Our Panel of Experts

Lo and behold, another post...I'd gotten under the habit of having a post once a month, but it's actually set up for every four weeks. That means this month, you get a bonus post from me.

First, a little housekeeping...

Don't forget, September 5 starts the 3-month giveaway here at TWV. To wit:

The authors at TheWritersVineyard.com are holding a Mega contest to give away over twenty of their top rated novels. From Sept 5 through 11/28, we will hold a drawing every Monday. The post for each Monday will announce which book is being given, the rules, and who won the prior week. Come join us. Lots of ways to win, and while you're there, scan through our posts. We discuss the good, bad, and ugly of writing and the publishing experience.

(And I'll be giving away copies of all my books, so be sure to stop in!)

And secondly, just wanted to let everyone know that THE CURE is still going strong in e-book, and my print proofs are in route, so expect to see announcements soon about the release date of my latest novel. Visit AstonWest.com often, as that's where all my major news usually breaks first.

And now, my post:

I get a lot of blog post fodder from simply wandering around the internet, observing people, and then pondering what I've seen...this stems from the rational, scientific background I have. One thing I've observed is that everyone seems to be an expert. At least, that's how it appears to me. People post on their blogs, or on websites, or internet forums, "the facts" as it pertains to writing, publishing, and books in general. They then go out and promote their information as the gospel, telling all who would listen the wisdom of their words.

Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and perhaps I simply need to start putting forth my opinions more frequently, and thus build my reader base. I've always been a firm believer in learning by experience, though. I post my experiences as I've had them, and hopefully my lessons learned will help guide new writers down the path to publication.

But then, perhaps putting oneself out as an expert on writing and publishing is truly how to become successful in the writing business...

I was a teenage poet

I confess, I was a teenage poet. Unfortunately, a house fire destroyed all evidence years ago. Perhaps that’s for the best, but it got me to wondering, if I was to do a poll, how many authors began their writing career as a teenage poet?

I began a small writing group during noon hours for high school students at our local high school last fall where I have been teaching for six years and discovered the teenage poet is alive and well. Sometimes it takes the form of music lyrics, but every one of my storytellers felt a need to get that inner emotion expressed into the written word. So much so that it was almost an involuntary action for these imaginative teens. It got me to wondering if it might be a precursor to their becoming a future writer?

So I’m asking the question. Where did your writing career start? I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks!

The Doldrums...

So, I’m sure a lot of people have suffered through the unbearable heat this summer.  I’ve seen many messages on Facebook and Twitter where the constant and collective comments are about the (pardon my language) bitching heat!  Either there really is nothing to talk about, because the heat has rendered us unable to, or global warming is becoming more and more prevalent, or the heat this year has left an indelible impression from its sheer intensity.  Maybe it's just human nature to talk about the weather for lack of nothing else to talk about.

Of course, I live in the tropics, where when we’re not plagued by tropical storms and hurricanes, annoying bugs and mosquitoes, it’s the heat.  Always present, always humid, always sapping out your last remaining stores of energy.  Some may have noticed I've been keeping a relatively low profile...the heat does that to you.

Okay, don't get me wrong, there are the mild months here in the tropics, too short and too brief, where we get nice tradewinds that blow the stifling ick away.  But for the better part of the year, we’re right smack in the doldrums.  Think those wonderful pirate stories where the ships sit dead in the water.  Yep, that’s us right now.  The only sway you get is when you keep in time to the oscillating fan.  And with the doldrums, comes a certain lack of inspiration (other than thinking new ways to stay cool) to be creative.  (Just realized that inspiration and perspiration rhyme...see what I mean...)

I've only just had a holiday, and should be refreshed and rejuvenated.  But, alas, that is not the case.

Since completing my work in progress, the only writing I’ve done is to polish it up.  The urge to write is there, and the two unfinished WIPs stare at me accusingly.  But the sheer energy to tackle them has left me.  And yes, it’s because of the heat.  It doesn’t help that it ambushes you!  As soon as you leave your sub-zero air-conditioned bedroom, you are concussed with a wall of heat that leaves you incapacitated for the rest of the day.  It’s times like this that I wish I had an air-conditioned office, not a literal hole-in-the-wall.

So, admittedly, I’m in a weird and unmotivated funk.  I have resigned myself to leaving alone the other two WIPs for the time being.  There is no creative point in trying to force out something when the brain is not cooperating.  I will complete the polishing to the completed ms, then, I think it’s high time I dive into some much-neglected reading.  (That will surely get the wheels in motion!  I have at least seven books waiting patiently to be read, and it’s time I got started on that.  Summer movie watching (before it comes to an end) is another thing high on my agenda.  Oh, and having an ice-cold-nearly-frozen refreshment (preferably with alcohol) to keep me hydrated…of course.

What do you do to get out of a heat-induced (or general) funk?  I'd love to hear your "remedies."

T.K. Toppin

http://www.thelancasterrule.blogspot.com

INSPIRATION, IDEAS, AND DIFFERENCES

By:
Angelica Hart and Zi

We'd like to chat about what inspired us to write, where we get our ideas, and our creative differences.

About inspiration:

A: As a child, I adored being read to, but I also enjoyed watching the expressions on my family's faces as they read to me. They were as entertained as I reading the adventures of Princesses, of mice, of frogs, of siblings, of witches, and more. These fairy tales inspired me so much that I decided I wanted to entertain my family with my own stories, written, at first, in the cave man style of pictures, and then as I learned to write, by self-publishing my own little books. And, I haven't stopped, going from crayons and paper to a typewriter with a sticky L key to finally computers. I started to write to entertain, and I confess, it is now an addiction that I never wish to cure.

Z: The pretentious answer would be the power and influence I saw in the words of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. And that would be true. But it is more complicated. I wrote the lyrics to a song in high school that captured the social moment and I felt my peers were moved, I was pleased. In college, my Creative English professor confessed she cried after reading my piece, but none-the-less
failed my paper. Thus the tears gave me validation that I was good. I wrote to draw them. Who cares if I didn't understand a dangling participle. My second Language professor failed a paper which I later submitted to a magazine without editorial change, which was published. Again, the validation was in the reason. I wanted to make the man angry. I did, and was failed not out of anything but his bias. But, I must share that possibly the most profound motivation was that of my wooing a woman. Protecting her identity, her pet name to me was Princess Vi. To make a long story a little longer, we were held at a distance because of careers but I know, because she told me so, I captured her heart through my hand-penned letters. We would have been intended but life is never fair.

