Inside the Outside: Paris Book Festival Grand Prize Winner!
Posted on 02. May, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
I’m in a state of shock. Numb is probably more accurate. No, no… overwhelmed is more apt. Inside the Outside, my debut novel, won the Grand Prize in the 2012 Paris Book Festival. I found out a couple of hours ago and, quite frankly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this tremendous honor. [...]
Exciting Press Signs Author Martin Lastrapes
Posted on 20. Apr, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
I’ve signed a deal with Exciting Press and, if you’ll pardon the pun, I’m terribly excited about it. A press release was sent out this morning with some of the more interesting details. “Novelist Martin Lastrapes, whose independent novel Inside the Outside climbed the Amazon horror bestseller lists with its tale of religious sects, cannibalism, and literary terror, [...]
Cannibals in the News
Posted on 16. Apr, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
If you’ve found yourself on this website, then odds are you’ve either read or, at the very least, heard of my novel Inside the Outside. The plot of Inside the Outside revolves around a teenage girl named Timber Marlow who grows up as a cannibal within a cult called the Divinity of Feminine Reproach. The cannibals in [...]
Inside the Outside: Globetrotter
Posted on 10. Apr, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
Back in the summer of 2011, when I was a few deep breaths and a mouse click away from publishing my debut novel, Inside the Outside, I found myself consumed with insecurity. What if nobody cared about my book? I worried that I was setting my novel off into a big, loud, busy world, where it [...]
My KDP Free Experience | PART 2
Posted on 05. Mar, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
(Read “My KDP Free Experience | PART 1″ HERE) So, it’s been a little more than a week since my KDP free promotion for Inside the Outside ended and I figured it was about time I shared the aftermath. Here are my notes regarding the fifth and final day of the promotion: DAY 5 | February 24 1:00am [...]
My KDP Free Experience | PART 1
Posted on 24. Feb, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
On Monday, February 20, 2012, I began a 5 day campaign of offering my novel, Inside the Outside, for free in Amazon’s Kindle Store. When authors sign up for the KDP Select program on Amazon, they get a few perks and benefits, one of them being the opportunity to have a free book promotion. In exchange, the [...]
Indie Authors: The Comedians of Publishing
Posted on 22. Feb, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
Indie authors are a lot like stand-up comedians, minus the jokes (and the two-drink minimums). As a fan of stand-up comedy, I’ve often marveled at the journey of those comedians who have found success in their trade, both in the execution of their craft, as well as their ability to be seen and heard on [...]
My Time in Prison
Posted on 03. Feb, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
On Wednesday, February 1, 2012, I went to prison. It was a great day. I visited the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC), Victorville, where I was invited to speak to the inmates and give a seminar on creative writing. The FCC runs the program through their Educational Department in conjunction with the California Writers Club, High [...]
Author Meet & Greet at Sun City Library
Posted on 25. Jan, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
I was invited to attend Sun City Library’s 1st Annual Authors Meet & Greet, which took place on January 21, 2012. It was a great afternoon in which I had the opportunity to meet readers and authors, sign copies of Inside the Outside, and take photos with fans. Amongst the highlights of the afternoon was being able [...]
An Indie Author’s Manifesto
Posted on 17. Jan, 2012 by Martin in My Musings
(This is an extended and revised version of the article “A Self-Publisher’s Manifesto,” which was previously published in Self-Publishing Review on 7/27/11) I am an indie author and this is my manifesto. If you’re a reader, a simple lover of books, someone with no aspirations of ever writing or publishing, then there is a very [...]
