Boxing the Octopus

More Awesome Freeness: Crazy for Trying on Kindle

2012-01-27T11:24:00.003-06:00

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Patsy Cline's "Crazy," our own New York Times bestseller Joni Rodgers has made her novel CRAZY FOR TRYING absolutely free for Kindle! Check it out!

Download Free Today: Touched by Fire

2012-01-27T08:44:00.000-06:00

First published in 1999 and written under my Gwyneth Atlee pseudonym, Touched by Fire is as much a historical fiction as it is a historical romance, focusing on the 1871 Great Peshtigo Fire, which blazed through Wisconsin territory on the very same day as the Great Chicago Fire. And for the new few days, it's an absolutely free download for the Kindle.

I'd love it if you would download today and help me share the news using the Facebook or Twitter feed buttons!

Breathe

2012-01-22T14:19:00.000-06:00

I want to remember this, and so I write it down.

Ted spoke today. Ted Benfey doesn't often speak up, but when he does, I listen. Ted is eighty-seven years old, a former chemistry professor--he and I have taught in the same classrooms--and an emigre who as a young boy was lucky enough to escape Hitler's killing machine. One of the things he taught at our college was the philosophy of chemistry: a field of study which asks us to think not just about how the world is bonded together, but about the very idea of bonding itself. Ted has been retired now from teaching for many years; his shoulders are stooped, and when he stands in a meeting to speak, he grips the back of the chair in front of him, if one is there. If not, he stands and folds his hands in front of him, balancing himself from the inside. His voice is soft, and it shakes slightly. I should be clear: this is a bit like saying a tree shakes softly. You don't confuse the delicacy at the edge with the welded rings of the core.

Today Ted stood and gripped the back of the chair in front of him, and this is the story he told, as nearly as I can capture his words, and his lilting voice:

"Today, I am thinking about meditation. I have practiced meditation for a long time. When I do so, I do it by focusing on a single sound, or a word; or else I will concentrate only on my breathing, my breath going in and out. It is very important to me, this meditation, and I am very interested in meditation as a subject.

"But one day, not long ago, something began to happen to me. I did not only meditate, but I began to think about meditation. I began to buy books on meditation, and I began reading about meditation. Then, in the way of things, other people began to recommend books to me, and before I knew it I had quite a pile of books, books about meditation and about other subjects that are also very important. At about this same time, I became aware of a feeling--a feeling that I had not only so many things to read, but so many, many things to do, so many things that I must do. I became overwhelmed by this feeling, and began to be quite unwell. I went to my doctor, and my blood pressure was elevated--it had gone through the roof, in fact--and he put me on medication, and told me that we must do some ultrasound tests to check my internal organs. At this point, I contacted my sons, who do not live near me--one of them lives in Tokyo, and has done so for a generation now--and I told them what was happening, thinking that I should let them know just in case something was going to take me off to the hospital. My son in Tokyo wrote back to me right away, and this is what he said:

'I want you to go back to breathing. I want you to think only about your breath. Your body needs oxygen, and so you must take it in. You must breathe in what you need, then you must breathe out what you no longer need. You must breathe in the oxygen. You must breathe out the carbon dioxide, which you no longer need but that something else--the plants--can use. I want you to do this, and think in this way. Breathe in what you need. Breathe out what you no longer need. And I want you to do this for twenty minutes.'

"It was amazing, the difference this made. I realized, as I breathed this way, that the books that I had did not have to be read right now. And that the things that I had to do, they did not have to be done, not right now. When I went in later on for the ultrasound tests, nothing showed up on them at all. My blood pressure was normal again, and the doctor congratulated himself that it was the medication that had done it.

"As I breathed in and out again, I remembered things that other people had taught me about breathing. That, for instance, when we breathe in we have the chance to take in the suffering of the world, of a group or an individual, or maybe of the suffering we are immediately aware of . . . and then we have the chance to breathe out our compassion and love. This memory came back to me as I breathed, as I concentrated on taking in what I needed.

"When I told my son about this memory that had come to me, he reminded me that the idea that we breathe in the suffering of others and breathe out our compassion for the world is a practice known as Tonglen, and that it has been practiced in India and in Tibet. And I wasn't at all surprised to hear this. And then I thought of something else."

For a moment I had trouble, as Ted's voice shook, understanding. He was saying that he had been watching a television program earlier this week, and the program had been about . . . I breathed, and then I decided that the word he had said was "god." But that didn't sound right. Then I breathed again, and I realized he had said the word "garden." He was saying that he had been watching a program about gardens here in North Carolina, and that one, the Charlotte Botanic Garden, had a section devoted to a meditative garden, a space in which to sit and breathe.

". . . out what you no longer need," Ted ended, and sat carefully down, feeling the chair beneath him, while in the room around him the words god, garden and breath danced, forming an unstable compound.

Free For Kindle 1-20 and 1-21: Barbara Sissel's THE VOLUNTEER

2012-01-20T14:50:00.000-06:00

Do you read Kindle e-books on your e-reader, smartphone, iPad or other devices? If so, I *highly* recommend THE VOLUNTEER by Barbara Sissel, and best of all, it's a free download from Amazon on Jan. 20th and 21st.

From my own review of the book:

In the days since this young bride was left at the altar, Livie Saunders has worked hard to put her life back together, steeping herself in the language of flowers and the beauty of the world around her. But her facade has one big crack -- the "red dress nights" in which she falls into the arms of strangers--nights whose consequences are catching up with her just as the painful past comes crashing down. Her errant fiancé, Cotton O'Dell has returned, seeking forgiveness for the unforgivable, redemption in the form of the Ninth Step. But is it too late for either of them?

The Ninth Step is an unforgettable story of loss, forgiveness, and the true cost of redemption, as beautifully-written as it is compelling. Barbara Taylor Sissel's writing is worth savoring. This heart-wrenching, ultimately hopeful story reminded me of the best of Anita Shreve. Since reading the book, I've been recommending it like crazy to anyone who'll listen.

I can easily see this as a great book club selection.

Very highly recommended!

Hope you'll click over to the sight today and give this talented new author and BtO contributor a try!

25 Things Writers Should Start Doing

2012-01-17T09:24:00.000-06:00

If you haven't been reading Chuck Wendig's blog, you're missing some great, unvarnished honesty for writers. Warning: the "unvarnished" part includes a heaping helping of profanity, so consider yourself warned.

25 Things Writers Should Start Doing

Weekend Vid: The Joy of Books

2012-01-14T16:04:00.000-06:00

Haven't you always suspected that books have secret lives?

Enjoy!

Amazon reports healthy numbers for Kindle Select launch

2012-01-13T00:25:00.000-06:00

Per the press release:

The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is off to a strong start: customers borrowed 295,000 KDP Select titles in December alone, and KDP Select has helped grow total library selection to over 75,000 books. With the $500,000 December fund, KDP authors have earned $1.70 per borrow. In response to strong customer adoption of the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (as well as seasonal, post-holiday use of new Kindles), Amazon.com, Inc. has added a $200,000 bonus to the January KDP Select fund, raising the total pool from $500,000 to $700,000.

Read the rest in the Amazon Media Room.

Need an Artist's Date? Try The Artist

2012-01-12T09:57:00.000-06:00

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Julia Cameron's classic book, The Artist's Way, is chock full of wonderful ideas to help writers, artists, and other types get their creative mojo back.

One of the ideas I like best is that of taking yourself on the occasional "artist's date," something to refill the well of images and ideas that constant work depletes. An artist's date can be just about anything: a walk through a garden, a trip to a museum, an hour spent hanging out watching birds and butterflies--whatever it takes to get you out of your own head and reconnect you to the universe.

Yesterday, I took myself on an artist's date to see the new movie, The Artist, a black & white silent film that's making a very big splash. I went because my friend and fellow blogster, Joni Rodgers, told me it was full of little surprises that she could only describe as "delights."

She was right about that, and the fact that I'm predisposed to love anything with a cute, smart dog in it, as well. The movie made me laugh, it may me weep, but what really spoke to me was the journey of the protagonist, silent film star George Valentin, who finds himself unable to adapt to the rise of the "talkies," resulting in a meteoric fall, even as the shiny-new young extra he once helped soars to the heights of fame.

There's a lesson in it about the constancy of inconstancy--the way things continually change, not only in the world of entertainment, but the world in general, and how dangerous it can be when one is too slow to evolve. And how (thank goodness) it's never too late to put our pride aside and reinvent ourselves.

All wonderful messages for the writer. Take yourself on an artist's date if it's playing in your area. If not, watch for it at the Oscar's (I'd be willing to bet) and on video. It's a little masterpiece, and an inspiration, too.

The Marathoner's Guide to Writing: Staying in it for the Long Haul without Losing your Perspective, your Patience, or your Mind

2012-01-09T21:39:00.001-06:00

The race to get published can be pure hell, but as someone who's spent more than twelve years and twenty books in the trenches, I can tell you it's a leisurely Sunday stroll compared to the Herculean effort of staying published--and staying sane and healthy while doing so. Of the scores of romance writers I started out with (the Class of '99, we called ourselves), very few remain. Some have dropped out, disillusioned. Others flew high for a time, then crashed down and became embittered. Still others succumbed to insurmountable health or financial problems.

But before I depress you, let me say that there were in fact survivors, just as there are those who have been writing for decades and dozens (sometimes even hundreds) of books longer and are still out there kicking tail and taking names. So what are the distinguishing qualities that enable some to keep working through the ups and downs common to every career? What lessons can those of us who aspire to be marathoners take from their stories? I'll begin by sharing those traits I've noticed, and it's my hope that other writers who've been published for more than ten years will add to the conversation with their own observations.

The long-haul writer...

1. Does not equate publishing success with self-worth. How can we, when we've seen how fickle the business can be? A writer who's this year's hot property can find herself untouchable next year. Another whose career had seemingly circled the drain years before can suddenly emerge triumphant, then soar to dizzying heights. (This is also a great reason to treat everyone with respect and kindness instead of only sucking up to those you think can do you some good!)

2. Finds the balance between chasing trends and selling out...or starving. Trends come and go too swiftly to be predicted, and too fiercely to be ignored. If one speaks to you, it's fine to create your own take on it--as long as you're bringing something new to the subgenre. But faking an enthusiasm never works well in the long run. The readers always know.

3. Cultivates nurturing friendships with people she genuinely cares about and supports. The key word here is "genuinely." If you're *just* networking, you stand the risk of being perceived as a user. And nobody helps out a user, but they share all sorts of great stuff with their friends.

4. Remains professional. The long-hauler carefully considers her schedule before making commitments and then keeps them. If unforeseen circumstances put on the big squeeze, she deals with the problem promptly and honestly. She avoids public snarkage and gossip, erring on the side of kindness, and treats her business relationships with respect.

5. Never stops striving to do better. The truly committed writer never feels as if she's arrived. She reads constantly and keeps studying the craft, experimenting with techniques, and listening to the likes and dislikes of the fans with whom she seeks to connect. She understands that phoning it it is the quickest route to burn-out.

6. Honors her own pace and process rather than trying to be "the next *insert name of publishing phenom.*" Each writer works at a unique pace, in a unique way. The marathon writer gets this, and realizes it's not a race to see who can write the most books in the shortest time period, or even the most popular or successful. It's an individual journey, where the writer strives to create a deep and meaningful connection with her readers, to the very best of her ability. Besides that, comparing yourself to others will just drive you crazy.

7. Understands that change is the only constant. Trends, business models, even people change, pulling the rug out from underneath you at the most inconvenient times. The survivors are the ones who go all Darwin on the problem, adapting and evolving rather than getting endlessly mired in the LaBrea tar pits of Woe Is Me (although a little whining to your friends and a lot of chocolate are to be expected in the moment.)

So what qualities do you feel are most important for the career writer? What lessons can those of us who hope to either join the business or stay in it learn from our genre's veterans? I hope you'll share your own experiences or your questions and comments below.

The real problem with creative writing programs (According to Anis Shivani)

2012-01-07T16:06:00.005-06:00

While I am not a fan of laughing at other writers, and hate the whole "let's put writers in a hierarchy" shtick anyway, I found this 2010 article by Anis Shivani in the Huffington post both entertaining and relieving. One of the hardest parts of my whole MFA/PhD experience was feeling like I had to uphold the status quo--that I couldn't push back when people said how great a writer was, and universally ooohed and ahhed at sentences, that, quite frankly, I didn't think even worked.

Everyone's tastes are different, and I do see a couple of my favorite writers among this very tongue and cheek list, but the list itself distracts from the more important points Shivani is making. What happens when we have an establishment that tells us what is good to read, but doesn't exercise any real discernment? And what happens when the aesthetics of that same establishment become so entrenched in a system that, while pretending to be democratic, is really anything but? The academy has become so cautious and aware of including women and minorities (a good thing!), but what about the other, less visible disparities in our midst? What about economic differences? Religious and philosophical differences? Critical stance? And why not a diversity of aesthetic? Wouldn't it be more intellectually responsible to include the works of popular authors who are connecting with audiences and examine what it is that makes them work?

I'm not saying that we shouldn't study the classics, or the late 20th century giants who make up most of creative writing programs' reading lists. What I'm arguing is that it would be more responsible of creative writing programs to also offer classes in other genres, besides literary (which, let's face it, is a genre) fiction, and to host question & answer sessions with writers from a variety of literary walks. And I'm not just talking about responsible from a "preparation for after the degree" point of view. I believe that it could actually be more intellectually stimulating for aspiring writers, even aspiring literary writers, to be confronted with viewpoints and aesthetics radically different from their own.

What do you all think? Could creative writing programs benefit from opening up their own unspoken canons? And do you think Shivani is wrong to ridicule some of America's most prominent writers?

The Joy of the Grind

2011-12-29T13:42:00.000-06:00

Don't get me wrong. I love the holidays. I love the shopping and the wrapping, the cooking and the family time, and there's nothing like hanging with the kiddo watching A CHRISTMAS STORY or HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS for the hundredth time. But I've had a manuscript to revise, another to complete, and an Art Fact Sheet hanging over my head, and today was my appointed moment to get back to the grind.

I have to admit that I love it. I love starting off my morning with a goal and a purpose. I love ticking off a completed item from my list (the Art Fact Sheet, used in the creation of the book's cover by the publisher's art department, has been put to bed), and most of all, I love getting down to brass tacks and creating. In other words, I love my work, which is a real gift and also a darned good thing, since like most writers, I'm rarely really "off."

What I'm not enjoying is how far behind I've fallen in the past few weeks, which is why I've been so quiet here on the blog. I did want to take a moment, though, to revel in how great it feels to sink my teeth into a nice big bite of the routine.

What are you celebrating today?

Buy This Book: Coping With Transition, Men, Motherhood, Money and Magic

2011-12-27T10:07:00.000-06:00

Transitions. Everyone goes through them, but even when they lead to something wonderful like marriage to the one you love or the welcomed birth of a child, they can be unsettling. Coping With Transition, Men, Motherhood, Money and Magic, edited by Susan Briggs Wright, is a memorable collection of memoirs from women who were born between 1935 and 1960. It was a pivotal era for women, a time when transitions, especially difficult ones, were seldom discussed. Women’s lives, family life, life in general was supposed to resemble the images Norman Rockwell captured on the pretty and serene covers he did for the Saturday Evening Post. The reality was often far different. Messier. Confusing.

Rules were numerous. Young women were cautioned to adhere to certain standards. “My father was strict about who I could go out with,” relates Suzanne Kerr in her memoir titled, Waiting For Marriage, Sex, and My Mother’s Life (In That Order). Suzanne’s dad went on to tell her as she was leaving the nest for college in September of 1962, that if he ever heard of her going to a boy’s apartment, he’d jerk her out of school. (Can you imagine handing down such a mandate to your daughter today?!) Her mother said she should marry a professional man, and oh yes, she should certainly be a virgin. Suzanne chronicles what becomes a long and circuitous path to the altar in a voice that mixes elements of wry humor and rueful irony. And honesty. It’s the honesty and trueness of each voice in the collection that makes it such a compelling read.

Why do I not remember days, only moments? How do I start … with the end of my life? So begins Sue Jacobson’s haunting memoir, Why Have I Survived You? in which she tells of the loss of a beloved daughter. Donna Siegel begins her memoir, Crossing the Rubicon, with this notable line: Growing into who you are genetically destined to be can cause a lot of problems. Donna was married at 19 and divorced after a lifetime. Somewhere she found the courage to reenter school, to earn her master’s degree, but even better, she lives comfortably now with life’s questions, its mystery. In A Closet: Memories, Meaning, and Sometimes Magic, Mel Gallagher, confides that her closet (of all curious and imaginative places!) and all that it contains has given her insights into her life. Leslie McManis begins her short essay, Growing Up Outside, with this intriguing line: My mother was a forties beauty queen, and then renders the poignant details of an injured childhood, but the accent is on survivorship, not victimhood. What touches a chord throughout this collection is the amount of courage and resilience that was and is still demonstrated by this remarkable group of women. The collection is diverse, covering topics from a husband’s impending retirement to the pursuit of international adoption—at the age of forty-nine, no less. Talk about courage. And there’s long, intimate and wise talk about seizing love and the moment—at sixty-eight from Mary Margaret Hansen. No, she isn’t thirty-five, but she’s still very full of life with so much to do, to share and contribute as you will find out when you read her witty and smart memoir Seven Scenes From Shared Space.