Ideas and creative differences:

Z: Second question first, every frick-frackin' day we have creative differences. When ever we write this column we explore some of the clashes and how we, via our sense of humor, avoid being charged with first degree homicide. Angelica is didactic.

A: Moi? Am not. Since when did I ever give any evidence of being preachy? I'll answer the first question. Didactic! Sorry, I digressed. As we previously noted on a previous blog we lamestorm. We set aside an entire day where we bring together ideas and like a game of war, we place them in the center of the table to see if one is more powerful than the other. In a single elimination tournament we eventually ascertain that idea which has the least amount of lameness attached to it. Then we research. And if it seems entertaining, we will outline. If not, it will go into our huge circular idea file.

Z: Where Angelica will dig hers out, and bring them back to the next session.

A: Do not...aw...already, I do, but they are such goooood ideas!

Z: Time to agree to disagree.

A: Buy lunch and I'll agree.

Z: Eating is always a running theme with you, isn't it.

A: Your point?

Z: (sighs) Want fries with lunch?


We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at angeliahartandzi@yahoo.com and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.

Angelica Hart and Zi
KILLER DOLLS ~ SNAKE DANCE ~ CHASING YESTERDAY
www.champagnebooks.com

STEEL EMBRACE by Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
August 2011 http://www.carnalpassions.com/


THE FABLE OF SIN-SIN CINDERELLA Series
angelicahartandzi.com

My Goal in Life...

While at a softball game, a friend of mine was asked if she wanted a stray Husky that had taken refuge at a residence in a near by town. She shared the information with me, and with eager anticipation my husband and I arrived at the man’s house with great eagerness to take the puppy home.

The town chairman responsible for strays, informed us we were a day late. Although disappointed at my loss, I assumed the puppy was reunited with his family. I wish it were that happy of a story. The man stated that the dog was hit by a car, still alive, but dragging himself around somewhere on his property. He was hoping to find the puppy to feed it chicken bones in the hope that it would choke to death.

My husband Ron and I decided we would locate the injured puppy and take it to the veterinarian that has cared for all of our other pets. We felt if there wasn’t any hope for the black and white Husky, we rationalized our grief, by determining that the veterinarian would make sure the dog would not suffer.

The Veterinarian informed us that the puppy would have succumbed to his injuries and gangrene within a day. But, if they amputated his back leg to the hip, a portion of his tail, and treated the infection the vet felt “our puppy” would recover. We named him Rocky, because of the typical dark raccoon band around his eyes and thanks to our vet, the day after his amputation surgery, on his own, Rocky walked out of the hospital and into our hearts.

I believe we can all learn from the resilience of an animal. Rocky was injured and left to die, and as much as we believed he needed us, it turns out we needed him more. Rocky has changed our lives; we have become more appreciative of the blessings that surround us, things people take for granted. We were a ‘blended family’ and through adding pets to the mix, we became a family. Now, taking the time for walks, camping, swimming, and snow shoeing. After all, we had a puppy to wear out out. Not only are pets enjoyable, but I’ve heard having a pet extends a person’s life span. What a bonus! A sign we proudly display in our kitchen articulates it all, My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. Because I know they are with us for such a short time, my original writing goal was to write something that would memorialize each of my pets for all eternity. In my action thriller, Bolt Action, my sarcastic detective, Leslie Bolt has as her very own cat, my cat named Baby. I’ve had an article published about Rocky, my German Shepherd named Tucker, and soon my cat Zues will make his debut in my children’s chapter book. I still have a few pets to go, but I’m working on it. Please stop by my website to see a beautiful picture of a few of my babies.

Hug a Cover Artist Today

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I find myself buying a book because I just love the way it jumps off the shelves in front of the rest. I’ve also found myself declining a book too because it doesn’t look like something I’d prefer…just by glancing at its cover.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good or awful your story is. If the cover doesn’t draw in a crowd, no one will pause to read the blurb or the excerpt. I find it amazing how little information we give cover artists--maybe two or three pages filled out on a cover art request form for an 80,000-word manuscript-- they’re able to get just the right scene for our stories.

Here’s all the things I can think up that needs to be on the cover of a book.

Title: Sometimes even the font in which the title is written can tell a lot about that story. I’ve noticed a lot of Science fiction stories have a similar font on their titles.

Author: Of course you need your personal brand on there.

Genre: You can usually tell by a mere glance whether it’s romance, mystery, horror, adventure, and so forth.

Mood: If it’s a dark, scary story or a fun, comedic tale, the cover will reveal all.

Who: If there’s one, or two, or more main characters, you can typically discover that by how many people fill a cover. You can tell if it’s an adult or young adult novel by the age of the models too.

When: Is it a historical? Futuristic tale? Present day? Does the story take place in summer or winter? That’s another revelation the cover can disclose.


Where: Small town, big city, one end of the globe to the other, or even in another galaxy, that cover is going to let readers know before they glance at a single word.

Reviews & Taglines: Sometimes, covers will even claim the author as a bestseller or it'll provide a review to guarantee it’s a worthy read. And sometimes it’ll have a catchy little tagline to draw you in further.

And all that goes on a single-inch by single-inch cover.

A picture really is worth a thousand words, and we authors depend on our cover artists to fit our entire story into one. In the next couple of months, I expect to receive the cover for my next Champagne story, The Right to Remain Mine, and I have to tell you, I’m very excited to see it. It’ll be like opening a present on Christmas morning whenever it comes.

What are some of your favorite cover art features?

Another First

This week, in fact tomorrow, I'll be presenting at my first ever online conference. I'm a bit awed, but grateful too, that they want to hear what I have to say. And, I will have lots to say. I guess it's the teacher in me but I want other people to know what I know.

