The February Video of the Month comes from a Field Production class I took with a friend Will Neary. Will shot the footage for this, and I edited it and added the music. We were just playing around, but this is a step forward in our filmmaking if only because it gets us out of the TV studio. A lot of this is just experimental, but I wouldn't be surprised if our shooting outside the studio starts coalescing in the next few months toward a clearer purpose.
Tuesday February 26, 2008 I have a new interview, which we filmed for The Artist's Craft last Friday with author Zelda Lockhart. Zelda is the author of the Simon & Schuster published novel Fifth Born. She lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and this interview focuses on the road that led to her becoming a published author.
The January Video of the Month is my first real attempt at a documentary-style short film. I filmed the footage for this at the Cape Fear Crime Festival in October 2007. I've got a hunch that I'll probably continue to grow in this film-style direction in 2008.
Sunday February 3, 2008 I'm sitting here with Susan watching Tom Petty on the Halftime show of the Super Bowl, and I thought it'd be wise to get in here and update the blog. January was busy, and I'm gearing up toward a very busy February and March.
Last week, I had a friend of mine in town from Arizona. Matt Peterson has recently published his first novel. We did an interview at the TV studio for The Artist's Craft...
Coming up in February, I have a panel discussion next Saturday at McIntyre's in Pittsboro with authors J.D. Rhoades and Alexandra Sokoloff.
The following Friday (February 15), I have another interview scheduled at the TV studio, and then on Saturday the 16th, I have a panel discussion scheduled at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh.
That panel will include authors Diane Chamberlain, Luleen Anderson, and Adam Shepard. I'll be moderating, and The Artist's Craft film crew is planning to film this discussion to air on RTN.
Classes at NC State are going well, and Susan and I spent this afternoon working on our taxes. Lots of receipts...
Well, Tom Petty is done, and the second half is getting ready to start. Keep it real, people.
Stacey
Sunday January 13, 2008 Well, this is my first post of 2008, and I'm happy to bring you another interview from The Artist's Craft filmed for Time/Warner cable on Friday. Our guest in the studio was Jock Brandis, who has worked in the film industry with David Cronenberg, David Lynch, John Travolta, Alan Alda, Stephen King, and a host of other folks.
In recent years, Jock has turned his attention toward humanitarian causes. He is the inventor of the Malian Peanut Sheller, which has enabled folks in Third World countries to increase the efficiency of peanut shelling for their villages from 2 pounds an hour to 125 pounds an hour.
He also founded Fully Belly Project, a non-profit organization designed to develop similar techonologies for impoverished countries around the world.
The interview was directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, and we had Will Neary helping out on the TelePrompter. It's on YouTube in 3 parts.
Stacey
Monday December 31, 2007 It has been a whirl-wind year, but somehow I've made it through.This year, I saw my writing career dramatically move forward. Prior to 2007, I had done a total of about four author events. This year alone, I've done more than 50 bookstore, library, and other assorted speaking engagements.
Additionally, I managed to bring together an amazing crew of folks to start a television show, and we completed our first full season back in early December. We're now three episodes into season two, and will film our fourth episode this Friday.
I've watched the growth of my son from newborn to now-cruising 13-month-old.
For 2008, I have regular monthly author events in Wilmington and Raleigh, and I'm close to securing a monthly gig in Charlotte as well. I would like to expand to Washington DC and Atlanta for bi-monthly events, and would like to continue to hone the TV show, bringing in other regular correspondents.
Of course, my goal is to find a publisher and literary agent for my novels. I would like to also find a broader distribution for the TV show and to begin pitching to major national networks.
Stacey
Saturday December 15, 2007 I've got a new interview from The Artist's Craft. On Thursday, I interviewed three members of the Raleigh Area Women Writers group, Anne Woodman, Lynn Mercer and Trina Allen.
Monday December 10, 2007 Well, we're into the heart of the Christmas season, and Susan is in the kitchen making Christmas cookies! While she's finishing up, I decided to take a minute to write a blog to let you folks know how things're going.
My English class at NC State had its final exam today, and I've started grading this evening. This Thursday, I've got a big interview at the TV studio with the Raleigh Area Women Writers, and then on Friday I have another interview with a writer named Angela Williams.
On Saturday, I'm scheduled to address local filmmakers at the Producers' Workshop for the Raleigh Television Network, and I'm working to finish up a last-minute revision of my novel Roman Phoenix, in order to submit it to a contest for unpublished authors by the end of the month.