Coping With Transition, Men, Motherhood, Money and Magic is truly a book for women of all ages, and the men who want to understand them—who dare to try! Reading it is like sitting down to have an intimate chat with dear friends and the conversation is one that leaves you feeling satisfied and hopeful. It’s life affirming. It would be great to see this collection digitized for e-readers. It’s perfect for reading on the go. A perfect delight all the way around.

A Girl You Should Date

2011-12-15T16:40:00.002-06:00

Someone on facebook posted this link, and I had to pass it along. Ha, I think the girl described in this post beats the Proverbs 31 woman hands down! (Oh, the blasphemy of such a statement!)

One of my favorite gems from the post:

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

Have fun!

Best Laid Plans

2011-12-08T10:11:00.000-06:00

As a writer, I am by nature an organic writer--or a "pantser," if you will, meaning that I prefer to feel my was forward one page, one sentence at a time, with plenty of backtracking for course corrections.

By practice, however, I'm forced to be more of a plotter, to organize my ideas for the book long before it's actually written. This allows me to work out kinks in the plot, avoid writing down 150-page blind allies, and sell books on proposal (since I'm an experienced novelist). It's a huge time-saver, allowing me to figure out which ideas have a shot at selling before I've invested the six months to a year it generally takes me to write a book.

But sometimes, it flat-out doesn't work, and I find myself second-guessing all my well-laid plans, reinventing everything beyond the bare bones of the story, and panicking that my pantser-plotter hybrid--a Frankenstein's monster of an amalgamation--will never come to life. This is stressful enough under any circumstances, but when I'm already on a tight deadline and facing the holidays as well, it gets even harder.

Right now is such a time, and only one thing keeps me going, the knowledge that if I keep blundering through the forest, chopping at the bad prose and weak motivations with my blunt-edges hand axe, eventually, I'll find my way into the light. Here's hoping I can manage it before my deadline!

Do you plot ahead, or are you an organic writer? For those of you who work from a synopsis, how often do you find yourself changing your mind as you go along?

A disabled writer's book unfolds a tap at a time

2011-12-05T10:52:00.000-06:00

I've been feeling seriously stressed and challenged lately. Reading this story of Peter Winkler, the biographer forced by disability to type out the biography of Dennis Hopper using a single chopstick, reminded me of just how precious our ability to communicate, to touch others through the written word, is. And of the lengths to which some courageous souls will go to achieve it.

Read this and ask yourself, if Peter Winkler didn't give up, how can you? Do you want to achieve your dream this badly? If not, maybe you should move on to the next.

A disabled writer's book unfolds a tap at a time

Two terrific workshops happening at Beauty and the Book's Girlfriend Weekend

2011-12-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

Perfect post-holiday excursion (and you know you'll earn it): Beauty and the Book literacy diva Kathy Patrick, founder/ goddess elect of the internationally known Pulpwood Queens book club, will host the 12th Anniversary Girlfriend Weekend January 12-15.

In addition to the Author Extravaganza and Greatest Show on Earth activities, two terrific workshops are being offered:

You're invited to Kathy's house Wednesday, January 11 for a first time memoir workshop with Robert Leleux, columnist for The Texas Observer and editor of LONNY Magazine in New York. Fee includes lunch and a signed copy of Leleux's latest book, The Living End: A Memoir of Forgiving and Forgetting.

Stay an extra day for a voice workshop with film, television and radio voiceover artist Elaine Clark, author of There's Money Where Your Mouth Is: An Insider's Guide to a Career in Voice-Overs.

For all the information, visit the Beauty and the Book website. Hope to see you there!

Harry Potter in 99 Seconds

2011-11-30T22:59:00.002-06:00

Finding Focus #2--Bouncing off of Colleen's Post

2011-11-29T23:15:00.004-06:00

When I finally logged back on here, I was glad to read Colleen's post about focus, as well as Kay's very honest and human response. Ironically, my new day job as a writing coach is all about helping writers focus and helping them find the right tools and rhythms for themselves. Because there's something dangerous about this writing life--the tendency to look over our shoulders at our neighbors, to compare not only the quality of our writing, but also the ways in which we work. All of that is fine if it helps lead us further down the path of our own development, but it's not good if it serves to distract or derail our focus.

So far there is no one program or one website that every one of my clients has loved, but I want to point you to a few that may help. As with everything in the writing life, your mileage may vary. Later in the week, I'll be sharing additional ideas about brainstorming and breaking through conceptual blocks in writing, but we'll start with these, which are targeted more towards the age old dictum of applying "butt to chair."

Programs and websites to help with focus

Write Or Die: http://www.writeordie.com
A program you can download that will beep and growl and do other bad things to you if your fingers leave the keyboard. I personally find this program a bit stressful, but some of my clients swear by it. Check it out and see if it works for you.

750 words: 750words.com
NaNoWriMo word counts too high, but you still want to build up words? Try 750 words.com, based upon The Artist's Way premise of writing three "morning pages." You can use the site, which will track your words (and keep them private), for writing your novel, your blog post, your scholarly article, your journal, or just anything that comes to mind. The concept is to write 750 words of something every single day, and there's a whole community of writers assembled around this.

http://www.mytomatoes.com
Mytomatoes.com is based on Francesco Cirillo's time management technique of working in 25 minute sessions that he calls pomodoros, or tomatoes. The website helps writers to time themselves as well as goes into the philosophy behind the method.

Instant Boss
Want to write in brief, timed sessions? Like the pomodoro method, but want to change it up and customize? Instant Boss will let you design your own writing and breaking intervals, so that you can have as long or short a writing session you like, and as many or as few different back to back sessions as works for you. This is a great way to experiment with finding the length of your ideal writing session, a concept encouraged by Eviatar Zerubavel in his book The Clockwork Muse. For instance, I always thought I was best writing in 90 minute or two hour chunks straight (with only the odd quick bathroom break), but I've found that working in 50 minute sessions, with no more than a 10 minute break between them, is perfect. Who knew? Some of my clients find that they are great if they do 20 or 25 minute sessions, while others still prefer the long session (90 minutes +). One thing I've learned is that this is one area where writers' preferences really vary. So play around and find your sweet spot, if you're lucky enough to have the time to experiment.

There are other websites out there, but these are the ones my clients tell me are the most helpful. Has anyone had any success with other websites or programs? What's your favorite motivational and/or focusing tool? What works for you?

Shees baaaaaack! (Did ya miss me?)

2011-11-29T23:02:00.004-06:00

I'm unearthing myself from my self-imposed hiatus from all writing other than fiction to give an update. I am working like mad to finish the final, final, final draft of my novel, since I have promised my prison students that I will have finished it and queried 15 agents by the time I start teaching again--in January. The work is going well, although I'm a little bug-eyed, adding four brand new chapters and tracking threads. Although I'm tired, I'm finally feeling good--okay, even a little great--about the book.

Essentially, it is what is at this point, and I'm ready to stand behind it. And I'm ready to move on and write something else. I can also say that, now nineteen months after my spinal injury and two years post PhD defense, I have finally healed from both the injury and the whole toxic writing workshop experience.

And really, I'm ready to kick a little literary ass.

Finding Focus

2011-11-26T13:54:00.000-06:00

It's not easy recovering from a few days of holiday celebration to get back into the old workflow. I'm finding today especially distracting as I fend off cyber-shopping temptations and, even worse, an all-day Firefly marathon on the SciFi channel in an attempt to feel my way back into this manuscript.

Desperate for focus, I'm resorting to a few old tricks, including:

1. Headphones to block out household distractions. I prefer listen to music without lyrics for the most part. The music of Philip Glass is an old friend I can count on, but I'm also test-driving something called Focus Optimizer, a white noise sort of program which is supposed to help you tackle your to-do list and organize your thinking. I'll report back on how I like it later, but I'm all for anything that will help to minimize my chronic lack of focus.

2. Shutting off Internet distractions. If you're a Mac user, I highly recommend the program Self Control, which allows you to block whichever urls you designate for however long you set. Once started, it cannot be disabled by any means for a quick game of Bejeweled, an all-important glimpse at your Amazon sales ranking, or the insidious temptation of Facebook.

3. Scented candles. Don't asked me why, but lighting scented candles as I play music informs my brain that it's time to work. Unless I choose one I'm allergic to, which informs my nose that it's time to sneeze.

So how do you find your focus. With the holidays coinciding with a tight writing deadline, I'm eager to add a few more tricks to my arsenal.

Happy Thanksgiving! (With gratitude for everything that's been and all that's possible)

2011-11-24T09:35:00.001-06:00

Rethinking indie publishing rhetoric

2011-11-22T12:37:00.001-06:00

Two years ago, when I first started talking about indie pubbing ebooks, I was resoundingly squashed from every direction. My agent at the time (not the agent I'm with now) was understandably concerned that self-publishing would brand me as someone who wasn't publishable. Almost a dozen books into my career, I wouldn't be called a wannabe or an amateur; I'd be a reject. I wouldn't be the girl who didn't get asked to the prom. Best case, I'd be the girl who had a great date for the prom, then showed up with bad hair, fell down on the dance floor, got her period and had to walk home. Worst case, I'd be Carrie in the wake of a big bucket of critical pig blood.

On the flip side, the voices rising to the front of the self-publishing world were overwhelmingly vociferous - and uninformed - tirades against the vagaries of the industry, the evil intent of agents, the shortsightedness of whoever signed the rejection letter. It was off-putting, untrue and amateurish, and I just didn't want to be part of that conversation.

This is the same type of rhetoric that used to surround cancer care in the mid 90s when I was diagnosed with lymphoma. Proponents of chemo and radiation were vehemently against "woo woo" or "alternative" treatments like macrobiotic diet, meditation, singing bowls, massage or whatever. Holistic medicine proponents railed against the "slash, poison and burn" methods of allopathic "conventional" medicine. Neither the polarization nor the pejorative terms were helpful to me, the person fighting for her life.

Ultimately, I did a ton of homework, then designed a treatment plan that worked for me, my belief system and my family's needs, with consideration for my best statistical odds of survival. I did surgery and chemo, but I turned down radiation and bone marrow transplant. I went to a shaman, became vegetarian, meditated and yes, I had Tibetan singing bowl therapy. (Don't knock it till you've tried it.)

I also rewrote the vocabulary in my own head, then in conversation, making sure people around me were speaking the same language. It wasn't "alternative" - which implies either/or - it was "complimentary" therapy - a practical, useful, customized combo platter. I can't say what's right for anyone else. All I can say is, I'm still here.

My approach to publishing is exactly the same - and my priorities haven't changed: my life, my belief system and my family's needs, in balance with my best statistical odds of survival.

The vocabulary that works for me (for now) is:

Indie publishing, which implies that I'm free of obligation to a publishing house and in creative control (as opposed to "self-publishing" which implies I don't have help. I'm doing a lot but bringing in the help I need for editing, design, conversion, etc.)
Legacy publishing, as a term for the business model in action at Big 6 and other publishing houses (defined here), as opposed to "traditional" publishing, which to me implies a values system. (A literary novel written by a dedicated craftsperson, carefully edited and thoughtfully presented is "nontraditional" while Justin Bieber's ghostwritten, blitz-release memoir is "traditional"? That makes no sense to me.)

More important, as the ebook revolution unfolds and these two worlds come together in a way that benefits authors, readers, agents and the publishing industry, I'll adhere to my policy of rhetoric that is:

Respectful of the choices being made by others
Honest with myself about who I am and want to be as a writer
Realistic in my financial expectations

I see the greatest satisfaction (financial and artistic) coming from a thoughtful, symbiotic combination of legacy and indie publishing.

I can't tell other people what to do. All I can say is, I'm still here.

Early report on Gary's Kindle Fire: "I like it."

2011-11-21T07:21:00.002-06:00

If Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet end up being the Christmas gift everybody gets this year, 2012 will be an amazing year for ebooks. I'm seeing a prodigious blast of ebook consumption coming, and I think people will be very surprised at the books that emerge as big sellers.

Based on my Margaret Mead observation of the Gare Bear since the moment he got hold of his new Kindle Fire, it looks like price point is a major influence on buying. The first thing he did was search on his favorite authors and was seriously dismayed that their ebooks (obviously from the big publishers) were almost as much - in some cases more than - what he's been trained to pay for paperbacks.

So the next thing is visibility. How to authors aiming for the same demographic as that arguably overpriced big name get their book into the reader's eyeballs? Theories continue to evolve.

All we know for certain is that ebooks are not the next Big Thing. They're the current Big Thing. My new novel, The Hurricane Lover, came out on Kindle and Nook this weekend. So begins my indie pub maiden voyage, and I could not be more thrilled about what lies ahead.

Contest News + Win a Free Copy of PHANTOM OF THE FRENCH QUARTER!

2011-11-19T10:28:00.000-06:00

Today, I'm blogging with my friends at The Jaunty Quills on the lure of the stranger in the shadows. Please drop by and say hello for your chance to win a free, autographed copy of my latest release, Phantom of the French Quarter. If you already have PHANTOM, I'll send you the backlist copy of your choice instead.

Also, thought I'd share this fun bit of news. My first book for Intrigue, Capturing the Commando, was recently nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Intrigue of 2011!
Winners will be announced at this spring's Romantic Times Convention in Chicago. Good luck to all the nominees!

Barry Eisler on indie pub opportunies ("Exciting for writers, for NY publishers, not so much.")

2011-11-18T16:38:00.001-06:00

Barry Eisler, Publish It Forward Lecture Part 1 from Grub Street on Vimeo.

Death Comes to Pemberley Sweepstakes

2011-11-15T13:45:00.002-06:00

Now this is a sweepstakes worth entering. To celebrate the December publication of P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley, Knopf Publishing is giving away a copy of the book with a signed bookplate ..... and the six Jane Austen novels in the beautiful, clothbound Everyman's Library collection. Can't duplicate that on a Kindle.

Check it out at http://knopfdoubleday.com/death-comes-to-pemberley-sweepstakes/

Revision 101: Protagonist Check-list

2011-11-14T09:09:00.000-06:00

So you have a plan, a draft, or even something you're really to call a novel. Before you put it out there, you'll need to take a hard and honest look at chapter, every scene, every word or it, with a distant, honest eye. One of the key factors you'll need to take a look at is the story's protagonist. Ask yourself the following questions to see if you're got the right hero for the job.

1. Does this character make an interesting entrance? The first time the reader meets her, is she showing some relatable/admirable quality, initiating or reacting to a situation in a provocative or relatable way? If your protagonist is sitting around thinking about how he/she got to that point in Chapter One, consider scrapping it (as a reader, I'm beggin' you) and starting with Chapter Two, feeding in only the tiniest splinters of backstory as necessary.

2. Is the character sympathetic on some level? Even the anti-hero might love his mother, worry about his carbon footprint, or slam on his brakes (or his way to a bank heist) for a mama duck and her ducklings crossing the street. Or maybe she simply expresses her wicked thoughts with such panache, honesty, or humor that we laugh in recognition. The only thing less forgivable than an unlikeable character is one that's so bland he/she vanishes against the scenery like a chameleon, so make sure we'll at the very least remember this character as we continue reading.

3. Does the character have agency throughout the story? Does she make things happen rather than simply having things happening to her? One of my pet peeves is what I call "dust mote characters," who simply float through the plot, buffeted by every puff of air (and usually whining about it.) If your character starts out passive, at least show signs that he/she has the potential to make a change.

One of the reasons, in my opinion, that Harry Potter has been so wildly popular is because rather that spending all his time angsting about his dead parents and mean aunt and uncle, he boldy and actively sets out to change things, even when it's risky (exhibiting qualities people look for in leaders.) Although the Twilight Saga, on the other hand, is a very successful series and has other good qualities, I was very annoyed by the character of Bella, who seemed to be much more reactive than active (at least in the first book, which was as far as I got in the series.) Characters should have more to do in the story than observe change and be rescued.

In my opinion, truly great books and series have truly memorable, dynamic protagonists. If you have a really good one, the reader will forgive bland settings, clunky prose, and plot holes you can drive a truck through. If you don't, even the most fascinating backdrop, cleverest writing, and most intricate story may not be enough to save yours.

Happy revising!

Seth Worley's PLOT DEVICE

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Nine minutes may seem like a lot to invest in a short film, but Seth Worley's Plot Device is worth every second of it, especially for writers! Had me laughing from the moment the first Amazon Buy button showed up.

Enjoy!

