Miles.ink

Buy "Trinidentium" At Full Circle Book Coop, Zandbroz

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0600

"Trinidentium", my debut poetry collection, is now available at Full Circle Book Co-op and Zandbroz Variety in downtown Sioux Falls.

I was honored to discover my poetry in the book holder on Full Circle's local artists shelf. Had to take a shelfie.

A post shared by Miles Rausch (@awayken)

My Poetry Collection, "Trinidentium", Is Now Available

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 00:00:00 -0500

"Trinidentium", my debut poetry collection, has been submitted to Amazon and added to Goodreads in paperback and ebook editions.

The year 2020 was a very emotional and volatile one for me. One way that I processed all of that change was by rediscovering poetry. I eagerly sought out new poets to read and learn from. I started to stock my shelves with collections. I also began writing poetry like it could save my life, and perhaps it did.

I composed nearly a hundred poems over the course of the year. I started to consider myself a poet. Then one of my favorite bookstores/bars/performance spaces (Full Circle Book Coop), announced they were restarting their Poetry Open Mic Nights. I performed several times, picking the works that reasonated with me the most. After various revisions, layouts and book covers, it eventually became Trinidentium.

It's a very personal and mature collection of poems. It was borne from very difficult times and reflects that genesis. It may not be an enjoyable read. It may be triggering. So… proceed with caution.

With this new publication, I've also added "Poetry" to my Read & Discover page. It lists my available collections along with a summary, purchase links and Goodreads links. You know, the standard stuff.

To learn more or purchase your own copy, visit the Trinidentium section on my Read & Discover page.

Buy "No Story To Tell" At Full Circle Book Co-op In Sioux Falls

Sat, 23 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0600

"No Story To Tell" is now available at Full Circle Book Co-op in downtown Sioux Falls. I listed it a little higher than at Amazon, but this way you can support a local author and a local shoppe when purchasing from them. Think of the karma! (Yes, this is practically the same paragraph as the Zanbroz post!)

I couldn't help but take yet another shelfie.

A post shared by Miles Rausch (@awayken)

Buy "No Story To Tell" At Zandbroz In Sioux Falls

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0600

"No Story To Tell" is now available at Zandbroz Variety in downtown Sioux Falls. I listed it a little higher than at Amazon, but this way you can support a local author and a local shoppe when purchasing from them. Think of the karma!

I couldn't help but take a shelfie.

A post shared by Miles Rausch (@awayken)

My Novel, "No Story To Tell", Is Now Available In Paperback

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0600

"No Story To Tell" is now available in paperback format on Amazon. That's right! You can hold your very own copy of this pedestrian, mediocre novel before you toss it gently onto the pile of books you'll never actually get around to reading. Buy it today! Make me rich!

Previously, "No Story To Tell" was available as an eBook on Amazon. But I've now gone through the process of submitting it for paperback format. It wasn't a terrible amount of work, but it did require generating a new version of the novel's content and creating a new book cover. Having finally accomplished all that in the last few weeks, I submitted the paperback details to Amazon, and they were accepted and published.

It's pretty wild. I can visit the "No Story To Tell" page on Amazon and see the same kind of links that the books I purchase have available. Is this the Big Time? Sure feels like it!

Anyway... what are you waiting for? Buy on Amazon (US). Buy on Amazon (UK). Shelve on Goodreads. MAKE ME RICH!!

My Novel, "No Story To Tell", Is Now Available

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 00:00:00 -0500

"No Story To Tell" has been submitted to Amazon, added to Goodreads and is now ready for dozens of lukewarm reviews. Go read it today!

Well, the Blazing Lantern Fiction Prize didn't quite pan out the way I'd hoped. After responding to my initial email asking about the contest and whether I really was the winner (they said I was), they never got back to me with more details. I gave them, oh... two years to write that email. I guess it's a doozy, because they still aren't done.

Well, I'm done. Done waiting for them. Since I have a novel that has a little bit of credibility, I've decided to self-publish it. The process of doing so through Amazon was pretty simple. I use Scrivener as my writing program, and it can very easily generate files optimized for Amazon's Kindle platform. They also offer marketing and pricing tools, although I don't have a lot of experience with those features yet.

I've also added "Novels" to my Read & Discover page. It lists my available novels along with a summary, purchase links and Goodreads links.

So what are you waiting for? Buy on Amazon (US). Buy on Amazon (UK). Shelve on Goodreads.

Now Powered By Eleventy!

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Guess what! Miles.ink is now powered by Eleventy, the JavaScript-based static site generator. What does this mean for your weekend? Nothing!

Notice anything different? No? That's because nothing's different except the engine that builds all these pages for me. See, the way the site works is that I have a whole bunch of special files on my computer. Then I run a command and those special files turn into all sorts of HTML pages. Then I put those HTML pages on the internet.

