1 Star Reviews and What You Should do About them

Stupid, hokey, awful, unbelievable, stinks, worst book ever, gibbering descriptions, ridiculous, dumbed down.

Yes, these are words used in the few 1 Star reviews I've received for "Sundered."

Why would I share them with you? Because we all get 1 and 2 star reviews, no matter our genre, writing ability, years in the business or how dang nice we are as people, we get them. And if you want your  books to be read by a lot of people, get used to the idea that those people will share their opinions with you and you can't make everyone happy.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Young, green and impressionable or sensitive authors take note as arguing with reviewers is a SERIOUS NO-NO so don't do it.There is only one thing you can do as an author when you receive reviews like this . . . .

 

 

 

Write another book; prove them wrong, and your fans right.

Rampaging cows, gardens and . . .life?

My veggie garden is one of the few domestic things that I do well, and enjoy. Between my day job and my writing, I don’t have a lot of time for any extra’s. But I make time for our veggie garden because what it produces not only fills our bellies with healthy, tasty food; it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Starting the seeds way back in early March, sometimes even late February, I tend to them, watering and keeping the weeds under control.

Most of the seeds take some time to get going, but by May we start to eat out of the garden. Radishes, peas, beans and sometimes even some early lettuce is the start of our summer garden fresh eating.

My husband has cows. Young, naughty, “teenage” cows. More on this later.

With the garden in full swing last week, I was excited. We had family coming and the veggies were ready to be eaten. Corn, carrots, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries and onions; green and jalapeño peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes were on the cusp of perfection.

Did I mention that my husband has cows?

The DAY before our guests arrived, I got up early, fed and watered the livestock and stumbled back towards the house in a half awake daze. So it’s perfectly understandable that my initial reaction to my decimated garden was one of complete and utter shock. It looked as though a tornado had ripped through, stealing all my veggies and tearing everything up.

The cows had broken into my garden overnight and stripped it bare. Not only had they eaten everything to the quick, they had actually climbed into my waist high raised beds leaving their footprints as evidence to their heinous crimes. Bent signs and a ripped fence with a tuft of black fur on it was all they’d left behind. Not a single, edible piece of anything was left for us. The little buggers had even cleaned out my compost pile which had some volunteer veggies in it.

Once I’d woken my husband up (nicely of course, after all, it was his cows) and he’d patched up the hole, I threw in the towel as far as my garden went. For the next week and a half while the company visited, I didn’t touch my garden. No water, no weed picking. After all, it was completely ripped apart, eaten, trampled and empty of anything left. It was done and so was I.

Then last night, I decided to take a peek in the garden, why I don’t know.

One string of cucumbers had survived, the corn that had been bent, broken and stripped of all its leaves where it wasn’t pulled out, was making an attempt to grow.  I grabbed my hose, watered and pulled weeds, astounded at what I was finding. Everything was still fighting to live.

What has this got to do with anything besides cows and gardens?

Well, just this. No matter how many times the “cows” trample our “gardens” as long as we are still fighting to grow, to feed that which is important to us, there is no such thing as a loss. I may not get all the veggies I’d hoped for, but next year will be better. I’ll build a better fence, and learn from the mistakes of this year. Which will make next year’s garden only bigger; with nicer veggies, and more to share with others.

It’s the same with life, writing, art or whatever it is that seems to be a struggle for us. As long as when the “cows” come in and trample all our precious seeds and starts we buckle down, learn the lesson we needed to learn and continue on, next year will be better.

And if not, I only have one other solution.

Eat the cows.

Women are Crazy: Part 1

The Following post was fun to write, so please read it in the same spirit of fun.

I am a woman, and what I am about to admit to you, is a hard truth, BUT it is the truth. That is the first step to recovery from this *ahem* madness.

I Am Crazy.

I don’t mean in a clinically diagnosed, I- can –take- medication- to- smooth- things- out- crazy. I mean crazy because of the simple fact that I have feminine hormones. You know, the ones ladies. They make us moody, cranky, hyper, horny, not horny, indecisive, decisive, sad, happy, and all of that in the space of a single day.

All women are crazy. We just don’t like to admit it, as if this will somehow give the men the upper hand. Which it won’t, because we have things that they want and can only get from us. (Use your imagination, I ain’t going to spell that one out.)

This is not something we can change, we are born with the crazy gene attached to the hormone estrogen. Do I have scientific fact of this? No. I have, however seen this play out far too many times in real life, not to acknowledge that ALL WOMEN ARE CRAZY. It doesn’t matter their age, or culture. Me included. Don’t try to deny it, don’t get your panties in a twist and leave a nasty note, all that does is confirm what it is I’m writing here.

You, yes, you my friend, are as nutty as I am. The worst part? Often, even WE don’t know why we do the crazy things we do.

