Proofreading Services

Hey folks,

I just wanted to let all you writers/publishers/editors out there know that I am now offering proofreading services.  If any of you are interested, you can drop me a line at prutigli@gmail.com with an offer and we can negotiate from there.

Interview Tag!

Greetings, gentle readers!

It’s been a busy, busy few months preparing Surviving the Crash for submission and working with beta readers on some new projects.  However, when fellow writer, Doug Murano, requested my participation in a little online chain interview, how could I say no?

Oh, and you can find Doug here:  http://muranofiction.blogspot.com/

What are you working on right now?

I just subbed out my first novel, Surviving the Crash. 

How does it differ from other works in its genre?

Well, the time period is unique for one.  The book is set in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929.  The story is also different from the classic pulp tales I drew inspiration from as I relished twisting around a lot of the stereotypes present in those tales.  And while an apocalypse has occurred, there are no zombies in sight.      

What experiences have influenced you?

Reading H.P. Lovecraft’s stories in college made me interested in taking up writing.  People can badmouth his prose style as much as they want, but few creators can match the scope of his vision.  As to more practical matters, the blue-collar jobs I’ve held have been very informative in creating characters and writing dialogue. 

  
Why do you write what you do?

I’ve loved horror since a tender age and that affection has only grown as I’ve gotten older.  The genre is very therapeutic for the imagination.  You can bend reality and do all the crazy things you can’t include in stories set in a normal world.  

How does your writing process work?

Usually, an idea just slaps me upside the head.  I start brooding over it, making a kind of mental outline.  After that, I write a minimum number of words per day until the rough draft is finished.  Then, the copious self-editing and beta reader work begins.   

What is the hardest part about writing?

Probably the uncertainty that comes with it.  It’s always tough pouring your heart into a story and having no idea if readers or publishers will connect with your work.  I’ve also always found going through peer and professional edits a hair-pulling (but necessary) process. 

What would you like to try as a writer that you haven't yet?

I think I’d like to try writing a screenplay at some point.  I love movies and we are in dire need of some good ones right now, especially genre films.

Who are the authors you most admire?

Clive Barker (my favorite), Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Joe Hill, and Rod Serling.  I’m also getting into Nate Kenyon and Rick Hautala.  

Who are new authors to watch out for? 
  
D.L. Snell, Richard Finney, and Dave Dunwoody are all relatively new and extremely talented.

What scares you?

Not much, but there are a few things.  I think everyone finds the thought of eventually losing their loved ones extremely distressing.  As to more unique issues, I hate extreme heights (flying is intensely nerve-wracking for me), and the prospect of being in a situation where I can’t move/care for myself.

Well, enough about me.  Go check out these fellow writers a week from now and see what they have to say:

Kody Boye 

William Todd Rose 
Ben Eads 

Free at Last

Wow, a lot has happened in this writer's life since his last post.  Surviving the Crash is waiting on its third round of edits, I'm finally submitting short stories to publishers again (and pro-pay ones at that), and my wife finally found employment.  And the most important change?  I quit my (day)job.

And it is awesome.

After five years, I'm finally doing what I've wanted to do for the better part of the last decade.  I'm running my own life and doing the work I love.  As always, the writing life is filled with hair-pulling frustration over details and constant rejection.  But you know what?  I wouldn't want it any other way.

If my life's going to be difficult, I want it to be so on my terms.  If I fail now, it'll be on my head, and if I succeed, the victory is all mine.  This is freedom.  True freedom.  And I intend to savor every minute of it.

   

Screamin' Mad Squatchies

I've got book news for you all, and for once, it has nothing to do with my work:  my talented wife, the awesome Hannah Rutigliano, has created and published her first comic book!

"Screamin' Mad Squatchies" is a parody of the first in Eric S. Brown's awesome "Bigfoot War" series, injected with a healthy dose of Hannah's wacky sense of humor and a fresh perspective on the plot.    

Pick it up on Amazon for a mere ninety-nine cents if you want a quick and dirty introduction to "Bigfoot War" or just feel like a good, gory laugh.

GO GET IT HERE!

The Living Hell

Greetings!

And apologies for my unusually long absence.  Busy as I was between writing and personal business, time flew by without me noticing much at all.

The rough draft of my new short story collection, "The Living Hell," is now completed at a little over 60,000 words.  While a bit shorter than "Black Corners," this sucker comes packed with over twenty short stories and a new novella for you to dig your teeth into.  There's ONE more story I may end up including should I finally get the sucker working right...

In addition, the fine folks in "Surviving the Crash" are on a business trip overseas.  They've received a cheerful reception so far, and I can only hope that they continue to be successful in establishing business relations for me as my ambassadors.  I'll provide more details on their successes or failures as they develop.  Meanwhile, there's one long work I've been itching to form into a short novel or novella.  It's hard to say if I'll get to work on that next or start (finally) slogging through some self-edits on the work I already have done.

We'll see. 

Back to my Roots

After a fair bit of struggle, the second draft of "Surviving the Crash" has been sent to my editor.  I always have a rough time coping with edits on anything, let alone something as long as a novel, so I'm enjoying a bit of a rest. 

Sort of.

While I'm waiting for the next round of edits, it seems a good time to get to work on some of those short stories I've been putting off.  Today's was the first one I've written in the better part of a year.  Bloody well reminded me of why I used to enjoy them so much too.  It's refreshing to rough out a piece in a day or two rather than one to six months.  There's still quite a backlog of ideas to work through too...

A Short Calm Before the Storm

It's been a busy month, but the rough draft of my new novella, "The Carrion Call" is now complete at 18,300 words.  I think I'll enjoy a short break over the weekend before hitting the first full round of edits on "Surviving the Crash" next week.  Hopefully, I'll manage to have the sucker ready for you all to enjoy before the end of the year.  I'm not sure if much new work is going to get done in the meantime, but I'll see what I can manage.   

Stay tuned.