Praise, Prayers and Observations

Why? Why? Why?

2012-02-01T16:14:00.001-06:00

The question WHY is important to us when we start plotting, planning and writing. It’s probably the most difficult question for me to answer. And I’m the one who always spouts to my family--“There’s a reason for everything.”

I guess that’s why I love movies. Easy to actually SEE and understand the WHY of things, the motivations of each character. Take one of my favorite old movies: Teacher’s Pet, 1958. It stars Doris Day, Clark Gable and my personal heart throb, Gig Young.

Clark Gable is James Gannon who’s the city editor of a newspaper. He’s from the old school--the School of Hard Knocks. He has no respect for journalism classes or college grads entering the newspaper business, so he’s not at all pleased when he’s told by his boss to speak to Erica Stone’s (Doris Day) journalism class. Of course, what happens? He’s attracted to her so he pretends to be a student. And that’s where the deception begins. Of course, he can’t hide his writing talent (his pride won’t let him) so he quickly becomes her prize student, one she’s determined to see find his rightful place in the newspaper industry. Remember, because of his deception, she doesn’t know he’s already found his rightful place.

Her friend, Dr Hugo Pine (Gig Young) is a wonderful ‘world-renowned egg-head’ and does an excellent job of explaining the WHY when Erica/Doris asks WHY Jim/Gable deceives her:

Dr. Pine/Gig Young says:

Here’s a man in a responsible position who feels inferior because he has no formal education ...
He meets a teacher, a symbol of academic achievement . . .
By deceiving, dominating and outwitting the teacher, he receives an exhilarating feeling of superiority. . .
His battered and cringing ego emerges, victorious!

Without watching the movie, we know how quickly that victorious feeling will end when he looks into those tearful blue eyes, don’t we?

It’s so important to know where our characters come from to understand the reasons behind their actions. How well do you know your characters? Do you know their parents, how they were raised, where they went to school, their first loves, best friends, their fears, their religion? Why? Why? Why? We even ask WHY our story needs to be told?

Come on! Teach me something about WHY.

Tunnel or Wall?

2012-01-29T23:52:00.000-06:00

I have all kinds of partial manuscripts and short stories (even poems) that are incomplete: romances, mysteries, mainstream, even some horror. Several pieces of work are just one chapter while others are as long as five or six chapters. The reason they’re just hanging out there unfinished is because I’ve written myself into a corner or up a tree, or to the middle of a pond (or fire), and have no idea what to do next. I’ve always been told if we can’t get a character from one to the next, then our character has taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Probably in the last scene we wrote. We need to identify what caused our character to stall. When I get stuck, I usually fall into the wrong mindset. I act/think/believe as though there’s only one way to solve a problem. There’s not.

We had a visiting pastor today who told us, “If the wall is too tall, try the tunnel.” Good thought for writing ourselves out of a corner, huh?

Really, the best way to get out of a ‘block’ is to ask a few questions about what the character can do next--regardless of how silly those questions might be. Sometimes silly ideas can lead to logical actions. Then again, I’ve been known to just let my character sit there in the corner and think things over. While s/he’s thinking, my subconscious is mulling. I’ve also heard adding another character can work or skipping ahead to tackle the ending, then working backwards. At least it gets us back to writing. Whatever works.

When you write yourself into a corner, what do you do? Teach me something about writing dilemmas. Tunnel or wall?

Making Characters Real

2012-01-25T13:31:00.001-06:00

Several weeks ago, I read a romance novel that I’m still thinking about. I have no idea how it came to be in my To Read stack. It’s not really a book I’d purchase unless I planned to study that genre. Maybe that’s how I got hold of it.

I have to admit, I like the cover. A handsome hero with two beautiful little girls--twins. But that alone makes it an odd purchase for me. I don’t go for stories that involve a lot of kids.

I started reading this one, was immediately yanked into the story and couldn’t put it down. Here I am, weeks later, still thinking of these characters as if they’re real people, friends who live right down the road from me. Isn’t that what a writer wants? Works toward? Yeah, so I wonder what made these characters feel real to me. My kids are grown, don't even have grandkids--and, I really don't like being around undisciplined children. So ...

In this book:

The kids were spoiled and annoying.

The hero still lived with his mother.

The heroine acted as if she had all the answers.

The hero's mom was too stern for my liking.

The story was good--okay, better than good, so it all worked. But why?

Most of the time I think I’ve done a good job rounding out my characters but once the crit partners get hold of my pages, they come back marked up with lots of suggestions. One crit partner always says, "I just can't relate to her!." Only then do I realize I haven’t done my job. I've failed to dig deep into my character. I’ve been in too big a hurry to get to the next point.