Website about Agents

2011-11-10T11:28:00.002-06:00

Writers, I recently discovered this website, which has lots of information about working with agents, including a searchable database.

http://www.agentquery.com/

Buy This Book: Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin

2011-11-10T10:15:00.000-06:00

I had ideas about the story when I picked up Life Without Summer, Lynne Griffin’s fiction debut, but I was wrong. I thought I knew what was meant by Summer, but I didn’t. I imagine, too, that I’m not the only reader who was hesitant when on reading the jacket copy, I learned the story concerned the loss of a little girl, adorable four-year-old Abby. But there was something so compelling in Griffin’s writing from the very first page: Fall, it begins, day 18 without Abby. This from Abby’s mom, Tessa, who is foundering in a nightmare of grief after a hit and run driver ran Abby down in front of her pre-school. Other seasons of grief follow, winter and spring, while Tessa grapples with the nightmare of horrendous loss and what she deems the near-criminally inept handling of the investigation by the detective who is assigned to Abby’s case. But in a way it’s Tessa’s anger at this man, and her frustration that sustains her. It’s her single-minded focus on bringing the driver to justice that creates the shape of her days.

Ethan, Abby’s daddy, who is struggling in his own way, asks Tessa to see a therapist and she complies although in the beginning she questions what sort of help she can get from Celia who, while she is compassionate in her attention to Tessa, keeps her professional distance. Celia has her own story, one that unfolds alongside Tessa’s and it is in this way that the real complexities of this plot begin to be revealed. Celia’s life too has been filled with tragedy. There’s a half-grown son and his secrets, an ex-husband and his alcoholism. There are other things, hinted at, whispering between the lines. There’s all this nice stuff about a new husband and a new life for Celia and her son. But something feels off about it. This is what is so well done throughout this novel, the feeling it gives of having its own secret. It will be summer before the pages give it up, the answer to the mystery. By then hearts will be broken all over again and then entwined in ways you can’t imagine.

Another beauty of this novel is the sensitivity with which each character is portrayed. Tessa and Ethan (their marriage in the aftermath of such tragedy just comes to life off the page), Celia and the members of her family are each one so skillfully drawn and so realistic and true to life. Remarkable for their courage and tenacity, yet flawed. Human in other words. Believable. As is the ending. I’m glad I took a chance on this book. For more visit Lynne's website.

PW Asks : Is Amazon's New Lending Library Headed to Court?

2011-11-09T11:21:00.004-06:00

Anyone find this article in today's PW as disturbing as I do? If you're an author, you might want to check and see if any of your titles are being "lent."

As more information has come to light about the Lending Library program Amazon launched last week, the tenor in the industry has shifted from puzzlement to anger. Although Amazon initially said it reached a "variety of terms" with publishers to include their titles in the Lending Library program, which allows Amazon Prime members to borrow one title per month for free, PW has learned that the overwhelming majority of publishers with titles featured in the program did not reach any agreement with the retailer. Rather, these titles were taken without publishers' knowledge or consent. Many publishers, who feel the program undercuts the value of their content and is something Amazon is doing to promote sales of its devices, are now consulting their contracts and their lawyers to see what, if any, legal action can be taken. PW has also learned that Amazon has been in talks with some agents who have expressed discomfort with the program ... READ the full article at Publishers Weekly.

How writers fit into the US labor force

2011-11-08T00:27:00.004-06:00

Interesting numbers from NEA study, looking at the arts in the US economic picture. How are writers doing? Here are the stats:

There are 2.1 million artists in the US (1.4% of the total workforce, 6.9% of the professional workforce), and a little over 9% of artists (189,000) are writers/authors.

The average annual income of professional authors during 2005-09 was $44,792. (I'd be interested to see how that breaks down by genre. I think this reflects the average of Tess Gerritsen, Dan Brown and 8,687 bloggers who made fifty-three bucks each.)

84% of authors have a BA or higher.

56% of authors are women, average age 44.

While women artists in general make 81 cents for every dollar made by male artists, the income of women authors is almost equal to the income of male authors.

Only 13% of writers and authors are non-white and/or Hispanic, compared with 32% of the total workforce.

Oregon and Vermont have 20% more artists than other states, with a particularly strong population of writers and authors.

Fabulous Freebies from Writer's Digest

2011-11-07T08:02:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but I cut my teeth on the craft books published by Writer's Digest. I thought of authors Nancy Kress, Lawrence Block, and Orson Scott Card as Mount Olympus gurus and learned so much from studying their words (including their fiction.)

Today, Writer's Digest is offering Kindle editions of six books on writing absolutely free, including How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play, by Barbara Baig; Les Edgerton's Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go; The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing; Story Structure Architect, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt (I loved her book on master character archetypes); Marilyn Ross's The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book (Complete Guide to Self-Publishing Everything); and finally, Getting the Words Right, by Theodore Cheney.

My advice: even if you don't have time to read them right away, load up your e-reader, phone, computer or other device now, because this offer may end at any time. Most of these books have excellent reader feedback, and who knows, one of them may prove to be your personal tipping point.

Thanks to author Jana deLeon and DailyCheapReads.com for alerting me to this fabulous freebie!

P.D. James Knocks Off Wickham

2011-11-03T12:38:00.004-05:00

Am I the very last person to know that the venerable Baroness James (about to turn 91) has written a sequel to Pride and Prejudice? And zombie free, thank God.

Her English publisher, Faber & Faber, posted this synopsis: The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the Pemberley nursery, Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live within seventeen miles, the ordered and secure life of Pemberley seems unassailable, and Elizabeth’s happiness in her marriage is complete. But their peace is threatened and old sins and misunderstandings are rekindled on the eve of the annual Autumn Ball. The Darcys and their guests are preparing to retire for the night when a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley’s wild woodland, and as it pulls up, Lydia Wickham, an uninvited guest, tumbles out, screaming that her husband has been murdered.

Death Comes to Pemberley isn't due out in the US until December but the UK critics have already weighed in -- and they can be a particularly vicious crowd when it comes to their beloved Jane.

"As might be expected from a celebrated crime novelist, her follow-on to Pride and Prejudice introduces a detective story into Austen's world; but without any tremor of incongruity. An acute admirer of Austen's novels (which, her autobiography makes clear, she has been re-reading for more than 80 years), she keeps her sequel close to their ironic spiritedness, moral toughness and psychological finesse ... brimming with astute appreciation, inventiveness and narrative zest, Death Comes to Pemberley is an elegantly gauged homage to Austen and an exhilarating tribute to the inexhaustible vitality of James's imagination." --Peter Kemp, Sunday Times

"P. D. James has the advantage in having both the skill and the intelligence to hold her own in Austen's company. Her charmingly conceived murder mystery unfolds like a big soft comfort blanket just in time for the nights drawing in: the nation's best-loved crime writer and best-known romance in a magic meld, with Downtony moments below stairs, spooky moonlit bits and some police procedural thrown in for good measure ... James takes Pride and Prejudice to places it never dreamed of, and does so with a charm that will beguile even the most demanding Janeite." --Claire Harman, Evening Standard

Time to go immediately to Amazon and hit the Pre-order button.

Embracing (the Right) Changes

2011-11-03T11:37:00.001-05:00

I love Microsoft Word's "Track Changes" feature. Not only does it simplify the task of working with multiple editors/critique partners, it boils down our most essential everyday choices so neatly. Take this screenshot, for instance.

While reviewing and correcting a document that's been marked up by a trusted critique partner, my agent, or an editor, my gut reaction is all too often to click on "reject change" and move on to the next item on my nearly-overwhelming to-do list. But frequently, I come to realize it's the wrong decision and I end up going back and making the changes anyway.

To help myself embrace those pesky, #$@*! changes, I've come up with a few ground rules.

1. Understand that your first reaction to any suggested change is going to be ego-driven and emotional. Allow for that by first reviewing all suggested changes without reacting to any of them.

2. Complain to your significant other, best friend, or critique partner about what an idiot the person requesting said changes is not to recognize the genius of your vision. I call this my wailing and gnashing of teeth stage.

3. Take a walk or have a glass of wine. Then sleep on it, if at all possible. These steps give the suggested changes the opportunity to filter down through your brain's many layers of resistance.

4. More than likely, by this time, you will realize that the editor in question was right about at least a few things. Address those "easy fixes" first.

5. Take a second look at each of the others. You will undoubtedly be pleasantly surprised to realize the other person has a point. Address it, not necessarily in the same way the editor/critiquer suggested, but try to fix the underlying problem that prevented the reader from getting whatever you were trying to communicate.

6. Next, tackle the items your ego resisted most fiercely. You may find this was not because the editor was wrong, but because the point in question was going to take more effort to correct. Concede that you were really just being lazy, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.

7. If you truly don't agree with something, even after you've taken time to think things through carefully, don't make the change. Instead, reread the entire document. You may find that the reviewer's suggestion was based on a weakness you can address in some other way.

8. Realize and allow for the fact that sometimes, even the most professional editors/critiquer/reviewer is going to be wrong. Maybe he was interrupted by a phone call and missed something that most readers would find obvious. Maybe she doesn't know your genre as well as you do or wanted you to reveal something ahead of the spot where it would have the strongest impact. Embracing change is important, but sometimes, as the author, it's your responsibility to reject it. After all, the buck stops with you, and like your reviewer, you're an expert reader, too.

The truth is, not even your editor expects you to agree and comply with every single comment and suggestion. If you're really worried about something, ask if it's a deal breaker and explain your point of view. Even if the editor still objects, this will give her a chance to better explain her resistance and brainstorm mutually acceptable ideas with you.

How do you handle the editing process? Do you often find your ego getting in the way?

Halloween Show and Tell

2011-11-01T11:54:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite projects of late -- I'm expanding my PR business to include packaging author websites -- was for Baylor Press' Monsters in America. Both Baylor and author Scott Poole were up for anything .........including blood spattered Facebook and Twitter icons.

Scott put together a Top Ten Filmography for anyone who's a fan of monster/vampire/zombie flicks and we added great original trailers we found on You Tube. If you've never seen "Freaks," I dare you to watch the trailer. I still have nightmares about that movie and I saw it in 1970.

Happy Halloween!

Goal Update

2011-11-01T08:16:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to report the last Wednesday, I reached a milestone by finishing the draft of Relentless Pursuit, which is due for release sometime next fall. But finishing the draft is not the same as getting a finished, polished manuscript to New York by D-day, so I'll be relentlessly pursuing that goal for a bit longer.

While I'm tied up, I wanted to leave you with a link to this fabulously-profane, tell-it-like-it-is post over at the Terrible Minds blog: Writers Must Kill Self-Doubt Before Self-Doubt Kills Them.
Well-said, Chuck Wendig, and very highly recommended!

I'll have to do something else between . . .

2011-10-31T01:52:00.002-05:00

Mark and I just got back from a much needed trip to Virginia, where we took night time walks under a clear, dark sky, and I stood in the middle of the street behind my parents' house, trying to drink in the air. I wish I could bottle it up, that East coast fall, and smuggle it back to Texas. My mother didn't quite understand why I grabbed the blankets from the couch and took them outside, so that we could lay down on our backs on the cold, wet grass and look up. Unlike the light-polluted skies around the Houston area, my parents' sky looks three-dimensional; you can actually tell which stars are nearest. Laying back and looking up, you can almost feel their orbit, it gives such a different perspective.

Likewise does reading stacks and stacks of old diaries, going back as far as the 6th grade. My mother practically forced me to go through "all that stuff," as she calls it, and I was dreading it. Winding through bits and pieces of old stories and parts of novels from my childhood and teen years was a little like being on a "This is Your Life" episode. Old friends, lining up to greet me, old friends, whom I'd romanticized until I read them again and collapsed into mortified laughter. There was the little green diary I kept at 13, where I dutifully recorded my struggles with my grades, as well as the ongoing saga of my first crush, complete with the number of words he and I said to each other, and whether we said them in French, Spanish, or English. Then there was the "novel" that my friend Kelly and I wrote, a scintillating mystery story about two female FBI agents that bore just a little too much resemblance to Nancy Drew. And there was one of my mother's diaries somehow mixed in there too--from 1959, when she was all but sixteen and writing letters to "Hector."

"Who's Hector?" I asked, and my mother laughed.
"My Spanish pen pal." She said, and I admit I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping to discover some long forgotten romance, some juicy story that would set my mother apart and color in her another dimension. But the letter was written for her Spanish class, all those years ago, and apparently vetted by the teacher.

And then somewhere in the middle of an old plastic crate, I found that 6th grade diary. Pink, floral, with the words "Memories are Forever" written in fancy lettering beside a little girl holding a friendly raccoon. I opened it and laughed at how simple I was, how the smallest things meant so much back then, and how I was "in an awful state" because "everyone is yelling at me, even at school." Then I turned the page and saw, on the 11th of April, 1983, the following declaration:

I have decided what I want to be when I grow up. I'll have to do something else between, but I want to be an author. I have written a bunch of short stories, and Kelly and I are writing a sequal to our first book, The Haunted Hotel (a mystery book). I am very imaginative, I think!

April 11, 1983. Nearly thirty years ago now, and yet I've never given up on that dream. And even though I just turned forty and am still yet to be published, I am not sorry for following it. I've listened to God and my heart and bent my ear to the wind, and I have always recorded the whispers. That "something else between" sometimes takes over my life, and I struggle to find a balance, but I keep on. I keep on for the little girl I was then and the young woman I was a decade ago, and all the women I am and will continue to be. I keep filling the pages and leaning into the wind in the hopes that it will land on the page in spite of me, and that somehow I can capture those things that aren't tangible, like the turn of a leaf of a Virginia tree or the way the air feels when it dampens my cheek.

And maybe somewhere in that I'll find me.

Sunday Quote:Gretzky, Being Surprisingly Relevant to the Writing Life

2011-10-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
--Wayne Gretzky

So what chances will you take this week? What shots will you venture?

Trailer for Sugarland (my sophomore novel, out of the vault ebook reincarnation)

2011-10-29T11:48:00.002-05:00

Sugarland is essentially a modern retelling of the Psyche and Eros myth, set in a southeast Texas trailer park. And yes, there is a tornado.

I wrote Sugarland, my second novel, while I was in chemotherapy. My first novel, Crazy For Trying, was in the process of collecting rejections, but I couldn't be dragged down by that. I was on fire (creatively, I mean, though sometimes chemo made it feel like that literally) and thinking about publishing would have been the worst thing I could have done at that moment. I wrote.

Sugarland was picked up shortly after CFT, so both books were in the pipeline at different publishers at the same time. The women at this tiny lesbian press really knew what they were doing, and they did it fantastically well. It was a robust launch; the book got excellent reviews, book clubs ate it up, and I landed my first literary agent and a subsequent book deal with HarperCollins for my memoir and next novel.

The book's been out of print for several years, of course, so I'm thrilled that the ebook revolution has made it possible for me to put it out into the world again. I learned so much from this book. It'll always have a special place in my heart.

Saturday comics: The point at which editorial input ceases to be a good thing.

2011-10-29T11:31:00.000-05:00

Novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourself

2011-10-28T20:09:00.001-05:00

Check out this terrific post from agent Rachelle Gardner telling us that, hey, just maybe, this whole branding thing is something novelists don't have to worry about so very much.

I especially love what she has to say about focusing on who your readers are. If you get to know them and figure out how to deliver the kind of reading experience they crave, you will become the brand they're looking for, rather than having to create and forcibly impose your brand on them.

Novelists: Stop Trying to Brand Yourself

Buy This Book: Dwight Okita's "Prospect of My Arrival"

2011-10-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

Please Don't Make Me Tweet!

2011-10-26T14:58:00.004-05:00

When I mention to clients with a book about to come out that they will now be taking on a second job as a blogger/Facebook entrepreneur/Tweeter, I get a variety of reactions -- panic, resignation, defiance and sheer terror. I can't say I blame them. When my editor mentioned setting up a blog for my last book, I bombarded her with a dozen reasons I couldn't possibly take it on. Being an author these days is tough duty.

To try and help out several of my clients faced with the daunting prospect of having to Tweet for the very first time, I put together some Very Basic Twitter Facts. And I'd be really interested in hearing what's worked for you in the land of those annoying little blue birds.

1. Think of Twitter as a party being held at your house. Naturally, everyone will be interested in the latest news about your book, but as the host you’ll also want to introduce guests who have interests in common, start lively discussions and make sure everyone hears about big doings in the lives of their fellow partygoers.

2. Simply put, Twitter is not all about you. 20% of tweets is plenty for all-about-me book news.

3. One easy way to get an idea of what makes for a successful “author building a following” tweet is to check out those who have already mastered the art. You’ll see there is a nice balance between book promotion and a variety of things the author thinks will be of interest to their followers. Check out authors who write in your genre or currently have books on the bestseller lists. Laura Harrington is a client of mine who’s having great success with her tweets being passed along.

4. Spend time searching on Twitter for old college roommates, friendly ex-girl/boyfriends, former co-workers, editors you’ve worked with or written for, all your Facebook friends -- anyone who can expand your tweeting circle.

5. Follow a wide variety of people, not just those in your world or the world of your book. Not only will this get the word out to an ever-increasing number of people, it should also give you material to re-tweet.

6. Tweet every day. If at all possible, start with five times a day. And remember, Twitter is like a garden -- once you plant it, you have to tend it. No long vacations.

