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Jay Magidson – Author

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Jay Magidson – Author

Tag Archives: New Books

Writing Your First Book

26 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, fiction, Threshold of the Mind, writing

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Critics, fiction, New Books, on Writing, Threshold of the Mind, War of Art, Writing a Book

It took me 12 years to finish my first book, 3 years for the second one, 9 months for my third, 6 months for the fourth, and 3 months for the fifth.  At this rate, I’ll be writing a new book every week, right.  Not quite, but it does get easier and certainly more pleasurable.  My first book, Threshold of the Mind (formerly In the Image of God) is my first book, even though it was published as my third.  The first version was complete in about 8 years, after 3 complete rewrites.  It weighed in at a whopping 200,000 words (approx. 700 paperback pages) and included every idea I had ever had about the future, politics, human relations, and yes, the kitchen sink.  It was dense and rambling, not altogether bad, but not what I had hoped for.

I set the book down for about two years and beat myself up for being a hack.  In the meantime I wrote newspaper and magazine articles, short stories and poetry, things I could complete in a few days.  The opposite of a book.

But in the back of my mind, my book kept whispering to me, “I’m not done, rewrite me.”  No way, not after close to a million words piled in a drawer, backed up on 42 floppy disks (remember those?).  It seemed indulgent, the book that would never be done, just writing and writing, until one day it would be 27 volumes completed the day before my death.  My children would shrug when they saw it, then stuff me and the volumes into a casket.

Finally, I woke up ready to face it.  Enough time had passed.  I promised to be objective and honest about it, throw it away if it was no good.  I would approach it as if someone else had written it and needed my help editing it.  I sat down and read it cover to cover, without a pen, thoroughly subduing the desire to cringe and make notes.  I just read it like a reader would.  Hey, it wasn’t so bad, really good in spots, but there were problems.

I spent the next 3 months outlining the book, one chapter at a time.  Who were the characters, the scenes, the action, the place, the plot developments?  I used a spreadsheet to see the book in a logical way.  It was a good exercise, one I hope never to have to do again.  It was pretty tedious work.

When this was complete, I realized many things about my book.  It had: too many characters; things I loved, but didn’t make any sense to the reader; action that was exciting and well presented, but didn’t advance the plot; and other stuff that didn’t help the story.  I kept the core and began rewriting…again.  It took about nine months this time.  I went through again and cleaned stuff up (another couple of months), but essentially it was done.  It was half the size now, 102,000 words, (310 pages).  And best of all, I loved it, not liked it, loved  it.  That was my first book.

When I finished this time and showed my wife, strutting and proud of myself.  She said, “good for you, now go write another one.”  She had just read The War of Art too.

After that it got easier, much easier.  The whole idea of a book being this enormous project that could take years and millions of words was behind me.  I did it, I finished the first marathon and my feet didn’t break off, I got stronger instead.  One step at a time, as they say.  And that’s exactly what a book is, one word at a time.  Find an idea, a story that you love and start it; don’t worry about how long it will be, or how long it will take.  Don’t worry about doing it the way the experts tell you to, or agonizing if you should have a detailed plot or outline before you start, or if you should know the ending before you begin.  None of that matters.  It only matters that you do it.

Here’s another bit of advice, don’t tell anyone anything about it until you’re done (at least the first full draft).  Maybe don’t even tell them you’re writing a book.  Just pull it out one day and say, “hey you want to read my book?”  Enjoy the jaw-drop effect.  Because if you share it too early, your friends or family, or whomever you show it to, will have all kinds of helpful advice about your plot or characters.  Or they’ll tell you it sounds like someone else they read, or the lead character reminds them of their ex-wife (whom they hate) or some other idea freezing crap.  They can’t help themselves, they mean well, but everyone is a critic.  And you’ll stutter or stop, and your great idea won’t seem so great anymore.  Undeveloped ideas are like snowflakes, very, very fragile.

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New Video and Book Updates

19 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, ebook, fiction, new release, Threshold of the Mind

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distopia, future, genetic engineering, New Books, Sci Fi, Science Fiction, Strange Video

I made this brief video promo of Threshold of the Mind.  I think you will enjoy it: Video of Threshold of the Mind.