There are a number of ways to make our characters real. Here are a few I know of:

Internal dialogue - Their thoughts reveal a lot.

Backstory. That’s the reason a character is the way he is.

Interaction with the other characters. This gives us a glimpse into personality traits; whether they're kind, snippy, rude, etc.

Voice, gestures, dialogue

Can you add more or tell how you might utilize some of the above? What makes fictional characters fit in with our reality, people we can relate to? Teach me something about making characters memorable.

A Little Good News

2012-01-23T01:29:00.002-06:00

I received some good news.

I'm a finalist in The Phoenix Rattler 2011-2012 writing contest hosted by Christian Writers of the West (ACFW-Arizona) for my entry - A Bad Guy Forever – Suspense/Thriller/Mystery Fiction. There are three finalists in each category. We will be awarded $25, that was our entry fee and an official Finalist award certificate. Call me silly, but I love getting a certificate or trophy or something like that. It's fun.

The final round of judging began on January 11^th and will conclude on February 9^th. The category winners and overall winner will be announced on February 11^th. The completed scoresheets and any manuscript markups provided by the final judges will be forwarded as soon as possible after the contest concludes. Can't wait to see what the judges have to say.

The finalist judges in the suspense/thriller/mystery category are:
Sue Brower, Executive Editor for Fiction, Zondervan (And I've been wanting to get my book in front of her for a very long time.)
Elizabeth Mazer, Assistant Editor, Love Inspired Suspense…Harlequin (Been rejected by LI on several occasions but I'll keep on trying.)

Love the word FINALIST. Love the word WINNER too. I chose this contest because of the finalist judges and the big prize:

GRAND PRIZE
2012 ACFW Conference ‘paid’ registration
(member’s fee of $515)

How about you? Do you enter contests? How do you choose which ones to enter? Teach me something about entering contests!

What A Character!

2012-01-20T14:31:00.000-06:00

I have a character in one of my books that’s mean as the devil. When I enter this particular manuscript in contests, there’s always a judge or two that tell me he’s too mean--on the basis of a chapter or two--and that I need to give him a redeeming quality. Sheesh, you’d think there’s no such thing as pure evil in this world! Just watch the news, will ya?

Okay, okay, I understand the need for redeeming qualities, though I’m not sure this guy has any. He just doesn’t have a good heart. I also understand that if more than one person tells you something, you need to pay attention. So, I’m paying attention.

As a test, I put myself in the heroine’s point of view and I watched him for awhile. He’s her brother--quite a bit older. He moved away long before she got out of high school. Lord only knows what he’s been doing. Up to no good, I can assure you. He’s popped back into her life because their mother just passed away so yeah, he’s there for his inheritance.

Anyway, I jumped into her skin, stood at her front door and watched him. He slouched off the front porch not using the steps, walked across the dead grass, stopped and looked around, eyeing the neighborhood as if he had big plans for it. I kept watching, wondering what he was thinking. He looked down and there beside the tire of his banged up car was a little orange and white cat. I was surprised when he scooped it up, held it to his cheek. I could hear him talking to it but I couldn’t make out what he said.

So the guy does have a heart, I thought.

Wrong!

Right before my eyes, he took the cat in one hand and threw it as hard and as far as he could. I’ve never been so shocked--I mean, me the writer, his creator, was stunned--on behalf of his sister too! Believe me when I say his actions put a little fear in his sister. I didn’t cause him to throw the cat; he did it all on his own.

I was searching for some goodness and I saw pure meanness. I told you this character is evil, useless as a human being, and he plans to get what he wants one way or another. What redeeming quality can I possibly give him?

Do you have any characters that are completely void of decency? Do you think it’s necessary that ALL cruel, hateful, evil characters have a redeeming quality? Teach me something about redeeming qualities and evil characters.

Writing Weaknesses: Description and Setting

2012-01-18T00:24:00.000-06:00

I’m trying to pinpoint my writing weaknesses and do something about them. Description and Setting need my attention. Honestly, I don’t care what a character looks like and would rather there be no description so I can assign my own mental visual. If you tell me the hero is a blond or has red hair, you’ll set me on a path you don’t want me to travel since I much prefer dark brown or black hair on my heroes. Sorry, I have my preferences. I’m sure you do too. Of course, if it’s Robert Redford reddish blond, by all means, go for it--but be sure to mention he’s got the RR look about him.

My critique partners usually point out where they’d like to see some description. I wonder why I can’t spot those places myself. Probably because I’m guilty of skipping that stuff in the books I read, though I do like it in movies. Like when Pelican Brief (the movie) opens, and the camera pans the waterways of Louisiana, the swamps, and brown pelicans fly across the sky.

Do you know any published authors whose setting and description are so sparse it’s jarring? I’d like to read them just to see what I think.