I originally used a tool called Jekyll to build this site. The problem was that I don't really have much experience in the programming language that Jekyll is based in, so doing anything interesting with the website was hard and time-consuming and frustrating. Eleventy, however, is powered by some of the same technologies that I use every day at work. That means I have no excuse for this website to keep sucking!

Hurray! Oh, wait...

Introducing Robot Dance Club

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0500

I wrote a comic book with my friends, Mikey and Brian, and three issues are available now.

In 2019, Brian Broekemeier approached me about embarking on a new journey. He, along with Mikey Martinez, wanted to start publishing comic books under the moniker Empire Comic Press. He was starting to build a roster of local talent, and he wanted my help in writing one of our first properties: Robot Dance Club.

It was Mikey's concept and character design (and art and inks and covers and etc.), and my job was to take all his brilliance and help craft a story out of it.

So, we began with a simple premise:

The robots have won.

That terrifying moment when humanity's creations acquired sentience is past.

But mankind does not live in fear. The human race is not enslaved, destroyed or wired up like batteries. It is simply ignored.

The robots carry on. They build. They destroy. They continue.

And, of course, they dance.

We've written three issues so far, and we're hard at work on the fourth. Get your physical or digital copies today from our website: EmpireComic.press/Robot-Dance-Club.

Blazing Lantern Announces "No Story to Tell" Its 2018 Fiction Prize Winner

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Blazing Lantern announced the results of its 2018 Fiction Prize, and the winner was my novel, No Story to Tell. The grand prize is a contract that carries a publisher's advance plus a portion of book royalties.

The Blazing Lantern Fiction Prize was first announced in 2017. It seeks to celebrate American Midwestern authors of unpublished or self-published novels that its judges find exceptional. The contest received over 130 novels, and the judges narrowed that list down to three finalists and one winner. Blazing Lantern will provide book editing, layout, jacket design, cover art, marketing, promotional services and a case of books to the winner. There will also be an Award Presentation Gala for all winners and finalists.

While the prizes have not yet been awarded, I'm absolutely delighted that my novel placed so well. It's not a perfect novel, but it was inspired by the spirit and life of my late Grandma Harriet and will always have a special place in my heart.

Stone Son Published in Speculative66, Issue 18

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

"Stone Son" was published in Issue 18 of Speculative66, a digital literary magazine of speculative flash fiction.

Last year I published a story, "Space Cowboy", in issue 10 of Speculative66. I enjoyed the creative constraints that the competition puts on the writers, and I very much enjoyed working with the staff. Recently, having come off some major work on a novel, I was eager to dive back into flash fiction to center myself. I discovered a snippet in my "Ideas" Evernotebook and was inspired to write "Stone Son."

You can read this tweet featuring Stone Son or read the story on my Read page.

Miles.ink Is Secure

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0500

You may have noticed a new feature of the website: a shiny, green padlock up in the address bar. We're secure, readers!

What does this mean for you? Well, nothing much. It means that as you browse and read along, you can feel certain that no one on the Internet is lurking between your web browser and my website. It's maybe a small condolence, since I don't ask for any personal information through my website, but it's nice all the same.

You can learn more about HTTPS on Wikipedia, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're a nerd. Otherwise, just smile and nod and keep reading.

A side effect of having a secure site is that I can play with newer web technologies. One such technology that I've implemented is offline browsing support. That's right! In adequately-enhanced browsers, Miles.ink is now ready to go offline. Did you start a news article but don't have enough time to finish it before your flight? Don't worry! It's already saved in your browser! And the next article is, too! Every news article and every page is available instantly. How lucky are you?

Space Cowboy Published in Speculative66, Issue 10

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0500

"Space Cowboy" was published in Issue 10 of Speculative66, a digital literary magazine of speculative flash fiction.

The hook for Speculative66 is that stories need to be some sort of speculative fiction, and they have to be exactly 66 words long. Challenge accepted! I wrote "Space Cowboy" for the contest and was elated to get an email that my story had been selected for publication.

You can read the issue on the Speculative66 Scribd page. My story is on page 17. You can also read this tweet of Space Cowboy or see it on my Read page.

Nearly Nine Published in Skullmore Vol. 2

Sun, 06 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0500

"Nearly Nine" was published in Volume 2 of Skullmore, an art and literary magazine published in Sioux Falls, SD.

When I saw the first volume of Skullmore, with its edgy art, quirky prose and punk aesthetics, I knew I had to be a part of it. After some conversations with Marc Wagner (Editor, Skullmore), he selected "Nearly Nine" for publication in upcoming volume.

Skullmore is partly the creation of an artist I worked with at Lawrence & Schiller named Les Cotton. His illustrations and drawings are at once bold, distinctive and captivating. His fingerprints are all over this magazine, and I'm happy to be a contributor.

