Fun With Writing

Not all writers go through a dry spell, but quite a few do. You’re not writing. You can’t even think of what to write about. You’re just not feeling the muse. You begin to think what you need is a partner, someone with whom you can toss around ideas, someone to motivate you to write.

I was writing about this for my weekly Thursday newsletter and thought I’d share with you all how to Double Your Imagination.

For me, it happened by accident. A friend and I are writing a “book.” We didn’t start out to do that and we have no plans to publish the book. It’s just fun.

It started because I saw a buzzard in a tree across the valley behind out house. I tried to take a picture, but don’t have a camera with a zoom lens. I did, though, mention the buzzard in an email to my friend.

He wrote back five lines. This was the first two:

Once upon a time there was a buzzard named Billy. Billy was one year old but he could fly as high as any other buzzard and could gulp down whatever road kill was provided on the local highways.

The last line in that email was:

He tried to bite off a piece but lost his teeth in the hard brittle road kill.

I wrote back:

Billy Buzzard stared down at his dentures lying atop the brittle road kill. With a tear in his eye, he cursed Dr. Beaver, who had insisted he needed all his teeth pulled instead of just a retainer for his overbeak. Now what would he eat? He'd be relegated to soup and oatmeal. He was starving and the roadkill was too tough. He looked to the sky and studied the hot sun. Beaver soup, he decided. That would be satisfying.

And thus began our back-and-forth story, now at 19 single-spaced pages.

To get rid of your dry spell, try doing this with a friend. The key is to use your imagination and hit send when you’ve left your partner with a bit of a cliff hanger.

Other rules you might want to include are:

Try not to self-edit, except for perhaps spelling.

No editing the other person's writing. This is for fun.

If one of you tires of the exercise, quit.

Don't write expecting the book to ever get published

If your partner takes you someplace you had never considered, jump in and go for it, just like Billy Buzzard did when he was looking for dung beetles in the compost.

Have you ever done this kind of writing exercise? Would you?

Paperback Originals

For almost forever, paperback originals have been shunned. If your book came out as a paperback original, it was viewed as not being good enough for a hardback version. And yet, paperback originals were less expensive than a hardback. Still, as the Wall Street Journal said, paperback originals were “viewed by some as publishing's poor cousin.”

Times may be changing.

David Nicholls’s novel “One Day” came out as a paperback original over in England. There are now 300,000 copies in print.

The lower cover price would make it more appealing to the 20-something target audience and buyers in general. Publication was held off until June not only to give the favorable press about "One Day" ample time to reach American shores, but to echo the summer setting of the novel. Then came word—here's the dumb luck part—that Anne Hathaway had signed on for the movie.

While some agents see paperback originals as a way to sell at a lower price and thus draw in loyal readers, reviewers have a tendency to shun them and focus on the big hardbacks. But a few of the big reviewers are now covering the paperbacks.

Frances Coady, the vice president and publisher of Picador, the paperback imprint of Macmillan, said: "You have to ask yourself questions like, 'Is it better to sell 5,000 or 8,000 copies in hardcover and try to reinvent the book in paperback?'—which, unless there's some extraordinary piece of luck, is really hard to do—or 'Is it better to sell 50,000 in a paperback original?'"

I know what my answer would be. I’m guessing it would also be the answer of a lot of you. But...maybe not. Tell us your opinion in the Comments section.

Jumping Off the Page

According to USA TODAY, books are jumping off the page. Literally. Okay, not literally, but it can seem that way. Print books are trying to compete with digital books by adding enhancements. Here’s an example:

When The Search for WondLa, the start of a fantasy trilogy for kids starring a 12-year-old girl raised by a robot on an alien planet [was published last week, it included] three symbols that link to digital maps of the girl's quest for other humans.

Readers with a webcam can see 3-D interactive maps of the girl's search. Readers without a webcam but access to the Internet can link to a regular map and a video.

This book is not the only enhanced print book.

Jessica Watson's True Spirit: The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World (Atria, $16, paperback original) includes 18 tags or bar codes that let readers with smartphones watch parts of Watson's video diary of her voyage. (Readers without smartphones can find the videos on the Internet.)

Lisa Von Drasek, librarian at Bank Street College of Education School for Children in New York, is not so convinced this is a good idea, though. She’s worried about future technical support.

"The book exists for years, but the online element disappears."

What do you think? Good idea to keep print books current and selling? Or should print publishers focus on what they do best – print books as they’ve been done for decades?

Author Cherish D'Angelo

 Multi-published author Cherish D’Angelo, AKA Cheryl Kaye Tardif, is here today to talk about her road to publication and what she learned that you might benefit from.

Her latest book, written as Cherish D’Angelo, is called Lancelot’s Lady. It’s a contemporary romantic suspense. Lancelot’s Lady is so new, it’s release date is TODAY. It’s not her only new book, though. Skeletons in the Closet and Other Creepy Stories released last month.

Please welcome Cherish D’Angelo.

To Hel and Back: A Writer's Journey

The journey to become a published author has been filled with bumps and detours, but along the way I've learned so much about the book industry, writing, editing, publishing and marketing. I've had some definite stalls and setbacks, plus some real "Made It Moments".

The stalls and setbacks include all the rejections I've received from publishers and agents―so many that I could wallpaper my office probably twice over with them, the necessity to find an outside job so I could make money and afford to pay bills, and dealing with a less than professional traditional publisher who really only held me back―until I finally got smart and left (only months before they shut down).

