I'd like to welcome Michael Offutt to my blog today. I enjoyed his spectacular first release, Slipstream, and expect a lot from his sequel, Oculus. He's shared a post with us as well as an opportunity to win a signed copy! Enter in the Rafflecopter.

I think death defines our lives, and this is a theme in Oculus. From Z.E.R.O. to Jordan to Kolin, death is a cause, a motivation, and a means to make a living. It’s powerful, sad, and at times really awkward. Allow me to elaborate on this last part.

When my friend Joe lost his dad to a brain aneurysm many years ago, I asked him what happened. Joe told me that his dad died in the hospital. But to make matters worse, no one came out and told the family for 12 hours. They had all gathered in the waiting room and waited for information on how he was doing. Finally a nurse came out and said, “Oh, you guys haven’t been told? He passed away 12-hours ago.” Needless to say, Joe blew his stack. Yeah, the doctor had gone home without addressing the family. This really did happen…no joke.

That story stuck with me for years. And it crops up in Oculus. Jordan (who is defined by the absence of his father) is informed in a very unusual way about forensics results, and it really makes him both angry and disgusted. Basically, the police leave a message with his coaches. In a real world, this probably wouldn’t happen. People might say “this is illegal.”

I say to those people…so? It’s not like illegal things don’t happen every day. It’s not like people don’t get fired for doing stupid things.

It would be like having a sticky note pasted to a locker somewhere by a secretary saying “Sorry your dad died” before anyone knew that your dad was indeed dead.  But I was so intrigued by the awkwardness of Joe’s personal story that I thought…something as bad as that could really happen. And being a writer, it crept into my story.  Write what you know, right? That’s the “mantra” of the author sphere.

In beta readings, I got questions like, “Why would this happen this way? This seems incredibly inept and clumsy.”

I shrugged.  “Yes, yes it is. But I’ve seen death handled with incredible ineptness, with incredible clumsiness or even callousness.” So I decided to write it that way. I think it’s closer to the truth. People in America don’t handle death well, and we skirt around the topic as if we really don’t want to face up to the fact that all of us will someday die.

And if you read further, you will see that death is something that defines every character in some way without exception.

Please check out my writing by going to:

http://slckismet.blogspot.com/p/books.html

Book Description:

Autumn has arrived in New York, and Jordan Pendragon attends his first classes as a freshman at Cornell. Born with a brilliant mathematical mind, he balances life as a research assistant with that of a student athlete.

But Jordan also has a quest. He must find the Black Tower, a monolithic edifice housing a thing that defines the very structure of the universe. Jordan believes it is buried somewhere in Antarctica under miles of prehistoric ice.

October finds Jordan earning a starting position with the Cornell hockey team. But a dark cloud gathers over his rookie season. Unexplained deaths, whispers of a cannibal cult, a prophecy, and a stone known only as the Oculus, cast a shadow over his athletic ambitions. It is the start of a terrifying journey down a path of mystery, murder, and to a confrontation with an Evil more ancient than the stars.

Free short story that's a lead-in to this book series: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236636

About the Author:

Michael Offutt writes speculative fiction books that have science fiction, LGBT, and paranormal elements. His first book, "Slipstream" has received some critical acclaim and was published by Double Dragon in the spring. The sequel, "Oculus" came out in November 2012. He has one brother, no pets, and a few roots that keep his tree of life sufficiently watered. By day, he works for the State of Utah as a Technical Specialist. By night, he watches lots of t.v., writes, draws, and sometimes dreams of chocolate.

Michael Offutt graduated from the University of Idaho in 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in English.

He keeps a blog and would appreciate a visit or two even if all you want to do is say hi.

Website: http://slckismet.blogspot.com/p/books.html

Art relating to books: http://slckismet.blogspot.com/p/my-artwork.html

Blog: http://slckismet.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3099632.Michael_Offutt

Twitter: @MichaelOffutt

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Slipstream/164452693676933

I try to keep an eye out for practices that I think are smart when it comes to promotion. I'd like to share a few that have been on my mind. 

Michael Offutt's blog header matches his book cover (see below). He has placed reviewer blurbs in it as well.   You can view his blog live at  http://slckismet.blogspot.com/.  It's great for brand recognition. 

Sarah Ballance has only been published for a couple of years, but look at her growing catalog. Specifically, pay attention to the part I've highlighted. This is not the only link for a printable pdf.  I think we are becoming an electronic society, but people do like their paper. Sarah Ballance's website is at  http://www.sarahballance.com . 

