Keystrokes & Word Counts

We've moved!

2011-10-04T07:07:00.003-04:00

I've had this little space of web for several years now and decided the blog needed a change and an update, and in doing so, I ended up switching from Blogger to Wordpress. Nothing against Blogger, but now on Wordpress I have added tabs and pages to include information on me as an author, upcoming releases, projects in the works, short stories and excerpts.

I'm not sure how many of you actually come right to the blog rather than following my links on twitter and such, but I figured I'd leave this little note and a link to the new blog.

Come join us otherwise I will miss you! :D

http://keystrokesandwordcounts.wordpress.com/

Keep it polite or keep your mouth shut

2011-09-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

While we're on the topic of reviews, let's have a little discussion about being polite to others, shall we?

Luckily, I personally haven't had any issues, but I have heard several friends complain about other people who knock their reviews. For example, a friend was reviewing "classics" and she was being honest about what she liked and what she didn't like. People came by, read her reviews and basically told her she was full of crap and didn't know what she was talking about. Really? You people think you can judge someone's opinion? Guess what? NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LIKE WHAT YOU LIKE. Sorry to have to yell that, but it's an important statement we all need to pay attention to.

I see nothing wrong in having a civil debate with someone, pointing out why you think a review is or isn't fair. Civil is the important word there folks. I'm all for debates, especially when it comes to classics that I don't think should be pushed anymore, but I would never out and out say "OMG you're wrong and stupid and XX is the best book ever, you stupid person!" That's just not necessary and quite frankly, it makes you come off as the stupid one.

In case you haven't noticed, this blog has some reoccurring themes: be honest, be nice and not everyone is going to like the same things. You'd think these things would be common sense kind of things, but I guess not.

Things on the internet are traceable and I have heard stories about people bad mouthing agents when they get rejected or publishing houses that put out books they don't like, etc. and it often comes back to bite them and being rude in forums and on sites like Goodreads and Amazon is not going to go unnoticed.

Better to be nice, be civil or keep your mouth shut.

The 5 star controversy

2011-09-27T06:33:00.000-04:00

I've become a bit of a reviewer. They're not super in depth descriptions of what the story is about but more my personal feelings on how I enjoyed the book or what I didn't like about it. I try to always be polite and I know that criticism goes best between compliments. I do these reviews for two reasons:

1) To let others know how I felt about the book and possibly turn them onto it or warn them to stay away (although to be fair, that's rarely my call)

and

2) To give the author some feedback on where I think they shine or could use a little more polish.

I feel like I'm doing both the reader and writer a service. That's the way it should be. That's the logic behind reviews in the first place.

Therefore, when I hear things like people paying $5 bucks for a 5 star review or asking friends and relatives and fellow writers to choke the system with phony 5 star reviews it makes me kind of lose my shit.

I get it. You are proud of your work and you want to spread the word so others will come read it and bask in its glory. That's all fine and dandy, except I don't know about everyone else, but I am QUITE stingy with my 5 star ratings. A book really has to be well written and emotionally impacting (to me personally) in order for it to get 5 stars. I don't even rate my own work 5 stars people. That's not to say I don't love my stuff and I haven't worked hard on it, I do and I have, BUT I know there are things out there that just blow my writing away and that's why I'm honest with myself and my readers with my ratings.

This buying stars and backwards comradery of "I'll get all my followers to rate your book 5 stars, even if they haven't read it or didn't like it if you'll do the same for mine" is utter bullshit.

You've got money to spend on buying stars? Use it on a good editor to make a better product instead. You want to bring traffic to your book and get reviews? Find book bloggers and hold contests to give out ARCs and ask for honest feedback in their responses and ratings.

People who do this kind of thing are giving the indie/self published a bad name. It's already a struggle for those of us not going the traditional publication route and when a reader comes along and sees a book has fifty 5 star reviews they think "Hey! This should be good!" Then they read it and (often) find that the book was nowhere near 5 star quality. This post, by a a fellow "indie" author goes into detail about how these things going on makes him not want to be associated with the indie crowd. I understand his frustration on how a few are making it bad for the rest of us. (Be sure to take time to read the comments on that post!)

Not only is it bad to dupe your audience, but you're not helping yourself as a writer and you're certainly not going to gain any repeat business. There is one specific book out there (which is discussed in one of the blog links above) where much of this occurred. I found a mere smattering of unhappy reviews in an overwhelming sea of 5 stars. Those few 1 and 2 star reviewers were as baffled as I was "did we read the same book as all these other people?" I almost gave the book 1 star. 1 STAR! That's a rating I normally reserved for a bunch of monkeys who type gobbledegook. I don't care if that author wins a Newbery award , I'll never buy another of her books.

There are others out there who are trying to cheat the rating system in other ways. Recently, a friend of mine noticed a particular Goodreads member was going around and rating immense amounts of paranormal novels. 3,500 novels to be exact. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Except that she was rating them all with 1 star. Every.Single.One. She only had two friends on Goodreads. One of them was a paranormal author, whom I'm sure got her only good review. Thankfully, several people brought it to the attention of the site staff and the account was killed. Whether or not they can undo all the reviews she gave, I don't know, but seriously lady? Did you really need to knock down the confidence of 3,500 people by rating them a one? Not cool. Bad karma is coming for you.

As discussed before, it really just comes down to being honest folks. Be honest about what you like and dislike. Be honest about the quality of the work. Be honest with yourself. You'll be happier in the long run and if you're a writer, think of how much better you'll feel when you get those good reviews knowing you actually earned them rather than bought or bartered for them. Maybe those lower starred reviews will help you grow as a writer and you'll produce something that is 5 star worthy. If I see it, if it moves me, if it's worthy, I'll give you that coveted quintuplet rating. You'll have earned it.

Book Trailers

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

So, book trailers. What are they and are they really important in helping promote your novel?

A book trailer is very similar to a movie trailer. It's a video clip, normally set to music, used to catch the eye of a potential reader. To garner attention and make them excited to pick up your book.

They should be short and sweet and above all, interesting. Make it a snooze-fest and people will forget about it, and your book, the second after they click off the page.

There are different kinds from the extremely awesome, obviously professionally made ones, to the amateur, work with what you've got, trailers. They can be a collection of images and text set to music (*cough*this is good for the monetarily challenged folks like myself*cough*), or it can be a collection of scenes from the novel acted out or even an animation.

As to how important they are, I can't really tell you. I think they're a helpful marketing tool, but do I think you can gain as much interest for your novel without one? Probably, but I do think trailers appeal to the occasional reader. The ones who would most likely opt for a movie or TV show over reading a book. We're visual creatures and I think, for those types of people, the trailer helps generate more interest than just the summary would do. As long as your trailer doesn't look a complete mess, I think it can only help, not hurt.

I have to admit, I don't watch too many book trailers myself. I'm not sure why because the ones I do stop for seem to be good. Maybe it's just because if I'm interested in a book, it's due to the blurb on the page and if that catches my attention, then I don't need the trailer. Obviously, that didn't stop me from making one of my own.

Mine is no where near professional, but I think it's interesting enough to catch someone's attention and as an indie author, I need every bit of help I can get! Let me know, honestly, what you think. I value your feedback, even if you think it sucks. ^_^

 

Back that thang up!

2011-09-20T10:10:00.000-04:00

No. No. I'm not talking about your ample backsides...although if you enjoy that kind of thing, please, be my guest. I'm talking about backing up your precious, all consuming, seemingly never ending, writing endeavors.

Let's paint a not so pretty scenario, shall we? Let's say one evening you're working on some edits for your almost ready to publish novel. You smile as you make the changes knowing that they will make your characters seem more believable and add credibility to your story. You save your changes in Word, or whatever other processing program you use, and you close the laptop lid for the night. When you wake the following morning, you're anxious to start your day; check some email, tweet, post something on Facebook. When you open the laptop, you're face with a completely black screen and some flashing lights. No it's not in sleep mode. No it's not a result of built up static. No the battery and/or power supply isn't broken. It's the laptop itself. Suddenly it has become a very expensive paperweight. A prison for all your important information, images, bookmarks, etc. Now would be the time where you might bust into tears. Perhaps you consider lobbing the dammed thing across the room to see how many pretty pieces you can break it into. Maybe you plan a coup on your local HP building demanding a replacement, a refund, all your priceless data back. Maybe you just accept defeat and start browsing for a new piece of overpriced equipment while mourning the loss of hours of your life, work and creativity.

While you can't always predict when electronics will have an all out meltdown, the loss of your data and hard work is preventable. There are several options to backing up your work. Most word processing programs will back up as you write, but that's only good if your computer freezes or spontaneously reboots (it happens). To back up your work long term, you can use outside sources like flash drives, CDs/DVDs or an external drive. These are all good choices so long as you know where you put the drive or the disc and that nothing happens to those. If you're like me and electronics seem to hate you, you should also look for other options. I had a large external drive where I stored all my stuff and then the USB port broke a pin and I was screwed. It prompted me to look for other options.

Storing your work online is handy for more than reason. Firstly, depending on where you save it, you should be able to access it from any computer with internet access. Secondly, you don't have worry about losing anything (except maybe a password) and someone else is maintaining it for you.

If you opt for online storage (and I actually recommend using more than one of these backup ideas, better safe than sorry), you can use a site like Drop Box which holds a looooot of data, even with their free version. I would recommend a place like that if you have a lot of mixed media to store; music, photos, documents, etc. If you're looking to just save your manuscripts, I recommend emailing them to yourself. Use the title in your subject bar for easy searching later on. Luckily I had emailed several of my manuscripts to other people for beta reading so I had copies of everything in my email. Gmail, which is a free internet email program, has tons of storage so I rarely empty trash or sent mail so all my stuff hangs around for such an occasion.

There are other options out there as well if you do a little searching. Again I recommend using more than one back up method and try to remember to do it on a somewhat frequent basis. You can even use calendar programs to pop up reminders if you're apt to forget.

Be smart and save yourself the heartache by backing up your work. Do it today people! You'll thank me later if you have an issue. Get on it!

Books read in 2011 - August

2011-09-08T19:15:00.000-04:00

Almost forgot to put up the list of books read last month. It was a busy reading month too, surprising since I felt like I did so many other things writing related. Maybe I'm getting better at multitasking? Nahhhh.

Rating system:

	Outstanding. You need to run out & get this NOW!
	Great!
	Good.
	Meh. I was not much of a fan.
	Under no circumstances should you waste your time with this.

August

Title

Author

Rating

Forever Mine (Moreno Brothers 1)	- Elizabeth Reyes
Dragon Slippers	- Jessica Day George
Dragon Spear	- Jessica Day George
Dragon Flight	- Jessica Day George
Always Been Mine (Moreno Brothers 2)	- Elizabeth Reyes
The Demon’s Surrender (Demon’s Lexicon)	- Sarah Rees Brennan
River Marked	- Patricia Briggs
Between the Lines	- Tammara Webber
Chain Reaction	- Simone Elkeles
Flat Out Love	- Jessica Park
The Boyfriend Thief	- Shana Norris
Reason to Breath	- Rebecca Donovan
The Wrong Path	- Vivian Marie Aubin du Paris
Breathe	- Abbi Glines	(I feel bad giving this, but I have to be honest)
Rock and a Hard Place	- Angie Stanton
Sophie and Carter	- Chelsea Fine
Blind Sided	- Cheryl Leigh
Heart on a Chain	- Cindy C. Bennett
Love Unscripted	- Tina Reber
The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies)	- Pittacus Lore
Leaving Paradise (re-read)	- Simone Elkeles
Return to Paradise (re-read)	- Simone Elkeles

22 books read

Fake it 'til you make it?

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

EDIT: To write this kind of stuff when you're upset is cathartic...not so much so the next day though...but I'll let it stand if for no other reason than to maybe help soothe others in knowing they're not the only ones with doubts and insecurities.

So anyway, let me let you all in on a little secret: I lack confidence. Confidence in my writing. Confidence in my intelligence. Confidence in being a "good person" (no, no. I know I'm not the Devil incarnate -I dislike the heat too much- but I'm sure I could be better). Confidence is being good at just about anything. Well...OK that last one is not exactly true. I know I'm "good" at many things, but don't think there's one I actually excel at. Hence why I consider myself a jack of all trades, master of none. I suppose it's not an awful thing to be, but it'd be nice to know you're really good at at least one thing in life, right?

I find many other authors struggle with having confidence in their work. I'm not exactly sure why that is. Is it because it's an art form and art is so subjective? Is it because people have a habit of picking our work apart? We ask for that! It's supposed to make us better writers.

So why do I get so knocked down when someone does what I ask? They aren't mean about it. In fact, some of them are overly nice about it, trying to soften the blow I suppose. I know they mean well. I know they are being helpful so I can put out the best piece of work that I can...yet it still seems to cut me to the quick and revert me to the 12 yr old I was when I stopped writing for years because some stupid computer program told me I only wrote at a 6th grade level (little did I know at the time that that is not such an awful thing...).

How do you keep it all from weighing you down? I don't know. I do know I've come too far to give up and shove my novel in a drawer somewhere. But I admit there are times where I am so afraid of failing that the idea of putting it in there so it never sees the light of day is extremely appealing. At least if I do that, then no one can tell me it sucks, right?

So, do I live in fear that people will hate my work and call me a failure or do I just suck it up and push ahead because I've already put in a disgusting amount of time and energy into all my writing? I think the answer is obvious, but it's still not easy. Am I going to cry when people tell me they don't like something? Probably. I'm a bit of a cry baby like that. I might be thick all over, but the skin is pretty thin.