I’ve been reading through the journals my father-in-law kept. He didn’t right lengthy passages. He wrote things like:

Woke up and ate oatmeal. Read Chapter 14 in Jeremiah. Went to Sears to find a part for lawnmower. Walked with neighbor--two miles. Went to church tonight to hear missionary from India speak.

I was surprised to learn I wanted more. Was the oatmeal lumpy or too milky? Did he nuke it or cook it on the stove? What did he learn from Jeremiah 14--Any insight? What was the missionary’s name? How was he dressed? How many people were there? Was the church full? What was learned?

My mother-in-law left behind her life story--condensed to about twelve single-spaced pages. She jabbed the facts to paper like someone throwing darts at a board.

“When the John Doe’s were going to the Ivory Coast in Africa, we got cans and a sealer and met at her house out by LeTourneau and canned all of her cake mixes, etc.”

That’s it. We don’t know John Doe’s wife’s name, what kind of cans, what kind of sealer or anything about the procedure. I think details would be interesting, don’t you?

Funny how reading through my in-laws’ memories have given me a new respect for writers who incorporate (and have mastered) description and setting.

How do you approach description? Does it make your first draft or do you layer it in when you rewrite? Could your story take place anywhere or does your setting actually mean something? Is description second nature to you? I wish!

Teach me something about description and setting. I want to be a fan.

Projects for 2012

2012-01-16T13:27:00.000-06:00

We’re 16 days into 2012. What have you accomplished?

I turned in my article on Louisiana author Christa Allan. It will be in the March issue of Southern Writers Magazine.

I’ve put my novel away--the one I completed and marketed to Christian publishers. I took it apart and tried to rewrite it for the secular market. It’s the one that was a finalist at Killer Nashville. Rewriting--a complete rewrite--is difficult. I lost my vision for the book. Well, actually, I didn’t lose my vision, I just lost myself. I thought I could pull out the faith elements and rewrite, but it didn't work that way. The minute I took their faith from my characters, their Christian reasoning, praying, their Christian World View, they became different people, and then I saw the pages being gobbled up and disappearing and well ... I need to step back from it for awhile. Get to know these new characters. I need to do a story board or something, gain better control of the timeline. Anyway, it’s constantly on my mind. I hear my characters conversing, I jot down things they say and do. Hopefully, I'll get back to it soon.

In the mean time, I’d love to pursue obsessive-compulsive organizational habits. I think being organized makes a huge difference in whether one is successful or not--no matter what they attempt. On the whole, I'm not an organized person, but if you give me one project at a time, I'm organized. Make sense? Baby steps, baby steps.

I’ve started two new projects. I’m super excited about both. I’ve been thinking about a nonfiction book for about a year and making notes. I've finally started outlining it. Since a lot of interviewing will have to take place, I'm devising some powerful (yes, they have to be powerful!) questions for my subjects. I’ve never written a NF book. I need to learn exactly how much I should write before I query. I understand one doesn't have to write the entire book before they can query or even sell. The research has been fun. So if any of you have experience pulling together a NF book, any thing you can share will be appreciated.

I’m also working on a novella. No market in site--just something I have to write. Oddly enough, this started out in my mind as a NF book, and then it hit me that I should write the same story but from a fictional character's POV; a fictional character who is a composite of many characters. I’m handwriting it. At some point, I'll start typing, I'm sure, so I'm waiting for that pull to the laptop. Right now, the intimacy of writing by hand is keeping me excited about the story. I've even been waking in the middle of the night because scenes invade my sleep. Don't you love it when you're that excited/obsessed about a subject? At this point, it’s from the male point of view. While I write, I'm very conscious of POV--trying to put myself in his/her/its place and look out at the world. I’m thinking about revising it to an androgynous point of view to make the subject matter more universal. I'll decide about that once I start revising. Could be that from the male POV would be the more perfect love story but I want to use the POV that makes it a more powerful story. Your thoughts?

So now that you know what I’m doing, what’s on your plate? New projects or finishing up old ones? Anything you're super excited about? Obsessed with? Worried about? Scared to attempt? Details!

Published in 5x5 Fiction - I Thee Dead

2012-01-09T14:36:00.000-06:00

I have a story published by 5x5 Fiction HERE. 5x5 Fiction is devoted to complete stories (not rantings or poems) exactly 25 words long, told in exactly 5 sentences, with each sentence comprised of exactly 5 words. Don't laugh or poo-poo these little stories, they're tough to write. Fun too.

