20% off Editing Services Through the End of May

Hello, all! I have decided to offer a 20% discount for all editing jobs booked from now until the end of May. I offer both basic proofreading and content editing at highly competitive rates. All genres are accepted, and my turnaround time is very quick.

For more information and testimonials, please see my primary website here. If you have any specific questions, I can be reached at myriad_spheres@yahoo.com. Please put "Editing" in the subject line.

All the Best,

Michael K. Rose

My Twitter Retweet Policy

I wrote about this topic a while back, but I thought it was time to revisit my policy regarding Twitter retweets. I am very fortunate to have a great many followers who retweet my posts. So many, in fact, that I often find it difficult to consistently reciprocate. Part of this is due to volume, part is Twitter's fault. You see, if someone retweets a post I made the day before, Twitter will list the new retweet along with all the other retweets that have already been made about that post. It's easy for someone who retweeted later than all the others to get lost in the shuffle.

That being said, I do try to reciprocate for those who retweet me or mention me and my books. However, if I miss you, don't hesitate to send a directed tweet for me to retweet. Here's how to do it:

Make your tweet as normal, say, "My novel is #free this weekend, please have a look! (LINK)." Then, at the end of the tweet, add "#RT @MichaelKRose". This will send the tweet to my "Connect" timeline where I see all retweets and mentions of me, rather than the general timeline where all Tweets made by those I'm following appear. As soon as I see it, I'll be happy to send out the retweet for you. I would ask, however, that retweet requests be limited to the topics I generally focus on: books, writing, speculative fiction, etc. These are the things my followers are also interested in.

Thank you to all my Twitter friends who have helped me so much over the past year and a half!

Best,

Michael K. Rose

Duncanville, Texas Student's Eloquent Speech

A rousing speech by a Duncanville, Texas high school student may be the next viral video. If you haven't seen it, here it is:

In the video, the student, reportedly named Jeff Bliss, berates his teacher for handing out packets and yelling at students who don't understand the material rather than getting up and engaging them. Meanwhile, the teacher repeatedly and apathetically tells the student to leave.

Now, there's no real context surrounding this video yet. What set Mr. Bliss off? Are his words and actions justified? We may know more in the days to come.

However, the points he raises are valid and, no matter the instigating factors, he deserves to be applauded for his passion. And what I find most remarkable about his speech is how eloquent it is. I've often felt the need to "dumb down" dialogue to make it more "realistic," but, aside from the addition of a "yo" and some "frickin'"s, this sounds like it could have come from the pen of an award-winning screenwriter or playwright. We would do well to remember that human beings are capable of profound and eloquent expression. The fact that the words come from the mind of a high school student makes it even more remarkable.

If passion like Mr. Bliss's wasn't an anomaly, I would have much more hope for a bright future. But the lack of passion that I see among young women is truly alarming. Passion, properly channeled, is what drives people to greatness. Passion is what lets an individual master a skill, passion is what gives a person the vision to truly make a difference in this world.

But passion like this can also be turned toward destructive ends. It's up to teachers and parents to direct the passions of young people toward positive goals, not dismiss them or punish them because they are being disruptive. No matter the cause of Mr. Bliss's speech, the teacher's response should have been different. She should have said, "I understand that you're frustrated, and I really do want to discuss this with you after class." She should have made at least an attempt to listen to him rather than immediately dismissing what he was saying. Again, even if he was not justified in doing what he did, it was her responsibility to respond in a mature manner.

Mr. Bliss may or may not be right in his assessment of his teacher. But by being passionate about his position, whether right or wrong, he is an exemplification of what this world could be: not a world of passive, apathetic followers who submit to the status quo, but a world of vibrant, engaged personalities all striving to make things just a little bit better.

Interview: Michael J. Foy

Today I have an interview with science fiction author Michael J. Foy. His new novel Ghosts of Forgotten Empires, Volume 1 is now available both in print and as an eBook and can be purchased here.