I guess I've just got to keep telling myself that even if no one likes it (and I honestly don't think it's going to be a case of no one liking it, since I know some people have enjoyed it or at least not totally hated it) I can be proud of myself for working hard on it and getting it out there. I know there are a lot of people out there who talking about writing a novel but never do it, so at least I'm a step ahead of them, right?

I suppose I just have to go with the old "fake it 'til you make it" scheme. I can put on a happy face when I get criticism and be gracious and say thank you (because I really do appreciate anyone who seriously takes the time to offer the criticism) and then go cry in the corner until I get over it and then work to make the corrections. Maybe it'll hurt less with repetition. Maybe I'll need to buy stock in Kleenex. I guess time will tell.

I promise I'm not going to go weepy and all "woah is me" on a regular basis, but I kind of felt like I just needed to get it out and it's been a long time since I used a blog post as a diary entry. If nothing else, maybe some of you can read this and know you're not alone, or use it to make yourselves feel better "Hey! At least I've got more confidence in my work than that silly chick!". Either way is cool by me.

How much is too much?

2011-09-02T04:00:00.000-04:00

Opting to be self, or indie, published means the author has to wear many hats, and promoting your work is one of those areas you can't skimp on. As I'm getting closer to my tentative publication date I'm trying to get the word out and garner interest for Near Death. The problem being, how much is too much? I want people to check it out. I want people to be interested and put it on their to-read lists, but I don't want them to feel spammed and annoyed that I'm mentioning it so often.

Goodreads has a option to let you recommend books (yours or someone else's) to your friends. Sounds like an awesome way to get the word out right? I have a couple hundred friends on Goodreads. I can hit them all up in one blow! Problem? I've been hearing some horror stories about how some Goodreads members react to such a thing: nasty response emails, unfriending, bad mouthing to their other friends. Really people? I could understand if you were constantly getting spammed by the same person with such recommendations, but just sending one out is a bad thing? I thought helping new authors get exposure is something Goodreads is known for. I thought half the reason for having an account and friends there is to find new things to read. Once my cover art is ready, I still plan on taking advantage of the option so I'll apologize in advance, but if any of my "friends" on Goodreads think one email is spamming, then perhaps they shouldn't have authors as friends.

When it comes to Twitter, I think, depending on how many followers you have, you need to repeat the message several times. People are on at different times of the day and if they follow a lot of people, it's easy for your messages to get lost in the stream. Does that mean you should post "BUY MY BOOK!" 50 times a day, everyday? HELL NO. If all you post is messages asking people to buy your stuff, you're going to bore people and loose followers. Make yourself a schedule and if you use a Twitter client like Hootsuite, you can set up Tweets to post at specific times, so maybe you plan to tweet about it a couple days a week at different times of the day. Done that way, you're hopefully mostly hitting a different group of followers each time.

Another thing to try and keep in mind is cross networking. It's very likely that you have several of the same people on more than one social networking site. Maybe they follow you on Twitter and have liked your Facebook author/book page. Maybe they are in your G+ circle and on your Goodreads friend list. Be cautious not to accidentally spam your friends by re-posting everything on all your networks at the same time. Again, spread things out and pay attention to your timing.

You need to get the word out and promote your work, but there needs to be a happy medium. Every post you make shouldn't be badgering your friends and followers to buy your wares. Continue to be your quirky selves and make comments and ask questions. On occasion, peddle your product. Also, remember everything doesn't have to be a request for people to buy. You can gain interest by doing blog tours, holding contests, having trivia questions, making promotional posters and bookmarks, posting snippets of the novel, etc. Remember, if people like you, if you make them laugh or think, they are apt to be interested in your work without you shoving it in their face. They just need to be aware that it's out there. Happy medium. You can do it.

What are your thoughts?

2011-08-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

Since I'm getting close to releasing my first e-publication, I thought I'd take the time to ask you folks some questions in regards to e-books.

Let's start with covers. I love a good cover and one of the things I get sad about with e-books is the fact that you don't really get a good look at it unless you hunt it down (in your reader menus you can normally click to go to it). Sometimes, they have the front (and if you're lucky back) covers all the way at the end. That's a nice surprise, but I wonder why they don't put it in the beginning. I can understand that if you have too much front end info, people might get annoyed about how many times they have to click to get to the start of the story, but I'd think to have the cover image come up first, it'd be just like reading a hard version. What do you guys think? Would you be annoyed by having the cover image come up before the title page or first page of text (chapter/prologue)?

Then there's a table of contents. I kind of never understood why fiction books have them. I guess maybe if you always stop reading at the end of a chapter and don't use a bookmark, they'd be handy, but do people really read like that? In an e-book, the only plus for them I can think of is if you know something is in a certain chapter and you want to go back and look at it, the table of contents is a quick way to get back there, but again, how often do people do that? I think they're kind of pointless for the most part. Do you ever use it in a fiction book?

I've already discussed bio pictures before. I'm putting one in. You don't want to see it? Too bad! ^_^ I dislike most pictures of myself but I know I like to see what an author looks like so I figure you guys might want to see as well.

What are your thoughts about excerpts from other novels at the end of the book? Does it have to be from the book's sequel (if they have one) or is another novel from the author acceptable? Do you even bother to read them?

I think that's about all I can think of at the moment. If I've missed something important you want to comment on, please feel free! I want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone so your thoughts and comments are really helpful. Thanks in advance everyone!

We're looking for a few good men & women

2011-08-27T07:00:00.039-04:00

Did a vampire kill your brother? A mother? Another
loved one? Are you filled with unquenchable rage and
sadness? There's a way you can heal and help your
community at the same time!

Follow the information on
the attached PSA posters and
join your local Vampire Force!

For more information, pick up Patricia Lynne's
vampire story,
Being Human
today!

The illustrious author has this to add:
In Being Human, vampires are not a myth, they are a reality to humanity - a scary one. In order to combat vampires, a special branch of police force was created: Vampire Forces. But they don't use stakes or garlic to combat vampires; that ended up being a disaster with a lot of deaths. VF is very much like a normal branch, guns are issued, tasers and batons. As such, they will seek out people to join in a very normal way. Thanks MaryBeth for creating these Public Service Announcement Posters. And thanks to the people who provided the images. Remember VF needs you to shine a light in the darkness!

/photo credit goes to the following people. Thank you!

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image: phanlop88 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's a whirlwind!

2011-08-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

Announcing the In Leah’s Wake Social Media Whirlwind Tour—WooHoo!

You guys might remember I interviewed Terri Giuliano Long a couple of months ago about her book, In Leah's Wake. Things have really blown up for her since then and when I was approached to be a part of her Whirlwind Social Media Tour through Novel Publicity, I couldn't pass it up. Not only did I enjoy the book, but I've spoken with Terri often since then and she is a lovely person and a great writer. I hope you guys will take part in the festivities and learn a little more about her and perhaps pick up the book!

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the In Leah’s Wake Kindle edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week.

What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including a Kindle, 5 autographed copies of the book, and multiple Amazon gift cards (1 for $100, 3 for $25, 5 for $10, and 10 for $5 – 19 in all)! Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, August 26^th, so you don’t miss out.

To win the prizes:

Purchase your copy of In Leah’s Wake for just 99 cents

Fill-out the form on the author’s site to enter for prizes

Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book!

And I can win $100 too if you vote for my blog over on the author’s website. The blog host that gets the most votes in this traffic-breaker polls wins, so please cast yours right after purchasing In Leah’s Wake and entering the contests!

The featured events include:

Monday, Blogaganza on Novel Publicity! We’re kicking-off on the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog. We’ll ask the writer 5 fun and random questions to get everyone talking. Leave a comment or question in response to the post, and you may win an autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake. Don’t forget to visit the author’s blog to enter for the other prizes!

Tuesday, Twitter chat with the author! Tweet with us between 4 and 5 PM Eastern Time, using the hashtag #emlyn. We’ll be talking with the author about her favorite books and best writing advice. Bring your questions about In Leah’s Wake and don’t forget to use #emlyn or to follow Terri @tglong. By joining in the tweet chat at the designated time, you may win an autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake. Don’t forget to visit the author’s blog to enter for the other prizes!

Wednesday, Google+ video chat with the author! Join our hangout between 12 and 3 PM Eastern Time to talk with the author and us via video chat. We’ll be gabbing about great books including In Leah’s Wake and about writing. Did you know that Terri is a creative writing instructor at Boston College? She’s got tons of good advice for aspiring writers. By joining in the Google+ video chat at the designated time, you may win an autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake. Don’t forget to visit the author’s blog to enter for the other prizes!

Thursday, Facebook interview with the author! Stop by Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and ask Terri questions. She’s chosen three of her favorite topics to talk about: writing, parenting, and gourmet cooking. Of course, you’re welcome to ask about In Leah’s Wake too. Leave a comment or question as part of the thread, and you may win an autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake. Don’t forget tolike Terri’s Facebook page or to visit her blog to enter for the other prizes!

Friday, Fun & games based on the book! We want to close this whirlwind social media tour with a gigantic bang, which is why we've set-up two interactive book-themed features on the author’s blog. You can take the official Facebook quiz to find out which In Leah's Wake character is most like you and learn how that character ties into the story. Then try out our crossroads story game. Throughout the course of the narrative, you'll have several decisions to make. What you choose will affect the outcome of the story. Play as either rebellious teenager Leah or the trampled peacemaker and mother Zoe. Leave a comment or question on any of Terri’s blog entries, and you may win an autographed copy of In Leah’s Wake. Don’t forget to check out the other give-away contests while you’re on Terri’s blog!

About In Leah’s Wake: The Tyler family had the perfect life – until sixteen-year-old Leah decided she didn’t want to be perfect anymore. While Zoe and Will fight to save their daughter from destroying her brilliant future, Leah’s younger sister, Justine, must cope with the damage her out-of-control sibling leaves in her wake. Will this family survive? What happens when love just isn’t enough? Jodi Picoult fans will love this beautifully written and absorbing novel.

A Twitterview with Terri Giuliano Long, author of In Leah's Wake

*twitterview conducted by Novel Publicity

You can tweet Terri @tglong. Please do! To learn more about twitterviews, go here.

Calling all book bloggers!

2011-08-24T06:50:00.000-04:00

We interrupt the typical Tuesday/Thursday blogging schedule to light the bee signal (well I couldn't very well use the Bat Signal TM as I'm sure I'd get in trouble for that...) to call out to book bloggers and reviewers. As I have finished a major second run of edits on Near Death (just waiting on some line edits now/the little stuff, so nothing major will change) I find myself anxious to get it out into the world. This is where you lovely book bloggers and reviewers come into play.

I am looking for people I can send an ARC out to (in digital form - sorry, I haven't gotten anything printed yet since cover design is still in the works). In return I would ask two things of you:

1) Please read and review (honestly!) for Goodreads (and then if you wouldn't mind copy & pasting that info into Amazon when it's up there, that'd be super duper awesome as well!)

2) Review it on your blogs closer to the publication date (right now it's tentatively in mid-September, but I'd give you a definite date as it gets closer). I'm fine if you don't do the typical kind of review on your blog. You'd be free to interview me (or one of the book characters if you'd like!), write a song, do an interpretive dance, draw fan art, whatever you'd like to show how you felt about the book. I'll leave it up to you.

On the day your post goes live, I will direct folks from this blog and Twitter to go check you out as well and ramp up your attendance. I think it's a decent trade off. ^_^

If you would be interested, please leave a comment along with the URL to your blog (or if you don't have a blog & just do reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, leave me your name for that site so I can check it out). Oh! I need an email address too please.

Thanks folks! I look forward to reading comments from everyone who participates!

/as I don't know what the response to this will be, I may have to set a limit on the amount of ARCs that go out. If I need to cut it off somewhere, I will update the blog and let you know

Book Review - A Line in the Ice

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Title: A Line in the Ice

Author: Jamie Craig

Genre: Sci-Fi Romance

Amazon Summary:

Bloodthirsty monsters are emerging from the Antarctic ice, the same creatures that once stalked the battlegrounds of World War I. Back then, a group of soldiers valiantly fought off the beasts—and were never seen again. A century later, an elite military squad stands between civilization and the mysterious return of the enemy. Captain Charlie Weller thinks she’s seen everything—until a man crawls out onto the ice, barely alive and muttering about a place called Illyria. Lysander Davies claims to be the descendant of one of the missing soldiers. He insists the monsters are actually gentle creatures, under the control of beings far, far more dangerous… Drawn to the stranger, Charlie believes his stories and agrees to help him. But they both know nothing can come of their feelings for one another, for the only way to save earth is for Lysander to return to Illyria and close the rift behind him, forever…

Personal reaction:

I love a good romance and A Line in the Ice certainly delivers. Sci-fi related romance is new to me, but I enjoy many aspects of a good sci-fi book and this one has just enough to make it interesting but didn’t leave me scratching my head over complicated gadgets or weird political systems, etc.

I appreciate the strong female character of Charlie. A romance with a woman in a military group is unfamiliar to me too, but the author(s) made her believable and realistic. She was hard when she needed to be, and soft at the appropriate times.

It was an exciting and enjoyable read with action and romance. A good combo.

Questions:

Q) Please explain who Jamie Craig is.

Jamie Craig is the joint effort of Pepper Espinoza and Vivien Dean.

Q) Is this your first collaboration?

It’s definitely not the first book we’ve collaborated on together. We’ve never attempted to collaborate with other people before we began working together, though.

Q) Romance books with Sci-Fi themes don’t seem to be the norm. What prompted you guys to write one?

We’re both big fans of genre--not just romance, but horror, mystery, sci-fi, and fantasy. The great thing about romance is that there’s always room to add another genre or two to the mix, and that’s what we love to do. We’ll write everything from historical westerns to futuristic Sci-Fis because we want to find the most interesting story.

Q) Tell the truth, are those sexy times scenes as fun to write as they are to read?

Of course! Sometimes it can be difficult, I won’t lie. But it’s always fun. So a lot like real sexy times!

Q) Antarctica is cold and bleak. Why choose such a harsh local to set your story?

Precisely because it’s harsh. Actually, this all started with a dream of a woman finding a man in the middle of the ice. Where did he come from? Why was he there? What was his story? The whole novel developed from those basic questions, and so Antarctica was always critical to the project.

Q) Charlie is a tough cookie! Why make her a soldier? Did either of you have any personal military experience?

When we came up with the back story of why the rift would need to be guarded, we knew we needed to make the team military to mirror their roots. That allowed us to give our characters the skill sets they needed to survive in such a climate as well as make sure the job got done. Also, there’s a sense of self-sacrifice that comes along with the military, that belief that what you’re doing matters and you’ll do whatever it takes to save the people you’re protecting. That was core to what we wanted these people to be. Neither one of us has direct military experience, though Vivien has multiple people within her family who have served/still serve.

Q) How much research did you guys have to do, if any, before writing A Line in the Ice ?

A lot! There was the military aspect, which we wanted to get right, as well as learning as much as we could about physiology so that we could create creatures that would survive exposure to such cold elements. We had the Shakespeare covered, thanks to Pepper, but we both had to brush up on our WWI history to make sure it all meshed well together.

Q) What can we expect from you guys next?

The final book in our Silver Maiden series will be released by Carina in September--Revealing Silver.

Q) Where can fans follow and connect with you?

Our website is http://www.jamie-craig.com/, and we’re on both Twitter (@jamiecraig) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Craig)

Q) Lastly, for fun, if A Line in the Ice was being made into a major motion picture, who would you cast for Charlie and Lysander?

Hmm good question! Even though Colin Farrell doesn’t really look like how we envisioned Lysander, we think he’d be great for the role. He can be the charming, romantic lead and then go kick some major ass.

As for Charlie, think Scarlett Johansson in Iron Man 2. The look is perfect, but as an actress, she has tremendous range. She can sell both tough and vulnerable, which is what makes Charlie who she is.

Tour Notes:

Please vote for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll for this tour. The blogger with the most votes wins a free promotional twitterview and a special winner’s badge. I want that to be me! You can vote in the poll by visiting the official Line in the Ice blog tour page and scrolling all the way to the bottom.

Learn more about this author duo by visiting their website, blog, Facebook or GoodReads pages or by connecting with them on Twitter.

Don't over extend yourself!

2011-08-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

Facebook.
Twitter.
Goodreads.
Google +.
LinkedIn.
MySpace. (welllll maybe scratch this last one...)

There are tons social networking sites out there for you to get involved in and use to help promote your work. The problem with having so many is that you can over extend yourself and spend all your time promoting and making connections and none of it writing! The other problem is that when these sites keep popping up, it takes a good amount of time to sit down and learn how the site works and how best to utilize it for your own purposes. Yet another thing to take away from important prime writing and/or editing time.

My suggestion is to pick one network to focus on at a time. Make your mark, build your friend-base and figure out how to promote yourself without it taking all your time and effort. Once you have that one down pat, you can move on and try to add another, but remember, better to just stick with a few rather than spending all your time navigating the social webs.

Another thing to be careful of is spreading yourself too thin offering to help with others. I'm all for lending a hand either with beta reading, editing or reviewing, but be honest with yourself when offering to do these things. Make sure you have enough time to help them and still be able to work on your own projects. If you make too many commitments you may find yourself under a lot of extra stress trying to get them all done on time and your own writing is pushed to the back burner. That's no good!

Do yourself a favor and utilize things like the Google Calender to show what you're working on and when things are due. That way you can refer to it next time someone asks for help and make sure you don't have three or four other projects due at that time.

I understand as an author, especially a self published one, you have to wear many hats which is time consuming and important to your sales, but remember, if there's no writing being done, there are no books to sell. Prioritize, people and don't take on more than you can handle, your stomach lacking in ulcers, full nights of sleep not filled with stress filled tossing and turning and a head lacking in aches will thank you later.

Please don't feed the trolls

2011-08-16T06:30:00.001-04:00

Recently, an aspiring author friend of mine started putting up chapters of his story Heart of Winter on his blog/Facebook page and someone came along and anonymously posted a comment about how he should stick to his day job, yadda yadda yadda. While it being totally untrue (I've read his first novel. It's GOOD!) it's also ridiculous and quite cowardly in my opinion.

Since this is the internet, trolls are pretty common. People feel brave hiding behind a monitor I suppose. Many will say people troll because they're jealous and that might very well be true, but I think some people are just down right mean. They have miserable lives and feel like they have to spread that misery. Damn bullies are everywhere. Even on the internet.

If you really don't like something, far be it from me to tell you not to comment, but be an adult about it. Don't be cowardly and post as anonymous. Back up your position. Did you find a bunch of typos? Is my grammar poor? Are my characters one dimensional? Do I have plot holes big enough to drive a Mac Truck through? To just say "You suck" tells me you're just jealous and/or mean.

If you've got problems with a troll, don't feed them more ammo. To argue back is what most of them want. They want to debate and keep reminding you how much they think you "suck". You can do one of two things; either ignore them completely or I find jokingly agreeing with them and refusing to get angry works for me.

Them: You suck!
Me: I KNOW RIGHT?! It's amazing that they still allow me space on the interwebs!
Them: uhh yeah, uhh you are..umm yeah...you SUCK!
Me: Totally! I can suck a battery through a garden hose!...oh wait, is that not what you meant?
Them: ....YOU'RE NO FUN!
Me: I know
Them: *logs off*

Like the occasion bad review, you're probably going to get a troll here and there. Don't let it get to you and don't take it personally. Let their comments roll off your back and move on. Like all bullies, they'll get bored and soon crawl back under their bridges to wait for another goat who tries to cross.

Want to be included?

2011-08-12T16:48:00.001-04:00

We interrupt your Friday afternoon countdown to bring you a contest of sorts. A morbid kind of contest that is. It's not even really a contest (unless I get some crazy out pouring of interested people).

Here's the deal. I spoke with my cover illustrator/designer today and we discussed some ideas for the back cover. Now you're thinking, "Hey, aren't you releasing an e-book? Why do you need a back cover at all?" I decided that in addition to the e-book, I'm going to offer a paperback version using POD (print on demand), therefore, a back cover will be needed. Since I will have what I know will be a beautiful piece of art, I will also add it in the back pages of the e-book after the author bio and pic. This way everyone can see it if they click far enough.

One of the ideas we came up with was an image of "the book". The book is this horrible little record of all the lives our Angel of Death has taken. It lists the person's name and cause of death. I am going to recreate the book to take a photograph of it and then my designer extraordinaire will work her magic and add it to the back cover, under the box with the summary.

While I can certainly make up all the names and causes of their demise, I thought it'd be fun to get others involved. This is where you guys come in. Should you be interested in gracing the back cover of Near Death I will need you to leave your name and cause of death in the comments below (I told you it was kind of morbid). If you want to use first and middle initials and then your last name (so your whole name isn't out there for the world to see) that would be perfectly acceptable. As far as the cause of death goes, I'm looking for some creativity, but remember:

1) this takes place in North America so you won't get too many folks being mauled by angry (hipster) koalas
2) it needs to fit on the line!

If you really want to participate but are leery about putting your name out, say so in the comments. Not all the names will be seen and not all the causes of death will be seen. Below is something I whipped together quickly to give you an idea of what the back will kind of look like.As you can see, the summary text will be blocking out parts of the picture, so I will work your information into the areas where the whole name won't be seen. You'll get the satisfaction of knowing your name is on there without having to worry about people trying to hunt you down or steal your identity or whatnot.

So if you want to join in the fun and be included, remember I need your name and cause of death left in the comments of this post. You have until Monday August 15th to get it in!

The self publisher's query

2011-08-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

So, you think that by self publishing you get out of that dreaded query writing task, huh? Sorry to disappoint, but that's not exactly true.

Being self published means you're not selling yourself (or should I say your work, as we're not prostitutes) to an agent, but to your audience. This is where the self publisher's version of a query comes into play, although it's referred to as back cover copy or a summary. Some people call it a blurb (which I also thought it to be, but it seems blurb stands more for the quotes and praise from other authors or publications that have read an ARC* of the book).

In a query you have to catch the agent's attention, first with the appealing summary and then by going into a little more detail about the genre of the book, how long it is and perhaps some information on your writing background and your other publications.

For the self publisher, most people won't even buy a print copy and opt for an e-book version. That means your summary is going to be front and center on your book's Amazon or Smashword page (or wherever you're selling your books). The cover art will probably be the first thing to draw prospective readers in, but once they click on it to get a better look, your hook, that first line, had better be something amazing. Something to make that browser stop and read further, rather than click along to the next book. You have to engage your reader as the query would an agent, otherwise you won't be selling very many books.

Now lean in close so I can tell you a secret. A little closer. I promise I showered AND brushed my teeth today. Ahh perfect. Here goes. WRITING A SUMMARY IS FREAKING HARD!

Back in January of this year I talked about how writing a query letter was not an easy task, well this is the same damn thing! You have to condense your thousands of words into a mere couple of hundred that will intrigue and excite perspective buyers. You can't give everything away (it's not a synopsis) and you can't be too vague. There has to be a happy medium and I'm telling you, it's not simple. I've written at least a dozen for Near Death, sometimes tweaking things other times doing total re-writes.

You cannot do a half-assed job. It has to be as perfect as you can get it. You can have people review your books and recommend them to others, but even a glowing recommendation is not going to sell many books if the author can't explain to their audience what the book is about. Treat it like any other part of your manuscript. Edit it, ask others to read it, edit it again. I promise you, it will be beneficial to you and your book sales.

Now go get on that, because it's going to be a struggle and you will want to leave enough time before taking your author photo for the hair you rip out during the process to grow back.

*for those not in the know, ARC stands for Advanced Reading Copy

Should you censor yourself?

2011-08-09T07:00:00.004-04:00

The lovely Johanna Harness recently pointed me to a blog post by author Stacia Kane who talks about how being published changes everything. It's a very interesting read and I suggest you check it out, but it got me wondering if the same concerns apply to self published authors as much as they do traditional ones.

Stacia talks about how if someone has posted a negative review about one of her books and her agent went on to sign that person, she would be hurt and upset and less likely to contribute a comment for their book or help them in other ways. I can understand that and although everyone's entitled to an opinion, if you're looking to get signed by an agent, perhaps you need to keep those opinions under wraps.

When it comes to someone who is self publishing, I'm not sure it's as necessary. That's NOT to say you should be going around giving nasty reviews. Not at all, even if you hated the book. As previously discussed, you should be able to point out the good stuff along with the constructive criticisms.

While no one wants to make enemies, I think it's important to be honest if you're going to review. I very much dislike the trend I hear going on in self publishing circles about some authors and friends giving nothing but five star reviews, even if they haven't read the book, just for the marketing/publicity of it all (I will blog more about this in detail at a later date). What happens when someone buys the book and sees it's not even close to 5 star material? That's disappointing and a turn off and they may very well not purchase anymore books from that author.

In the world of self publishing, where authors lack agents, and often editors, to tell them if things should be cut or rearranged, etc., I think reviews by other writers are helpful. We obviously know what goes into the process of writing and publishing a book and personally, I'd rather bring something up that will help the author better hone their craft, then pretend everything about the book was fab. Might this make me some enemies? Maybe. Might it make people take my words the wrong way? It's possible. Might it get used against me in the future? Who knows, but I would rather be known for my honesty and if that's going to come back and bite me in the ass, so be it.

With Twitter and Facebook and all the other social networking sites where we're building our fan bases, I certainly think you ought to be cautious with the things you say. You don't want to come off as unprofessional or nasty in anyway, but that doesn't mean you can't be yourself. I know I mention her often, but author Hannah Moskowitz always comes off as very real to me in her blog posts and Twitter feed. I also follow her reviews on Goodreads and she's honest there too. I respect that.

As posted before, you can't please everyone all of the time. Even if you're being honest and "nice" about things, there are still going to be people who won't like you, who don't agree and who may come back and argue with you over things. People are different and have different opinions. It's bound to happen, but remember there are times when it's better if you bite your tongue (or tie up your fingers as we're not normally speaking out loud to these folks) or step away from the conversation completely. While you have a right to your opinions you need to remember that you are also trying to network and make connections and you need to be professional while doing so. Sometimes it's just not worth the possible backlash.

It's said that even bad publicity is good publicity, but do you really want to be known as the nasty unprofessional author? Probably not. I don't really think that will help you sell books or endear you to your fellow authors. Make sure you stop down and use your brain; use common sense and think before hitting that send or publish post button. Remember things linger on the internet and could come back to haunt you.

Books Read in 2011 - July

2011-08-04T07:39:00.001-04:00

Not a big reading month this month. 1) busy busy writing! 2) A Dance with Dragons took me longer than I expected. Monster of a book! Also, I'm up to just shy of 100 books for the year so far at a count of 98. Woo!

Anyhow, here's the list and ratings! As always, if you have questions or comments on anything, please feel free to ask!

Rating system:

	Outstanding. You need to run out & get this NOW!
	Great!
	Good.
	Meh. I was not much of a fan.
	Under no circumstances should you waste your time with this.

July

Title	Author	Rating
Out of Time	- Monique Martin
Karma	- Cathy Ostlere
Leaving Paradise (re-read)	- Simone Elkeles
Forever	- Maggie Stiefvater
A Dance with Dragons	- George RR Martin
Beautiful Disaster	- Jaime McGuire
Girl in the Steel Corset	- Kady Cross
Being Human (beta read)	- Patricia Lynne
Specials	- Scott Westerfeld

Are authors celebrities?

2011-08-02T07:00:00.002-04:00

If your favorite author was walking down the road, would you recognize him or her? I'm not sure I would. Maybe Stephen King, but even then I doubt I'd be sure enough to walk up to him and ask. So, a great many authors are household names, on the NYT Best Seller list, etc. but most of us have no idea what they look like. You don't see them in tabloid magazines (for the most part), nor do they really come up on those celebrity gossip shows like TMZ. So are they really celebrities? I certainly think so. It's just a different kind of celebrity. A quiet kind.

To me, authors are my rock stars. To talk with them on Twitter and whatnot gives me that fan girl kind of thrill, but personally, I'm not a crazed obsessed kind of fan over anyone; author, actor, musician, etc. I think the internet, with Twitter and message boards and author webpages, etc., lets the readers and fans get to better know their favorite authors. They get to interact with them and learn some of the more mundane things that people seem to want to know about celebrities: favorite colors, what kind of music they like, if they're married with families, etc. Who knows what will come of it. I have seen some fan obsession on different forums already (aren't we all glad panties can't be thrown at us through the internet? ^_^).

Maybe sometime soon, well known authors will be getting more recognition in the streets. I'm a pretty private person, but I have to admit that I would definitely get some kind of thrill from being recognized in the mall by a random fan. I would never want it to become some crushing mob of screaming fans though (and I don't really foresee that happening for authors), nor do I want someone standing outside my house snapping pictures of me haul out garbage in my pjs. That's just scary folks and not in any way news worthy.

One thing I noticed lately that could be keeping authors from finding celebrity (besides those that are self publishing and not editing first...) is that e-books seem to lack a picture of the author! There might be the little blurb about who they are and what their background is, but there's no accompanying image anymore. While I kind of hate pictures of myself, I decided I'm still going to add one with my book bios. Maybe some super fan will memorize my mug and corner me on the street for an autograph someday! I think I'd like that.

Book Review - The Peace Corpse: Misadventures in Love and Africa

2011-07-28T07:00:00.002-04:00

Today's Q. & A. is something a little different for me, a memoir! It's about author Andy Christofferson's two year journey in Tanzania, Africa volunteering with the Peace Corps.

Amazon Synopsis/Description:
I may very well be the only Peace Corps Volunteer in the history of the organization to sincerely, foolishly, and romantically propose marriage to a local girl...and have her say no.

In addition to my failed romance, I taught advanced chemistry at an all-girls school, kayaked my way into Zimbabwe, and learned just how little water a human being can survive on. I also once woke up completely covered with ants.

My goal with this work is to give a very raw, straightforward, analytical - but also humorous - picture of both what a typical Peace Corps experience is like, as well as offer some insight into the current conditions of life in East Africa, going beyond the superficial mentality of "look at the stupid things those crazy Africans do" and trying to explain why they do the things that to us, from our Western perspective, seem strange. Because there is a reason.

Personal reaction:

The Peace Corpse: Misadventures in Love and Africa was a really interesting read about a Montana boy's journey to Tanzania for a 2 yr stint with the Peace Corps. Honest, interesting, educational and entertaining. Written in a familiar conversational style. Although the book was largely written after his "tour" was over, original emails that were sent to friends and family at the time pepper the book to lend authenticity along with amusing quotes from the author and others he met on his journey.

If you've ever been curious as to what goes on the Peace Corps, this memoir gives the reader a good, detailed idea of one man's journey.

Questions:

Q: Is this the first book you’ve written?

Technically no. That would be a high fantasy novella I wrote when I was 16—which of course has not been read by anyone but me. This is, however, the first book I’ve written that I’ve been foolish and egotistical enough to put out there for other people to see.

Q: What prompted you to write about this experience?

Ants. Also, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about both the Peace Corps and about Africa in general. My goal with this book was to help people understand more about the nature of the organization and the experience a Volunteer goes through during their service. In addition I wanted to explain a little about the culture of East Africa and try and look at the reasons people did things that to us often seemed illogical or counterintuitive.

But I use lots of humor to keep it interesting.

Q: It was a very honest retelling. Did you ever consider leaving out some of the more…embarrassing parts?

No, not really. One thing I observed in Tanzania was that so many problems were caused by secrecy, by people who withheld or covered up the truth. It bothered me a lot, and it seemed to me that I would be defeating the purpose of everything I was trying to do if I withheld information or left anything out. Also, I apparently have no shame.

Q: What’s the one thing you want your readers to come away with after reading your memoir?

A greater understanding of the problems facing Africa. The entire continent is going to be dealing with complicated issues for many years to come, and as much as I love to joke around, this is something I do take seriously. I don’t think trying to look at the problem from a solely Western perspective is going to give us the answers we need, and if I can do even a little to help people see things from an African angle, I can feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Q: If you could have changed any one thing about your experience in Tanzania, what would it have been?

If I said that here I’d be giving too much away. So I’ll settle for the number two choice: getting dysentery.

Q: What prompted you to make the “Stan” character?

Everything that “Stan” says or does in the book was said or done by a real person, but it seemed needlessly distracting to introduce each one as an individual if they had no further role in the narrative. Thus “Stan” is a “stand-in” for all the people who crossed my path, said or did one or two funny or interesting things, then went on their way.

Q: Who are your writing influences?

Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and Jose Cuervo. For humor I look to Dave Barry, Patrick F. McManus, and Scott Adams, but for more serious stuff Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, and Somerset Maugham.

Q: Did you read a lot of other memoirs before deciding to write your own?

No, should I have? Well, yeah, I guess I probably should’ve. To be honest I never intended to write a memoir when I started out, but I wanted to include some events that really occurred and I realized that unless I specifically stated that it was non-fiction, some of the things that actually happened to me would just seem contrived and poor plotting if they were to appear in a work of fiction by a novice writer.

Q: What can we expect from you next?

Peace Corpse: The Musical. I’m also releasing a collection of short stories in the beginning of August, entitled Bits of Paper—which is kind of ironic since it’s an ebook.

Q. Where can fans contact you and where can they purchase the book?

I would love to be contacted through my fake publishing company, Videlicet Productions, because that page could use some more hits. The book is available as an ebook or paperback through Amazon, and in a variety of electronic formats at Smashwords. I also have a blog specifically dedicated to the book, with lot of pictures and funny quotes, here.

Q: Lastly, for fun, if they made a movie out of The Peace Corpse, who would you want to play you and why?

Orlando Bloom. Not just for the uncanny likeness, but also because they’d have to use expensive CGI to make him look 22 years old, virtually guaranteeing that the movie wouldn’t be a financial success. Then, 30 years from now, future hipsters can talk about Peace Corpse: The Movie as the greatest underrated film of all time, “but you probably haven’t heard of it.”

What prompts you to buy an ebook?

2011-07-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Being that I am most likely going to be self publishing some of my work, I'm curious as to what draws a reader to a specific ebook.

Is it recommendations from others? Flipping through Goodreads or posts by book bloggers? Personally, recommendations hold a lot of weight for me. Especially when I know the person enjoys similar books as I do.

How much do the covers fit into your decision? When I browse in a store, it's definitely the jacket/cover that catch my eye and make me want to pick it up. With cover images for ebooks being a thumbnail, they definitely don't catch my attention as much. If I do click on it and find that the cover art is obviously not professional, I admit it could turn me off. (yeah yeah I know, don't judge a book by its cover)

What about price? With so many people self publishing these days, there are tons of books out there ranging between $0.99 cents and $3.99. Are you willing to take a chance on those more unknown authors because of the cost or do you see $0.99 cents and automatically think "Oh...self published, I bet it hasn't been edited and isn't any good"? Be honest now. I won't get mad. I'm just honestly curious as to what goes through people's heads. Since we're being honest, I'll say that the $0.99 cent ones will give me pause, especially if there are no reviews accompanying it. If the synopsis is intriguing enough, I'll pick it up. After all, even though I've gotten some "bad" books for a buck, I haven't gotten anything totally awful and it helps me look for things not to do in my own work.

Is it the self promotion that piques your interest? Reading an excerpt on a blog or seeing the author tweet about it? Does it annoy you to see someone tweet constantly about their books for sale? How much is too much? If the author is running contests for a free copy or swag, will that prompt you to check it out even if you don't win?

So faithful readers and fellow writers, educate me. What makes you stop and hit that 1-click button or whatever you use to purchase your ebooks? Have I missed something here? What will draw you to my work when it's available?

How to be a good beta reader

2011-07-21T07:00:00.008-04:00

If you're an author and have other writing friends, chances are you'll be asked to do beta reading for some of them. I have to admit, it's pretty cool to be one of the first people to read someone's work. It's kind of brag worthy, ya know? Especially when that person becomes all famous! Heh

In my opinion, there are two kinds of beta readers. The first type is someone who strictly reads the story. They let the author know about things like plot holes, unanswered questions and unbelievable dialog. Two dimensional characters and other continuity problems are something else readers can inform the author of and of course whether or not they enjoyed the story.

The second kind of beta reader does a little more in depth job. This tends to be the kind of beta reading I do. I will take their manuscript into word and put on the track changes and comments features. As I read, I'll make changes or suggestions on word order, whether or not dialog tags are needed and if things make sense, along with the other things a reader would point out (stated in the paragraph above). For example, I recently read the first eight chapters of a friend's work in progress. It was a great story so far, but it's written in first person and her main character is blind. I went through and made comments in spots where the main character wouldn't know certain things because he can't see. This way obviously takes more time and a closer look into the manuscript, which brings me to the next point.

If you offer to be someone's beta reader, find out what kind of timeline they are looking for. If you know you're going to be very busy with other projects, don't offer to read unless they don't care when it comes back to them. While I'm sure they understand these things take time, they also have to know when they're going to be able to move ahead with the project and possibly make changes based on your suggestions and comments.

Above all, be honest with your author. If the opening line doesn't catch your attention, say so. If the formatting is funky, making it hard to read, let them know. Perhaps a chapter would work better if it was moved to a different part of the story. Maybe there's a character who doesn't seem to work well with the plot. It may not be easy to let someone know their writing needs a little polishing, but they will more than likely thank you in the long run.

Finally, remember being a beta reader isn't just about finding "problems". Let the author know what you did like as well! I love to leave little comments about comical lines and things that made my eyes go wide ("People don't eat horseys!"). They want to know if you enjoyed the story and I think the little comments help them know if they've hit the mark they were hoping to. As someone who writes humor, I'm always worried readers won't get my jokes. It's nice to see when they do!

It may seem like a daunting task to be someone's beta reader, but think about the great service you're providing them with and that you get to read the story before the masses. You can further help the author by rating and reviewing their book later on Amazon and Goodreads before it's available to the public, which will help generate interest in their work.

Happy beta reading!

Paying it forward - part two

2011-07-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

I heard a lot of good feedback from last week's post about paying it forward and decided to add a second post to continue to help you help others while also building up that good karma reserve. This is something that both writers and readers can and should be doing. It's the review.

For those of you who have been following for a while, you know I don't write a typical review. I believe the synopsis is there to let prospective readers know what the book is about. The review should let others know what you thought of the book. Did you like it? Why? Did you want to throw it across the room? How come? (but be careful not to give away important plot info!) Was it a familiar story? Were the characters believable? etc.

It's a very nice gesture for you, as a fellow writer or reader, to put these reviews on your blog and then promote the blog, but be sure to also go to places like Amazon and Goodreads and rate the book there as well. This is especially helpful for the self published authors who probably don't have a print book available in stores.

Now, some of you might be scratching your head asking "Goodreads? What the heck is Goodreads and why bother rating a book there?" Goodreads is a community; a social network of writers (both traditionally and self published) and readers. You can become a fan of and follow your favorite authors and make friends with other readers who have similar tastes in literature as you do. It's a fantastic place for book recommendations and to see when new books in a series or from your favorite author are due out. As you make friends, every time they finish and rate a book, or put a book on their to read shelf, you will get it in a daily email. This, my friends, is how I find 95% of the books I read. If I see a friend has read something and rated it 4 or 5 stars, it piques my interest and drives me to go see what it's all about. I am more likely to look into it if they write why they gave it such a rating, but sometimes if the stars are there and the title catches my eye, I'll check it out. I almost always will go to Amazon after checking out the book on Goodreads and read over the reviews there as well.

Here's another thing gang. Your reviews? Be honest with them. While I can't speak for other writers, I would rather have a reader tell me if they truly didn't enjoy the book or didn't like a specific aspect of it. That doesn't mean you have to be nasty about it, but how am I to improve and win you back as a reader if you don't tell me what sucked? OK, sucked is a strong word that hopefully none of you will ever use towards my writing, but I'm prepared for anything! As stated before, you can't please everyone, so I'm sure there will be unhappy reviews. I would almost prefer bad reviews to no reviews at all...Almost, but not quite. Hey! At least I'm honest about it!