Some people think short pieces are easy. In fact, I read recently in a writing magazine that short stories are easier to write and publish than novels. I disagree with that one hundred times over. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Of course, the author of that article could have been talking about self-publishing, but I don't think so. Writing short means writing tighter, painting a more visual picture, and to do this, we have to make every word count. I submitted five or six little 5x5s; only one was accepted. I can't remember how many times I rewrote and revised all my submissions, examining every word. I'm thrilled, proud and honored that even one made the cut.

I teach a NF writing class at McNeese University's Leisure learning. In my class we learn by doing. Some of my assignments are to write to specific markets I share. Maybe I should say I bombard my students with markets, and I don't always limit the markets to NF. Once I learn the interest of each student and where their writing heart is, I search out places for them to submit their work. While you may think 5x5 Fiction is an unlikely 'venue' for my NF students to send their work, I believe anytime we see our name in print, it's like a shot of B-12 or maybe a shot of Red Bull. We feel energized. We feel creative. We feel like real writers, ready to submit to more markets. Getting published is addictive. We want it--over and over and over again.

Last semester, my students and I wrote numerous 5x5s and submitted our work. Read Karen Teigen's piece too. We're both thrilled to be "5x5 Authors" now. :) Read all the stories and submit your own; let me know if you get accepted.

If you're interested in my writing class, here's the blurb. If you have questions, email me.

This online course covers the basics of nonfiction writing. You will learn by doing, discuss and research markets for your work and come away from this class with the fundamentals of being a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers.

Nonfiction Bootcamp
February 7 - March 13

In Memory Of ... Two Heroes

2012-01-04T16:50:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a safe new year. We had good times, in spite of the sadness of losing my husband's dad. He was a fun father-in-law; a good man. I've posted a portion of the obit, but I especially want to show you a pic of him and his brother. They were in the Navy--handsome guys. Ray (on the right) passed away in early August. He would have turned 90 in October. Travis died on Christmas Eve. Without a doubt, these two were heroes and helped make our world a better place. Not only the world--their communities, their friends, their churches, their families, their kids -- and me.

Travis Dale Ferguson

LONGVIEW — Travis Dale Ferguson, 87, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on December 24, 2011. He was born April 12, 1924, in Golden, Texas, son of the late James Thomas and Alma Amanda Morse Ferguson.
He graduated from Carlisle High School in 1942. He was a member of the first graduating class of LeTourneau Technical Institute, now known as LeTourneau University, in 1948 in Longview, Texas. Travis married Flora Belle Carpenter of Arp, Texas, on October 31, 1944.
Mr. Ferguson enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 18 during World War II, serving in the Battle of the Atlantic, European Theatre and the North African Campaign. One of the duties he had as a naval petty officer included that of a signalman using semaphores. He was later called to serve his country again during the Korean War and was stationed in Japan at the naval base at Yokohama.
He worked at LeTourneau Technologies from 1946-54. He was later employed at Lone Star Steel from 1954 until his retirement in 1986.
A longtime member of Longview First Assembly of God Church and Spring Hill Assembly of God Church, he served in numerous capacities at the church including deacon and Sunday school teacher.
Mr. Ferguson was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Flora Belle Carpenter Ferguson; all his brothers and sisters; his daughter, Amanda Susan Ferguson Wingerd; and his great-grandson, James Darcy Wingerd.
He will be greatly missed by all.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Dallas Teen Life Challenge, P.O. Box 181794, Dallas TX 75218.

Published in Longview News-Journal on December 25, 2011

I'm A Guest Blogger At ...

2011-12-30T09:17:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been away so long. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I'll tell you more about mine in my next real post. In the meantime, I'm a guest blogger over at Southern Writers Suite T and would love for you to pop in and leave a comment. Go HERE.

More later.
jess

Writing Short Cuts ... or Not

2011-12-14T22:05:00.000-06:00

Can you remember what it was like to create your novel using a typewriter? Challenging, wasn’t it? Some of you probably don’t even remember typewriters. I had--still have--four of them. They’re packed away. I don’t have the heart to get rid of them. What if I needed them someday?

I can remember using White-Out like crazy--before the self-correcting days. I’ve also been guilty of typing revised words on paper, carefully cutting them out and pasting them over the offensive errors so I could Xerox a clean copy to send to an editor or agent. What lengths I’d go to so I wouldn’t have to retype the entire page.

I remembered my typewriter days when I came across Ken Follett’s website. He has a Master Class with writing instruction. Follett doesn’t edit his first drafts. Sure, he uses a computer but he says pulling the first draft up on the screen makes him lazy. He keys in (yes, retypes) every word of his novel forcing himself to rethink his sentences.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

Reading the way Ken Follett writes makes me realize how spoiled I am. How lazy. I took short cuts with the typewriter and I’m still taking short cuts. Maybe that’s why I’m no Ken Follett.

