Brain to Books Cyber Convention (FAIRGROUNDS) discussion

Welcome

Welcome to the 2016 Brain to Books Cyber Convention and to my booth! I am Massimo Marino, a scientist turned author. I'm member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and a scientist envisioning science fiction.

I contributed to the experiments at CERN and The Lawrence Berkeley Lab, then accepted leading positions at Apple, Inc., and at the World Economic Forum in its leadership team. I went from smashing particles at the largest accelerators in the world, to smashing words on the most popular laptop in the world.

Click on the picture for the Daimones trailer


I'm the author of multi-awarded SF trilogy "Daimones" and published by Booktrope LCC.



Daimones is the story of the death and re-birth of the human race, an apocalyptic tale that feels like it could happen tomorrow. You may never sleep through a windstorm again.

Death swept away the lives of billions, but spared Dan Amenta and his family, leading them to an uncertain future. When merely surviving isn't enough and the hunt for answers begins, memories from the past and troubling encounters lead Dan to the truth about the extermination of the human race. Distressing revelations will give new meaning to their very existence.

Early humans shaped the future and seeded a plan millions of years in the making. Now survivors must choose: Endure a future with no past or fade away into a past with no future?

GIVEAWAY

The Earth in Daimones - An Apocalyptic Travel

And now, let's have an imaginary travel visiting 28 famous places in the world. Let's also have a game to win ebooks, paperbacks, and have fun together, maybe in chatting as well, wondering how long it would take for the world to become as in the pictures when we will disappear.

To participate and have a chance to win, you need to guess where Daimones is taking you in those 28 stops. Some places are easily recognizable (at least 10), others much less, but all are known iconic places in the cities we'll explore together through the post-apocalyptic pictures.

Rules of Participation

The first to guess all 28 places will also win an autographed copy of Daimones

Appearances

I live near the French-Swiss border and will be in my booth from midday (EST) on the 8th, 9th, & 10th of April 2016, but feel free to get in touch with me anytime, always happy to meet readers.



Massimo Marino
Author of the "Daimones Trilogy” - “Nothing prepared us for the last day."
SF Writers of America Member
2012 PRG Reviewer's Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction
2013 Hall of Fame - Best in Science Fiction, Quality Reads UK Book Club
2013 PRG Reviewer's Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction Series
2014 Finalist - Science Fiction - Indie Excellence Awards L.A.
2014 Award Winner - Science Fiction Honorable Mention - Readers' Favorite Annual Awards
http://Author.to/MassimoMarino
http://massimomarinoauthor.com
http://www.facebook.com/MassimoMarino...
https://plus.google.com/+MassimoMarin...
@Massim0Marin0

The Books in goodreads



#ScienceFiction
Map

Map Categories: #ScienceFiction
Authors, learn how to set your own categories for your booth in the backstage area!

Wow, those pictures are epic! Were they created specifically for your books? (not trying to cheat on the contest, just curious) - and I'm not sure of my guesses yet but commenting in case I decide to give it a go. Great booth!

Kylie wrote: "Wow, those pictures are epic! Were they created specifically for your books? (not trying to cheat on the contest, just curious) - and I'm not sure of my guesses yet but commenting in case I decide ..."

Quite gripping sceneries, right? Have your read "The World Without Us"? It's incredible how thin is the `civilization crust` we imposed on the world and how quickly it would disappear.

Sadly I haven't read it but I've heard a lot about it. I've also watched a lot of "Life After People" on TV and these reminded me a lot of that stuff... But better :)

Kylie wrote: "Sadly I haven't read it but I've heard a lot about it. I've also watched a lot of "Life After People" on TV and these reminded me a lot of that stuff... But better :)"

Indeed. Alan Weissman (who wrote "The World Without Us") acted as consultant in the series and has appearances and commentaries in a few episodes.

And, so, the Cyber Convention starts today.

Sales are great. Press releases, interviews, live radio guest appearances are exciting. Climbing the ranks and entering the Top 100 Authors for my genre is exhilarating. But nothing beats the support of all readers, friends and fellow writers who share the thrill with me.

You're the best readers any writer could ever have. Without you giving my stories a chance, nothing would ever be possible.

“'Tis the good reader that makes the good book; in every book he finds passages which seem to be confidences or sides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear; the profit of books is according to the sensibility of the reader; the profound thought or passion sleeps as in a mine, until it is discovered by an equal mind and heart.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Humbly yours,
Massimo Marino

http://massimomarinoauthor.com

Find the Daimones trailer here: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/9935...

Scenes, Stages, and Representations

In real life, over-reacting is not kosher. “Don’t make a scene” — we often say whenever things get too emotional. As writers, though, we have to create scenes both off and on paper and root lots of emotions there.

In narrative writing, think in terms of scenes like scriptwriters do. While writing, they use location, set, props, movement and characters. Think of what happens off camera, off stage or off page as well. Imagining your prose on the stage or screen is another way to help you fine tune your work. As a matter of fact, before writing a scene, I visit the place, I look at details, take note of what strikes me. Part of what I think and sense can be left out for readers to fill the gaps. Characters come later, after I’ve scouted the place.

