Writers Chatroom

Meet John Everson

2011-10-25T22:53:00.002-04:00

Have you met next Sunday’s guest yet? John Everson is a perennial favorite at The Writer’s Chatroom. For those of us who have been around for years, it wouldn’t be Halloween without him. (Check the schedule for his full bio.)

John is running a contest on his website to celebrate his latest release. I’ll let him tell you about it:

“Over the next two weeks there is also a contest running through The Pumpkin Man site. Just click the Contest page and follow the instructions to enter. There are several prizes, but the Grand Prize is a set of autographed copies of ALL of my novels as well as an autographed CD and poster from the band New Years Day (they're a really cool new band I recently discovered, and their music is the soundtrack of the site). Winners will be announced on Halloween.”

I haven’t read The Pumpkin Man yet, but if you want grisly, chilling Halloween reads, you can’t go wrong with Covenant and Sacrifice.

And of course there is the story that made my son, as a teenage boy, afraid to carve pumpkins ever again... Pumpkin Head.

Be sure to join us Sunday, October 30, Halloween Eve, 7-9 pm EST, to chat with John Everson, in our chatroom.

As John says, “Sometimes, a little "fear" is fun.”

"Wake of the Red Mistress" excerpt

2011-07-11T23:01:00.002-04:00

Teel James Glenn was our guest in the chatroom Sunday, July 10. This is an excerpt from his latest book, "Wake of the Red Mistress". Who doesn't like pirate stories?

We join the tale as the pirates have swarmed the ship and Shinara and her young charges are below decks locked into their room:

Abruptly a blood-curdling scream came from the corridor and all their eyes fixed on the barred portal. It sounded like Fergon’s deep voice, but with a tone of agony they could never have imagined him making.

“Keep reading, girls,” Shinara ordered. She worked to keep her voice firm and fight the panic that welled up from within her.

The sound of many bodies moving around in the corridor with many curse words and oaths promised violence. Abruptly a pounding erupted on the thick wooden door.

The girls all screamed and huddled together as a boarding ax smashed into the planks of the door.

“Trust in the Goddess,” Shinara said with all the calm she could force, “and we will be delivered.”

As she spoke the door splintered and a bearded head thrust through the gap.

“Women!” The pirated proclaimed with a sinister laugh.

The younger sisters screamed and clung to each other as the head withdrew and a second, even gruffer, scarred face filled the gap.

“They’re sisters of Yulina!” the cutthroat called to the others. His leering smile exposed a near toothless mouth. “And some choice ones!” He pushed a hairy arm in the hole in the door and grabbed the bar off the inside.

Sister Shinara stepped before the girls with her back to them clutching her scriptures to her bosom and faced the entering corsairs. She stared the intruders down as they streamed through the door. Goddess protect these of your flock who stand before you. Guide me to do right.

She tried to speak words of protest to the attackers but her words were lost in the cries of triumph and oaths that promised evil.

Rough hands seized Shinara and tore her gown to expose her naked bosom. She struggled against the vice grip of a brigand as others grabbed the screaming girls.

“Leave them alone,” she cried in vain.

The pirate holding Shinara ran a hand around her waist to roughly grab her naked breast and squeeze it. She yelled out in pain, turning her head to look him in the face.

He had fetid breath and his body odor made her gag but her revulsion was not for herself, but for the younger girls. “Do what you will with me, but leave them alone.”

“Oh, as you command, m’highness,” the pirate holding her said. “Shall I bring your worship’s private yacht around as well?” This brought laughter from the dozen brigands who swarmed into the cabin behind him. It sounded loud enough that it almost drowned out the screams of the terrified, young sisters as the other corsairs began to remove their clothing.

“Quiet,” a female voice cut through all the noise. It was not loud, but had the quality of command that made even the screaming girls choke their cries to low sobs. “What is going on here?”

“The Red Mistress,” Yuza whispered. Here eyes widened and for the moment She forgot her distress in the presence of the piratical legend she had heard so much about.

The speaker was a woman, but such as none of the sisters had ever seen. She stood barely five feet tall though her presence filled the room. Her hair hung long and curly and fiery red, barely held back with a striped blue rag to reveal a pale face with green, cat like eyes.

She wore crimson fighting leathers and a loose shirt, a brace of throwing knives on a bandolier across her ample breasts. In her hand she held a bloody cutlass.

When the pirate holding Shinara did not respond quickly enough, the petite hellion sprang forward and slapped him across the face over Shinara’s shoulder.

“I said what is going on?” The female pirate barked.

The struck brigand released the sister. For a moment anger flared in his eyes, but he quickly contained it and stepped back with a shrugging gesture. “We were just getting these holy rollers, ready to throw over the side, Aurzia,” he said contritely. “They put up a fight.”

“He lies," Shinara said. She pulled together the torn edges of her gown and stepped to comfort the youngest of the sisters. “We would not fight; we of the Order of Yulina do not take up arms.”

The tall blonde locked eyes with the redheaded pirate and showed none of the fear she felt, her beliefs and her responsibility for the younger girls being her bulwark against her own terror.

The piratess appraised the sister with a feral grin and smiling eyes. She licked her full lips and nodded. “It doesn’t really matter, little sister,” Aurzia said, “My men have strict orders, no molesting women!” She took a step forward, her cutlass flicked out and the pirate that had spoken yelped. He grabbed the bloody spot where the ear had just been severed and fell to his knees cursing.

“Let them say their last prayers and then finish them quick,” the Red Mistress said with a final longing look at Shinara before she turned to leave. “I want all the bodies in the water before we put a prize crew on this scow.”

Yuza screamed and fainted.

The Times they Are A'changin...

2011-07-06T19:24:00.001-04:00

In chat tonight, we're discussing the changing roles of agents, and what new
jobs may be opening up in the future of the publishing world.

Personally, I think reliable reviewers are going to become much more
important in the future. Since there are some good self-published books out
there, I think readers are going to rely more on reviews to separate the trash
from the treasure.

Where do you look for book recommendations? Where do you plan to look in the
future?

It’s all in the details

2011-06-29T07:26:00.002-04:00

Today's guest post is by Erika Talbot. Erika will be our guest in the chatroom Sunday, July 3.)

As writers, our job is to paint a portrait for our audience. The brush strokes of world-building, characterization, and action are what entertain the reader. Yet, many times we pass up the chances to really show the story as strong as we see it in our brains. And we must share the story, or the characters will come after us.

Characters talk. That’s a no-brainer, but does the dialogue put the reader next to the characters? Does it make them feel like the third person in the conversation? Or does the reader only feel like a reader? Add some spice, pizzazz, neon excitement to your characters. Does Sally “say,” or does she “grumble?” How about Don? If he is arguing with his boss, how does he argue? Is he loud and harsh, or is Don more timid and conservative, merely murmuring? These kinds of details can really propel the reader into the scene. Now, don’t get me wrong, Sally can “say” from time to time, but in the more emotional/epic scenes, painting broader strokes will make it come to life and keep the intensity.

To bring Sally out more so the reader sees her, what does she look like? Sally is a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and freckles…boring. It feels sterile, written without the pizzazz (can you guess my favorite word yet?). How about Sally’s face is covered with lines of wisdom, potato chip blonde and spots only a day at the beach can give. Keep in mind, this is straight off the top of my head…but you get the idea, right?

Bringing more to your writing can only make it stronger, and let’s face it; it’s a blast to add some craziness into your world.

How does a book start?

2011-06-21T22:12:00.002-04:00

How does a novel get its start? That's probably different for every writer. Chatroom favorite and Bram Stoker winner John Everson tells where his latest book, Siren, came from. Interesting story!

Read it here: http://bordersblog.com/ereading/2011/06/10/featured-author-friday/

Where will you find YOUR next book?

Research Tip Website

2011-06-07T23:19:00.001-04:00

Joe Moore is a former marketing executive with 25 years experience in the television postproduction industry. As a senior audio engineer, he received two regional Emmy® awards for individual achievement in audio mixing for ABC and PBS television specials. He has written dozens of articles for national and international trade magazines covering the field of professional sound recording and video. In addition, as a freelance writer, he has reviewed fiction for the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, the Florida Times Union, and the Tampa Tribune. Now he writes best-selling novels with Lynn Sholes.

This is a guy who knows how to find the facts he needs. And he's willing to share his research tips with all of you.

Go to http://joe-moore.com/research/ for a wealth of research tips and links. Remember, even if you write fiction, you HAVE to get the facts straight!

Murder! by Ginger Simpson

2011-04-06T07:38:00.003-04:00

(Ginger Simpson will be our guest in the chatroom Sunday night, April 10.)

This face describes exactly how I’m feeling at the moment. Something has happened to my muse and I’m not sure what. Maybe she’s dead. Oh no!

For those of you who don’t understand the importance of a muse in writing, let me explain. I found the best description on Wikpedia, so just so you don’t think I plagiarize, I’m giving them full credit.

“In Greek Mythology, ‘the muses’ are a sisterhood of goddesses or spirits…, who embody the arts and inspire the creation process."

I don’t have room for the full sisterhood in my head, so I only use one. Although, I’m sure there are many things worse than sitting down at the computer and finding that your mind has turned into a blank screen–it’s not as life-altering as some experiences–it’s frustrating, nonetheless. I need my muse and hate when she abandons me.

Just a week ago, I came home from a writer’s meet-up, totally enthused about making headway on my latest work-in-progress, but someone or something killed my muse. Either that or she’s gone AWOL. If that’s the case, I doubt she’s wandered very far because lately all she wants to do is eat.

There is no cure for a lost muse. You simply have to wait until she comes back and is ready to write. It angers me because I’m up to the task, yet she’s the creative side I need–the person in touch with my characters, and the story flows through her.
I wonder if I should report this ‘crime’ to the police. She might be lying somewhere bleeding and injured. But then again, I might be overreacting. She’s taken a hiatus before, but never for quite this long. I’m a worrier by nature, so maybe I’ll give her a little while longer to come back.

Oh, wait…I think I see her. Or at least part of her. Whew…never mind the panic alert. I’ve found her with her head in the refrigerator and the biggest chunk of her talent hanging out. I’ll see if I can get that part back in the chair and get started on finishing Hattie’s Hero. I’m hoping to enter it in a competition and thus find a home for it. Here’s a little sample ‘we’ finished before she got hungry again and went on the prowl:

At the corner of First and Market Streets, Hattie paused and fished inside her valise for a slip of paper. The murky smell of the Mississippi drifted up to meet her, and a steamboat whistle drew her attention to the river. How wonderful to be able to drift along in such comfort and style. Perhaps she’d never experience it firsthand, but her spirits lifted when she unfolded the printed advertisement she’d found posted on the corkboard outside the mercantile.

Wanted: Responsible and caring young female to travel by wagon to California with a family of five—two adults and three children, two of which are twin infants. All expenses paid, meals furnished, and sleeping accommodations provided in return for assistance with the babies. Bonus at trip’s end. Leave word of interest with Mister Cronin, mercantile owner.

Hattie had already indicated her desire to travel with the family and today was meeting with Mister Franklin, the family’s husband and father to gain his approval. Whether or not they picked her, she wasn’t going back to the orphanage. She hadn’t asked permission to leave, but her absence wouldn’t cause a stir. Someone would take her place in an instant. Unsure what she would do if she wasn’t selected, she nibbled the biscuit she smuggled out from dinner last night and resolved to deal with bad news if and when it came.

Her palms turned moist the minute she spied a dapper gentleman standing outside Cronin’s. He wore the black Coachman’s hat as Mister Cronin had indicated he would.

Despite her churning innards, she closed the gap between them on leaden legs, managing and managed a weak smile. His tailored charcoal frock coat, starched white shirt and perfectly pressed trousers indicated a man of means. His thick moustache, broad shoulders, and angular jaw made him quite attractive, but clearly impatient if his tapping foot was any indication. A glance down at her tacky apparel brought warmth to her cheeks. If her employment rested on her looks…

She clamped the frayed handle of her valise so tightly, her nails dug into her palms. At least she’d braided her long, mousy hair and washed her face before bedtime last night. Pausing a few feet from the gentleman, she cleared her throat. “Are-are you Mister Franklin?”

“Indeed I am.” One brow lifted as his gaze started at her feet and ended with a curious stare into her eyes. “And you’re Miss Carson?” His shock was apparent.

“Yes, sir, but please call me Hattie.” She dipped her chin and took a deep breath.

“May I ask why you carry your luggage when we haven’t even discussed what will be required of you?”
Fueled by determination, she set her valise on the ground then looked up. “I hope I can convince you I’m the right person to help your missus with the children. I’ve had lots of experience dealing with young ones.”

Fishing a watch from his vest pocket, he checked the time, and then cocked his head. “You realize this won’t be an easy venture?” The timepiece’s golden chain dangled between his fingers.

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

Oh, and I have no objections if any publishers out there want to contact me about my story. *lol* I’m open to offers. (I hear it’s supposed to snow in hell tonight.)

Tech "Care Package"

2011-03-15T21:36:00.002-04:00

Do your parents or friends treat you like their personal tech support? Do you need help with technology, but don't have anyone to ask? Help has arrived on both planes!

http://www.teachparentstech.org/ was created by Google. It contains more than 50 videos showing, step-by-step, how to handle the most common tech problems.

Cut and paste? Video directions. Create a blog? Check. Unsubscribe from a mailing list? It's there. Attaching files to an email? Got it. How to find driving directions? (So they can come to visit you for a change!) All there.

You can email the videos to the tech-challenged people you know. If it's you who needs to learn, just click the links to the info you need. Learn privately, and nobody will ever know!

I remember when my mother told me my blog didn't exist anymore. Someone had deleted the shortcut I set up for her, and she thought the blog was gone. Where was Teach Parents Tech when I needed it!

Educate yourself. Teach your parents/grandparents/tech-challenged friends. Visit http://www.teachparentstech.org/ and make your life easier.

The Evolution of Sarah by Heather Kuehl

2011-03-08T22:45:00.002-05:00

(Today's guest blogger is Heather Kuehl. We will be chatting with Heather Sunday, March 13, 7-9 pm EST)

When I started writing Fade to Black, Sarah was a very angry person. I mean, you would be too if you were attack and changed into a werewolf against your will. She was a survivor, and she made sure that no one would ever make her a victim again. So of course the events in the final chapters of Fade were going to rock her world (sorry, no spoilers).

When it came time to write the sequel, Malevolent Dead, I knew that Sarah was going to be shaken from her discovery. She wasn’t going to be as strong as she was before, but I wasn’t sure by how much. Sarah had relied on her anger and rage for the better part of five years. Six months wasn’t going to be long enough to put those feelings aside and be comfortable in her own skin. Don’t get me wrong, she was still Sarah. She could still fight and be strong when she needed to be, but don’t trust her to make big decisions after the events in Fade to Black.

Now, in Blood Moon, Sarah finally finds herself again. Picking up right where Malevolent Dead left off, Sarah finds that once again her life is being turned upside down. The Blood Moon Corporation wants her dead for breaking her contract, and Sarah's not one to just sit around waiting for death to come for her. She won't go down without a fight…

Blood Moon is the third installment in the Sarah Vargas Series. All proceeds from Blood Moon will be going to MUSC Children's Hospital. Please visit http://www.musckids.com/ for more information about this wonderful children's hospital.

Blurb: After she broke her contract with the Blood Moon Corporation, Sarah Vargas knew that it was only a matter of time before they came for her. What she didn't know is what lengths they would go to make sure that she had nowhere to run. Everyone Sarah has ever relied on is in danger during a time when friends become enemies, and Sarah quickly realizes that the Blood Moon Corporation will never give up until she is dead. The Blood Moon Corporation is coming, and even Sarah doesn't think she can make it out alive.

"Sarah reaches out, grabs hold and drags you through the story with her. Non stop suspense, scorching hot love, or is it just lust, scenes and enough paranormal nasties to keep you away from the cemetery permanently make this book one you've gotta read," said You Gotta Read about Malevolent Dead. Book one of the series, Fade To Black, reached #1 on Fictionwise.com's bestseller list for fantasy ebooks. More information about the entire Sarah Vargas series can be found on my website, www.heatherkuehl.com.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, here’s Chapter One of Blood Moon, but be warned, it has Malevolent Dead spoilers within it. Excerpt (before final edits):

At times, I loved my mentor. It was a pity the BMC let him go. So many people like me needed a teacher like him.

Just like Jared’s death, the BMC’s abandonment of Dom made no sense. Why would they get rid of one of their best teachers?

I gasped as it came to me as clearly as a premonition. I felt my connection with Damian flair as my mind went into shock, putting pieces together that I didn’t know fit. It couldn’t be…

It made too much sense not to.

I looked up at Dom. “Why didn’t the BMC save you from Marcellus?” I asked with my voice barely above a whisper.

It was the most obvious question, one that should have been asked the moment the vampire necromancer died. I had been too busy grieving over Jared to think straight.

Damian kept the metaphysical lines between us open, listening but careful not to say a word to distract me. I could feel him in my head, and I didn’t mind, one less person to tell.

Dom looked into my eyes and I could see indecision filling their black depths. He sighed as he backed away, and I thought that he decided not to tell when he faced me and said, “They ordered me to kill you.”

“And?” I asked. My blood ran cold. I felt the wolf inside me tense, preparing for an attack.

“And I refused,” Dom growled with disbelief written on his features. “Sarah, you’re like a daughter to me. I could never cause you harm.”

“What did the BMC do?”

“They said that they understood. The next day they sent me to take out Marcellus.”

I licked my lips. “They sent a vampire to kill a vampire necromancer?”

“Yes, that’s…” Dom froze. “They set me up.”

“No. I don’t think they did.”

“How do you figure? Sarah, I was controlled…”

“By a creature sent here to kill Damian, not me.”

Dom cocked his head to the side, and I screamed with frustration that he wasn’t putting it altogether.

“Think about it Dom! There are four people that I can fully trust; you, Donavan, Jared, and Damian.”