How about you? Do you give 100% all the time, or are you prone to taking a short cut or two in your plotting, your characterization; choosing a blah sentence instead of one that paints a very visual action?

By the way, check out Ken Follett’s MASTER CLASS, then come back and share with us.

Dialogue

2011-12-13T20:42:00.002-06:00

My husband and I have some pretty weird conversations. Here's some telephone dialogue; it might make you wonder about us.

Husband: Do you remember when we watched The Three Stooges and they ordered food.

Me: No, I don't remember.

Husband: Two of them ordered good food but Curly ordered a rotten egg and other inedible stuff.

Me: Why?

Husband: He said he had a tape worm and didn't want to feed it good. Isn't it funny how we remember things from The Three Stooges?

Me: You remember things from The Three Stooges.

Husband: Too bad they didn't teach math.

Rejection & Acceptance

2011-12-10T20:42:00.000-06:00

7th Heaven dad, and author Stephen Collins said, “You need to develop, somehow, a huge amount of faith and confidence in yourself, because there's a lot of rejection throughout an actor's life and you have to believe in yourself more than anyone else.”

That applies to writers too. We have to believe in ourselves more than anyone else does. How do we do that? Without being, feeling, acting arrogant, I mean? I suppose continuing to write after receiving rejections is one way. I guess.

I heard from two submissions this past week. They both came in on December 8th. A rejection from an agent. Major compliments on my query letter and my strong hook. She even commented on my “intriguing” idea. I paid more attention to what she didn’t say--absolutely nothing about my writing. I’ve read and re-read the rejection, trying to conjure up what she really said. Do you try to read between the lines, analyze or are you smarter than I am and give your rejections a cursory glance before getting back to what's important: your writing.

A few hours after receiving the rejection I got an acceptance from 5x5 Fiction: Stories told Loud and Clear. The editor gave me wonderful compliments. I can live on them for a month or two, or three--at least until another rejection comes in. My 25-word story will be in the fourth issue of 5x5 Fiction. Watch for it. There are still a handful of spots left for the fourth issue; read guidelines HERE. These little stories are tricky.

Also, see a few of Stephen Collins' writing credits below and check out his books HERE. I always liked this guy! :)

Double Exposure a novel published by William Morrow, May, '98 (hardcover).

Eye Contact a novel published by Bantam, July, '94 (hardcover) and May, '95 (paperback).

Super Sunday a play produced at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Paul Benedict. Starred James Naughton, Faye Grant, Marilu Henner, and George Wendt. ('88). Revived at The Moth Theatre, Los Angeles, directed by Jamie Wollrab. ('11).

Water Hazard a short story in a collection of golf-related suspense stories edited by Otto Penzler.

Now tell me, how do you REALLY feel when you get a rejection? Be honest--it’s Christmas!

Something To Think About

2011-12-06T21:13:00.000-06:00

I love quotes. Here are a few I found today that made me think, wonder, shake my head.

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I remind myself often that I have exactly the same amount of time as Stephen King. I'm always a little shocked by the thought.

Talk uses up ideas ... Once I have spoken them aloud, they are lost to me, dissipated into the noisy air like smoke. Only if I bury them, like bulbs, in the rich soil of silence do they grow. ~Doris Grumbach

I have a friend who used to share with me every detail of the novel she planned to write. Color of the heroine's hair. Dimple in the hero's cheek. Plot points, conflict, black moment. Minute details. And then she'd sit down and write the book. She sold about eight or nine Silhouette Romances before she quit writing. I wonder if she was 'verifying' her story before she committed it to publication.

Just get it down on paper, and then we'll see what to do about it. ~Maxwell Perkins

And when I do this, I have the biggest mess. Revision has turned into a real challenge for me--at least with the book I'm working on now. I think it's because I've taken a Christian romance and tried to change my characters for a secular audience. I've quietened their prayers and they aren't too happy about it. Then again, maybe I'm not skilled at revising. I'm doing more than revising. I'm adding scenes, twisting, turning, manipulating. And I'm not accomplishing anything.

Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense. ~Mark Twain

This quote actually makes me angry. I hate that fiction really does have to make sense.

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book. ~ Cicero [106 B.C. to 43 B.C.]

This is hilarious.

What's your favorite quote and how does it speak to you? Share.

Guest Blogger: Wayne Zurl on Audio Books and More

2011-12-01T18:09:00.000-06:00

You may remember Wayne Zurl, my Flash Fiction winner. When I learned that Wayne sold novelettes to audio books, I invited him to be a guest blogger and share his experience. I hope you learn a lot, give this market a shot and check out Wayne's website.

Publishing Audio Books & eBooks at the Same Time

How to Sell Virtually Unsellable Novelettes)

Playing second fiddle to James Patterson shouldn’t be all that troubling to a new author still trying to peddle his first novel. And for me, it wasn’t. It was educational.