New Name – Same Great Story

Threshold-FrontCoverOK, that brings up something very important.  I changed the name of my book from In the Image of God to Threshold of the Mind.  It is the same in every other way, just a new title.  I debated long and hard about this.  It is not a small thing to change the name of your book.  It is like changing your own name.  Unfortunately, the old name was getting associated with religious books.  Of course, it is not about religion in any way.  So I changed it to Threshold of the Mind.  But it is not just changing the title, the book had to be republished in every form: that means in print, kindle, ebooks, new ISBN number, everything.  It took a few months, but the process is complete.  So I made a video to celebrate the new title, because I think it is awesome, just right, Sci-Fi, hi-tech, genetic engineering.

So, if you have a book with the old name, hang on to it, it will be a collectors item.  But you should also buy a new one, so you can be cool and up to date.

Here’s where you can get it:

On Amazon
On Smashwords (ebook/pdf/etc)

On iTunes: do a search for “Threshold of the Mind” + “Magidson”
On Barnes & Noble

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The Book – Colors – Reviewed in the Mensa Bullettin

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, colors, Gauze, Horror, kindle, mensa, Reviews

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Book Reviews, colors, jay magidson, Mensa, New Books

Mensa Bulletin - Mar 2013

Mensa Bulletin – Mar 2013

The Mensa Bulletin (national magazine for members of Mensa) reviewed the book Colors by Jay Magidson in their March 2013 issue.  Now come on, how cool is that!  If it’s good enough for Mensa, don’t you think you should get a copy too!

Colors is available on Amazon in print and for the Kindle

More information about Mensa

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Read the First Two Chapters of Threshold of the Mind Online

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, In the Image of God, kindle, new release, stratumentis

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book sample, genetic engineering, In the Image of God, Magidson, New Books, new fiction, new novel, new release, Science Fiction

OK, it’s pretty blatant, isn’t it?  I give you the first two chapters of Threshold of the Mind.  You read it, get hooked, then pull your hair until you get the rest of the book.  But don’t panic, it’s available in many versions, print, Kindle, and ebook.  So read the first two chapters at your own risk without cost or obligation, knowing you will be driven to buy the book later.  You’ve been warned.

Read the First two Chapters here

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In the Image of God is now Available on Kinde and Epub

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, In the Image of God, ipad, kindle, new release

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In the Image of God, Kindle books, Magidson, New Books, new novels, new science fiction

In the Image of God by Jay Magidson on Kindle and ePub

In the Image of God on Kindle and ePub

In the Image of God is now available on Kindle from Amazon and ePub from Smashwords, iTunes (coming soon) and other digital book sellers.  It’s a great read and now it’s available the way you want to read it.  Only $5.99!

Buy it now on Amazon

Buy it now on Smashwords

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My New Book – In the Image of God – is now Available!

14 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, fiction, In the Image of God

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Colorado Author, distopia, future, genetic engineering, genetic manipulation, jay magidson, New Books, Science Fiction

In the Image of God is now available on Amazon in print and kindle versions.  This was a long ride.  I began writing the book about 14 years ago.  It has gone through many edits and changes.  Here it is, released to the world.  Fly little birdie, fly.

In the Image of God by Jay Magidson, now available on Amazon

In the Image of God

I want to give a special thank you to my family for their support through the process – I love you.

Here is the description from the back of the book:

The year is 2080 and the world is crowded. To feed the nearly 17 billion, the earth has been divided into agriculture or city. There is no in between, no margin for error in this high-tech world. Farms are ultra-efficient enterprises using the latest engineered crops, enormous plants manipulated to grow in any season and produce fantastic yields. Cities are dense and overcrowded, stuffed with men and women working endless hours to pay for their needs. Their only relief is Virtual Reality – a synthetic world where any fantasy is possible – where a person can look like anyone, be anywhere. It is no wonder people spend every waking hour “jacked in” to this imaginary world.

Access to Virtual Reality is controlled by one company, owned by one man. Tatsuo Hamachi has accumulated vast wealth, but his desire for power is greater. Now, he has discovered a way to connect human minds directly, without the need of Virtual Reality headsets, where thoughts can flow as easily as electricity through a wire. When every human mind is connected – he stands to be leader of them all.

There are a few who have rejected technology for a simpler life. Their only desire is to be left in peace. When Alvar, their leader, becomes an unwilling guinea pig for Hamachi’s experiments, he must fight not only for his own mind, but those of the entire world.