“Go on.”

“They sent Marcellus here to kill Damian. If he had succeeded, that would have taken care of one of my four. In doing so, the throne of Charleston would have been open to him, and I would be out of a safe place to live. Donovan should have killed you for killing his Weres. I should have been kicked out of the Clan for letting the dead Weres happen on my watch. Luckily, Donavan is more understanding than the BMC give him credit for. I would have been out of another safe house as well as a Clan to protect me. You, a vamp would sacrifice his own life to keep me safe. Jared…” I couldn’t say any more, and Dom started nodding as he thought it over.

“I can’t believe they would do this,” he said.

Donavan came over as Dom said these words. “Who?”

“The Blood Moon Corporation,” Dom and I said in unison.

“We’ve got to tell Damian,” Dom said as he dug into his pocket for his phone.

“There’s no need,” I said before he could pull it out. “He’s been in my head listening since I figured it out.”

I felt Damian’s anger rise to the surface, and suddenly I saw Damian as though I actually stood in his office. His black hair, once long enough to touch his knees, now barely brushed his shoulders. His plum-colored eyes burned with anger as he pulled book after book off the bookcase against his back wall.

Writer, Writer Pants on Fire! by Kerri Nelson

2011-02-01T21:32:00.002-05:00

(Kerri will be our chat guest Sunday, February 6)

Whether you’re a reader or a writer, you probably have an infinite number of deadlines in your daily life. Everything from paying bills to turning in our edits on time, we all have times when we feel the crunch of a looming deadline.

There are times when I feel like…well…my pants are on fire. I feel the heat on my back as I run away from the fire and hopefully towards the cool, refreshing cleansed palate of a job well done.

But how can we cope with these crunch times? What can we do to make the fire burn less aggressively and make success more easily achievable?

Here are my tips for putting out the fire and putting another check mark in your completed column.

1. Make lists and stick to them.

Sometimes we make lists and then we make lists about the lists we need to make. But do we stick with these daily “to do” lists or do we allow our minds to wander? If you take the time out of your schedule to make a list—stick to it and promise yourself that you’ll complete at least 50% of it that day.

2. Reward yourself for a job well done.

If you meet your daily goals you should definitely take a much-needed break and reward yourself. But don’t take advantage of the reward system. Just doing one thing on your list doesn’t entitle you to 2 hours in front of the television. Be realistic and be fair to yourself.

3. Ask for help if you need it.

How many of us are afraid to ask for help? Maybe we feel that we’ll seem less capable if we tell others that we just can’t do it all. Maybe we all want to be “Wonder Woman” and show the world that we can go it alone. But if you get stuck, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You might be surprised how many of your friends, co-workers, or family can help you out in a pinch.

4. Be realistic.

Let’s face it…sometimes my “to do” list looks more like a semester long syllabus than a daily list of doable tasks. I’m aware of this and yet I continue to stack goals on myself more and more each day. You should always rank your tasks in order of importance and try to get the most urgent or overdue done first. Do you really need to clean out the pantry today or do you need to submit that novel that you’ve been lost in edits with for months? Set priorities but be realistic!

5. Take a Mental Health Day.

Sometimes we feel ready to break apart at the seams. If you get totally down and out and the fire is raging under you, maybe it is time to take a mental health day. Take a day off from work or chores or writing and spoil yourself with an outdoor walk, a special outing with the family, or even a long luxurious bath without interruption. These breaks can be all you’ll need to meet your goals in the coming days. But, again, don’t take advantage of breaks and use them as excuses. You’ve got to get back to work eventually.

Use these tips for coping with the stress of deadlines and you’re sure to succeed and it will be a whole lot easier than replacing your wardrobe from all those scorch marks.

What are your tips for dealing with deadlines and daily time crunches in your life?

I look forward to meeting you all here on Sunday night. Hope you’ll check out my website in the meantime here: www.kerrinelson.com

© Kerri Nelson 2011

Time To Give Up?

2011-01-12T18:56:00.001-05:00

How do you know when it's time to cut your losses and move on? In writing, you don't lose anything when you close a file and stick it in an obscure folder on your hard drive, never to be opened again. It's still there, if you ever decide you need it again. You've learned something from writing it that you can use in your next project. But other things take more thought.

Here at The Writer's Chatroom, we try to give you what you want. Live chats, leads on some of what we consider the best products out there, book reviews, a blog, etc.

For several years, we've had a discussion forum where you could all talk between chats. 636 people are registered, but there is very little activity there. We average 6-10 posts per week. Not per day, but per week. That is pretty much deserted for a forum.

We get over 100 registrations per day. I have to take the time to look at each one and check them against www.stopforumspam.com . Out of the 700-1,000 registrations per week, we get one or two real people. The rest are all spammers that I delete.

I'm chafing at the time wasted clearing spammers from a forum that has nearly no activity. I could be using that time to find more chat guests, create more workshops, set up a critique group, etc. More of the things you want to use.

What are your thoughts and opinions?

The Magic of Fiction

2010-11-30T22:35:00.003-05:00

(Eliza Knight, today's guest blogger, is our chat guest on December 5. Remember, comments are very welcome!)

I want to thank The Writer’s Chatroom for inviting me to blog with you today, and to visit your chatroom on Sunday, Dec. 5th. I’m really looking forward to talking with all of you about writing, reading, and my own tales. I write romance, time travel and historical fiction. I love to create worlds and I like to think I specialize in escapism. When I was thinking about what to write today, I kept coming back to one thing—how much fiction is and isn’t a part of our lives.

When we are younger we are taught to read. We sit on the circle carpet in the classroom and listen to the teacher or librarian read us stories. Our teachers ask us questions about the stories, we learn how to make a plot web, characterization charts, and write our own stories. So much energy is put into creating fictional stories and reading fiction when we are younger, and then it slowly fades away.

We enter high school where reading the classics and poetry is in the curriculum, but more emphasis is placed on research papers and essays and dissecting the creative works of great literary talents. And I truly mean dissecting. We aren’t able to enjoy the pieces because we’re too busy tearing them apart. I didn’t LOVE reading Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, until a few years ago when I picked it up and just read it. I didn’t dissect, just enjoyed it.

The same goes when we enter college and take the core classes, lots of papers to right, lots of reading—but textbooks, resources, journals, etc… The enjoyment of reading is somehow lost.

When we finally graduate from college, our reading consists of work related items, and then because we’ve spent the whole day staring at a computer, journal, reports, etc… we veg out in front of the television.

What happens to the magic of fiction as we grow up? How is it some people retain the essence that is exploring a fictional world and some people do not?

I have three young children myself. They love to read. We take weekly (sometimes more than once a week) trips to the library. We create stories. I’ve read to them since they were infants. My husband loves to read, and obviously I do too. But I hadn’t realized until speaking with a friend the other day that this—children reading—isn’t the norm. Not all children love to read. My friend asked me, “How do you get your kids to love reading?” I stared at her blankly because it had never been any other way. I didn’t try to make them like it, it just is.

But what’s the difference?

I’ve always loved to read and I’ve always loved to write. And there have been times (see the college experience and day job experience above…) where I’ve not been able to read too much fiction, but I’ve always been drawn back to it. Since my husband is also a natural reader, is that why our children love to read? Because it is inherent in our house which is filled with close to a thousand books? Is it genetic? My parents love to read. And come to think of it, my husband’s parents also read.

Fiction is magical, it is escapism, it is world-building. When we read we imagine ourselves in the book, we imagine going through what the characters go through. We make a connection. We enjoy the journey. We like to see good triumph evil. We like to see people happy. A problem solved. A good scare. The genre you read doesn’t matter—but the act of doing so gives you satisfaction. We learn from reading—whether we realize it or not. There are several studies that have proven mental stimulation (reading, games, crosswords, researching, etc…) boosts brain power.

So if reading is good for us, makes us smarter, gives us pleasure, takes us away to another world—the world the author has created—why don’t more people do it?

Why do you enjoy reading fiction?

William C Hammond

2010-11-10T18:22:00.003-05:00

(Guest blog by next Sunday's chat guest. See our Schedule page for more info on Bill.)

Hello, I am looking forward to chatting with you all this Sunday evening. It's a rare opportunity to discuss not only my books, but also what lies behind the books. For example, how I made the decision to jump into the black abyss of writing historical novels in today's challenging publishing environment.

I can't say I didn't know better. I have been in the book publishing industry my entire career. I knew how imposing the odds were stacked against me. Still I persisted. Why? What motivates writers to ignore those odds and push ahead come-what-may?

If my experience should entertain you, wonderful. If it should inspire you, all the better. But I can promise you we'll have fun chatting together on Sunday.

http://www.bill-hammond.com

Bill's Virtual Tour Itinerary:

11/8 The Old Salt Blog www.oldsaltblog.com text interview

11/9 Writer's Chat Room www.writerschatroom.com tour announcement

11/14 Writer's Chat Room www.writerschatroom.com live chat & hardcover giveaway

11/22 Book Chase Blog http://bookchase.blogspot.com review

11/22 Amazon http://tinyurl.com/283l9nj review

11/22 USNI http://www.usni.org/store/books/fiction/love-country review

11/22 Library Thing http://www.librarything.com/work/10489064 review

11/22 Book Blog Ning/Historical Fiction review

11/22 Curled Up www.curledup.com review

11/24 I Just Finished www.ijustfinished.com review

11/29 Our History Project www.ourhistoryproject.com review & text interview

1st quarter 2010 ebook sales dwarf previous years

2010-09-26T18:28:00.002-04:00

Ebook sales for 2006 were $20 million. 2007 was $31.2 million. 2008 was $53.5 million.

The first quarter of 2010, ebook sales were $91 million. March alone was $28.5 million, more than all of 2006.

Read the full breakdown here. http://ereads.com/2010/06/q1-e-sales-stats-dwarf-09s.html

This study counts only 12-15 epublishers, and US sales only.

Face it folks. ebooks are here to stay. And I, for one, am thrilled!

Does The Idea of a Blog Intimidate You?

2010-08-04T19:30:00.003-04:00

Tonight's chat subject is about blogging. It seems natural to assume if you're reading this blog that you see the value in them. Well, yes and no. There are many folks who enjoy reading blogs but get intimidated at the idea of doing their own. If you're a writer, you serously should consider having a blog of your own.

So what's intimidating about writing a blog? First off it's a fear of commitment. Yes, being a blog author means you need to update it regularly, post regularly and respond to reader comments. The best plan is to set up specific days for you to post. It doesn't have to be daily but can be weekly, bi-monthly or rarely monthly. If you miss some, the world won't crash but miss too many and regular readers will stop dropping in.

Another intimidation factor is a worry of having nothing to say. Sure people visit blogs where the content is interesting to them and you need to provide that for them. Here at TWC it's all information for and about writers.

The best way to get past having nothing to say is to make a plan for the blog. What's the main topic? Does the name reflect that topic? Are there specific topics on certain days? An example would be book review Friday or guest author Wednesday. Setting up a plan gives you a jump off point. When you're on a roll, write several blog posts at once and save them on your desktop. Then it's all cut and paste on post day. This works great if you're doing a series of related blog topics like a workshop style theme.

The third biggest intimidation factor is figuring out how the blog works. Just as with anything, there is a learning curve so be patient with yourself or others. Visit other blogs and ask their owners how they did something you like. Read the help files and tutorials, Google subjects you're not sure about.

So, how about a way to get your feet wet? Try guest blogging. Yes, many blogs host guest speakers or interviews as part of their topics. It's a great way for a writer to reach new audiences (heh...and promote your own blog if you've got one). Search for blogs on the topic you'd like to speak about and contact the blog owners. Typically their email address is in their biography section.

Let me close by saying that just having a blog is only part of the process. You do need to tell people about the blog or no one will ever come to read it. You can do this with announcements. Putting a link to the blog on your email signature, webpage and business cards. Whenever you talk with someone about your blog subject, invite them to your blog and don't expect them to remember it if you're talking to them in person. Write down for them the blog address and what it's subject is.

That's it! It really is fun and if you stay away from complaining or posting personal information on your blog, then it's a great way to reach people.

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - July

2010-07-28T07:30:00.003-04:00

Dangling Participles

This is a fun topic. The name is cute, isn't it? "Dangling participles", also referred to as "dangling modifiers", are troublesome and hard to spot sometimes.

Participles are adjectives ending in -ing. Simple enough, but -ing words they must be used carefully in order to avoid confusion in your writing.

Participles modify nouns. A modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word.

The noun (antecedent) that the participle refers to has to be clear. The participle closest to the noun (it can be in front of or behind the noun) is its partner. Otherwise, you end up with the participle dangling.

If you have an -ing word at the start of the sentence, be on alert. This is a common format where dangling modifiers appear.

Examples are the best teachers:
Dangling: Writing about dangling modifiers, word choice is important to the writer. [This says that word choice is writing.]
Improved: Writing about dangling modifiers, the writer must pay attention to word choice. [the writer is writing.]

Dangling: Standing at the top of the stairs, the view out the window was breathtaking. [This says the view is standing at the top of the stairs.]
Improved: Standing at the top of the stairs, she thought the view out the window was breathtaking. [It makes sense now. She is standing.]

Dangling: Running from the police, the money was still in the robber's hands. [The money is running.]
Improved: Running from the police, the robber still held the money. [Much better to have the robber running away.]

Dangling: After blending the smoothie, the drink was poured into the glass. [The drink was blending itself.]
Improved: After blending the smoothie, the employee poured the drink into the glass. [The employee was blending.]

Dangling: Buzzing contentedly from blossom to blossom, the woman admired the bee. [The woman probably isn't the one buzzing, right?]
Improved: Buzzing contentedly from blossom to blossom, the bee was admired by the woman.
Even better: The woman admired the bee buzzing from blossom to blossom.

My best tip is to not start a sentence with an -ing word. You'll notice it's slower to read than active voice (as in the last example). Not all -ing words are dangling, of course, it just depends on usage in a sentence and where the antecedent (noun) that it pertains to, is located. They need to be next door neighbors to keep each other out of trouble.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or email me!

And that wraps up this lesson.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: The Elements of Style by Strunk & White

BIO: Lisa J. Jackson (aka Lisa Haselton) is a self-employed writer and editor. Stop by her site at http://lisajjackson.com, or follow her on twitter for twice-a-week ‘Edible Grammar Bites’ at http://twitter.com/LisaJJackson.

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - June

2010-06-30T07:47:00.001-04:00

Further versus Farther

Are you challenged to know which is right when you have to choose between further and farther? If so, hopefully I can help by the end of this post.

If something is physically distanced from you, it is “farther” away. Key off far, or the “a” to remind you of “area” (physical distance).

Whereas, when an object is figuratively or metaphorically distanced, it is “further.” You can use the “u” to remind you of “understanding” (metaphorical distance, ‘further’ your point).

I find examples to be the best teacher, so here we go.

Correct:
Before we go any further, are there any questions?

How much farther is the resort?

The couple hopes stock prices go further into the green before the end of the year.

She could see better the farther she walked toward the edge of the forest.

He didn’t allow any further discussion on the topic after the bell rang.

She ran farther than anyone thought possible.

I hope she will further her education with college after high school.

There are always exceptions, right? Here you go.

The two words are used interchangeably quite often, but if the usage isn’t referring to a physical distance, you’re safe with further.

I’m further/farther along with the class assignment than you are.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or email me!

And that wraps up this lesson. I have one further item to add.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: A Grammar Book for You and I (Oops, Me) - C. Edward Good

BIO: Lisa J. Jackson (aka Lisa Haselton) is a self-employed writer and editor. Stop by her site at http://lisajjackson.com, or follow her on twitter for twice-a-week ‘Edible Grammar Bites’ at http://twitter.com/LisaJJackson.

AgentFest V

2010-06-16T19:39:00.003-04:00

How do you find a reputable agent? Agents are our main topic in tonight's chat. (8-11 pm EST in the chatroom) Well, if you know the right people, you can get leads to good agents.

Thanks to Joe Moore, one of our favorite authors, here is a list of agents taking pitches at AgentFest in NYC, July 8. If you can't be there, you can still use this list to see what each agent is looking for. And the bios have links to their websites.

Go forth and find an agent!

(Agentfest list for those who can't click links: http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/agentfest.html )

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - May

2010-05-26T01:00:00.000-04:00

As an editor, I see a lot of issues with ellipsis and em-dash usage, so I thought it would be a good topic to touch upon. The ellipsis is used to indicate a pause in speech or missing text. The em-dash is used to indicate an interruption in speech or to emphasize a phrase.

An ellipsis is used to show missing text within quoted material, or a pause within a character’s dialogue. The ellipsis is always three dots: “…”. Always three, not two, four, five; three. Style guidelines vary. Some people prefer an ending period if the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, other guidelines are satisfied with no final period.

A little history of the em-dash: in the day of the typewriter, an em-dash was represented by double hyphens amounting to the width of a capital “M” from the keyboard. With computers, you can format or insert an em-dash easily and it’s used to indicate an interruption within dialogue, or to emphasize a certain phrase. There is never a space before or after an em-dash.

Examples are always helpful, so here there come.

(1) Ellipsis and em-dash in dialogue:
“Peter, please, what I meant was…”
“What? What did you mean?”

Compare the above to this:
“Peter, please, what I meant was—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. It’s too late.”

Can you see how the first example is the first speaker trailing off and the second example has the first speaker being cut off?

(2) Ellipsis and em-dash as pauses/breaks:
There it was again…that subtle, but creepy scratching.
There it was again—that loud, terrifying scratching.

(3) Ellipses are great for slowing the reader down within narrative: “They gazed innocently into each other’s eyes until hesitantly…gently…they shared their first kiss.”

Within documentation, ellipses are handy for shortening long text. Use the ellipsis to show missing words, whether only a few, or several, even a few sentences. For instance, you find parts of the Gettysburg Address handy for making a point. Use an ellipsis to remove words or phrases you don’t want the reader to focus on.