Yes, you could say I've been to Hel and back with my publishing journey. But I haven't given up and I'm pushing forward. Persistence really does pay off and I don't really have a choice anyway. There is nothing else I'd rather do than write and promote my work. This is the "heavenly" part of what I do and I measure my success in all the small "Made It Moments" in my life.

These include when: my first novel Whale Song was published, I got my first review from a fan, I got my first newspaper interview, I appeared in a TV interview the first time, I got a review blurb from New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice, I was on Celebrity Chefs (a local TV show), Booklist gave me a rave review, Whale Song was picked up and re-published by a traditional publisher, and I signed with my wonderful literary agent, Jack Scovil.

Some "Almost Made It Moments" consist of the numerous times I've been contacted by producers and directors who were interested in my novels. I have one now who is very interested in filming Whale Song. I feel I'll truly have "Made It" when that movie is on the big screen. I feel so close I can envision watching it in a theatre. When I think of this I literally smell popcorn.

Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Lancelot's Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."

 You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.

Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.

Thank you Cherish!

Have a question for Cherish? Ask away.

Journey to Publication

 Tomorrow, author Cherish D’Angelo is stopping by to talk about her own journey to publication. Along the way, she learned about writing, editing, and especially marketing. She learned so much, she works with authors as a Book Marketing Coach. Most of us work on getting the word out via Twitter and Facebook. Cherish, also known as Cheryl Kaye Tardif, is on 8 networking sites. She’s been on TV, in newspapers, on radio, in magazines. She was nominated for the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award.

But most of all, she writes. She was a teen journalist with a weekly newspaper. From there she moved on to books – suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense. She’s also co-written a screenplay which is now with a film producer/director.

But her journey to published author has not been easy. It has taken work and perseverance. And she’ll be back tomorrow to tell us about it. She’ll be kicking off her tour here on Straight From Hel! And each of you will be able to enter the prize drawing she’s announcing.

Hope you’ll come back tomorrow – with questions.

E-Reader Users Read More

According to Information Week, people who use e-Readers, in general, read more than those who read print books. Here are some of their stats:

 ...10% of Americans use one and another 10% are likely to purchase one in the next six months…

…among those who have an e-reader, over one-third read 11-20 books a year (36%) and over one-quarter read 21 or more books in an average year (26%).

… in August Amazon said sales of its latest Kindle in four weeks had surpassed the entire sales of its previous e-reader generation.

… users of e-readers are more likely to purchase books. "One in five Americans (21%) say they have not purchased any books in the past year compared to only 8% of e-reader users who say the same …

I know that my husband who has a e-Reader, reads more books now. They’re so easy for him to download and have ready, plus they travel compactly.

What about those of you who have some sort of e-Reader, whether it’s a Kindle, an iPad, a cell phone or whatever…are you reading more now?

Book Review: The Thousand

The Thousand is a novel by Kevin Guilfoile. Guilfoile has written for McSweeney’s, Salon, The Morning News, and The New Republic. This is his second novel – his first was Cast of Shadows.

This was the first book I’ve read by Guilfoile.

The Thousand draws on events that happened back in 530 B.C. A mysterious ship appeared off the shores of Croton and people on the ship addressed the frightened crowd. What they said is unknown, but a thousand men and women formed a cult and followed them. Now, in the present day, descendants of The Thousand, who are advanced in math, science, music and philosophy will do whatever it takes to conceal their existence and power.

One young woman, Canada Gold, who has amazing mental abilities is haunted by her father’s murder. She also gets caught up in the violence between members of The Thousand who are fighting amongst themselves. They want to kill her. One person wants to save her.

It’s touted as a “thriller,” “suspense,” “part dystopian science fiction,” and “erudite, propulsively entertaining.” I’m afraid I did not find it any of those.

The first half is slow as molasses. I liked the character of Canada “Nada” Gold. She’s very interesting and has unusual gifts, such as being able to read lips from far across the room. I would have been happy to stay with her throughout the book. But, finally, well after page 100, we began to get into The Thousand, although they are never really front and center and it’s unclear what ominous powers they have.

While Nada is trying to figure out who killed her father, The Thousand are trying to kill her. Note that we never actually see The Thousand, only a handful of them, so we have no idea how far they stretch through society or politics.

I didn’t find The Thousand thrilling or suspenseful. But that’s just me. I bet I could Google The Thousand and find tons of people who loved it.

But I have to give The Thousand a What the Hel?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FTC Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Alfred A Knopf/Random House, who did not ask for a review. And who will probably never send me another book. Ah well. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. But it might be yours. It received advance praise from Sara Paretsky, Stephen White, James Rollins, and C.J. Box, all fabulous writers. I just think if the cover says it’s thrilling and suspenseful, then it ought to be. So that’s why I say, What the Hel?

Riddle Me This

Is there a question that you have no answer for? Are there some questions that can’t be answered? According to that Internet Guru, Ask Jeeves, yes, there are. The BBC, under News Technology, listed the Top 10 “unanswerable” questions. And before you pooh-pooh this idea, you should know that these Top 10 are based on 1.1 billion queries to Ask Jeeves.

Here they are:

1. What is the meaning of life?
2. Is there a God?
3. Do blondes have more fun?
4. What is the best diet?
5. Is there anybody out there?
6. Who is the most famous person in the world?
7. What is love?
8. What is the secret to happiness?
9. Did Tony Soprano die?
10. How long will I live?