When I started into the publishing business years ago, I wrote either by long hand or on a typewriter. Most of the computers were monsters, used by industries and very expensive. I'm discounting the small computers introduced into a lot of schools in the late eighties. They didn't do much. The world of the internet was unknown. The only ways to publish a book was to pay someone to publish it for you, convince a college or university you had something worth printing, or if you were lucky, a major publishing house would buy your work. That was it. From conception until it hit the book shelves took a long time. Even with self-correcting typewriters, revising meant retyping and retyping and (you get the picture). And then there was the time of actual production.

If you paid to have your book printed, it was expensive. I know because in my family, two relatives had books printed. Both of a religious nature and both costly. (And not because of the subject matter.) It simply cost a bunch no matter what the book was about.

Of course the colleges and universities weren't interested in modern fiction and heaven forbid you wanted them to publish a romance. They printed scholarly works! Or text books, or theses of graduate students. A romance was certainly not considered scholarly, a text book (despite the claims of some) or even remotely like a theses.

Oh, how things have changed. That's the thrust of my workshop. Where publishing has been and where it's going. I would like to believe I saw the handwriting on the wall years ago, when I sold my first e-book before the turn of the century. I have to admit I was lucky in that what I'd written was what they were looking for at the moment. However, people had absolutely no idea what I was talking about when I said I had a digital book published. At the time people were just waking up to the age of the computer. Sales on my books were at first slim to none.

Now I smile as I remember how people looked at me like I was from a different planet when I tried to explain how to read a digital book. But that was then and this is now. Just the other day, in the doctor's office I saw a woman reading from a Kindle. I couldn't help striking up a conversation and asking her what she thought. She loved it. I see people using digital readers almost everywhere I go these days. Not a lot of course in one place, but a few and those few are growing as more and more people learn how practical reading digitally can be.

So Wednesday I will begin this conference with a history of publishing. I can only hope for those who attend my workshop, I can share my enthusiasm for this new industry, this new world of digital publishing. If I've tweaked your interest you'll find me at Savvy Authors, one of the presenters for their SUMMER SYMPOSIUM.

Allison Knight

New Clothes and Resolutions

Happy New Year! No, I haven’t lost track of the calendar. Here on Northwest Florida’s Emerald Coast, it is as hot and steamy as you could want an August to be. We all scurry to work before the sun is fully up and wait til twilight to head home, because being out in the midday sun is a little too much like being in a sauna with your clothes on. But I still want to wish you a Happy New Year.

See, after more years than I want to remember as a student and a worker bee in the public education system, I know when the REAL beginning of the year is. Not the bleak midwinter, when we are all stuffed with sugarplums and wassail. Nope, for me, the time for new starts and resolutions is the end of August, when the kids head back to school and the world buckles down to work.

Since my oldest daughter started prekindergarten those many years ago, the day before school starting has always been a little like New Year’s Eve – Out with the old and in with the new. We stack the pristine notebook paper and folders on the counter next to textbooks full of mysterious facts to be learned. I make sandwiches and bag fruit to go in the lunch carrier of choice. (For years that was a plastic box with the cartoon character du jour on it; now it is more likely to be a pricey Vera Bradley insulated bag, but the idea is the same.) And for what seems like the first time all summer, we have a family dinner, with no one MIA at a friend’s house and none of the girls’ various friends and boyfriends in attendance. After supper, the girls and I will wash hair, give each other mani-pedi’s, and lay out the outfit chosen to make a perfect first impression.

And on the first morning of school, we will go in to school and work, eager to move on with the year. What will it bring? There will be triumphs and tragedies, success and sorrow. But it all lies before us, a full year of possibilities.

So in that spirit, I’d like to encourage you to make your New Year’s resolutions. Start off the year with your goals in mind. After all, if you don’t have a destination in mind, it’s hard to get there! We can always amend our goals and plans along the way, but I need to start the year with some idea where I want to be at the end of it.

I’m going to commit myself to more discipline in my writing this year. I’ve found that if I can get myself to start, I can churn out a pretty consistent word count every day. But it is the darn starting that gives me trouble. So my resolution is to write at least 100 words everyday.

That sounds like nothing, right? Not even a page. But here’s the secret – if I get 100 words down, I’m very likely to go into the hundreds or thousands. My problem is making myself get with it – to get the first sentence on the page. I’m hoping that if I tell myself I only have to do 100, I can trick myself into finishing the several books I have up in my head.

What about you? Go wash your hair, get your mani-pedi (or whatever makes you feel ready to go) and pick out your clothes. Make your resolutions and let’s start the New Year right!~!!!

Bad Author Behavior

There should be a Remedial Courtesy 101 course required for book signing events. I'm serious. I've been at multiple author events many times and always come away appalled and distressed at the total lack of consideration some authors exhibit.  And we aren't talking big names who are legendary egotists, though they above all should set a better example. No, these are my peers, those who are with a small press or perhaps independently published who are appearing at the local bookstore. And I am ashamed of many of them. Why, you ask? Here's the Top Ten:

10. They think everything should stop with their arrival--which may actually be twenty minutes late. Sorry but showing up on time is a sign of respect and maturity.

09. They think they can "wing it." They either aren't used to public speaking or they have a higher estimation of their oratory talents than an appreciation of reality. Sign up and attend Toastmasters and learn to scour "like, you know and uh" out of your vocabulary.

08. They expect the bookstore staff to wait on them hand and foot. "Get me a water." Sheesh, you can't even say please? These people are working--and NOT for you.

07. They have no concept of how to choose a selection to read. "I'll read the first twenty pages of Chapter One." Remember KISS: Keep It Short and Simple. And while we're on the subject:

06. They never explain before they read what the listeners need to know. They mumble on and suddenly stop in the middle of a sentence with, "Oh I should tell you that before this, this guy was like you know, wanting a puppy and like his mom wouldn't let him have one, so now he's like found this baby angora goat..."  Even if people hadn't dozed off with your first fifteen pages, stopping in the middle is like throwing a bucket of ice water in their faces.

05. They never practice reading aloud, stumbling over words and mumbling in a monotone.

04. They glare at customers who aren't interested in their genre. Hey, not everyone is into the Life Cycle of the North American Maggot and Their Favorite Dead Meat to Eat. Sad but true. Get over it and direct the customer to an author they might like. Or just plaster a smile across your face and stay quiet.