Special Note #1: A colon can sometimes be used instead of an em-dash. A colon announces to the reader that something special is coming along. The em-dash does the same, but is more dramatic.

Special Note #2: A hyphen can not be used in place of an em-dash. A hyphen has its own special use to be talked about in a later column.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need by Susan Thurman and Larry Shea.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or email me!

(originally published in The TWC Spotlight for May, 2009)

That Dog Do Bark: A Canine Aroo of Apologia in D Major

2010-05-18T21:32:00.005-04:00

dog • house (dôg hous): a small shelter for a dog; the modest backyard abode in which an author resides if said author fails to show up for an online chat.

That Dog Do Bark: A Canine Aroo of Apologia in D Major
by Martha Engber

All right, let’s be candid. I’m in the doghouse for not showing up on Sun., May 9, to chat with all you good writing souls here at WritersChatRoom.com. I could tell you that, had I read the lovely email reminder from Audrey, I would have arrived, online and on time.

But alas, due to Mother’s Day, that holiday in which mothers are given the most treacherous advice to do as they please, I thought I’d treat myself to that most cherished of modern luxuries, a No Email Day. And look what happened. When I finally opened my email at 7 p.m. — PST rather than EST — I almost had a heart attack.

But I’m a silver lining kind of gal, and the redeeming outcome in this instance is that I’m highly motivated to make amends for wasting your time, for which I really am truly sorry.

The first order of business is to let you know that yes, I will — absolutely — show up at 7 p.m. EST (4 p.m. PST) on Sun., May 23, to chat with you.

The second is to provide you with what I, as a writer (The Wind Thief), character development guru and writing coach, see in my own writing and that of others as the main errors writers make when developing characters.

While I know we couldn’t possibly make these mistakes, feel free to pass the list to those poor fellow writers you suspect have fallen into the muck. The points are also made — more elegantly — in my book, Growing Great Characters From the Ground Up.

The 10 Most Common Mistakes Writers Make When Creating Characters

1. Only developing some characters instead of all

2. Not understanding what role a character plays

3. Relying on cliché, the fast, cheap way to pop a character into place

4. Telling, rather than showing readers what’s most important to your character and why he/she is so interesting

5. Not doing enough research about what your character must know to be credible

6. Not allowing your character to act according to his/her nature

7. Not including your personal experience to aid your character on his/her journey

8. Defending your character during the critique process, rather than realizing there’s a problem

9. Not allowing the character to get into trouble

10. Not bothering to clean up your spelling, grammar, punctuation or format issues, problems that hinder readers’ attempts to get to know your character

The list includes a lot of not, an attitude we’ll flip around on May 23 when we talk about what you can do to make your characters the best they can be.

Until then, happy writing!

(Martha Engber will be our chat guest on May 23, 2010, at 7 pm EST. This post is a chance for you to get to know her before the chat.)

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - April

2010-04-28T01:00:00.000-04:00

As with any Grammar-licious blog post, you will find several examples included below, but what makes this article particularly fun is that it is all about examples, specifically the when, where, and how surrounding i.e. and e.g.

There is a difference between the two abbreviations. It’s the similarity that causes the confusion. Let’s get to it, shall we?

In everyday conversation, most of us will say “that is” or “for example.” Yet in writing, many of us prefer to use the abbreviations i.e. or e.g. The test is: which abbreviation matches which phrase?

We now need to break for some Latin language lessons. (I did that for the alliteration.)

i.e. comes from the Latin phrase id est, meaning “that is”. You use i.e. when restating or expanding upon the idea. i.e. is used to give a specific, clarifying example, or more than one, but they are specific.

e.g. comes from the Latin phrase exempli gratia, meaning “for example”. e.g. is used when utilizing an open-ended list of examples.

Real world examples:
I love something sweet, i.e., ice cream, after dinner.
I love chocolate candies, e.g., Hershey kisses, Dove bars, and Ghirardelli squares.

My grandmother enjoys playing social card games, i.e., bridge and gin rummy.
My grandfather enjoys playing solo card games, e.g., solitaire.

Susan plays with her sister, i.e., Paula, every day after school.
Susan loves when her cousins, e.g., Robert, Sheila, and Mark, visit at Christmas.

If everything makes sense now, wonderful! If it’s not quick clicking, read on.

How about thinking of i.e. as “in effect” or “in essence”, or use the ‘i’ and go with “in other words”? And for e.g., think of “example given” or key off the ‘e’ and remember ‘example’, as in ‘for example’. Of course, if you remember the trick for one of the abbreviations, you will probably know when to use the other.

Bonus tip #1 - since e.g. represents a partial list, it is redundant to use etc. at the end of any list following the e.g.

Bonus tip #2 – always use periods after each letter in the abbreviation AND use a comma after the full abbreviation

The best rule to follow, if you want to avoid errors, is to not use either abbreviation in your writing. Simply use “for example” or “that is” and you’ll be fine.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: Essential English Grammar by Philip Gucker.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or email me!

(originally published in The TWC Spotlight for March,2009)

Marketing by Sally Franklin Christie

2010-04-27T23:40:00.001-04:00

Marketing, is a word that strikes a note of fear in the heart of every new writer. Marketing, Promotion, Elevator Pitches, Niche Markets, Fan Base, Social Networking and Blogging are only a few buzz words in the writing community. There is no need to fear.

The Writer’s Chatroom is a great place to help sort through the question of what to do after you have a book to market. It is even better to hang out and learn about this aspect of writing before your book is ready to read.

Most aspects of marketing are fun. The more you learn, the less mystifying it is and you can approach it with the same energy that glues your fingers to the keyboard while you get your story written.

There are many ways to work through the maze of buzz words and techniques. I’ll give you three to get you going. You found your way here to TWC, that is a very good start.

Learn the vocabulary. Google the terms.

Ask other writers how they do it. While some say writing is a solitary sport, the internet has made it impossible to exist in a vacuum.

Begin to take full advantage of social networking sites. It won’t take long to build up a group of friends and their friends ask to friend you.

When I began my Tarot Reading Business I used a book called Getting business to come to you
~ Paul Edwards (Author), Sarah Edwards,. While it deals mainly with Print Media, the advice on niches, presentation, marketing techniques and business planning make it worth its considerable weight.

Another book I found useful is Writing for the Web
~ Crawford Kilian. This book helped me understand what a random reader sees when he or she lands on a web page. It reinforced many of the ideas from Getting Business to Come to you.

The Writer’s Chatroom and Audrey Shaffer offer an excellent forum on Branding and Promotion and the feedback from the leader and participants makes enrolling very worth your time.

I’ve covered three things to dampen your fears, and three of my favorite recourses and I’ll end with three cautions.

Do not make marketing more difficult than it is. You are probably already promoting yourself and don’t even realize it.

Do not try to do three things at once. It doesn’t mean you won’t someday become the best juggler in the world of marketing, but no one should start with every ball in the air. Begin with one aspect, for me, it was as simple as switching from screen names to my real name.

Do not stop writing while you learn to market. Although selling your work is a hoot, after it is sold you need something else to sell. Your readers will expect it.

This is my first Blog Post at TWC and I want to say that without you, our readers, our chat participants, and our guests, we would be a hollow, empty and very dull site. I am honored to step up my role as a participant to that of Moderator and hope to be as helpful and kind to each of you as you have been to me.

by Sally Franklin Christie

This blog has moved

2010-03-25T20:33:00.001-04:00

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Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - March

2010-03-24T01:00:00.000-04:00

I’m skipping the introduction this month. If you’re curious about previous grammar columns please check out the blog archives.

The introduction is being skipped this month. The blog archives can be checked for previous grammar columns.

You’ve probably just done a double take. The first two paragraphs are similar. Other than being repetitious, can you pick out which of the two paragraphs above contains active voice? Which one moves you right along? Which one has you yawning?

This month we’re investigating the difference between active voice and passive voice. It’s common to hear the rule ‘avoid passive voice.’ If you’re a writer, it’s a good rule to follow if you want to keep your reader engaged. There are times, however, when passive voice is fine. Really. Read on.

Active voice is dynamic and the ‘doer’ of the action is obvious. Passive voice is, well, laid back and can leave questions in the reader’s mind as to who is doing what. The time to use passive voice is when you want to emphasize results and not necessarily who achieved those results.

Check out the following examples and see what you think (passive is listed first).

The ball was kicked.
Jim kicked the soccer ball.

The bus was driven by Mr. Smith.
Mr. Smith drove the empty bus into a house.

The project was managed effectively.
Ted and his team brought the project in under budget and ahead of schedule.

The computer was repaired.
I fixed my computer.

The following are examples of where you may find passive voice to be the preferred voice:

My advice was followed.
My students followed my advice.

The water was heated to 195 degrees.
Tom heated the water to 195 degrees.

The grocery store was robbed.
Unknown persons robbed the grocery store.

The overall rule for choosing active or passive is to use what best says what you mean.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or email me!

(originally published in The TWC Spotlight for February,2009)

What Makes a Writer Successful?

2010-03-17T18:51:00.002-04:00

I'm willing to bet that if I ask twenty people what makes a writer successful, I'll get twenty answers. For some it's the money: how many copies were sold, how much money did they get, how big was that advance (if at all). You see this reflected a lot in ads proclaiming an author sold 'three million copies sold world-wide'. You also see it in the applications of many writer's organizations. You have to have their idea of success in terms of "professional" sales, which means the money. You have to wonder what percentage of the success there is actually the writer and how much is the marketing/sales departments. If the higher percentage is the writer, it seems a disservice almost to base their success on dollars. True, money is easily measurable where talent is harder to compare.

Other writers define their success based on how much they write a day, how many stories are in submission in relation to those accepted or rejected for publication. Some write for the love of words. Many write because they have something they want to say to the world: a message to get out there; something inspirational or righting a wrong. Some just want to entertain....jokingly say they want to see who can tell the biggest lies or get the biggest laughs. Some write to keep their demons at bay.

Perhaps I'm jaded but I don't see letting anyone but yourself define your success--writer or otherwise. If what you're doing makes you happy and doesn't harm anyone, then it's successful. For me, I love writing and publishing. I've found my place and though I work hard, I'm loving every second of it. To me that's the biggest and best success there is. It wasn't easy getting here and I didn't always make the right choices. It's so very true that when you love what you do, it isn't work at all. That's success!

101 Habits of Highly Effective Writers

2010-03-13T10:10:00.000-05:00

There's a wonderful article/blog post that talks about 101 Habits of Highly Effective Writers for recommended habits "from all types of writers–from fiction to non-fiction and famous to lesser-known–and all offer great advice."

Broken into the following categories, there is something for everyone: Routine, The Process, Style, Inspiration, Improving Your Craft, Business, Habits You Don't Want to Have, Advice From Writers, and Habits of Famous Writers.

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - February

2010-02-24T01:00:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about gerunds, those identifiable words with –ing tails. The recipe for a gerund is simple: take a verb, attach –ing and then use it as a noun. Baking is not required. Did you catch that? Baking is not required. A gerund is born!

How simple was that? And that’s all there is to it. Okay, well, not so much. The rule is: every gerund ends in –ing, but not every word that ends in –ing is a gerund.

A gerund always functions as a noun, so you’ll find them as subjects, objects, and subject complements.

Examples are always great, with some details, so here you go:

As the object of a preposition:
Before brushing her teeth, she washed her face.
After reading the details, he could make a decision.

Object of a verb:
She loves playing in the mud.
He enjoys climbing up the tree.

Subject of a verb:
Writing is difficult.
Winning is fun.
Since she was four, dancing has been her passion.

Subject complement with a linking verb:
Her complaints were making him crazy.
His favorite hobby is drawing landscapes.

After a preposition (a verb after a preposition must be a gerund):
Please water the plant before leaving.
Wash your hands before eating.
We are sharing information about writing.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: A Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed by Karen Elizabeth Gordon.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or email me!

(originally published in The TWC Spotlight for December,2008)

Okay, so it's a rant on unscrupulous authors.

2010-02-17T19:12:00.002-05:00

There's a disturbing thing happening among authors which affects us all. I doubt it is a new phenomenon but seems to happen more with the smaller press. A few authors are going through the submissions and acceptance process, the editing, getting their cover...everything. They're being easy to work with and then within a week or two before the release date, they pull their title and self-publish it in it's new polished form.

This is wrong on so many accounts. Many of the editors, who work on royalty percentages of books sold, are completely screwed over. Some of the artists are finding their artwork bastardized or in some bold cases--outright used as is with no compensation. In my mind this is akin to theft. The publisher staff, editors and artists work in anticipation of being paid when the book starts selling.

Now I do know not all publishing houses work this way. Many small pubs do. They cannot afford to hire on staff and editors and pay them wages or flat fees for services. I'm lucky enough to have a mix of the two: Damnation Books pays flat fees for art but everyone else works on royalties. Eternal Press is royalty based for everyone.

So, how does this affect us all? It makes for tougher decisions for everyone involved. The one solution I see is publishers including early termination fees in their contracts. It's not a tactic to screw the author but to protect themselves and their staff from those few who want to abuse the services they provide. At least those persons who have put work into the book get something for their efforts.

Additionally, publishers are including a clause in the termination section of the author's contract which guarantees a work will not be republished anywhere in any form for 6 months to a year after the story rights are returned to the author. That's skirting a fine line with author rights but one that's sadly become necessary to discourage the unscrupulous few.

How prevalent is this? I can speak from my own experience in that in the year I've been a small publisher, I've had it happen twice and believe I have warded off one more. I have also lost good authors with incredible stories because they wouldn't sign a contract with early termination fees or no publishing guarantees included. We all lose in the long run.

Even the authors who pull their titles and self-publish lose. Most of them are not taking account promotions, publisher reputation and distributions...all of which will become stumbling blocks for them if they are not careful. The publisher won't ever take them on again and others will see what happened and avoid the author as well. I'll never understand someone hurting their own future in publishing that way but it's happening. A lot.

I'm counting on you not being one of those few. I did want to discuss the subject to explain why fees and guarantees are now showing up should you run across a contract with them. As a publisher, I don't want authors to terminate their contracts. I want to publish and sell the books.

Traditional vs Self-publishing

2010-02-10T18:50:00.007-05:00

Traditional vs self-publishing. It's a tricky subject. Let's take a moment to define the big four types of publishing.

Traditional big press: These are the 'Big Guys'. The ones most authors dream of getting into and making millions with. Often you need an agent for them to consider your work. They edit, they take care of the costs, covers, listing the book and getting it into stores. Most of them have arrangements with the stores to carry their books. That kind of thing happens when you've been around a long time. They can afford to warehouse, thus making mass market a viable option for them.

Big press tends to pay an advance. Advances are a whole other discussion because it must be earned back before you ever see a royalty. If you're lucky or famous enough, they'll do more than minimal promotion for you. They set the price, book size and type, distribution points, get the isbn (under their name). A successful author still needs to promote.

Traditional small press: Small press has gained a lot of popularity recently. Some pay advances, some not. Most ebook companies fit into this category. Small press often focuses on particular markets where they specialize. Like the big guys, they edit, pay for cover art, obtain the isbn(in their name) and format the books. They send them to a printer, which can be a print on demand arrangement or regular warehouse arrangement. Print on demand makes good business sense for small press since there isn't a big inventory to house and they can drop ship books to stores, authors or customers. Being small, they cannot afford to mass market produce books either.

Small press does have its distribution points, though more focused on the specialty (or genre). They do contract with bookstores to carry book and with the online retailers like Amazon, B&N, Chapters, and others. They often sell books from their website too.

Most small press do some promotion, though it will tend to be more about the press or the latest releases since their promotion dollars are smaller than the big press. Authors still are expected to be active in promoting their work.

Subsidy: I found it interesting that when googling 'subsidy publisher' the one on top of the list is Amazon's BookSurge (CreateSpace). The fact that Amazon will list your titles done through this program makes them subsidy, rather than self-published? Subsidy is when you pay for a book to be published--by pay I mean the publisher requires a minimum amount before they will publish you. This is often explained as set-up fees, formatting costs and sometimes additional money for 'enhanced' promotion. IUniverse and Lulu are two examples. Last I heard Amazon Create Space isn't charging set up fees, though they keep saying "yet".

You must do all of the editing. A subsidy publisher prints it exactly as you send the file in. You must do your formatting according to their guidelines and still purchase the cover art. They will provide the ISBN number for you.

The Subsidy publisher will list your book in their database which gets picked up by some of the online stores like Barnes & Noble. They will do little to no promotion. This part is all up to you.

Subsidy publishing is not for every author or every book. It's good for something that has a small niche and an author willing to push it within those confines. I've noticed many of those who offer seminars, workshops or webinars use this because they can sell copies through their appearances and websites. In nearly every case, the author offers ongoing information to potential readers from their lectures. This is indeed a type of promotion, albeit a teaching promotion where people feel like they get something useful before they buy the book. It's probably not a good venue for fiction though.

Self-publication: This is when you take your edited and formatted book to a printer and have X number of copies printed out. Keep them in your garage or closet. You have to hand sell these babies. Sure it can be done via a website, which you still have to promote along with the book. Plus you get to do all the shipping, taxes and marketing yourself. You have to buy the ISBN number, buy the cover art and do all the editing yourself.

Now if you love doing things yourself, are extremely self-motivated and like selling, this might be the route for you. Most of us don't have the time, energy or money to spend.

As you can see, there are a lot of differences. You have to choose which route you'd like to pursue. Many writers, like myself, tend to move amon g the options. It's possible with hard work to start out smaller and build readers (meaning a fan base) which you can use to pitch your next book to the larger folks or an agent. Like the quote from says, "Choose wisely."

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - January

2010-01-27T01:00:00.000-05:00

Let’s dive into the pond with the less/fewer differences. Less is used with mass nouns and fewer is used with count nouns.

A mass noun, also considered an ‘amount word’, is something that is measured in bulk – clutter, water, snow, milk, syrup, etc. A count noun, also a ‘number word’, is something you can count – books, pens, cards, paperclips, oranges, etc.

