David S. Wellhauser's Blog
January 3, 2014
End Times, Inc. - A Novel [Free Review Copies]
If you would like to get a free copy of Book 2 of A Great & Continuous Malignity, End Times, Inc.: A Novel then please contact the author and a free eBook copy will be made avaialbe to you.
All the author asks is that you post your review on Amazon.com and Goodreads...a posting for the book on Goodreads will be forthcoming [a few days at the most].
Any questions: please contact the author here.
Thanks.
All the author asks is that you post your review on Amazon.com and Goodreads...a posting for the book on Goodreads will be forthcoming [a few days at the most].
Any questions: please contact the author here.
Thanks.
September 5, 2013
When Dog Could Talk Free Promo
When Dogs Could Talk, a dystopian political thriller, will be free [Kindle Edition] over two days: September 7th through September 8th Pacific Standard Time USA. Find it here: http://amzn.to/1cN2A1U
Over the course of a year a city/country slowly descends into the chaos of a failed state and then civil war.
Amazon reviewers have said the following about this book:
"Wellhasuer has masterfully blended political intrigue, crime drama, and dystopian literature in When Dogs Could Talk. This book is both a suspenseful yarn and a cautionary tale that is sure to appeal to readers of many different genres."
"Recommended for those who enjoy political thrillers, dystopian novels, and novels that make you think while they entertain you."
"One of the year's best, most thought-provoking thrillers"
"For Some … Fiction, For Others … Today's Reality"
If you enjoy the book, or not, please take the time to rate and review the work here and on Amazon -- Thank You!
Over the course of a year a city/country slowly descends into the chaos of a failed state and then civil war.
Amazon reviewers have said the following about this book:
"Wellhasuer has masterfully blended political intrigue, crime drama, and dystopian literature in When Dogs Could Talk. This book is both a suspenseful yarn and a cautionary tale that is sure to appeal to readers of many different genres."
"Recommended for those who enjoy political thrillers, dystopian novels, and novels that make you think while they entertain you."
"One of the year's best, most thought-provoking thrillers"
"For Some … Fiction, For Others … Today's Reality"
If you enjoy the book, or not, please take the time to rate and review the work here and on Amazon -- Thank You!
Fortuna's Bastard Promotion
Fortuna's Bastard will be free [Kindle Format] from September 7th through September 8th Pacific Standard Time USA.
This is a metaphysical thriller/romance with a lot of edge.
Check it out here: http://amzn.to/12kjQIr
Here's what Amazon reviewers have said of the book:
"A Dark, Compelling tale of Suspense & A Mysterious Thriller Rolled into ONE Magnificent piece of work!"
"Riveting!"
"If you're looking for a series completely different from anything on the market today, I suggest you start with "Fortuna's Bastard"!"
David S. Wellhauser offers the reader a rich and detailed world blended with dynamic and original characters to create one of the best stories in the genre that I have ever came across.
Please take the time to rate and review the book.
Enjoy!
This is a metaphysical thriller/romance with a lot of edge.
Check it out here: http://amzn.to/12kjQIr
Here's what Amazon reviewers have said of the book:
"A Dark, Compelling tale of Suspense & A Mysterious Thriller Rolled into ONE Magnificent piece of work!"
"Riveting!"
"If you're looking for a series completely different from anything on the market today, I suggest you start with "Fortuna's Bastard"!"
David S. Wellhauser offers the reader a rich and detailed world blended with dynamic and original characters to create one of the best stories in the genre that I have ever came across.
Please take the time to rate and review the book.
Enjoy!
July 26, 2013
On Writing Characters
This is a topic that I've had a lot of discussions about. And they all come down to a few things:
1. Are they believable?
2. Are they compelling?
3. Are they individuals you can identify with?
4. Do they work for the story?
Believable
This is probably the most subjective element in a character. Personally, most of the beta-male [weak and indecisive] characters are not believable to me. Most men I've known in my life are anything but this.
So, when I write a character I make them over-the-top, no holds barred alpha males that will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals -- no matter how dark or twisted these goals are.
Some would argue most humans, regardless of sex, are weak and indecisive and it's interesting to read about how they manage or do not manage their lives in this respect. I'm just not one of those people. Normally I will put down a book like that, because I would not find this believable or worth the effort and/or time.