On December 20th, I'm televising an Open Mic Night Contest I'm organizing at a local public library, and on Sunday December 30th, I'll be driving down to Wilmington to moderate a "How to Publish a Book" panel discussion with authors Brooks Preik and Luleen Anderson at Pomegranate Books.
Here's a video I made yesterday of Sam eating fish sticks.
Thursday November 29, 2007 Well, I'm in the midst of a very busy weekend. This evening I moderated a panel discussion at the Cameron Village Public Library with authors Sarah Shaber and Alice Osborn. Tomorrow morning, I'll be interviewing author Luleen Anderson at the TV studio, and in the evening, Susan and I are throwing a birthday party for our son Sam, who will be one year old.
Saturday, I'll be moderating a panel discussion with authors J.D. Rhoades and Alexandra Sokoloff at the Borders Bookstore on Six Forks Road in Raleigh. And then on Sunday, I'll be driving down to Wilmington to interview an author Richard Satterlie at Pomegranate Books for the Wilmington Write to Publish Group.
Classes will be finishing up for the semester at NC State next week, and my class's final exam will be on Monday December 10.
I shot this footage of Sam and Susan on Monday, following the Thanksgiving weekend. In the film, we're discussing what to do with leftover turkey. This is slice-of-life stuff, folks. Enjoy...
Also, I finished up my first short film documentary. This is from the Cape Fear Crime Festival, which I attended a month ago down in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Friday November 16, 2007
I've got a new interview from today's shoot of "The Artist's Craft" on the Raleigh Television Network. Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, our interview was with author Danny Bernstein.
Danny's book is Hiking the Carolina Mountains, published by Milestone Press, and we discussed how she wrote the book, how she sold it to Milestone, and how she has sold articles to newspapers and magazines.
If you're interested in non-fiction writing or in hiking, I think you'll get a kick out'a this one.
Stacey
Tuesday October 30, 2007 We've got a new author interview this week for StaceyCochran.com from our TV show "The Artist's Craft." Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest this episode features authors Tim Dillinger, Christine Moughamian, and Christy Judah discussing the subject of "How to Write a Book: From Idea to Finished Manuscript."
Additionally, I'm experimenting with a new hosting platform, Google video. The plus is that through Google video the whole 30-minute interview can be embedded in one TV screen. Let me know which one you prefer (or if you can even see the Google TV screen below).
Sunday October 21, 2007 We have a new interview for StaceyCochran.com from this week's episode of "The Artist's Craft." Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, this interview with newspaper columnist Barry Saunders will air on Raleigh Television Network and Time/Warner cable later this fall.
Its online version is available through YouTube in three high-resolution parts. Enjoy...
The December Video of the Month is a simple Christmas Greeting.
Monday December 31, 2007 It has been a whirl-wind year, but somehow I've made it through.This year, I saw my writing career dramatically move forward. Prior to 2007, I had done a total of about four author events. This year alone, I've done more than 50 bookstore, library, and other assorted speaking engagements.
Additionally, I managed to bring together an amazing crew of folks to start a television show, and we completed our first full season back in early December. We're now three episodes into season two, and will film our fourth episode this Friday.
I've watched the growth of my son from newborn to now-cruising 13-month-old.
For 2008, I have regular monthly author events in Wilmington and Raleigh, and I'm close to securing a monthly gig in Charlotte as well. I would like to expand to Washington DC and Atlanta for bi-monthly events, and would like to continue to hone the TV show, bringing in other regular correspondents.
Of course, my goal is to find a publisher and literary agent for my novels. I would like to also find a broader distribution for the TV show and to begin pitching to major national networks.
Stacey
Saturday December 15, 2007 I've got a new interview from The Artist's Craft. On Thursday, I interviewed three members of the Raleigh Area Women Writers group, Anne Woodman, Lynn Mercer and Trina Allen.
Monday December 10, 2007 Well, we're into the heart of the Christmas season, and Susan is in the kitchen making Christmas cookies! While she's finishing up, I decided to take a minute to write a blog to let you folks know how things're going.
My English class at NC State had its final exam today, and I've started grading this evening. This Thursday, I've got a big interview at the TV studio with the Raleigh Area Women Writers, and then on Friday I have another interview with a writer named Angela Williams.
