"So You Want to Write a Novel"- a Masterwork by dwkazzie

The Best Discussion on Being a Writer Ever

(Wish I'd Written This, but Hat's Off to You

dwkazzie, Whoever You Are!)

Serpent's Quest, by Janrae Frank

An Epic Adventure

Masterfully Written

Janrae Frank is an impressive writer whose skill at world building and character building is first rate.  Her plot is as tightly woven as braided hair and her prose is rich and evocative.  The tragic scope of her plot is at times enough to take your breath away.

But it is the easy mastery with which she reveals her characters that is the most rewarding feature of this compelling novel.  The struggle between the lycans and sa'naceri (vampires) she weaves is both detailed and tension filled.

Serpent's Quest is the first fantasy novel I ever read, and it impressed me so much I now understand what I have been missing all these years.  Here is the publisher's plot synopsis:

"Red Wolf was the strongest of the Nine Great Chiefdoms of the lycan clans, which had long suffered under the yoke of the blood-drinking sa'necari necromancers. Thirty years ago, the realm of the sa'necari, Waejontor, was conquered by the amazon nation, Shaurone. The Sharani brought the lycan people three decades of peace and freedom that is now threatened by the sudden rise to power of a young Waejontori Queen.

"Clan Redhand, the family that rules Red Wolf, is plunged into danger when a sa'necari bounty hunter and mercenary named Malthus Estrobian arrives in their valley, posing as a human refugee from the battles beyond their borders. Unknown to them, Malthus is the Butchering Serpent, the genocidal mastermind behind the hidden laboratories where hundreds of lycans perished in vicious experiments. He infilitrates Red Wolf with two goals in mind: find out what happened to his brother, Troyes, who disappeared in the valley several years ago; and destroy the Redhand family in order to subjugate Red Wolf for his queen.



The only person standing between Malthus and his objectives is a young guardsman with a concealed heritage: Kynyr Maguire. Trained by the greatest armsmaster the lycans have ever known, and educated well beyond the norm for his kind, Kynyr must find a way to defeat the dark arts of the Butchering Serpent or see his people destroyed, including the woman he loves."

What the synopsis does not convey, but that I strongly urge you to experience is the electric tension she builds between the events, the characters and the reader's expections.

There is only one problem I see with this novel, and it is that reading it made me want to improve my own writing. 

A New Boyer Mystery!

A Boyer Quote- But is He Lying Again?

*****

One last thing on the Boyer matter:

Which one of you is the smartest at finding where a quote came from?

Here's what I'm trying to find out-  

In a recent interview (pulled down almost immediately) posted on "KCBOOKS From Mom to Author & Everything in Between," David Boyer is quoted as saying the following:

"Stephen King once told me told me 'We create our own horrors in order to deal with the real ones."'

Really?  I thought I read that in a Stephen King book.  Maybe I'm wrong.  Is it possible David lied again?  Or is he telling the truth?  Is any one of you well connected it enough to contact Mr. King to see if if he actually personally shared this moment with David?  Or anybody clever enough to get the question to him?  Does anyone really believe Stephen King shared this thought with Boyer personally?  But until the great horror writer gets back to us, can anyone find where that quote is from please?

Because now that I'm pressing forward legally, my attorney- who is the best copyright attorney in Michigan- tells me its time to lay off of posting on David Boyer/David Byron/Iron Dave and let the firm do what I'm paying them to do. 

We will be cooperating fully with the Indiana Attorney General and pressing forward legally along with all the rest who are demanding accountability for Boyer.

So I will be getting back to writing matters until my attorney instructs me otherwise.

This is the part I've been waiting for- the serious part.

The Cooks Source Video- Boyer This One's for You

All credit to Nemspy at you tube.  Nemspy, could you do one just for David Boyer?

International Plagiarist David Boyer Invents New Aliases- Part I

David Boyer Might Be Losing Weight

*****

Or not.

Pictures can be deceiving.  Although stress can be hard on you.

But he's had plenty of energy to work at being an International Plagiarist.  You see, he published my story in a South African online magazine called "Something Wicked."  The editor there, when he learned of Boyer's trunchant treachery, acted like a true professional and both apologized to me and attributed my story correctly.  Now there's a magazine editor!  And of course, I'm contacting this editor asking that they file with the IC3 as well.