This is not to suggest that the alpha male characters are right, or wrong [moral questions are worthless when dealing with people's goals and drives -- morality is what we think people should do...not what they do], but that they are more interesting as villains, heroes, or tragic figures than an Oblamov character is [see Ivan Goncharov's 'Oblamov' for more information].
Compelling
This should flow almost directly from 'Believable'. There are important elements here, however, which distinguish it from believability. As an adjective it literally means: tending to persuade by forcefulness of argument. This is the key, the character must have a point of view and be willing to pursue that perspective through to the, perhaps, bitter end. Actions in such a character need to be bold, shocking, controversial, and unwavering -- even if the character has doubts about their actions. Actually, it's a good idea to have your character confront their doubts, but still to forge ahead: Shakespeare and Homer have taught us that if naught else.
However, endless and nauseating self-reflection may make for beautiful prose but will not help the story or plot [the distinction between these two is not for this post] in the end.
Identifying with the Character
Here is a psychologically sketchy area. Some characters with all the appropriate virtues and mild vices are easy enough to identify with, but often this can be boring. Sometimes it is fun to take a ride in a character we might find repellent in our actually lives, but in our dark hearts [and everyone has one] they can be interesting, enlightening, and even entertaining.
My writing is concerned, almost exclusively, with the Anti-hero [an anti-hero is only good in comparison to those around them] and therefore identifying with them is a problematic enterprise and one that is possible only if you carry a seed of this darkness in yourself. Thankfully, most of us do.
Does the character work for the story
An anti-hero in a bodice-ripper can work, but it isn't the norm. Now I am speaking of the genuine anti-hero and not the milksop Byronic wannabes of Twilight, Anne Rice, or countless other creations of the Chick Lit. world [my prejudices are here for the world to see].
An anti-hero can work best in a world of moral ambiguities or outright rejection of moral and legal systems which bind humanity one to the other in a social and legal construct of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours.
Ultimately, a character is a manifestation of a book's theme and aesthetic sensibility and must work and act within that zeitgeist. If the reader cannot accept the world view then their ability to be convinced by the character will come into question and the book, in the end, will be a failure for the reader. It is for this reason that we now have so many genres, sub-genres, and such a plurality of general fiction and literary fiction today. We are literally drowning in literary micro-niches [dig through Amazon some day if you doubt me].
As a final thought, let me suggest this list of elements for a successfully character is not complete -- how could it ever be? What defines a character is a nebulous area, as is what defines plot [a good one at least]. However, these are the elements, for this writer, that help to define characters that are worth my time and, hopefully, yours.
1. Are they believable?
2. Are they compelling?
3. Are they individuals you can identify with?
4. Do they work for the story?
Believable
This is probably the most subjective element in a character. Personally, most of the beta-male [weak and indecisive] characters are not believable to me. Most men I've known in my life are anything but this.
So, when I write a character I make them over-the-top, no holds barred alpha males that will do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals -- no matter how dark or twisted these goals are.
Some would argue most humans, regardless of sex, are weak and indecisive and it's interesting to read about how they manage or do not manage their lives in this respect. I'm just not one of those people. Normally I will put down a book like that, because I would not find this believable or worth the effort and/or time.
This is not to suggest that the alpha male characters are right, or wrong [moral questions are worthless when dealing with people's goals and drives -- morality is what we think people should do...not what they do], but that they are more interesting as villains, heroes, or tragic figures than an Oblamov character is [see Ivan Goncharov's 'Oblamov' for more information].
Compelling
This should flow almost directly from 'Believable'. There are important elements here, however, which distinguish it from believability. As an adjective it literally means: tending to persuade by forcefulness of argument. This is the key, the character must have a point of view and be willing to pursue that perspective through to the, perhaps, bitter end. Actions in such a character need to be bold, shocking, controversial, and unwavering -- even if the character has doubts about their actions. Actually, it's a good idea to have your character confront their doubts, but still to forge ahead: Shakespeare and Homer have taught us that if naught else.
