Brian Corley's Blog

Blog #50 and 50 states—see what I did? Anyway, GILM! is out now, the wait is over, so go read the book and listen to the song. What are you waiting for? Do it!! Please.

So, I've been trying to post regularly, but every time I have for the past couple of weeks, I've come up with an idea to put in a new book. This week, I had everything set to go and realized I'd come up with the perfect way into a sequel for GILM!.

(Should the need arise)

Without giving too much away, it has to do with bad luck and a pretty weird start to 2024. For example, I'm only using four out of five fingers on my right hand to type this due to a weird tin-can mishap a couple of weeks ago. Gross, right? That's right.

Anyway, so rather than a think piece, I figured I'd just hit you with a book marketing update.

Right now, I'm trying to drive people to NetGalley for those sweet, sweet advance reviews. People are more willing to take a chance on a book they haven't heard of as long as there are some stars next to that sucker when it's time to purchase.

I've come up with some snappy one to two-sentence ad copy for Amazon ads that I'll start next Monday to try and drive people to pre-order, but more importantly, help prime (unintentional pun) the Amazon algorithm for the book, so we're hitting the ground running on launch day.

That's about it for updates. I hope you made it through the seemingly nationwide ice and snowpocalypse. I'll see you again in a week or two.

Welcome back from the holidays, I hope you had a great time. I know I did—right up to the point my dog decided to go full chaos gremlin mode on the plane ride back to Portland from Texas.

That's right, despite a full dose of Trazadone, my dog managed to bust out of her TAA-certified travel bag to try and meet the rest of the cabin, or whatever her goal was. I'm not sure why. She had more room underneath that seat than anyone else on the plane. Can you imagine lying down during a flight?

I know it's possible for humans on some flights if you're willing to shell out some serious cash. It's a full-on luxury first-class experience, and my dog, the littlest Brisket, had that going on but decided it wasn't good enough.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what happens if a dog gets loose on a plane? Do they turn around? Find the nearest airport between take-off and final destination for an emergency landing and booting of passenger and dog?

The truth is, I don't know, and I didn't want to find out the hard way on that flight.

So, I did what anyone would do with those scenarios playing out in their head on the first flight out in the dark, cold, early morning, operating on about three and a half hours of sleep would do. I held the bag together with my hands for the next four hours.

Now, you might think that eventually, a dog would see the futility of their situation and sit back and rest, but I guess that's not the way of the border terrier because she was relentless. The raptors in Jurassic Park had nothing on her. She tested every possible weakness on that bag, but thankfully, I was able to hold on and find a pet-friendly Uber for the ride back home from the airport.

I was even able to use my cramped-up fingers like a normal human a few days later.

So ... what else is going on? Oh! GILM! is about a month out from its release. That's pretty great, right? Have you pre-ordered it yet? That's OK, there's still time! Also, plenty of time to tell your friends, family, and enemies you may think could be turned into allies by a well-written YA book about a new kid misusing magic to fit into a new school.

I'm not sure that anyone has ever turned enemy to ally with the power of YA magical realism, but if you try it and it works, let me know.

Anyone watched "Merry Little Batman" yet? It is easily my favorite Christmas movie since "Elf," and one of my favorite Christmas-themed anything I've ever seen. Too much hyperbole? Maybe.

The animation is incredible. Kind of reminds me of the artwork from Miss Nelson is Missing (book and cartoon) or The BFG (the 80s cover, anyway), only animated to perfection. 

And Owen Wilson is Batman, what do you want?

Anyway, check it out, and while you're at it, watch or re-watch "The Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special." It won me over immediately with The Old 97s dressed up as aliens banging out the number two song on my current holiday playlist and goes from there.

In GILM! news, you know how there's a guitar on the cover with a bunch of stickers? Well, I figured I would make that happen. We’re calling it the GILM!tar, but I bet you already put that together from the title of the blog.

I got a Fender Highway Serious sitka-topped parlor guitar, and I've been having a ton of fun playing it around the house. 

The parlor-style guitar is supposed to be a quieter experience, so I don't have a big problem with how it sounds acoustically for playing around the house, and once you plug it in, you can get a great sound. Fender didn't pay me for a review or anything, but it's a great guitar if you're the acoustic guy in an electric band. Best setup I've seen for something like that since the Godin Flat Five X.

Up front: I haven’t watched the Bake-Off finale yet, so no spoilers. Also, I can’t think of a fun play on words for forty-six, so we’re just going to go straight in for the GILM! update.

An Editor’s Pick on Booklife!

That’s right, the first review is in for GILM! is in and it’s a good one. So, what does that mean? Well, it means that I’m heavily swayed by external validation, but the Editors Pick also opens up some distribution options, which is pretty fun. Also, there will be plenty of meh to negative reviews in the future, so I might as well enjoy this.

Now to update the marketing literature and wait for one or two more before I start sending packets out to media outlets and bookstores.

Just so you know, I wrote a long, meandering story about Thanksgiving lunch vs. dinner and how weird it is that we don't have a standard for a holiday dedicated to food (and gratitude, I guess--whatever), but I deleted it and chose to move forward with a recipe for gluten-free pie crust instead.

I'm not gluten-free myself, but after years of gluten-free adjacency, I've finally found a crust that is just as good or better than any gluten-rich variety. 

To start, you need the right flour. Cup4Cup is, hands down, the best gluten-free option out there. So start with the right ingredient. It's expensive, but how often do you make pie? Go ahead, splurge.

OK, here's the recipe:

1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour. (Again, Cup4Cup is the go-to)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup salted butter

1/4 cup shortening, chilled

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons of ice cold water

You have the ingredients, now here's what you do with them.

Mix the wet-ish stuff together (eggs, butter, shortening, water, vinegar). You don't actually have to mix them, I just throw them all in the same bowl.

Slide the wet elements into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer where your dry ingredients are waiting, and then use the paddle attachment to combine until the dough starts to form.

Pull the dough together into a ball or disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and set it in the fridge for an hour or so.

When you're ready to roll, pull it from the fridge and let it sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes. 

Set some parchment paper on your counter and toss some gluten-free flour down. 

Start rolling the dough. Make sure you're folding to get lamination, but this dough is tricky. You can't let it get too warm, or it will not stay together. I'm going for around 6-8 folds right now.

Cut to your pan's measurements (9-10 1/2 inches) and blind-bake like you would any other dough. Set ceramic beans, beans, or lentils into parchment paper resting on top of the dough for ten minutes, then 3-5 minutes without at 425.

Good luck! Email me if you have any questions, but make sure to mention you read my blog, otherwise I'll be confused.

GILM! update:

I received the custom bubble mailers, and they look pretty good! I have almost everything I need before sending out ARCs to media outlets and bookstores. Just waiting on some pull-quotes from reviewers to site in my cover letter.

Other than that, The Mars McClanes finished a couple of songs this week. Our latest single, "December Songs" (out now), and "Until You Lose" (January 8th). One is a Christmas song, and the other isn't. I'll let you guess which is which.

While we're on the topic of Christmas, if you're looking for a holiday playlist for your tree-trimming or light-gazing walks, then check this out: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/79p...

We're hurtling toward Thanksgiving and the end of all things Pumpkin until September 2024. 

What makes pumpkin the perfect fall flavor? Primarily nutmeg and clove, I think. Anyway, it is, and I've made two pumpkin pies every week so far in November in preparation for the big day on Thursday. That's right, while every other writer in the world has been grinding out words for NaNoWriMo, I've been stepping up to my own strange challenge of baking a couple of pumpkin pies every week. I'll spare you the portmanteau. 

But after Thursday I'll be done. It will be Christmas time, so pumpkin will be out and mint will be in. That's right, mint. For when it's cold outside and you want your inside to feel the same.

I'm just kidding. Mint is delightful, who doesn't like mint?

Paul Hollywood, if it's overbaked. 

This brings me to this week's Bake-Off update. Who saw the Christy send-off coming? Not me. Not after a second-place finish in the technical. Paul and Prue are ruthless this year.

OK: timely topic and Bake-Off updates? Check and check.

What about GILM!? 

Well, last week I talked about un-boxing videos and lamented that I don't have that kind of budget. Well, the jokes on me. Thanks to Sticker Mules' marketing team, I realized that I could design a bubble-mailer envelope. So, now I can fit my 5.5" x 8.25" book along with my sticker sheet and cover letter of the same size inside a custom envelope.

I hope reviewers like lightning bolts and spiders...

We were issued practice jerseys when I played basketball in high school. For some people, they got their corresponding game jersey number, but for whatever reason, I was handed the number 43 and then just kept going with it. Come to think of it, my game jersey numbers were kind of all over the place. Preferably 42 or 24, but sometimes a 35 or 5. Never 43. I don’t think we even had a number 43 game jersey. What does this say about me? Probably something.

There is no point to this story other than to explain what the number 43 means to me. It’s like associating with a dream or an illusion, but it’s an association all the same. Hey, maybe that’s why I like reading and writing fantasy novels.

We’ll never know.

So . . .

I’ve been reading Jeff Tweedy’s World Within A Song this week. Jeff Tweedy is the frontman for my favorite band, Wilco, and the author of the best book on songwriting I’ve ever read, How To Write One Song. World Within A Song is a fascinating read for me. Snippets of songs and how they’ve influenced someone who I believe to be one of the best songwriters of all time (we don’t need to rank, but here we go: Lennon/McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Prince—you know on second thought, this is too time-consuming and kind of distracting).

Anyway, I’m a huge Jeff Tweedy fan, so I can’t get enough of this type of stuff. If you’re not a musician or Wilco fan, this book may not be for you, but if you’ve ever wanted to write (or finish) a song, then go check out How To Write One Song. There literally is no better book on songwriting.

Want a GILM! update? If so, just keep reading.

