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My writerly sin
English: A young orangutan at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I’ve written before about what I termed dumb author worries. Now I’m going to confess my main sin as an author. I don’t...
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Lines of power
Do particular lines from novels speak to you? Bowl you over with their power? The lines “That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book.” from Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut keep...
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Free God for two days
And God Said… My first novel, And God Said…An Absurd Tale of Love, Power, and Paperwork, will be available as a free Kindle ebook today and tomorrow – the last two days it will be free on Kindle. Find...
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My name is
Pens (Photo credit: NguyenDai) My name is Eric Ralph (my middle initial is M.). I don’t use a pen name, even though I write religious satire that might upset some people. Why don’t I use a pen name?...
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A hidden danger of being an author
Robert A. Heinlein, with Ginny Heinlein Robert and Ginny Heinlein in Tahiti 1980 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I just finished reading Sixth Column by Robert Heinlein. I’ve been a fan of Heinlein’s for...
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A flash fiction experiment
Not the actual Snow White photo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I have taken part in a few flash fiction competitions lately. I’ve used them to experiment a little and challenge myself. This week the...
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Poems to make 4-year-olds memorize
English: Portrait of Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan by Elsa Dorfman (1975) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Someone asked me to recommend poems for their 4-year-old to memorize. Rather than question this...
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Ideas: Free to good home
Robert Heinlein, L. Sprague de Camp, and Isaac Asimov, Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1944. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Years ago I read this letter in which Robert Heinlein gives away ideas to a fellow writer....
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Talkies and Kindles and Clouds (Oh my!)
English: A Picture of a eBook Español: Foto de eBook Беларуская: Фотаздымак электроннай кнігі Русский: Фотография электронной книги (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I’m taking an online film class that...
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Creating an audiobook on ACX.com
Reblogged from mishaburnett: I just got the first nine chapters of Catskinner's Book back from the voice actor who is producing the audiobook version, and I am really impressed. It was actually a very...
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My pseudo-review of Breakfast of Champions
Kurt Vonnegut (Photo credit: david_terrar) I’m giving Breakfast of Champions a longer review than I normally do. The story is three-pronged: Dwayne Hoover is going insane, Kilgore Trout seeks an odd...
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It’s Pun Week!
The long-standing tradition of Pun Week is here! Established on December 8, 2013, Pun Week is your opportunity to inflict horrible puns on the unsuspecting populace. If you want to participate, use the...
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Put yourself in this box
I hate genres. To me, asking an author to pick a genre is like saying “Put yourself in this box.” No one wants to be in a box. Least of all me. Go ahead. Get in. This came up again recently for two...
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Three things we can learn from Scooby Doo
The popularity of Scooby Doo over the years seems a bit perplexing on the surface. The show is completely predictable, the characters unrealistic, and the animation is just OK. Why do people continue...
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Why you need some happy
Imagine for a moment a game whether neither team was allowed to win. The 2008 Detroit Lions versus the 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs. No scoring allowed either. How exciting would that be? Three plays, then...
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Things I’ve wondered this week
I wonder if the makers of Downton Abbey consciously use the contrast principle. Make everything exceptionally boring so that the slightest bit of entertainment looks like genius. I wonder if people...
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Forty-two: The answer to the ultimate question about my book
A common question about my first book, And God Said…, is what on earth I was thinking. Before I get into that, I want to tell you a story about my grandfather, David S. Ralph. Grandpa was a funny man....
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Chuck thinks I’m paranoid
Chuck Wendig shared a blog post about diversifying your book sales by not relying exclusively on Amazon. It’s OK advice to not put all your eggs in one basket. Personally I’m not worried, since I can...
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And there it is: My process
Before I answer four questions about my writing process, I want to introduce you to someone. Charlotte Ashlock, writer of young adult fantasy (Not that kind – get your mind out of the gutter), works...
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The Buddha and Bob Heinlein
Anger is appealing. A quick glance at the Friday Phrases hashtag on Twitter (#FP) will confirm that. Lots of killing, mostly in anger or revenge. I had a conversation on Twitter where someone defended...
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