Examples to follow:

There are ____ kids in class than on the roster.
Can you count kids? Yes. Use fewer.

There was _____ snow this year than last year, so the kids had _____ snow days to make up.
Can you count snow? No. Use less. Can you count days? Yes. Use fewer.

Try these:

____ grapes to eat [Can you count them? Yes.]

____ flour to bake with [Refers to bulk as written. Cups of flour can be counted.]

____ frozen meals to thaw [Can you count them? Yes.]

____ tomatoes to slice [Can you count them? Yes.]

____ orange juice [Refers to bulk as written. Cups of juice can be counted.]

____ coffee to make [Refers to bulk as written. Cups of coffee can be counted.]

____ cups of lemonade [Can you count them? Yes.]

____ water in the lake [Refers to bulk as written. Gallons of water can be counted.]

____ fish for dinner [Can you count them? Yes.]

____ clutter on the table [Refers to bulk as written. Piles of clutter can be counted.]

Exceptions. There are always exceptions, aren’t there? Even though you can count hours, dollars, and miles, you want to use less.

Examples:
We traveled less than twenty miles.
The reception lasted less than two hours.
We made an investment of less than a hundred dollars.

If you refer to individual units, then use fewer. Example: I have fewer than six state quarters.

You know how there’s usually a lane at the grocery store with the sign “10 items or less”? It sounds better than “10 items or fewer”, doesn’t it? “Less” is grammatically wrong because you can count items.

So, the general rule is: if you can count something, use fewer; if you can’t count it, use less.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or contact me!

(originally published in TWC Spotlight for November, 2008)

Dreams and Writing.

2010-01-13T14:30:00.002-05:00

I know when I’m working on a novel, I often dream about it. Scenes to come, scenes written, the time period or theme of the story. I usually chalk that up to all the research plus how immersed I become into the world and characters. Could it be more than that? Well, I jumped onto the web and crawled around to find out. I’d like to share what I discovered with you.

This article on the American Psychological association http://www.apa.org/monitor/nov03/dreamon.aspx tells us how "There's a significant number of situations where the limitations of our waking logic and preconceptions keep us stuck on a problem," Barrett says. "And a dream can solve it." They go on to say how many persons throughout history, not just authors but scientists, have used dreams as ways to problem solve.

"Dreams make connections more broadly than the waking mind," Hartmann notes. "You can be working on a problem and you can't quite see how to get there. But you go to sleep and you have a dream. It makes new connections, and it helps you make sense of it. Dreams can be very useful in this sense." This is definitely useful for a writer stuck on a plot or logic problem in their novel.

Another article found here: suggests that dreaming is essential for the brain by providing a constant stimulus even when sleeping. This article addresses outside stimuli such as environment, telepathic messages, the dreamer’s life history and memories plus "day residue” from the previous day’s waking experiences.

While I’m not sure about the telepathic messages, it seems to me you can set yourself up to problem solve or encourage your creative self by providing those outside stimuli before going to bed. How? By reading through problem passages or research for the particular story in mind. Heck, do your research just before retiring. I like to take long walks or do mind freeing stuff like sewing after a long research session. It helps me sort out all the information I just bombarded myself with. I hadn’t thought to bring into my dream realms. Of course, it won’t work if I take any sleep aids. I’m definitely up for giving it a try. If you do, post your experience here. Did it work for you? How?

Last, don’t forget to keep a pen, light and notebook on the bedside. Booting up the computer takes too long, You want to go over your dreams in your mind upon first waking, then write them down…before you do anything else, before getting out of bed. I learned that from my 8th grade English teacher and it’s worked for me from day one.

As the words to an Aerosmith song go…"Dream on. Dream until your dreams come true."

Review - The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

2010-01-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

Dr. Barbara will be a live chat guest at The Writer's Chatroom on Sunday, January 10 from 7-9PM EST. Please feel free to stop in and meet her.

The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)
Written by: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Readers 9-12
Rated: Excellent (*****)
Review by: Lisa Haselton

The Truth is a glimpse into the diary and thoughts of a girl who is ten at the start of the story. We follow her through two school years and get a candid look at a ‘tween’s perspective of life.
Everyone can remember feeling that we knew more than our parents when we were kids.

In The Truth, the narrator gives us her opinion on falling in love, the damage done when parents argue, and her fears about getting older. She does so in a sincere and straightforward matter. She makes a list of truths that she wants to remember as she gets older because she fears aging has a negative effect. She knows adults must know the truths but that they somehow forgot, for how else can they possibly accept yelling at each other.

The unique voice along with the diary entry format make the book a quick read. It has an educational value which should be shared with all young girls and parents. The entries are direct and honest. The reader feels privy to the secret diary of the girl whose writing is personal, accessible. The observations made within the diary follow a natural progression of personal growth, which makes it feel more like non-fiction than fiction.

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein is the originator of The Enchanted Self(R). She has been a positive psychologist in private practice and licensed in the states of New Jersey and Massachusetts since 1981. She is currently in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.

I highly recommend reading The Truth. It is great for women of any age, and can definitely be appreciated by tweens and teens. It’s interesting to have memories of the tween years conjured up that are a mixture of enjoyable and hard to deal with.

Title: The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)
Author: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Publisher: Enchanted Self Press
ISBN: 978-09798952-0-3
Pages: 96
Price: $6.95

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - December

2009-12-28T07:00:00.003-05:00

Good/well confuses the best of us, even though the word choice is about usage. All we need to know is that good is an adjective and well is an adverb. There, that was simple. We just plug in ‘good’ when we need an adjective (to describe a noun or pronoun) and ‘well’ when in need of an adverb (to describe a verb). Easy, right? No? How about some examples?

Spot is a good dog. (adjective describing subject ‘dog’)
Break down the sentence: Spot is a dog. What kind of dog? (adjective) dog.

She trained Spot well. (adverb describing the verb ‘trained’)
Break down the sentence: She trained Spot. How (adverb) did she train him?

This is a good sandwich. (adjective describing subject ‘sandwich’)
Break down the sentence: This is a sandwich. What kind of sandwich? (adjective) sandwich.

I can’t taste the sandwich well because I have a cold. (adverb describing verb ‘taste’)
Break down the sentence: I can taste the sandwich. How (adverb) can I taste the sandwich?
[less confusing to make it into a positive statement]

If it’s still confusing, try substituting “healthy” or “in a good manner” and if either fits, then so will “well.”

Follow these examples.

The coffee tasted well/good this morning.
The word supports the subject, ‘the coffee’s taste’, therefore, an adjective.
Correct: The coffee tasted good this morning.
(Maybe the coffee can taste ‘healthy’, but that isn’t what is meant.)

The batter is looking well/good.
The word supports the subject ‘batter’, therefore, an adjective.
Correct: The batter is looking good.
(Sure the better can look ‘healthy’, but that isn’t what is meant.)

She skates well/good.
The word supports the verb ‘skates’, therefore, an adverb;“in a good manner” also works.
Correct: She skates well.

I don’t feel very good/well.
The word supports the verb ‘feel’, therefore, an adverb; “healthy” also works.
I don’t feel very well.

He did a good/well job.
The word supports the noun ‘job’, therefore, an adjective.
He did a good job.

She did the job good/well.
The word supports the verb ‘did’, therefore, an adverb; “in a good manner” also works.
She did the job well.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: English Grammar for Dummies by Geraldine Woods.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or contact me!

(originally published in TWC Spotlight for September, 2008)

Goals

2009-12-16T19:27:00.003-05:00

If you missed the goal setting chat the other night, I hope you'll drop in tonight. It exploded into a discussion on the forum so we're continuing with more. Here's the direct link to the forum. Check it out http://www.writerschatroom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=436

I know it's hard to think about goals and getting work done when what's on our minds right now are school parties and pagents, decorating, relaxation, visiting friends and family, getting the house or ourselves ready for company. Those are different than work goals, but are still goals nonetheless. We set down a date for them, plan for them, and implement them in the same way. We need diversionary goals like this from time to time to refresh our spirit and our minds.

I'd like to propose that we attack our work goals, our writing goals, with the same attitude we do the holiday goals: with excitement, serious preparation and enjoying every moment of the process. Just like when we're gift shopping and we secretly buy that little something for ourselves, do the same with your writing/work goals. That little something can be a nice new pen, an ergonomic keyboard, a webinar on something you've been meaning to learn. It can even be an extra fifteen minutes to write. Anything to spoil yourself and want to be working on those goals. Now...get to it!

What's a cat got to do with writing?

2009-12-09T20:11:00.001-05:00

At my house we have a new kitten. Essla is about thirteen weeks old. We decided to get her as a companion to my older cat, Isis. In true writerly fashion, we named her after a character in one of my books. But her name isn't the only thing she has in common with writing. She's become an inspiration in her own little way, when she's not chasing the mouse pointer on the screen or trying to sleep on my chest while I'm typing. Yep, that's where she is now.

There's just something about her fearlessness with the world. She's not afraid to take risks and to stretch her skills. Scary things like the burning fire popping and crackling in the fireplace are interesting. She may approach them slowly but she never fails to draw near. I watch her and wonder where I've learned to be fearful? Why does committing to a story project of 80,000 words or more seem so daunting? When did I begin to dread sumitting my work? Why does the idea of revision keep me awake at night? Like Essla jumping up on the bed, I must dig in my claws and pull myself up until I reach my goal.

She has that child-like wonder of everything. Even specks of dirt on the carpet are worth examining. Pillar candles become trees to hide behind and pounce out at Isis from. I find myself recognizing her pretending as she plays. I can't help notice the ordinary in new way and realize I've become blind to the little things which can enrich a viewpoint or scene--how things taste, what they look like upside down, the sounds they make or whether they're snuggly enough to sleep on. I have to thank Essla for reminding me.

Is it because I am a writer that I find renewed inspiration in a kitten? I'd like to think so.

What's a writer to do for the holidays?

2009-12-02T18:32:00.002-05:00

December is here! It's time to relax, right? No way! Sure all the holiday preparations need your time and attention but don't let your pitiful writing time vanish completely. It'll be harder to start back up "the habit" in the new year. What I'm suggesting is to cut back but not completely. Better yet, redirect your energies.

Use the atmosphere and nostalgia of the holidays to write holiday stories, craft articles (and give away your samples as gifts), winter themed-scenes. Hey, want to know what it feels like to be out in the cold in your shorts? Just step out the back door for a minute. Sure it's too late to submit those pieces but there's always next year's holiday season. Take advantage of the time trapped indoors to work up stories and articles you can sell in the summertime. It makes sense, right? What a great gift to give yourself!

Speaking of gifts. As writers, we have the ability to do something special for our friends and family. It's perfect for the writer who is slim on money right now. Give the gift of your gifts. Yes, give them writing. A personalized poem, a memory written in story form or a big ole' sappy love letter. Heck even a recording or video of you reading it adds a special touch. You know this person: their habits, favorites, dislikes. You can craft something to touch their hearts like no other writer can. Print it up on some fancy holiday paper and there you go!

Use family gatherings to tape record members. Interview them, or ask them to tell a favorite memory. Guess what? It's great stuff for your own memory book or to use next year.
On the surface all these things seem too easy and very obvious but they're the little things we forget to make use of in our lives. Perhaps they're too easy and ovious that our minds skip over them in the search for something perfect to give.

So, now...pay attention. Santa's helper, Kim says to sit down and start writing.

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - November

2009-11-28T07:00:00.004-05:00

Let’s chat about the who/whom conundrum. It’s common to find “whom” in formal speech and writing, and “who” in informal speech and writing, but let’s take a step toward using each term correctly.

The best trick I’ve found is that when deciding between ‘who’ and ‘whom’, reword the clause using ‘he’ or ‘him’. If ‘he’ is appropriate, then ‘who’ will be the correct word; likewise, if ‘him’ fits, then ‘whom’ is correct. (Note: You can use ‘she’ and ‘her’, but by using he/him, you can key off the ‘m’ in ‘him’ and know to use ‘whom’.)

Follow these examples.

I met the writer who/whom wrote this story.
Reworded: The writer wrote this story. He wrote this story.
Correct usage: I met the writer who wrote this story.

She is the kind of person who/whom I admire.
Reworded: I admire him.
Correct usage: She is the kind of person whom I admire.

Give the gift to whoever/whomever is standing at the back door.
Reworded: He is standing at the back door.
Correct usage: Give the gift to whoever is standing at the back door.

Give the gift to whoever/whomever you find at the back door.
Reworded: You will find him at the back door.
Correct usage: Give the gift to whomever you find at the back door.

The play is about a girl who/whom wants to become an anthropologist.
Reworded: The girl wants to become an anthropologist. He wants to become an anthropologist.
Correct usage: The play is about a girl who wants to become an anthropologist.

Have you met the employee who/whom Mrs. Sniffles hired?
Reworded: Mrs. Sniffles hired him.
Correct usage: Have you met the employee whom Mrs. Sniffles hired?

The waiter who/whom you spoke to no longer works there.
Reworded: You spoke to him.
Correct usage: The waiter whom you spoke to no longer works there.

To who/whom it may concern.
Reworded: It may concern him.
Correct usage: To whom it may concern.

Who/Whom needs a ride to school?
Reworded: He needs a ride to school.
Correct usage: Who needs a ride to school?

Who/Whom did Sheila hire to replace me?
Reworded: Sheila hired him.
Correct usage: Whom did Sheila hire to replace me?

Do you know who/whom will speak at the writer’s conference?
Reworded: He will speak at the conference.
Correct usage: Do you know who will speak at the writer’s conference?

Oh my, who/whom can I trust with all this money?
Reworded: I can trust him.
Correct usage: Oh my, whom can I trust with all this money?

This month’s recommended grammar book is: Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.

I like finding ways to remember the ‘rules’ and hope you can find something helpful. It’s my hope the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples will make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially enjoyable (can you imagine?) for you.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment or contact me!

(originally published in TWC Spotlight for August, 2008)

Is there relief from a turkey coma?

2009-11-25T19:54:00.005-05:00

To those in the United States, let me wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

This time of year can be extremely stressful for some folks, especially writers who need their quiet time to write. Those working on their NANOWRIMO stories are feeling the effects of either pulling into the homestretch or falling behind. The biggest question on our minds is: How do we concentrate on our characters, our worlds and ideas with nosey family poking their heads in and the onset of a turkey-coma?

I say don't worry about it. Don't try. You deserve a day off--ONE day off. So before I turn you loose on the relatives, here's my list of the ten things this author is thankful for.

10. The turkey coma. Yep, you read that corretly. Hey, we all could use a nap now and then. It helps the mind work on those plot problems.
9. The yard's done and the house clean for guests which means we have all week off from it next week. I'm going to use THAT time to write.
8. Leftovers are great. No cooking, just munching for the next several days. I do enjoy being a bum sometimes.
7. Getting to bore family and friends with talk about my books, my current story and other ideas. Yes, it's an evil thing to do. Grin.
6. Sleeping in! (See #10)
5. Lounging on the couch with both cats and some steaming coffee while watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. There's just something about being all warm while watching other people freeze their butts off.
4. Okay, yes, I'm thankful for my computer and all my nifty software. I'm so lost without you.
3. My chat buddies who put up with my bad jokes, bad moods and overall bossiness. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried.
2. My sweet, sweet husband who encourages me to write. Everybody needs one of those.
1. I can read something for enjoyment. Now if I can figure out which one in this To Be Read pile.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Grammar-licious: Making Grammar Fun - October

2009-10-28T16:37:00.002-04:00

That versus Which

Anyone have troubles knowing when to use “that” and when to use “which”? Anyone? Okay, I see one person nodding.

This month’s grammar-liciously easy grammar topic is knowing when it’s appropriate to use “that” versus “which.” It’s all fun, trust me.

That starts a clause or a phrase that is important to the meaning of the sentence. It is restrictive.

Which starts a clause or a phrase that is not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence. It is nonrestrictive. A phrase or a clause starting with which always follows a comma. If you can insert “by the way” to the sentence and it still means what you want, then which is correct.

Examples are the best teacher, so here we go.

Correct:
The camera that I want for my anniversary is purple.
My camera, which needs batteries, is purple.

Both sentences are correct. Can you see the difference in the usage? The first sentence has a that phrase integral to the meaning. The second sentence has a which by the way phrase that adds additional information to the sentence, but adds nothing to the overall meaning. “which needs batteries” can be removed and the sentence still means what you intend.

Incorrect:
The subject, that she is almost failing, is social studies.
“that she is almost failing” is essential to the meaning of the sentence and should not be offset with commas
Correct:
The subject that she is almost failing is social studies.

Each of the following is correct – do you notice the differences in that/which usage?
The dog lapped up the water that was put down.
She gave the dog some water, which by the way he quickly lapped up.

He rode his bike in a race that exceeded fifty miles.
He rode his bike in a race, which by the way stretched over 90 miles.

The ice cream truck that comes every day is pink.
The ice cream truck, which by the way plays annoying music, comes twice a day.

Note #1: Not all that’s start a restrictive clause or phrase
Note #2: If you come across a which, mentally insert by the way, and if the meaning remains the same, make sure there’s a comma in front of the phrase. If the meaning gets jumbled after adding by the way, you most likely want that.

This month’s recommended grammar book is: The Grammar Bible by Michael Strumpf and Auriel Douglas

Ten Tips for Writing for Anthologies

2009-10-14T10:11:00.002-04:00

Ten Tips for Writing for Anthologies
By Karina Fabian and Kim Richards
From the Home Office of The Zombie Cookbook, www.zombiecookbook.net

1. Read the Guidelines! Study the Guidelines! Love the Guidelines! BE the Guidelines! Anthologies are often very specific in theme, scope and word count. The closer you get to meeting their needs, the more likely you will be accepted. For example, for The Zombie Cookbook, (www.zombiecookbook.net ), Damnation Books (www.damnationbooks.com ) wanted anything to do with cooking zombies or cooking and zombies. This meant any zombie story which didn't involve cooking or food in some way, was rejected based upon that.

