His novel takes a close look at the seedy underbelly of society and today’s justice system. Irreverent, and at times ironic, this tale of gripping horror will captivate a local audience and beyond.” --- D.S.

“----- ------- is my new must read. Intrigue and menace mingle in this fascinating and absorbing story. The more I read, the more I had to read. James Christens is many notches above the intelligent thriller, this is pure genius.” --- R.J.

“A chilling look at the extremely thin line between good and evil; graphic details of a killers’ quest to fulfill his destiny while seeking peace for his inner soul as well as morality.
“Perhaps we are but what we are born to be. Fate cannot always be altered.
“Justice will survive in our world of liberal values. This book will take you through struggles of life unknown by many of us.
“Detailed, yet riveting, the story weaves to an intriguing end. A book you will read to the end.
“A great story and gallant first effort.” --- A.W.

“James Christens tells a compelling story about exploring the depths and surprising causes of human behavior. This story makes it easy to believe and will leave even the most cynical to wonder - what if?” --- M.L.

“As an avid reader of mystery writers, King, Koontz, Cornwell, it is always refreshing to read a new author.
“This chilling tale put me right in the action with details and characters which brought the story to life. The story could be in today’s headlines rather than fiction.
“I would recommend this book (James Christens) to anyone who loves eerie, dark tales.” --- D.W.

More information about the "treasure hunt"

See I told you I picked people who like to read. From the way that each one wrote their reviews I believe that you can tell that these are people who read a lot.

I can tell you that the story line and what Robert Brampton (a central figure in the book) teaches is somewhat unique. At least I have never seen this particular idea presented or developed in a book before. Even though the work and my characters are fictional, I like the idea that what is presented is possible. It is something that could not be proven, but neither could it be disproved. But if it were true, it certainly would explain a lot about what is happening in the world today.

During the seventh week of the contest the final segment of the book will be posted. After you read what transpires at the airport I would especially like to hear your thoughts on what is written.

My work is not published, but because I have decided to present it in such a public forum, I did decide to get a copyright for my work.

Also because of how I am setting up this contest, it would be possible for you to come in at any point of the seven-week period and still have enough time to be a winner. At 342 words per page the length of the book is approximately 350 pages. Although for the purpose of it being read on the Internet I am putting more words per page than the 350 that is mentioned.

One more thing; once you start reading you will see that a lot of the story unfolds in a town in the Midwest. There are public streets and public places mentioned. But you will notice that although the streets are real, they do not lead to the places that the book says they do. For example, two streets in the book bisect, and in the real city they do not. At another point, a horrific crime takes place on a street that is real; but the apartment that is mentioned does not exist. There are many examples like that in the book, and in every case it is intentional.

I know just a few words ago I said, “one more thing”. I lied. The treasure box that I buried has seven items in it. At the end of each new posting of my book I will list one of those items, until with the last posting you will know what is contained in the box. Happy reading and good-luck in the treasure hunt.

Contest Starting Date

This contest will begin on Sunday, January 30th, at 7:00 pm Eastern Time.

At that time the first installment of the manuscript, "James Christens", will be uploaded to the blog hyperlinked below. Also included will be the first riddle, which will lead you to your first clue to find your way to the treasure. At that time, I will also name the first of the seven prizes buried in the treasure box for whoever discovers it first. Remember this is a real contest, with real prizes. And hopefully, a good mystery for you to enjoy before it is ever published.

Make sure to tell your friends about the fun; You may be able to figure out the riddles faster as a team! They say two heads are better than one!

Week Seven is now Available!!

This link will take you to the novel where the first installment has been published to the blog.James Christens