7. Ask questions that will elicit a response -- what’s the best movie ever made from a 19^th century novel?

8. When someone becomes a follower, send them a thank-you. If someone re-tweets you, send them a “thanks for the RT.”

9. Think before you use #Hash #Tags. Two many ## in a tweet makes it hard to read.

10. Join in #followfriday. It’s one of the most popular hash tags and is used to suggest people your followers might enjoy following. Make sure you briefly say why and don’t just put up a list of @names. Ideally, if you recommend someone, they will return the favor and recommend you to their followers.

So How Are You Doing?

Want to see which of your tweets was effective? Sign up for Tweet Effective.

Once you’ve Tweeted 200 times, check out Timely, a service that can show you when your followers are re-tweeting and when they’re not. It will also tell you the optimal (as in gain more followers) times for you to tweet

Tweet Reach will show you how many people your tweets reach.

Bufferapp. As you create Tweets and add them to your "Buffer," it will schedule them for the best time of day for your followers. Nifty. And check out the "Suggest an Update" option.

Monday Morning Goal Update

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'd meant to be triumphantly reporting that I've met my goal from last Monday and completed the draft of the manuscript that's due in only a few short weeks.

But despite countless hours of sweat equity, what will be Book #20 threw me a curve ball, demanding changes, changes, changes as I began finessing the scenes for a complicated climax into place. Since I'd rather have the book done right than simply have it finished, I haven't yet reached the end. Still, I'm getting closer each and every day.

Yes, this means I'm occasionally breathing into the little paper bag I keep by my computer over the daily panic attacks this struggle is inducing. So wish me luck as I do the white-knuckle slide into the home stretch. I WILL have this draft finished by next Monday. I'm absolutely determined!

Hope you'll let me know how you're doing on your weekly goals. Any successes, failures, or readjustments (c'mon, gang! make me feel better, will you?) to report?

I'm So Effing 50!

2011-10-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

Diagnosed with blood cancer at 32, I was told it was unlikely I'd live more than five years. My goal was my 40th birthday. I just wanted my kids (then 5 and 7) to be old enough to remember me, and I wanted to get one book published.

In 120 days, I'll turn 50. My kids are grown, and I've had over a dozen books published. God is good. Life is amazing. And I'm celebrating my advent to the Power Decade by rebooting everything about my body -- fitness, fashion, inner beauty (as depicted in a mammogram), facial regime -- with the philosophy that this is a spa-fest of self care, not a bootcamp blast of self-improvement. So let the Fiftyness begin!

I'm posting videos on my solo blog The Girl With the Shakespeare Tattoo. Here's my first day with personal trainer Bill Rushforth.

Buy This Book: The Volunteer by Barbara Taylor Sissel

2011-10-21T14:52:00.001-05:00

Barbara Taylor Sissel released her second (of many, I hope) book on Kindle and Nook this week. The Volunteer is a compelling novel about a psychologist who's been sought out by the family of a death row inmate after he declares his wish to be voluntarily executed. Playing out alongside the heartrending plight of his wife and children is the search for the ancient Mayan artifact for which this guy was apparently willing to commit murder and the dark private history of the psychologist herself.

The author does an amazing job of first making us care about these people, pinging curiosity just enough with the mystery surrounding the codex, then pretty much tearing our hearts out with the beautifully written final chapters. She weaves the story from fine, unexpected threads. Characters are complex and thoughtful. Places are fragrant and real. Conversations ring true and meaningful. Plots unfold with startling but graceful turns. She's a terrific author I want everyone to discover -- especially readers who love issues-oriented, character driven fiction by authors like Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve.

THE VOLUNTEER is a satisfying read, and that's enough in itself, but I think book clubs will find a whole additional dimension for discussion. Beyond the big questions that gray the core topic of capital punishment, there's the complicated realm of family relationships, the definition of "the honorable thing" and whether or not it's even possible to redeem oneself by living or dying for a private cause.

This is the kind of indie fiction I'm thrilled to see: a beautifully crafted book by a creative, accomplished author. I've known Barbara for a long time and been inspired by her artistic integrity and uncompromising dedication to her craft. She's taken on the indie adventure with a profoundly healthy energy, and other indie authors would do well to follow her example.

Buy the book from B&N

Buy the book from Amazon

The Girl With the Shakespeare Tattoo (finally launching my solo blog)

2011-10-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

Finally got it together to launch the solo blog I've been working on. I'll still be blogging here at BoxOcto, but I've got a lot of stuff coming up and didn't want to be a blog hog about it.

The Girl With the Shakespeare Tattoo will feature some of the same stuff I post here -- books I love as a reader, thoughts on writing -- but more about my growing indie publishing endeavor and non sequitur artsy this and that.

Author Sherry Jones reads from her forthcoming novel "Four Sisters, All Queens"

2011-10-19T15:20:00.001-05:00

Story time! Below, the fabulous Sherry Jones reads from her forthcoming novel, Four Sisters, All Queens, which promises to be another well told, impeccably researched story.

From the flap:

From the award-winning author of the controversial international bestseller The Jewel of Medina, a historical novel that chronicles the lives of four sisters, all daughters of Beatrice of Provence — all of whom became queens in medieval Europe. When Beatrice of Savoy, countess of Provence, sends her four beautiful, accomplished daughters to become queens, she admonishes them: Family comes first. As a result, the daughters — Marguerite, queen of France; Eleanor, queen of England; Sanchia, queen of Germany; and Beatrice, queen of Sicily — work not only to expand their husbands’ empires and broker peace between nations, but also to bring the House of Savoy to greater power and influence than before. Their father’s death, however, tears the sisters apart, pitting them against one another for the legacy each believes rightfully hers — Provence itself.

Told from alternating points of view of all four queens, and set in the tumultuous thirteenth century, this is a tale of greed, lust, ambition, and sibling rivalry on a royal scale, exploring the meaning of true power and bringing to life four of the most celebrated women of their time—each of whom had an impact on the history of Europe.

Is it time for writers to rethink attitudes about agents? (And, dare I suggest, agents rethink writers?)

2011-10-18T18:19:00.003-05:00

I laughed a lot when I saw this photo from last week's Frankfurt Book Fair. With 7,300 exhibitors and almost 300K attendees at more than 3,000 events, I understand the need for organization, and I don't know if there was a special segregated potty for writers... but I doubt it. In any case (without even addressing the fact that the agent is assumed to be a man) the sign makes a pretty potent icon for the industry dynamic that's arisen in the last few decades.

When the advent of the home computer made the physical process of writing a book infinitely more achievable, a tsunami of aspiring writers started pursuing literary representation, which cast authors as beggars and agents as choosers, bringing about a massive shift in the power balance. I think indie publishing is now shifting power back toward authors - if authors are willing to grow a pair and do their own dirty work.

True or False?

Agents should champion books based on literary quality, not income potential.
True, in that perfect world where lions lie down with lambs and ice cream is an excellent source of calcium. I mean, yeah, but reality check that. Agents are supporting their families, just as writers are. And overall commercial success makes it possible for them to devote time to occasional windmill-tilting.

False, when it gets to the point that easy-selling crap completely trumps literary quality and gluts the market to the exclusion of the low to moderate (read "midlist") moneymakers, and that is the direction a lot of agents are going as the industry sphincter continues to tighten.

Agents are the best gatekeepers/tastemakers.
True, in that agents are (for the most part) educated, intelligent, bookish folk who do have insight into what readers want and what publishers will pay for.

False, in that marketability has become the primary (if not sole) criterion, not only for taking on new authors, but for strongly influencing the revision of manuscripts, and too many supplicant authors are willing to turn their backs on their own artistic vision in a desperate attempt to win that agency contract. ("What doth a man profit," Jesus asked, "if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?") In a biz as capricious as publishing, you need intelligent guidance, but shared craft values and a common vision for the author's work are imperative.

Agents know more than authors about how to write books.
True, when the author is an amateur, in which case the author does not need an agent, the author needs a good critique group.

False, the rest of the time. A terrific agent excels in the art and craft of sales. A terrific author excels in the art and craft of writing. In that perfect lion-lays-down-with-ice-cream world, the two come together with mutual respect in an equal partnership that is peaceful and prosperous for all concerned.

Must end with my favorite Mitchell and Webb bit, which should be required viewing for any author before s/he rewrites based on agent input. (I know I've shown you this before, but it bears repeating. Or don't! Yeah?)

Can Stories Heal Us?

2011-10-17T18:55:00.002-05:00

One of the things I have enjoyed about working with novelist Barry Burnett is the way in which his novel, HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, makes me think about all different kinds of things. For instance, in an earlier post, I discussed Barry's thoughts on editors and editing, and there was some compelling discussion about the editor's role in shaping a book.

Recently I was pondering the concept of how books help us to connect with one another and better understand one another. I was also pondering my long held belief that laughter heals, and wondering why I think so. So I asked Barry, who in addition to being a writer is a family practice doctor. I wanted to know what a physician felt about whether books help us connect, and yes, whether laughter heals. Here is Barry's take on those subjects.

1. Do you think stories have healing effects or properties, as in “stories help us connect,” etc.?

Of course, as a doc and a writer I’d want to believe that, but I actually do. Where I start is with the notion that fiction helps us live, however briefly, alternate lives, and live them in a purposefully imaginary way that is usually not psychologically destabilizing. I figure that helps the reader understand ‘alternate people’ — that is, everyone else — which could certainly lay the groundwork for connection. Is that related to that Forster advice to “Only connect”? I think so: writer to book to reader, reader to book to life.

On a flakier level, I also believe that the music of language is primal and can motivate us in wonderful and not-so-wonderful ways. I’ve certainly had the experience of being trapped, like Fforde’s Tuesday Next, in a bummer of a book, and I’m taken by, say, Cormac McCarthy’s skill and obsession down a road I would not choose and so struggle to escape. Does that mean writers have the responsibility to write positive, healing stories? No way — too close control will destroy the magic, and then there’s the value of fantasy, of any kind of release. But as an optimist with a health message it can be a struggle, first to write something that fits the moment of the scene, then to twist it, just a bit, to your own external and non-dramatic agenda.

2. This book is a comedy. Was that planned? Is comedy hard to write?

I wanted to write a lighter book, and a few non-Boulder friends, on hearing I was trying to put together a Boulder serial, pitched for something satiric and harsh, a total take-down on cults, affluence, and pretensions. I encouraged them to fire up Scrivener and go for it, but felt I lacked a set of knives that sharp. Or rather knew that that sort of carving, no matter what evil fun, would preclude the attachment (there’s ‘connection’ again) I can’t help feeling for even the worst of my characters.

Still… I did have some slightly-evil fun. And most of the comedy just happened; I can sometimes snap off a good line, but usually watch jokes grow slowly. A few years ago I heard Nelson DeMille mention how readers are surprised he isn’t a brilliant come-back artist like his heroes, explaining that he’s got all afternoon to work on an ‘instant’ reply. Finally, the characters in How To Live Forever sort of frame the comedy, and luckily they’re funny folks.

3. Do you believe laughter heals?

Yes. To egregiously misquote, it knits up the wounds of all those slings and arrows, and that’s got to be good. Excluding, possibly, the harshest sarcasm, humor seems the very nature of lightness and resilience, a few of the ‘good-attitude’ qualities that seem to keep people going through all sorts of shit, medical and otherwise. Now, is there something in addition, like psychoneuroimmuniology, in which a state of mind creates a state of body (more resistant, with better bad-cell screening and internal defenses) by a known and identified pathway? Sounds good to me, but that pathway remains debatable. It would be nice to have a firm rationale to shore up the impressions, but regardless, my impression is that laughter improves life in manifold ways, and duration may be one of them.

4. Why write a novel that also offers a healthy living philosophy instead of writing a guide or self-help title?

I’m a reader as well as a writer, and when I lay back to read at the end of the day, self-help books can make my eyes simply glaze over. Not that they don’t work, but for me they’ve only worked in a sit-up, pencil-in-your-teeth, underlining kind of way. That is, when they really ARE work.

Now, that was harsh, and from the supposedly non-harsh guy. Let me try again. I think we learn better by observing — best, by participating, as in connecting — than by being told. Fiction totally fits the bill. At least for fiction types like me. For example, I live in the West, where water rights matter, and I never would have tracked that ongoing debate if I hadn’t been grounded in the information that so sneakily seeped out of Jose Mondragon’s flooded fields and into my brain while reading The Milagro Beanfield War.

5. Is writing really therapeutic and what makes it so?

Writing can definitely be a comfort, and one that takes unexpected turns, and those turns, with a few exceptions, won’t land you in jail. Comfortable, lively, not too dangerous — like a great journey in itself. Going places, spiritual places, places of the heart and mind. There’s also the pleasure (and pain) of polishing, and the joy of discovering new things about yourself and, thank you Wikipedia, the world. No wonder I’m hooked.

Weekly Goals: They're Not Just for NaNoWriMo

2011-10-17T08:41:00.000-05:00

With my deadline looming, it's time to put the hammer down on an ambitious goal: finish the draft before next Monday.

I've always been a big proponent of breaking down huge, overwhelming tasks into manageable chunks with monthly, weekly, and at times daily goals. These goals needn't be back-breakers--indeed, if you want writing to be a sustainable lifestyle and no just an annual National Novel Writing Month binge that leaves you with bleeding eyeballs, carpal tunnel, and an aversion to writing for the remainder of the year, you'll need to come up with a plan that you can live with longterm.

Once I've finished the early, exploratory work on a book and am getting down to completion mode, I try to tack on just a little bit more than the lazy side of my brain thinks it can do for my goal-setting. Then I write down the projected page or word count goals (Since my current publisher uses computer word counts rather than page counts, I've recently switched over to daily word count goals to keep myself from "cheating" with a lot of chapter breaks and other white space) on my handy-dandy, low-tech calendar. In ink. (Gasp!)

Blowing a daily goal bugs me, but it's bound to happen sometimes. Blowing a weekly goal calls for a serious course correction (i.e. giving up evening relaxation time or weekends) when I'm on a tight deadline. When the deadline's not quite so daunting, it's the monthly goals that I adhere to most closely.

I know other writers who procrastinate 'til the last possible moment, then blaze through the draft in a period of weeks (or even days.) This is the only way that works for them. Goal-setting is the only way that works for me.

So what's your goal for this week? And do you use goal-setting as a regular strategy?

"You Must Be SO Disciplined"

2011-10-14T19:26:00.000-05:00

I get this comment all the time from people whose fantasy is working in their sparkling, perfectly-organized home on their own schedule. They love to imagine a life with no boss to crack the whip, no rude, annoying, or distracting co-workers, lunch out with friends whenever they feel like it, and the chance to take the day off when the mood strikes.

But they have a lot more trouble imagining the part where you actually put your patootie in the chair and write for hours on end. Day after day, with nobody there to tell you when you have to. So they build me up to be some paragon of self-discipline.

Which is really pretty funny, since I'm definitely not. I'm frequently disorganized (you should see my office), always behind on housework, and have very little willpower when it comes to exercise or ice cream. Because having the neatest house, the most uncluttered junk drawer, and the most toned body out there don't matter so much to me.

But other things do. A lot. And among that small constellation (which includes family, friends, my animals, and reading) is writing. Crafting the best stories I can, with the most memorable characters. Emotionally connecting with my readers on some level. Meeting my deadlines (because when I give my word, that matters, too) and being able to honestly tell my editor, my fans, and especially myself at the end of the day, "I really loved this story."

It's not discipline (though I'll be working through the weekend again, and I've been putting in some long hours). It's a choice. And just saying that it's your choice will never be enough.

Instead, you have to prove it with your time and sweat and sacrifice. You have to act, not just dream.

But that's not really discipline; it's love.

Author Laura Harrington on Anna Karenina and the seductive wonderland of social media

2011-10-12T10:51:00.002-05:00

Novelist/playwright Laura Harrington, author of the lovely Alice Bliss stops by with some thoughts on "How re-reading Anna Karenina – and a vacation – brought me back to writing and helped put the seductive wonderland of social media in perspective", as part of her continuing ponder: Why read?

I’ve just returned from my vacation. A real vacation. Two weeks in my favorite foreign country. Where we chose to have no phone, no email, no Twitter, no Facebook, no media or media devices of any kind. The one hotel where we found a TV in our room we unplugged it and turned its face to the wall.

Why did I need to take such extreme measures?

A little background: My debut novel launched on June 2nd. My publisher encouraged me to get in the game with Twitter and Facebook. I knew so little about either that they might as well have been speaking a foreign language. I gathered my courage and asked a few writers what they had done that was useful during their book launch. The lovely Beth Hoffman not only sat me down and told me, yes, you have to use Twitter, but she was kind enough to tell me how to get started and introduced me to some other writers. So round about May 1st I started to impersonate an extrovert and began to learn how to use both Twitter and Facebook.

From May 1st to September 3rd when I left on vacation, I felt like I was taking several self-directed graduate level courses on social media. I found wonderful teachers in the blogosphere, I read every how-to list out there. It was fascinating for the most part, all consuming all the time, and I started to feel like I just might be getting the hang of it by mid-summer. I was making friends, connecting with other writers, reading several blogs, getting to know the wonderful world of book bloggers, and basically just falling down the rabbit hole of social media all day every day.