Volume 2 hit newsstands on August 29th. You can find Skullmore at a number of locations around Sioux Falls (like Total Drag, Zandbroz & Exposure Gallery), or by checking out their website and their Facebook page.

Grab your copy today!

Welcome to Miles.ink

Wed, 27 May 2015 00:00:00 -0500

Welcome to Miles.ink, the writing homepage for Miles Rausch, a man of many faces and a few talents. But just what is Miles.ink all about?

Good question.

Do you find yourself wondering, "Who is Miles Rausch, the writer?"

Do you ever ask, "Where can I read or discover the works of Miles Rausch?"

Do you ponder, late at night, "How can I support Miles Rausch?"

This site will answer all those wonderments. All of my pursuits in the literary arts will end up here. Maybe I'll write a news post; maybe I'll just add content to the site for readers to find. The strange benefit you get is that I'm a web developer as well as a writer, so this site will be constantly changing as I learn more about you and what you want.

Which brings me to the last thing: Contact. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. All polite, thoughtful emails will be answered. All mean-spirited or lazy emails will be ignored (although I reserve the right to accidentally ignore emails in the first category).

So, by all means, take a look around and enjoy the ink. I have a ways to go before it dries.

The Wax and Wane of Writing

Mon, 15 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Not to brag, but I'm the first ever winner of the Mash Stories competition. Okay, I meant to brag a little. I write this to forewarn you, the reader and likely writer. It's not often that one finds oneself in the presence of such a contest-winner, unless you happen to be that contest-winner, as I am. Or was, at least. We'll get to that.

Everything was roses at the end of that first contest. My formerly fragile writer's ego puffed and beamed. Mash Stories was one of my first writing competitions, and I inflated with the unreasonable thought that maybe — just maybe — they would all go like this.

As time passed, there was no question that I would enter again. It seemed unlikely that I would win, however. How could I? There would be outrage. Mobs of angry Mashers, talented writers in their own right, would rise up against the apparent favoritism. "No!" I would shout back. "Read the story!" And they would, and would love it, and would send in beautifully crafted apology notes and little candies. Still, I'm watching my figure, so best to avoid all that.

Reaching for my laptop, I penned a follow-up. It was a return to thematic writing, like my first story, yet with a smaller cast and larger setting. The loosely autobiographical theme was how even responsible parents can inadvertently put their children in danger. It was set in space, a location I've long been enamored with. I felt I had pretty good story. Then I read the word count: 1,031, more than twice the contest limit.

Little by little, I honed it down. At first the edits were exhilarating, and a better story began to emerge. I finished another draft, and my heart sank. I was still well above 500 words and felt I'd have to take drastic measures.

You come to a point in every Mash story where you feel you have it, you have the story you like, but it's too heavy. I could have started afresh, but time had grown too short. I need to make this one fit. What to do? Do you pick out every extraneous word, like clearing a cluttered room? Or do you remove entire sections, like excising an inflamed appendix? My story appeared to require both.

Neutered but still respectable, I submitted. And waited. And wilted. The email came that I had not been shortlisted. I knew, even as disappointment gripped me, that the judges were correct. And so I had fallen. I had gone from winner to spectator in three months, washed out to sea in the tide of Mash.

I won't pretend that I wasn't deflated. Every writer faces rejection, but it's never easy. It comes with a choice: does one continue on in this journey or does one resign more fully to other pursuits?

Nodding, I archived the rejection email and set my resolve. We are writers. We write. We can more easily change night into day than change that fact about ourselves. I remembered a rhyme I had written for myself:

Write not for fortune
write not for fame
write out for fictions
who whisper your name.

Every quarter, the latest Mash Stories contest brings another opportunity to write your best story. A lot of talented people are noticing Mash, and it's becoming more than simply a competition. It's growing into a community, and a community affords a writer many more opportunities. Like this: the opportunity to write an inspirational blog post for Mashers, to boast one more time, and to hide a secret message in the paragraphs above. Just for instance.

This post first appeared on the Mash Stories blog.

Buy Wisdom for Dad by Hugh Weber (and Me)

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Wisdom for Dad, Hugh Weber's latest parenting book, is on sale, and you should buy it today, April 15th. It features the bite-sized wisdom of Hugh and a number of other dad, including myself.

We're trying to get this thing to number one, and to help encourage you to buy today, Hugh is giving out free eBook versions when you email him your receipt.

How to get the free eBook:

Visit http://bit.ly/dadwisdom
Purchase the book
Forward your Amazon.com receipt to hugh [at] dudetodad.com

That's it! Hugh will take it from there, and you'll have Wisdom for Dad on any digital reading device you own. This is particularly handy when you're having a panic attack and need to read some comforting words from men who have been there before (and had their own panic attacks).