Read more:
http://massimomarinoauthor.com/scenes...

Geologists have long used fossils to help identify parts of the rock record from around the world. From the distribution of fossils and other geological data, rocks and sediments reveal the history of the world. The story we narrated has its roots 65 million years ago, and is part of the alternative-history to the SF trilogy known as The Daimones Trilogy.

 

Writers who indulge in explanations commit a very simple, and too common mistake.

This happens a lot in sci-fi. Writers—still learning the ropes—explain in details future technology naively thinking they’re providing crucial and must-have information so the scene becomes ‘realistic’ and ‘plausible’.

Wrong!

Adding Daimones to my to-read list, it sounds fascinating!
Love the covers too.

Having a go at identifying the famous places :)

Rainne wrote: "Adding Daimones to my to-read list, it sounds fascinating!
Love the covers too.

Having a go at identifying the famous places :)"

Thanks, Rainne. Good luck with the Post-Apocalyptic World Tour :)

Nice to meet you here, Massimo. I also come from a science background so I know how hard it is to keep from adding science to fiction... or is it the other way around?

My brother toured CERN a few years ago. I'm still holding a jealous grudge. :) Haven't seen much of Switzerland myself (only Lucerne and the surrounding areas) but I hope to get back soon. Beautiful place... plus I need to re-stock my Halter drops!

Enjoy the con...

Ciao Massimo, just pop in for say hello !

Wow, Massimo! You are quite accomplished. I admire you :) Your writing looks excellent.

Massimo wrote: "Rainne wrote: "Adding Daimones to my to-read list, it sounds fascinating!
Love the covers too.

Having a go at identifying the famous places :)"

Thanks, Rainne. Good luck with the Post-Apocalyptic..."

I think I found 'em all, and I had fun looking -thanks.
I messaged your author page on Facebook :)

WOW, we have a winner! The first to have guessed all 28 places!

She wins the autographed copy of Daimones. Congrats, Rainne!!!

Great job!

Marco wrote: "Ciao Massimo, just pop in for say hello !"

Hello, Marco! :)

Ashley wrote: "Wow, Massimo! You are quite accomplished. I admire you :) Your writing looks excellent."

Thank you, Ashley! Time, dedication, and a skin thick enough to learn from critiques ;) I think authors have a duty to learn and polish their craft, and be humble enough to understand the journey is long, and the things to learn, many.

Ash wrote: "Nice to meet you here, Massimo. I also come from a science background so I know how hard it is to keep from adding science to fiction... or is it the other way around?

My brother toured CERN a few..."


Hello, Ash. Mutual pleasure. I live only 10 minutes away from CERN. If it happens, any day, for you to visit the place, holler :)

The Editing Myth

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Melissa Bowersock

Periodically a new blog post or article surfaces that complains bitterly about the proliferation of indie authors, the inundation of the unwashed that is swamping Amazon and muddying the waters for the traditionally-published. This almost always boils down to two major points...

Read more:

First drafts always suck.

There's no getting around it. It's a part of the process we must all accept to make the improvements our manuscripts need. The first words you put on paper will not sparkle like shimmering diamonds.

Geological fact: diamonds look like cloudy, dirty rocks until somebody cuts and polishes them. Don't fight it. Let the suckage happen. It's a healthy part of growing as a writer.

But I'll tell you a little secret, each first draft sucks a little less than its predecessor, and it is when your editor starts liking you ;)

Narrative is a different kind of prose. It's not journalism, and it has to render rather than report. O Tempora, o Mores*,  what is accepted today as good narrative prose is different from books and novels of the past. Flowery prose, pedantic descriptions, passive voices that were part of the accepted narrative styles of even half a century ago, are today seen as the mark of the debutant.

One of the things I learned—and that resonates as a mantra—is to 'cull all unnecessary words.'

This is an old quiz I ran in goodreads for a giveaway. The giveaway is over, but the quiz is fun :)

In Daimones large numbers of animals mysteriously have died. From the thousands of birds found dead in two southern U.S. states, to the 100,000 dead fishes in Arkansas, many of these events are still unsolved.

http://www.goodreads.com/quizzes/1933...

Illustration: Chris Bickel/Science

What is SF?

Science fiction has a many definitions as there are people who want to define it.

Wikipedia says that "Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the story depends (at least in part) upon some change in the world as we know it that is explained by science or technology (as opposed to magic)."

Robert Heinlein said that SF was "Realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method."

My working definition of SF is closer to Theodore Sturgeon’s: "A good science fiction story is a story about human beings, with a human problem, and a human solution, that would not have happened at all without its science content."

But best of all is Damon Knight’s: "Science Fiction is what I say it is when I point to something and say that’s science fiction."

Like most people, we know what science fiction is and what it isn’t. So we’ll stick with Knight’s version.

What science fiction isn’t

Read more: http://massimomarinoauthor.com/read-s...

Congratulations, Maddy. Winner of one ebook in the Daimones Trilogy

Massimo wrote: "WOW, we have a winner! The first to have guessed all 28 places!

She wins the autographed copy of Daimones. Congrats, Rainne!!!

Great job!"

Thank you Massimo :)