My publisher seemed happy with me; my book seemed to be doing reasonably well, (who can tell?) I was having fun. Great, right? Then I started to notice that I wasn’t spending as much time outside as I usually do during the summer. How was it possible I was feeling the pull of the computer more strongly than the pull of the beach or my bike? My reading was falling off; it was hard for a book to hold my attention. I was becoming forgetful; I was often doing so many tasks at once that I would forget what it was that I had initially set out to do. I was distracted and distractible. I was beginning to feel a little lost.

At first I had been upset about leaving my 2nd book behind while I helped promote my 1st book. Now I wasn’t even thinking about my 2nd book. This was troubling if I stopped to think about it, but at that point I was so fully engaged with my fast-twitch world, that I wasn’t thinking about it.

I decided that my vacation, the first time we’d taken two weeks in more than a decade, would be the turning point. Pre-vacation would be the waning days of my social media free for all. Post-vacation, my 2nd book would be my priority, social media and book promotion would be relegated to the 5 – 6 pm time slot, managed and scheduled, just like the pros advise.

So what does all of this have to do with reading?

I spent less time thinking about what clothes I would need than what books I would bring. I packed the new translation of Anna Karenina, Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder, and Jim Harrison’s Returning to Earth. My husband had Verghese’s Cutting for Stone and William Trevor’s Death in Summer, just in case I ran out of things to read.

How would my mind, which had begun to feel a little dumb and slow and at the same time twitchy and impatient, respond to this cold turkey approach? Could I actually settle down and pay attention? Would I secretly be looking for internet cafes, scheming to check in and make sure I wasn’t missing anything?

We were on the Atlantic Coast of France, on the Arcachon Basin and the Ile de Re. Both of these places have beautiful bays full of oysters and long, long stretches of bold Atlantic beach. We parked our car at the hotel and got on bikes, books and beach towels in our baskets, and headed out for each day’s adventure. It was a wonderfully physical vacation, as different as possible from sitting indoors in front of a computer. Biking, especially on the Ile de Re, was often a peak experience as we cycled through the center of the island, surrounded by bird sanctuaries, vineyards, salt farms, horses, sheep, goats, and views to the ocean and the bay. The air was perfumed with herbs: lavender and rosemary and fennel, as well as late blooming broom, ripening grapes, newly mown hay, pine, and the wrack from the edge of the sea.

We took our books everywhere: to breakfast in the morning, to the beach, to whichever café we would choose for our mid-morning coffee or our late afternoon aperitif. And reading picked me up and challenged me and enchanted me and slowed me down and brought me back to myself. We were living almost entirely outdoors and at the pace of someone walking or riding a 3-speed bike. I was no longer racing, no longer juggling multiple tasks. I was alive and present to the current physical moment and activity of my day as well as the unfolding story of Anna Karenina. And what a book to choose to slow me down and bring me back to thinking; a book that is so stuffed full of ideas, one marvels at Tolstoy’s ability to embody them all. A book that wrestles with all of the big questions: how to live, how to be useful, how to love, what is love, what is marriage, what is a soul, what does my soul require of me?

I would be pedaling along thinking of Anna and Levin and Kitty and Vronsky and Stiva, so alive to his appetites. The world of the book was deep enough to captivate my mind and my imagination, so that I rode and mused, and mused and swam, and lived inside this book for all of its 819 pages.

I was living in Tolstoy’s world and at the same time, living deeply inside my own mind for the first time in a long time. There was a constant sense of deepening: of characters, of story, of questions. Is this, after all, what great literature has the potential to do? To bring us back to our own minds, to allow us to rediscover our true selves, to ask us to think more slowly and more fully, to remind us of the larger questions that our lives and our stories can wrestle with and embody?

I was changed by Anna Karenina, I was changed by the simple act of reading, changed by a new environment, a different way of life. But it was reading that truly brought me back home to myself: as a reader, as a writer, and reconnected me to my soul’s purpose.

Will I be able to hold on to this new state of mind? Will I be able to balance the quiet demands of writing with the livelier demands of social media? Can the two states of mind co-exist, or do they have to be separated by a firewall?

How do you balance your writing and social media life? How do you carve out the time to keep the quiet places quiet, to honor the need to live and listen and write inside those silences?

Keep up with Laura Harrington and follow Alice's adventures via the Where's Alice Bliss blog and on twitter.

Epic rap battles: Seuss vs. Shakespeare

2011-10-11T19:03:00.001-05:00

Nuff said.

Buy This Book: Jewball by Neal Pollack

2011-10-11T11:29:00.001-05:00

A while back, I posted about Neal Pollack's decision to go indie with his forthcoming novel, Jewball, which forthcame today! Congratulations, Neal! I read the smart, funny teaser chapter and can't wait to read the rest. (It's burning a hole in my Kindle as we speak.)

"This isn't a book that's going to move via traditional channels," Pollack says on his website. "Its success won't and can't be easily quantified. But if the Internet does what it does best--spread the word about things that are awesome--then Jewball stands a chance in the glutted digital marketplace."

From the metaphysical flap:

From the bestselling satirist and memoirist Neal Pollack comes a funny, gritty historical noir about a tough Jew on the brink and about a great American game coming into its own.

1937. The gears of world war have begun to grind, but Inky Lautman, star point guard for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, America's greatest basketball team, is dealing with his own problems. His coach has unwittingly incurred a massive gambling debt to the German-American Bund. His main basketball rival is self-righteously leading public protests against the rise of homegrown American fascism. And his girlfriend wants him to join a Jewish student organization that's all talk and no action. It's more than Inky can deliver. He just wants to play ball and occasionally beat people up for money. The tides of history are flowing against a guy like Inky. Can he make his free throws and still make it through the season alive?

This...is Jewball.

Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? Common Peer Review Mistakes and their Overlap with Critique Groups

2011-10-10T00:54:00.006-05:00

While some of the common "mistakes" in this video are specific to an oral critique, paired peer situation, there are others that are common to any critiquing relationship. Are you a Picky Patty, a Mean Margaret, or a Defensive Dave? Have you ever been critiqued by a Pushy Paula or by Jean the Generalizer?

Conversely, what characterizes effective writing feedback? How do you know when a critique partnership is working, and when is it time to let go? And what are your best tips for handling writing advice?

What are you trying to prove?

2011-10-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

So somebody sold a thousand books for 99 cents. (Reality check: they made $350 less their expenses, not a solid grand.) Somebody else has 5K followers on twitter. (Reality check: here's some sobering stats that might cause you to rethink the actual value you're getting in return for the time you're investing there.)

We're all trying to get a handle on the brave new world of publishing, and the numbers can be daunting. The squawkers who claim to have all the answers are loud and plentiful. We have a natural tendency to look at author acquaintances and feel like we're getting left in the dust as everyone else revs up the engine and blasts off down the highway. I think it's imperative that we mentally separate PR that has actual value (in that it sells books and enhances author brand) from PR that sucks money and time away from writing and funnels it into the activity of trying to prove you're a writer.

This week, I think I'll focus on doing what I want to do. What everyone else is doing/ getting/ tweeting is irrelevant to me, my career, my direction, and my artistic spirit. If I quietly write the books I want to write and bravely present them to the world in a way that feels organic to the project, authentic to me as an artist, and appealing to the audience who's open to it, my integrity stays intact and the rewards will be real and satisfying - artistically, emotionally and financially. It won't matter to me if another author zooms off down the highway without noticing that I'm happy.

Ben Loory, author of my hands-down favorite summer read, interviewed by Bigfoot

2011-10-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

More about Stories for Nighttime and Some For the Day.

Buy This Book: Love at First Bark by Julie Klam

2011-10-07T08:15:00.001-05:00

The wonderfully funny author Julie Klam won me over with You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness, a hilarious love song to Boston terriers, and Please Excuse My Daughter, a memoir of her privileged upbringing and stormy young adulthood.

Coming to bookstores this month, Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Somehow Help You Save Yourself is about the alternately hilarious and heart-ripping task of rescuing dogs, who have a habit of turning around to either bite you or rescue you right back.

Visit Julie's website here and check out the great trailer.

Buy This Book: Crazy For Trying

2011-10-06T17:14:00.001-05:00

I recently downloaded and read the Kindle version of Crazy For Trying, by Boxocto's own Joni Rodgers, and although it's been a while since she wrote it, I can say for sure that it still delivers. It's a story that is as big and wide and gorgeous as its Big Sky country setting. It is a punch to the solar plexus, unflinching on so many levels. Troubled and witty, and sometimes irreverent, it is the truly courageous exploration of one young woman’s journey through heartbreaking circumstances of loss and abandonment, of vulnerability and self doubt, to full-blown, joyous self-discovery.

Tulsa Bitters, the daughter of a famous, recently-deceased feminist, arrives in Helena, Montana with a dented heart, twenty bucks and a couple of guitars. She wants to hide and life gives her a plan, a way to do it in plain sight as “VA Lones”, Helena’s first female deejay. It’s the job she was born for, one she loves. Soon she meets Mac, a guy twice her age, and she loves him, too. As Tulsa, or Tuppy-my-guppy, as her famous mother affectionately called her, she might have lacked the confidence to take on such a job and the lover, but as VA, she can be bold--sort of. The relationship between Mac and Tulsa is no typical May-December affair. It’s a coming of age, a coming to terms for them both. It’s tender and tough; it takes side roads that twist off the heart’s ledge. A way is lost and then found only to drop into the dark night. A small town watches, or at times what is a full and colorful cast of players mixes in. As the reader, you become entangled, engrossed.

Joni’s voice is unique, a wry and beautiful gift, that breathes life into characters and a plot that is as vividly drawn and compelling as it is passionate. The ending is up for grabs. You might be surprised; you just might find yourself laughing through your tears. For more about Joni, visit her website.

"Three Stories From My Life" (Go with God, Steve Jobs.)

2011-10-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

Go with God, Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

Whether you're a "fanboy" (or girl) or a detractor, you can't deny the tremendous influence of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, whose death was reported on October 5th. Nor would many argue the point that Jobs was a creative giant.

While reading his obituary over at CNN's site, I was particular struck by this quote from a 2005 commencement speech, given at Stanford University:

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

True of so many things in life, these words seem especially applicable to creative endeavors. How often do we struggle never knowing whether we are destined to nosedive into disaster or exceed beyond our wildest imaginings? How many failures seem permanent, only to prove stepping stones to an eventual success we never could have defined at the time? Only our capacity to trust keeps us creating, our ability to believe that some agency outside our understanding will break through, like the light that pierces the darkest cloud bank.

Thanks for this reminder, Steve. Of all the many, many gifts you've left us (including the computer I use to write these words) this wisdom may be most important.

Now let's get out there, everybody, and do our work, and let the universe, the muse, or whatever you want to call it worry about the rest.

Shana Galen Contest: We Have a Winner!

2011-10-05T10:09:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Pat Moore, winner of the drawing for an autographed copy of Shana Galen's Lord & Lady Spy! Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Boxing the Octopus to enter or just to say hi in the comments!

Free Book Giveaway: 3 Questions with Shana Galen

2011-10-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

Special Instruction for the Drawing: We'll be choosing one lucky reader from among the commenters below to win a free, autographed copy of Shana Galen's wonderful new Lord & Lady Spy! We'll be announcing the winner on Wednesday at noon (Central Daylight Time.)

A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to be part of a signing with historical romance author Shana Galen—and even more privileged to purchase and read her brand new release, Lord & Lady Spy.

And it was fun, readers, the most fun I've had with a historical romance in eons. Fresh and exciting, it had crisp repartee and a number of laugh out loud moments, but most of all, the story and the characters had heart.

So aside from recommending it like mad to everybody I know, I also asking Shana to stop by Boxing the Octopus for the traditional Three Questions.

BtO: Hello, Shana, and thanks for joining us. One of the things that stood out to me was your ability to blend seemingly modern plot elements (i.e. the Mr. and Mrs. Smith-like set-up, where each member of a pair of married spies knows nothing of the other's secret life) with a more traditional British setting. What gave you the idea to liven up the Regency romance with this idea? Could your secret past as a writer of contemporary chick lit have anything to do with it?

SG: Thank you so much for having me. I try to read the blog whenever I have a free moment and really enjoy it.

I don’t think my not-so-secret past as a contemporary author had as much to do with the idea for Lord and Lady Spy as did desperation for an idea for my next book. I was thinking and thinking and nothing was coming to me. One evening I was flipping channels and saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith on cable and started thinking, what if the year wasn’t 2005 but 1815? And what if the hero and heroine weren’t assassins but spies? Unemployed spies, since Napoleon was captured in 1815. I got chills and knew I finally had my next idea! Most of my books have a lot of action, and I’ve written heroes who were spies before, so that part wasn’t a huge leap. Writing a romance with a married couple was quite a challenge. I’ll get into that more below.

BtO: I recognized so many accurate historical details, I instinctively trusted that you'd done your homework. To what extent was the spy-related background really rooted in fact?

SG: There were actually spies during the Peninsular Wars, but they weren’t very well known. We tend to think of spying as dangerous and sexy. In the nineteenth century, spies were considered cowardly. A real man didn’t sneak around but fought in the open. So most of the spy-related parts of the novel were pure fiction. Two real people who did influence how I wrote the spy sections were George Scovill and Grace Dalrymple Elliott. Scovill cracked Napoleon’s Paris cipher for Wellington. His story is told in The Man Who Broke Napoleon’s Codes. Elliott was a British courtesan living in Paris during the French Revolution. She smuggled messages from Marie Antoinette to her sympathizers in Austria and saved several royalist sympathizers from being captured and imprisoned by the French Revolutionary government. A great book titled My Lady Scandalous tells her story.

BtO: For all the derring-do and funny moments (love your sense of humor!) what really made this novel stand out for me was the root cause of Sophie and Adrian's emotional estrangement, the heart-wrenching loss of three pregnancies to miscarriage. What made you decide to add such a serious issue to the story?

SG: I was struggling with the conflict between Adrian and Sophia for a long time, and I needed to come up with some reason they were estranged to make the book move forward. During this time, I suffered a miscarriage. It was my first pregnancy, and it completely devastated me. When I was able to get back to fiction writing, I started thinking about Sophia again, and I realized infertility/miscarriage could be one reason for a marital estrangement. Also, writing about miscarriage gave me a way to address a topic that isn’t covered in many romance novels. And yet it’s something many, many women deal with. I know so many friends who have suffered miscarriages. I thought my readers could relate to a woman who struggled with pregnancy loss.

I did face some initial reservations from publishing industry people because “miscarriage isn’t sexy.” But my response was that I thought readers could handle a more complex emotional subject without feeling it made the book less romantic or the sexual relationship between the hero and heroine less fulfilling.

BtO: I'm really sorry to hear of your personal loss, but I agree that readers will be very touched, as I was, by reading of an issue that impacts so many.

Is there anything else you'd like us to know about the book or future releases?

SG: I do have a book coming out in February. It’s the third in my Sons of the Revolution series. The first two were The Making of a Duchess and The Making of a Gentleman. We’ve been going back and forth about the title, so at this point, I’m not even sure what that’s going to be. It was The Making of a Rogue and then Once a Rogue and then The Dread Pirate’s Bride. It might be something else next week! But we’ll get it figured out soon.

Also, because of the great reader-feedback, my editor and I are discussing making Lord and Lady Spy a series. I’m currently contracted to write a new series, and the first book in that will be out in Fall 2012, but somewhere between books 2 and 3, there may be another Lord and Lady Spy book.

BtO: Yea! Glad to hear that! And I almost forgot the obligatory BtO bonus question. What are you reading and loving these days?

SG: I just turned a book in today, so I haven’t been doing much reading. I did finish Ashley March’s Romancing the Countess and really enjoyed it. Next up is Sophie Jordan’s Vanish, and I have your own Colleen Thompson’s Phantom of the French Quarter on my nightstand too. I am really looking forward to taking a week off and reading.

BtO: Thanks so much for visiting, Shana (and enjoy Phantom!) We're so glad to share Lord & Lady Spy with readers—who might be interested to know that the e-book version (the book is also available in paperback) is now on sale for the low price of $2.99. Score!

SG: Thank you for having me! I want to offer a signed copy of Lord and Lady Spy to one person who comments today. I’ll check in later today and reply to any comments or questions.

How to Find a Story and Write It: David Rocklin on his debut novel, THE LUMINIST

2011-10-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

Friends, sometimes the most wonderful things come over the transom: it was a year ago when I was contacted by debut author David Rocklin, who asked me if would be willing to reading his novel, THE LUMINIST, and blurb it. I was, after the first few sentences, not only willing--I was elated. Set in colonial Ceylon, this beautiful, haunting story chronicles the unlikely relationship between a poor servant and the grieving woman of privilege who employs him, who struggle together to understand the mysterious and as yet "unfixed" art of photography, and so find a way to halt time, stop hurt, and capture the fleeting essence of life. I asked David to share with us some of the background to this complex, wonderful book; read on, and then go and grab yourself a copy. You will be, simply put, inspired.