A quick breakdown of the numbers that I have calculated inside my head. 95% of women are crazy, they are openly bonkers, saying and doing things that not only make you shake your head, but leave you wondering how they make it through life from day to day. The other 5% (I put myself in this category) are ALSO crazy. But we have learned to hide it from the general populace. My poor husband, though, he gets to see the “dark” side of me, and often comments on how I’m going to be a weird old lady with a hundred cats one day. Yes, true love it is.

But below I’ve put together (Okay, actually stolen a great deal from AA) 12 steps that can help you go from the 95% into the 5%. Of course, if you are reading this, nodding and laughing, you are probably already in the 5%. Or so far gone, we can’t save you.

1.     We admit we are powerless over the crazy gene—that our lives have become unmanageable because of it.(My husband is rolling on the floor with this one)

2.     We have come to believe that SOMETHING could restore us to sanity. I have yet to find out what this is, but surely SOMEONE will figure it out.(Maybe chocolate? I’m thinking that wine will only add to the crazy.)

3.     Make a decision to use our Craziness, ONLY for good, and not for evil. Hard, but doable. Think about the words that are coming out of your mouth before they leave your lips. A good filtration system is the first step to appearing sane.

4.     Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. But not TOO deep as we may just find more crazy below the first layer. Which would be bad. Really bad. Especially if we let it out.

5.     Admit to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our craziness. Being crazy, I believe it will be more of a matter of limiting that number to only one other person. You know what I’m talking about, the whole world doesn’t need to know you convinced your husband/spouse to shave his body hair into patterns.

6.     We’re ready to acknowledge our craziness completely, recognizing that it will always be a part of us, and IN FACT, get progressively worse with age and hormone fluctuations if we do not now, try to keep it in check.

7.     We ask that those around us accept our craziness, recognizing that it is indeed a part of us, and help to keep us from going totally off the rails.

8.     Make a list of all persons we have exposed to our craziness to in one form or another and try to explain it away. Actually, don’t do this, it will only add to their perception that you are bonkers when you try to explain the logic behind giving your cat a hair cut like a poodle and dying it’s fur pink. Not to mention, the dress you put it in.

9.     We will make direct amends to such people whenever possible. Ah, this is where the wine and chocolate comes in.

10.    Continue to take personal inventory, and when we are being crazy, promptly admit it. Again, only to one person. If you grab every person on the street and shout “I’m being Crazy!” that kind of defeats the purpose.

11.   Recognize that it is only through serious control that we, as women, can begin to change the perception of those around us. You know, make them believe we aren’t crazy, when indeed we are just hiding it well. (We all want to be in the 5%)

12.  Have had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all women, so that the craziness shall diminish in the world. And men will shut the hell up about how damn nutty we are. =)

If you'd like to admit your craziness to the world in the comments section, please feel free to do so.

Check in later this week to read about my post on the benefits to the Madness that is Woman.

A Vacationing Muse Sucks

*I originally wrote this as a guest post for Kriss Morton over at The Cabin Goddess when the poor gal was sicker than a dog's dinner. Thought I'd share it with you.*

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. “My muse is on vacation. I can’t write/draw/create while my muse isn’t with me.”

Simple answer to this. Stop starving you muse. No, really, it is that easy. If you don’t piss your muse off, it won’t leave.

I’m going to share with you a few tips to get the muse moving again, for any type of creative endeavour.

First of all, you have to FEED it and I don’t mean junk food. Let me explain. Your muse is like any other muscle in your body, and if you feed it crap, it’s going to give you poop. Seriously. So sitting on the couch, watching “Married with Children” re-runs is going to make your writing sound like Al and Peggy arguing over the fact that they have no money. Irritating.

So, step 1. Avoid brain food junk. For me this is primarily TV. I avoid it. There are a few channels (History, Biography ) that can actually feed your muse, but even so, in small doses please and thank you. It can also come in the forms of anything that will cause you to procrastinate, things that will tie up your brain power. Another one for me is gaming. *Sigh* I love gaming, but haven’t done much simply because it takes my muse in a direction that makes it weak and slothful. Everyone will have different things that will slow the muse down, you need to figure out yours.

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what kind of things you can feed you muse, I mean, after all, this is Kriss’ blog and there’s always a recipe, right? Well, have no fear, there will be a recipe! But before we get there, let’s continue with building up your muse.

You might find your muse hiding on you because you overworked it (this is has been my case more than once) so the best thing is to first give it a rest. Literally. Do something different, out of your comfort zone that has NOTHING to do with your creativity. Need some examples?

*Go evil bunneh hunting ;p

*Try an extreme sport (this may only happen once)

*Skydiving

*Prep for the Iditarod

Okay, so maybe those are a bit much. Go for a walk, read a book by someone you admire, try a new, healthy recipe (like the one at the bottom of the post), engage with people on your social networks (to a small degree this can also be a distraction!), start a group that supports your type of creativity (Writers group, photography club, etc), go to a live play, or even try out some window shopping.