So what's your task going forward? You're going to try and remember to rate and review the books you read, good and bad. Authors will appreciate knowing what you thought and where they might look to improve. Readers will appreciate knowing what others thought before spending their hard earned money on it. You will be doing a lot of people a service and hopefully, if you're an author, they will do the same for you in kind. So get out there and pay it forward some more people! It certainly couldn't hurt.

Paying it forward

2011-07-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

I've discussed before the wonders of Twitter as a social networking site. I've made a lot of friends, both aspiring authors and other people involved in the industry. They are very supportive, giving advice and passing along my Tweets, etc. That's why I'm really making a conscious effort to try and pay it forward. Twitter makes it easy to help you support your fellow writers. Here are a few ways you can say thanks to your followers as well as promoting them.

#ww The hash tag #ww stands for worth watching and also Writer(s) Wednesday. What better a day to share with your followers the Twitter names of some of your fellow writers that are worth watching? It's up to you whether you want to send out one #ww Tweet or several through out the day adding in different names.

#ff The #ff hash tag is very similar to #ww except that it stands for Follow Friday. Because it's not writing specific, you can use it to recommend anyone you follow, but it's a nice way to share with others those you find especially amusing, entertaining or informative.

With both of those hash tags, you can individualize them for people and go into detail on why others should pay attention and/or follow them. For example:

You should #ff @patricialynne07 because she's got an amazing vampire book coming out soon!

or

It's #ff and you need to follow @shiki_boy because he writes sex scenes that will make smoke come out of your ears!

Besides the hash tags, there's also Retweeting. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it's similar to forwarding an email. There's that special little button on Twitter you hit and it displays the same message with a RE: in front so you can send it out to all your followers allowing more people to see the message. It could be something funny or profound, or if could be someone's blog post you especially liked or maybe the announcement of their book being available. You obviously don't have to Retweet everything, but it's a nice way to help people get the word out about events, news, etc.

If you're still looking for ways to say thanks and help other authors, there are several non-Twitter related things you can do. If you run a blog like this one, you can offer to review someone's book. You can have them guest post or even do little interviews with them. It's highly likely that you do not run in the same exact circles as the other person so you will be helping them to possibly expand their fan base and make new friends.

You can also offer to help if they're looking for beta readers. Then when they're ready to publish, you can leave reviews on Amazon or Goodreads or other places their book is being sold. I think people are more likely to give a book a chance if they see others have read and reviewed it.

Writers seem to be a close knit community and many have gone out of their way to lend me their knowledge or leave me a comment or Retweet my posts, so I'm happy to return the favor and do the same for others, whether or not they have helped me. I think it's good to keep the karma level on the good side. Be sure to thank your friends and fans as well. Remember what they say, turn about is fair play!

Wednesday teaser!

2011-07-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

Here's a little teaser of a project I've been working on for years, tentatively titled Near Death.

***********************************************************

Chris walked into the room looking around for an empty seat. There was only one in the class and it was right next to Sara. He felt uncomfortable being near her, but had no choice but to sit there. She smiled when he sat down.

“How nice that we’re in the same class,” she said trying to be friendly.

“How sad of you to be manipulating Gabriel like you are,” he told her bluntly. Her smile momentarily slipped from her face and Chris saw pure hatred in her eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to Chris.” Her smile back in place. “This class is pretty easy but if you need any help please don’t hesitate to ask me.” She was quiet for a couple of minutes, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

“I heard that you and Aya were involved in that big bus accident the other night,” she said casually. “How horrible. Both of you are lucky to be alive.”

“It wasn’t our time,” he said flatly. “How horrible of you to try and force your time.”

“Force my time? I was simply doing what I had to to survive.” Chris looked at her, disgusted with her attitude. He shook his head slowly.

“If you’re not careful with your other problem, your time will come sooner than you think,” he said.

“My other problem?” she asked. “I have no other problems.”

“Maybe the fact that you don’t think it’s a problem, is the problem."

She glared at him. If looks could kill, Chris would have been a goner. He turned away from her and sat quietly, hands folded on the desk awaiting the arrival of the teacher. He could feel her staring at him with hatred. He decided the best course of action was to just ignore her and concentrate on the class. After it ended she turned towards him.

“I had heard from Jack why you are here in this world,” she said. “Don’t you want to go back to where you came from? I think I know a way you can go back there.”

“A way? There is no way,” he said.

“Well, if you were sent here because you saved Aya when you shouldn’t have, don’t you think you can go back if you complete the job you kept from happening?” An evil smile lit up her face. Chris stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief.

“You want me to kill Aya?” he asked barely louder than a whisper.

“I don’t want you to do anything Chris,” she said sweetly. “I just thought if you were desperate to get back to where you came from, it was an idea worth considering.” She looked up and noticed Gabe waiting at the door watching them with a strange look on his face. She flashed him a big smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” she said hugging him when she got near. Gabe continued to watch Chris from over Sara’s shoulder. The blonde boy looked pained. Gabe didn't know they have possibly been discussing.

“Let’s go Gabe,” Sara said to him dragging him away by the arm. She called over her shoulder,

“Bye Chris! Remember what I said. I’d be happy to help you with it too.” She smiled innocently and bounded off towards her next class with Gabe in tow, looking confused.

Do you remember the time?

2011-07-12T06:30:00.000-04:00

Writing a book is a long process, and I'm not even counting prior research, making time lines or edits. Most authors can take several months to years to finish a novel (with maybe the exception of the lovely Hannah Moskowitz , who has super human powers to complete writing a novel in the blink of an eye). In that time period, it's not unusual to forget all the little details that went into the beginning of one's work.

As I was doing a read through of Tears of a Clown, I found several mistakes of that nature. Seems like her step mom had a sudden name change half way through the book. Oops. Also, Jazz's car was originally blue. I guess the next time I wrote about her in a car, I decided she was such a spunky kick ass kind of character that she needed something shiny and red! Then there were the two instances where my fingers just betrayed me and typed Chaz's name as Chris. I don't know what brought that on...but I don't think it's unusual to find those little issues. While you may keep your character descriptions, it's impossible to have lists for all the little details you add in. That's what editing is for anyhow, to catch those discrepancies.

Here's the other time related issue I find I'm running into, the actual passage of time and days in my writing. While I could, and should, keep a graph of sorts to remind me of when a day has gone by in storyland, that doesn't help with the actions that happen during that day or night. I find myself re-reading things and thinking "Wait...did enough time pass for him to get upstairs, change into those skimpy running shorts and lift enough weights to get that sexy light sheen of sweat going on?" As the author, we know where the story is going and how we want it to get there (most of the time) so I think we sometimes just write and write without stopping to think about things like "did I leave enough time for her to get to her locker and class before the bell?" and "is it safe for him to come to the door so soon after her folks left? Maybe they aren't even half way down the road yet!"

I think we get a little leeway because it is a book, but I wonder if people really do stop and think about that stuff. I mean if it's blatantly impossible, like someone getting from one side of the state to the other during a 5 minute conversation, then yes, I think people will call the author out on that, but the little stuff? I have a feeling most people will skip over the slight improbability factor. What says you fellow readers and authors?

My 2 cents on "dark" YA literature

2011-07-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

I think many of you who follow this blog have already heard plenty about the article recently posted in the Wall Street Journal called Darkness too Visible in which the author, Meghan Cox Gurdon, talks about how themes in today's YA literature is too dark and depraved for young readers.

Yesterday, the ever outspoken Maureen Johnson, who as an author of 10 YA novels is quite knowledgeable and involved in the genre, and Ms. Gurdon discussed the topic on WHYY radio (click here to listen to the show or here for a quick overview of some of things that were discussed).

I decided I want to share my own experiences from being an avid reader as a child to my opinion on the topic now as an adult, as aspiring YA author, a child caretaker, an aunt and an educator.

As cliche as it may sound, I devoured books as a kid. Yes I read all the "happy" girlie series like the Sweet Valley stuff, Babysitters Club, etc. but by the 6th grade, I moved into adult literature because I was bored by the small collection of children's books (YA didn't exist then to the extent it does today). I read Gone with the Wind and a whooooole lot of Stephen King books. Did I ever have nightmares? No. Did I have aspirations to kidnap and hold my favorite author/musician/actor captive and have them make their art for me? No. Did the gore and killing bother me? Not in the least. Why? Because my folks did a good job teaching me the difference between fact and fiction.

I didn't have the perfect childhood/adolescence either. Books served as an escape, not a manual on how to live my life. I wish there had been more books aimed at teens back then because maybe I could have found a character to sympathize with to help me get through my issues, but there weren't, so I used them strictly as a get away from my reality.

As an aspiring YA author, I spend the majority of my time reading other YA novels. You can see from my lists of what books I read in a month just how much I still read and that 90% of the titles are in the YA genre. Have I found anything I think is "inappropriate" for teens? No. I will say I've come across several I wouldn't recommend for younger teens, but even those, it depends on the maturity of individual. If parents are concerned about what their kids are reading, then they ought to read the books first. If you think your child is too impressionable, then find them Middle Grade books to read until they mature, or sit and have discussions with them about how the books they're reading are fiction and that some of the scenarios can happen in real life (if they're reading contemporary novels) and explain to them how they could handle it if it happens in their own life. The topics some of these books touch on, bullying, date rape, depression, etc. they're topics parents should be talking to their kids about in the first place.

Here's the other thing, if YA wasn't around, these kids would be like me and gravitate towards adult works. Why that isn't an awful thing (and many of the avid readers will anyhow) what about those who can't relate to adult characters? What about those who are into movies and video games and need to start reading more? Anne of Green Gables is probably not going to cut it for them and get them interested. They need those stories with a lot of action, some horror, some cussing (let's face it, they all know the words already anyhow) and the darker aspects to catch their attention. Again, I think if parents are discussing important topics with their kids, they won't end up mimicking the characters.

I also think it's important to stress to young readers that fictional books are for entertainment purposes, just like movies and video games. They are not for them to base their lives and actions on. The authors create and control the world and the outcome of the characters. Just because a character in a book is being chased by a bully and gets away by breaking into a condemned building doesn't mean that's how the reader should handle that kind of situation. Just because a character seeks revenge by feeding their enemies prune laced brownies and gets away with it, doesn't mean the reader can do the same and escape persecution from the powers that be.

All in all I think it comes down to parents being involved in their children's lives and knowing what they're reading, watching, listening to. It's about having discussions with them about the "dark" topics. I think it's about teaching children the difference between fact and fiction. Do I think YA today has some dark themes? Yes. Do I think that means kids shouldn't read them? No. Besides, if your kids are anything like I was, the books you tell them not to read are going to be the ones they gravitate towards the most and they will read them without you knowing. I did and I turned out just fine.

Books for boys

2011-06-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I spotted a Facebook post from the Wall Street Journal. It link to this question a parent asked about recommendations for books for boys ages 13 through 17. I stopped to take a look at the books being recommended and was surprised to see I knew two maybe three tops. Where was the Westerfeld? The Dashner? The Green? The parent in the article states that their family has enjoyed the Hunger Games and are looking for more books like it. I didn't see anything on the list (that I knew of anyhow) that was comparable to Hunger Games. Sports and Westerns? I think boys like more than that.

While, yes, I am female I made up my own list that I plan on passing along to my 13 year old nephew (in the hopes that he'll suddenly come to love reading). I think these are books that can appeal to both teen boys and girls. They aren't romance driven, but it's also not completely absent (and who's to say boys don't want to read about a little romance? How else are they going to learn how to woo their teenage crushes and what NOT to do on a date). They have action and/or male main characters that the boys can relate to. I think it's a good list. If anyone disagrees or has books to add on, please feel free to comment. Especially you guys. I'd love to hear if you wouldn't touch one of these books with a 10 foot pole.

My totally Masculine Rocking Reading list for ~~Boys~~ Manly Men!

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian- Sherman Alexie (everyone should read this)
The Hunger Games trilogy - Suzanne Collins (Yes some romance and a female MC, but every guy I know who's read the series LOVE it. Your boys will too)
Going Bovine - Libba Bray (a hysterically funny journey of a boy with mad cow disease)
Leviathan & Behemoth (& Goliath I'm sure when it comes out) - Scott Westerfeld (steampunk retelling of how WWI started)
The Uglies series - Scott Westerfeld (OK a little more romance in this, but a great dystopian/sci-fi series about how being perfect isn't quite as perfect as people think)
Anything by John Green and I mean anything. If his stuff comes in a box set, snatch it up.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians - Rick Riordane (comical and educational about Greek Mythology)
The Kane Chronicles - Rick Riordane (again, comical and educational but about Egyptian Mythology)
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel - Michael Scott (a series about magic with historical figures and events weaved in)
Harry Potter - JK Rowling (need I say anything about this?)
The Gregor the Overlander series - Suzanne Collins (a great Middle Grade series by the author of the Hunger Games)
The Inkheart Trilogy - Cornelia Funke (especially great for a book lover. Who wouldn't want to see characters from their favorite stories in the real world?)
Stardust - Neil Gaiman (A fantasy/faerie book boys can get into)
The Graveyard Book - Neil Giaman (a human raised by ghosts, need I say more?)
The Maze Runner & Scorched Trails - James Dashner (excellent dystopian series with a mosty male cast)
Enclave - Ann Aguirre (another dystopian story, although there's a female MC, her male partner has equal time and there's a lot of fighting and action and just a little romance)
Young Samurai series - Chris Bradford (kind of a kid's version of Shogun. Lots of boys want to be a samurai or ninja!)
Eragon series - Christopher Paolini (dragons rule man!)