We have some very smart people who drop by Straight From Hel, so if you have a question you need the answer to, ask it in the comment section and we’ll see if someone answers it for you. Or … if you can answer any of these Top 10, answer away, oh wise one!

Publishing’s Big 12

I came across an article by bestselling thriller author Jason Pinter over on the Huffington Post. I liked it enough to want to share it with you all.

Pinter lists his top 12 Game Changers in Publishing. He does more than just list them, though. He tells you why he thinks these people visionaries or brilliant or game changers.

I’m going to list his 12 here, but to know who these people (and one company) are and why Pinter sees them as Publishing’s Big 12, link over.

Here’s his twelve:
1. Andrew Wylie
2. Dawn Davis
3. J.A. Konrath/Seth Godin/Pete Hamill
4. Neil Gaiman
5. Jonathan Karp
6. Suzanne Collins
7. Dorchester Publishing
8. Jennifer Weiner/Jodi Picoult
9. Jonathan Franzen
10. Ben Greenberg
11. Amy Einhorn
12. David Thompson

Anyone you would add to the list?

Hundreds of Authors

In less than a month, you can have free access to over two hundred authors – hear them speak, buy their books, get autographs. Start making your plans now.

The Texas Book Festival has announced the names of the authors who will be coming to the Festival on October 16 – 17. Clicking on the link will take you to the list. If you hover your pointer over an author’s name, you can click to find out more.

Also now up is where and when you can find your favorite authors, along with the subject matter, moderator or emcee. You can even set up your own schedule of who you want to see and then print it out. Clicking on the underlined title of each event will bring up a pop-up screen with more information.

If you scroll down on the Calendar page – scroll, scroll, until you come to Austin Museum of Art, you’ll find me! Okay, not me as an author. In fact, my name’s not mentioned at all. But…if you find something at AMOA that interests you, put it on your calendar and also make a note to say “hi” since I’ll be there all day, both days.

Okay, you’re taking too much time to check out the writers and artists who will be at AMOA. I’m so excited, I’m going to list them for you!

On Saturday:

Terry Allen with Katy Vine, moderator
Steven and Reefka Schneider with Dahlia Guerra doing the introduction
Matthew White with Helen Thompson, moderator
Marianne Stockebrand with Ned Rifkin, moderator

On Sunday:

Geoff Winningham with Richard Holland doing the introduction
DJ Stout with John Spong doing the introduction
David Bush and Jim Parsons with Judy Taylor doing the introduction
Arthur Andersson and Chris Wise with Helen Thompson, moderator

Of course, there are other things you can do at TBF – visit the exhibitors’ tents, listen to bands in the Music tent, take your kids to the Kids’ Tent, walk around inside the Capitol, visit the food tents.

But if you come to the Book Festival and don’t find me at the Austin Museum of Art and give me a hug, I’m gonna haunt you. You’re probably wondering how I would know you were there in the first place. Well… I have my ways. Okay, I don’t have even one way, let along multiple ways. It’s true, I would have no idea. Besides, by the end of Sunday, I’m ready to collapse and am too tired to haunt anybody.

So… come, enjoy, meet the authors, celebrate books! And it’s not too late to volunteer to do something at this year’s Festival. You get a free t-shirt!

Importance of Book Covers

We’ve talked before here on Straight From Hel about how important book covers are. Arielle Ford over on The Huffington Post agrees. She calls your bookcover “Your #1 Best Marketing Tool – Guaranteed!”

…in publishing, there is a magnificent tool that changes the playing field. A tool that, if created and used properly, can quickly and seamlessly create intense interest in you, your creation and your expertise.

The magic key that opens the door to success with any book is your book cover.

I don’t know that the cover is the “magic key that opens the door to success,” but it is important. You’re in a store. You pick up a book, look at the cover, and set it down. The cover doesn’t appeal to you.

But a compelling book cover can draw the reader in and get them to read the back cover blurb, read the opening, and then buy your book.

Simply put, a book cover, designed and leveraged properly, and coupled with your great content can do all this for you and much more.

Those of you who have self-published, did you go the extra mile or the extra bucks to make your covers professional looking? Or do you depend on the content to sell your book?

Writing Contest with a Twist

Been thinking about self-publishing or what’s sometimes called indie book publishing? There’s now a contest to help you, if you win, of course.

The non-profit San Francisco Writers Conference and San Francisco Writers University announced they are partnering with indie book publishing leader Author Solutions, Inc., and its integrated author marketing division, AuthorHive, to launch the Indie Publishing Contest for writers.

It’ll cost you $35 to enter, though, in one of three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and children’s. Or, if your book is poetry, It’s $25.

The winners in each of the four categories can choose between a one-hour consultation with an agent or a free publishing package from an Author Solutions Imprint, plus publicity. If you’re the Grand Prize winner, you receive an indie publishing contract. It doesn’t include money, but you can link over to see the other things it does include.

Helping Potential Readers

Yesterday, while working on the Book Review for Black Sun by Graham Brown, I was struck by something on his website. I thought I’d point it out to all of you published writers and soon-to-be-published writers.

He has a page on his site called simply, “Order.”

You might think that would be a page where you could order directly from him, but it isn’t. You might think it’d be a page with a link for you to order from Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble. You’ve be partially right.

It’s actually a page with links to order from 34 places. Each place is linked and the link takes you directly to the book’s order page.

Brown has made it as easy as possible for a reader to order from just about anywhere s/he wants to order.

One click linking, not from one or two or three places to buy the book, but from 34. He’s helping readers buy his book and he’s growing his readership base by making it easy.

Are you making it easy for your potential readers?

Book Review: Black Sun

The thriller, Black Sun, is by Graham Brown. It’s not his first book. He’s also the author of Black Rain. While both books center on the same characters, the two can stand on their own. According to Brown’s bio, writing is not his first career. In addition to a degree in Aeronautical Science, he has a law degree. He’s also a pilot. He also, apparently, has a sense of humor. The caption under his author pic says, “The author - looking suspiciously like a game show host.”

Here’s the back cover blurb for Black Sun:

In the heart of the Amazon, NRI operative Danielle Laidlaw makes an incredible discovery, a translucent Mayan stone generating massive waves of energy while counting down toward the infamous apocalyptic date December 21, 2012. And somewhere, there are three more just like it.

What power will be unleashed if all four stones come together? Who created them – and who has them now? Using a cryptic Mayan map and a prophecy that points to the end of the world, Danielle and her team race toward answers. But one staggering question remains: Were these artifacts meant to save us – or to destroy us once and for all?

Black Sun is a thriller with a short time clock relentlessly ticking. Laidlaw has to find the stones and decide whether to destroy them or bring them together. They’re spread all over the world in remote places, none of them easy to get at. Plus, her team is not the only one trying to find them and others will kill to get them. On her team are Professor Michael McCarter, a university scholar, and Hawker, a former CIA agent turned mercenary.

Black Sun kept me turning pages, so it was a fast read for me. Plus, it’s a timely read since there have long been rumors about December 21, 2012 being a date of a Mayan prediction of possible apocalypse. Brown puts adequately difficult blocks along the way and plenty of them. The characters are not only fighting the ticking clock, they’re working to keep the stones away from an adversary who intends to use them for his own evil purpose. They’re also working against some members of the U.S. government.

You’re kept guessing as to what will happen if the stones come together and what might happen if they don’t. You’re also never sure who will live and who will die … and who is right about the stones.

All in all, I give Black Sun a Hel-Yeah!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FTC Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Kaye Publicity, who did not ask for a review, but did say I might be interested in doing a review, but that’s not why I’m recommending it, nor did it influence my review. It’s nice to see a fully developed female lead in a thriller. Most times it’s a man who moves the story forward and makes decisions. If there’s a female, she’s a secondary character or a love interest. Which begs the question, Why is that? In your family, who do the kids come to when they scrape a knee? The mother. When Billy pushes little Sally down on the playground, who confronts Bully Billy? The big sister. Who somehow manages to cook a roast, bake a cake, make mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach and get it on the table all at the same time and all hot? The wife. Who lifts one side of a couch while using the other hand to push a vacuum under it? The woman. Who better to lead a team to discover an ancient secret and decipher a terrifying prophecy? Yeah, uh-huh, you know who.

Book Giveaway - Last Four Days

 A little over two years ago, award-winning author Mike Cox, visited Straight From Hel. He was promoting his book, The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900. Mike is the author of 13 nonfiction books as well as numerous magazine articles and essays. He’s also a newspaper columnist and writes for both statewide (Texas) and national magazines. He served as spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, which includes the modern Texas Rangers.

Today Mike serves as Public Information Officer for Texas Parks and Wildlife.

On September 25, he will be named the 2010 Recipient of the A.C. Greene Lifetime Achievement Award at West Texas Book and Music Festival in Abilene.

On Thursday, September 16 only, you may comment to win a sold out hardcover of The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900 at his publicist's site, http://stephaniebarko.com/2010/09/16/book-giveaway-28.

That’s today only, folks! So link over, read the question and comment to win.

Satisfying Both Sides

Science Fiction./Thriller author William Gibson has an idea that I agree with. (In fact, he probably stole it from me since I’ve already put forth the idea. That is, if he even knew I existed.) Anywho…

I was online reading an interview with him in the Wall Street Journal. WSJ asked him about the future of publishing. He said:

 … the ecological impact of book manufacture and traditional book marketing –- I think that should really be considered. We have this industry in which we cut down trees to make the paper that we then use enormous amounts of electricity to turn into books that weigh a great deal and are then shipped enormous distances to point-of-sale retail. Often times they are remained or returned, using double the carbon footprint. And more electricity is used to pulp them and turn them into more books. If you look at it from a purely ecological point of view, it’s crazy.

When asked how he would do things differently, he said:

My dream scenario would be that you could go into a bookshop, examine copies of every book in print that they’re able to offer, then for a fee have them produce in a minute or two a beautiful finished copy in a dust jacket that you would pay for and take home. Book making machines exist and they’re remarkably sophisticated.

And there you have it. The best of both the print and the E world. I like the idea, even if he did steal it from me. So what do you think?

Publishing Deadlines

How important is it to meet your publisher’s deadline for turning in a manuscript? Often the publisher will give some leeway, but you have to keep in mind that your book is just one in a line-up of books set to go to press. Bumping your book means others also are affected.

Sometimes not meeting you deadline can get you bumped completely off the line-up and could have serious consequences.

Those consequences happened to Adrian Wojnarowski after he failed to meet his deadline for a biography he was writing, according to USA TODAY.

According to the article, which quoted from The NY Post, Wonjnarowski, after missing his August 2007 deadline, had his $400,000 deal slashed to $325,000. Then after missing his final deadline of June 1 (of this year I assume, although neither article stated a year) was told to return his advance of $140,000 and his contract was canceled.