2. From Kim: "The best advice I ever got for writing for an anthology was this: jot down ten story ideas and then write number eleven. The reason being the first ten will get you through all the stereotypes and overdone ideas. By the time you get to eleven, you're opening up to new ideas and creativity. Unique is a plus."

3. From Karina: Know who you are writing for! I had some folks send me a story for the Catholic sci-fi, Infinite Space, Infinite God II that started with a diatribe about how priests abuse kids. I never got to the story before tossing it. It should have been clear to anyone who'd looked at the website that we support the Catholic Church. (Incidentally, ISIG I (www.isigsf.com ) did have a story that treated the topic with realism but also with perspective. It was accepted.)

4. Don't wait until the last minute to submit something, especially if you're writing it specifically to submit to this anthology.

5. As with any manuscript, you want to send out your best. For stories written just for the anthology, the temptation is to rush through it to meet the deadline. It still needs to grow through the revision and editing process. Send it through your critique group and revise. Anthologies have only a few slots to fill and will have a lot of stories wanting in. Your piece needs to be at its strongest to stand out above the crowd.

6. There're two schools of thought about submitting to anthologies: the first is to write your stories and should an anthology open up where one you have saved on the hard drive fits in, then submit it. The other is to write a story just for that anthology. Both have positives and negatives. For saved stories, there's a temptation to just send off what you have without giving it a good editing first. Too many authors will send stories they can't sell to anthologies and then get upset when it doesn't sell to the anthology either. They aren't a dumping ground for your weak stuff. Maybe there's a reason it hasn't sold before now. It also might not actually fit the theme they're looking for. Look hard at your story and be sure. A little tweaking can't hurt.

7. If you're going to write for an anthology, especially one that pays a portion of the royalties, be willing to do some marketing if you're accepted. Go on a virtual book tour, send out some press releases, tell all your social groups. You're helping yourself and the other contributors--and you'll make yourself shine in the eyes of the publisher.

8. Anthologies need editing, too. Work with the editor. Also be sure to give the editor the other info you need--like your bio--by deadline. In this case, procrastination doesn't just hurt you, but all the other contributors who were accepted.

9. Remember that, with few exceptions, anthologies are not big money makers. Publishers usually do it for love, fun, promotion or charity. Writers join for fun, publicity, and sometimes charity.

10. From Karina: If you had fun with your story, consider doing more with those characters. Mercedes Lackey did many adventures of Tarma and Kethry, including some novels, after writing a story about them for Sword and Sorceress. My DragonEye, PI, (www.dragoneyepi.net ) series of books and novels started from a story I wrote for Firestorm of Dragons. (www.firestormofdragons.com )

Spreading the Virus By Thomas N. DeWolf

2009-09-02T14:50:00.003-04:00

Thomas N DeWolf is our guest blogger today. He will be our chat guest on Sunday September 6. Read his advice and be sure to come back for Sunday's chat!

Spreading the Virus By Thomas N. DeWolf

(guest blog for Writers Chatroom)

I’m infected. I caught the virus. Now you’re infected. It spreads from one person to the next quickly, quietly. You turn on your computer and it’s staring out at you. The only reason you’re reading these words is because of the virus. Together we can transform the virus into an epidemic. The epidemic is my goal. It should be yours as well.

Inheriting the Trade is my first published book. It took roughly six years to write—five years of squeezing writing into the cracks of time my job allowed, and one year of full-time writing after I resigned from that job. Finishing the book was hard enough. Then came the rigors of marketing. The art of writing is quite different from the business of publicizing what you’ve written. The publicity staff at Beacon Press has done a terrific job. And I learned that I have a key role to play.

A friend of mine, James Malinchak, asked me if I believed in the message contained in my book. Well, yes, of course I do. Will your book help people? Yes. Will the world be a better place as a result of people reading your book? I believe so, yes. Then you have an obligation to get your book into the hands of as many readers as possible, he said. To not do so would be irresponsible.

So I learned about the virus. The Swine Flu virus will spread because we have so much contact with each other at work, school, at the store, on airplanes, and subways. Think of book publicity in the same way, only this is a virus writers want to spread. Learning to more effectively use the internet, blogs, and social networks is crucial. And we are in the midst of a social media revolution. Click on this link before continuing to see how the opportunities for infecting others through social media have never been greater.

I haven’t met James Malinchak in person. I found him through the virus. I read several books about publicity including Building Buzz, Publicize Your Book, and The Savvy Author’s Guide to Book Publicity. Tips from these books led me to scour the web where I found Steve Harrison and John Kremer. I receive e-newsletters or other book publicity information from both of them regularly. Steve put on a telephone seminar last year in which he interviewed James Malinchak on how to become a public speaker to increase outreach and enhance a writing career. I use what I learned from James to get my book into the hands of more readers.

There are useful services and products that people like John, Steve, and James offer that you can invest in. There are many valuable nuggets that cost you nothing beyond your time and willingness to learn. In his July 14 newsletter, John Kremer announced a contest. Literary Publicist Stephanie Barko was offering a free virtual book tour. I entered and my book was selected from more than 70 qualified entries. And here you are reading these words. Because of the virus.

There are many aspects to spreading the virus. Imbedded links in this article, for instance, are important. First, they provide relevant information to readers. Second, they support the people who supported you. The world of books is a community and we need to support each other. Third, links increase traffic to each of the sites they lead to as well as to the site from which they originate—in this case, the Writers Chatroom site. I hope you’ll click on the links and utilize the services of the people here, especially Stephanie Barko. I plan to work with her in the future. I’ve been both amazed and impressed by how much work it is to organize a viral (oops, I mean virtual) tour like this one. The goal of all publicity is to connect with people with whom you probably otherwise wouldn’t.

A writer’s website is the host for the virus. Pack it with useful information about yourself and your book; the message you want to share with the world. Mine is filled with links to past interviews I’ve done, reviews of my book, YouTube videos from past appearances, information for the media, and more. Your blog is where you can showcase both your thoughts and your writing.

My hope, of course, is that you’ll be inspired to spread the word about Inheriting the Trade; that you’ll inform your friends, write a post on your blog, link to this site, or to my website or blog. I want you as my Facebook friend, for us to follow each other on Twitter, to DIGG each other, and to connect on Goodreads. And I look forward to more contact with other authors here at Writers Chatroom.

We can infect (and affect) many others with our ideas and our words. The virus is essential to your health as a writer. Catch it. Spread it (ah-choo!)

Rejection

2009-08-12T16:56:00.001-04:00

Has your work been rejected? Were you devistated? Ready to give up? In tears? Angry? Suicidal or homocidal?

Teresa Nielsen Hayden takes a logical yet unvarnished look at rejection reactions. http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004641.html It's long, but every word is worth reading.

Even if you skip the rest, be sure to read #3. But you really don't want to skip. Take the time to read it all, and then enjoy the comments too.

Like what you read? Hmmm...might be a topic for next Wednesday's chat!

Report of ebook deletions.

2009-07-22T18:40:00.003-04:00

This past week Amazon came under serious criticism involving the removal of purchased books from their customer's Kindle reading devices. Here's an article in case you haven't heard about it.
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/some-e-books-are-more-equal-than-others/
Many readers and writers were instantly appalled, most believing the copies of books they purchased--no matter the format--belonged to them. It wasn't an issue of money; Amazon did credit customers for deleted books. For others, this is a matter of security or a form of censorship. How dare they delete books from my device? How dare they tell me what books I can own or read?

In lieu of the objections, Amazon has apologized.

The question now remains: what happens to ebooks in general? Potential backlash effects are a loss of reader trust in electronic and digital formats. This could result in fewer sales of both ebook readers and books, which translates into fewer stories accepted for electronic publication. Hopefully people will realize this was one distributor's mistake but already many chatters and bloggers have mentioned reconsidering buying a reader, most often citing the Kindle as the one they will avoid.

Ebook sales have been on the rise pretty consistently throughout this economic downturn. Unfortunately, we may have to work a little harder on the writing and publishing side of this business to overcome hestiations brought on by this mistake.
Maybe I'm being pessimistic by expecting some fall out. I'd love to see this become a minor bump in the road. I suppose time will indeed tell.

Books with Soundtracks

2009-07-08T18:09:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday our TWC chat guest author was Catherine Asaro. She brought with her a musician named Donald Wolcott. Why? Because her latest book, Diamond Star has a soundtrack which goes with it. Yes, Cathrine sings on the CD accompanied by a group called Point Valid. Both the book and CD are available now. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416591605?tag=audreyshaffer-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1416591605&adid=1Q0FFYZGNMRCNRCDZX40&

Music and reading have been paired together in the past:

J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were later put to musical scores. A project called "Sine Fiction" created soundtracks to novels by Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. However, in all these cases the music was done years after the books saw popularity.

Kids books often come with tapes to read along or sing along. It seems natural for adults to want the same, yet we don’t often take on such creative projects.
Here’s a few I found:

More recently, Ursula K. LeGuin’s1985 novel Always Coming Home originally came in a box set: a paperback with an audiocassette entitled Music and Poetry of the Kesh, featuring three performances of poetry, and ten musical compositions by Todd Barton. http://www.amazon.com/Always-Coming-Home-Paperback-Cassette/dp/006015456X/ref=ed_oe_p

In comics, Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron had an official soundtrack album. The 10 track CD was released on the Jenkins-Peabody label. Here’s a blog with a Hensley interview about this graphic novel and its music: http://www.comixology.com/articles/136/Keepsakes-to-Commandeer-Tim-Hensley-and-the-i-Like-a-Velvet-Glove-Cast-in-Iron-i-Soundtrack

Now on the flip side, rock band ShowBread just released two albums, one called Anorexia and one called Nervosa. (Each album is about a sister.) Instead of lyrics in the booklets, there are short stories. You listen to the album while you read the stories and there's small time marks to tell you where in the music you should be.
Anorexia: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016CP38K?ie=UTF8&tag=tonare-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0016CP38K
Nervosa: http://www.amazon.com/Nervosa-Showbread/dp/B0016CP38U/ref=pd_cp_m_3

So many writers create their own soundtracks to write by. I do. The songs all have a theme in their sound and lyrics which reflect the mood and characters of the book I’m writing. It seems strange to me that more books and music have not been packaged together. Heck, many of the book stores carry both so why not together? That’s much more of an experience for the reader/listener than either medium on its own. I look forward to seeing more.

About Book Buzz

2009-06-25T12:17:00.003-04:00

Recently, author Rowena Cherry posted 25 ways to buzz a book. She talks about Amazon, B&N, social sites and ways to help authors stand out. It's interesting how some of these things we (writers) can do ourselves or partner with one another to accomplish. I found it very useful, especially since some of it is online.

I would also like to add that purchasing a copy of an author's book helps tremendously. You can donate it to Books For Soldiers, a homeless shelter or leave it on the bus for someone else to pick up like the folks at Book Crossing encourage. If you've got an idea to add, please comment here.

Check out Rowena's entire post at:
http://rowenacherry.blogspot.com/2009/05/twenty-five-ways-to-buzz-book.html#links

Write for the money? Ha!

2009-06-10T17:31:00.004-04:00

This week, Hope Clark asked, Let's test your instinct to write. If you could not earn a living at it, if people would not see your work until after you died, if you could not publish, would you still do it?

My gut instinct is to say, "Of course I would." Then I realized this is exactly what most writers do. Okay, maybe some of us have delusions of making money and hang on to that with all our might. Even so, we brainstorm while driving down the road, hide manuscript notes beneath our desk calendars at work and let the laundry pile up because of the inner need to write. We text message ideas to ourselves, write poetry while waiting for the kids to be released from school and lull our spouses to sleep talking about plots and characters.

I doubt there are many who sneak these tiny moments here and there are doing it with dollar signs in their eyes. I see little flames burning in those iris'--flames of passion for this thing we call writing. We write away our fears and melancholia; expose our innermost selves in a way no reality show could hope to touch. Heck, if it were all about the money, we'd be better off dancing naked on tabletops downtown. Either they'll pay us to keep dancing or pay us to get down.

Writing is a passion akin to that of sports fans or addicts, depending upon how you want to look at it. We spend our last dollar on the paraphernalia--the pens, paper, printer ink, isp service. We give our two most precious resources to it: our time and ourselves--at times forsaking friends or the latest cool gadgets. Your not a real writer until you skip a dinner date/movie or call in sick to work on a story.

Anyone who understands the words, "I can't NOT write." knows full well it's not about the money. Here's Hope's blog where you can check out what she has to say: http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com

Do you have a genius?

2009-05-04T12:08:00.000-04:00

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

http://www.ted.com:80/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Agent for a Day?

2009-04-07T18:05:00.004-04:00

So you think Agents have easy jobs? Wish you could sit around and read query letters all day? Here's your chance to try it out.

Agent Nathan Bransford is having a contest. Next week, he will post 50 query letters. There will be a couple ringers, queries that have already sold. Your job is to read ALL the queries and pick the FIVE you would request. Just five, no more. You also have to take the time to write a rejection letter to the other 45 queries. (It's one day's work, but he's giving you all week to do it.)

Piece of cake? People who request the ringers will be listed, so everybody will know if you're good. Take a shot at it.

Don't want to read, but would like to be one of the query letters everybody else is reading? You can do that too! Nathan is accepting query letters to post. Your MS isn't finished? For the contest, that's fine. Send the query as if it's ready to go.

This is a great chance for some of you to get a real feel for what agents will think of your query, for FREE. Names will be removed, so you won't have to face public humiliation...on Nathan's blog, anyway.

Are you going to participate? Post here and let us know, so we can cheer for you. Query letter or agenting, we want to know!

Take a chance! http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/04/announcing-be-agent-for-day-contest.html

Audrey

Announcement and Call for Submissions

2009-04-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

There's a new ebook company called Damnation Books. We launch in September 2009 with twenty five books.

We're open to submissions now and are looking for any dark fiction: horror, dark fantasy, thrillers, science fiction, paranormals and erotica (in dark fiction settings). Short stories, novellas and novel length works are wanted.

You can find the submission guidelines at www.damnationbooks.com

We hope you'll check us out.

Kim (Richards) Gilchrist

Evergreen and Always

2009-03-12T13:30:00.004-04:00

I read a lot of online content. Unfortunately, most of it is just bland words that don't leave an impression. When I run across a story that speaks to me, I like to share it. I found one!

"Evergreen and Always" is a Christmas story. (Yes, I'm way behind in my reading.) You can read it at http://raygunrevival.com/Published/RGR_0049_2008_12.pdf . Scroll down to Page 9.

Alice M. Roelke took a story that has been done hundreds of times and populated it with interesting characters. It's only five pages long, but I'll remember it.

Oh, the rest of the mag may be good too. I only had time to read this one story. If you have more time, look around and check out the others.

Read and enjoy.

Audrey

Book Pitches

2009-03-04T12:25:00.002-05:00

What is a book pitch? Are there different kinds? Does genre matter? What is included?

These questions come up quite often in the chatroom. Join us Wednesday night, March 4, to discuss the whys and hows of book pitches.

Writing Personal Essays

2009-02-18T19:31:00.003-05:00

(This is advance notice on the chat topic for next Wednesday, February 25.)

Let's talk about personal essays. Do you write them? Do you want to? Have you had any published?

Good essays are much more than a story about something that happened to you. As Kathryn Lay says in the March edition of "The Writer" magazine, "It's an opportunity for me to share what I experience and learn, and to hope that what I've written will encourage, inform or challenge readers."

I've written a few essays myself, and two of them have been published. This is a genre I'm interested in, and "The Writer" features four articles on the topic. Reading those articles has me thinking about essay ideas and getting the urge to put another one together.

What are your thoughts and/or experiences on essays? Share here if you'd like, then join us in the chatroom next Wednesday for an open discussion about them.

Audrey

Book View Cafe

2009-02-14T14:14:00.002-05:00

Book View Cafe is a new website that promises new free fiction every day, most of it unavailable elsewhere. It represents a new approach to publishing made possible by the Internet. While most of the fiction on the site will be free, authors will also be offering expanded work, additional content, print versions, or subscriptions for a fee.

The project currently includes over twenty professional authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Vonda N. McIntyre, and Anne Harris. The diversity of Book View Cafe's authors guarantees something for just about everyone. "Book View Cafe will make sure the readers get the stories they want, when, where and how they want them. We are the library in your back pocket," says Project Manager Sarah Zettel.

Readers can access new content by visiting the website ( http://www.bookviewcafe.com/ ). RSS feed and an email announcement list will eventually alert readers to new content. In addition, Book View Cafe will be partnering with TextOnPhone to make content available via iPhone and iPod. Daily posts by the authors to the group blog creates an ongoing virtual book conference where readers and writers can interact. Book View Cafe can also be found at social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook, and at LiveJournal, Blogspot, and Wordpress.

These authors will be attending the chat: Sarah Zettel, Brenda Clough, Nancy Jane Moore, Laura Anne Gilman, Pati Nagle, Sue Lange

The featured authors have donated EIGHT books! These will be awarded to lucky chatters during the chat. Remember, you MUST be present to be eligible!

WHEN?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Eastern USA Time.....7 PM
Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are? http://www.worldtimeserver.com

WHERE?
The Writers Chatroom at: http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm
Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed at chat time.

Please note: The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Don't forget the open chat on Wednesday nights, 8-11 pm EST!

The TWC Team

Audrey Shaffer Renee Barnes Kim Richards Lisa Haselton

REAL Characters

2009-02-11T13:07:00.002-05:00

The opening topic for tonight's chat is Characters. How do you turn those vague people floating around in your head, into vibrant creatures your reader will love? How do we make them living, breathing beings?

On the other hand, can a story be intriguing if the characters are stereotypes or cardboard figures? Is it possible to have a strong enough plot that the characters don't really matter?

