Merry Christmas America (Are We Dead Yet?)

A few years back, Xmas in Rome.

 

Yes, I'm writing on Christmas morning, but that's not my choice, it's sort of my duty. A long time ago when I was studying and writing at The Breadloaf Writer's Conference, the novelist Tim O'Brien kindly took me under his wing, personally critiqued a short story of mine which was then called Portrait, and which later became the novel, When Shadows Come (a novel that was orphaned prior to its release from Thomas & Mercer when the editor jumped ship--something that happens a lot over there. But as usual, I digress). 

In the middle of going over the story, sometimes line by line, he with red pencil in hand and trademark Boston Red Sox baseball cap on his head, lit cigarette between his lips, suddenly asked, "Hey you don't happen to have any coke on you?" 

I was sorely disappointed I didn't. 

In any case, when we were through he said...and I'll never forget it..."One day, you're going to be more famous than you are now. You will have fans, and they will expect a lot out of you. They will, in some cases, become more needy than your wives (yes, he used the plural), and you will need to put out for them. That means you will be writing on your birthday, when you are sick with the flu, when you are happy, and when you are depressed. You will be writing ON CHRISTMAS DAY, whether you like it or not." 

So there you have it, readers. It's Christmas and I will spend my day or most of it anyway, working on novel edits. But let me say, Merry Christmas to you all. Some might find that offensive but I'm not woke, and shall forever remain asleep, metaphorically speaking, I guess. 2020 is about to come to an end and let's hope the door slaps it on the ass on the way out. 

I still recall standing inside a bar in Lake Placid last New Years Eve as a blizzard was blowing outside. I had a pool cue in hand, and was watching the wall mounted TV while my GF was beating me at pool. The report about a virus outbreak in China sent a chill down my spine. At that point it was still a small story in the grand scheme of things, but I recall saying half under my breath to said GF, "This is going to be bad. This is going to be very, very bad." And bad it became. 

I'm not fond of the Grateful Dead, and in fact, I hate their music (I prefer old punk rock), but I'm reminded of their song that goes What a Long Strange Trip it's Been. It's raining outside my window. I had planned on skiing today (sorry Tim), but the grass outside my writing studio looks like a putting green. There's hardly any planes in the air and many fewer cars on the road. Carbon emissions are way down. Why isn't it snowing AOC? But again, I digress. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't feel like Christmas. In fact, the whole year doesn't feel like we've progressed, but if anything, regressed into this population of fenced in individuals who are slowly going insane with boredom, loneliness, financial ruin, and despair (BTW, my profound thanks to the US government for pulling through with stimulus for normal everyday folks who will visit the food lines today instead of enjoying a nice Xmas dinner. The US government is broken and you only have yourself to blame...You know precisely who you are. Enjoy your ice cream, Nancy. And Mitch, I hope you're sipping only the best Kentucky bourbon today with a big fat cigar stuffed in your mouth. You both should be drawn and quartered in public...once more, I digress). 

But it almost feels like we've actually succumbed to the disease and simply don't know it yet. Like a person who's suddenly dropped dead and sort of hangs around for a while as a ghost. Or maybe we're all in purgatory. Who knows? But then, election fraud was real, not that anybody cares. The rent is still due, and the price of chicken has doubled if not tripled in just just a few months. These things are reality. 

So than, I can bitch and moan all I want, but on the other hand, I am thankful for my health, my relative youth, my publishers (Yet another notable outfit approached me the other day and said they would love a Zandri novel in their catalogue, God bless them...I remember when I couldn't find a publisher to save my life. Now they come to me in some cases), my family, my kids, my mom, my life (which is blessed in every sense of the word), my God, my travels, my country (as busted up as it is), and what lies in store for the future. It's got to be better than this. My hopes are that very, very soon, all us dead folk will be resurrected. 

Today, you can get my brand new release, CHASE BAKER AND THE ARK OF GOD for special intro price. You can also get my brand new big 4.8 star thriller, THE GIRL WHO WASN'T THERE there also for a special holiday price. Last but never least, THE EMBALMER, the pilot novel in the Steve Jobs PI series is just 0.99 since it's a Bargain Booksy promo for 24 hours. 