But what if you have a hard time getting started with your project, manuscript, or photo shoot right from the beginning? Well, just like training your physical muscles to run or lift weights, you can train your muse too.

Figure out what your muse likes. (For more on this see “Muse Food” by Amber Scott, a must have for any creative person)

What your muse wants might be a type of music, a particular chair to sit in when you work (I have a zebra striped bean bag chair that has become “THE CHAIR” for when I write), type of lighting (candles, overheads, lamps) and even certain smells. When you have certain things that always pertain to when you write/when your muse is going to work, they quickly become cues.

So even on a day that I don’t feel like writing, if I sit in my zebra bean bag chair, my muse turns on, I’ve cued it to go to work.

Now, that’s a quick course on the Muse. For more, you really should check out “Muse Food” by Amber Scott. It’s a must have for the library of any creatively minded person.

How about some brain food? A healthy source of just such a thing are avocados. Or in this case, in honour of Kriss who loves her bacon porn ------

BACON, SOURCREAM, AND AVOCADO OMLETTE

2 eggs
milk and/or mayonnaise
half of an avocado
sour cream
bacon, chopped
onions (optional)
salt and pepper
butter

cheese (optional)

In a separate bowl combine 2 eggs with mayonnaise and/or milk.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in separate skillet and cut into pieces.

In a large skillet, stir together butter and eggs, and cook over medium heat.

When the eggs are done, turn off the heat and add the bacon, sour cream, and avocado. Sprinkle on cheese. Mmm, melty cheese!

Fold over the egg carefully to finalize the omelette, let it cool and enjoy!

Urban Fantasy Sucks

Yes, that is actually what a reader of books in a public setting said to me, a writer of urban fantasy. (Classy eh?) Bad, I know, but then another, far more open individual in the group asked me a question that I felt was better suited to a blog post.

What are the challenges you face as a writer in your genre?

 Writing in the urban fantasy genre, and all it encompasses, the worry is getting type cast. “Oh, she only writes about vampires” or “Oh, all of her books are too scary.” It’s a big part of why I let my stories take whatever direction they want. I have books that are horror, urban fantasy, epic fantasy, romance and mystery. Then there are some that cross and blend those genres. My feeling is that in the past, the traditional publishing world authors often (and still do) get boxed into a certain “type” of writing. One only has to look as far as JK Rowling and the debate her new book is stirring up. It’s not a children’s fantasy, it won’t have magic or dragons, wands and wizards. Readers are freaking out that they might not like it, and some comments I’ve seen have gone as far as saying that they won’t read the book for fear of a let down.

To me, that is just silly. For all we know, Rowling’s next book could be a total success in the adult fiction world, perhaps even surpassing the Harry Potter books. But if she were to let herself be type cast, we’d never know.

Another problem IMO in the world of urban fantasy is the tendency for the writing to become just a re-hashing of other stories. If you want to stand out in this genre, and really get readers attention, then you need to write something unique, and this can be difficult. I’ve stumbled over this myself and have had to check my progress in my writing, step back and re-write sections that were becoming predictable.

The third thing I would say causes difficulty writing in this genre is not being taken seriously by other writers. There is still the mentality that if you write fantasy of any type you aren’t a “real” writer. Meaning that fantasy is sort of the McDonalds of the writing world to a lot of people.

My gut reaction to this is, people with this mentality haven’t read as much as they think they have. Authors of fantasy have some of the hardest storylines to write. We build worlds, new races, legends, along with everything else that is important to a storyline. Character arc, plot, theme, motivation and the prose itself.

But, I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I would never back down when someone asks me what I write. I like a challenge, I like feeling that I am growing as a writer and writing fantasy, urban or otherwise, is one way for me to do that.

So say it with me folks! "I am a writer and I write Fantasy!"

Author Alex Owens and "Kill Me": A Blood Chord Novel

What was the spark that started you down the path to writing?

To be honest, I don’t really remember. I was pretty young when I started making up stories in my head and not much older when I started writing them down. The creative spark of youth is a bit harder to hang onto over the years though, so I finally decided to get serious about writing within the last year or so.

Do you have a favorite scene or character in your book?

I have a few, but if I have to narrow it down I’ll go with the scene where the main character Claire is drawn to the bewitching sound of music coming from a convention booth. It is there that she first meets Bette and is encouraged to try her hand at the haunted violin that can only be played by the supernaturally gifted. Everything changes for Claire with that scene.

Boxers or briefs? Kidding! Do you write with a pen and paper, or go straight to the laptop?

Boxers, duh! Briefs might as well have neon superheroes printed on them. Seriously though, I started out handwriting, but l am too lazy to write out everything, then have to type it all over again. I even write small bits on my phone and paste them into the manuscript later, all in the name of saving time.

How long does it normally take you to write a rough draft?

That depends on my current level of procrastination. I’ve knocked out a full first draft in thirty days before, when life and motivation allowed. Other manuscripts I’ve worked on in fits-and-starts over the years—and they’re still not done.

What made you decide to go indie and not go after a more traditional publishing path?

If the right traditional deal came along I’d consider it, but there are things traditional publishers won’t touch, like novellas and short story collections. I enjoy writing those and it seemed a waste to just leave them on my hard drive. Plus, I don’t work well when I know it’s “work” so if I had to write according to someone else’s deadline and creative direction, it would eat at my soul. Well, not really, but it would sure feel like it.

What is the hardest part and best part about self-publishing for you?

Answering only to myself—that’s both the hardest and easier part about self-publishing. On one hand, I have complete creative control; I set the pace and tone and a book doesn’t go out of the door until I’m satisfied with it. On the other hand, if the book gets bad reviews or fails to find an audience, that falls all on me.

Any words of advice for up and coming (or still learning) authors?

You know those t-shirts you see everywhere now… the “Keep Calm and Carry On” ones? Being a writer is like that. Keep writing, no matter what. As long as you keep at it, working to craft the best story you can, the writing will improve and you will find your audience.

Book Blurb:

Three days ago, Claire was a wife, a mother, and very much alive... then the music called for her.

Claire has one goal for the conference-- to land a few whales so that her boss will give her a badly needed raise. She pitches and prays while courting the music industry elite until her plans are derailed by hotness-in-high-heels.

Bette is at the conference on a mission--to find a human with untapped talents that she can mold and control. Bette uses her cursed violin to lure Claire in with a haunting song, which unravels Claire's life as her new talents emerge. To make matters worse, Claire is attracted to two unlikely people-- Bette and her hunky associate, Gregor. Both can light Claire's fire, but is either of them the only one?

Unfortunately for Claire, life isn't all song lyrics and seduction. Tied to darkness by blood and power, Claire must harness her abilities if she has any hope of returning home to her daughter and regaining her former life... if that's what she really wants.

Kill Me (A Blood Chord Novel)

To contact Alex, try her on her website, Twitter or blog!

Website: QuirkyGurl.com

Twitter: @imaquirkygurl

Series Site: http://bloodchordseries.wordpress.com

Author Bio:

Alex Owens is a woman with little free time, which means she stays up all hours of the night putting pen to paper. By day she's June Cleaver in jeans, and by night she writes. Somewhere in the middle of all that she finds time to tend 'dem babies, fry up the bacon and curl up with a good book (or ten), much to the chagrin of her family. She's currently at work on her Blood Chord Series, with book one just released and book two due out in late summer 2012!

Character development, do you need it?

Developing your characters is SO important, a part of writing that cannot be left out if you want your readers to enjoy what you've written.


In particular, I find that pin-pointing masculine and feminine traits in my protagonists very necessary. If you don't have that nailed down yet, you're in luck.


Since I'm feeling generous today, I'd like to share my secret weapon that helps me remember that there is a massive difference in certain types of people . . . .a short clip that will open your eyes.  ;p

The Difference between a Newbie Writer and A Master

You’d think this would be obvious. But it isn’t, especially if you THINK you’re a Master.

In fact, I’m not sure I ever WANT to be a Master writer. Let me explain.

Being a newbie means you are in a constant state of learning, you’re willing to be humble enough to allow another writer, editor or reader teach you.

When you’re a Master, you know everything. You are supposed to have the answer to every plot problem, every character flaw, every marketing issue. And writers block? What’s that?

Being a newbie, if you make a mistake, you can be forgiven. You are after all new at this. ;p
When you’re a Master, a mistake is the death knell for your career. One “bad” book can really set you back.

Being a newbie, you can try different genres, stretch your wings and figure out if you CAN write erotic romance. Okay, no? No problem, back to children’s books.

When you’re a Master, every move you make is scrutinized, and dissected to the point where you might not ever stretch your wings. I mean, why, you’re a Master right? You don’t need to do anything else.

The funny thing about all this is that I KNOW writers who ACT like they are a Master in their genre, so much so, that they feel the need to be superior about EVERYTHING. I find this amusing, because they are so busy lording it over the rest of us, that they don’t keep writing.

So me, the newbie (and glad to be one) is happy to nod and smile, write my books and publish them regularly. I don’t think there are many writers out there that I would call TRUE Master’s of the art. Very few.

My gut feeling is that we should ALL remain in a mental state of being a newbie. That way, we can keep growing and learning, which of course is the whole trick with being a writer. Right?

Why your Novel bites, and Not in a Good way

Okay, if you know me, you know that I don’t pull punches. I don’t like it when people tell me I look nice when I know it looks as though I just crawled out of a sewer pipe. I hate it when people say that my writing is “Just great!” with that falsetto high pitch we all know means they are trying not to offend. It doesn’t help us improve ourselves when people placate us about how we look, or how we write.


So how do you figure out if your novel sucks and how can you fix it? Here are a few pointers I’ve picked up the hard, expensive way. Now pay attention, I’m only going to say this once!