Have you ever missed your publisher’s deadline? If so, what happened?

Author Susan Wittig Albert

 New York Times Best-Selling author Susan Wittig Albert has written three mystery series, as well as five non-fiction books. Under the pseudonym Robin Paige, she and her husband co-authored a Victorian/Edwardian mystery series. In addition, she’s edited two anthologies and founded the national organization Story Circle Network. Given all that, it’s no wonder she’s been inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

What you may not know is that she talks to animals. Or, perhaps more accurately, they talk to her. She’s agreed to tell us today how that came about.

Please welcome Susan Wittig Albert.

The Tale of the Talking Animals

With apologies to Rita Mae Brown, Carole Nelson Douglas, and others, I’ve never been a fan of talking animals in mysteries. So when I set out (back in 2002) to write a new series featuring children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and more), I didn’t plan on including animals who talked.

But while writers may have the best of intentions, things don’t always work out the way they plan. In this case, it was Mrs. Tiggywinkle, Beatrix’s real-life hedgehog, who tossed a spanner in the works. In 1905, when Beatrix went to the village of Near Sawrey to take possession of Hill Top Farm, she took her animals with her: Mrs. Tiggywinkle, two rabbits, and a mouse. So I included these creatures in The Tale of Hill Top Farm (the first book in the series) to characterize Beatrix as a woman who loved animals and used them as models for her drawings. Three chapters into the book, Mrs. Tiggywinkle started to talk.

I’ve known for a long time that I am only partially in control of my characters. Sure—I can give them a history, equip them with a personality, and confront them with challenging circumstances (commonly known as the “plot”). But once created, characters have their own minds and don’t always take directions from me.

What can I say? I’m an opportunist. Beatrix’s animals wanted to talk? Well, fine. I’d listen and take notes.

 And so I did, happily. In fact, I enjoyed the results so much that I invented a few talking animals of my own: Bosworth Badger, Professor Galileo Newton Owl, and others. There’s even a dragon, who plays an important role in Oat Cake Crag. Not wanting to just sit around and be decorative, these industrious characters got busy and developed their own storylines. My big task in these books is integrating the animal plots with the people plots.

Animals are incredibly useful as point-of-view characters because they roam everywhere, at all hours. They hide in the corners. They watch from the trees. They know and discuss all the villagers’ secrets, even the guilty ones. This allows me to play some interesting games of who-knows-what.

Some of these animals, however, gave me a different challenge, since Miss Potter’s characters belong to Frederick Warne, who owns her copyrights. I had to get a license to use them, which took some doing and involved some tradeoffs. (A Warne editor reads and critiques my books before they go into production.) But it is definitely worth the effort, for the animals--Miss Potter’s and mine--give the series a unique whimsicality, and the multiple people/animal plots make for some interesting surprises. And the readership is broadened, too, since the series is promoted as a crossover. Kids enjoy the animals, making the books perfect for family read-alouds.

I think Miss Potter would be pleased.

Thank you Susan!

If you go over to Susan’s website, you’ll find links to all of her series and books. You’ll also find a list of her podcasts about herbs and more.

In addition to this fascinating post here today, she’s holding a drawing for a free book.

Book Drawing!

If you’d like to enter our drawing for a copy of The Tale of Oat Cake Crag, go here: http://cottagetales.com/blogtour/drawing_0913.php. This drawing closes at noon tomorrow, September 14, 2010.

You can always find Susan on her blog, Lifescapes.

Plus, there’s more! You can ask Susan questions or say hi to her right here in the Comments. She’ll be checking in over the course of the day.

The Tale of the Talking Animals

 Multi-published, award-winning author Susan Wittig Albert will be here on Straight From Hel tomorrow to tell how an author who never planned on having talking animals in her books ended up with quite a few of them telling their stories. You may think the process would be quite simple: just write them in. In Susan’s case it wasn’t so simple since her series is based on a real person, Beatrix Potter.

Susan Wittig Albert lives in Texas, but is read internationally. She writes the China Bayles Mysteries, the Cottage Tale Mysteries, the Darling Dahlia Mysteries and, with her husband, the Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries. She also has multiple nonfiction books. In addition to the Robin Paige series, she and her husband have written over 60 young adult novels. In her not-much-spare time, she founded Story Circle Network, a national organization of women writers, serves as editor of Story Circle Book Reviews, and, of course, travels to promote her books, including her latest fiction, The Tale of Oat Cake Crag, and her upcoming non-fiction An Extraordinary Year of Ordinary Days.

She is also a member of the Texas Institute of Letters.

She’ll be here tomorrow to write about those talking animals in her Cottage Tale Mysteries series. She’s open to questions you may have about including talking animals in books, as well as other questions about her series or her upcoming book.

Publishing on Amazon

Yesterday, I stumbled onto a tutorial that seemed pretty clear and straightforward on how to get your self-published book on Amazon, which would allow people to read your book on a Kindle E-Reader, a Smart Phone, or on a PC.

The article also goes into pricing your book and marketing ideas.

So, if you’re at that point in publishing your book, check out: How to Self Publish and Market an eBook on Amazon.

Book Review: Prophecy Moon

 Prophecy Moon, by Laura Eno, is a fantasy. It has romance involved, but is a fantasy through and through. As far as I know, it is not a series, but it’s also not Eno’s first book. She’s also written: Realms of the Red Rabbit, Book 1, Realms of the Red Rabbit – Jake, Book 2, and Seducer of Her Dreams.