03. They make a ruckus to correct another author. This really bugs me. Yes, people get facts wrong. That doesn't give one a license to go Jerry Springer and stand up shouting. Embarrassing or humiliating another author in front of possible readers only proves what an insecure idiot you are. Sit down and shut up. Talk to them afterwards, quietly, if it bothers you all that much.

02. They drone on and on and on. I don't care if they are a professor at Harvard, if members of the audience are fidgeting, drooling, snoring, or seem to have gone catatonic, it's time to shut up.

And the Number One Bad Author Behavior:

They forget there is any other author in the room, hogging the microphone or the stage, never acknowledging how long they have been denying someone else the opportunity to talk.

Whatever happened to courtesy and manners? Has anyone else had to deal with this?

Jude

~Jude Johnson

 

 Author, Dragon & Hawk

Available from Champagne Books

Website: jude-johnson.com 

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Musings on The Other Life

My Books at Champagne Books

I recently read the book The Other Life by Ellen Meister. It’s a remarkable book borne of a unique ‘what if’ question—what if you could slip through a magical portal and glimpse the life you might have lived if you’d made the other choice. We all stood at a crossroads in our lives at some point and chose our future direction. It may have been one life partner over another, marriage over career or vice versa, one geographic location in which we settled as opposed to staying in the place where we grew up. Our lives unfold in a series of decisions and choices.


The book was enticing because it allows the reader to play with the question in his or her own life and imagine what that life might have been if… It certainly got me to thinking about that crossroad at which I once stood and the choices I made. Would I have become the person I am today had I followed a different path? Would my life have led me to where I am as a writer?

I honestly found myself wishing for that magic portal behind the washing machine in my own laundry room that would propel me into my alternate reality, give me a glimpse of what might have been. Would I still have become a social worker-slash-author relocated to Mississippi, or would I be a wife, mother, and grandmother married to my high school sweetheart and living in rural Pennsylvania? And if I had followed that other path, would I ever have sat down to write a book?

I can’t imagine not writing, but I know the exact moment when that spark flickered and flared into a passion for me. And I can’t say for certain it would have happened in another circumstance.

How about you? Have you ever wondered where you would be today if you’d taken that other path, lived The Other Life that at one time lay open before you?

Linda Rettstatt
2010 Author of the Year - Champagne Books
http://www.lindarettstatt.com/

Hometown Book Signing

Ever since I learned to read I've been a voracious reader. I grew up in Davis, California, and used to beg my dad to take me to our local bookstore, The Avid Reader. My favorites were anything by Roald Dahl, Garfield, and Choose Your Own Adventure. And when I decided I wanted to be a writer, in the sixth grade, I started imagining what it would be like to do my own book signing at The Avid Reader. At that time, nothing could have better said, You've Made It, than to sign books at my own hometown bookstore.

Years and hundreds of rejections later, that dream started to fade. I was obsessed with finding an agent or a publisher, never mind book signings, and I was close to giving up on the whole enterprise altogether. Then things finally started to fall into place: I got an agent, which then led to a publisher. I spent the next several months doing revisions, marketing, and general celebrating. When the first book came out, it was time to think seriously about book signings. But I've lived in Phoenix, Arizona for the last 17 years, and The Avid Reader was nowhere near my radar.

I try to get out to California at least once a year to visit my parents and sisters who still live there, and when I was planning my summer trip this year, I mentioned to my stepmom how neat it would be to do a book signing at The Avid Reader. Well, to say she took the ball and went running with it would be a vast understatement. She did it all: she contacted the bookstore, the local newspaper, and my sister's restaurant to arrange a post-signing party. And man, did she lay out the red carpet. I doubt Dean Koontz has ever received this kind of reception. She scheduled a massage, a facial, hair and makeup, and would have taken me shopping to get a new outfit if I needed one. When she found out we could bring wine and cheese, she bought NINE bottles of wine, three boxes of cookies and about five different exotic cheeses. She called everyone and stopped people in the street. In all of my wild imaginings, I never came up with anything this good. It was truly amazing.

Somewhere in the middle of all my pampering the day of the signing, we stopped by the bookstore so I could meet everyone and make sure everything was set. And that's when I found out I was doing not just a signing, but a reading. I'm a pretty shy person, and I hate talking about my books. I squirm just telling people what it's called and the basic premise, because trying to explain a contemporary fantasy to someone who doesn't know fantasy always sounds trite and ridiculous. So doing a reading would be like one of my worst nightmares. My stepmom Susan reminded me we were bringing nine bottles of wine, and I relaxed a little. Surely one little glass would be harmless and would help me stay calm.

As soon as we got set up that evening I was a wreck, so I wasted no time in downing a glass of wine. After that, everything was sort of a blur, and it's difficult to remember, like getting married or giving birth. I know at some point I had another glass, and when I introduced myself and the books I was shaking like crazy. I opened the book to begin reading where I put my bookmark, but in my fumbling I lost my place and started reading about two pages too early. It worked out fine; there were a couple of lines in those two pages that got laughs, and as soon as that happened I started to calm down. During the Q&A afterward, I was actually enjoying myself. While I'd been reading, more and more people arrived, so looking it up it was a delightful shock to see so many faces in the audience. And all in all, between what the bookstore sold and what I sold from my own stock, I sold a total of 31 books. Not bad!

After the signing we all walked down to my sister Cary's restaurant, Our House. I had yet another glass of wine, and this one was fairly large, but I felt incredible. Oh, did I mention I hadn't eaten since noon? I was walking on air, talking to family I hadn't seen in forever, and sold some of the books I'd brought with me. And I was still feeling great a couple of hours later right before I was puking up what seemed like gallons of red wine into my dad and stepmom's beautiful, lush front yard. Well, at least I waited until most of my audience was gone.

I came home from my trip feeling much more confident. Doing another reading doesn't frighten me now in the least, and after some great feedback from people who are reading my books, I'm much more eager to get them out there.

One thing's for certain, however: I will watch my wine from now on.