It's Christmas morning so no doubt you'll want to fill up that new Kindle eReader you just unwrapped. 

A very Merry Xmas to you all, and a Happy and prosperous New Year. 

WWW.VINZANDRI.COM

 

  

   

It's a real Hank Moody day, let me tell you...

A real Hank Moody moment...

It must be the holidays, because yesterday I consumed ten chicken wings, a plate of greens and beans, prosecco, red wine, beer, and a shot of Jameson. This morning I am miraculously up and at 'em at my laptop, pounding out the words, even if the electrical signals from brain matter to typing fingers are a little slow. It's a real Hank Moody day, let me tell you. See what happens when you're a full-time author and you suddenly find yourself single again?

First off, Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays all around. 2017 was a stellar year for me in terms of word count, book and story publication. It was also a year where I made a sort of dramatic shift from making traditional publishing my priority with the independent side of things being a fun sideline, to quite the opposite.

I now consider the indie publishing method of primary importance. That doesn't mean I'm giving up traditional. Not at all. I'm still a hybrid. But this year I became entirely enamored not only with the freedom of indie publishing, but also the financial, passive income possibilities and the lack of industry volatility. IE: I have had two editors from traditional world either yanked from their jobs or decide to quit just prior to a book's publication, dooming the title, at least in the short term (one of these titles actually went on to sell a couple hundred thousand copies...ten years later). Such totally-out-my-control issues becomes non-issues in indie world.

My kind of Xmas!

The thing about indie, it's a matter of content. While my traditional publishers could never nor would ever take more than one book per year from me (sometimes they decide not to take any!), I can, under the guise of my own publishing label (Bear Media), publish as much material as I wish. The more the better, and my true fans are happy to have the new material as fast as I can write it (and have it edited, of course).

It's a matter of math. If one of my indie books/stories earns me $2.07 per day (sounds paltry doesn't it?), imagine what 100 will earn me, per day? This is a passive income that is entirely separate from the royalties earned on traditional agented projects. But you get the idea. The more I write, the more money I make. And what's even better, I own 100% of my rights. I also get paid once per month. Which means, in years to come, it will be my children who get paid once per month and their children, and so on. 

What I foresee in the future (in fact, it's already in the works), is all of my novels and stories being available not only in all commercial markets but also in a store at my website WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM where the thousands of readers and fans who subscribe to my "For Your Eyes Only" newsletter can purchase what they want, when they want it, directly. Not everyone believes in shopping at Amazon and not every Amazon customer even considers buying a book from Kobo. Not everyone wants to get in the car and go to the bookstore, that is you can still find one that hasn't become a toy store/coffee shop. But they can always come to my store, even if they're in bed, totally butt naked. It's always open. This is the eventual journey indie publishing will take us. The inevitable destination.

One of these indie projects is my Handyman series. Tagline: Would you commit murder for art's sake?  This steamy, noir thriller is as graphic as it is suspenseful. But don't take my word for it. I'm just the author. As of today, the entire first season is collected in one single handy bundle. It's called, appropriately, The Handyman: Season I...If you're into this kind of graphic romantic noir, this is totally for you:

Buy The Handyman:Season I in the US

Buy The Handyman: Season I in the UK

"Merry Christmas you old building and loan!"
WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM 


   

A Very Zandri Christmas 2015

A very Hemingway Christmas...

I don't want to fall into that, "It's Christmas and time for reflection thing," because it seems that's the general article every writer no matter his or her politics, religion, and or sexual preference writes on a nice day like today. But having spent the past two months in Italy touring a new Italian edition of MOONLIGHT SONATA and rewriting my newest stand-alone, THE DETONATOR, along with a full first draft of the newest in the Chase Baker action/adventure pulp series, CHASE BAKER AND THE DA VINCI DIVINITY, I have come to just a few conclusions that will propel me into the new year, not necessarily as a hard working writer (I always work hard), but a writer who will work smarter.