On Saturday, I'm scheduled to address local filmmakers at the Producers' Workshop for the Raleigh Television Network, and I'm working to finish up a last-minute revision of my novel Roman Phoenix, in order to submit it to a contest for unpublished authors by the end of the month.
On December 20th, I'm televising an Open Mic Night Contest I'm organizing at a local public library, and on Sunday December 30th, I'll be driving down to Wilmington to moderate a "How to Publish a Book" panel discussion with authors Brooks Preik and Luleen Anderson at Pomegranate Books.
Here's a video I made yesterday of Sam eating fish sticks.
The November Photo of the Month comes from my trip to World Fantasy Con 2007. Pictured here from right to left is Rick Wilber, Peter Straub, me, and Peter's archivist.
Thursday November 29, 2007 Well, I'm in the midst of a very busy weekend. This evening I moderated a panel discussion at the Cameron Village Public Library with authors Sarah Shaber and Alice Osborn. Tomorrow morning, I'll be interviewing author Luleen Anderson at the TV studio, and in the evening, Susan and I are throwing a birthday party for our son Sam, who will be one year old.
Saturday, I'll be moderating a panel discussion with authors J.D. Rhoades and Alexandra Sokoloff at the Borders Bookstore on Six Forks Road in Raleigh. And then on Sunday, I'll be driving down to Wilmington to interview an author Richard Satterlie at Pomegranate Books for the Wilmington Write to Publish Group.
Classes will be finishing up for the semester at NC State next week, and my class's final exam will be on Monday December 10.
I shot this footage of Sam and Susan on Monday, following the Thanksgiving weekend. In the film, we're discussing what to do with leftover turkey. This is slice-of-life stuff, folks. Enjoy...
Also, I finished up my first short film documentary. This is from the Cape Fear Crime Festival, which I attended a month ago down in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Friday November 16, 2007
I've got a new interview from today's shoot of "The Artist's Craft" on the Raleigh Television Network. Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, our interview was with author Danny Bernstein.
Danny's book is Hiking the Carolina Mountains, published by Milestone Press, and we discussed how she wrote the book, how she sold it to Milestone, and how she has sold articles to newspapers and magazines.
If you're interested in non-fiction writing or in hiking, I think you'll get a kick out'a this one.
The October Photo of the Month is from the Raleigh Television Network studio. Michael Graziano took this picture after our interview with Chris Irving. The show title is The Artist's Craft, and it will air this fall in Raleigh on Sundays at 8:30 PM.
Tuesday October 30, 2007 We've got a new author interview this week for StaceyCochran.com from our TV show "The Artist's Craft." Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest this episode features authors Tim Dillinger, Christine Moughamian, and Christy Judah discussing the subject of "How to Write a Book: From Idea to Finished Manuscript."
Additionally, I'm experimenting with a new hosting platform, Google video. The plus is that through Google video the whole 30-minute interview can be embedded in one TV screen. Let me know which one you prefer (or if you can even see the Google TV screen below).
Sunday October 21, 2007 We have a new interview for StaceyCochran.com from this week's episode of "The Artist's Craft." Directed by Michael Graziano and Marnie Cooper-Priest, this interview with newspaper columnist Barry Saunders will air on Raleigh Television Network and Time/Warner cable later this fall.
Its online version is available through YouTube in three high-resolution parts. Enjoy...
Sunday October 14, 2007 This weekend, I travelled over to the Charlotte and led a workshop on Saturday for the Charlotte Write to Publish Group. Drove back today (Sunday) and met with my critique group this evening to workshop a group member's story. This evening, I've been putting together the online version of last week's interview for The Artist's Craft.
I think you'll enjoy this; it's with the theater troupe "Redrum: A Murder Mystery."
Monday October 8, 2007 This weekend I participated as a writer in my first street fair, and I sold about 20 DVDs and books. The Cape Fear Authors Guild invited me to come down to Wilmington, North Carolina for Riverfest. The Guild set up a tent on Water Street...
Guild members include Christy Judah, Richard Triebe, Edith Edwards, and Ken Campbell. I met all of the authors through the Wilmington Write to Publish Group, which meets the last Sunday of every month at Pomegranate Books in Wilmington. Here's a photo of me talking with a customer [photo by Richard Triebe]...
Here is Guild member Edith Edwards, author of The Ghosts of Turtle Nest....
Here are Guild members Richard Triebe and Ken Campbell. Rich's book is titled On a Rising Tide and Ken's novel is The Fifth Category...