Ashley J. Barnard

http://www.ashleyjbarnard.com/

Dark Fantasy with a Contemporary Twist

When Should a Series End

Most of us do love a good series, but when does it get tiring, begin to drag? I guess that varies with each reader. Most of us read the Clan and the Cavebear. How many of those books did you read? I only got through the 3rd and my interest waned; however, I read all of the Left Behind Series and I think all of John Jakes historicals that were popular back in the 70s. I've read all but the last of Diana Gabeldon's and will probably get to it one day.

What makes us hang on? Is it love for the characters? I'd have to say that's true for me with Jamie and Claire but in some series books the characters change. Perhaps it's just the flavor of the stories, be they western, sci-fi, historicals or any other genre.

I've written a time travel series set in the 1890s in a small Texas town. The first was well-received, and promo for the second is garnering attention. I've just finished the third and am waiting to hear from my editor. I'd never intended to make this a series, but two years after the first story came out I decided people in the present would want to know what happened to the character who disappeared. So, I sent an investigative reporter to the spot and she disappeared too. The ending led me right into the 3rd story. No way could I stop now.

Though the ending for the 3rd story leaves it open for a possible 4th, do I want to travel down that road? I'm not sure. I guess I'll wait and see what readers think.

How about you? What makes you keep reading a series? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/

What reviewers look for...

Awards in the review process have bewildered some of my fellow authors. Be they hearts, cups, cards, books pens or whatever else, bad reviews feel like knee-jerk reactions, decisions made by the formidable finger of fate. Let’s take the mystery out of the process.

Periodically, a plea goes out for “reviewers needed.” The reviewer-in-chief auditions every potential reviewer before okaying them into the reviewer family. Potential reviewers are not always authors or former authors. Some are experienced readers and editors.

As a new reviewer, I’d like to “come out’ and tell you that these reviews are not written randomly. First of all the book must be selected from the review house’s list by the reviewer. The selection is based on genre. A Sci-fi nut is not going to enjoy a historical or Regency period romance. Each writer being reviewed should assume that their book is the kind of read their reviewer prefers when selecting a book for pleasure. Great pains are taken to see that this is the case in well-run, well-organized review houses.

So, what does a reviewer look for before giving an author a high rating? Based on my experience, a good opening hook and consistent pace are the essential firsts. If the hook grabs you and the pace drags, or if it’s too fast to make sense, you will lose your reviewer, and later your reader.

Language appropriate to the time, situation or background of the character speaking is another must-have in a piece of writing. A writer should play fair with the reader – no tricks, such as the protagonist waking up to find the whole mess the reader just slogged though was all a dream. Another valuable trait is a clear voice that supports the place and time of the story.

Nothing bothers me more than to read details about a location or city I’ve been to and know the writer has never been there. Sometimes that section will read like a research paper, or, it can be a washed out, non-distinctive setting that could have happened anywhere between Brooklyn and San Diego or from Cape Town to Edinburgh.

Readers read to escape into the scene and story. They want all the tactile, aromatic, colorful scenic noise of the places they read about. Regardless of length, 3 pages to 28 pages to 500 pages, those details can fit into the tale, even heavily erotic-laden stories. In shorter works, fewer scenes, fewer characters and more distinctive voices will carry the atmosphere. In longer works the writer can go “Gabaldon” on the reader, with details beyond reason or story. Readers of long works love detail.

Writers under review should consider the reviewer as the ideal reader with a penchant for details. The goal is to give an award commensurate with the entire book experience. The reviewer's purpose is to guide other readers to the books they will like. The review is edited through a chain of command to assure that the review is fair and balanced."

The reviewer is also on trial. No one gets off easily once you put your work out there. Keep in mind the review is an opinion.


Julie Eberhart Painter is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, Tangled Web, and Kill Fee to be released in October. See Julie’s Web site at www.books-jepainter.com

Vacation

Vacation means respite, but what an omen filled word. Vacation is supposed to be a time to distress, relax, and get away from the usually daily grind. Most children get a summer respite from their studies where upon they forget a large portion of what they've learned. To vacate means to leave, and many families take the one or two weeks of vacation they've earned at work to leave the comforts of home for another unpredictable location. A chance for the average Jill and Joe to hit the road and go exploring, or to find a place to sit in sun, sand, and water. Vacations are so fraught with peril there is even a famous movie comedy about one. Things happen on vacation. Cars break down, 'you-can't-get-lost' paths can lead to going totally astray, and cottages advertised as clean and on the water are often vermin filled shacks with a sliver of water front that is more like a wet land than open water. Yes, vacationing for most people can be perilous, but for writers they provide opportunities to collect characters, settings, and situations. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

I'm going on a four day vacation to the same cottage my family has gone to for fifty years. It was a time share before the concept of time share became common. Sandy beach, beautiful lakefront, and at this time in the year, the water should actually be warm. The cottage has everything but privacy and Wi-Fi connection (I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms already). It really is a place of respite. But have you ever noticed your family can carry unsettling drama with them? There has been that, too. By the time this posts, I'll probably be home  recovering from my respite.

It's 5:00 AM, and I'm up, gathering, packing, and trying to get ready, and writing this to post before I leave -- please excuse the mechanical errors and disorganization. Yes, I know, I should have been better prepared and done all this yesterday or the day before yesterday, but I had better,more interesting, things to do. All vacations, even safe ones like mine, seem to need loads of planning and packing. I tell myself I really enjoy this, and I will, and at least I'm not camping. (Those of you who love camping - enjoy, I just don't.) I love and enjoy my sister and her family and we will talk about everything while sharing chores and cooking, talking walks and spur-of-the-moment treks to stores and places of interest.

Have you ever noticed that good, even great, vacations fade into memory, but bad vacations are pulled out again and again, getting richer and funnier with each retelling? Oh, the stories I could tell you... Vacations -- good or bad -- you win either way, don't you?

From Champagne Press
Rhobin Lee Courtright

Less we forgotten

Michael W. Davis

Davisstories.com

Recently I was asked to review short story submissions from high school students. The winners received small monetary awards. As you'd expect, most were difficult to weed thought yet a few provided reflection beyond the mind of the typical youth. As I sampled the mental wandering of the modern teenager, a pattern evolved. What do you think the three primary themes where? Take a moment...that’s right; romance, confusion, and bullying.