David, there is a wonderful story behind the birth of THE LUMINIST. Can you share with our readers how you came to write the book?

In early 2004, my wife and I went to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. They were exhibiting photographs from the earliest days of the art, including a number from Julia Margaret Cameron. Now, I’m not a photographer – I’m the one most likely to stare at your camera, waiting for it to tell me how to use it, when you ask me to take a picture of you and your family. I’d never heard of Ms. Cameron, or her work. I am, though, very visual. Everything I’ve written had its start not as a theme or a character, but as an image that I could not shake, that hinted at a larger story in its peripheries.

The photographs I saw that day really moved me. Those faces were at once immediate and long-gone. They had a lost quality to them when viewed from a distance; here, after all, was a wall of people who died before I’d ever encountered them. Up close, though, I saw something else entirely: individual moments of whimsy, contemplation, mourning, a child’s exasperation at having to wear wings. The first image I encountered, of a woman half-shrouded in shadow, was stunning. Her face emerged from the dark into a muted light. She was unreadable. The model, as it turned out, was Julia Jackson, the mother of Virginia Woolf (I wrote a blog about that image, and the serendipity that caused it to become the cover of the novel: http://www.redroom.com/blog/drocklin/a-story-behind-image).

After the Getty, I did a bit of research on Ms. Cameron. She was unique for her time, a Victorian woman who obsessively pursued this then-unknown art and science despite all societal expectations or barriers. She was ambitious and a skilled self-promoter unafraid to approach the great men of her era in furtherance of her portraiture. The likes of Charles Darwin, Lord Tennyson, Robert Carlisle and Sir John Herschel all sat for her, enduring the hours of stillness necessitated by the technology of the time. She expressed herself via recreation of biblical scenes and her time in Ceylon, when many who introduced themselves to this new medium did so mainly to preserve family in life or in death. She saw something like prayer in her work, and saw possibilities to rival painting.

I found a quote of hers: “I longed to arrest all beauty that came before me…” I read that she lost a child shortly after birth. Her quote took on a newly relentless, tragic meaning. An image of her started to form, but from a vantage point outside of her, as if she were observed from under the cloak of an old camera.

That’s where the story started. What transpired is completely fictionalized, but my jumping-off point began the day I met her at the Getty.

One of the things I love about THE LUMINIST is the sustained and, yes, luminous quality of the prose. I remember thinking when I first began reading the book: "There is no way he can keep this up--every sentence is a miracle." And yet you do keep it up. Writing being as difficult as it is, how do you keep yourself inspired, day after day, at the level of the sentence?

That means the world to me, coming from you. Other than a precious few, most of us who write do so in the nooks and crannies between jobs, children, spouses, commitments and overall sleep deprivation! It’s an enormous challenge to pick up the thread of the day before, to find that emotional level once again, when so much of life has likely intervened in the hours/days since the last time. If this novel works sentence to sentence, page to page (and I’m truly grateful that you feel the way you do about the novel), I think it’s because I really lived with this world for quite a while before starting the book. I realized early on that even if I travelled to India, I could not find the setting for the book. Ceylon no longer exists as it was. More importantly, the moment that really drives everything in “The Luminist” no longer exists: that moment before the first photographic image existed, before that instant of fast-passing life could be held still. And then, it could.

I realized that to make the story work as I hoped to, I needed to do my research, become as familiar as possible with the rims and borders of the world the characters inhabited, and then imagine the granular aspects of that world into existence. Once I was able to see it – being visual again – I could live with it day and night, even as I was reading a bedtime story to my little one, or paying the bills. It never left.

I know you are working on a new book. Can you talk about the process of transitioning from a first novel to a second? How have you found that process? What have you learned and carried forward into your new work, and what do you find must be discovered afresh?

The transition from “The Luminist” to the new one (tentatively “The Daylight Language”) is a bit unique, in that the story suggested itself from one of Ms. Cameron’s photographs. I found it during the research phase for Luminist and set it aside, because I knew right away that it was going to become something for me down the road. The photograph depicts an Abyssinian (now Ethiopa) boy of about 8, in traditional garb, seated in a manner that speaks of tribal royalty. Yet his is one of the most bereft expressions you can imagine. After I had completed “The Luminist” I went back to him. He was the son of Abyssinia’s emperor, and after England invaded in the late 1860’s, the boy was taken back to England, where he became a ward of Queen Victoria. I’m fictionalizing the hell out of it (as I did with Ms. Cameron in “The Luminist”), but that boy’s story is very evocative for me.

So much of what I learned from writing “The Luminist” is making the journey with me towards realizing the new one. Patience with the stops and starts of the first draft (the characters were really battling for dominance in voice, and I’ve re-started the book three times now). Immersion in the world, and once immersed, picking my battles. By this I mean picking from amongst so many possibilities in terms of historical backdrop. Queen Victoria, her court, her children (each with their own unique maladies and topography), life in England…where to start? Which of so many tapestry threads to use? That’s probably not going to sort itself out until a couple of drafts from now.

To learn more about David Rocklin and his work, visit www.davidrocklin.com.

Book This Book/Watch This Movie: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

2011-09-30T11:01:00.001-05:00

I had the weirdest experience this morning. On the BtO link sidebar (Joni Rodgers has put together a wonderful collection, in case you've never checked it out) my eye was caught by the LA Times Jacket Copy link, so I went and checked out the following trailer, for the upcoming movie (based on Jonathan Safran Foer's novel of the same name, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.)

I was so moved by this trailer (featuring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and talented newcomer Thomas Horn), so eager to see this Christmas release, that I immediately went to Amazon to order the book. Only to realize, a split second before I hit that insidious one-click buy-it-now button, that I'd already read it when it first came out in 2005! That's why I was so attracted to the trailer in the first place.

D'oh! I can't believe I forgot, even for a moment, how much I loved that book! An emotional story of the love of a very special boy for a father lost in the events of 9/11, it's so much more than a depressing angst-a-thon. It's a tale of hope and adventure, a coming of age story written by a man who's not afraid to feel things along with his readers.

I hope you'll check it out.

In life, literature and publishing, it's all about the spiral staircase

2011-09-29T10:32:00.001-05:00

When Gary and I were in Paris a couple weeks ago, we decided to rent a little apartment instead of staying in a hotel. We got a great place in Montmartre, just a hop skip from the des Abbesses subway station. A great little place, bigger than a hotel room, but cheaper. Slight drawback: it was a fourth floor walk-up. Traversing up and down each day, I kept thinking about what Karen Armstrong said about the spiral staircase: you keep coming around to the same place, but you're a level higher.

This is such an apt description of the novel writing process, an eloquent description, in fact, of any endeavor that requires that sort of constant effort and upward striving.

Karen Armstrong on the subject of fiction:

“...the experience of reading a novel has certain qualities that remind us of the traditional apprehension of mythology. It can be seen as a form of meditation. Readers have to live with a novel for days or even weeks. It projects them into another world, parallel to but apart from their ordinary lives. They know perfectly well that this fictional realm is not 'real' and yet while they are reading it becomes compelling. A powerful novel becomes part of the backdrop of our lives, long after we have laid the book asie. It is an exercise of make-believe that, like yoga or a religious festival, breaks down barriers of space and time and extends our sympathies, so that we are able to empathise with others lives and sorrows. It teaches compassion, the ability to 'feel with' others. And, like mythology, an important novel is transformative. If we allow it to do so, it can change us forever.”

Retracing Your Steps

2011-09-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

I really envy those writers who can plan their work, then work their plans, writing their manuscript from start to finish without any missteps, or even the incursion of character insights and more effective plot ideas, because they got it so perfect from the start.

I also hate them sometimes, especially when I'll on a deadline and am forced, like this poor schlep who spent four days dragging his broken-legged self back over his footprints to escape the Utah desert, to retrace my steps to figure out where I went wrong. Like the hiker, who was inspired to visit Little Blue John Canyon by the film 127 Hours, yet didn't clap onto the most important lesson (NEVER go out hiking solo without telling someone your plans!)

I can't help blaming myself. But the truth is, this painstaking crawl, with all its self-doubt and backtracking, has always been my modus operandi.

So, pain and all, I might as well just grit my teeth and try to enjoy the scenery. I just hope it doesn't take me 127 Hours.

The "Un-American" Playwright: Rare footage of Arthur Miller

2011-09-25T11:14:00.001-05:00

Inspirations's Where You Find It

2011-09-24T10:16:00.000-05:00

One of my fabulous critique partners inherited a roomful (and then some) of antique dolls. To her late mother, the collection represented beloved old friends and a lifetime passion. To her daughter, they represented bittersweet memories, as well as a logistical problem, since finding space for a relative's treasured possessions is never easy, even when they don't number in the hundreds.

To me, that crowded room represented something else entirely: the macabre inspiration for my latest book, PHANTOM OF THE FRENCH QUARTER, whose villain was, as a child growing up...

How 'bout if I just let you see for yourselves from this brief excerpt?

His grandmother had collected doll babies by the hundreds, which his mother arranged on shelves around a single room, where he’d slept as a boy.

How he’d hated those damned dolls, staring at him through the days and nights. How he’d pleaded with his mother to box them up, to let him put up his sports pennants and his plastic model racecars — the kinds of decorations he wouldn’t have to hide from other guys.

Year after year, she had stubbornly refused, saying it would be disrespectful of Grandmama’s memory, hiding them all away, and the narrow bungalow — a damned shack, really — was far too small to put them elsewhere.

“Then keep them in your room,” he had at first demanded and then pleaded, tears streaking down his red face.

But they both knew that she wouldn’t, that the men who visited her at night could never do their business with all those glass eyes staring.

And after while, it was all right. The boy began to like them anyway.

Which just goes to show you that when it comes to life, as well as writing, it really is all about perspective. When you look at a staring doll, a grinning clown, a running dog, or a forest laced in shadow, do you smile or do you shiver? Does your mind leap back to a fond memory or a disturbing moment?

Can you find a way to harness raw emotion, to suffuse your words with its essence? Can you exaggerate, twist, and tweak (or seriously warp, if your mind works the way mine does) to bring a character to life?

Question for the week: What's been your most unusual real-life inspiration and how did you use it in your writing?

Love Shack, baby! (That's right. I said it.)

2011-09-23T17:23:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday, everyone!

The Skinning of the Schnoz

2011-09-21T07:41:00.002-05:00

For next seven weeks or so, I expect to be (had better be!) skinning my nose daily upon the grindstone of a very tight book deadline. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I've gotten a lot further behind than this particular tortoise enjoys, and failure is definitely not an option--especially not with another deadline breathing down my neck.

Nor is turning in a book that's anything less than the very best I can do. It's too easy to forget that, to become convinced that this business is about selling book proposals, copies, or even yourself and forever working faster to keep pace with the competition. But now more than ever, with the playing field leveled and the self-published cracking even the most venerable of lists, our business has to be about keeping readers happy by wringing every drop of sweat and blood and talent we have in us and pouring it all into the actual writing of the book.

Unfortunately, this means you'll be seeing me here on the blog less often. But I'll be back, I promise, as soon as I get this project back under control!

The Pleasures of Reading

2011-09-20T12:37:00.002-05:00

Having lived in the West for a long time, I recently began to miss it. The flurry and rush of moving, and moving again, had settled into a genuine calm, and I looked around me. The landscape, even the aural one, was new. People here twang. It’s very lulling. But it isn’t what I’m used to. And while I am happy here, suddenly I was also homesick, and so I went to the library.

Yes, the library.

I took out three of Tony Hillerman’s books and immersed myself in the dry, open landscape of the West.

It’s one of the pleasures of reading—that good stories can transport you someplace else for awhile.

Books are magic that way.

It’s one reason I love them.

Buy This Book: Lamb, by Bonnie Nadzam

2011-09-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

Bonnie Nadzam in her debut novel, Lamb, has created a complex and disturbing story. David Lamb is a fifty-something-year-old man whose life is falling apart. His father has died and his wife has left him. With nothing solid to anchor himself to, Lamb is cruising, mentally, emotionally, physically. One day, cruising on an unfamiliar street, he’s approached by an eleven-year-old girl, Tommie. A couple of her “friends” have dared her to ask him for a cigarette. Lamb realizes this immediately. That it’s a dare and it raises something inside him. He’s incensed that Tommie is being used in this way. She begins to look like a cause to him, like a project that maybe he can fix up since he can’t fix anything in his own life, in his own head. As the reader you want this child to be all right. You really hope Lamb is going to be the good influence on her he’s striving toward, that he’s going to improve this poor child’s circumstances. Tommie wants this too; she’s yearning for it, for something, anything. But that’s what adolescence is, an ache, a gigantic, exquisitely painful, joyful hole inside that demands to be filled.

Looking back, I guess it could be said that adolescence is the yearning for experience, the longing to be master of one’s fate, but whatever it is, this is Nadzam’s forte, the way she makes you feel inside, like this eleven-year-old-lost child. You pray that Lamb is going to do the right thing by Tommie when he goes back into her neighborhood multiple times to feed her, to bring her gifts, to talk to her. But the whole time you know, you sense this relationship is not conventional. This man and this child have strayed into unknown territory and when Lamb takes Tommie, when he basically kidnaps her and drives her from Chicago west into the Rocky Mountains to some remote cabin ostensibly to teach her about the wilderness, to introduce her to a more organic connection to life, it is scary. It is a rude ride through a mountainous setting that is vividly beautiful and ruthlessly painted.

This novel reads like a rising heartbeat. It is a tale that knots your stomach. You want to put it down, to put it out of your mind, but the writing is so taut, so compelling and haunting that you can’t. At least I couldn’t. Nadzam is a master at point of view. At times, it’s hard to know from what position the story is being told. In a way you might be seduced into believing you are telling it to yourself, Nadzam takes you that far into Lamb’s mind. Not a comfortable place to be. And as intimately as you are there, you are also in Tommie’s mind and emotions, but this is no Lolita redux. There is nothing overtly sexual and yet . . . and yet. . . .

Readers and authors will often say that books should be entertaining, that people don’t want to be reminded of their very human condition, their frailties, vulnerabilities--weaknesses. They don’t want a story about which they have to think. But sometimes a book can do both. If you are drawn to gorgeous writing, disturbed characters, a plot that could stand alone as a taut thriller, Lamb does do both. In a manner that is reminiscent of Lionel Shriver’s, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Lamb is an unsettling journey as hard to put down as it is to forget.

For more about this wonderful author, visit Bonnie Nadzam's website.

Are you happy? (A handy flow chart to help you strategerize your creative week.)

2011-09-19T10:05:00.005-05:00

Apply as needed to your writing process, revisions, agent search, agent switch, PR efforts, indie publishing venture etc.

Sunday Quote:Bierce on Romance and Imagination

2011-09-18T07:41:00.001-05:00

“Romance is the fiction that owes no allegiance to the God of things as they are. In the novel the writer's thought is tethered to probability, but in romance it ranges at will over the entire region of the imagination.”

--Ambrose Bierce

#BuyThisBook: Trailer for Alice Hoffman's "The Dovekeepers" coming in October

2011-09-17T12:34:00.003-05:00

Read an excerpt from The Dovekeepers

Pre-order from IndieBound

Sometimes a door is just a door...and then there's this cuckoo for Rococo puffs door in Paris

2011-09-16T08:29:00.003-05:00

No apologies for my recent absence from the blog. Went Euro-tripping in Germany and France with the Gare Bear, who extracted a rock solid promise that I would not work on this trip. I didn't even keep a journal.

Our last night in Paris, via subway, bus and miles of walking, we searched out this doorway Gary had read about. The building at 29 Avenue Rapp in the 7th arrondisement was designed by Jules Aimé Lavirotte and won the Concours de Façades de la Ville de Paris in 1901, but it caused a controversy when people looked closely at the configuration on the door. (A bit more obvious if you view it upside down, and I don't even want to know the backstory on the person who discovered that.)

Have a groovy weekend, everyone. Back next week with renewed energy for this business that I love with an entirely new perspective. More about that later.

FB's new Subscribe button could come in handy for writers, especially the indies

2011-09-16T08:04:00.002-05:00

This excellent article on Mashable describes the ins and outs of Facebook's new Subscribe button and its best uses for celebs, artists, teachers etc.

The Subscribe button is arguably most beneficial for journalists and artists. Though, in a sense, they’re public figures, these types of Facebook users likely aren’t well-known enough to justify a fan page.

If this sounds like you, the first thing you need to do is actively opt-in to allow subscriptions to your profile. You can then choose to allow subscribers to comment on your updates and control your notifications.

Another change to note is that when you unfriend someone, they stay subscribed to your public updates. This is important if you’ve been accepting friend requests from people you don’t know who want to follow your work.

Here's more about how to set up Subscribe on your FB profile or page.

A Reader First

2011-09-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, I'll hear a writer say she's unable to read while working on her own projects. That always makes me gasp a little (at least to myself) for how else are we to refill the well of words from which we're drawing? Reality TV? I don't think so!