Here is a photo with Edith in the foreground signing a copy of her book. In the background, I'm speaking with a customer who has a copy of The Colorado Sequence... [photo by Richard Triebe]
Wednesday October 3, 2007
On the Value of My Blog
The past few months I’ve questioned the self-centered nature of this website. I’ve asked myself why I have photos of myself, the purpose if you will, and if is it driven by vanity. Tonight, I reached a minor breakthrough in that I realized that that was not the major reason for the site, for blogging, or for posting photos. The primary purpose is marketing driven. That is, my primary purpose is to market my books, films, TV shows, DVDs, etc., and to have a place on the web to do so.
But here’s where the breakthrough came in. I realized tonight that all of this is probably driven by an even deeper need, self-actualization. By constantly being confronted with my own thoughts, photos, purposes, and experiences, I’ve come to a better understanding of myself. I can see myself somewhat more objectively, and as such, I can understand what my strengths, weaknesses, and reality is more clearly.
And here’s what’s really cool. Now that I’ve begun to more clearly understand myself, I can move myself into positions that help others. I know who I am and am learning what I can do help the greatest number of people possible.
The blog helps to revise methods. I can look back and see what I’ve done, see what works well, and see what needs adjustment…. whether it’s drawing a crowd of 50 people to an event at a library, or reaching 5,000 people in a single television address.
By objectifying myself in an environment (blog, YouTube, etc.) that can be reviewed and revised, I can move towards self improvement and hopefully even help others.
All of this is to say that I think I’ve found value in my blog that I might not have consciously been aware of before today!
The September Photo of the Month is one of my favorites of all time. That's New York Times bestselling author James Patterson and me. Jim was the recipient of the Grandmaster Award at Thrillerfest this year, and this photo was taken on the elevator while riding down to the awards banquet. (I think we were staying on the same floor at the hotel.) Can you tell I was excited?
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Hey folks,
It's been a great week. We did an event at Cameron Village Public Library Thursday evening that drew about 35 writers. Our panelists were sci-fi fantasy author James Maxey and Baen Publishing contributing editor Gray Rhinehart. The discussion really focused on the nitty-gritty details of how a publisher like Baen works in terms of acquiring manuscripts, setting pub dates, publicizing and marketing its books, and editing manuscripts to be published.
Then, on Friday, we filmed a new interview at the TV studio for The Artist's Craft to air on Raleigh Television Network Channel 10 later this fall. Marnie Cooper-Priest and Michael Graziano were directing, and this interview was with Cynthia Barnett, executive director for the 1500-member strong NC Writers' Network.
Today, I'm driving down to Wilmington, North Carolina to moderate a panel discussion with three other authors titled "How to Write a Book: From Idea to Completed Manuscript" at Pomegranate Bookstore for the Wilmington Write to Publish Group.
Stacey
Friday September 21, 2007 Busy, busy, busy... well we filmed another interview today and then I did an event this evening with the authors at Cameron Village Public Library in Raleigh.
The interview went very well, and I should have it available online within a couple days. I'll post it here when it's done.
Tonight's event was well attended, and I had a lot of fun.
Stacey
Saturday September 15, 2007 I've got a new interview online. This one is with author Christopher Irving. Enjoy...
Thursday September 13, 2007 Isn't this a great picture? It's just amazing to me that I have a son. Man, we are truly blessed...
Friday September 7, 2007 My life is busier now than it has ever been.
Last night, I had an event at a Borders Bookstore. We drew a crowd of about 30 people, and I managed to sell about seven or eight books and as many DVDs.
Today, I had an author-interview at the TV studio. It was an excellent interview, but it occupied my day from 8:00 AM until around 7:00 PM, when I finally had to pull myself away from post-production editing to have some dinner. I still have work that I could be doing on it right now (the audio isn't where I'd like it to be), but I'm going to give it a rest for the night.
Last weekend, I had an event on Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. Add in teaching on Monday and Wednesday, and there just ain't a lot of spare time.
Also, I'm finishing up my tenth novel, and I've begun editing my next major DVD project. I hope to have the novel done within the next couple of weeks, and the DVD done within 4-6 weeks.
Additionally, I'm booking events for the rest of the fall, and may line up 6-12 bookstore events for the next two to three months. I would like to get on a regular circuit throughout the Southeast doing events once per month in cities like Charlotte, Washington DC, Virginia Beach, Wilmington, and of course, Raleigh. I managed to do this over the summer, but things are busier now and it makes regular touring a bit more challenging.