The thoughts created on paper drove me back to a time I'd forgotten. No, not wisps of young amore, rather the shadows of all youth when they struggle to understand the complexities of life. You know, who are we, why does every one hate me, why are some so cruel to others, what are these peculiar emotions I feel about the other gender; stuff like that.

Reading the convolutions of young blood, the turmoil of their adolescent ponderings; it returned me to my own days of asking why, why, why. No, I wasn't unique back then, or weird, or the only kid every hounded by bullies; I was like so many others twisting and turning through the social swamp. No better, no worst, no more confused then anyone else wading up river through the turbulence of youth.

What I really wanted was to whisper to all these kids, it will pass, most of the fog about your surroundings is natural, part of a maturing mind, you will be okay. And those things that remain unclear, they’re the wonder of our brief time on this planet; relish them as curiosities you’ll understand eventually in the next realm. Unfortunately, we're not allowed to interact so they'll just have to claw and scream and stumble like all of us did.

Till next month.


Big Mike
Michael W. Davis (Davisstories.com)
Author of the year, 2008 & 2009

Shadow of Guilt, “To each crossing of paths, there is a reason.”
Blind Consent, “The answers are buried in the secrets of the past.”
Forgotten Children, “Only Sara knows the truth.”
Tainted Hero, “Sometimes good people do bad things.”
The Treasure, “A lonely heart can impair one’s judgment.”
Veil of Deception, “Sometimes truth cuts deeper than a lie.”

People and Their Work

There are two trends in fiction that make me go cross-eyed with frustration as a reader. Therefore, I try to avoid falling into the same trap as a writer.

One of the trends is especially prevalent in the cozy mystery, and it’s what I call the “gimmick” mystery. The protagonist cooks or quilts or restores houses or knits or loves wine or reads tarot cards or lives with a ghost or something, and everything in the book is defined by what she does. There’s no depth to the character development, or the ability of the character to have an interest in more than one thing, which rings false. The stories are pretty much all the same, and the characters make the same mistakes without learning from them, and it feels like a global replace was used for the gimmick, and maybe a few paragraphs rearranged to suit the gimmick.

Usually, these books glut the market because an author has written a book where the character has a passion for something, and the author has written it very well. Because that original author has done it so well, a few dozen others scramble to join the party, often in pale imitation. They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Sometimes several unique authors can break out exceptional characters and exceptional writing with the same gimmick, but usually you get a flurry of derivative writing until the next hot gimmick-of-the-moment comes through and the herd chases that rainbow in hopes of publishing gold.

Or, the books rush to the other extreme, and the character suddenly doesn’t have anything else in her life except the plot of the book. The author tells us the character has a job, a career, that she goes to work, but we never actually experience her working. It could be Anyjob in Anytown, not Smith & Weiss Realty in Mt. Kisco, New York, where she has to wear pantyhose and a demure suit, when she’d rather be in a jeans and tank top. And how a person behaves at work gives us a lot of information about the character.

Either extreme break my suspension of disbelief. We all have busy lives. Part of the reason we read fiction is to have a break from our own busy lives and to enter someone else’s, learning how they cope. If all they have to worry about is one thing (unless they’re time traveling or something), I get frustrated. I’m constantly juggling writing projects, teaching, yoga, meditation, the garden, the cats, my family, keeping old friends, making new friends in my own community, volunteer work, following new interests. I want the characters with whom I interact on the page to do the same. I want to see how the cope, to see if I’ve found a kindred spirit or can sigh and relate, and be better at it than I am.

I want characters to have rich lives. Even a character who lives in isolation can have a rich inner life. I want a sense that they had lives before the events of the book began, and that life goes on after the book ends (whether the characters are still alive or not). If they’re at a stalemate in their lives, I want to know why I’m with them at this moment. Why is this a pivotal point in their existence?

What we do, what we’re interested in, and how we relate (or don’t) relate to the world around us says a lot about us. The way characters relate tells us a lot about them. I spent over twenty years working backstage in theatre, television, and film. It’s a very consuming life, and you have to love it and make a lot of sacrifices to be a part of it. You’re working nights, weekends, holidays -- when others come out to play. However, YOU are making it possible for them to play. Relationships backstage evolve very differently than office relationships, and there’s a level of intensity and loyalty even among people who don’t always get along, and who, in an office situation, would avoid each other. People who work backstage relate to each other differently than people do in other professions. Rarely is that depicted in fiction -- it’s usually about bitchy cliches. When writing ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, I wanted to show the joy and passion people working backstage have for their work, even on the rough days!

If we hate the job we’re in, that’s also going to affect us in a different way. Why do we stay? What fears keep us from doing what we love? What dreams have we given up, and how do those continue to wound us? A sense of misplaced loyalty? Fear of unemployment? Family demands? Do we daydream through the day, not really paying attention to it, then rush home to do what we love? Again, if a character is in this type of situation, we learn a lot about the character by the relationship to work. We spent forty or more hours per week at work -- that’s a huge chunk of our lives. Think about how it affects you, your relationships, your conversations. Would your characters also be affected?

You don’t want to pull too much focus from the plot and story, but so much of the character can be told in terms of their workday, their skill level, and those work relationships that it’s a shame when that area of a character’s life is ignored or trivialized.


--Annabel Aidan is a full-time writer and publishes under a half a dozen names in fiction and non-fiction. ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT is available from Champagne Books. Her blog (under the Devon Ellington name) is Ink in My Coffee and her webpage is here.

Fanfiction and Batman

Well, it's time for census in Australia, and I'm one of the thousands of *coughstupid* lucky people who gets to go around knocking on doors and talking to people, all in the name of convincing them to fill in a form.

Yay you, I hear you say.

All this work has left me very little time to write, generally because it's taking up my procrastination time. Which, in turn, means my procrastination is using up my writing time. Oh, what a wonderful cycle.

But I have come across a small urge to write. A couple of weeks ago, thanks to my Batman-obsessed OH, I had a Joker-related dream, in which I came up with an awesome origin for him (No one knows the real origin of Joker, or even his name – though there are a few origins lying around the comic universes). And, yes, my OH demands to be let in on my Joker's origin.