I finished my first book, A NEW PROSPECT, late in 2006 and began making the rounds, querying agents interested in mysteries and police procedurals. As the rejection letters trickled in, I wrote shorter mysteries for practice.

The rejections just kept on trickling in and I kept writing. After I had a half-dozen stories stacked up, all of them in the 8,000 to 11,000 word range, I developed a bright idea. I’d try to sell them, too. So, I tried Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, Strand , and a couple others. No takers with the first one. Okay, says I, try a different story. Still no takers, but one acquisitions editor did have the courtesy to write back and tell me why no one wanted to buy what I was selling.

He said most mainstream mystery magazines wanted short stories, preferably less than 3,500 words. What I submitted was a novelette. (Defined as between 7,500 and 17,500 words) He further stated, “Everybody writes novelettes and we do publish them, but only one a year.” That offered a little hope. Then he unloaded his full compliment of bombs. “But if we’ve got a bunch of them sitting here and it’s between you and James Patterson, who do you think we’re going to pick?”

Enough said. These people are in the business of selling magazines not giving new guys a break unless they can make a buck at it. So, I took the hint, continued to try and interest someone in A NEW PROSPECT, and I kept on writing for practice.

Then somewhere, I can’t remember where, I ran across Mind Wings Audio. They were looking for authors who could supply novelettes between 7,800 and 11,000 words destined to translate into fifty-five to seventy minute “commuter” audio books on compact discs. I blinked a few times and thought something had just been dropped from heaven.

I looked at their retail website at www.mindwingsaudio.com and saw a list of CDs in many genres, my field of mystery & crime and detectives being only two. And not only did they offer these audio books as CDs, but also as MP3 downloads (I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but I learned) and more formats of eBooks than I knew existed.

At that time Mind Wings was less than a year old, but I thought it looked promising and I had nothing to lose, so I jumped directly to their submissions site at www.miwishorts.com and began filling in the blanks on their submissions template. I gave them a 100 word summary, a short biography, and copied and pasted one of my Sam Jenkins mysteries called A LABOR DAY MURDER. Then I sat back and waited.

A month or two later I received a greetings letter. No, I wasn’t being drafted again; I was being welcomed to the Mind Wings family and offered a contract. And yes, I accepted it.

This is what I learned about the operation:

Mind Wings is NOT an organization selling services to independent authors who want to produce audio books. They are a publishing business that only makes money if your stories sell. The literature they choose to produce is read by professional actors— members of AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and is simultaneously published and marketed in various eBook formats. The authors pays nothing to see their works as audios or electronic books.

The process begins with a professional editor sprucing up your manuscript. Authors are asked for opinions on the corrections and suggestions made by the editor. Once the manuscript is finalized, a finished copy is sent to an actor to read and record.

Then the author reviews a “proof’ recording and comments on what he or she hears. This is the time to correct any pronunciation errors or make suggestions or requests on accents or other vocal characteristics.

During the edits and recording process, an artist draws up one or more possibilities for the cover art. Here again, the author has input on what’s used. I think the artist Mind Wings uses is exceptional and so far I’ve been pleased with all the covers assigned to my books.

After the CD is “cut” (notice how I’m getting into the industry lingo?) and the release date arrives, you receive a printed copy of your novelette and five complimentary CDs.

What happens next? Do you have to take your audio/eBook and format it and load it into a bunch of seller’s websites? NO. Mind Wings does that for you. They’re the professionals—you’re the writer. And remember, you don’t pay for anything. (Unless you want more than five CDs and then you may purchase them at an author’s discount) Remember, you only provide the writing and get paid 8% of the selling price after a purchase is made. I receive my checks faithfully every quarter and a 1099 form just before income tax time.

Why produce an audio book? Do people buy them? From my experience, yes. And I believe it depends on locale to determine how many will sell. People in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Washington DC and other big towns spend hours in traffic going to and from work. Many of these commuters like to hear stories while they drive. They buy one hour audio books. People in Cody, Wyoming may only take ten minutes getting to the job. They may be content with the local news and weather.

My statements tell me people buy more MP3 downloads than CDs. They are less expensive and apparently everyone but me knows about this technology and has an MP3. The eBooks also sell very well. At less than two bucks a pop, these novelettes are a bargain. I’ve found mine formatted for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony, iPod, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, blueberry, gooseberry, and other things about which I have no comprehension.

Getting listed on some sites takes longer than others. Amazon appears immediately. Kobo requires more than one title be submitted at a time, so that shows up later. But basically, sooner or later, my stuff appears at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Omni Lit, Books on Board, Apple, Sony, Smashwords, Kobo and maybe a few more.