-You have 90% narration, 5% flashbacks and 5% dialogue. Okay, let’s be honest, it takes a freaking MASTER to keep the attention of a reader with this kind of breakdown. MASTER, not NEWBIE. And if you’re reading this, even if you’ve got several books out, you’re a NEWBIE, just like me.

Up your dialogue people! Every time you step into narration and flashbacks, you SLOW your reader down. Way down. Might even put the book down. So try, really, really hard to “up” your dialogue. Turn that narration into a CONVERSATION.


-Your Characters all get along and float through life. Okay, conflict is #1 in a story. Who the hell cares if their lives are perfect? Mine isn’t, I sure don’t want to read about someone who has a better life than me. Readers want a story to show them just how BAD life can get and how the hero deals with it. Look at every chapter, if there isn’t some sort of conflict, put something new in. Maybe the evil stepmother we all thought was dead comes back to life as a zombie. Or maybe the husband who ran off with the sister was really poisoned and now needs to be rescued! The possibilities are endless regardless of the genre, so make your characters SUFFER!


- You are getting complaints in your reviews of TYPOS! Please, please, please get at least one editor to go over your book! If you can’t afford an editor, there are ALWAYS options. Beg another author, do a swap with them and give them an “edit” on their book while they do the same for yours. But dang, there is a reason you can’t get reviews, or that the reviews you do get are 3 stars at best (not including family and friends in this of course because we all make them give us 5 stars ;p).


Typos, dropping plot threads (e.g. A character shows up in chapter 1 but then never again and yet they seemed important, that is a dropped thread), and general issues with your “baby” (that I won’t go into here for sake of space) can be VASTLY improved by having someone in the industry do a pass. Not just your mom or your best friend. Someone who will tell you the truth, even if it makes you CRY!


-Last and final way to improve your book. Learn your strengths and play to them. I write FAST PACED, high octane books that always center on the power of relationships between loved ones. That is MY strength. I can’t write police procedurals, I’ve tried. I can’t write children’s books, the kids get nightmares. Figure out what your STRONG points are. Maybe you have a knack for building tension in scenes to the point of making people grip their books/Kindles in a white knuckle grasp. Build on that. Write emotional scenes so strong you bring tears to people’s eyes? Go for it! Full force on your strengths will make your book stand out from the crowd.


Don’t try to be something you aren’t.


In conclusion, in this shifting world of self publishing going head to head with the traditional publishers, we HAVE to stand out from the rest. Not because we are the best of the worst, but because we are the best of the best.

*Side note* Your chance at $150 in Amazon Gift cards ends Jaunuary 31st( I've extended the deadline)- for more details check out this post here.

Saying "Goodbye" to my Agent

Wow, never thought I'd title a post with that.

I know that some of you are grabbing your head in your hands, screaming at the computer. "Why?" I would have been that person not so long ago.

Here's the long and the short of it.

 Advances in traditional market are low right now. Really, really low. Why would I tie up a novel in a one to two year process for $2500 (on a good day) when I could put it out myself; in that two year period make that same money, and then some, on my own? That route doesn't make as much sense as it once did, nor is it as potentially profitable.

 Would you rather chase after a publishing house or have them come to you? I choose to HOPE that by publishing on my own, they will come to me. And if they don't? I'll survive. I'll just need each of you to buy 10 books. ;p

The traditional world of publishing is 1, maybe 2 books a year. With the way things are now, readers don't have the patience they once did to wait for a year. We should be putting out (this is from a kindle bestseller) 3-4 books a year if you want to keep your readers from forgetting about you and moving on to the next authors work.

You'll never get that with a traditional publisher.

Finally, and most importantly, my agent just didn't have time for me, as much as she made a last ditch effort to connect with me. I've been with her for over a year, the last 7 months she's been MIA due to personal issues, but even before that, I was having to dodge her heels to make things happen. That is not my job. My job is to write. I'm grateful she thought well enough of me to take me on, but that isn't enough, not in this market.

So that's it, those are my reasons without getting into the nitty, gritty detailas as to why I left my agent, and am striking out completely on my own. Maybe you have reasons, different than mine, to go indie too?

Shagging the Muse with author Jonathan Allen

It's always exciting to learn about an author and I am happy to have Jonathan Allen on my blog today so you can have just that chance.

1.First off, tell us about your writing. Is this a full time career or are you writing on the side while doing a “day job”?

That’s always such a tricky question to answer, because the answer is somewhere in between. I do write full-time for a living, as both a technical writer and a freelance writer (mostly handling government reports and analyses), so on some level I guess that makes me a full-time writer. The thing is, I’d also like to be a full-time novelist, which in my mind is very different. Still, I try to bring some of my fiction writing sensibilities to my technical writing job. It’s not that hard to weave an effective narrative out of even simple directions, if you use the language correctly.


2. The Kayson Cycle, tell us about the novel and how long it took you from start to up to the point where you are getting it on Amazon.