This leads me to just wonder, have you ever had the urge to just go off and write fanfiction, whether you've ever shown it to someone or not? And have you ever taken one of those fanfictions, and managed to twist it into your own world and story, to the point where no one can tell where it started out?

Too Out There?

The question that has been harassing me more than usual lately: am I overdoing it?
Blogs. Twitter. Facebook. Youtube. Google+. Website. Goodreads and many, many more. I'm on them all and  I get loud. I get obnoxious. I get...really, really wierd.

At first glance, you'd think it wasn't too much...until I started Youtubing. (oh shazbok, I need a brownie.)
I've had a spike in views on my youtube channel. Either the coming movie of The Hobbit is bringing more "Ringers" to the interest of speaking Elvish and finding my video - which is the first when you search "Speaking Elvish" on youtube - or, more people have just discovered that I can be a frightening spaz...and have been enjoying it.

Hold on...let me explain what I mean by "too much." By that I mean, showing too much of my...unkempt side. The side that makes restaurants kick me out and the grandmother at the park scold me with her eyeballs.
The part that parents worry will rub off onto their chilren. (side note to the parents I personally know: I don't release my unkempt side when speaking to your children. They're safe, I promise.)


As public figures - authors, artists, actors, etc - should we... be professional? Should we strive to be more quiet, mature and adult-like in public, or do you think we can just be ourselves?

For agents, are you thrown off by impulsive, spazzoid people who are trying to get their work represented? Or do you see it as a positive thing? Something that may help attract the public eye?

I don't want to say that the responses to these questions will really bring a personal change to my image; if motherhood didn't do it, I wonder if anyone but God Himself could. But, I am really curious as to the thoughts of readers, writers, agents and publishing houses. How much is too much personality? Is there too much?

Diana Ilinca
www.dianailinca.com
http://www.youtube.com/dilinca

Parting with Old Books

We’ve been clearing out old paperwork and de-cluttering for the past few weeks. It was incredible the amount of shredded paper we’ve put in for recycling. I’ve even managed to offload one of my filing cabinets to my husband, to make more floor space in my study.

It’s the books, however, that are causing me the biggest headache. The whole length and height of one wall is taken up with books of all kind: fiction, history, reference, old university material, gardening, cookery, children’s, and precious classics. I’ve really tried to reduce them by a third, but had to give up. Much as I love my kindle and all the e-books I now read, I absolutely adore print books. Just looking at them fills me with excitement at all the words and information contained within, while the old well-loved novels fill me with warm memories. And now I have the brand new print copies of my first novel, Dangerous Deceit, to add to the shelf.

So, yet again, I only managed to put aside a tiny pile of about half a dozen books for the charity shop. One of these days, I’ll have to be more ruthless as we’ll be downsizing sooner rather than later. But not quite yet. Meanwhile, I photographed some old books by one of my favourite authors from my teens and twenties, Mary Stewart, and blogged about her. And I’ll gradually be doing the same with a couple of others. The only trouble is that I now want to read them all over again as I enjoyed them such a long time ago. But I have so many new books to read that I’ll never get through everything. Guess I’m not the only writer to have this problem!

Romy Gemmell

Dangerous Deceit, available from Champagne Books, Amazon and Smashwords

http://ros-readingandwriting.blogspot.com

http://romygemmell.blogspot.com/

Writing a Successful Blog

Every writer knows that blogging is important, but people sometimes forget how important blogging can be.  For me, blogging was able to transform my writing career.  A little over a year ago, I started a small blog.  At that time, I was unpublished and much forgotten.  Within eight months of starting my blog, I saw my books on the shelves on Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Sam’s Club, and Costco.   I average over 500 hits daily on my blog and have my own column in the local paper.  My blog changed my career and made it possible for me to be a working writer.  But how do you go from writing a blog with fifty or sixty followers and a few hits a day to a blog that is really read and has a dedicated and passionate following?  How do you transform your blog from something that is ordinary into something that will get you noticed and bring you the attention of readers and editors?  I have put together a few tips on how to accomplish this.

1.       Chose a Popular Topic for Your Blog:   Many writers chose to write about writing or the struggles of a writer.  I did this for a while and felt like the only person who ever read my blog was my husband.  Unless you have a spectacular voice, a unique take on the experience, or are already well known, this won’t get you new readers.   Research your blog topic well and choose something you know people are interested in, will look for, and want to read.  Choose a topic that relates to your writing and give it a punch.  Make it stand out from the crowd.  You want to gather readers who will read your books.  For example, I write horror, ghost stories, and morbid urban fantasy so I chose to write about ghost stories.  I have a friend who writes erotica, so she chose to review all things sexual and lusty on her blog.    How can you lure readers to your subject area with something unique and engaging?

2.       Write Every Day:   Especially for the first five or six months, you should blog daily or almost daily.  This will put you in Google analytics faster and it will also bring more readers.    I had one blogger who blogs about ghost stories ask me why she couldn’t develop a following.  She was an excellent writer, but she only blogged once every week or two.  Blog readers are fickle.  If they don’t see new content regularly, they drift away.  After your blog is well established, you can blog less, but starting off strong is important.

3.       Find other Bloggers:  Once you start writing, find similar blogs to yours and start reading them.  Find popular blogs and follow them.  Bloggers love to network and will help you get started.  I would have slipped into oblivion if it weren’t for two bloggers who wrote long blog posts about my blog on their blogs.   I was then able to return the favor for other bloggers as I gained momentum.  

4.       Comment, Comment, Comment:  As you find blogs you love, comment on them regularly.   Bloggers with two hundred followers or more may miss you if you just follow them, if you comment on them, they’ll notice you and return the favor.  The surest way to gain followers is to comment on other people’s blogs.  Most comment boxes also allow for reciprocal links that will drive traffic in your directions as well.

5.       Tweet:   Twitter is an excellent way to gain followers.  It is easy to get people to follow you on twitter and if you post about your blog on twitter, people will read your posts.