However, endless and nauseating self-reflection may make for beautiful prose but will not help the story or plot [the distinction between these two is not for this post] in the end.
Identifying with the Character
Here is a psychologically sketchy area. Some characters with all the appropriate virtues and mild vices are easy enough to identify with, but often this can be boring. Sometimes it is fun to take a ride in a character we might find repellent in our actually lives, but in our dark hearts [and everyone has one] they can be interesting, enlightening, and even entertaining.
My writing is concerned, almost exclusively, with the Anti-hero [an anti-hero is only good in comparison to those around them] and therefore identifying with them is a problematic enterprise and one that is possible only if you carry a seed of this darkness in yourself. Thankfully, most of us do.
Does the character work for the story
An anti-hero in a bodice-ripper can work, but it isn't the norm. Now I am speaking of the genuine anti-hero and not the milksop Byronic wannabes of Twilight, Anne Rice, or countless other creations of the Chick Lit. world [my prejudices are here for the world to see].
An anti-hero can work best in a world of moral ambiguities or outright rejection of moral and legal systems which bind humanity one to the other in a social and legal construct of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours.
Ultimately, a character is a manifestation of a book's theme and aesthetic sensibility and must work and act within that zeitgeist. If the reader cannot accept the world view then their ability to be convinced by the character will come into question and the book, in the end, will be a failure for the reader. It is for this reason that we now have so many genres, sub-genres, and such a plurality of general fiction and literary fiction today. We are literally drowning in literary micro-niches [dig through Amazon some day if you doubt me].
As a final thought, let me suggest this list of elements for a successfully character is not complete -- how could it ever be? What defines a character is a nebulous area, as is what defines plot [a good one at least]. However, these are the elements, for this writer, that help to define characters that are worth my time and, hopefully, yours.
July 23, 2013
Ebook Promotional Give-Away on Amazon
From July 25th to July 26th [USA Pacific Standard Time] there will a promotional give-away of all three of my books:
When Dogs Could Talk
The Seurat Construct
The Dog Particle
Author's Page
http://www.amazon.com/David-S.-Wellha...
When Dogs Could Talk
The Seurat Construct
The Dog Particle
Author's Page
http://www.amazon.com/David-S.-Wellha...
July 22, 2013
When Dogs Could Talk & Fortuna's Bastard Updates
Look for the print edition of 'When Dogs Could Talk' later today -- my cover designer finally got it done after over 2 months of back and forth...bar none this has been my worst experience with a book designer ever. This should be up today if there are no further problems.
'Fortuna's Bastard' is slated for release, because of the technical problems with 'When Dogs Could Talk', in August now. My experience with this new designer, Indie Designz, has been excellent and they finished all work in 6 days [interior and exterior designs]. At the moment I believe I will release the book in Mid-August.
'Fortuna's Bastard' is Book 1 of 'A Great & Continuous Malignity'. Book 2, 'Virtu', will be released in January 2014 and Book 2, 'Apocalypse Culture', is slated for release Spring/Summer 2014.
If anyone has any questions you can post them on my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/GnosticDemen... or email me at cryptobarker@gmail.com
Happy Reading.
'Fortuna's Bastard' is slated for release, because of the technical problems with 'When Dogs Could Talk', in August now. My experience with this new designer, Indie Designz, has been excellent and they finished all work in 6 days [interior and exterior designs]. At the moment I believe I will release the book in Mid-August.
'Fortuna's Bastard' is Book 1 of 'A Great & Continuous Malignity'. Book 2, 'Virtu', will be released in January 2014 and Book 2, 'Apocalypse Culture', is slated for release Spring/Summer 2014.
If anyone has any questions you can post them on my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/GnosticDemen... or email me at cryptobarker@gmail.com
Happy Reading.
July 19, 2013
Fortuna's Bastard
Look for "Fortuna's Bastard" book 1 of "A Great & Continuous Malignity" over the next few days. My new book designer took far, far less time than I had anticipated.
Volume 2 of this trilogy, Virtu, will be available in January 2014 and the final volume, Apocalypse Culture, the Summer of 2014.
Volume 2 of this trilogy, Virtu, will be available in January 2014 and the final volume, Apocalypse Culture, the Summer of 2014.