There are times, it's true, when I take a few days, perhaps even a couple of weeks (if I can hold out that long) for a little break from reading. Maybe I'm sick or tired or want to check out a few movies on DVD in the evenings, but it's never long before the well of words draws me back for a good, long drink.

Lately, I've been sipping at a lot of different flavors, reading everything from non-fiction (My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D) to mythology-based Young Adult (Sweet Venom by the talented Tera Lynn Childs) to the thoroughly delightful Lord & Lady Spy, a historical romance by Shana Galen. I've always read all sorts of fiction and non-fiction, so I thought I'd take a moment to ask for recommendations.

What have you been reading lately that you've really loved?

The Help....

2011-09-14T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone: I'd like to extend an invitation to drop in on my blog this morning. I've written a new post on my indie experience so far and included some links that were and continue to be sources of inspiration to me. I want to share as much of what I've learned and continue to learn as I go along, and I'd love to hear from you, to have the benefit of your input as authors, readers, agents, publishers, book sellers, and book publicists and anyone else who has an interest or a need for guidance. The book world is changing; it's an exciting time and like every new endeavor, it will only be as great as we make it. I'd love to hear from you!

Getting Computer Scenes Right: Where Hollywood's Steered You Wrong

2011-09-12T08:14:00.001-05:00

One of the first things I did when moving from writing historical romance to romantic suspense was to tackle a plot that was dependent upon a high-tech twist. Naturally, I was tempted to rely on some of the uber-cool stuff I'd picked up from TV and the movies. Fortunately, I had learned from writing historicals that primary research (i.e.-getting information straight from the horse's mouth) is the only way to go if you are really concerned with accuracy. After conferring with an Intel engineer and having a forensic computer investigator review the relevant scenes pre-publication, Fatal Error was ready to roll.

From that experience, however, I quickly learned that Hollywood "uber-cool" is very often "uber-fudged." Need some specific examples? Check out this brief vid from Kim Komando ("The Digital Goddess.") And check out her radio show for some excellent real-world tips.

Getting Gun Scenes Right: Why Most Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong

2011-09-08T07:50:00.001-05:00

While researching an action scene yesterday, I can across Cracked.com's fascinating post 5 Ridiculous Gun Myths Everyone Believes Thanks to the Movies. Whether or not you're writing scenes with weapons, this article is so funny and eye-opening (and illustrated with great videos) you're sure to enjoy it.

The moral of the story: you may not like, care about, or know much about guns (or whatever it is you're writing about), but if you don't do your homework, you're going to end up with a scene that's an eye-roller for a knowledgeable reader. And no one sets out to do that. Right?

The Language of Flowers: It isn't always about romance....

2011-09-06T16:23:00.000-05:00

I have always loved words, their definitions, and in particular, the nuances of their definitions. I like fitting them together in interesting ways. I like the challenge of working out a sentence that will evoke in the reader a precise understanding of my meaning. It’s tricky because words can mean different things to different people. And as much as writing can be evocative of the gamut of emotions, taking a reader from cathedrals of awe to valleys of despair, it is limited and finite and sometimes there are no words. You may have experienced it, some situation or sensibility for which you had no words. Maybe that frustration is what prompted the creation of a language of flowers.

Sometimes called floriography, the language of flowers was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages often in the form of a small bouquet of blooms called a tussie-mussie. Being a lover of gardens as well as a lover of language, I found the idea of conveying meaning through flowers intriguing. At some point a while back my sister gifted me with a small book titled The Language of Flowers. Written in 1913, it was the golden anniversary gift of one husband to his wife. It lay about for years afterward and was finally unearthed from a drawer and reproduced in England with the family’s permission and it is an absolute treasure. The pages are sepia tinted just as the original book’s pages must be by now, and the names of the flowers are hand-scripted in ink the color of well-steeped tea in one column with the meanings painstakingly inscribed on the facing page. Many of the pages are awash in the delicate renderings of water-colored blooms and plants. What a lot of work this husband did to convey his love to his wife. And all we know of him are his initials and his affection. “To Mother,” he inscribed. “Wishing you many happy returns of the day - from Father,” and then he has written the date, August 8th, 1913. And beneath that he wrote:

There is a language, “little known”,

Lovers claim it as their own.

Its symbols smile upon the land,

Wrought by nature’s wondrous hand;

And in their silent beauty speak,

Of life and joy, to those who seek

For love divine and sunny hours

In the language of the flowers.

His initials follow, F.W.L.

Who wouldn’t treasure such a gift? But lest you think the language of flowers is all about love and romance, look up the meaning of foxglove, one of my favorite flowers. When I first was working on The Ninth Step and realized Livie was fluent in the language of flowers, that she was receiving mysterious gifts of flowers, I wanted her to have a bouquet of foxgloves. Their tall stems are regal and elegantly lined with flowers shaped like small bells or fairy hats or one leg of the tiniest ruffle-edged pair of pantaloons. Their throats are speckled as daintily as a bird’s egg and their colors are a sweet range of the softest pastel shades. I was certain their meaning would be something wonderful, something suited to my purpose and Livie’s. But no. A gift of foxgloves is meant to convey insincerity. At least according to Mr. F.W.L. So Livie never got a single one. I thought of narcissus, too, but their meaning is egotism. And it’s funny because the close cousin to narcissus, a gift of daffodils, translates to regard. Doing a quick Google search, I could only find the book, authored by Margaret Pickston, on Amazon.com for a rather steep price--around what it costs to purchase a beautifully-done bouquet of roses, say--if it is purchased new. But a used copy can be had for one cent and the book is well-worth many times that. I truly treasure mine for all the many hours of pleasure it has given me, never mind what it provided in the way of research for my story. I have to thank Livie for the idea though. She’s the one who told me she knew the language, who helped me learn it too.

Do You Need Self Control?

2011-09-05T09:35:00.001-05:00

I don't. At least not when it comes to e-mail, Facebook (and its nefariously addictive one-minute "blitz" games), and other "social distractions" on the web. Fortunately, there's an awesome app for Mac called Self Control, which allows me to block any domains of my choosing for a set period of time. Whether I'm looking for 15 minutes or several hours of unbroken concentration, I set it and get writing. Once started, you cannot turn the thing off, not by exiting the program or even restarting the computer.

So you might as well just write.

The developer, artist Steve Lambert, said he created the app because he needed to free himself from distractions, and since then, he's distributed it freely. To visit his site and read about it, download the app, and leave a donation if you choose and find it helpful, visit Steve's site.

To see screenshots and read more about Self Control, visit this great blog review from MacGenius.co.

Thanks to BtO reader Ivan Pope, I can now add a link to a similar inexpensive program called Freedom, which is available for both Mac and Windows. You can get a trial version for free, or unlock and purchase for only $9.99. Judging from the number of writer endorsements on the website, it's a lifesaver, and quite the bargain, too!

Check out both programs today. The productivity you save may be your own!

Hedgebrook Writing Residency

2011-09-04T08:23:00.001-05:00

Friends, I've just been contacted by Hedgebrook, the wonderful women's writing retreat in Puget Sound where I have been a resident, to encourage more applications to the residency. The deadline is this week (September 8), so you still have time to get your application in. Go to

http://www.hedgebrook.org/page.php?pageid=21

to learn more.

Hedgebrook is a truly special, transformative place, open to women writers working at all levels.

Go for it!

--MD

Selling the Genre Novel

2011-09-03T10:08:00.000-05:00

This week I'm being featured over at Pitch University, where I'm sharing tips to sell your genre novel, whether its to an agent, editor or directly to readers! I hope that you'll stop by!

Top Ten Reasons New Orleans is the Hottest Place Ever to Set a Tale of Romantic Suspense

2011-09-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

1. Above-ground tombs (thanks to the high water table) in beautiful old cemeteries like nowhere else on earth.

2. Voodoo, with its gris gris bags, its rich cross-cultural melange, and its powerful priestesses.

3. Loup garou, a.k.a. rougaroux, a werewolf-like creature once said to prowl the shadows.

4. Crumbling French Quarter mansions permeated with the soft scents of decay and magnolia.

5. Live oaks dripping with Spanish moss.

6. Chicory coffee and beignets, po boys, and a myriad of other mouthwatering delights.

7. Cajun hunks and Creole culture.

8. The mysterious, semi-seedy, distinctly-Southern vibe.

9. The music, art, and architecture.

10. The sense the history is all around you, a living entity.

And here's one more, a little lagniappe: The opportunity to open your romantic suspense with an image like this one from the opening of my brand new release Phantom of the French Quarter:

In an old French Quarter cemetery that cradled saints and sinners alike, dawn stained the slumbering fog bloodred. Layer after layer, it awakened, rising like the resurrected dead and swirling in soft eddies around the young woman cutting through it.

Look for the book in stores beginning Sept. 6th or download it from your favorite e-book seller today.

Photo courtesy www.neworleansonline.com.

BuyThisBook: Barbara Taylor Sissel's The Ninth Step

2011-08-31T20:49:00.002-05:00

Barbara Taylor Sissel crafts a sure-handed, beautiful garden of a novel on ground tilled by Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve. Firmly confronting issues of human frailty, redemption, and letting go, The Ninth Step is a story about what is, but it aches with the stories of what might have been as one man's quest for forgiveness leads him to the impossible task of forgiving himself, and the lives of the people he's wronged are drawn into a shattering spiral of events.

Barbara Taylor Sissel's vibrant voice, rich characters, and deft plotting draw the reader in and keep pages turning to the gripping, unexpected end.

Respecting the Reader

2011-08-31T09:57:00.001-05:00

I hear a lot of novelists talking about writing to entertain themselves. While I agree that the author herself is the first audience and you can't write a good story if you're getting no enjoyment from it, I also believe that the end consumer, the readers most likely to plunk down their hard-earned money and invest their valuable time, should be the writer's most important consideration.

Yes, that sometimes means putting their tastes ahead of your own personal preferences. Sometimes, it may mean back-burnering your personal point of view on controversial topics so as not to jerk the readers out of the story and alienate them--or at least not clobbering them over the head with your agenda when you're writing the kind of story people pick up to entertain them. Always, it means being aware of the reader's emotional investment in the characters and story and not abusing it.

All of this, of course, depends on the audience you're dealing with. When I'm working on a book that's closer to a mainstream thriller than a romance, I know (from reading tons of books in the genre, along with lots of reviews, online chatter, and communications from readers themselves) that the reader expects to be kept in suspense, surprised--sometimes even horrified or challenged. It's all part of the experience, though you're generally going to hack off much of your audience if you cross certain lines (the killing of a viewpoint character the reader identifies with, a lovable/helpless pet, or child, or the use of offensive stereotypes as short-cuts.) When I'm writing for an audience that's going to be more invested in the romance or is looking for a shorter, more escapist read, I heap on the action-adventure and keep the suspense quick, punchy, and a whole lot less bloody, since these readers want and expect a quicker release from their tension. I'm also careful to quickly force the romantic leads together and keep them together, because their interaction and the tension between them is what keeps these readers coming back for more.

In my opinion, it's a matter of respect. Respect your reader, respect her time and preferences, and never, ever talk down to her--because a reader can smell condescension miles away. If you write with her in mind, she will definitely reward you...by going out and purchasing your backlist, along with the next book that you write.

Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005 (an excerpt from The Hurricane Lover)

2011-08-29T19:07:00.003-05:00

As Hurricane Irene moved up the coast last week, I blogged about my forthcoming novel, The Hurricane Lover, which is set during the epic hurricane season of 2005. Six years ago today, Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast, killing almost 2000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

As part of my research for the book, I slogged through thousands of emails to and from Michael Brown, who was head of FEMA at the time. ("Heck of a job, Brownie!" Yeah. That guy.) A prominent figure in those pages is Craig Fugate, appointed by President Obama to take over FEMA in 2009 and getting a lot of face time last week with his calmly knowledgeable presence. Fugate, director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management at the time, was one of the unsung heroes of Katrina. It wasn't his responsibility, but he understood the magnitude of what was happening, and more important, he cared, and he seriously stepped up. Brownie... not so much. He'd already planned to tender his resignation after the Labor day weekend.

The day after Katrina, while Fugate frantically hustled everything from ice to body bags, Brown and his secretary exchanged the following email, which was later made public through the Freedom of Information Act. This was one of many exchanges that literally brought tears to my eyes. My goal in this particular chapter was to place it in a more personal context. The character Ms. Martineau was inspired by an elderly lady I sat and talked with at a shelter in Houston.

An excerpt from The Hurricane Lover:

Tuesday afternoon August 30

From: James, Tillie
To: Brown, Michael D
Sent: Tue Aug 30 22:43:17 2005
Subject: U ok?
..................................

From: Brown, Michael D
To: James, Tillie
Sent: Tue Aug 30 22:52:18 2005
Subject: Re: U ok?

I’m not answering that question, but do have a question. Do you know of anyone who dog-sits? Bethany has backed out and Tamara is looking. If you know of any responsible kids, let me know. They can have the house to themselves Th-Su.
..................................

From: James, Tillie
To: Brown, Michael D
Sent: Wed Aug 31 05:49:23 2005
Subject: Re: U ok?

No I don’t know anyone. Want me to see if my son is in town and can do it? D---- was looking for someone recently too. Maybe he knows someone.

Don’t answer my question then. Still working on project today from home. It’s crazy I hear in the office.
..............................................

From: Brown, Michael D
To: James, Tillie
Sent: Tue Aug 30 22:52:18 2005
Subject: Re: U ok?

Sure, if he likes dogs. Check with David, too.

I should have done my announcement a week early.
..............................................

“I know folks think I’m outside my mind, but I won’t ever leave the house for a hurricane. I can’t leave my babies.” The old woman in Shay’s viewfinder thoughtfully stroked the little French bulldog in her lap. “If the Lord wants me home, he calls me home, and I’ll be glad to see him. I never got afraid. Not when I was a child and not last night. Was it last night?”

“Yesterday morning, Ms. Martineau,” said Shay.

“Oh, yes. Yes, the darkness makes it like black night.” The old woman nodded with her whole body. “Like a great wild animal swallowed up the sun.”

Shay was afraid to breathe, the shot was so perfect, the old woman so unbearably beautiful. From the little balcony outside the second floor bedroom, she was able to frame Ms. Martineau with a trace of wrought iron railing behind her and the massive river of slow-moving trash and branches traveling past in the shady street below. It was only ten or twelve inches deep, but in the shade of the broken oaks, it appeared as dense and unknowable as the Mississippi.

“You were saying…you weren’t afraid…” Shay prompted gently.

“Oh, no. I don’t get afraid. I always know that my mama is praying for me.”

Shay blinked back the sting that came up behind her eyes. “Me too.”

“If you see my granddaughter,” said the old woman, “you tell her I’m all right. This house is a good house. Never takes water above that third step right down there.”

“How long have you lived here?” asked Shay.

“Oh, longer than I been alive. I baked my bread and had my babies in this house. My nephew—he’s passed now—he put in the new water heater…oh, three years ago. Was it three years? Maybe it was seven. I wasn’t driving anymore. I know that. We enjoy sitting out here when the mosquitoes aren’t too bad. My great-grandchildren have a sandbox down there.”

She pointed a knobby finger toward the surface of the water that had crawled from the curb to the porch steps in the short time Shay had been sitting with her.

“I’ll stop talking now,” said Ms Martineau. “I get dry and these new teeth, they rub.”

“Thank you so much for visiting with me, ma’am. Do you have water set aside in the house, Ms. Martineau? It’s hot. You have to drink lots of water.”

“Yes, my nephew put in the new water heater last year.”

“Here, drink this.” Shay handed the old lady a water bottle she’d been hoarding all day, along with the last MRE. “I want you to stay up here and eat this tonight. Don’t go downstairs to your kitchen.”

“Well, you’re too sweet,” said Ms. Martineau. “Did you bake this yourself?”

Shay packed her camera in her tote bag, then took off the white shirt from Corbin’s closet and tied one sleeve to a scrolled frou-frou at the corner of the balcony rail.

“I’m putting this here so they’ll know someone needs help, all right, Ms. Martineau? Don’t take this down. Somebody will come along in a boat and see it. The National Guard or the police.” Shay tried not to think about the possibility that the white flag might be under water by morning. “If someone comes for you with a boat, you go with them. They’ll take you somewhere safe. Your granddaughter will know to look for you there.”

“Oh, no, honey child, I have the dogs. I can’t leave my babies.”

“Ms. Martineau…” Shay bit her bottom lip. “I’ll come back and check on the dogs.”

“Oh, would you, dear? And feed them?”

“Sure. Of course,” Shay lied, caught in one of those horrible Chinese finger puzzles where anything you say is wrong. “You stay upstairs until the boat comes. Promise?”

“All right, dear. So long as I know my babies are in good hands. If you see my granddaughter, you tell her I’m all right.”