I tend to read a lot of mystery, suspense, and thrillers. Very little romance or fantasy. I really liked Prophecy Moon, though. It’s fast paced and will keep you reading, sort of a fantasy thriller.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Loner Travis O’Conner becomes the unwilling champion of a mysterious seer who plunges him into another dimension. His only guide – a deck of Tarot cards in her possession.

He falls in love with a woman who may not be his ally, while battling wizards intent on destroying him. Must Travis lose his love in order to save his world?

Travis goes off on a quest to save his world and meets a group on their own quest to right their world. Thrown into the strange dimension of wizards, he must adapt quickly and learn who to trust or die. He will also learn many things about himself and come to doubt his own world.

The characters were well developed, the action came fast, and the story kept me guessing as to what would happen next.

I give Prophecy Moon by Laura Eno a Hel-Yeah!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FTC Disclaimer: This book was autographed and sent to me by the author, but that’s not why I’m recommending it, nor did it influence my review. Laura Eno is able to build a foreign world that feels real. In that respect, Prophecy Moon reminded me of Harry Potter. Both books took you into a strange world and let you see the world and the people so clearly that you believed. Prophecy Moon could be a tutorial for The Writer’s Journey, another book I’d recommend you read if you’re an author. Unlike Harry Potter, though, Eno’s book will not take you two weeks to read … nor 27 hours with no sleep if you’re a teenager … nor three months if you’re over 45.

Use Your Connections

Today, I’m over on The Blood-Red Pencil. I’m blogging about that possibly most hated chore of writers – researching. Even if you write only fiction, you end up having to do research since not everything can be made up. If you get things wrong, readers will catch it and you’ll lose credibility.

So how do you research? What sources do you use?

We turn to libraries, nonfiction books, newspapers and magazines, Wikipedia, and the Internet. We travel to places where our characters go or live. But while our characters may go off on a two-week cruise, we may not be able to afford that. So what then?

Zip over to The Blood-Red Pencil and read some of my ideas for research.

Publishing: The Big Bang

According to The Telegraph, a paper in the U.K., science books are becoming mainstream reads. I came across this article because I was looking for info on Stephen Hawking’ latest book. What he says would probably go right over my head like a shooting star, but not my son’s. (I’m trying to think ahead to Christmas.) What I found out is that Physics is now popular.

Tom Chivers, who wrote the article, said this:

 The universe is expanding at an ever-accelerating rate, yet we still don’t know what much of it is made of. If I had to guess, I’d say that most of it consists of books telling us that the universe is expanding at an ever-accelerating rate. The soaring popularity of popular physics books is a publishing phenomenon.

The biggest of the group will probably be Stephen Hawking’s The Grand Design. But there are others, like We Need To Talk About Kelvin by Marcus Chown, In Search of the Multiverse by John Gribbin, Quantum by Manjit Kumar, and Void by Frank Close.

Science is being bought by the mainstream, but they’re not quick reads.

Clark’s own book asks what stars are made from, whether there are alternative universes, what the fate of the universe will be, and whether, à la Hawking, there is cosmological evidence for the existence of God.

Don’t think Science could be interesting? Consider this:

Open these books and you’ll find out more about how the universe began and what it is made of; why planets orbit stars and why stars glow. You’ll discover the weird stuff that goes on at quantum level – particles that are in two places at the same time and that seem to know if you’re watching them.

I’m probably going to get Hawking’s book for my son. And I may just read it myself.

What about you? Does science interest you?

I Am Sweet

Okay, I lied. I’m not terribly sweet. But Jemi Fraser thinks my blog is sweet!

Between a computer crash and a website that replicates itself like a bunny in heat, I have been remiss in thanking her for giving me the Sweet Blog Award.

I’d like to pass this award on to:

Judy Croome at Judy Croome Author
N.R. Williams at N.R. Williams, Fantasy Author
Liza at Middle Passages
Jo-Jo at Jo-Jo Loves To Read
Sue at traverselife

Y’all can pass it on…or not. Either way, you five sweeties, enjoy it!

Extend Your Reach

Authors are always looking for ways to reach beyond their loyal readers or readers of the genre they write. And in this changing world, it’s more and more on the backs of the writers to do the bulk of promoting their books. Authors have turned en masse to the Internet and to alternatives to brick and mortar bookstores.

  The Dallas News had a story about an author who’s working to promote his book in a new way. A techno-thriller author who burst on the scene with a Times best-selling book that landed him an $850,000 paperback deal, then went on to write three more, then disappeared from the literary world has returned. Payne Harrison, whose first book came out in 1989 and was called Storming Intrepid, is back with a new book called Eurostorm.

It’s already out in the stores. What has he done to extend his reach? He’s hooked up with a mobile app company that has created a game based on his book.

Kadamedia Inc., a fledgling mobile app game company outside Washington, D.C., thought Harrison's latest plot – replete with commandos and helicopter assaults on the bullet train – had the makings for an action-adventure game that could be used to market the e-book, which is also downloadable.

Buy the game for 99 cents, and you'll get a link to buy the book. Then you'll be able to toggle back and forth on the same mobile platform.

The President of Kadamedia said:

Games are being used to promote upcoming movies, so there should be a synergy here with books, too.

What about you? Could a game be created to go with your book?