Some adjustments I'll be making for 2016:

--As a hybrid author, I enjoy contracts with several publishers, big and small. But this year, I'm going to pay special attention to growing my own, Bear Media, list of books. This was the first year where I saw significant sales in my indie novels. Namely, the Chase Baker books of which the first in the series, THE SHROUD KEY, was named One of the Best of 2014 by Suspense Magazine. Now that writer/journalist Ben Sobieck is also penning original episodes of the series, I expect to see significant growth in Chase Baker world.

--Less journalism, more fiction. Back in 1999 when I signed my first big contract for my first big novel, As Catch Can (now THE INNOCENT), I chucked journalism altogether, thinking I would nail a 250K contract once per year. What a dope I was. That said, I've always believed a writer needs many outlets for his work in order to make a nice living. That includes journalism outlets. I still write some journalism and maintain my membership with SPJ, but while I'm paid for my time as a journalist, the work isn't the gift that keeps on giving. That means, more fiction. Think the 80/20 principle here. 80% more time spent on scalable fiction projects, and 20% on the journalism.

--Blogging. Was a time when writers were encouraged to blog constantly, since the posts would inevitably lead readers to your books. That basic premise still holds true but blogging doesn't quite have the "Buy Me" power it once did. Let's face it, there's so much noise out there in the blogosphere already that chances are, your words are only making things worse. Again, write more fiction, less noise.

--Word Count. I'm not one of those Bananaramo writers, nor do I feel the need to state a specific word count for any given work day. But I do feel I the need increase my word count this year. I generally write between five to seven pages per day when writing a new book. But this year, I'll try increasing that to ten pages.

--Readings. I dreamt last night that I was giving a reading to a student body. I take that as a sign that I should be out there doing more readings and speaking engagements. Therefore, if you're reading this, and you want me to read and/or speak at your school or function, just email me at Vazandri@aol.com and we'll set a date.

There's probably more things I'm going to try and improve upon this year, but I drank way too much wine last night in beautiful Florence, where the smells of roasting garlic pervades the air and the Christmas bells are ringing in the cathedral towers. I think I need to head out for a run and then open up some gifts with my family who have flown over the Atlantic to enjoy the holidays with me. I might be an ocean away from my American friends and fans but that doesn't mean you're not always in my thoughts. Thanks for making it a spectacular 2015!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM 

Christmas: A Reflection and a Plan

For some, Christmas is a day to open presents, eat and drink a lot, and generally party it up with friends and family. This is my first holiday season home in a quite a while, so for me it's all of those things but also a time of reflection. Astrologers say that Cancers are always looking back at the past as if thirty years ago were yesterday. But today, Christmas Day, December 25, 2014, I'm looking forward.

Here's what I'm looking forward to in 2015:

--The release of my new big stand-alone thriller, Everything Burns, on Feb 1. This novel, from Thomas & Mercer, will be the first in my Albany Noir Trilogy. I am making a prediction that it hits the Top 10 for all books in Kindle right out of the gate (How about them apples Mr. Kennedy!?).

--2015 will also see the completion of the second in the Albany Trilogy, Orchard Grove, as well as my new international thriller, Lost Grace (new title pending). Scream Catcher will be republished under my own label, Bear Media, but there's a surprise in store for this project. It will published in six episodes, much like an online television series. Each piece will stand alone, but propel the overall plot of a serial killer who records the screams of his victims as they are dying with his cell phone (Where do I come up with this stuff? I don't know. I think my parents dropped me on my head when I was a baby...)

--I'll be writing the third installment in the Chase Baker series. This one taking place, in part, in Nepal, India, and beyond, and will rely on the research trip I took to each country this past summer. (The Chase Baker series has been holding court in the Top 50 for Amazon International Thrillers in the UK for months)

--I'm currently planning another adventure for the late winter, early spring. I'm not about to divulge the location because I haven't quite decided what it will be and on which continent. Of course, funding is always a challenge, but I'll manage to scrape up the casheshe. It will be doozy I guarantee.

--On a personal note, this is also the year I hope to become a better dad, a better friend, cut down on the beer (just a little), eat healthier, become more spiritual, push aside politics, spend time in Florence, Paris, and Madrid, and in general, live the life.

Thanks to my fans who have made that "life" possible. You are the greatest gift any writer can receive for the Holidays.

Cheers and God bless!

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM