Jon Osborne's Blog: Just My Type
June 3, 2012
March 26, 2012
James Patterson and Me
James Patterson and I have a lot in common.
When I queried my agent back in 2006, I compared my writing to James Patterson's in an effort to lure an offer of representation. It worked (though I doubt very highly that likening myself to JP marked the main reason why. I'd also written the best book I could).
Fast-forward five years and James Patterson and I share the same publisher in the UK - Century and Arrow, an imprint of Random House UK.
As fate would have it, James Patterson and I both had our thrillers released in the UK on the same day - Jan. 20, 2011. Mine (my debut) is titled KILL ME ONCE. His is TICK TOCK.
Incredibly, both our thrillers feature a serial killer recreating some of the most despicable murders in history.
Coincidence? Of course it is. But I still think that's pretty neat.
Having so much in common with James Patterson is certainly nothing to shy away from. I enjoy reading James Patterson mostly because he features ingenious killers with thoroughly warped minds. To my mind, those characters are infinitely more interesting to read about than the ones chasing them. I feel the same way when I'm writing my own books. I enjoy writing the bad guys way more than I enjoy writing the good guys.
It just feels so good to be so bad, I guess.
And it's because of James Patterson that I consciously try to keep my chapter-lengths short, though not quite as short as his.
His immense readership proves that a lot of people like short chapters. You can dip in and out of a Patterson book easily, and you feel like you're making some real progress along the way. This fact is hammered home to me each time my 14-year-old stepdaughter, Madison, reads a Patterson book - proudly pointing out to me how many chapters she's read. Often, the page number and chapter number are roughly the same.
No need to re-invent the wheel there, right?
How do you, as a reader, feel about short chapters? Like them? Hate them? Couldn't care less just so long as the story is good?
Join me on Facebook at Jon Osborne Books.
When I queried my agent back in 2006, I compared my writing to James Patterson's in an effort to lure an offer of representation. It worked (though I doubt very highly that likening myself to JP marked the main reason why. I'd also written the best book I could).
Fast-forward five years and James Patterson and I share the same publisher in the UK - Century and Arrow, an imprint of Random House UK.
As fate would have it, James Patterson and I both had our thrillers released in the UK on the same day - Jan. 20, 2011. Mine (my debut) is titled KILL ME ONCE. His is TICK TOCK.
Incredibly, both our thrillers feature a serial killer recreating some of the most despicable murders in history.
Coincidence? Of course it is. But I still think that's pretty neat.
Having so much in common with James Patterson is certainly nothing to shy away from. I enjoy reading James Patterson mostly because he features ingenious killers with thoroughly warped minds. To my mind, those characters are infinitely more interesting to read about than the ones chasing them. I feel the same way when I'm writing my own books. I enjoy writing the bad guys way more than I enjoy writing the good guys.
It just feels so good to be so bad, I guess.
And it's because of James Patterson that I consciously try to keep my chapter-lengths short, though not quite as short as his.
His immense readership proves that a lot of people like short chapters. You can dip in and out of a Patterson book easily, and you feel like you're making some real progress along the way. This fact is hammered home to me each time my 14-year-old stepdaughter, Madison, reads a Patterson book - proudly pointing out to me how many chapters she's read. Often, the page number and chapter number are roughly the same.
No need to re-invent the wheel there, right?
How do you, as a reader, feel about short chapters? Like them? Hate them? Couldn't care less just so long as the story is good?
Join me on Facebook at Jon Osborne Books.
March 22, 2012
Opening Night
It's dead in here, huh?
Free shots for everybody. Just make sure to tell your friends about this place, OK? The pool table and dartboard are coming next week. The jukebox only plays disco at the moment, but I'm working on it. Here's a dollar. Please play "I Will Survive" four times in a row. I really think I could use the audio encouragement.
In any event, welcome to my blog. As with most things in life, I'm only about fifteen years behind the curve on this thing. I didn't own a cell phone until I was twenty-eight years old. I didn't get an iPod until last year. I didn't watch "Lost" until it went off the air, at which time I dedicated a good portion of my life to catching up on Netflix.
I still have a few questions about that show...
Most notably, why was Jack always breathing so darn hard? From my vantage point on the living-room couch, he needed Shannon's inhaler a heck of a lot more than she did.
Anyway - to get back to the point - with my blog, I'd like to take a two-pronged approach. Not only would I like it to become a place for lovers of crime fiction to discuss their favorite books (including mine, of course), I'd also like to help aspiring writers with any questions they may have about the publishing process.
When I first decided to try my hand at novel-writing way back in 2001, I had about a gazillion questions that I could never seem to find the answers to, no matter how hard I looked. And I looked high and low. And far and wide.
And I found very few answers that matched up with reality.
I checked out all the "Get Published Now!" books from the library, I joined every online writers' group I could find and I pestered everyone I knew to re-read the first 200 pages of my first manuscript if on page 152 I took the bold step of contracting "will not" to "won't".
Sound familiar? If so, then this may be the place for you. I'll do my best to cut through the hazy gray smoke of the publishing world and provide you with clear answers to your questions. In this joint, we don't water down the drinks - we only serve them up straight.
So ask away, and please don't be shy!
"At first I was afraid, I was petrified..."
And I PROMISE I'll work on the music selection. For now, though, here's another dollar.
Let's hear "Stayin' Alive".
Free shots for everybody. Just make sure to tell your friends about this place, OK? The pool table and dartboard are coming next week. The jukebox only plays disco at the moment, but I'm working on it. Here's a dollar. Please play "I Will Survive" four times in a row. I really think I could use the audio encouragement.
In any event, welcome to my blog. As with most things in life, I'm only about fifteen years behind the curve on this thing. I didn't own a cell phone until I was twenty-eight years old. I didn't get an iPod until last year. I didn't watch "Lost" until it went off the air, at which time I dedicated a good portion of my life to catching up on Netflix.
I still have a few questions about that show...
Most notably, why was Jack always breathing so darn hard? From my vantage point on the living-room couch, he needed Shannon's inhaler a heck of a lot more than she did.
Anyway - to get back to the point - with my blog, I'd like to take a two-pronged approach. Not only would I like it to become a place for lovers of crime fiction to discuss their favorite books (including mine, of course), I'd also like to help aspiring writers with any questions they may have about the publishing process.
When I first decided to try my hand at novel-writing way back in 2001, I had about a gazillion questions that I could never seem to find the answers to, no matter how hard I looked. And I looked high and low. And far and wide.
And I found very few answers that matched up with reality.
I checked out all the "Get Published Now!" books from the library, I joined every online writers' group I could find and I pestered everyone I knew to re-read the first 200 pages of my first manuscript if on page 152 I took the bold step of contracting "will not" to "won't".
Sound familiar? If so, then this may be the place for you. I'll do my best to cut through the hazy gray smoke of the publishing world and provide you with clear answers to your questions. In this joint, we don't water down the drinks - we only serve them up straight.
So ask away, and please don't be shy!
"At first I was afraid, I was petrified..."
And I PROMISE I'll work on the music selection. For now, though, here's another dollar.
Let's hear "Stayin' Alive".
Just My Type
A cyber dive bar for friendly, informal discussions regarding the publishing process, hosted by bartender Jon Osborne, author of KILL ME ONCE (2011) and the forthcoming A GAME OF CHANCE (2012), which
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