If you miss tonight's chat, feel free to post your thoughts and opinions here. Just because the chatroom is closed, doesn't mean we are ready to stop talking!

Audrey

Are fairy tales bad for children?

2009-02-04T16:54:00.005-05:00

Full article: http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2009/01/05/are-fairy-tales-bad-for-children/

I grew up reading fairy tales, and I don't mean the Walt Disney ones. I had those too, but they seemed like totally different stories.

Did fairy tales warp your mind? Did you find them educational? Do you read them to YOUR kids?

Opinions, folks! I feel like I'm talking to myself here. ;-)

Audrey

Mystery Markets

2009-01-19T13:47:00.003-05:00

In his 1/11 chat, Earl Staggs offered a list of his favorite markets for short mystery stories. He was kind enough to let me post the list here for all of you.

Some of Earl's favorite magazines

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
http://www.themysteryplace.com/

Apollos Lyre
http://www.apolloslyre.com/

Back Alley
http://www.backalleywebzine.com/

Blazing Adventures
http://blazingadventuresmagazine.blogspot.com/

Crime and Suspense
http://www.crimeandsuspense.com/

Mouth Full of Bullets
http://www.mouthfullofbullets.com/

(I think this one has closed, but you can check it out)

Mysterical-e
http://www.mystericale.com/

Spinetingler
http://www.spinetinglermag.com/

Thrilling Detective
http://www.thrillingdetective.com/

Thuglit
http://www.thuglit.com/

On these sites, you’ll find lists of markets in all genres:

http://www.shortmystery.net/markets.html
http://www.duotrope.com/digest/
http://storypilot.com/
www.kimberlybrown.net/markets_galore.htm
http://www.marketlist.com/
http://www.ralan.com/

Huge thanks to Earl for sharing this information. Buy his book to say thanks!

The Future of Books?

2009-01-07T14:44:00.002-05:00

Pat Bertram's blog hosted a great discussion, written by Dale Cozort. I'm posting the link here to try and start the discussion in our Wednesday chats.

Please read the first post at http://ptbertram.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/future-of-books-the-problem-of-filtering-part-1/ .

I'll be bringing this up in chat for the next couple weeks! You might want to do your homework. ;-)

Audrey

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

2008-12-31T11:58:00.002-05:00

JA Konrath (Sunday's chat guest) isn't afraid to say what he thinks. On his blog, he debunks 9 of the most common myths in the writer's life. Well, he says the last one is true, but we need to know which myths are true too.

One of my favorite parts comes in Myth #4 - Writing Must Have Integrity. Konrath says:

"What? You don't want to sell out? You'd never let your precious words be touched, or write something for just for money? You really believe that the world owes you a job simply because you can put a noun and a verb together?

"I wish you much success, and hope I never have the displeasure of sitting next to you at a party."

Ah, there are so many people I would enjoy saying that to...

The rest of the post is just as good. Great advice for anyone contemplating becoming a "Writer". Read and discuss!

And don't stop with this one post either. Read them all.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2007/07/writing-myths.html

The beginning of the end for returns?

2008-12-17T11:59:00.003-05:00

"Borders to drop "sale or return" for HarperStudio book"

We all know what a problem the traditional method of book distribution can be. Is it finally changing?

If this works out and the rest of the industry can be pressured into making the change, it will mean good and bad things for authors. Expect smaller print runs, smaller advances, and more emphasis on platform building and branding.

On the plus side, royalties should be paid out more quickly, since there is no need to keep a reserve for returns. There is the potential for more opportunities for new authors, since there won't be so much money tied up in publisher's inventories.

Now it's "wait and see". This could bring book publishing/distribution into the 21st century, finally.

Audrey

Break the Chain!

2008-12-10T14:41:00.002-05:00

Are you tired of all those forwarded chain emails your friends keep sending? Let's try to Break The Chain.

Let me add a few things that I've learned over the years about forwarded emails:

If sending an email makes a picture pop up on your screen, it's a virus.

A program that counts how many people you forward an email to, is a virus. And it's collecting more than just email addresses.

Forwarding an email with all your friends' email addresses showing, especially if you leave all the previous email info in, is a spammer's dream. They can use or sell every email address. Learn to use BCC and clean up emails before sending.

Really think for a minute...are you sure that everyone you know WANTS to see a dancing baby, or whatever amazing jewel somebody else just dumped on you?

BEFORE you forward a scary warning, check it out with snopes or urbanlegends. Sending out something that most people know isn't true, really doesn't make you look smart. Protect your reputation!

So there it is folks. Do your part to remove junk from the world...Break The Chain!

Pandora

2008-11-26T12:45:00.003-05:00

We've all read enough to know not to ever open Pandora's box, but what about listening to Pandora's Radio?

Wouldn't it be great to listen to a radio station that played only the songs you love, commercial-free? Well, now you can have that.

Pandora Radio (http://www.pandora.com/) gives you just that. You create an account, then give Pandora examples of some of the bands/artists/songs you like. Their database finds other songs that are similar to what you like, and they start playing them for you.

You can rate each song played with a thumbs up or down. Thumbs down, it will never be played on your station again. Thumbs up, they will keep it in rotation and look for more of the like.

Over time, Pandora becomes an expert on what music you like. They are always sliding in new songs, to see if you like them. I usually do.

If your musical taste differ according to your mood, Pandora can handle that too. Create different stations for your different moods, and adjust them accordingly. For instance, I have three stations in my account. My rock station plays Nickleback, Hinder, Matchbox 20 and the like. When I'm in blues mode, I switch to the station that plays Sonny Landreth, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Kenny Ray Shepherd. For mellow moods, I get Indigo Girls, Son Volt and KT Tunstall.

Pandora is free, advertising sponsored. The more I use it, the more I love it. You can even start off by listening to one of the stations I've created. Just search for phoenix743, and tune in.

Only the music you want to hear, commercial-free. Who could ask for more?

Pandora Radio, http://www.pandora.com/ Tune in and try it yourself!

Audrey

Tweak Vista

2008-11-19T14:36:00.002-05:00

We've all heard about the problems people are having with Microsoft's Vista operating system. My beloved PC Pitstop now offers some suggestions to make Vista do what you want, instead of what it wants.

Find the latest tweaks here. http://techtalk.pcpitstop.com/2008/06/16/tweakvista/

We try to share the best resources with you. Please use the link on our home page to try PC Pitstop's free computer scans. I swear they saved more than one of my computers from an early death!

Audrey

How to Lose Subscribers

2008-11-12T14:51:00.005-05:00

In our chats, we talk a lot about how to present yourself properly for marketing. This week, I had an experience of how NOT to act toward subscribers.

I signed up a couple months ago for a newsletter. Thought it sounded interesting and wanted to take a look. As busy as I am, newsletters tend to pile up until I find time to sit down and read through them. Last week I tried to catch up, including some of the LWL newsletter.

First, it wasn't really a newsletter, it was just a blurb and a link to their blog. I find that annoying, but a lot of people are doing it. So I clicked the link to read on. I was confused because the post didn't seem to have anything to do with the blurb in the "newsletter". After a little searching, I realized that the email didn't give a link to the post it was talking about, it just gave a link to the main page of the blog. On my dial-up connection at home, it took a lot of time to look around, check the archives, and finally find the post I wanted to read.

This past weekend, I was playing catch up again. Once again, the LWL emails all had a single link to the main page of the blog. I located one post, and then decided I didn't have time to search for the rest of them. I decided to let the owners of LWL know that I was having problems, and that there is an easier way of doing this. So I sent this email:

"Could you give a link to the post you're talking about, instead of to the main page of the blog? I don't have the time to go searching for the post you're talking about. I don't have a chance to read these emails everyday.I'm about ready to unsubscribe, because it's too difficult to find the current topic."

Yes, my frustration shows. But the response I received was not at all what I expected. (Names removed from the email)

"Audrey, what specifically do you find too hard about scrolling through our blog titles and reading what you feel compelled to read ?

"If you've been around long enough, you already know by now XXX and XXX run a pretty tight ship with their readers. And, that means stuff like a) teaching self-reliance b) not molly-coddling to impatience and ineptitude and c) being direct when it comes to prompting some people to get out of their own way.

"Having said that, I see one of two choices: #1) Sloooow down, take a DEEP breath, and take the time to read our blog ( there's a reason each post has a LARGE heading ) #2) Unsubscribe

"Yup, life is CHANGE. Growth is OPTIONAL. Chose Wisely !" (Typo in the original)

I did scroll through their blog titles and found I wasn't "compelled" to read any of them. I'm inept because they don't know how to direct people? I need to get out of my own way? I decided what I needed to get out of was this worthless mailing list.

This was my reply:

"Forcing your subscribers to waste their time is not running "a tight ship". It's an inept use of the internet, inefficient, and shows that you don't care if people read what you write or not.

"I chose #2. As the owner of two successful businesses, I don't waste my time with sites/lists that insult me or waste my time. I've unsubscribed.

"And thank you for your unprofessional email! I will use it in my marketing classes as an example of how to destroy your reputation.

"This was definitely the wise choice. Have a wonderful day!"

First rule of business: The customer is always right.

Audrey

Congratulations and Best Wishes!

2008-11-05T14:17:00.004-05:00

Kim Richards sure knows how to celebrate Halloween. She and her man dressed up and did something that the rest of us didn't dream of doing...

THEY GOT MARRIED!!!

What, you didn't know Kim made medieval costumes? Sure she does! She has a store...but I can't find the link right now. (PSSSTT! Kim post your link!)

We at TWC wish Kim and William all the happiness in the world. Congratulations, kids!

If The Internet Shut Down...

2008-10-29T15:58:00.003-04:00

What would you DO? How would you communicate? What would life be like?

No email, no IM, no MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, eHarmony or anything else. Would life end?

David Martin knows. Written in the form of a news story, this essay is his idea of what happened:

"The day the Internet shut down"

Audrey

International Slushpile Bonfire Day

2008-10-22T15:45:00.003-04:00

From 101 Reasons to Stop Writing:

"One of the most onerous tasks in the magazine and book trade is the sifting of the slush pile. Slush piles, the collection of unsolicited and unagented manuscripts sent to publishers by beginning or would-be authors, are sometimes the source of future literary successes, but more often than not are the source of headaches and indigestion. Many editors privately complain and scream about the uselessness of slush piles, but fearing a backlash from beginning writers who already assume conspiracies keep their work from being printed, very few speak out about the quality and quantity of the material received.

"With this in mind, the international literary community announced a special amnesty day for those long-suffering editors forced to sift through manuscripts where everything but the name of the author was misspelled on the title page. April 31, 2002 marks International Slushpile Bonfire Day, where editors and publishers are encouraged to collect all of the unreadable or unusable manuscripts that have built up in their offices, in some cases since 1968, and burn them while drinking wine and singing songs. Since one of the worst offenders is the science fiction / fantasy / horror triumvirate, SF, fantasy, and horror editors are allowed to place the first documents and light the pile when complete."

Go here to read the rest of this hilarious article.

For the loudest laughs, be sure to read the comments at the bottom of the page. There are some REALLY stupid people on the internet. Or at least people with no sense of humor.

Audrey

Ed Easley

2008-10-15T14:27:00.002-04:00

Our regular chatters all know Ed Easley. Ed has rubbed us all the wrong way from time to time, but he's still got "something" that makes us give him another chance. Even when we want to slap him up alongside the head.

Ed has been MIA from the chatroom for a few weeks now, and Becca went on a recon mission to find out why. It seems our Ed is having a rough time.

He had brain surgery last month. The report says he was healing nicely until he got a staph infection in the surgery site. In cleaning out the infection, Ed suffered a small stroke.

He's currently in ICU, but healing. His wife, the long-suffering Patty, says they are hopeful for a full recovery.

For those who haven't had the "pleasure" of chatting with Ed, you can get to know him a bit from his blog, http://edeasley.blogspot.com/ .

Audrey

Busy October

2008-10-01T23:31:00.004-04:00

Wow, October is here already! Not only is it football season and the scary month of Halloween, All Saint's Day, but it's a really busy time of year for many writers. The Muse Online Writing Conference runs from the 13th through the 19th. It's great place to learn a bit, hang around with other writers and all from your own desk.

Many more are gearing up for the NANOWRIMO writing challenge which starts November 1st. If you've never taken this up, I recommend you try it. You'll learn from it and gain whether or not you finish your 50,000 words by the end of the month or not. October is when we brainstorm the new story, create the characters, worldbuild and plot (if we're one of those who isn't a pantser). Yep. It's a lot of work but oh, so worth it.

An online friend posted this quote today: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."--Thomas Alva Edison. All this preparation falls under what this quote means. The Muse and NANOWRIMO are work but both are incredible opportunities...to grow; to create; to be the writers we are with no excuses and no inhibitions.

I can't speak for anyone else but I enjoy being this busy. I know I couldn't go full steam every day of the year, but it feels good to let loose and fly down the writing rails. Just getting to the holidays feeling accomplished helps me relax and enjoy the down time from Thanksgiving through New Years. Less guilt I suppose. All of us could use less of that!

Harlan Ellison "Pay the Writer!"

2008-09-24T12:06:00.001-04:00

Nobody can say it like Ellison.

Help Teddy Build His Library in Poland!

2008-09-08T10:01:00.005-04:00

Hi Y'all! Linda here. (I'm sneaking this in because I'm still on the roster at this blog. Shhhhh. Don't tell Audrey.)

I have a pen pal in Poland who is attempting to build a world-class library. His name is Tadeusz "Teddy" Glowinski. You may read more about him here:

http://www.thesop.org/index.php?id=7495 "The Librarian Who Loved Books", September 23, 2007

When I first heard from this remarkable man, it was because he had somehow stumbled upon my website. He sent me the link to the article about him. I was impressed!

I wrote back to tell him that I found his dream to build a library in one of the most run-down neighborhoods in Poland a very worthy project.

I also let him know that my wonderful step-father had emigrated from Poland. Hence his reply:

Dear Linda, my "Polish Sister",

thank You very much for interesting in my matter.
Simply, I look for good People on the World who can help for my GLOWINSKIS' LIBRARY.

I will be very happy if I will have Your book in my bookscollection.

Dear Linda, see please that link:
http://glowinski.olesnica.pl/index.php?lang=en&page=swiatowyksiegozbior

In my GLOWINSKIS' LIBRARY there are much parts but the best is
special bookscollection (for books with autograph or dedication).
See please, how much these books I have in my library, from whole the World.
Linda, Your website is beautiful, You are The Best !!!
If You want to help me (link to my story on Your web) I agree with You on all Your ideas,
I believe that it help for my GLOWINSKIS' LIBRARY.
Once more thank You very much for all.
Linda, I agree with You about Your step-father, that he was beautiful man!
All Polish people are wonderful, me too!!!

Best from Poland,

Tadeusz Glowinski

I don't yet have a book published, but I know many, many, authors. How about it? Can we each send an autographed or dedicated book to Teddy?

Here is his mailing address:

GLOWINSKIS' LIBRARY
ul. Waly Jagiellonskie 20
56-400 Olesnica
Poland - Polska

Please email Teddy at teddy@olesnica.pl or teddy@box43.pl with the title of the book you're sending and the date sent. Please also tell him you're a friend of mine so he'll know why you're sending him a book.

If you have any dedicated or autographed books in your collection that you could bear to part with, please help him build his library.

The goal is to send 5,000 books by October 1st! Please feel free to copy this post (in its entirety) and publish it on your blog, on your website, or in your newsletter.

Thank y'all for your generosity,
Linda
www.lindajhutchinson.com

PS Audrey knows I'm here. Sheesh. I can't get away with anything.

Muse Conference Last Chance!

2008-09-03T16:11:00.002-04:00

If you didn't sign up for the Muse Conference yet, you better get on your knees and beg Lea to let you in. But do it quickly, before the door is locked!

DEADLINE: September 1st, 2008. (See? This is why you have to beg!)

Don't miss this annual FREE conference offering you tons of FREE workshops and chat workshops for one entire week.

HELD: October 13 - 19, 2008.

SITE: http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/Please click on REGISTRATIONS and register today.

If for some reason you have difficulty registering, feel free to email Lea at: museitupeditor AT yahoo.ca

(PS: Many of the TWC team members are involved in the 2008 Muse Conference!)

6 Ways to Screw Up a Customer Email

2008-08-20T17:16:00.003-04:00

Do you have a customer email list? Send out a newsletter or career updates? A marketing list of people who want to know when your next book comes out?

If you don't have a mailing list, you need to work on that. Publishers love to see query letters that say "My mailing list is 3,000 verified subscribers." That should translate directly into sales.

But email lists are tricky in this day and age. Spammers have made things difficult for all of us. The rules keep changing, and more and more people use the "Report as spam" button to delete their emails. It happens to us every week.

Writers DO need to have mailing lists. But it's just as important to make sure you handle your mailing list properly.

Go here for a great post on how to send a proper follow up email to your fans.

Just do it, but do it right.

Clean up your computer!

2008-08-13T16:01:00.003-04:00

No, I don't mean to run a cloth over the screen, although that might not be a bad idea either. The clean-up I'm talking about is on your hard drive. You're afraid to touch anything, for fear of messing it up?

No fear, PC Pitstop is here!

If you run Windows XP, run right over to Top 25 XP Super Tweaks and get your clean up checklist. Not just a checklist, they give you specific instructions on how to do each item.

Caution: If it's all Greek to you, and you don't have the faintest idea what any of that article is talking about, you would probably be better off hiring a 12-year-old to come over and do it for you. If you hire a 15-year-old, they probably won't need the checklist. They can do it from memory. *sigh*

Bottom line is, if we don't take care of our computer equipment, it will let us down when we most need it. Like when that dream agent says "If you email your first three chapters today, I'll seriously consider it."

15% Royalites on ebooks?

2008-08-06T15:52:00.001-04:00

I think by now everyone knows that ebooks have a much higher royalty rate, because there is very little cost of production. But it seems that some publishers don't realize that we're not dumb.