I'm sure I'm missing some great ones so again, please feel free to add your top picks to the comments so I can add them to the list! There are plenty of great popular recent novels out there that can appeal to boys. You just have to do a little digging and have an open mind.

It takes an army

2011-06-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

As I've gotten more serious in my writing, I've noticed that I've developed a specific habit in my reading. When I finish a book, I don't consider myself to be really done until I've read the acknowledgment pages. I'm not sure when I started, but suddenly I've realized how much I enjoy seeing those pages of thank yous.

It's not as if I know the people they're thanking, although occasionally they thank other authors and I always find it interesting to see who is friends with who. I think I just like seeing the army of people who come together to get these books out on the shelves. Agents, publishers, editors, people over seas, beta readers, illustrators, people who helped with research or acted as sounding boards, friends, families and writing groups.

People tend to think writing is a solitary career. That writers just hole up in some remote locale pecking away at their keyboards while living a hermit-like life. While that may be right to an extent, the final product that the readers see on their shelves or even the self published ebooks are rarely, if ever, a solo project. By the time you read the back cover, a review or a blurb, there are already a score of people who have fallen in love with the story, picked their "teams" and are telling their friends and relatives about it.

We've discussed in other posts that not everyone is going to enjoy the same story. Different things appeal to different people. Even so, please remember that while you may dislike something you read, somewhere out there is a veritable army of people who enjoyed it and believed in it enough to help the author to polish the plot, promote the story and make it the best it can possibly be. It takes a whole lot of people to publish a book and even if you don't enjoy the story, at least give the author the credit deserved for gathering their troops and working hard to bring you the best they have to give.

Playing God

2011-06-21T09:55:00.000-04:00

A lovely writer friend, Patricia Lynne tagged me for this meme about how writers are the Gods of their little universes. I have to admit, it's probably one of my favorite things about writing. I get to make the landscape and setting, I get to dictate the weather, how long things take, what time of year it is, etc. I can make all my characters ten feet tall with ginger hair and five eyes. That might make for a pretty funny looking character, but hey they're my creations so I can have them look anyway I want.

Now, I know we've discussed before about characters having a mind of their own, and I find that is very true, but that's not to say I can't override their crazy ideas and actions. Admittedly, I don't do that often. I much rather prefer to let the characters and their actions guide and lead the story. Sometimes they come up with ideas that surprise even me! Go figure, right?

Ultimately, us authors, the God-like figure in the literary creation, has final say over what happens, when it happens and how it happens. Some of us might use that power for good, and others for evil but it's our story, our creation. We get to say what goes. The readers get to follow along and immerse themselves in the world the authors have created. They might not always like our choices, but I welcome them to come up with some fan fiction and make our characters work for them. Hmmm..would that make fan fiction authors demi-Gods?

Book Review - Bridges a Tale of Niagara

2011-06-16T07:04:00.000-04:00

Today's Q. & A. is part of another blog tour with Novel Publicity and debuting author dk LeVick. Below he's given some great responses about his writing and his fantastic first novel, a young adult, historical multicultural contemporary story called Bridges a Tale of Niagara.

Amazon Synopsis:

When a faded picture sets in motion a perilous journey for five young men, they not only encounter harrowing adventure in the forbidden Niagara Gorge, but are forced to confront the swirling illusions of the world they knew changing their lives forever.

'Bridges' brings together a series of historical events, in a twist of mystery and revelation with a group of 1962 teenagers caught up in the complexities of a changing world around them, exploring the questions of all peoples of all times.

Personal Reaction:

Bridges a Tale of Niagara was a great story interweaving fact and fiction. With a Stand by Me kind of feel, I was pulled right in and was excited and nervous (!) to see what the boys were going to do. I really enjoyed how the history of the falls was woven into the tale as Ol’ Gordy reminisced about the pictures on his wall. It was a clever way to work in some of the fascinating tales that go along with the majestic falls. I think this book will appeal too many of all ages. Adults can look back at their own youthful adventures and younger readers can fantasize about making the trip with the boys.

Questions:

Q) Is Bridges a tale of Niagara your first book?

It’s my first novel and first published work. I’ve written some short stories and novellas but did not publish them.

Q) What prompted you to write Bridges?

Wanting to write about people who feel their life is unimportant and they live in a time when everything has already been done and invented. Of course that’s not the case and this is not truer than in the 1960’s when everything in America was turned upside down and technology literally took off like a rocket ship.

For that particular story – the 'picture' itself brought all this to focus. It’s one I seen in an antique shop almost 40 years ago and it started me thinking about it. A combination of a Niagara few people know about coupled with the decade of the '60's which was the best and worse times of America. A decade when America was at its prime and its base. When young people thought everything had been done and there was nothing left for them to do, yet, next to the revolutionary era itself, it was the most revolutionary decade in American history.

Q) This book has stories intertwined within the main plot. How much of the stories Ol’ Gordy told is fact and how much is fiction?

Ol’ Gordy’s stories are all based on actual fact and events. The ice-bridges, the power company collapse, the Honeymoon bridge collapse, the whiskey runners – all true.

Each of the four stories in the novel are based on real historical events but is fiction built around them. There was a ‘hermit of Niagara’, but the clarinet and reason for his isolation was fiction. The water did stop in 1848, but Henry and Sam came from the space between my ears. There was an underground railroad and Pontiac’s war, but the characters portrayed were fiction.

Q) What preparation did you do prior to writing? Due to the history woven in, I’d guess some research was called for or were they stories you had heard your whole life being that you grew up in the area?

Lots and lots of research went into the novel. I am physically very aware of the Falls and the Gorge, but the stories I wasn’t. People there don’t know their own history as much as we’d like to think they do. But there is a large contingent of ‘history nuts’ who know a great deal of Niagara history, so I took a lot of time to research the events surrounding the stories to make them as historically accurate as I could. In fact most of the ‘editing’ and revising I did to get the novel down from over 100000 words to just over 80000 was cutting out detail.

Q) Your characters are very diverse, ranging in race and differing socio-economic statuses. What prompted you to bring them together as a group?

For one thing, that’s the way I grew up, in a diverse, mixed part of Buffalo, so it was natural for me. Secondly, I wanted to tie the themes of the historical stories into the main characters and that was to include their nationalities and backgrounds. For example, I love the paradox of Lennie and Kevin standing looking at the railroad bridge not knowing that it was their own ancestors together working together over a hundred years earlier that gave Lennie his freedom, only the reader knows.

Q) Does Ol’ Gordy’s shop with its wall of photos really exist?

No. There’s a number of shops and businesses in Niagara that have pictures of the old days up, but Marty’s was a fabrication of life as I recall it in 1962.

Q) How would you describe Bridges a tale of Niagara to a non-reader to entice them to pick it up?

I wish I knew the answer to that so I could do it. ‘Bridges’ is a tale of camaraderie and historical fact, weaved together in a unique fashion, with a twist of mystery and revelation involving a group of 1962 teenagers caught up in the complexities of a changing world around them. A faded picture from a by-gone era sets in motion a perilous quest; five young men not only encounter harrowing danger in the forbidden, historical laden Niagara Gorge, but confront the swirling illusions of the world they knew – changing their lives forever. Interwoven are four stories from Niagara’s past that are stand alone yet have tentacles into the group in 1962. It’s a story of adventure and seeing the world from a much wider and deeper view than what is immediately within our grasp.

Q) What do you hope readers will take away with them once they’ve finished Bridges?

First and foremost is a good read. If that is achieved then it’s successful. Second, nothing is new in human history. Technology changes, transportation changes, all facets of living change - but people are the same today as they were thousands of years ago. The same drives, needs, fears and wants. "Bridges" attempted to show.

Q) Who or what are your writing influences?

I’m old fashioned so my influences were Somerset Maugham, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Trotsky and the other great writers. Today I follow many writers and am influenced by some – Ken Follett writes in a style I find myself also in. As far as personal influence, until recently it’s been a singular drive without influence and has been private.

Q) What can we expect from you next? Are there any other projects we can look for?

Absolutely! I’ve written some short stories recently that I’m preparing for publication soon and I’m working on my next novel. I’m fortunate and blessed that my ‘flame’ didn’t go out over the years and was able to be turned up, so as long as there’s breath in my body, words in my mind and feelings in my heart, I’ll find the means to write and hopefully, someone will want to read it.

Q) How can fans follow and contact you?

I have a blog: http://dklevick.wordpress.com/ where I post at least every Thursday. MY posts are a combination of text and visual and I post a lot about Niagara and the history of it which readers will enjoy and find interesting.

I can be contacted at dklevick@comcast.net with email, I’m on Twitter dk_levick and welcome followers and in addition I have a Facebook author’s page “Bridges – dk Levick” which I welcome folks to “Like”.

Q) Lastly, just for fun, if they were making a movie based on your writing journey, what would they call it and who would they cast to play you?

They would call it “The Bucket List II” and cast the Dali Lama

Tour Notes:

Please vote for my blog, Keystrokes & Word Counts, in the traffic-breaker poll for this tour. The blogger with the most votes wins a free promotional twitterview and a special winner’s badge. I want that to be me! You can vote in the poll by visiting the official Bridges blog tour page and scrolling all the way to the bottom.

You can win a free paperback copy of Bridges: A Tale of Niagara by entering your name and email address on its official blog tour page. The winner of the give-away will be announced on Wednesday, June 29 – be sure to enter before then!

Learn more about this author by visiting his website, blog, Facebook or GoodReads pages or by connecting with him on Twitter.

My kingdom for a utopia!

2011-06-14T07:00:00.002-04:00

Literature, like fashion, seems to go in trends. The recent vampire trend is just a reboot from the late 80s and early 90s when we were graced with such awesome movies and books like The Lost Boys and Interview with a Vampire. When we had enough of bloodsucking, it went away, only to be resurrected (ha ha!) 10+ years later. As vamps are slowly making their way back out (although I still think they'll be around for a while), a new trend has been creeping onto the shelves.

If YA lit is your thing, you'd have to be blind not to notice the immense amount of dystopian books that have hit the scene recently. While I'm sure there were books out before it, the Hunger Games trilogy seems to have really brought notice to and possibly encouraged other authors to write this specific genre.

What's the draw of these bleak dark stories? Do people notice things going on in real life: war, natural disasters, morally corrupt people, and think that these may really be a reflection our future to come? A premonition of sorts? Or is it more the strong main characters (often female) who have suffered but haven't given up, who have a change of heart and don't blindly follow what their new governments deem as right, who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their loved ones and their communities?

Personally, I think it may be a combination of all of the above. Like many, I have been sucked into these stories: Hunger Games, Wither, Divergent, Delirium, Matched, Enclave, The Maze Runner, even Inside Out and Outside In, while having the sci-fi twist, I'd still call it a dystopian. Yes, there are definitely depressing aspects to these stories and I often try to put myself in the main character's shoes. Would I have been able to continue on in those situations? Would I have conformed or fought for a better life? They make me stop and think. I spend a lot of time wondering if our world could really mimic some of these disaster wrought lands.

I do enjoy them and I think, because it's something that hasn't been touched on recently, that the trend will continue to grow and stick around for quite some time. That being said, authors may want to start thinking of writing utopian type stories to pick people back up after they've had their fill of decimated populations, uber corrupt governments and barren wastelands.

Music soothes the savage writer

2011-06-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

My top three loves are writing, photography and music. I've played instruments since the 4th grade: clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, baritone horn and a little tenor sax. I sang in my church choir for years, performed in several school produced musicals and spent a few years in the school choir. I'm the girl you catch in the supermarket singing along with the muzak. I always have music on, sometimes even when I sleep. My life without music would be dull and gray.

I have noticed the trend lately of authors posting playlists to go along with their literary works. Songs that go with the storyline. Songs that fit the mood. Songs that inspire and personify the characters. You'd think, someone as musical as I, would be all up on this trend, but I have to say I'm really not. Not in that way anyhow.

While music is almost always on when I write, I need it to be less intrusive. I need something soothing and often wordless. Music is so ingrained in me that if I listen to certain songs while writing, I find myself distracted, singing along and occasionally typing the lyrics rather than what my characters are suppose to be saying. That always makes for an interesting WTF was I thinking re-read.

Classical seems to work well for me, as does some jazz, depending on the type of scene I'm working on. Even though it's got several songs with lyrics, I'm finding Danger Mouse's new album Rome, awesome to write to. It's very mellow with kind of an eerie feel to it. This song, from the Vision of Escaflowne it perfect for any emotional scenes I write. Action scenes? Tank by Yuko Kanno and the Seatbelts from the anime Cowboy Bebop gives me energy and speed. Sounds silly, but it's true. Ever go to a club and the bass is super loud and you can feel it through your feet? They do that to keep you moving. Same goes with listening to dance music while walking or running. You'll find you're compelled to move faster and slower depending on the beat of the music. I find it's the same for me with writing. For inspiration, Grace Potter & the Nocturnal's Oasis can pick me up anytime as can Adele's Chasing pavements , even if it's about love, I like to think of it as moving forward with my writing, even if there's the possibility of nothing coming from it.

I'm sure there's lots of other music out there that helps me with my writing, but those are just a few that come to mind. What are your music/writing combinations? Do you need absolute quiet to write? Do you make your own playlists to go with your stories?

I knew that was going to happen...

2011-06-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

One of the problems I find that goes hand in hand with trying to be be original is trying to keep your story from being too predictable.