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Tell us a bit about your new novel, Ghosts of Forgotten Empires, Volume 1.

Well it’s kind of like a Sci-Fi Mystery Thriller Romance. But seriously it is a mash up of genres but it’s mainly Sci-Fi. The hero comes by some alien technology left over from an ancient interstellar war that he has to employ in a new cold war since the other side came by it too.

What inspired the idea for the novel?

A couple of things. It’s actually the novelization of a screenplay that I optioned to Hollywood about 20 years ago. It was called False Gods but never made it to the big screen. I’ve updated it and tweaked it where it would be fair to say it’s now a stand-alone sequel to my first book Future Perfect.

Can you elaborate on the role Star Trek plays in Ghosts of Forgotten Empires?

The hero, Cord Devlin, is a devoted fan of the show. He drives his handler crazy by citing it all the time. But the lessons from the show come in handy when trying to put the bizarre happenings in the story in perspective.

Like you, science fiction also plays a big role in my life. Are there any science fiction writers who have influenced you either stylistically or in terms of ideas? Any non-science fiction writers who you would consider influential?

You mean other than Michael K. Rose? ;-) But there are others too. I liked the early Asimov stuff like Foundation of course. And then I like some lesser known Sci-Fi authors like Julian May and Fred Saberhagen.

For non-Sci-Fi, I liked Robert Ludlum who wrote the Jason Bourne series and liked Clive Cussler’s older books like Raise the Titanic.

What's in store for Volume 2?

Cord will find out more about the ancient interstellar war that touched Earth. And he’ll find it out from an unlikely source, his uncle Jamie McCord. In the process he’ll discover some family secrets that his mother, his only surviving parent, kept from him. He’ll need the information to survive and overcome his enemies on the other side of the Cold War.

***

Michael J Foy was born to Irish immigrants in upstate New York. At 4 and then again at 12 years old his parents moved the family to London for a year before returning to the U.S. and permanently settling in the Boston area. Michael graduated Northeastern University in 1979 with an engineering degree and worked in that profession until 1992. In 1993 he changed careers and became a recruiter servicing the publishing industry. He founded Publishing Search Solutions in 1997 where he has worked with various clients including special assignments outside of the media industry.

Since college Michael harbored the desire to write science fiction. In 1991 he sold an option for his first novel, False Gods, as a screenplay to Timothy Bogart the nephew of Peter Guber, Producer of Batman. Tim's California based production company adapted material for the big and small screens.

Michael has since published the Science Fiction novels Future Perfect, The Kennedy Effect and Ghosts of Forgotten Empires, Volume 1. 

You can visit him at his blog here.

April Giveaway: SULLIVAN'S WRATH

My March giveaway of signed copies of Short Stories went incredibly well. Thank you to all who entered, and congratulations to the winners! This month, I will be giving away ten (10) eBook copies of my novel Sullivan's Wrath. This sequel to my action-packed science fiction novel Sullivan's War has just received another 5-star review on Amazon. In addition, winners will also receive a Sullivan's War Collector's Pack: a signed 4x6 card featuring the cover of Sullivan's War plus bookmarks.

Everyone who follows my blog currently, as well as new followers, will be entered to win. If you don't yet follow, just type in your email address in the "Follow by Email" box in the sidebar to the right, hit "Submit" then follow the prompts. You'll receive a verification email which you'll have to respond to by following the link in the email, but the entire process if very easy and will only take a minute or so. Once you are following my blog, you'll receive updates about new posts that I make.

If you already follow, you don't need to do anything; you're already entered.

Ten eBook copies of Sullivan's Wrath plus the Collector's Packs are up for grabs, so your odds of winning are pretty good! The contest will end on April 30, 2013, and the winners will be selected on May 1.

Once again, to enter the contest, type your email address in the "Follow by Email" box to the right and follow the prompts.

Best wishes and good luck!

Michael K. Rose