The proofs for the print version arrived this week, and they look fantastic. I don’t feel like it’s bragging since Ellen Lampl designed the cover and Jessica Reed formatted the interior, so I hope it doesn’t come off that way. They did an amazing job, and I’m so proud of the end result!

So, what’s next?

I’m putting together media kits to send out to press outlets and bookstores. I printed a bunch of 5.5 x 8.25 sheets of stickers to match the dimensions of the book, and this week, I ordered cardstock of the same size for cover letters. I’ve never tried this type of approach before, so I have no idea if it works.

I’ve seen all sorts of custom unboxing videos on booktok, bookstagram, and booktube—but I don’t have that type of budget. Maybe I’ll draw some lightning bolts on the envelopes for a little more flair.

Only three more monthly twelfths until launch. Wish me luck. Please.

Another great week on Bake-Off and one more week closer to the launch of GILM!. I know it’s not on brand for The Great British Bake Off to be my favorite show, but I can’t help it. Sure, this would be a great space for a Halloween recap of fun, spooky shows, but no. We’re going to talk about Paul, Prue, and the gang, as well as progress made in marketing the new book.

A real nail-biter for Saku, and a tough week for Tasha. Pairing hibiscus with ginger? C’mon Saku! Just kidding, this is fake outrage since I obviously can’t taste whatever the contestants are putting forward, but I’ll take Paul and Prue’s word for it. Saku is the glue for the bakers on-screen chemistry this season—or should we say the binding agent? The egg? Xanthan gum? Whatever, she’s a real gem, holding this year’s contestants together, and I hope she keeps finding a way.

Tasha had a spotty week with a cracking signature, last-place technical, and solid showstopper. Good to see her pull through for another week.

Lol, “cracking signature.” Who have I become?

Anyway, the banter between Noel and Alison continues to thrive, making this one of my favorite seasons of the show so far.

So, what about GILM!, you ask?

Welp, five test ARCs (advanced reader copies) are on the way. If those look good, we’ll order more and send them out for reviews and coverage—the whole nine. We got sticker sheets last week in 8x10 and 5.5 x 8.25 formats (same size as the book). Thankfully, the smaller sheet looks better since they can pack easily with the book and are cheaper to make. Those will go out with the ARCs to try and set GILM! apart from the others. We’ll see. Either way, they’re great. Thanks for the idea and design, Ellen!

The manuscript is up on NetGalley and BookSirens, but some folks need to see the book in-hand to review.

That’s about it, really. Other than compiling beats for a sequel if the book takes off.

Feel free to drop me a line if you have some ideas for marketing or would like to be a part of the book launch street team. You can reach me @nicebookbrian on socials or @nicebookbrian@gmail.com.

Well, hello there! Couple of days away from Halloween and looking for something to watch?

Here are a few recommendations:

The Fall of the House of Usher – I’m watching anything Mike Flanagan has a hand in creating. Full stop. I love how most of his shows are scary as hell in the first couple of episodes, but over the course of the series, you find empathy with whatever scared you, and now you can safely fall to sleep without worrying about something terrifying looming in the corner. The Fall of the House of Usher isn’t as terrifying up front, but it sure brings the creepy throughout. Enjoyable regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Poe, but there are plenty of Easter eggs throughout for those in the know. It’s like Succession meets your worst nightmares.

Goosebumps – Like a lighter creepy vibe? Hey, me too. The latest installment of the Goosebumps series has put together a great cast of adults (Rob Huebel - Human Giant, Justin Long - Jeepers Creepers, Rachael Harris - Lucifer, and Leonard Roberts - Heroes also Girl in the Woods!) to pair with an interesting and diverse group of kids. Great mix of monster of the week vibes tying into an over-arching story set in the Pacific Northwest. Kind of like a certain book launching in February…

The Great British Baking Show – OK, nothing creepy here. Just pleasant, good times. Alison Hammond is a great addition as a new host alongside Noel Fielding (Old Greg).

Doom Patrol – Doom Patrol’s fourth and final season is a strong closeout to the series (so far, at least). Kind of reminiscent to the last season of Dirk Gently.

Annual rewatches: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (cartoon and Tim Burton), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (especially the first two seasons), Hocus Pocus, and Hubie Halloween. Yeah, I said Hubie Halloween, don’t make it a thing. Of course, The Great Pumpkin is on Apple+.

Book News

GILM! has been uploaded to NetGalley, so if you participate in the platform and like my books, go download a copy and leave a review! I also got the first proofs back on the GILM! bookmarks, and although the quality is high, I messed up on the background. The misty/cloudy effect looks cool but makes the copy tough to read, so back to the drawing board on that one. Which is fine because I need to source reviews before I finalize the design.

Sticker sheets are in, and they look amazing! Like the decals on the guitar featured on the cover? Good, those stickers will be going out with all my ARCs.

The real question is, should I actually put them on one of my guitars?

A search for GILM! still brings up the word “film,” so I have a ways to go in building SEO for the book. Maybe mentioning GILM! a few more times on this post will help. GILM! GILM! GILM!

So, there you go. Book news. We did it, y’all.