After I learned he'd plagiarized me on another continent, Stuart Yates (now living in Spain) was worried he couldn't do anything about the time Boyer plagiarized him. But he  has now filed with the IC3 ("The Internet Crime Complaint Center).  And since David Boyer and his entire family of aliases live in Indiana, the complaint and investigatory responsibility goes to the Attorney General of Indiana.  You see that's where David Boyer does business.

So that's South Africa and Spain now.

Then there's Stephen Blundell who today filed with the IC3 all the way from Australia!

Wow.  South Africa, Spain and Australia.  Busy, busy, busy.

Is there more coming?  Of course!

Stay tuned.

In our next episode- how creepy plagiarists like David Boyer use false identities and aliases to cover their tracks and how to find them anyway so you don't get robbed of your creative work.

By the way, Stephen and Stuart don't take things lying down- they fight back. 

Do you know how to fight back and not have to spend a fortune doing it?

A Shocking New Tale of Copyright Violation and how Bloggers Rushed to Illadore's Aid

Centuries Ago,

Plagiarists & Copyright Violaters
Began Working Overtime at

Making Money from Our Creative Work 
&
They're Still Hard at It

Is this the season for plagiary and copyright violation or what?  My copyright attorney, Patrick Sturdy, of CMDA told me that with the advent of the Internet, it's as bad as it was in the 1920's and 1930's.  What is it about the Internet that brings plagiarists out of the woodwork?

What follows is a direct quote from Illadore's House o Crack - Copyright Infringement and Me.  It's a wonderful example of how writers who are Bloggers can fight back!  All Hail Bloggers!!

Good for you, Illadore!

And everyone go to Crooks Source to support the cause of Bloggers Against Copyright Violation and hopefully plagiarism will get its own page, too.  Wait, it already did.  It's called Plagiarism Watchfires!

*****

"My 2005 Ice Dragon entry, called 'A Tale of Two Tarts' was apparently printed without my knowledge or permission in a magazine and I am apparently the victim of copyright infringement.

The story:


I was contacted early last week by a friend of mine who lives in the Northeast about my "As American as Apple Pie - Isn't!" article that was published in Cooks Source magazine, mostly to inquire how I had gotten published. This was news to me, as I hadn't ever heard of this magazine before.



However, some basic Google-fu lead me to find them online and on Facebook. In fact, after looking at the Cooks Source Facebook page, I found the article with my name on it on on "Page 10" of the Cooks Source Pumpkin fest issue. (No worries, I have screencaps.) The magazine is published on paper (the website says they have between 17,000 and 28,000 readers) as well as being published on Facebook as well.



So. I first phone the magazine then send a quick note to the "Contact Us" information page, asking them what happened and how they got my article. (I thought it could have been some sort of mix-up or that someone posted it to some sort of free article database.) Apparently, it was just copied straight off the Godecookery webpage. As you can see from the page, it is copyrighted and it is also on a Domain name that I own.



After the first couple of emails, the editor of Cooks Source asked me what I wanted -- I responded that I wanted an apology on Facebook, a printed apology in the magazine and $130 donation (which turns out to be about $0.10 per word of the original article) to be given to the Columbia School of Journalism.



What I got instead was this (I am just quoting a piece of it here:)



"Yes Monica, I have been doing this for 3 decades, having been an editor at The Voice, Housitonic Home and Connecticut Woman Magazine. I do know about copyright laws. It was "my bad" indeed, and, as the magazine is put together in long sessions, tired eyes and minds somethings forget to do these things.


But honestly Monica, the web is considered "public domain" and you should be happy we just didn't "lift" your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free!"


I got nothing.


Scratch that. I sure as heck do. Let's go over the major points:



At this point, I am mad as hell. It is now the principle of the thing -- and I also can not quite believe that my copyright was violated -- and then I was informed that I should *pay them* for editing it for me!



The web is NOT public domain! Don't believe me? Try the University of Maryland University College -- or just Google it.



I should be thankful because I wasn't flat out plagiarized? Don't college students get, oh, I dunno, tossed out for being caught for plagiarism? How is this a valid argument?




I have some ideas of where to go from here but I am more than willing to listen to other suggestions."

*****

I want to see justice for Illadore, so I recommended the IC3 filing approach followed by notification of the Attorney General in her state re: Consumer Fraud Protection.

The way Illadore was treated is absolutely despicable.  Sounds like "Cook's Source" has been taking lessons from David Boyer.

Why do you think seeing so much disregard for creative rights?  Isn't it time to rally behind the National Writers Union?