Random House argues for 15% on e-books

Paying Market

2008-07-30T16:03:00.002-04:00

A market suggestion for our readers. Vision Magazine http://www.lazette.net/Vision/ is looking for reviews of books or websites for writers. From the call for submissions:

"Is there a resource you go back to frequently for research, because the writing articles are especially informative, or because the market information is up-to-date and reliable? Share your favorites so other writers can benefit. Our greatest need in the review section is for web sites, but we are also interested in reviews of writing books and products. For the September-October issue, we currently need both a book and web site review."

A web site you return to for information? Gee, how often do you come here? And what keeps bringing you back?

There are a lot of sites/books for writers that you might like to review for this PAYING market. Occasionally, it can be helpful to ask questions of the site owner. You know, if anyone ever needed to ask me any questions, I would be more than happy to answer!

Again, from the call for submissions:
"Review Caveats: The reviews must be for web sites, blogs, products, or books that aid in the process of writing whether through providing world building information, writing techniques, marketing resources, or other writing-oriented information. The review can focus on a single site, product, or book, or provide a comparison of resources available around a specific topic. However, you must not have any affiliation with the resources you review. This is to share resources, not for advertising.

"The back issues of Vision are available online. To see previous offerings click here: http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Index.htm. To see if a book or website has already been reviewed, use this search:http://www.fmwriters.com/cgi-bin/search/search.pl?nocpp=1&Match=1&Realm=Vision+back+issues&Terms=

"Query or submit articles to Vision AT lazette DOT net and reviews to margaretfisk AT fmwriters DOT com.Full guidelines can be found here: http://www.lazette.net/Vision/submission.htm "

Go share resources, and get paid!

SEO for Dummies

2008-07-23T16:54:00.003-04:00

We all know that the Dummies books make life easier for us...er...dummies. Did you know Wiley Press has a book on Search Engine Optimization for Dummies?

Here are some potential problems:

Having a (usually pointless) Flash intro on your site

Embedding much of the text on your site into images, rather than relying on readable text

Banking on flashy visuals to hide the fact that your site is light on content
Using the wrong keywords

If you have these types of problems, there are ways to overcome them.

You can read more of this article at http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-4853.html?cid=etipArticleLink?cid=articleFeature .

It's Muse Time!

2008-07-15T17:51:00.000-04:00

DEADLINE: September 1st, 2008.

Don't miss this annual FREE conference offering you tons of FREEworkshops and chat workshops for one entire week.

HELD: October 13 - 19, 2008.

SITE: http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Please click on REGISTRATIONS and register today.

If for some reason you have difficulty registering, feel free to emailme at:
museitupeditor@yahoo.ca

Lea Schizas
http://www.leaschizas.com

Introducing Sheri McGathy and Shannah Blondine

2008-07-12T14:53:00.006-04:00

Born in the Buckeye state, Sheri McGathy was uprooted in 1971 and replanted amongst sunflowers, tornadoes, and college football. she says it's a good life.

During the weekdays, Sheri is a Graphic Arts Coordinator/Copy Editor in prepress. In the evenings and weekends, she's a writer (or tries to be. Sometimes that's debatable.) She is also Managing Editor at The Fractured Publisher online.

Sheri's work:

Besides TWICE UPON AN EVENTIDE, she has short stories and/or novellas in various anthologies:

OMNIBUS A Collection of Fantasy Stories (Contains Dream Realm Winner: The Birth of Spring)

TRESPASSING TIME Ghost Stories from the Prairie (Ravenstone Press or Double Dragon)

TWILIGHT CROSSINGS

TWILIGHT CROSSINGS II

FROM WITHIN THE MIST

THE STYGIAN SOUL

Sheri's novels include:

WITHIN THE SHADOW OF STONE

SEASON OF GOLD -ELFEN GOLD Book One

SEASON OF SILVER -ELFEN GOLD Book Two

--------------------------------------

Shannah Biondine is the author of several novels of historical and paranormal romance as well as three fantasy novellas. She's published with Double Dragon Publishing. Originally a California native, Shannah now lives in Colorado with her husband and children.

Shannah won the 2002 Eppie for Best Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, and has seen her works final in the prestigious PRISM, Aspen Gold, and Dream Realm Awards. A complete list of her titles and more information is available at her author site: http://biondine.homestead.com . Readers may contact her at: sbiondine@ yahoo.com .

---------------------------

Award-winning fantasy authors Shannah Biondine and Sheri L. McGathy team up again, delivering twice the mystical adventure in this enthralling duet, Twice Upon an Eventide. Here are faraway worlds of danger and intrigue, where dark mirrors hold strange and dark secrets.

A Varlet's Bond by Shannah Biondine

Captain Praxis, wyvern rider, former slave turned royal reeve and bounty hunter, has never forgotten her brief partnership with Prince Zavend of Glacia. Years have passed and now find Praxis a wealthy woman and sometime comrade of Zavend's disreputable brother, Vitus. A twist of fate draws all three back to the heart of Glacia, where an evil is spreading across the land. Can anyone or any sworn oath be trusted? Will Praxis find her heart soaring higher than a wyvern or crushed once and for all?

Summersong by Sheri McGathy

Summersong, a magical border Keep created to maintain the fragile peace between Man and Faery, has lost its glory, its grandeur, and its loyal guardians. The land is dark, filled with turmoil. Yet, one bright glimmer of hope still exists. Long ago, Myree, daughter of a proud nobleman, made a childish vow of undying love in a secluded garden to an equally as young Connair. Now grown, both have not forgotten their pledges. When Myree is abducted into a realm of shadows, Connair risks everything in his quest to save her and recover the heart of Summersong.

Twice Upon an Eventide contains two superbly woven fantasy tales of magic, intrigue, and suspense. If you haven't read Biondine and McGathy before, this book is an excellent place to start! Very enjoyable and highly recommended!

~ Jeanne Allen, author of Orphilion Dreams

DOOR PRIZE

Sheri and Shannah have donated two books. These will be award to two lucky chatters during the chat. Remember, you MUST be present to be eligible!

Please feel free to pass this announcement on to anyone or any groups that you think may be interested. Thank you.

WHEN?

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Eastern USA Time..........................7 PM

Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are? http://www.worldtimeserver.com

WHERE?

The Writers Chatroom at: http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note: The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Don't forget the open chat on Wednesday nights, 8-11 pm EST!

TWC T-shirts!

2008-07-09T13:43:00.002-04:00

You asked, we (finally) deliver!

It's been a long, drawn out process, but you can finally show your love for The Writer's Chatroom in your everyday life. T-shirts, mousepads, mugs, hats, etc, with the TWC logo and our catch phrase.

You DO want to be in style, don't you? What could be more fashionable than a TWC logo?

Visit the store here! http://www.cafepress.com/writerschat

Audrey

Critiques, Anyone?

2008-07-02T15:50:00.003-04:00

Man, I need to be careful what I ask for! The TWC Spotlight just came out yesterday morning, but readers have swamped my inbox with comments and suggestions. It's pretty clear that my original idea (to do a one-page critique in the Spotlight each month) isn't going to touch the demand. It looks like nearly EVERYBODY wants me to slice them up...I mean, give them a critique. lol

While I get ready for my trip and sort through all your suggestions, I'm considering moving this idea to the Forum and doing something weekly or semi-monthly. I'll let you know more in a couple weeks.

Some people have made other good suggestions for TWC Spotlight changes. The team is discussing these, and you may see some other changes in future issues.

Speaking of the Spotlight, do you realize you can get YOUR name in there too? We're always interested in articles. We can't afford to pay yet, but we are a published clip, and we give a generous bio box with links. (Submission Guidelines)

People commented that they enjoy our book reviews, and would like to see more. So if you write reviews, take a look at the Schedule page. Have you written a review for any of our upcoming guests? If you'd like another place to post it, I'd like to see it. Again, we offer a bio box with links.

Right now the Spotlights are archived here but it's not the best set-up. I'm working on moving the archive to our own site where the Spotlights will be easier to find and read.

Lots of work to do! But first, I'm going to have fun in tonight's Open Chat. Then I'm going to pack my clothes and go away for the weekend.

Have a great Fourth!

Audrey

Blog to book?

2008-06-18T16:10:00.003-04:00

People keep asking me why they should spend the time building up a blog. Well, here's one good reason.

"The price, according to a source familiar with the deal but not authorized to discuss the total, was about $300,000, a sum that many in the publishing and blogging communities believe is an astronomical amount for a book spawned from a blog, written by a previously unpublished author."

How do you get $300K from your blog? Read the whole story here.

Then go update your blog. lol

Audrey

Recommendations

2008-06-11T15:53:00.004-04:00

Writers keep learning that they need to learn more things. And, in some cases, buy things or services. Where do you turn for advice?

Nobody wants to get ripped off, but research takes time away from writing. How do you find out the best products for your career? Who can you trust?

Hopefully, you trust us. Believe me, I've spent the hours researching products and companies. And we've learned a lot of dos and don'ts by making expensive mistakes ourselves. Let us save you the time and money.

If you're looking for information and/or classes to take, you will find a lot of help on our Tools and Resources pages. (I try to keep them current. If you run across a dead link, please let me know!) You can also find contests to enter on our Contests page.

We try to help with those products and services that cost money, too. You'll find tips for website hosting, domain names, promotional products and much more on our Products page.

Before anyone screams at me, yes, those are affiliate links. If you buy from those links, TWC gets a small percentage of the price. That's how we keep this site free.

But making money isn't why we recommend those products. There are a LOT of products out there that pay high prices for clicks, but they aren't products we would spend money on. We have done the research and made the mistakes, and picked the products we think are best. THEN, after we decide they are a good product, I look for an affiliate program.

So when you see a link on our site, you can feel confident that it's been checked out, it's for real, and it's the best value we've found.

And, by using our links to buy, you can help keep all the information on this site free.

Thank you!

Audrey

Are your readers a nuisance?

2008-06-04T16:51:00.001-04:00

Today I read an article by Charles Lambert regarding the atmosphere of bookstores in Italy. Here’s a link to the story: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/06/buying_books_in_italy_from_gro.html
He said something I’m going to blatantly take out of context.

“...the customer isn't right or wrong so much as a nuisance.”

Mr. Lambert was referring to bookstore clerks feeling this way; I can’t help but wonder if we writers often think of our readers in a similar fashion. If we value them, why do we bemoan and complain about having to get out there and promote our books? Don’t we want them to buy our books, read our stories? Putting in the face time, making them feel valuable and getting to know us is a big part of that. We treat book promotion, and our readers, like a nuisance...something bad to be avoided. Surely I cannot be the only person to see the backwardness in this.

An online publisher, I now work for, notes how their authors who heavily promote, have higher sales. I can see that. What you put into this is reflected by how much you get out of it. I learned that selling make up and it certainly applies to books.

I firmly believe promotion starts long before any book is ever sold. This is where you are out in the book community (be it online or in person), making yourself known and putting a friendly face to that name. Yep...branding YOU!

Then when that book comes out, you want people to see the promo or ad and say, “Hey, I know this author!” They’re far more likely to hand over their hard-earned money to someone they’ve come to know and trust than someone who shows up on an email list or message board for the first time to promote their new book.

If you’re uncomfortable calling them online friends, then how about acquaintances? We all understand the friendliness we can share with coworkers and customers in the “normal” job workplace. It’s just as important here.

One of the best ways is to make use of the online communities like MySpace, Facebook, Goodreads, Writerschatroom. You don’t need to give away your shoe size or social security number to anyone but you can open up a little to potential readers. Let them in on the writing process of a book you’re working on. They’ll want to buy it because they feel a vested interest in the project...after all, they were there with you through the writing.

Pat yourself on the back when those kudos come. People love to celebrate with one another. The plus side is it peels away a layer of that solitude writers are supposed to be famous for. Reaching out to readers is never a nuisance. It’s a necessity and not just for our pocketbooks...but for ourselves as human beings.

Remember: attitude is everything. If you go into it with optimism, it will reflect in your online relationships. These marketing sayings of how fifty-percent of promotion is useless or how it takes contact with a customer seven times for them to buy your product, don’t need to discourage you. Let it encourage you. You need seven contacts? Try for nine. Only getting fifty percent out of a hundred? Then shoot for two hundred. Let it justify in your mind, the time you ARE spending in promotion. All you need do is schedule an hour of your time a day. Give it a try!

When you are not your work

2008-05-28T20:05:00.003-04:00

Recently we had a guest on Writers Chatroom, Bruce Cook, who said, "You are not your work." He said this responding to a question about handling rejections. Anyone who submits their work for publication learns to deal with those. We have to suffer the momentary sting and then let it roll off our backs.

I know what you're thinking: Easier said than done. How many of us put our hearts and souls into our writing? ALL of us. We put our thoughts and ideas out there in our stories. So many writers admit to having a part of themselves in every character. Interviewers often ask about this symbiotic relationship between us and our writing. It's ourselves we are baring for the world. So how then do we take this advice and accept that we are not our work when it seems to us that it is as much of our flesh and blood as our children are?

Taking his words to heart simply means the rejections are aimed at the work and not you. The rejection letter or email is saying , "this story is not right for us at this time." They are not making personal judgements of you as a person, but accessing if this piece fits into the puzzle which makes up their publication. It is a good idea to take any personal comments included to heart and consider revising but remember rejections are only the opinion of one person's perceptions of their needs for that moment. They're not rejecting you for all time, just this particular piece.

It's that moment when our work goes from being our creation to a product to sell that you are no longer your work. Just as our children do when they're grown, the pieces become entities unto themselves. I hope you'll remember this the next time you recieve a rejection. Call them badges of honor. Send them another story and find a new home for the rejected piece. Believe me, the peace of mind is well worth it.

New Way to Blurb!

2008-05-25T14:28:00.001-04:00

To generate buzz for her latest project, author Lisa Logan blurbs excerpts of her latest WIP's...by posting her favorite line written each day. http://authorlisalogan.blogspot.com/

Go check it out! You never know what new ideas you will get.

Publishing After 50?

2008-05-21T16:18:00.003-04:00

Many of our members are well on their way to the Golden Years. Does this mean it's too late to get published? Of course not!!! You just have to be sure you aren't making mistakes that will doom you before you get started. Let an agent steer you straight...

"If you’re an older author trying to break into the publishing industry, it can be remarkably depressing to constantly hear the latest buzz about breakout novels from writers who aren’t even old enough to buy beer. The phenomenon is nothing new. Christopher Paolini wrote his bestselling novel Eragon when he was only 15. Helen Oyeyemi received a six-figure advance for The Icarus Girl at 20. And Kaavya Viswanathan’s roller coaster ride from literary “it” girl to accused plagiarist began when she was just a sophomore at Harvard University. But these are merely the modern equivalents of Mary Shelley, whose Frankenstein was published when she was 19 years old, and S.E. Hinton, whose iconic first novel, The Outsiders, hit the shelves before her 17th birthday."

Read the rest of the article here.

It's back!

2008-05-07T15:53:00.002-04:00

Yes, the forum is finally back. Our "quick and simple upgrade" didn't go well. It put our board out of commission for nearly two weeks, and had Kim, Renee and I tearing our hair out.

The backup got corrupted, so we lost all the old posts and the old member list. The only option left was to start from scratch.

So now the three of us are bald, but the new forum is bright, shiny and new! Go register, and start annoying Renee. She lives for that, ya know. ;)

The forum is at http://www.writerschatroom.com/forum
See you there!

Audrey

The Writer's Chatroom Forum

2008-05-03T08:52:00.002-04:00

You know how nothing ever goes exactly as planned? Maybe we should plan the other way first? Wink.

I want to say, Thank You, for your patience during the discussion board upgrade. The bugs are not yet worked out. We're working on it and hopefully, they'll be ready to go in the next few days.

In the mean time, I encourage you to check out the chats on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. They're still great places to hang out with your writing buddies and exchange thoughts or silliness.

What do you want?

2008-04-30T17:39:00.003-04:00

Here at TWC we do our best to educate, inspire and support all our members. We bring you authors who are enjoying success at different levels, so you can find out how they did it. We discuss topics that are important to all writers. We provide links to things that we think you will be interested in, or that you should know more about.

What we need from you is FEEDBACK.

What parts of our website do you use? What could work better, and how?

Do we bring in the guests you want to talk to? What genres are we missing? What other guests would you like to see? (Yes, we'd all like to chat with an agent. I'm still working on that one.)

Do you miss our topic chats? Would you like to see more of them?

What topics would you like us to workshop in chat?

The Writer's Chatroom is for your education and edification. We can only provide what you need if you tell us what that is.

You are a writer, right? You have something to say, don't you?

The Comment link is right below this post. Use it and...

SPEAK UP!

Audrey

Comic books to end the war on terror!

2008-04-23T16:23:00.004-04:00

Okay, that might be pushing it a bit. But there is a new comic series out there that could make a difference. (Reference Newsweek story)

"The 99" is a new superhero comic series. (Download the first issue here.) Just like any other superhero series, some are good and some are bad. One side wants world peace, the other wants world domination. "The 99" is X-Men or Justice League, Muslim style.

Yes, I said Muslim. "The 99" is based on Muslim history and traditions. The superheros are based on the 99 attributes of Allah. Examples: Jabbar is a Hulk-like figure of enormous strength; Noora has power over light; Darr is the inflictor of pain; Raqib is the watcher.

"The 99"'s website says : "When the Tigris River turned black with ink from the books of Baghdad's greatest library, 99 mystical gem stones were used to absorb the knowledge... and then were thought to be lost forever. These mystical gems -- known as the Noor Stones -- have now been discovered centuries later, as 99 heroes unlock the powers within them. A lone scholar dedicates his life to uniting these gem bearers as a force for good: THE 99! But is he up to the challenge when the first gem bearer has the power to level a city with a sneeze?"

Personally, I think anything that helps the east and west understand each other better is a good thing. And all lasting change begins by changing the ideas children grow up with. Maybe there is a Noor Stone to end Jihad. Let's hope so.

Audrey

Free Online Writer's Conference

2008-04-16T18:37:00.003-04:00

TWC member Karina Fabian (one of the conference organizers) said you don't have to be Catholic to attend this conference. You don't even have to be religious, as long as you respect other attendees' rights to be religious.

Conferences can be vital to a writer's career, but the time and expense of traveling to distant conferences, hotel rooms, meals, etc, make it impossible for a lot of writers to attend. You can't beat the price of this one...FREE!

PS: I will be presenting my Branding Workshop at the conference.

Catholic Writers to Hold Online Conference

World Wide Web--Writers, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals from around the world are gearing up for the first annual Catholic Writers’ Conference Online, which will be held May 2-9, 2008, and is sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild and Canticle magazine. The online conference is free of charge and open to writers of all levels for those who register by April 25.

Tim Drake, veteran journalist who will be presenting at the conference, says he thinks the conference is worthwhile for all faith-based writers. “I think writers of every stripe, from beginners to seasoned veterans, can always stand to learn something new. This conference provides an opportunity to learn a few tricks of the trade, without having to spend an arm and a leg to get there.”

Author and editor Carolyn Howard-Johnson, who with conference chair Karina Fabian will be conducting seminars designed to help authors put their “Best Book Forward,” concurs. “It's never too early to learn more about what we love…. When we put ourselves out there, the universe seems to bring us exactly what we need. When we close down on opportunity for whatever reason, we miss getting what we should.”

New seminar and chat topics are being added constantly, including seminars on character and dialogue development, virtual book tours, how to get grants and other money with your writing, trends in fiction, world building, and connecting with a secular audience. Presenters and chat hosts include Vinita Wright (Loyola Press), Maya Bohnhoff, Tim Powers, Mark Shea (Catholic Exchange), Hope Clark (Funds for Writers), Sr. Maria Grace Dateno, FSP (Pauline Books & Media), Bert Ghezzi (Word Among Us), and Brian Saint-Paul (Crisis/Inside Catholic).

“We’re very happy with the caliber of publishing professionals who have volunteered to participate in this first conference,” says event co-chair Heidi Hess Saxton, editor of Canticle magazine. “There is a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction as well as book and magazine publishing represented here. Something for everyone … and you can’t beat the price!” Although the conference is offered free of charge, donations are accepted; proceeds will go toward future conferences.

Hope Clark, author of “Funds for Writers” is also optimistic about the event’s success. “I see writers … unable to run from conference to conference, seated before a computer soaking up information, taking notes, excited about finding answers to questions they didn't even know they had. I see writers walking away from this conference excited again about being writers.”

Early registration is recommended, as some courses will have limited openings that will be filled on a first-come, first serve basis. To register or for more information, go to http://www.conference.catholicwritersguild.org/.

Free Books!

2008-04-09T18:27:00.003-04:00

You don't become a writer if you don't enjoy reading. If you want to be an effective writer, you must read both good and bad writing, so you learn to tell the difference. But where do you get all this reading material? Buy it? Libraries? Trade with friends? All good ideas.

Or you could get free books.

The first place I want to recommend is our Sunday chats. Our guests nearly always give away a free book. All you have to do to be eligible is show up. It doesn't get much easier than that.

There are other places to get free books, and I hit them all. You can too. Most involve signing up for a mailing list. But what's wrong with receiving an email saying "Come over and win a free book!" I welcome emails like that.

If you're into ebooks (and who isn't, especially if they're free!), Tor is sharing. Sign up for their Watch the Skies newsletter, and you will get a free ebook download every week. Yes, EVERY WEEK! A free ebook and book wallpapers you can download to your computer.

This is for a limited time, so don't wait. Go get what they're offering. I got a kick out of their statement on the site: "This program will end when the site launches, but you can keep the free books; we won’t be erasing them with our orbital attack electromagnets. (Yet.) Did we mention, watch the skies?"

Harper Collins is getting into the act too. "Eos is 10 years old! To kick-off our yearlong anniversary party, we're giving away free e-books! Every two months for 2008, we'll give away a new free e-book at www.harpercollinsebooks.com/eos10 ." I just got a new novel by Raymond Feist.

I haven't found anyone who gives away thousands of print books, but there are contests where you get a chance to win them.

Every week, Great American Book Giveaway does exactly what it says it will...it gives books away. All you have to do is visit the website, choose one of the five books they are spotlighting that week, type in your email address and click a button. You will receive an email thanking you for registering. At the end of the week, you will receive an email telling you if you won or not, and inviting you to check out the next week's selections. I haven't won there yet, but I've added a lot of books to my want-to-read list.

Every month, BookBitch offers dozens of free books. All it takes is an email to enter. I just received "Slip of the Knife" by Denise Mina, because I was a winner in February!

A lot of authors have contests for their newsletter members. I've won several books that way too. Found a couple guests for the chatroom by winning free books. Wrote a lot of reviews too.

So there are a few places to start with. Where do you go to get free books?

Audrey

Are We Ready to P-A-R-T-Y!?!

2008-03-30T18:06:00.001-04:00

The "Show--Not Tell" Virtual Book Tour is almost a wrap and we've been gearing up all month for the "Launch P-A-R-T-Y!" for debut author Jordan Dane. Be here Sunday March 30th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern US time. (The virtual bar will be open, but feel free to BYOB.) The place: The Writer's Chatroom, of course!

Since March 5th, "newcomer" Jordan Dane has been the guest of honor at 7 virtual book tour stops sponsored by The Writer's Chatroom. She's been open to all questions and has shared personal and business information with anyone who stopped by. The last stop on the tour is hosted by Glenn Walker, founder of TWC, on March 29th at http://www.monsura.blogspot.com/

There will be prizes galore up for grabs at the P-A-R-T-Y. Every person who interacted with Jordan at the VBT stops, except for the host at each tour stop, is eligible to win one of FIVE gift cards to B&N bookstores. (If the hosts stopped by at other tour stops, they are eligible and entered there.) The more comments left by each person, the more chances to win. So far, Tina M. Russo holds the record for having the most entries. Her prize for that? Just click on her name/hotlink to her website. It's all about the marketing, folks. (Tina has a very nice website, btw.)

More opportunities to win prizes:
The Browse Inside Link: http://tinyurl.com/28nd9x
Jordan's contest page: http://www.jordandane.com/contest.php

And ... there will be even MORE prizes given away during the P-A-R-T-Y!

Jordan sold SIX books to Avon/HarperCollins before the first one, No One Heard Her Scream, was released on March 25th. She has back-to-back releases in April and May for the next two! And, she's currently at work on her next series.

Don't know about you, but I wannabe like Jordan! I want to learn just how she managed to do that, how she markets, how she plans her stories, how she sells them, and how she plans to get to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list! If you're a Jordan wannabe like me, check out what she had to say at the VBT stops:

Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com
Linda J. Hutchinson at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com
Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/
Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/
Cricket Sawyer at http://www.Cricketshearth.blogspot.com
Diana Castilleja at http://dianacastilleja.blogspot.com
Renee' Barnes at http://msqtpi.livejournal.com/
Glenn Walker at http://www.monsura.blogspot.com/

See you at the "Launch P-A-R-T-Y!" on March 30th at TWC!

Linda J. Hutchinson
TWC team member/moderatorFreelance writer/copywriter
www.lindajhutchinson.com

WHAT A TRIP!

2008-03-26T18:36:00.002-04:00

If you’ve been reading these announcements you’re aware that we have been conducting a Virtual Book Tour for debut author Jordan Dane for over a month.

We’re down to the final stretch—and who better to bring it home than The Writer’s Chatroom’s own—Renee’ Barnes and Glenn Walker!

Stop by these last two stops on the tour to find out even more about our featured author—who sold SIX books to Avon HarperCollins before the first one hit print.

Jordan is a dynamo! She not only writes well but understands the publishing industry and knows how to market herself. Learn from her while imagining yourself in her position. She is one to watch, one to learn from, and one to emulate if you want to be a successful novelist. “If you can see it and believe it, you can achieve it!”

Every comment you leave at a tour stop enters you to win one of many fabulous prizes!

March 26 Renee’ Barnes at http://msqtpi.livejournal.com/
March 29 TWC founder Glenn Walker at http://www.monsura.blogspot.com/

More opportunities to win prizes:
The Browse Inside Link: http://tinyurl.com/28nd9x)
Jordan’s contest page: http://www.jordandane.com/contest.php

And then GET READY TO P-A-R-T-Y! Sunday, March 30th is the date and you are invited! The party starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern US time. http://writerschatroom.com

If you’ve missed any of the tour stops, please stop in before the P-A-R-T-Y! to read the interviews with Jordan. Be ready to L-A-U-N-C-H your burning questions at her this coming Sunday.

Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com
Linda J. Hutchinson at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com
Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/
Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/
Cricket Sawyer at http://www.Cricketshearth.blogspot.com
Diana Castilleja at http://dianacastilleja.blogspot.com

Win! Win! Win!

2008-03-18T12:10:00.003-04:00

Visit each stop of the Jordan Dane Virtual Book Tour and leave a comment (with your name). Each stop enters you into the drawing to be held at the live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th. (Up for grabs are FIVE $20 gift cards to B&N bookstores.)

Stop by Jordan’s website: Jordan Dane says, “By going to my website contest page, you get an exclusive sneak peek inside my book-up to 20% of it. And to celebrate my first release, my publisher is giving you three different ways to WIN MY BOOK or OTHER BOOKS from HarperCollins. Click on the links below for more details.”

The Browse Inside Link: http://tinyurl.com/28nd9x)

Visit Jordan’s contest page: http://www.jordandane.com/contest.php

Show up for the live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th! Who knows what might be up for grabs there! After all is said and done, this is TWC.

Next up on the tour:
March 19 Cricket Sawyer at http://www.cricketshearth.blogspot.com/
March 22 Diana Castilleja at http://dianacastilleja.blogspot.com/
March 26 Renee’ Barnes at http://msqtpi.livejournal.com/
March 29 TWC founder Glenn Walker at http://www.monsura.blogspot.com/

Jordan has had plenty to say in our TWC interviews. If you haven’t already done so, visit these previous stops for some first-hand info on how to succeed as a novelist:

Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com/
Linda J. Hutchinson at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com/
Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/
Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/

Do You Wannabe Like Jordan (Dane, that is)?

2008-03-16T12:54:00.001-04:00

We’ve certainly had some great comments during each stop of the Virtual Book Tour for Jordan Dane.

Why was she chosen to be our first vic … I mean featured author? Because she has a very professional website. Because she has a very professional blog. Because she has a presence on MySpace and other networking sites around the ‘Net. Because she attends every writer’s conference she can possibly get to to network with successful writers, editors, agents. Because she promotes herself as a professional writer.

She isn’t resting on her laurels after having sold SIX books to Avon HarperCollins before the first one hit print.

If you’re like me and wannabe like Jordan, take a look at how you’re promoting yourself. Does your website look like a novice put it together? Do you remember to blog more than once a month? Do you network with other writers?

Or do you do like too many very good should-be-published writers … and hunker down in the corner pretending that you’ve done everything you can and the publishing world and all its agents are against you?

Think about that as you visit the next stops on The Writer’s Chatroom’s “Show—Not Tell” virtual book tour featuring debut author Jordan Dane. Jordan and Avon HarperCollins are offering opportunities to win great prizes all along the tour.

Next up:
March 19 Cricket Sawyer at http://www.Cricketshearth.blogspot.com
March 22 Diana Castilleja at http://dianacastilleja.blogspot.com

Give yourself every advantage to learn from this marketing dynamo—who just happens to also be a very good writer—and read the interviews and comments at previous stops:

Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com
Linda J. Hutchinson at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com
Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/
Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/

And don’t forget to come to the “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th! There are prizes galore!

Now She's Gone and Done it!

2008-03-12T15:51:00.002-04:00

As if offering up five $20 gift cards to B&N bookstores for the drawing on March 30th (from those who leave comments on TWC’s “Show—not tell” Virtual Book Tour) wasn’t enough ...

As if giving away hot-off-the-presses copies of NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM at the live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th wasn’t enough ...

Ohhhhhhh, nooooooooooooooooo. Not good enough for debut author Jordan Dane—who is teaching us all how to launch ourselves into the world of “published author” status.

Now she’s got her publisher, Avon HarperCollins, involved in it. And they’re giving away books, too!

This just in from Jordan under the heading of “More Fun Stuff”:

New 3-Ways to Win Contest

“HarperCollins has graciously offered a wonderful incentive to promote the debut of my suspense novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM, upcoming release March 25th.”

“By going to my website contest page, you get an exclusive sneak peek inside my book-up to 20% of it. And to celebrate my first release, my publisher is giving you three different ways to WIN MY BOOK or OTHER BOOKS from HarperCollins. Click on the links below for more details.”

Well … there was a big ol’ hurkin’ link inserted, but our very first Virtual Book Tour host Billie Williams shortened it for us. Here it is, The Browse Inside Link: http://tinyurl.com/28nd9x

And here is a link for a contest on Jordan’s website to promote the Browse Inside post, listing the three ways to win: http://www.jordandane.com/contest.php

Jordan adds, “No obligation of course, but feel free to forward or post. I'd appreciate it.”

This VBT just gets better and better! The next stops on the tour:
March 15 Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/
March 19 Cricket Sawyer at http://www.Cricketshearth.blogspot.com

Jordan has had plenty to say in our TWC interviews. If you haven’t already done so, visit these previous stops for some first-hand info on how to succeed as a novelist:

Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com
Linda J. Hutchinson at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com
Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/

Recap of the First Two Stops of Jordan Dane's Virtual Book Tour

2008-03-09T12:50:00.004-04:00

What a wonderful time we've had interviewing and visiting with Jordan Dane on The Writer's Chatroom's virtual book tour!

Her first stop was at the blog home of Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com. Yesterday, Jordan was my guest at http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com.

If you'd like first-hand information on how to write the query that gets noticed by an agent--and several publishers--visit Billie's and my blogs to read the interviews and comments. Jordan shares information freely on how to get it done!

Next stops on the tour:

March 12 Kim Richards at http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/
March 15 Lisa Haselton at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com/reviewsandinterviews/

Not only are the interviews with Jordan very large nuggets of gold, but she interacts "live" with those adding comments on the blogs. AND, everyone who comments during this tour is entered to win in Jordan's contest. The winners will be announced during the live chat at The Writer's Chatroom on March 30th.

Keep writing--and learning about the publishing industry.

Linda

Next Virtual Book Tour Stop of Debut Author Jordan Dane

2008-03-06T10:38:00.000-05:00

Debut author Jordan Dane was in top form at the first stop of The Writer's Chatroom's "SHOW--NOT TELL" virtual book tour at the blog home of Billie Williams. http://printedwords.blogspot.com

Next stop? My own blog: http://www.reviewhutch.blogspot.com on March 8th.

Please feel free to leave comments. Since Jordan has thrown a contest into the fray, your comments automatically enter you into a drawing for one of FIVE $20 gift cards to—what else?—a great bookstore. Winners will be announced at the live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th at THE WRITER'S CHATROOM. We'll also be drawing for those valuable first copies of NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM at the party.

Here's my review:
Title: No One Heard Her Scream
by Jordan Dane
Avon Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780061252785

Dani Montgomery is but one of the missing, and presumed dead, young women from around San Antonio, TX. She is the focus, and the force, of tough homicide detective Rebecca Montgomery. When Becca is told to stay away from the investigation into Dani’s disappearance, her boss puts her on another case—that of a body found behind a brick wall in an old theater that has been torched.

As Becca investigates the crime scene she realizes she’s being watched by more than one stranger, but one is deliciously tall, dark and dangerous. When she visits the former owner of the theater, a notorious mob boss, she is loathe to find her stranger is his enforcer.

Becca trusts her gut to tie it all together, with the help of one watchful stranger and without the help of the other.

Piecing together evidence at the theater gives rise to the title. NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM by debut author Jordan Dane is a romantic thriller with all the great elements; intrigue, debauchery, retribution and redemption—with libido to match.

Reviewed by: Linda J. Hutchinson http://www.lindajhutchinson.com

2008-03-03T16:29:00.003-05:00

WE KNOW HOW TO P-A-R-T-Y!! AT TWC!

And here is where we start a month-long celebration of "Show, don't tell!"

One year ago Jordan Dane’s name popped up on my MySpace friend request list. She had already sold three novels to a major publishing house. A few months later, she sold three more to the same house.

Her FIRST novel, NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM will be available April 8th.

Jordan Dane is “one to watch” if you’d like to see how the marketing and networking part of being an author is done—and done well.

We’ll be hosting a live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th at The Writer’s Chatroom. Plan on stopping by to meet Jordan. The virtual bar will be open and you're welcome to BYOB. Come on by to "meet" Jordan after you've read all of her interviews.

In the meantime, please visit this week’s Virtual Book Tour stops as Jordan visits with Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com on March 5th.

The next stop will be at my review site, http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com on March 8th.

And … just to whet your whistle, here is the first of our reviews, by TWC founder Glenn Walker.

NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM
by Jordan Dane
Avon Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780061252785

When her teenaged sister disappears and is assumed dead, homicide detective Becca Montgomery is obsessed with finding out what happened. When given a different case to divert her attention she falls into the arms of a charming mob enforcer and soon they find both cases may be related.

Jordan Dane is a mistress of the metaphor and a sorceress of the simile. She uses words as a weapon and the pace never stops. Her characters and their personalities seem as if drawn by a modern day Chandler. Her sense of place is delightful as the flavor of San Antonio comes alive within the pages. This romantic suspenser is a must-read for the genre.

By Glenn Walker http://www.monsura.blogspot.com and http://www.comicwidows.com

DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE US A COMMENT AS YOU VISIT EACH STOP OF THE TOUR. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU AS YOU LEARN HOW JORDAN IS GETTING IT DONE.

Linda
(aka J'linn Kramer)
www.lindajhutchinson.com
http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/lindajhutchinson