Was it worth the effort? There was no effort—apart from writing the story and doing your share of the post-publication marketing. The more places your stories are sold, the more chances Mind Wings has to recoup their expenses and start collecting the full 92% of their piece of the pie. They have as much vested interest as you.

Mind Wings has sent me contracts for ten Sam Jenkins mysteries. Eight are already in circulation and two more are in the hopper. Coincidentally, today I finished a 10,400 word story called HURRICANE BLOW UP which I’ll submit after proofreading it a couple more times. It’s a story about how east coast evacuees fleeing Hurricane Irene ended up in the Smoky Mountain region, the place where Sam Jenkins leads the eleven men and one woman of Prospect PD in their fight against the evils of modern crime. I coupled that concept with an actual incident where a detective I knew was murdered. I twisted the story a little, tossed in a red herring or two, embellished & fictionalized it. Of course, I transplanted it from New York to Prospect, Tennessee, and changed the names to protect the guilty. I hope the people at Mind Wings like this one, too.

Am I making a huge amount of money? No. But my royalty checks allow me to take my wife to lunch whenever I want. And my ego is constantly massaged. Thousands of people have heard what I have to say.

Three of my novelettes made it to the publisher’s best seller list. A MURDER IN KNOXVILLE remained there for thirteen months. SCRAP METAL & MURDER is there now and was the biggest seller yet, according to a recent royalty statement.

Would I recommend that other authors submit their stories to Mind Wings Audio? You bet. What have you got to lose? If you’re not selected, you spent only minutes on the computer—you haven’t spent a dime.

If you are one of those chosen, you can make a quick trip to the Office Depot and, with a clear conscience, get business cards printed calling you a published author.

By the way, A NEW PROSPECT was finally picked up by a small independent press and was traditionally published in hard copy and eBook. In May 2011, it won an Indie and was named best mystery of the year.

Learning From Football (Players)

2011-11-23T17:54:00.002-06:00

Instead of a picture of a turkey or big platter of dressing, I thought I’d leave you with a thought or two to ponder.
Meet five of my favorite guys: Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Mike Strahan, Jimmy Johnson and Howie Long.

Hubby and I come in from church every Sunday, settle back with our veggie burgers and enjoy Fox NFL Sunday. Specifically, these fun five. They seem to genuinely like each other. If any one of these guys left the show, I'd probably quit watching. You can’t imagine how much I love their interaction--their personalities. And how much I learn from them about writing.

A few weeks ago Howie said, “There’s a lot of ways to become a great quarterback.” Of course, when he said quarterback, I heard writer.

There are a lot of ways to become a great writer. There are a lot of ways to become a selling writer. Well, obviously, we have to write but what else?

To quote Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Packers: "We defeat ourselves. We have to go out there hungry."

How hungry are you to be a good writer? A great writer? A selling writer?

Think about it and share your words of wisdom.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

The Visionary by Pamela Thibodeaux

2011-11-20T13:29:00.003-06:00

Yikes! I'm running behind schedule with today's post. Today is blog tour day with my friend Pam, author of The Visionary published by Five Star.

Everyone who comments will have their name tossed in a hat to win a copy of The Visionary. And I'm sure Pam wouldn't mind answering questions if you have any.

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Learn more about Pam by reading an interview I did with her back in 2008 HERE and by visiting the following links:

Website address

Blog

Bayou Writers Group

THE VISIONARY - BLURB:

A visionary is someone who sees into the future Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by her peers as “a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique” Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and twin brother Trevor, share more than a successful business. The two share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that’s disturbingly prevalent in today’s society. Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives? Find out in…The Visionary ~ Where the power of God's love heals the most wounded of souls.

If The Visionary sounds like a story you can't resist, then head over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble these links and purchase a copy.

Read more about Pam and The Visionary in the following interview:

Question: What inspired this novel? How did it come about?

Answer: When I first wrote The Visionary in a 5-subject notebook (where most of my stuff began way back when) I had in mind a sweet romance featuring m/f twins and their love interests. When I first typed the novel, I thought, “this is my light romance!” which was a great relief after some of my other work which dealt with subjects like domestic violence, grief, and betrayal. However, one day I sent off the first 3 chapters to a friend and her response was, “these twins are awful close, you need to be careful.” Of course that made me wonder Why? What happened to them or between them to make them so close (I couldn’t seem to tone down their intense feelings for one another). Then one day I walked out of my office into the living room where my husband sat watching a popular talk show. In a heart-wrenching scene the young man on the show apologized to his sisters because he couldn’t stop the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father. I swear, every drop of blood drained from my body and I began to argue with God…. No! Not that! Anything but that! I can’t write this! I have no experience in this! I’m not qualified as a minister or therapist! God….PLEASE….no. Three days of wavering, three days of arguing, three days of not being able to sit down and write a single word and God finally confronted me with…. “Who are you writing for anyway?” I capitulated and wrote the entire story in 4 months during the busiest time of year for a bookkeeper/tax preparer (Jan - April).