Help this book get to #1. Buy it today!

Nearly Nine on the Mash Stories Podcast

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Too lazy to read? Do your ears work? Then head on over to the MashStories Podcast and give Nearly Nine a listen. The narrator is top notch, even if he slightly mispronounced my last name.

If you are horribly, terribly lazy, I've linked to the audio file on the Read & Discover page. But… you should really take a look at your life.

Mash Stories Interview Miles

Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Mash Stories interviewed me to go along with the win. They asked about my stories, discovering the competition and writing in general.

S.E. Sever: How did you hear about Mash Stories?

Miles Rausch: Through Twitter. I think Mash Stories started to follow me, I checked out the site, and sent myself a note to read more about the contest.

S.E.: What tempted you to submit a story to Mash?

Miles: The small word count made completing a story feel very doable, even as I was working on other writing projects. The three mash words combined with word count added a moderately restrictive block which helped bring out the creativity. There was something appealing about crafting a simple story around these parameters.

S.E.: How did you come up with the idea for your story? Did anyone inspire you?

Miles: My idea for this story came whilst watching airplanes fly over my kids’ daycare. Initially, I considered describing the plummeting plane as taking “nearly nine minutes to fall 50,000 feet” but was unable to complete the necessary research. Lovingly, gently, I placed some beautiful, damaged people into the plane and gave them small redemptions. Everyone performed admirably. Still, despite their tragedies, I would have them do it all again.

S.E.: Tell us about your background.

Miles: I’m a web developer by trade. I have Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics, but I’ve always remained active in artistic pursuits as well.

S.E.: Have you been published before – any books or short stories?

Miles: I’ve had some poetry and short story work published in the literary magazine published at the university I attended.

S.E.: Tell us about your relationship with writing. How did you start? How long have you been writing?

Miles: Like most writers, it’s been a lifelong relationship. Only in the past year have I decided to get serious about writing. I realized I needed to get these stories out of my head, for my relief and (hopefully) someone else’s enjoyment.

S.E.: Do you have any role models or a mentor who guide you?

Miles: I’ve been fortunate in my life that I’ve never had anyone tell me I can’t write, and I’ve had enough tell me I can. It puts me in a sweet spot of feeling encouraged without having unreasonable expectations. It’s prepared me for weathering the storms; I know I’m a good enough captain to hit dry land.

S.E.: What’s next for you? Do you have any other projects coming up so Mashers can see what else you’re up to?

Miles: I don’t have any other projects I’m ready to talk about. I try to write regularly on my website, milesrausch.com, and I spend a fair amount of time on twitter @awayken. And, of course, I’ll be submitting to MashStories, trying to get lightning to strike twice.

Quick Fire Round with Miles Rausch

My passion, except writing, is … my family, particularly my children and my wife, and a good television show.

My childhood ambition was… to become a paleontologist. Later, I decided I would make my living doing computer programming, and I would realize my artistic dreams by writing on the side.

I write because… the stories in my head won’t stop bothering me.

My favorite book is … Jurassic Park because … I’ve always been a kid who loves dinosaurs. One thing Crichton doesn’t beautifully is to weave stories around hard science. There’s so much inspiration in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, and Crichton managed to wrap that inspiration in great storytelling. Jurassic Park is one of his greatest examples of that.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given … is “Show, don’t tell.” It was meant as writing advice, but it applies well to life in general.

This interview first appeared on the Mash Stories blog.

Nearly Nine Chosen as First Mash Stories Winner

Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0600

"Nearly Nine" is a short story I wrote for a contest on MashStories.com. I was fortunate enough to get short listed, and I was even more fortunate to win.

A big thank you, and much credit, has to go to the people who shared, commented, and voted on my story. The feedback was encouraging, and it was fun to hear people's reactions. The win is encouraging for my future creative writing endeavors.

If you're interested, you can read "Nearly Nine" on MashStories.com. Second place went to "Lost Balls" by Ross Baxter, and third place was awarded to Carrie Guss for "Tina, Trapped and Released". Excellent stories, all.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to buy $100 worth of hipster writing glasses and typewriters. I've arrived, baby.

Nearly Nine on Mash Stories

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0600

"Nearly Nine" is a short story I wrote for a contest on MashStories.com. I was fortunate enough to get short listed. This means my story is up on their website for (literally) dozens of people to read. Make sure you're one of them.

If you're interested, you can find the story here: http://mashstories.com/previouslypublished/nearly-nine/

Feel free to vote for it. (The voting buttons are at the bottom of the page.) Votes factor into the judging process. If you know anyone who'd like the story, share the link or this post with them.

Together we can make this depressing story about a plane crash into a slightly less depressing story about a plane crash because at least those people died for something important.