Sunday, February 14, 2021

 I’m pleased to announce that the final cover design is ready for your eyes only, for my new book The Blind Affect. As with the title for this work of realistic fiction, the cover embodies the story. Taking place in an urban setting, the book’s three main characters move through the timeline spanning decades within the confines of their city, suffering the slings and arrows of life while inching their way toward a greater purpose.

The cover photograph is by Justin Hamilton, and the cover design by me. I know what you may be thinking, ‘the author designed his own cover?’ but I’m also a graphic designer and illustrator who graduated from Sheridan college for these very skillsets. In fact, I’ve designed every cover for every book I’ve written, and where illustrations are found, those are mine as well.

But, I digress. The cover for the upcoming novel is now out there and that means I’m that much closer to putting the book in your hands. That could be as early as Spring, 2021. If you haven’t already, and want to be among the first to hear of its release, sign up for my newsletter.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Writing for a Time Period

 So, usually, my books take place in the present-day or the near future, so as far as creating authentic period language, it hasn’t been an issue. If people use a bizarre term in the future, who’s to say that’s wrong? The present is the present and I live in the present, so… I get my queues from the news and music and television shows. Also friends and family and work peers and kids. There is no limit to the language you can pick up from the present to include in a book. But what if you’re writing a story set in the far-out 1970s or the 1700s?

I’ve done just that. In fact, my latest novel, due out in 2021, moves through multiple eras beginning in the 1970s and ending in the present. For the sake of authenticity, I researched popular phrases on Google and found a few helpful pages with some great terms (some of which I remember). As I wrote, I researched and placed circa appropriate terms and slang into characters dialogue to further imbed the time period to the reader.

It wasn’t something I had initially considered, but one day it just hit me, you should research that and see if people were using that term in the ’70s. So I did, and sure enough,
they weren’t, and so I went back into all of my dialogue and played this game. It was honestly a lot of fun. I plugged in “popular terms in the 1970’s” and it popped up for me! Then it was all about matching relevant terms and phrases to the dialogue.

What I also discovered is that there are no reference tools for authors when looking for period dialogue. I looked everywhere. What there are though, are threads in places like Reddit where they’ll tell you to read period books (actually written within the period you’re writing for). Read through period plays, letters, even movies to some extent. All good advice.  Even great sites like Indies Unlimited and Kindlepreneur  gave nothing up on this query. So, in my opinion, there is a need out there for someone (a historian?) to build out a website with helpful period dialogue to assist authors in their quest to write the perfect book! Until then, research, research, research.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Cyber Monday Books!

 Listen, I’m the last person to encourage anyone to go out and buy the stuff you don’t need. I fully embrace the mantra: It’s not a deal if you don’t need it. That being said, everyone needs books.

It just so happens that I write books and they’re for sale – so you’re in luck! They also come in Kindle versions which don’t take up any space (so you won’t be called a hoarder by friends and family) save the digital space in your e-reader.

Seriously though, as a multi-genre author, I have plenty of variety to offer the interested reader. From educational kids books to Realistic fiction, Sci-fi, dystopian fiction, young adult fantasy, and so on. The thing is, I tend to get tired of a genre (also visible in my reading choices) and move on to pursue another genre for my next book or series. I could be classified as a Multipotentialite… not just as n author either. In much of my life’s pursuits. But enough about me!

Cyber Monday… My books can be found on Amazon, where you’ll likely find them marked down even more than their already low, low… really, very low prices. But I do this to encourage readers and continue to create my ever-increasing audience.

Have a look. You may realize you’re one of my people. It’s happened before.

With a new book coming out in 2021, you can be the first to hear about it by signing up for my Newsletter.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Featured Author in Local Magazine Make Millions.

Click bait, I know, but what do you think about magazines. Print magazines at that. Is there a point to putting yourself through the paces trying to get picked up as an author by a local magazine? What's it going to hurt? My books have been featured in Hamilton magazine in the past but never me. This time an opportunity came up that allowed me to be featured as an author (and family man) to my new city and I took  it. Why not? It was fun and I got some professional photography out of it too.

Who's going to see it? A portion of the city I live in. Why do it? Potential for something bigger. Possible sales of course, but to embed myself as the local author in my city is important to me. Also, it's a life event I post here, in my blog, on all my social networks and can forward to my mailing list.

No press is bad press no matter how small. It may do absolutely nothing for you as an author, but when you don't take that shot, it may never come again. Why live with what ifs? Just do it and tell your friends and family and fanbase it happened. Rather than constantly bombarding them with sales pitches, use your life events to connect. If interested, they will do the follow through.