The Kayson Cycle arose from my entry in the Rule of Three Renaissance Blogfest. I’ve been knee-deep in editing my next book, due out at the end of November, as well as working on the next book, so I don’t know what I was thinking taking on another story, even if it is a short story. In the end, though, I fell in love with the characters and the situation. That always holds my interest, and so the story took roughly a month from start to publication.

The story itself is about a bartender (Kayson) who once worked with his brother performing faith healing in a traveling show. Twelve years after they go their separate ways and his brother vanishes into the desert, a strange man walks into Kayson’s bar. This man says he knows the location of Kayson’s long-lost brother, but needs his help in recruiting his brother to heal the stranger’s wife, who is dying of a plague that’s sweeping the countryside. What follows is a roller-coaster ride of betrayal, death, and redemption.

3. Favourite munchy food/beverage while working on your writing, we all have at least one so spill!

Haha! Only one? Seriously, I’m a fiend for any sort of Mountain Dew. Caffeine has always been the writer’s friend and I unfortunately can no longer have coffee, so I take what I can get. I’m also completely addicted to Nerds candy, and no longer allow them near my desk since I can’t be sane about them!

4. What sparked your interest in writing, what made you think, “hey, I could do that”.

I started out very young, so it’s kind of hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, but I do know that the 1982 film Tron sparked my interest in a sequel, so I started writing up my own version of the sequel. That would have been either in 1982 or 1983, when I was 6 or 7. Since then, it’s just been a matter of refining what I do. So yes, I basically started in fanfiction, at a very young age.

5. Favourite classic book and then favourite modern book.

Classic, I’d go with the Glass Bead Game (Magister Ludi) by Hermann Hesse. There’s a great description of exactly why I like it on Amazon: “The book is an intricate bildungsroman about humanity's eternal quest for enlightenment and for synthesis of the intellectual and the participatory life.” That sort of thing has always fascinated me – looking at how we pursue that which is larger than ourself. Modern book, without a doubt, is Imajica by Clive Barker. The depth of imagination and world building in that book is without parallel.

6. Thing you like the least about the publishing world right now.

Oh, no, this is a surefire way to get me started. In fact, my problem might be narrowing it down. I suppose my least-favorite part would be the methods by which traditional publishing refuses to acknowledge that the world is changing around them – why does it cost more to buy an eBook from the Big Six than a paperback? It makes no sense unless they’re protecting the hardcover market, something that I’ve thought should long be obsolete.

7. Thing you like the best about the publishing world right now.

The newfound community among writers. I think there’s always been something of that going on, between corresponding and conferences, but now we have ways to support one another instantly – whether it’s helping with marketing, cheering on a friend with writer’s block, or participating in group writing challenges. It’s really heartening.

8. Any writing habits/superstitions or quirks you’d like to share?

I constantly change my writing habits. It’s a side-effect of ADHD. One week dictating a scene full out of my head works; the next week I need to have complete silence, darkness, and candle light only. These seem to run in cycles, but I can’t figure out what triggers them, aside from the approaching darkness of Autumn prompting that last approach. One of the most important methods for figuring out which approach works at the moment, however, is mood. The more aware I am of my emotional tone, the better I can figure out what will work. At the moment, I’ve dropped back into the habit of dictating a scene, then shaping it when I transcribe it.

9. What can we expect to see next from you and your writing?

My first full-length novel, The Corridors of the Dead, the first in the Among the Dead trilogy, should be out by 11/30. I’ve always been fascinated with alternate histories, and for those who don’t know, there is a system of magick called the Enochian system, so named for Enoch, from the Old Testament, who was ascended straight to Heaven. Enoch wrote a book that was cut from the Old Testament that told the story of the rebel angels, known as the Watchers, who came to Earth and bred with humans. I’d always been fascinated with the concept, and I wondered what it would be like to make them angels in name only – instead a flawed race that was given the keys to the universe but don’t really understand why or how. The Corridors of the Dead explores a young woman who gets drawn into their world as their “Chosen One” and what she finds behind the veil that even the Watchers couldn’t penetrate, getting to the question of what it even means to be a messiah and bear the burden of history. It’s also LGBT friendly, as I’ve tried to portray the lesbian protagonist in a non-exploitative light, so I’m hoping that some in the LGBT community can embrace it.

Dividing Amazon into Edited Indies and Un-edited Indies

I’ve had several guest editors on my blog that have written about the importance of getting your work edited before you self publish. The general consensus is that (and I agree with this) all writers should have their work edited prior to self publishing.

But there is a conundrum when it comes to the market. Readers want books that are inexpensive and often won’t take a chance on a new author if the book is over .99. They are afraid to put money out for a book that isn’t put together well. I don’t blame them. I have seen a number of e-books by self published authors that are not only riddled with mistakes, but also look as if the author hasn’t cared to even attempt a proper e-book design.

You know, the book is missing things like chapters, an attempt at formatting, spell check. Basics that should be done no matter what you decide to charge.