As I'm working on Tears of a Clown, I've been posting chapters on my Facebook author page. My small yet quite loyal fan base humors me with comments and questions. One in particular, has started showing me her amazing mind reading abilities by posting what she thinks is going on and what she feels is coming next. Usually, she is spot on.

This made me a little sad. I don't want to be predictable! I want people to always gasp and think "I never saw that coming!" Silly to be down about it though when the reality is that when you can't be 100% original, people are going to figure things out. Character names will differ, but more likely than not, they've seen the scenario play out before in someone else's book, probably in several other books.

I like to think I was able to keep people in the dark for a little while though and a lot of that was because even I didn't know where the story was heading until the characters led me there. On occasion, they will even surprise me and I'm their God! So to speak. Sneaky stealthy characters. It's a good thing I like 'em.

Another of my lovely little brood told me so long as she doesn't figure things out by the first five pages, she was OK with being able to figure out some plot points. I decided that it really wasn't that bad of a thing. Those who can figure it out are just well read and normally a smarty pants. A fan base who reads a lot and is brainy to boot? An author couldn't ask for much more.

This is the book that never ends...

2011-06-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

'Cause it goes on and on my friend. Sorry. Some of you are probably cursing me right now for the earworm, but it's true. This book I'm working on does not want to end! I can see it, just over the horizon. It's close enough that I should be able to streeeetch and touch it, but it keeps alluding me!

It's those damn (lovable) characters of mine. They're not ready for the story to be finished. The devious bunch are demanding one more steamy make out scene, one more horrific event to be thrown in, one more hurdle for the heroine to leap over. I'm impressed by their stamina, but I wonder how much of it will end up making the final cut. I hate to feel I'm rambling on in a story, so hopefully it doesn't all come off as filler, because that will just seem like I wasted a whole hell of a lot of time.

Does this happen to people who have plotted their stories out? Do your characters ever run amok and change things on you? How do you deal? I almost always start a story with an ending in mind, but how I get there is left to the characters. As their personalities develop, my stories often take turns and twists even I never expected. It's kind of a cool phenomena.

I do hope my characters get tired and let me end things before I get bored. That will definitely make for a poor ending. Perhaps I need to entice them somehow. A plate of special brownies perhaps? What says you faithful readers?

Let's hope this little dude is right...about the story at least

/Photo is not mine. If rights belong to you, please let me know so I can credit you!

Books Read in 2011 - May

2011-05-31T09:23:00.000-04:00

Notice my count is dwindling....but it'll pick back up when I finish my book. The rough draft is almost done so the count will grow soon!

Recap of the rating system:

	Outstanding. You need to run out & get this NOW!
	Great!
	Good.
	Meh. I was not much of a fan.
	Under no circumstances should you waste your time with this.

Title	Author	Rating
The Warrior Heir	- Cinda Williams Chima
The Throne of Fire	-Rick Riordan
The Last Little Blue Envelope	- Maureen Johnson
Invincible Summer	- Hannah Moskowitz
Graveminder	- Melissa Marr
Dead Reckoning	- Charlaine Harris
In Leah’s Wake	- Terri Giuliano Long

TAG! How we know who's it

2011-05-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

When I finally went back to re-read my first ever completed rough draft, I noticed there were a whole hell of a lot of he said, she said going on. Literally. Not to mention: she whispered, he grimaced, they yelled and we sang. Needless dialog tags were everywhere.

I guess the initial instinct when writing, is to label everything so there's no confusion to your reader, but I think I discussed once before about trusting the reader to get it. They don't need everything spelled out. You're able to let them know who's doing the speaking by the actions and sentences before and after the line of dialog.

Tags, like adverbs, should be used sparingly. Sometimes they are a necessity, so go ahead and sprinkle them in, BUT try to stick with said and ask. All that gasping and whimpering and exclaiming should be shown by actions. We're supposed to show, not tell, remember? Again, I don't think it's wrong to use them on occasion, but don't be surprised if someone in editing tells you to ditch them.

Another way to help get across who's doing the talking is by the character's voice. Like real people, your characters should have different personalities and different quirks to their speech. Those things will help the reader understand right away who's speaking. If one of your characters is little Miss Prime and Proper, frequent church going virginal teen who thinks a blow job is when someone gets their hair straightened at the salon, you know the line of dialog chock full of cursing and sexual references will not be coming out of her pristine mouth.

Once again I'm going to suggest reading your dialog out loud to make sure it flows well. If you're constantly hearing yourself saying he said she said or stopping the flow of the conversation to read the tags, then you should probably edit some more of them out. In this instance, you may want to bring in a friend to help portray the different characters. Exchanging lines of dialog aloud with another person makes the conversation that much more realistic. It's always helpful to have an additional set of eyes and ears going over your work as well.

Hey baby, what's your genre?

2011-05-24T08:46:00.000-04:00

As a pick up line, for me anyhow, that one would suck. I'm not one of those people who sticks to one specific genre. A fellow aspiring writer recently blogged about how she was pretty much strictly a paranormal writer. That is awesome for her. She knows what she enjoys writing and what she's good at, BUT that isn't the way it has to be for everyone.

Personally, I stick to a category, Young Adult, because I enjoy writing about the coming of age. The teens growing through experiences and finding themselves and learning more about life. While all my books have young adult main characters, they are definitely not all the same genre.

We recently discussed where you are when ideas strike. Well, mine all come at inopportune times, but they often also come from far left field. Not that my ideas border on crazy, I mean in the sense that the ideas often are nothing like something I've written about before. To me, the genre doesn't matter. It matters more if I'm excited about the idea. If I feel that push to hurry up and get it out.

I've had people say "if you get your stuff published, will you use a pen name for your works in different genres?" More likely than not, I'm shaking my head. I feel that by keeping in the same category, my fans will still be interested in reading my work whether it's contemporary, paranormal or fantasy. I know there are people out there who will disagree and there may be statistical proof to back up their reasoning, but I think it depends on how far a departure you take from your norm. If Stephen King put out a romance novel, I think most of his fans would probably laugh it off and not bother to pick it up. Personally, I'd be interested to see what his take on it would be. I already know he's a great writer, so why wouldn't I want to see how he handles a different genre? Then again, to be fair, my reading tastes, much like my musical tastes, are broad.

There are several authors who have made the switch from writing adult to writing young adult and the other way around, James Patterson and Melissa Marr (I am loving Graveminder!) to name a few. They didn't bother with a name change and both seem to be doing quite well. I think what it comes down to is loyal fans and good writing. I don't plan on stifling my creativeness in order to stay "trapped" in one genre. If I find it gets to a point where people aren't biting because it seems to far removed from my other workss, then maybe I'll consider a pen name, but for the time being, I'd rather write what I'm inspired to write and entice my (small) fan base to read a genre they wouldn't have previously picked up. Maybe I'll get them to explore books by other authors in that genre as well. That would be a double WIN in my opinion.

Rehashing Repetitiveness

2011-05-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

I wanted to take some time to revisit an issue I see many fledgling writers having. It's the problem of repetitiveness. In an earlier blog post I talked about my own issues of using the work OK constantly, as well as making my characters nod their heads. In reading people's beta works and chapters on Book Country I'm noticing a lot of repeats in different ways.

Sometimes they are describing an action, for example:

He needed to climb the mountain by hand. Placing one hand over the other hand, he began to climb. His hands were cramping and the hand and foot holds were not easy to find. The climb would be difficult.

That's a whole lot of times to say hand and climb in four sentences, no? It could be reworded as such:

He needed to climb the mountain by hand. Hunting for rocks he could grip or step on, he began his ascent . The holds were not easy to find and his fingers and palms were cramping from the exertion. It was going to be a difficult journey.

Better, right? While there are some repeats, he and his, it's not excessive and I've kept the same general idea as the previous paragraph.

Another common repeat I notice is the use of he or she to start every sentence. Does this sound good to you?

She woke early. She walked to her closet to select what to wear for the day. She decided on jeans and a tight red sweater. It would be chilly that day. She would be warm and comfortable in a sweater.

Gah! She, she, she, she! So many times! Let's fix that mess:

She woke early. Needing to figure out what to wear that day, she walked to her closet. Jeans and a tight red sweater would be perfect for the chilly forecast. That choice would keep her warm and comfortable.

Since we already know from the first sentence that the paragraph would be about a girl, I didn't need to keep repeating that she was doing something. Again, the idea was kept the same as the original paragraph. In some cases you can just rearrange the words in the sentence, rather than adding new words.

I tend to think these repeats are not conscious choices of the author, but an occurrence of a common word coming to mind. When writers are on a roll, they just want to get the ideas out before they disappear. Repetitiveness is not something one normally thinks about until they are doing a re-read or edit. When you're in edit mode, it helps to work a paragraph at a time. Read them aloud to yourself and make sure you're not hearing the same word over and over. Another idea is to record yourself as you read so you can listen to it later. Not only will hearing it help you to pick out those repeats but it will help you see if your dialog is smooth and believable. Kill two birds with one stone!

If you find you have a problem with repeating, go back to my Don't Repeat! post from February and try the exercise mentioned. You might be surprised to find how difficult it can be, but your writing will be better for it.

Book Review - In Leah's Wake

2011-05-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for our next installment of author Q. & A. and reaction! Today's post is special because it's the first stop in Novel Publicity's Blog Tour for debuting author Terri Giuliano Long and her contemporary-family/mainstream stream fiction novel In Leah's Wake. She has given me some great responses to the questions I posed!

In addition to the question and answer and personal reaction, I'm also adding the synopsis from Amazon . That way you will have everything you need to know about this great book.

Amazon synopsis:

Protecting their children comes naturally for Zoe and Will Tyler—until their daughter Leah decides to actively destroy her own future.

Leah grew up in a privileged upper-middle class world. Her parents spared no expense for her happiness; she had all-but secured an Ivy League scholarship and a future as a star athlete. Then she met Todd.

Leah’s parents watch helplessly as their daughter falls into a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties. While Will attempts to control his daughter’s every move to prevent her from falling deeper into this dangerous new life, Zoe prefers to give Leah slack in the hope that she may learn from her mistakes. Their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage.

Twelve-year-old Justine observes Leah’s rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family. She desperately seeks her big sister’s approval and will do whatever it takes to obtain it. Meanwhile she is left to question whether her parents love her and whether God even knows she exists.

What happens when love just isn’t enough? Who will pay the consequences of Leah’s vagrant lifestyle? Can this broken family survive the destruction left in Leah’s wake?

Personal Reaction:

When I first read the synopsis for In Leah’s Wake, it struck me as interesting, but I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to relate. Being single and childless left me thinking it would be a good story but I might not walk away with the kind of reaction the author was hoping for. That idea changed as I got further into the book. Perhaps I don’t have children of my own, but I do deal with kids on a daily basis and I hope that I am teaching them good life lessons. Also, I found I knew variations of the story from real life experiences when I was younger. The great thing about this novel is that it is shown from all sides of the experience: the parents, the children, even the cop who is involved. There is someone in the story everyone can find a way to relate to. It’s gritty, going into details of wild teen parties and drug use, infidelities, doubts and self discovery. It shows how each character grows and learns. One thing I especially liked was there’s not a typical fairy tale ending, which makes it even more realistic and relatable. I would recommend In Leah’s Wake to anyone who enjoys a story of struggles and realizations, a story of growth and discovery, a realistic story we can all relate to in some way.

Questions and Answers:

Q) Is In Leah’s Wake your first book?

Yes. And by first, I really mean first. There are no burned manuscripts or books stuffed in drawers. Of course, I revised so many times that I could have written several books. So maybe it’s actually my third.

Q) What prompted you to write In Leah’s Wake?

Years ago, I wrote a series of feature articles about families with drug and alcohol-addicted teens. The moms talked candidly about their children, their heartbreaking struggles. Those stories stayed with me.

My husband and I have four daughters. When I began writing In Leah's Wake, they were teens. Most families struggle in some way during their children's teenage years. We’re no different - though, thank goodness, we experienced nothing remotely like the problems and challenges the Tylers face in the book.

As a parent, I knew how it felt to be scared, concerned for your children’s future. That, I think in retrospect, was the primary force that drove me to write this story. I also hated the way parents competed with and judged one another, and I felt, and still feel, strongly that zero tolerance policies, while the drive to enforce them comes from a place of love, are wrong-headed. In the book, Leah is kicked off the soccer team, for a host of reasons, but essentially for drinking. When she's caught at a party, the high school principal forces the soccer coach to dismiss her from the team. I don't understand this – why punish a troubled child by alienating him or her from the community, taking away this positive influence?

My work with families, my personal experiences and core beliefs – all these things played on my conscious and subconscious mind, and ultimately emerged as this book.

Q) What preparation did you do prior to writing? Did you research?

I wrote the first draft very quickly – in three months – while I was finishing my MFA at Emerson College. Later, I researched various aspects of the book, mostly fact-checking for accuracy. I knew little about drugs and drug use/abuse in general, and next to nothing about hard drugs - opium-laced marijuana, for instance. I used the Internet for this. I also checked the FBI Website to be sure I’d accurately depicted the way the police and FBI handle situations with teen runaways. I looked at police vehicles online, and I checked drug laws. My sister Audrey, a nurse anesthetist, helped me with the medical details.

Q) Why did you decide to use multiple Points Of View, rather than stick to just one?