Start Planning Now

Sometimes when you’re not involved in the planning for an event or class, it’s puzzling why the organizers did what they did. Why didn’t they choose a different subject? Why didn’t they do a panel discussion instead of a one person talk?

I know when I was the Executive Director of the Writers’ League of Texas, people would sometimes call and ask us to do a class on some specific topic. Since I was the one in charge of setting up all the classes and workshops and a lot of the retreats, I would try to arrange it. There were things to consider, though, like how long has it been since we did that subject? Did the class do well? Can I find an instructor? Should it be a half-day, full day, or weekend class? A lot of times, by the time someone called, the schedule of classes had already been set up months or even a year in advance. In that case, the suggestion might get relegated to the next year’s plan.

I’ve been involved with the planning for Texas Mystery Month (this used to be called Texas Mystery Week, but since events and presentations go on all month, we decided to change the name). Each year, early in the planning, the main topic of discussion is what to do during that month, May.

As with most “repeating” events, some things remain the same from year to year. But event organizers try to bring in new things, new subjects, new speakers, new ideas. For example, event coordinators may agree to focus on mini-workshops with some panel discussions. Then they come up with a beginning list of possible subjects, from writer’s block to dialogue, setting, and characterization, from putting humor or romance in a mystery to writing other things besides the novel, like plays or short stories. Then they have to find instructors. Not just any instructor – someone who’ll teach for free, if at all possible.

What this tells you is that planning for workshops or classes starts months or even a year in advance. If you have something you want to see or hear or even teach, get in on the planning. And do it early. Your input is wanted. Any organization that does education welcomes suggestions.

The organization or planners may seem to be focused on what they will do, who will teach, what venues will host these workshops, who will organize, who will do the work – the real mechanics of putting on any event or a month of events. But the real focus is on those the event is meant to benefit. That is, the authors who teach – the instructors hope they get exposure to new readers and maybe some book sales – and the people attending, most likely pre-published authors – they’re looking for valuable information and networking (even mentoring) with published authors.

But the only way to really get what you want is to get involved either by suggesting ideas or joining the committee, organization, or group. If your book comes out next Spring or next Summer, you need to be considering now what conventions you’d like to speak at and what you could add to the conference’s line-up. You need to be thinking about writers groups in your area that you could teach a class for and what would qualify you for that class. It seems a long way off, but it’s not.

Fall Books

Wondering what new books will be out this Fall? Wonder no more. ABC News / Entertainment has the answer.

"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race."

If that doesn’t float your boat, there will be at least 10 books on President Obama.

George W. Bush has a book coming out, as does Condoleezza Rice.

There will be a book about correspondence between Harry Truman and Dean Acheson. And that’s not the only “presidential” book. There’s one on Washington, one on John Adams, one about Lincoln, one on Dwight Eisenhower, one on J.F.K., and a reissuing of a book on Rondald Reagan. Hey, Jimmy Carter gets three books!

Fiction’s not being left out either. You can expect books by Grisham, King, Cornwell, Connelly, Evanovich, Follett, McMillan and others.

And let’s not leave out the celebrities: Steve Martin, Barbara Streisand, Neil Yong, Keith Richards, Stephen Sondheim, Jay Z, Ricky Martin, Marlo Thomas and perhaps the most anticipated, the Kardashian sisters.

If you read the full article, you’d think no one except “names” have books coming out. Hey, let’s prove ABC wrong. Leave the name of a book you have coming out this year or next. Or one that you know of, even if it’s not yours.

Book Review: Dead Air

 Dead Air, by Mary Kennedy, is a book in the “Talk Radio Mystery” series. It’s not Kennedy’s first book, however. She’s written forty books, although not all of them in this series.

Here’s the back cover blurb for Dead Air:

Maggie left her clinical practice in Manhattan to move to sunny Cypress Grove, Florida, where she became the host of WYME’s On the Couch with Maggie Walsh. From codependent wives to fetish friends, all the locals love her show, but Maggie is not fond of all of its occupational hazards.

Threats start pouring in against one of the station’s special guests, self-styled New Age prophet Guru Sanjay Gingii. And when on the threats becomes a deadly reality, Maggie’s new roommate, Lark, is surprisingly the prime suspect. Maggie has to prove lark innocent while dealing with a killer who needs more than just therapy.

Even though the protagonist, Maggie Walsh, is a psychologist, in this book, she dishes out little advice. She does, however, get immediately involved in the murder mystery. She’s determined to prove Lark innocent, even though Lark looks quite guilty and the detective out to arrest Lark looks quite delicious.

After several near misses on her own life, Maggie teams up with her mother, a B-movie actress who remembers all her parts and lines from TV and movies, even the gigs she didn’t actually appear in. Together, they’re something of a hoot. Even more important, they’re the yin and yang of a good detective team.

Dead Air is a fast and well-written read. I liked that Maggie, with her mother’s assistance, solves the crime. Although there’s a good-looking officer investigating the murder, he doesn’t step in and take the lead. It’s Maggie all the way.

Kennedy includes enough possible suspects to keep the reader guessing. She also takes the reader from the little town of Cypress Grove to South Beach Miami, from the radio studio where Maggie hosts her show and interviews people to a creepy trailer in a run-down trailer park.