July 13, 2013
Fortuna's Bastard: This Fall
This fall look for a new book: Fortuna's Bastard, Book 1 of the trilogy -- A Great & Continuous Malignity.
Book 1 introduces Matt/Matteo Feargal who at 16 is a brilliant high school delinquent who grows a little weed on the side to help his single mother pay the mortgage, has girlfriend problems, and is just beginning to suspect there is something off about his hometown.
This is a Literary Thriller/Fantasy with plenty of action and teenage angst. This is not Young Adult [YA] fiction--rather it is thoroughly adult fiction with complex characters, graphic sex, ideas, and disturbing/foul language.
Book 2, Virtu, will be released in January/February of 2014. This follows Matt after a personal tragedy four years from the end of book 1 and deals with a world on the brink of a devastating transformation.
Book 3, Apocalypse Culture, will be released the summer of 2014. Still attempting to save what remains of his life from those who have attempted to destroy it and the world, Matt is struggling with his own demons and those, quite literally, loose in the world.
In 2015 you may expect a naturalistic story about a thief trapped in a city quarantined because of plague that is also recovering from a civil war. Influences include Dafoe and Camus as well as Clive Barker.
Follow the developments in these books through my Twitter -- @simiandei or my Facebook page -- Gnostic Dementia Press
Book 1 introduces Matt/Matteo Feargal who at 16 is a brilliant high school delinquent who grows a little weed on the side to help his single mother pay the mortgage, has girlfriend problems, and is just beginning to suspect there is something off about his hometown.
This is a Literary Thriller/Fantasy with plenty of action and teenage angst. This is not Young Adult [YA] fiction--rather it is thoroughly adult fiction with complex characters, graphic sex, ideas, and disturbing/foul language.
Book 2, Virtu, will be released in January/February of 2014. This follows Matt after a personal tragedy four years from the end of book 1 and deals with a world on the brink of a devastating transformation.
Book 3, Apocalypse Culture, will be released the summer of 2014. Still attempting to save what remains of his life from those who have attempted to destroy it and the world, Matt is struggling with his own demons and those, quite literally, loose in the world.
In 2015 you may expect a naturalistic story about a thief trapped in a city quarantined because of plague that is also recovering from a civil war. Influences include Dafoe and Camus as well as Clive Barker.
Follow the developments in these books through my Twitter -- @simiandei or my Facebook page -- Gnostic Dementia Press
July 12, 2013
When Dogs Could Talk -- Now Available from Amazon
The eBook version of my new Literary Thriller about the coming of a civil war and the efforts of a variety of characters to survive the coming collapse is now available on Amazon.com.
The paper edition should be available in the near future...the jacket designer went on vacation and I am waiting for them to return.
Some tags which may help my readers:
Literary Fiction
Thriller
Espionage
Crime
Noir Fiction
Anti-Hero
Civil War
Insurrection
Geopolitics
Philosophy
Existentialism
Journalism
Revenge
Political Radicalism
Political Reactionaries
Nihilism
If anyone would like an eBook copy of this book for review purposes please contact me with your email address and I will forward this on to you in either Kindle or ePub formats.
The Amazon book is DRM free
You can find my books here:
When Dogs Could Talk
The paper edition should be available in the near future...the jacket designer went on vacation and I am waiting for them to return.
Some tags which may help my readers:
Literary Fiction
Thriller
Espionage
Crime
Noir Fiction
Anti-Hero
Civil War
Insurrection
Geopolitics
Philosophy
Existentialism
Journalism
Revenge
Political Radicalism
Political Reactionaries
Nihilism
If anyone would like an eBook copy of this book for review purposes please contact me with your email address and I will forward this on to you in either Kindle or ePub formats.
The Amazon book is DRM free
You can find my books here:
When Dogs Could Talk
May 28, 2013
When Dogs Could Talk -- New Book
When Dogs Could Talk -- will be published in a week or so...look for it on Amazon.com. This is a literary thriller about the descent of a city into economic collapse, insurrection, and civil war. The story follows a reporter & others over the course of a year as the city collapses around them and the consequences of this for different characters in the book. Approximately 550 pages. Will be available as an eBook and as a print book.