Ballance has a huge blog following. I am one of her subscribers.  Why so many subscribers? 1. She's entertaining, has regular content and gives away something EVERY week. She's at http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/ .  

I know some authors who would say that they do not have the resources for a weekly giveaway. On the other hand, if you are going to put marketing dollars somewhere, better to reach those hearing about your books every week.  It builds customer loyalty.

Ciara Knight has a current giveaway related to her book series, The Neumarian Chronicles. She's tied the steampunk theme to this prize and amps up the excitement for winning an original piece. 

She even has additional prizes such as getting a character named for the winner and a credit at the front of the book.

I think she's brilliant for a fun, exciting, and themed giveaway. See for yourself at http://www.ciaraknight.com/ck-steampunk-giveaway/.  

I have a special guest here today. Michael Offutt is a rare find. I've followed his blog  for some time. He is always entertaining, relevant, and well-spoken.  I've commented on Michael's blog about his astute commentaries on pop culture. I've also read his book. He has written a sci-fi with some amazing world-building and social statements. Here is the link to my  review on Goodreads. I asked Michael some questions about his writing. 

Slipstream is your debut novel. What is the most surprising thing you have learned about writing or publishing that will aid you in future works? 
I’m thankful that my publisher does paperback. At the time, I had no idea how important paperbacks would be for marketing seeing as the best source right now is probably Goodreads (since that’s where the readers are). Just by running a few giveaways, I’ve increased the exposure for my book tenfold and have gotten a few sales that seem relatively steady. So I guess the thing I learned is, never sign with a publisher that doesn’t also produce a quality paperback. The “e-revolution” may be upon us, but Goodreads doesn’t believe in it. 

In Slipstream, there is a character named Dylan who has a puma that accompanies him as a protector. I found this minor character and detail fascinating. If we lived in a fantasy world and you could have an animal that you called, which animal would you choose? 
Oh I loved Dylan too. He has an even bigger role in the sequel (and I gave him a sex scene). My animal would be a white tiger because I think they’re pretty.



There is so much going on Slipstream. Do you keep a story bible to keep track of all your characters and the details disclosed in the books? 
I have lots of notes. I also keep a detailed outline. I plot everything from beginning to end before I write. If I didn’t do that, I’d never finish.

Is there a song you could list as the theme song for your book or any of your characters? 
If I did a book trailer, it would be done to the song “Outro” by French electropop band M83. The song is the last one on their 2011 double album “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”. I love their music so much. Here’s a link to it so you can have a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi35XQjFV_A

Can you see yourself in any of your characters? 
I wanted to give Jordan the same mind that I have. That’s about it.

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year? (Now that you've seen Prometheus- lol) 
Life of Pi, a masterpiece written by author Yann Martel. Here’s the trailer for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mMN693-F3U&feature=relmfu

What's the craziest writing idea you've had? 
I think that Slipstream, Oculus (which I just finished) and the books to follow are pretty crazy. People who actually read them may think I’m insane before it’s over. I can see them saying, “what the hell did I just read?”

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?
I’ve been outlining Caledfwlch, the third book in the series, and Black Tower, the fourth book.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? 
I would want to co-author a book with British author David Mitchell

If a person were to option the screen rights to Slipstream, do you have a dream director, producer, or actors? 
My dream director is Guillermo del Toro. My ultimate dream would be to have the role of Jordan be the most sought after role by gay actors in the history of cinema. Sadly, I don’t think that would be hard because there have not been any outstanding gay male roles that have ever left an impression upon a big audience. I’m trying to change that of course with Jordan. By the time the series is over, I want people to realize what a vast and complex entity he really is.  But as far as gay roles goes, there’s been nothing as iconic as Scarlett O’Hara or Holden Caulfield (which has never been cast). But you can bet, every young actor for decades has dreamed of playing Holden Caulfield. 

"Last night I died for the third time this week..." 

Jordan Pendragon is crazy good at fixing situations that have gone bad. It's a talent prized by his high school ice hockey team. However, when a car accident puts Jordan in the hospital, he wakes up with more than just an amazing slapshot in his toolbox. Jordan can manipulate space-time and in just a few weeks, he'll depend on it to save his life.


"Slipstream was a brilliantly written, YA sci-fi novel. Once I started reading, it was hard to put down. '  Donna Hole

"Wow this was an amazing piece of fantasy from an author totally new to me. The second book in this series, Oculus, can not come out soon enough." Hearts On Fire Reviews 


"Those who like the deeper concepts of space-time manipulation, aliens, dystopian worlds, and parallel universes will find this book has a lot to offer. " Clarissa Draper