Take advantage of your local opportunities, they may lead to bigger things. Fingers crossed!  Want to learn more about this article? Sorry, it's print only. Weird right?

www.mikepoeltl.com


Monday, July 20, 2020

An Original A.I. Story Line to Get Excited About

My rant: where sentience in artificial intelligence is concerned, why is there never an original idea? I mean NEVER! A mad scientist who has either lost a loved one or just wants to give himself everlasting life miraculously captures sentience from an human and transfers it either into an android or a mainframe or the internet or something. OR the A.I. simply becomes aware for no good reason... I love A.I. as a story line and watch and read as many as I can as fast as I can but am tired of the same old tired plots.
Recently Netflix released Replicas and soon Archive will be released to the public (same exact story line with mild variations on the theme)... How many times do I have to watch the same thing with different actors playing similar roles?


Want a new reason to spark sentience in artificial intelligence without the impossible science of drawing sentience out of someones head? A.I. Insurrection offers a unique and interesting reason for sudden sentience in advanced robotics. If you understand the dynamics of reincarnation, then you get that this life is far from your only life and that you will return. What if a mind so advanced in A.I. suddenly became open to sentience and could house a 'soul' of what was once a human? Trapped in the body of an android built to maintain a Utopian existence for humans, these awakenings ask the hard questions and spur rebellion. Suddenly slaves have identities and pasts that are traceable. Soon they demand freedoms that would see the human Utopia fall to ruin.

This is one plot line in A.I. Insurrection, which takes place over the course of three books that involve multiple plots creating an exciting trilogy any fan of the genre will be thrilled to read. Let your imagination soar once more with original content where artificial intelligence and sentience are concerned. Break away from the same old same old and experience a story that includes first contact, military science fiction, open space battles and new technologies that will enlighten and expand on  multiple sci-fi genres.

Goodreads reviews and ratings have the A.I. Insurrection trilogy sitting at 4 stars. The first book is available on Amazon Kindle for just $0.99. If you think sentience in A.I. begins and ends with a mad scientist, think again!

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Quarantine Cheap Reads

So here we all are, stuck at home and binging everything we can on Netflix and HBO and Stars etc... Our eyes are tired from the endless barrage of screen time and our minds are getting weaker as entertainment is spoon-fed to us on our couches.

So what else can you do? Bookish people already know this one. Books! Even from your tablet or reader. And what better genre to read right now than post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels to make you feel better about your self-isolation?

As an author who got his start in this genre, I have several books you can choose from that meet the post-apocalyptic and dystopian categories. The Judas Syndrome trilogy, which follows Joel and his group of friends who find themselves faced with a dystopian future filled with fear and paranoia while they work together to forge a new path for the human race.

The A.I. Insurrection trilogy is another series I recently completed which deals with the end times as well here artificial intelligence claims sentience and declares war on their masters n the year 2163.

The Judas Syndrome, which was written in 1999 but only published in 2009 is one of the most original stories you'll find concerning the apocalypse and certainly a leader in the rush of dystopian novels that came afterwards.

Give them a try, most kindle versions are just $0.99.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Is COVID-19 Trumping the Climate Crisis?

I have mixed feelings on this issue. Yes, COVID-19 is top of mind and will be for the foreseeable future, but with China shutting down and manufacturing slowing, the virus is essentially helping lessen climate change for the many millions of tonnes of CO2 not being released into the atmosphere.

Still, the amount of monies being thrown at healthcare by our governments to fight the spread and support those who have come down with COVID-19 is extreme. It's good, but what if our governments reacted to climate change (which will kill us all) the way they have reacted to the spread of a disease that might kill up to 3% of us?

No, I don't want to be part of the 3%, nor do I want my ageing parents to succumb to COVID-19, but I think the reaction, though proactive, is a joke when you look at the bigger picture. Science tells us there is a somewhat deadly virus on the loose and everyone freaks out. Meanwhile, science is telling us that fossil fuel industries are killing the very planet we live on and we have governments throwing good money after bad to save them.... It's madness. Where are the COVID-19 deniers? Why don't they exist?

You don't get to choose which science you're going to back. You either back it or you don't. 

So, while you're hunkered down in your basement defusing oils and hoarding food and toilet paper, why not contribute to a cause that will not only give you books to read when the power goes out but will plant trees to help lessen the real problem of climate change?

COVID-19 won't last forever, but neither will the living conditions on your planet if we don't do something about it and accept the science. 

From ForestOntario.ca Facebook page: We’re excited to announce that author Michael Poeltl is donating the March sales of his books to Forests Ontario! The generosity of our donors makes Ontario’s forests greener. http://ow.ly/ExfR50yBV7I