This week I'm setting up a 'freebie' page on my website, from which I will offer free copies of select titles for a limited time. I'm also learning the in's and out's of audio files, so expect some teasers or short stories in audio form, in the near future.

This week, I'm offering a free electronic copy of Decoy, the first novel in the Assassin's Rising series. If the file format you need isn't available, email me at seth@sbsebrick.com and we'll make sure you have a workable copy to share and enjoy.

Haven't tried out  Decoy? Download it  here, free of charge.

Already read it? Download and share a copy with a friend.

Enjoy!

I came across a great quote by Ernest Hemingway, "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." 

This quote has always struck me deeply, both as a writer, and a person. Lately, it's encouraged me to push myself to put more words on the page with each passing day. But I love how this quote can be moved to apply to almost anything, be it fitness, a profession or making the most of family relationships. How different would the world be, if everyone measured their success by weighing it against their own progress, instead of the progress of their peers?

Today I found a T-Shirt labeled, "I'm more confused than a chameleon in a bag full of skittles."

I hope one day I'll be a good enough writer to come up with this level of imagery. Unique. memorable. Funny. What's the point of wearing dull, mono-chromatic clothes, when you can bring some comedy to the scene? I'd like to be the guy that walks into a room and helps someone smile, as of yet, I'm having mixed results. In my family, it's hard to tell if they're laughing with me, or at me! 

One of the best things about being a writer, is the creative freedom that allows you to take any negative experience and turn it into a money maker. There's just nothing like waking up from the terrifying nightmare and, rather than laying there for hours being haunted by it, realize :

'Holy crap, that would make a killer opening scene for a novel. Nice!"

I don't know who first said this quote, but it really stuck out to  me. "The  Master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried."

 Whatever the skill we are trying to learn, we look up at our heroes in the time of their glorious act, and forget the thousands of hours of practice leading up to that moment. We read the bestselling novel and don't see the countless hours spent under other pen names perfecting their craft. We see the perfect three-point shot, but not the weeks of preparations involved. We can master whatever skill we want, it just takes time. Even the masters were beginners once.

Hey everyone,  hope you all have some fun plans this weekend! For me, it looks like I'll finally have a few days to settle down and reach the halfway point on 'Splintered Loyalties', the story is writing itself and throwing in a few twists I didn't even see coming. In my opinion, Fiction writing is  at its best when the characters are the ones writing the story, even when they suddenly through you for a loop and you're left staring at the computer in shock. Sure, they can lead to a couple intense arguments with a monitor screen, but the twists you discover that  way are worth the trouble :)