So I don’t blame the readers one bit for not wanting to take a chance on an e-book. I get frustrated too.

There are authors who say that they can’t afford editors if they are only going to be putting the book up for .99. Their argument is something along the lines of what do you expect for a .99 book? Again, I can understand that. Let’s say you put $1000 worth of editing into a book (that’s not a lot by the way, that is a mid-low range of cost) and then you put your book up for .99. Under the current royalty rate at Amazon, you need to sell over 2800 books just to break even. That’s a lot of books.

But what if there was a different way to go about this? A way to, in a sense, reward authors who’ve taken the time and money to properly edit their books prior to publishing them?

Stay with me here. I know that there are flaws in what I’m about to suggest, but it’s an idea that may prove some merit if you give it a chance.

What if when you uploaded your book to Amazon (just for simplicities sake I’m going to use Amazon as my example) there was a section that said “Tag your Editor”. And then there was a list of *(1)*Editors registered with Amazon. You scroll through, find your editor and then tag them.

In my case that would be Jessica Klassen and Melissa Breau.

Then Amazon sends an email to these to lovely gals asking for confirmation that they did indeed edit my work. The click on the yes and now my book has confirmation of being edited.


What would this accomplish you ask? Two things.

1.It would show readers that the book was, at the very least, edited.

2.It would allow the author to charge a higher price for their book if they chose to.

You see, my idea is that if you aren’t an edited author, you can still publish your book, but you can’t charge more than .99 for it. Quality and cost can now intersect on Amazon.

In fact, to take this a step further, why not have Amazon break the Indie Authors into two sections? Edited and un-edited. That way the reader can decide where they want to spend their money and their time, with authors who *(2)* can’t/won’t/don’t edit or they can spend their money on authors who think enough of themselves and their work to put in a little time and effort.

If you have editors you could still choose to do a discount of .99 for your book, but again, readers would be able to see that you have CONFIRMATION of editing have been done.

Like I mentioned, there are flaws to my plan, but they could be worked out. This would give readers some idea of the quality of book they were purchasing and allow them to feel more at ease with a slightly higher price for an indie author’s book, which would in turn help the author make a living.


After what I’ve read in indie books, I can tell you that while there are a large number of authors who would never publish their book without editing, there are also a large number of authors who don’t, for a variety of reasons even make an attempt at having their work edited. The unfortunate part of this is that the people who need to get editing done are rarely the ones researching and finding out what the industry standard is, because if they were, there would be no need for this discussion.


*(1)*The editors would have to somehow prove that they were indeed legit before being able to get on the list and it could be broken down into country too. Perhaps they would have to supply Amazon with either a reg. Number from an editors association or proof of employment with a publisher or perhaps just website. I don’t know the answer to this one, it’s one of the flaws in my system that could easily be taken advantage of.


*(2)*There are a LOT of editors out there who are reasonable, I don’t think it’s a matter of can you afford to edit, but can you afford not to. Save your pennies, you can hire an editor, even if it’s for a single pass through the manuscript, it’s worth it.

The ugly green eyed monster rears its head . . . again . . .

*This is a cranky rant so please pass over it if you aren't up to joining in*

Okay, this hasn't happened to me in a while and perhaps that is exactly why I feel the need to write about it. I just saw the cover and release date for a book, what looks like a really good book and the green eyed monster jumped up inside of me and started to stomp around.

I met the author at a conference before she was published, about a year after she had her contract with her publishing house. We had a great visit, she is a very lovely gal and if she's reading this, I am completely happy for her. No, really, I am!

Yet still there is that part of me that wants to roll around on the floor, kicking my heels and shaking my fists at the heavens. I'm no newcomer to the industry (going on 8 years writing with purpose, more than that writing for the hell of it), I've been to my share of conferences, met lots of people, pitched till I was blue in the face. Hell, I even have an agent. But that doesn't change the fact that I am still in the search for a contract, still in the same spot that most other writers are and as much as I am happy for those who "make it" it can also be intensely frustrating.

There is no magic wand, despite the urban fantasy theme, there is no set of rules that if you follow them step by step you are guaranteed a spot on the bestseller list. Perhaps for me that is the core of this green eyed monster. I am by nature, a person who likes to figure things out and as hard as I try, there just is no figuring out what will sell and what won't. One day vampires are in, the next day they're staked out in the sun to shrivel up.

Maybe because I have an agent I'm not supposed to say these sorts of things. But really, it doesn't matter what part of the journey you are in, you can end up feeling as rotten as you once did on step one, even though now you are on step ten or eleven (just guessing). I think that's important to remember, especially for me. The journey is what this whole writing business is about. The destination will come, one day, but focusing on the journey on the rough days is how to get through.

Okay, I think I'm done now and I can go back to my writing, believing that one day, me too, will be on the bookshelves. But please, if you feel the need to rant, go right ahead, the comment box is open.