For me, this book isn’t about any one character. I wanted to tell the story of this family; to do that, I needed to give each person a voice. We tend to live and remember shared events differently, from our own perspective. By using multiple points of view – sometimes overlapping stories – I hoped to show this. Also, by telling their individual stories, I hoped give readers greater insight into the characters.

Q) Why did you decide to add the POV of Officer Johnson, a character outside of the family?

That’s a great question, MaryBeth! In the first draft, his voice just came in as I wrote. I didn’t give it much thought. In revision, themes of connection and responsibility emerged. The epigraph conveys those themes as I hope they come across: “everyone is really responsible to all men for all men and for everything . . .” I see Jerry as the connecting force in the novel and for this family. Although, like all of us, he’s flawed, he takes this responsibility for others to heart. So, for me, his voice is very important.

Q) What advice would you give to parents who may be going through a similar situation as Zoe and Will?

Try to believe in yourself; make decisions that feel right, for the right reasons, then trust your decisions. You’ve done your best, given your child strong values and character; these will prevail. In troubled times, it’s hard to believe you’ll ever see the light. But the challenges we face with teens don’t last forever. Someday, maybe sooner than you think, your child will find his or her way, and you’ll be close again.

I don’t mean to minimize very real problems or heartache, and, believe me, I understand how terrifying and painful it is to watch your child make mistakes or fall. But I’ve also, in addition to my own children, known and worked with so many young people over the years. Some kids take longer than others to grow up and mature, but eventually almost all turn out well. Parenting is the toughest job in the world. We don’t need to make it any harder by beating up on ourselves. Ironically, the qualities we value most as adults – creativity, leadership, independence – often lead teens to rebel. In the end, this pays off.

You love your child; your child loves you. Try to remember this, and remind yourself often!

Q) Any advice for a teen who may be feeling too pressured by family or friends to do things they don’t want to do?

Be true to yourself. I honestly believe that most teens want to please the people they care about. You want to connect with others, belong. That’s a beautiful part of who you are. But it shouldn’t dictate your behavior. People who love you want the best for you, but they don’t always get it right. You might ask what they’re thinking, where they’re coming from, consider and evaluate their response. At the end of the day, though, you know what’s right for you. Listen to yourself, stay in touch, and follow your heart.

Q) What is the lesson you hope readers come away with after finishing the story?

I have to go back to the epigraph again – we’re all responsible for all and for everything. Hillary Clinton said it takes a village to raise a child. I hope the book encourages people to be supportive members of the village.

The Tyler family is far from perfect, but they love one another. Our flaws make us human and that humanity connects us. I very much hope that readers feel this sense of connection—and hope.

Q) How would you describe In Leah’s Wake to entice a non-reader to want to pick it up?

In Leah’s Wake tells the story of a family in collapse. Sixteen-year-old Leah, a star soccer player, has led a perfect life. When she meets a sexy older guy, attracted to his independence, she begins to spread her wings. Drinking, ignoring curfew, dabbling in drugs—this feels like freedom to her; her terrified parents, thinking they’re losing their daughter, pull the reigns tighter. Unfortunately, they get it all wrong, pushing when they ought to be pulling, and communication breaks down. Soon, there’s no turning back. Twelve-year-old Justine caught between the parents she loves, and the big sister she adores, finds herself in the fight of her life, trying desperately to pull her family together.

I’ve heard from many people, friends, reviewers, readers I’ve never met, that the book feels real and complex. They understand this family because they’ve been there – as a parent or a teen. Readers feel like they know the characters, and they care about them. I’d love for people read In Leah’s Wake for enjoyment. I also hope the book offers a sense of hope and emotional connection.

Q) Who or what are your writing influences?

In grad school, I was blessed to study under wonderful teachers, particularly Christopher Tilghman and Jessica Treadway, who taught me the craft of fiction writing and, more important, taught me to believe in myself. For content, I’m indebted to the existential philosophers. I also love Flannery O’Connor, and I see ways that her work seeps into my writing. I’m also influenced by music, particularly Van Morrison and Robbie Robertson. Like most writers, I think, I’m influenced by what I read, listen to, and observe.

Q) What can we expect from you next? Do you have any other projects we can look for?

I’m currently working on a contemporary psychological thriller with a historical twist.

Nowhere to Run takes place in the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire. A year after the brutal murder of her six-year-old daughter, Abby Minot, once an award-winning writer, accepts her first assignment—a profile of the philanthropic Chase family, kin of the popular New Hampshire senator and presidential hopeful, Matthias Chase.

In her initial research, Abby glimpses darkness under the Chase family’s shiny veneer. Digging deeper, she uncovers a shocking web of lies and betrayal, dating back to the nineteenth century. Abby finds herself trapped—between an editor obsessed with uncovering the truth and the town and family who will stop at nothing to ensure it stays hidden.

I hope to complete the novel this fall.

Q) How can fans follow and contact you?

I have a website, where readers can learn more about me. My blog, “The Art and Craft of Writing Creatively,” focuses on writing tips and inspiration. I’ve met terrific people through social networking, and love connecting on those sites. I also welcome email: terri@tglong.com

Website: www.tglong.com

Blog: www.tglong.com/blog

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tglongwrites

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tglong

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4415109.Terri_Giuliano_Long

Q) Lastly, just for fun, if they were producing a new smash hit Broadway musical based on your writing journey, what would it be called?

I wish you could see me smiling. This is such a great question! How about - Long Night’s Journey Into Day. Seriously, it’s taken me a long time to get here, wherever “here” is. I’ve taught writing for 15 years, and this is my first book. There were many nights – and days – when I wondered what I was doing, and seriously considered giving up. As Dory, the little blue surgeon fish in the film Finding Nemo, advises, I just kept swimming. Maybe for a subtitle – Stubborn Crazy Girl or The Little Engine That Could.

For all you writers – hold onto your dream. You can – and will - make it happen. Don’t ever give up!

Tour Notes:

Please vote for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll for this tour. The blogger with the most votes wins a free promotional twitterview and a special winner’s badge. I want that to be me! You can vote in the poll by visiting the official In Leah’s Wake blog tour page and scrolling all the way to the bottom.

The next word for the book give-away is: TO. Learn more about the give-away and enter to win 1 of 3 copies on the official King Whisperers blog tour page. The other 2 copies are being given-away courtesy of the GoodReads author program, go here to enter. And don’t forget to stop by the Q&A with Terri Giuliano Long Group to discuss In Leah’s Wake (including questions from the official book club guide), the author, her writing process, and advice.

Book Trailer for In Leah’s Wake:

April showers bring May...ideas?

2011-05-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

Since the pollen from all those damn May flowers that the April showers brought up is keeping me all stuffy and sickly, I would prefer those rains bring me ideas instead...

Speaking of ideas, I don't know about you folks, but they always seem to come to me at the most random times. Actually, they tend to come at quite inconvenient times, like right before I fall asleep, right when I wake up or, my favorite, in the shower. I'm not sure why that is, but I end up washing my hair while repeating the idea (or dialog. It's often a conversation between characters so I must sound like Sybil...) over and over to myself so I don't forget it before I rinse and get out! My friend John says the shower is where he gets many of his ideas as well. Does everyone and why is that? I think it must be a decent part of the population since someone stopped to make this product, AquaNotes, which I have yet to purchase but will at some point!

So now that you have had this crazy, exciting, hopefully somewhat original idea, what do you do next? Do you sit down immediately and start banging out your story? Do you outline? Maybe some research is necessary first. Perhaps you have another project (or uhh 4) in the works and you have to put it on a back burner for a bit. Do you have a notebook where you keep those ideas? Maybe you use a spreadsheet or keep a file on your computer?

Personally, I keep notes in Word or type them up as Facebook notes but never actually publish them. That way no one else will steal my award winning ideas (ha!). My notes are normally a jumbled mass of fragments and grammatically incorrect sentences. I'm just anxious to get everything down before it slips through my sieve of a mind.

If I can, I like to start on an idea immediate. I think it's that initial excitement that gets my stories moving. For this reason I think I shy away from stories that need major research. All that fact finding bogs me down and takes away that burst of creative steam a new idea normally gives me. Now, I'm sure it's different for everyone, so don't go thinking my way is the way it has to be. Some people live to research! I give you guys props because frankly, it tends to bore me to death.

So what becomes of all those ideas? Do they all make it into a full length novel? Umm, not very likely. For me anyhow. They occasionally don't work out to be as grand as I had first imagined them to be. Then I get sad because I put in a lot of time and effort and who wants to see a half finished book sitting on your shelf? I find that if I put the story away and work on something else for a while, when I come back to it, months or even years later, I can regain some of that enthusiasm that got me started in the first place and get back to work finishing it. Never give up on those ideas! They may not become your best work, but love that one small idea led to pages and pages of entertainment.

What's up with you and your ideas? Do you carry around a little notebook or voice recorder to capture them? Do you pounce and get to work on them immediately or let them simmer and see what becomes after they stew a while? Do you ignore them if you're already in the middle of a project? How do you make it work? Inquiring minds want to know!

Book to big screen: Lost in translation

2011-05-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I get absolutely giddy when I hear some of my favorite books are being turned into movies. I'm no rabid fan girl, but I do feel like a kid on Christmas morning when the movie finally comes out. Now you're probably thinking,"OK. So you like adaptations. Where are you going with this post?" Well, it's true. I normally like them. I enjoy them and rarely feel as if I've wasted money, but at the same time, I often walk out feeling bit...deflated. A bit disappointed. Do I build it up too much? Is it bad acting? Is it that the actors cast don't match the image I had in my head? It's probably D) a little of all of the above.

Why is it so hard to translate the written word to the big screen and give people that same feeling they have when they read the book? Is it just a case of not having to work at anything? Other than suspenseful thrillers and whodunit flicks, we tend to not have to think too much when watching movies. The visuals play out before us as do the huge action scenes. We don't have to stop and close our eyes and image what something might look like. It's right there in front of us. I guess watching something is just less interactive and maybe it keeps you from connecting to the characters as well.

Stopping to think about it, I realize we don't often hear a character's thoughts and inner monologues in movies. I think that makes a huge difference when it comes to knowing our hero/heroine and their personality. I've often read stories and felt I've made a connection to the characters (hence why I cry if they are killed off or get hurt, etc.) I don't really find that happens too much in movies. Occasionally it will, but it's much more of a rarity.

One of the other issues I tend to have with adaptations is the fact that they rush everything! I get the industry is not looking to make movies 3+ hours as a norm, but sometimes they cut out scenes I, as a reader, deem essential! Maybe it's not causing a plot hole, but you're often losing out on character development and background story. Which again causes you to lose that connection with the character. I guess we can't have it all.

Even with all the flaws and faults, I am still eager to run out and see these movies. I hope that Hollywood will do as good a job as they can getting the important stuff come across well and maybe, just maybe, it will prompt non-readers to pick up the books. Whether to find out what happens next or start at the beginning, I don't care, so long as it's turning people onto reading.

Let's take a minute to discuss specific book to movie adaptations.

I have two, yes only two, movies I think are on equal ground or even better than their book counterparts, and they are decades apart.

The first being To Kill a Mockingbird. I have always loved the book and I had to watch the movie in one of my high school English classes. It's probably one of the most spot on adaptations I've seen. You know how your teachers told you that you couldn't watch the movies and you had to read the books? Well, To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely an exception to that rule (kids, if you do this, I will not be held responsible for your grade should your teachers find out!).

The second is one of my all time favorite movies: The Princess Bride. I think spectacular casting is what helped this adaptation to surpass the book version. Then again, I did see this movie several times before I even knew a book existed. I've read the book on more than one occasion now and while I like it, I stand firm in saying I prefer the movie. That is a rarity for me!

I'm going to throw in two honorable mentions (they are television shows rather than movies and both on going so I'm reserving total judgment).

Honorable mention #1: True Blood (Sookie Stackhouse series). I adore the books and the show does not follow them all that closely, but some of the characters are so spot on for me, that I can't be annoyed by what they've added and taken away. I wait with bated breath to see if they bring in some of my favorite characters from the books (oooh please oh please let a Quinn show up soon).

Honorable mention #2: We are only 4 episodes into the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones, but very little has disappointed me. It's sticking very close to the books and even though I know what's going to happen, I'm excited and anxious to see how it's going to play out. I'm going to be very very happy to see some specific death/torture scenes played out on the "big" screen!

Hmm what are some of the worst for me?

I really disliked the Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief movie. The books were great. Really funny, I thought. I don't think the movie did a good job at all bringing that comedy across. Not to mention I was not much a fan of the Percy they chose. That being said, I'd still see the sequels if they make them. I'm a sucker that way.

I kind of hated I Am Number Four as well. While it wasn't one of my all time favorite books, it's an interesting concept and it could have been done well, but I felt they totally changed the personality of Henri and left a lot of important background and training info out. Also, as much as I can enjoy looking at Alex Pettyfer for two hours, it was hard for me to imagine him a high school student. Most of the cast came off as too old to me. Funny, since back in the day, I was totally convinced Luke and Andrea on 90210 were high school aged (HA!).

What's to come?

I am waiting patiently for the Hunger Games and the Mortal Instrument movies to come out. As two of my all time favorites series, I have a feeling something will disappoint me, but I assure you, that will not stop me from seeing the movies.

Also, I will be very interested to see how The Maze Runner is adapted. Like with the Hunger Games, I wonder if they're going to be able to really portray that feeling of despair and hopelessness that their worlds bring the characters. We shall see.

What is your take on the book to movie trend? Do you have favorites? What takes the cake as the worst adaptation in your book? What are you looking forward to?