6.       Have Patience:  It will take months to develop a strong following.  Measure your progress and growth and be persistent.  If you give up or stop blogging, your following will vanish very quickly.  Know that your hard work will pay off and that if you are determined your blog will grow and your followers will come.

Follow Me At:

www.ghoststoriesandhauntedplaces.blogspot.com

www.jessicapenot.net

http://twitter.com/#!/Jessica_Penot

Perfect Moments, and an Interview

Do you ever have those days when you want to freeze a moment and hold it forever? Maybe you’re having a bad day and everything seems to be going wrong. Maybe you’re tired of rejection and want to give up.

Rather than dwell on disappointment, why not reach into the back of your mind and pluck out one of those perfect moments when all seems right with the world.

Some of my perfect moments:

Sitting back with a cold drink after I’ve mowed the back lawn. As the rapidly melting ice makes chirping sounds in my glass, I look at the evenly cut blades of grass, inviting a picnic on its temporarily pristine surface. I never get around to the picnic, but the prospect is pleasing.

Late afternoon light when the breeze carries those little fluffy seeds. They look like backlit faeries dancing just for my enjoyment. I don't think of the weedy aftermath.

The beach – laughing children and the keening of gulls mingled with the smell of sunscreen. My toes push under the hot sand, finding a cool spot beneath.

That feeling when a plane accelerates on the tarmac and my head pushes against the back of my seat. The turbine engines roar, then their pitch rises to a “wheeeee,” as they carry me away to some exciting destination.

The warmth of the sun on huge slab of granite at the edge of a clear lake. I gaze at multicoloured lichen radiating from the cracks, and pick blueberries while a loon calls in the distance.

The first gentle snowfall, hopefully before Christmas. Light sparkles on it, reminding me of my childhood for some reason.

After soothing myself with perfect moments, I want to share with you all MY FIRST AUDIO INTERVIEW EVER! 


Last Sunday evening, Benjamin Leroy of Tyrus Books called for interviews on Twitter. I reluctantly volunteered (I'm not fond of telephones) and waited anxiously for the 10pm time slot.


As it turns out, Ben was sweet and encouraging. Among other things, we talked about writing, hockey and BAD ICE. The interview can be found here.

Now, THAT'S a perfect moment!

Sandra Cormier is the author of BAD ICE, a hockey romantic suspense.

Reality Check

You've no doubt seen the success stories of those who self-publish their e-books...people who sell a million copies, are able to write full-time and make a living at it. And no doubt, you've heard them pitch the idea that writers would be foolish not to do it this way...

And it makes you wonder, maybe I should do it too...

So, to test this theory, I've self-published two pieces, first (back in December) my Aston West novella Seeker...and then (2 weeks ago), my latest (non-Aston) novel, The Cure. The first, I've priced at the ultra-low 99 cent level (for a 20K word novella), while the latest is available for a more moderate $2.99 (for around a 60K word novel). With these two data points, I'm hoping to give a more accurate reading for would-be self-published authors (and myself) as to whether this golden goose is really as shiny as we'd be made to believe.

A few things to realize about me (for comparison purposes):
-I have been previously published, though by a small press without widespread bookstore distribution, with two books under my belt (Heroes Die Young and Friends in Deed). I also have developed a small niche following based on my series of short stories featuring Aston West.
-I do not have hundreds of thousands of followers on my blog, nor my Twitter feed nor my Facebook fan page. I believe that all of these together net about 1000 people, maybe.
-I do market myself, through my social media outlets, through online groups and webpages, and through visits to conventions from time to time.
-I have a full-time job that I use to fund my writing exploits, so I don't have a lot of spare time to write or market (but I make do with the little time I have).
-I'm generally able to get a new novel finished in about a year or two (see the aforementioned full-time job information), though I've been attempting to better that.
-My two self-published titles are only available in e-book format, though I'm expecting to eventually self-publish a print version of The Cure (and am in talks on bringing Seeker to print as well)

So, all that being said, here's the breakdown so far:

Seeker has been out since (late) December 2010, on Amazon (Kindle) and Smashwords (who has then distributed to such spots as Kobo and B&N (Nook). It's averaged around 2-4 sales most months. With the price point of 99 cents, royalties are low, around $2-3 a quarter (which because of the minimum payment requirements, are being stored up until I sell enough). The sales totals for this book come in around 40 books in the last 7 months. For comparison, my first quarter sales of my two small press books (which are priced at $2.99 and $3.99/$4.99 (depending on the store)) ran 12 and 5 copies each...I have not yet received the second quarter statement.

[For those keeping score at home, my novella sold 13 copies in the first quarter...but at a much lower price point...royalties, however, weren't that much different, which is another post for another day]

The Cure has only been out for two weeks, so more concrete sales numbers will be forthcoming in future updates...though I can say that the "initial rollout" sales are fairly consistent with those I saw with Seeker back in December (and ironically, are running fairly close to the sales of Seeker in the same two-week period). I will note here that after The Cure came out, I did see an uptick in sales of Seeker from June, from 2 to 4

So, I don't really know how often I'll give these updates, but stay tuned for more. And hopefully the numbers that I post will give you a feeling of what to expect from a foray into self-publishing e-books.

Part Three: Human versus Vampire

What would you give up for love?

My heroine in my second novel of the Forever Series, Winter Kennedy, goes looking to become a vampire. She has watched her mother die of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and wants desperately to take a different path. So desperate is she that she has left her nursing position at the Mayo Clinic to travel to Nome, Alaska to search out the possible existence of a recently turned vampire. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, she falls in love with a mortal and changes her mind about becoming a vampire. She makes the brave decision that it is better to spend her last time on Earth with the man she loves than to spend eternity with a creature she does not. Keep in mind that this “creature” is a handsome, civilized vampire.

I pondered what I would do, but I’m such a romantic I too would chose love, or why write romance novels at all! But then a better idea presented itself: turn vampire and then turn your mate and you both get to live forever. Which leads to the question: Who wants to live forever?

I write about immortals for the same reason I once heard Ann Rice say she writes about them: we better understand ourselves when we have another creature to bounce our ideas and thoughts off of. So, I leave you with these questions. Just something to ponder on a hot August day. . .