Rocking Writers Group

I have the best writers group in the world. No, really, they are all incredible!

And I want to share them with you, or at least as many of them as I can that have blogs, websites or books! We’ve got it all from non-fiction, mystery, romance, fantasy and even YA and a little bit of everything in between.

There’s Jodine Carruthers who is an incredible horse trainer with a gentle touch and a firm hand (seems contradictory but with horses it is necessary) she has one book, The Joy of the Journey: Exploring a Deeper and More Fulfilling Partnership Through the Path of Harmonious Horsemanship - on the shelf and a second in the works, both non-fiction and both applicable to not only those who have horses but our individual journeys as well.

Mr. Jim Miller is our newest debutante when it comes to being published and he has done so with Ravenrock Publishing House. His novel, Mined your Own Business is a mystery (Private Rabbi Hawkins stumbles upon a dead body, a treasure map, and a conspiracy all while trying to stay in the army doing as little work as possible.) and part of a series all with the same detective.

Sandy Hunter is a Speculative Fiction writer who can be found (when not typing away madly in her dimly lit back bedroom creating worlds the rest of us only dream of) working away on her blog, Furore Scribindi (Latin translation is The rage to write.)

Mandy Borelli is our resident Chef who dabbles in historical fiction. At the moment she is putting together a fabulous cook book and recipes will soon be found on her blog, Cooking Up a Cookbook. I will say that her food is nothing short of FABULOUS!

Golf anyone? Or perhaps into screenwriting? Clive Scarff is the man of the hour when it comes to those two topics. A golf pro who has put pen to paper and published Hit Down Dammit! amongst other golfing publications. He can also be tracked down in between the greens on his blog.

Ya Fantasy with a Narnia like twist is CJ Goslings forte. Writing for Brighter Books Publishing house, CJ’s book, The Guardian is the first in a trilogy. Hard at work on books number 2 and 3, CJ is a sweet soul who always has something good to say, whether that be in person or on her blog, Tapping the Muse.

Dr. Kathie Black is one of the founding members of our writing group and has her hands in almost every aspect of the publishing business. A non-fiction author of several books, most recently Need For Heat a book about the benefits of infrared sauna’s, she is also the owner and President of Ravenrock Publishing house. (They are currently taking submissions!)

Mimi Barbour is the queen of romance, and paranormal romance at that! Together Again is the latest in her body jumping souls series, love stories with a definite twist. Mimi can be found on her website and also eyeing up the hunks on the beach . . . but of course that is just research! ;p

Please take the time to check these folks out, they are all fabulous and worth the time. Though this isn’t everyone in my group, as more people get published, develop blogs or get websites I’ll be sure to pass it all on to you as I wouldn’t want you to miss out on them.

Blurb for CURSED

Okay guys, here's the blurb for my next book. Would love to hear your comments and thoughts, it's only a second draft so there is lots to be improved on I'm sure :D

Descendant of the goddess Bast, Bronwyn seemingly has it all, beauty, speed, stamina, healing abilities and the talent of shape shifting into a variety of felines. That is, if you discount the Curse an ancestor’s folly brought on the family line. Because of the Curse, Bronwyn is a veritable Black Widow, one night with her and her lover dies a horrible death. Desperate to find a way to break the ancient Curse, she’s willing to do what no one else in the family has been. She’s going to employ a demon.

Maksym, sleek, deadly and full of charisma is that demon, but he isn’t interested in breaking the Curse for Bronwyn, not if it means she’ll be in another man’s arms. In a wicked game of cat and mouse with enemies on all sides, Maksym’s and Bronwyn’s growing attraction to each other could spell not only the death of Maksym, but the destruction of all that Bronwyn holds dear.

Blogfest 30 day Challenge - With Prizes!

There's this great yoga studio in our area and they have put on a thirty day challenge to it's members. What that means is that you have to attend a class every day for thirty days or if you miss a day you have to make that missed day up by doing two classes in a day.

My little brain got to thinking. Maybe that would make a great blog challenge, in fact, I think it would make a great blog challenge and one anybody can participate in.

I know that some of you are groaning and already contemplating the great difficulties that are ahead, the cramped typing fingers, the frozen brain that will no longer produce cognizant thoughts. But that's kind of the point. How many of us actually work on our writing every day? We should if we want to be serious writers (I am still working on this concept myself)

Think of this challenge as a way to train yourself for writing that next novel, a way to get into the swing of things. It will also be a way to get into your blogging if you struggle with regular posts, something that I think is important if you want to keep your followers coming back for more of you quirky brand of writing. You can use interviews, contests, funny blurbs, personal thoughts or anything else that relates to writing in some way.

The start date for this challenge will be April 4th to give you a few days to come up with a list of posts you want to write about and the end date will be May 4th. If you want to participate please make a comment as I think there should be prizes for a contest like this and yes, I will provide them!

And if anyone is super savy and knows how to make a button for this awesome sauce challenge, please feel free to do so we can put that up too.