She kept me turning pages. I give Dead Air by Mary Kennedy a Hel-Lo!, ‘cause she’s a new-to-me author and one I’ll look for again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FTC Disclaimer: This book was autographed and sent to me by the author, but that’s not why I’m recommending it, nor did it influence my review. I read and reviewed it because Maggie, the protagonist, and I are a lot alike. Maggie is young and beautiful. Okay, we’re not so similar there. Maggie has a talk show and I have kids, so we both have folks telling us their problems. Maggie has a cop who suspects her of murder. I have a husband who suspects I know how to cook (but doesn’t have proof yet). Maggie has a mother who’s a little off kilter, but fun loving and a pretty good partner in crime solving. I have friends who are fun loving, off kilter, and, if I asked them to break into a ratty trailer guarded by snarling dogs the way Maggie asked her mother, they’re run like hell…to get flashlights, mace, and wine.

Author Robin Spano

 Crime writer Robin Spano’s first book debuted yesterday. Dead Politician Society is now out and Robin is promoting it and also writing the next in the series. As all of you who blog and tweet and facebook and GoodRead, and do everything else that’s out there, know…marketing can suck away your time, even your good intentions and sometimes your sanity. And like everyone else, Robin has a full life in Steveston, BC, with her husband.

She’s here today to tell us how she copes with the stress and the demands. Please welcome Robin Spano.

Promote Your Book With Your Soul Intact

I’ll always remember the day my agent told me that writers have to market their books.

My face fell.

I stared at my hands.

I thought, well, she can’t really mean that. I’m an artist, not an advertiser. How could those two sets of skills go together? Why would I want them to?

“Writers are introverts,” I said, or something like it.

She agreed. It wasn’t ideal. But somewhere in the conversation I decided to make the best of it, consider marketing a challenge. I thought snowboarding was scary before I learned how; now I love it.

She told me to start with two things:

1. Toastmasters (to get over my paralytic fear of public speaking)
2. Web Presence (to reach a wide audience)
Toastmasters rocked. I liked the people right away, and slowly I began to like the stage. I’m still no Tony Robbins, but neither am I crippled for live author events.

Web Presence took longer.

Diving in, I felt like a farm girl arriving at a hip Manhattan school. Everyone knew each other and knew how to network. Most were already published and some had won awards. Why would I presume to join their conversations? I was sure they’d smell my newness a mile away, roll their eyes and wonder when I’d get the drift and drift away.

At first, I hooked up with the wrong crowd—they’re the easiest to find, because they push themselves on you. You know the type: their response to anything you say is “Oh that’s nice. Buy my book,” or “That reminds me of Janie X, my compellingly complicated protagonist with a heart of gold…” I never clicked with them (thank God), but I did start to worry that I was expected to do the same thing.

Thankfully, before I sold my soul, I found Twitter. The great thing about Twitter is you can follow before you participate. I tweeted here and there—random stuff; nothing about my book—but mostly I watched and learned. Eventually, conversations arose—people would comment, I’d comment back. I made Twitter friends; we talked naturally and easily about books, ours and other people’s. Eventually I realized, hey, this is the whole point—you network by being open and present online. Promotional opportunities (like guest blog posts ) arise organically from that.

I got into it. I even liked it.

BUT between Toastmasters and web presence, my writing time was suffering. (This has never happened to anyone else, right?) I wasn’t missing any deadlines—I was even a bit ahead of schedule. But my balance was off.

If I don’t write fiction, I go rangy. That’s what being a writer is. You don’t write because you think it’s an excellent business plan (if you do, please hook me up with your secrets); you write because you have to.

I thought back to the time when I loved writing—before I had a publishing deal. I asked myself what had been different, and came up with two things: I spent more time outside, and more time writing.

So I found a new balance: I write in the morning, or until my juices fade. Then I Rollerblade and grocery shop. I give the rest of the afternoon (if there is any) to promotion and Toastmasters. And I take evenings and weekends for myself. The result: I feel like a creative spirit, a competent business person, and a well-rounded human being.

So here’s my secret on how to market your book and keep your writing soul intact: WRITE first. PROMOTE second. And live a life outside your computer.

Thank you Robin!

 Robin Spano is a crime writer and a motorcycle enthusiast. Her first novel, Dead Politician Society, came out yesterday. She looks forward to interacting with readers as she works on the second book in her series, working titled Death Plays Poker.

You can follow her on her Virtual Book Tour. Check out the variety of topics she’ll be covering on her tour.

Now that you’ve read her ideas on promoting without losing your soul and you know she’s looking forward to talking with readers, what questions do you have for her?

I’ll start things off:

Robin, what advice would you have for writers who work full or part-time (outside of their writing careers) and have children who require attention? How can they still make writing a priority?

Promote Your Book With Your Soul Intact

 Tomorrow, crime writer Robin Spano stops by to talk about the secret to marketing your book while keeping your soul intact. Robin’s first novel, Dead Politician Society, debuts today. (With the mid-term elections coming up here in the States, that’s a timely title, isn’t it?)

Robin, however, doesn’t live in the U.S. She’s from Steveston, BC. She does get around, though. She grew up in Toronto, studied physics in New Brunswick and traveled North America on her motorcycle. Now she writes full time, plotting murder, and living vicariously through her undercover protagonist.

To give you a taste of her book, here’s the trailer for Dead Politician Society.



Since she’s going to be talking about marketing your books, be thinking of questions you might like to ask her. I have one for her right now:
Will your focus be primarily on in-person marketing in the area where you live or will it be on the Internet which can reach readers anywhere?

What area of marketing will you ask her about: tweeting, virtual tours, how to juggle real life with book promoting?