Now go get one and read it!

Order the Print Version on Amazon Here

Order the Kindle Version on Amazon Here

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Explore Books in Aspen Now Selling Jay Magidson’s Books

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, colors, Explore Booksellers, fiction, Horror, new release

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Aspen, Aspen Institute, Aspen Writers Foundation, Colorado, Explore Books, horror, Local Bookstore, New Books, new release, Sam Wyly, Shira's Wish

Explore BooksExplore Book Sellers in Aspen, one of the great independent book stores in the region is now selling Colors and Shira’s Wish by Jay Magidson. There was a demand to buy the book locally and one couldn’t wish for a better venue.

Aspen has long been know for its love of intellectual pursuits, being the home of The Aspen Institute and the Aspen Writer’s Foundation. Famous and influential writers often come here to speak or participate. The Explore Booksellers is the central venue for book signings and writer appearances on the Western Slope of Colorado. Colors and Shira’s Wish are in good hands.

Thank you for supporting our local bookstore.

A little history of the Explore Booksellers

The Billionaire and the Bookstore

The Wall Street Journal
October 5, 2007

ASPEN, Colo. — For more than 30 years, Explore Booksellers was a quiet refuge from Aspen’s burgeoning wealth and development.

The bookstore and cafe, located in a Victorian house off Main Street, remained locally owned even as other shops were replaced by chain stores or luxury retailers. Explore’s outspoken owner, Katherine Thalberg railed against the McMansions going up all over the resort town and the loss of “old Aspen,” with its bohemian artists, beat-up Jeeps and counterculture heroes like writer Hunter S. Thompson.

Customers could curl up with a book on the Oriental rugs, chat with the staff about Expressionist poets or eat at the upstairs bistro, which features vegetarian fare such soy burgers, carrot juice and vegan chocolate fudge cake.

The shop also was Ms. Thalberg’s political base, where she organized crusades against fur coats, George W. Bush and the Iraq war. She helped raise money for Ralph Nader and campaigned for John Kerry during the 2004 election. And she picked out all the shop’s books, an assortment heavy on animal-rights titles.

So it came as something of a shock to Aspen when Ms. Thalberg died last year and Explore Booksellers was sold. Even more surprising was the buyer: Sam Wyly — the Texas billionaire who was a top supporter of George W. Bush and helped fund the “swift boat” ads that helped defeat Mr. Kerry.

“You can’t have Sam Wyly’s history and claim to want to continue Katherine’s legacy at Explore,” says Phyllis Bronson, a biochemist in Aspen who was one of Ms. Thalberg’s closest friends. “The history of Explore is politically rich. Her politics and the store were closely intertwined.”

Read the rest of this intriguing and surprising story…

 

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Rave Reviews for Colors: “…I couldn’t stop my pulse from racing…”

11 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by Jay Magidson in books, colors, ebook, fiction, Gauze, Horror, kindle, new release, Rabinow, Reviews

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Tags

Book Reviews, dark fiction, horror, literature, Magidson, New Books, Psychology, Rabinow

Here is a rave review of “Colors” I received today:

Jay….

Oh wow!!! Oh my!!! I couldn’t put the book down; at times I couldn’t stop my pulse from racing; at times I wanted to rush to your house and take away all pills and sharp knives from your cupboards and drawers.

I could hear you intellectually creatively gasping for the breath of air and for the beauty of nature and open space. You wrote about other worlds/this world and you wrote about your past [or your fears during it] and the future that you are creating for yourself.

You are a brave man! And an excellent storyweaver. Bravo

In the Depths of Beaver Creek by Kathryn Rabinow

In the Depths of Beaver Creek by Kathryn Rabinow

After I finished your book—Colors—I felt a great need to create. And to create something colorful and mysterious. Something to cause people to perhaps stop and look and reflect and look deeper into the depths—of a forest, a soul or a stream.

Here is my IN THE DEPTHS OF BEAVER CREEK

cheers,

 Kitty

Kathryn (Kitty) Rabinow is a former psychologist/professor of psychology at the University of Houston, Board Director of the Children’s Museum of Houston, world traveler, poet and artist of photography.  Her work can be seen at www.kathrynrabinowphotography.net/

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