I'm not sure how to start this post. I considered naming it "I Wrote a Book." Which I did.
My first novel, yeah, shut up is now available for download on Amazon. If you're a member of Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free for the next few weeks. Everyone else will have to pay the burdensome price of $2.99.
The book has nothing to do with '90s comics. I'm not a one-trick pony, people. It's about music in the '90s, specifically the multitude of alternative rock bands signed in the hopes that someone would become the next Nirvana.
In the previous century, young kids deluded themselves into thinking "musician" was a viable career path. Follow two kids from Who Cares, Alabama as they form a band, experience their big break, release an album, and disappear into obscurity. All the fun you'd ever hope to find in a fictitious account of a 1990s alt-rock band almost going mainstream. If you still think you missed the train to Mars, if you miss the lands of green and skies of blue, this could be the novel for you.
If you like it, please remember to leave a review on the Amazon page, since I've been told repeatedly that this is important. If you'd like to spread the word on whatever social media platform you enjoy, I'd certainly appreciate the support.
If anyone's curious about my experience with the Amazon self-publishing deal, I might write a post about it in the future. In the meantime, I hope you give the book a shot and deem it worthy of the Amazon gift card your aunt gave you for Christmas this year.
7 comments:
Congrats! Hope it does well.
Congratulations! I will definitely check it out.
Speaking as an aspiring novelist myself, I'd love to hear about your experience publishing through Amazon, if you ever get around to writing that post. I've heard pros and cons from a couple different authors through the years.
(If nothing else, I'm just happy to have learned what the "G" stands for. :) ).
What's funny is, while I was reading the book description, I was thinking, "Cool, sounds like a fictionalized history of my favorite band, Hum," and that was before I even got to the snippet from "Stars."
I've loved your blog for years because of your writing and it's focus on 90s comics, so I definitely have to check out your new book. I've been a huge fan of more obscure 90s alternative music since high school, so it'll be awesome to see your take a music scene I love as well, if not more, than the period of comics you've reviewed.
On a side not, could it be that you're a fan of Spacehog and Hum?
Matt D -
I'm definitely a fan of Hum and Spacehog, although I really only know Spacehog from their singles. Hum's two major-label albums I've listened to endlessly. "You'd Prefer an Astronaut" was pretty much the only album I listened to at 16.
Finally! An entertainment journalist I follow that knows about Hum!
For a long time, I'd only ever heard Spacehog's "In the Meantime," but that single was good enough that when I found a copy of their album with said single for a buck at a record shop, I had to check it out. It was pretty good, imho
"You'd Prefer an Astronout" is a damn good album, but personally, I'm more partial to "Downward Is Heavenward." That album may as well have been the soundtrack to my freshman year of college. I may already be preaching to the converted, but just in case, you check out Matt Talbot's side project, Centaur. It's noticeably lighter in terms of heavy distortions/effects, but still in the same vein of what he was doing with Hum. Another cool band to check out that's very similar sounding (and who Hum toued with a couple of years) is Swervedriver. Just look up their single "Duel" - you're in for a treat!
I also had a question about your novel - after reading the description, I was reminded of Kyle Anderson's "Accidental Revolution: The Story of Grunge," where for a significant portion of the book he talks about the way the music industry reacted in the wake of Nirvana. I was wondering if you were familiar with book as well.
I remember receiving "Downward Is Heavenward" as a Christmas present when I was a Freshman in college; I think another year or so passed before I fully got into it, but I do remember listening to it almost exclusively for several months.
I haven't heard of Swervedriver or Centaur; I'll try to check them out.
"Accidental Revolution: The Story of Grunge" I've never read; I did see the documentary "Hype" which inspired some bits in the book. I've consumed hours of music documentaries over the years, and spent most of my 20s reading interviews with members of somewhat obscure bands (ever heard of Spongebath Records?) This influenced the book. Even a documentary about the industry's 1970s teen dream factory influenced a part of the book.
I set up a Tumblr page to discuss the musical influences on the book, if you're interested: http://yeah-shut-up.tumblr.com/
If you check out the book, I hope you enjoy it and leave an Amazon review. Thanks!
Congrats on your book. Just finishing a book is a very big freaking deal, I know all too well. I'll check this out.
Oh, and I loved and still love Stars but it's the only Hum song I know. They were one of those bands whose album I bought but never got around to listening all the way through. I will rectify that mistake now, though. Same goes for In the Meantime and Space Hog, but to a lesser degree.
(To me, your synopsis sounds like For Squirrels. Except not so dark. What a waste.)
PS - I really came here to read some chromiumtastic Uncanny X-Men 280s reviews. I saw Austin had reached the relaunch and so I read the Muir Island Saga and 281 to fully enjoy his take and the comments, and surprisingly I binge read the next ten issues and I thought I'd give your reviews a re-read. The digital copies really improve the art, IMO. And there's some perverse pleasure to see the wonky credits change with each issue (so many names) knowing what we know now.
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