At any rate, I guess the goal is to just stick with the show this fall, keep writing, finish the novel, finish the new DVD project, tour as much as I can, schedule as many events as I possibly can keep up with, and enjoy it.
Should be a fun couple of months!
Stacey
P.S. I've uploaded the newest interview to YouTube in three parts...
The August Photo of the Month comes from last month's trip to Thrillerfest in New York. Like a lot of writer's conventions, it was tough, fun, exhilarating, and exhausting (depending on the time of day, amount of coffee, and impression I felt I'd just made on someone else), but this photo with me and bestselling suspense novelist Lee Child was at a moment when I felt very good, in balance, and was just having fun. Plus, Lee's a nice guy and puts everybody at ease around him.
Saturday September 1, 2007 Well, it's been a whirl-wind couple of days. On Thursday evening, I moderated a panel discussion at Cameron Village Public Library with authors Alexandra Sokoloff, J.D. Rhoades, and Vicki Hendricks. I managed to film the 90-minute discussion with three cameras and two studio mics, and was able to get the audience of 75 people to sign release forms so that I can use the footage freely.
My plan is to make a DVD out of this, but it'll take a couple of months to edit it all together. Nonetheless, when it's done it's going to look very good and sound very good, and it's my first truly "talk show" teleproduction with mics for the audience and the panelists. I'm really stoked about the whole thing.
Speaking of DVDs, my first "How to Publish a Book, How to Get a Literary Agent" DVD became available on Amazon.com in the past few days. I've already managed to sell one copy, and I haven't even publicized it anywhere yet.
Yesterday, I hosted Episode 3 of The Artist's Craft. Our in-studio guests were Vicki Hendricks and J.D. Rhoades, and I think it was our best interview yet in the series. I'll post the YouTube version here in a few days.
For now, though, here's Part 3 of the Alexandra Sokoloff interview. Enjoy...
Saturday August 25, 2007 Got a couple things to blog about. First up, I've launched a new website www.howtopublishabook.org as an online hub for writers. I'm planning on uploading author interviews and having guest bloggers. It's largely an experiment to see how search-engine optimization affects website traffic.
Here is Part 2 of the Alexandra Sokoloff interview...
Friday August 17, 2007 Got a new trailer for the DVD project I've been working on...
Tuesday August 14, 2007 Life is good. Some days I'm just amazed at how lucky I am to have the life that I have. I've got a few pictures from the day.
Got things started early by writing on the deck this morning (accompanied by Sam)...
I managed to really stay with it despite a difficult section of the novel. Later this afternoon, Susan came home and fed Sam some green beans...
Afterwards, we all put on our bathing suits and went swimming...
.
Right now, I'm at the kitchen table typing up my blog while Susan puts our son to bed (I can hear the mobile in his room). We've got chicken in the crock pot that we'll eat as soon as I publish this to my website.
Enjoy life, people. And give thanks. That's the secret to it all.
Stacey
Friday August 10, 2007 It's Photo Friday. Here's a black-and-white of my newest writing inspiration, my son Sam...
Thursday August 9, 2007 It's been a busy week. I've been working on the Roman Phoenix novel, and I'm near the 65,000-word mark at roughly 340 pages. I'd like to bring it in around 400 pages and about 80,000 words.
The title for the novel has changed a number of times in the past year, but I'm currently leaning toward Roman's Prayer. I would really like to have the first draft done by the time classes start in a couple of weeks at NC State.
This fall I'm kind of cooling things off on the speaking engagement front. I currently only have a few things lined up in the next couple of months and have decided instead to focus my energies on writing, on the TV show, and on teaching at State.
I have a DVD project that I'm working on that may change this, though. I may do a number of bookstore events to promote the DVD, depending on how I feel about the finished product.
At any rate, that's a little bit from here in Raleigh where the temperature is supposed to hit a record-breaking 103 degrees tomorrow (with a heat index around 110).
That's hot.
Stacey
Monday July 30, 2007 Susan took this photo today shortly after Sam ate his first cracker...
Saturday July 28, 2007 I've got a new interview online. This was shot yesterday at the RTN studio in downtown Raleigh. Our guest was Alexandra Sokoloff.
Friday July 27, 2007 Had a great photo arrive in my email inbox this evening from my good friend P.G. Holyfield, author of Murder at Avedon Hill. This is from my event at the Borders in Charlotte on Wednesday...