The two exchanged a warm embrace, and as Shay made her way down through an angled stairway tiled with family photos to the front parlor that was everyone’s grandmother’s parlor in some respect, she made the conscious decision to take this sort of story with her when she left the sunshine gig. The intensely beautiful faces and voices of folks who were no one in that they were everyone. The hard core news was only a fraction of the story without Ms. Martineau’s face, soft as onion paper, alive with history.

Shay made another slow, deliberate trip up and down the stairs, with the camera on this time, knowing this history in faces, in button shoes, in old timey clothes and funeral portraits would be lost to the water within a matter of hours. The voices would last only as long as Ms. Martineau’s memory, and that was fading with the light.

From The Hurricane Lover by Joni Rodgers
Coming this fall

The Beauty or the Book? Vintage Dell paperback ad breaks it down

2011-08-29T11:07:00.000-05:00

What's Your Story's Conflict Quotient?

2011-08-28T08:40:00.002-05:00

Most everyone would agree that a good story starts with good conflict. This week, as I've been working on a newly-contracted (yea!) tale of romantic suspense, I've been giving a lot of thought to the fact that a truly dynamic opening--one strong enough to carry a whole novel--consists of not just a single conflict, but a layered raft of obstacles our intrepid (or not-so-intrepid) protagonist(s) must face. In the case of a dual-viewpoint (typically hero and heroine) romance, the author is doubly challenged by the necessity of setting up the all-important romantic conflict between the leads in addition to developing a workable external plot.

As I write my books' openings, I often have to go back and layer in different opportunities for conflict. You don't necessarily want to hit the reader over the head with all of them at once, but you do want to slip in hints of potential trouble on the horizon. And here's a radical thought: You don't have to actually have all of the secondary conflict threads nailed down in your mind (or synopsis) from the outset. Try throwing in a few intriguing clues and then trust you subconscious to come up with something awesome later. Most of the time, it will come through for you like a champ. (If not, this is one of those occasions brainstorming sessions with writing pals and margaritas were invented for!*)

Once you've written, edited, and back-filled by going back and layering in more good stuff your opening chapters--you will generally have to have written at least several chapters before you get to this point--I recommend looking back to your beginning and asking yourself if the following are in place:

1. An immediate, dynamic source of external conflict: This is the sea change that instigate's the lead character's journey, that immediately challenges him/her to act. Surprisingly, the first source of conflict encountered in the story is often just a prelude to the true story problem--a red herring, if you will, that misdirects the reader, then allows you to whack her over the head with a surprising, larger issue. For example, a harried single mom, upset about her boss making her late again, is rushing to pick up her child from school, feeling guilty about being the last parent to arrive (again), and vowing to do something about it, no matter what the consequences. Then, bam -- a cruel carjacker turns her whole world (and the book's plot) on its ear.

2. Character's internal conflict: In the previous example, the protagonist's struggle between work/daily survival and her need to be a good mom hint at issues to be explored (and exploited) throughout the story. As he is introduced, the hero's thoughts, too, reveal that not all is right in his world, that he is dealing with internal conflicts related to his transition from the military to civilian world. These thoughts--no more than hints as to a redefining moment in his recent past, since this is part of the story that's still percolating on my mind's back burner--are quickly interrupted as the protagonists' two worlds intersect. Or violently collide, I should say, which brings us to the next point on my checklist.

3. Inter-character conflict: If you're writing a romance, there has to be some "repelling force" keeping these two characters from getting all too cozy all too quickly. It needs to be both strong and believable, seemingly an insurmountable issue, while (in the case of a romance) still allowing the reader to see through to--or at least get a tiny glimpse of--each character's core goodness/worthiness of love. To have the emotional depth and resonance for a truly first-class story, the issue separating the two protagonists must be sufficiently serious that it could never be resolved by something so simple as a twenty-minute conversation, so sitcom-style misunderstandings need not apply! Initially, however, the writer may very well begin with the characters' attraction or even slight irritation before leading to the reasons this relationship could never. Possibly. Work. (Even though the experienced romance reader knows it eventually will, it's the how of it that keeps her reading.)

For those of you not writing romance, inter-character conflict is still equally important to set up. If the members of team working together to solve a crime or commit a caper or work toward whatever story goal is necessitated by the plot all get along perfectly and are never challenged by each other's personalities, you'll have a flat, lifeless, and ultimately unrealistic story. Think about any workplace, a sports team, even a family working together to support a common goal. There are always going to be internal pressures. If there weren't, we wouldn't be human, after all. And we sure as heck would not be interesting.

Conflict may be only one of the elements you have to balance carefully in your story's opening, but it is certainly among the most crucial. Does anyone else have any tips, comments, or questions on the layering of conflict to share?

*Yes, I do realize I have (gasp) ended the sentence with a preposition to keep it from sounding stilted. If this troubles you, please apply additional margaritas until you get over it. You may be wrapped a little too tightly to allow any great plotting ideas to sneak in. There. I did it again. Just because (wait for it) I wanted to.

Perhaps this is a good time to announce my forthcoming novel: The Hurricane Lover

2011-08-26T22:01:00.007-05:00

Hunker down, East Coast! We on the Gulf Coast feel your pain. A hurricane is an incredible experience. Scary, fascinating, beautiful, terrible and (pardon the pun) mind-blowing.

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, my husband and I were among the volunteers who helped care for evacuees arriving at mass shelters in Houston. As I carried water to the long lines, a weary New Orleans police officer said to me, "This is a great day for news people and con artists." I was instantly smacked by the story hammer, and that initial inspiration evolved as I wrote, revised and did serious deep-dive research between ghost projects over the next five years.

Set on the Gulf Coast during the epic hurricane season of 2005, The Hurricane Lover is a tale of two cities, two families, and two people who find each other in a storm. A firebrand environmentalist from New Orleans and the whip-smart, self-determined daughter of a Houston oil baron come together to track a con artist who's using hurricanes as a cover for identity theft and murder. Hurricane Katrina is the perfect storm for the perfect crime. In her wake are twisted sisters Ophelia and Rita. The summer goes down in history for its mega-storms, oppressive heat, disaster management goat screw and polarized politics. The stormy relationship and complicated Southern families at the heart of The Hurricane Lover make it personal.

I set out to write a fast-paced, character-driven story with a strong atmosphere (think Lisa Unger/ Michael Crichton love child raised on the Gulf Coast by James Sallis) woven with the fascinating science of these real life mega-storms, along with actual email (made public through the US Freedom of Information Act) to and from FEMA director Michael "Heck of a job, Brownie!" Brown, President George Bush and others involved in the abysmal government response to Hurricane Katrina. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when Hurricane Ike decimated Galveston and Houston in 2008. At the height of the storm, I couldn't resist; I had to go outside. It's nothing I could have imagined - or written about - without experiencing it.

The Hurricane Lover is a grand experiment for me. After three novels and several nonfiction bestsellers with Big 6 publishers, I'm doing this novel as an indie ebook that will transition to a traditional print deal. I'm convinced that hybrid publishing is the way forward for career authors, with upsides for us, our agents, publishers and - most important - readers.

Now, if I could just decide on which of these two covers to use! (Let me know what you think.)

Look for The Hurricane Lover on Nook and Kindle November 1, 2011.

New and improved Red Room could be a great opportunity for midlist authors going indie

2011-08-25T11:35:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of Red Room, and I've tried to participate as both reader and writer over the years, but candidly, I've been frustrated (as both a reader and writer) by the cumbersome site and opposite-of-user-friendly blogging platform.

This week Red Room announced their first redesign since the launch of the site, which promises a "much better-looking, more secure, faster, and easier to use" Red Room, and I'm eager to give it a try. Founder Ivory Madison did an astonishing thing creating all this out of thin air, and if the redesign lives up to her vision, it could be a fantastic opportunity for midlist authors going indie. Plus I instantly want to have coffee with a woman who lists "radical feminist politico and torch singer at the Plush Room" on her CV.

Check out the new Red Room via this crash course from senior editor Huntington Sharp.

Buy (the Heck Out of) This Book: Christie Craig's Don't Mess With Texas

2011-08-24T10:11:00.001-05:00

One of the nicest, most supportive, and outright funniest writers I know is Christie Craig, who's become a go-to author for those looking for a fast paced, frothy, sexy romance that will leave you laughing off the day's stresses. If you're in the mood for a romp and have enjoyed authors such as Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Cruisie, and Rachel Gibson, I highly recommend my good friend Christie's latest, Don't Mess with Texas (Grand Central, $5.99).

Or if you need a better reason, do it to support an author whose state government has zero sense of fun. You see, TX DOT, the Texas Department of Transportation, which turns out to have trademarked the phrase "Don't Mess with Texas" for an anti-litter slogan years back, has filed suit against Ms. Craig, Hatchette Publishing, and even Barnes and Noble, because they fear the (oh, the horror!) naughty bits will weaken their brand. Interestingly, I've learned there are dozens of songs (not only country, but--cue another gasp--rap), books, and products that have also made use of this phrase, which most would agree has become more of a Texas pride thing than anything to do with trash collection (or "trashy" romance, for that matter. But apparently, in this case, TXDot's felt compelled to send a message by filing suit on the book's release date (rather than, say, sending a cease and desist letter earlier or making note of the fact that book and song titles are not normally held to infringe by the courts.)

I want to send a message myself. That you don't mess with Texas romance authors, especially one of the nicest in the business. That you don't let numerous male artists and authors slide, then go after a woman writing books for women. That you don't use prudery as an excuse when you're really exploiting the sexiness quotient of this story to get out the message that you're serious about defending against trademark infringements.

Those are just a few of the reasons I'm buying myself a copy of Christie Craig's Don't Mess with Texas. But mostly I'm buying it 'cause I'm in the mood for a fun read!

To read about the lawsuit, check out this eye-rolling coverage from HoustonPress.com. And the comments are pretty interesting, too!

Update: Great news! A Texas judge rules sales of Christie Craig's #DON'TMESSWITHTEXAS can't be blocked. bit.ly/nDYgic

The Drought Busting Writer

2011-08-23T09:13:00.001-05:00

Here in hot, hot Texas, there's been a lot of talk lately about the critical drought that's devastating the area. We sit here stewing over dying yards and crops, horrendous power and water bills, and the unhappy knowledge that there's not a damned thing that we can do about it.

It's horrible feeling so helpless, as any writer who's ever faced a publishing drought can tell you. Watching your carefully-tended career wither as you listen to what sometimes feels like an endless stream of accomplishments from others (as people tend to celebrate their successes and bury their disappointments) can lead to envy and depression, not to mention a serious bout of career re-examination as savings dwindle down to debt.

Yet over and over again, I've seen writers (present company definitely not excluded!) revive their seemingly-desiccated careers after months or years, even a decade or more--long after the point at which most "rational" human beings (a.k.a. those not incurably addicted to this roller coaster thrill ride) have moved on to more reasonable career paths.) Amazingly, many of these once-shunned writers suddenly find themselves the proverbial belles of the ball, their long dammed up creativity bursting from the floodgates.

What, pray tell, are their secrets? Here are a few commonalities I've seen:

1. Refusing to give in to the soul-crushing temptation to equate their value with their luck. Not that (I assure you) periods of bleak hopelessness won't happen, but the successful drought buster will find solace in her writing, rather than turning her back on a process she once loved.

2. Reaching out for the support of fellow writers. It's only natural to want to hole up when you're feeling wounded, but the successful drought buster forces herself to keep right on networking, often investing some of her down time in volunteering to help others in the form of mentoring, judging contest, leading workshops, and taking on leadership roles in writing groups. Letting other writers know you're hungry (notice I didn't say desperate) for new opportunities can lead to some amazing connections. I've made a pair of sales in recent years thanks to helpful and generous recommendations by my own fellow writers. These boons aren't acts of pity; they still must be earned through hard work and good writing, but when someone turns you on to a possibility, don't be too proud to act on it...and remember them later when you have the chance to do another deserving writer a good turn.

3. Keeping a sharp eye on the marketplace and one's nose in a book. When things are feeling lean, I study recent deals and bestseller trends most carefully. I read what's hot and hopping, in a variety of genres. Trends tend to cross genre lines, and every now and then you'll be surprised to find one that jump starts your imagination and gets you thinking in directions you otherwise would not have dreamed of.

4. Giving yourself permission to take risks. Sometimes, feeling as though you have absolutely nothing to lose frees you to take intelligent risks with your writing that you never would have if you'd felt pressured to "stay the course" and keep your previous fan base/publisher happy. By intelligent, I mean those that capitalize on your strengths or allow you to develop surprising new muscles. You might try your hand at non-fiction or experiment with a new form (poetry? playwriting? screenwriting? How freeing new possibilities can be!) or genre. You might choose to take your work directly to the audience via self or independent online publication.

You might remember how to play again, and find your work, your passion in the process. You might even open up the spillways and rain down resurrection on a career less persistent souls would have given up for dead.

Photo: Resurrection fern from Florida Forest Plants.

Laura Harrington: Why Read?

2011-08-22T10:52:00.002-05:00

Laura Harrington is tracking copies of her debut novel Alice Bliss via an ingenious summer promotion, Where's Alice Bliss? (more on that below), but she took a moment from her busy schedule to answer the question at the heart of what we do: Why read?

On the first day of every playwriting class I have ever taught I tell my students that I will share the secret of how to be a good writer. They sit forward in their seats. Read, I tell them. Read like your writing depends on it.

We have all heard this before. Many of us have said this before. But this week I’ve read two books that illustrated this point for me in a delightful way.

I read A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano and so loved the writing, the story, the depth and ambition of this book that I didn’t want it to end. When it did, I craved more good writing. The next book of brand new fiction on the pile was going to be interesting, even fun, but did not promise that kind of depth.

So I picked up Fools of Fortune by William Trevor, a book that shattered me in two hundred and seven pages. A book so finely wrought that I will immediately turn back to page one and begin again for both the pleasure of the writing and the desire to discover the mystery of the “how” of Trevor’s writing. How did he do what he did so beautifully and compellingly, so simply and so succinctly? I’m not sure there is a wasted syllable in this book.

Francine Prose wrote an exceptional introduction to the little Penguin volume I have in my hands. An introduction so exquisite in and of itself that I have read it twice already, and will probably give it another go before I have unpacked all of its insights.

Why read? Because if we’re lucky one writer will lead us to another writer and another as our desire for and understanding of good, even great writing grows and deepens. Why read? For the magic of holding a universe in our hands, between the covers of a book; a fictional world so real it can break our hearts, a world so compelling that we do not want to leave it.

Francine Prose quotes Trevor in her introduction, from an interview that appeared in the Paris Review in 1989. I will leave you with Trevor’s words and thoughts about time. You will need to read Fools of Fortune to experience his unparallelled skill with time and memory. In the meantime, William Trevor has inspired me, intrigued me, and given me much to aspire to.

“A huge amount of what I write about is internal, a drifting back into childhood based on a small event or moment. By isolating an encounter and then isolating an incident in the past you try to build up an actual life, and you cannot build up a life without using time in that sense … [Time] both heals and destroys, depending on the nature of the wound; it actually reveals the character. There is either bitterness or recovery: neither can take place without time. Time is the most interesting thing to write about besides people – everything I write about has to do with it. Time is like air; it is there always, changing people and forming character. Memory also forms character—the way you remember things makes you who you are.”

Where’s Alice Bliss? is a campaign to send copies of the novel Alice Bliss to as many countries and U.S. states as possible. Through bookcrossing.com, copies of Alice Bliss will be registered and tracked as they travel around the world, passing from one reader to the next.

Keep up with Laura Harrington and follow Alice's adventures via the Where's Alice Bliss blog and on twitter.

A Poet in the House

2011-08-21T14:36:00.003-05:00

Friends, I want to share with you a lovely blog post by the poet Jessica Garratt, a former student of mine as well as a fellow Fellow at the McCullers Center in Columbus, Georgia (don't you love it when those we root for root and bloom?). Jessica is the first poet to have been selected for a residency at the McCullers House, the childhood home of Carson McCullers and the birthplace of some of her best work, including The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and The Member of the Wedding. Jessica writes eloquently about the latter novel, as well as shedding some light on what it feels like to take up a residency that is both solitary and surrounded:

When I wrote each day, I opted not to sit at the big desk in my office, or at the smaller desk in my bedroom, but out on the front porch, where I set up a small collapsible card table and rolled out a desk chair. There I felt like I was withdrawn from the world enough to concentrate, but still, in a way, part of the life of the street and neighborhood. Sometimes I was happy to see people strolling by or doing yard work, and other times, when I was particularly absorbed, I felt irrationally invaded when they would look up toward the porch at me – as though a stranger had just peered into my living room windows. But I liked that tension of simultaneous connection and disconnection from the world. And, in a way, this tension is very similar to the one I feel animates poems, which are really more about desire for connection than actually finding it. We never know, after all, in the midst of writing a poem, whether there will be an audience or an individual person who is intimately reached by what we have written. All we can experience is the wish for that union of common understanding.

You can read the rest of her post here. For more information about the writing residency itself, and to apply, visit the McCullers Center website. Never applied for a writing residency before? Don't be shy. The process is simple; the potential result, as Jessica shows us, is complex, unexpected, and wonderful.

--MD