Question: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Answer: The hardest part of writing The Visionary was depicting the gruesome abuse the twins suffered as children and then realistically portraying the healing available through the awesome power of God's love and their struggle for relief from a past too horrendous to live with any longer.

Question: How did you come up with the concept and the setting?
Answer: Characters came first then setting for The Visionary I wanted to do a book around a set of M/F twins, don’t know why, just thought the concept would be interesting and I hadn’t read anything similar so I thought it would be something different. My family history goes back to the early settlers of Lake Charles, and I’d visited the old ‘LeBleu’ homestead so the idea that these twins would be hired to restore/remodel this home back into its previous grandeur and was supposed to be a light-hearted story until the twins revealed to me the horrific abuse they suffered as children. This has been my most difficult—yet most rewarding—books to write.

Question: Is any part of The Visionary factual?

Answer: Yes, the research Taylor uncovers about the LeBleu estate is factual as I actually did the research into the family history myself. However, that homestead no longer exists—the family sold the property to a pipe manufacturing company.

Question: How much research did The Visionary take?
Answer: Other than the research into the LeBleu estate –which I enjoyed immensely—actually very little, after all, the book is set in the area where I grew up so the setting was very easy to incorporate.

Question: What is the message you hope to get across in this story?

Answer: That regardless of where you’ve been or what you’ve done the awesome love of God has the power to heal the most wounded of souls and to forgive the ugliest of sinners.

Question: What is the one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?
Answer: To what or whom do you credit your success?
Answer: Many people have a love/hate relationship with their muse. My muse is the Holy Spirit and I accredit every ounce of success to the grace of God because without HIM I seriously doubt I could write a single word, much less stories that bring hope and healing to so many.

Question: What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
Answer: Unlike many writers, I'm not strictly disciplined. Sometimes I feel I need to be because I haven't written anything new in quite a while. I've completed a couple WIP's and edited existing projects, but nothing brand new—and how I long to just throw everything out and start fresh LOL! However, when I am actively writing, I write—very little editing, or working on other projects, limited time online, not much networking or blogging, sleep comes only in snatches, meals are scarce and light, and definitely no playing!

Question: When do you feel like it all began to come together for you as a writer—was there a particular moment?
Answer: After years as a closet writer, penning stories in 5-subject notebooks, I'd have to say when I purchased my first, USED word processor and started typing in all those handwritten manuscripts I really began to feel like a writer.

Question: Who has influenced you most as a writer and why?
Answer: There is really no one person to whom I can attribute this to, so many have helped me along the way. I’d have to say that my love of reading has influenced me the most. Reading opens doors to the imagination, takes you places you’d never be able to go otherwise and improves your visualization and vocabulary skills. Now, I’m able to implement all those things into my own writing.

Question: What are some of the challenges you face as an author?
Answer: The biggest challenge I face is not having my work accepted by the “Christian” publishers. As one reviewer said, “though undeniably Christian, it is never dogmatic or insular; offering faith rather than religion.” (Review of Tempered Dreams by Elizabeth Burton for Blue Iris Journal) My books deal with issues in a way that is unacceptable in the traditional CBA market. Now that is not saying that my books are better than those published through traditional CBA publishers, only different. As I’ve said many times, everything that gives God glory deserves to be praised!

Question: What are a few writing tips you could share with aspiring writers?

Answer: The bible exhorts us to “study and show yourself approved.” Keep studying, keep writing, keep learning, stay open to constructive critique and NEVER GIVE UP! Writing is both gift and talent given to you by God. Don’t hide your gift or bury your talent. Whatever you write, write well. Strive for excellence. Stay teachable, pliable, and flexible. Never believe that you know it all because knowledge is power and the more you know the more valuable you become. Above all share what you learn with others and make someone’s load lighter to bear.

Question: Any marketing tips?
Answer: Marketing is an intricate part of the publishing business and publishers today expect authors to do their fair share. However, marketing/promotion can be overwhelming as the more you learn, the more there is to learn. For every thing you accomplish, there are hundreds more you can do. My motto is: Do something every day and your best then let God do the rest and remember it takes time to build a career.

Question: What is your goal or mission as a writer?
Answer: A committed Christian, I firmly believe in God and His promises. God is very real to me. I believe that people today need and want to hear more of His truths wherever they can glean them and I do my best to encourage readers to develop a personal relationship with Him. The deepest desire of my heart is to glorify God and to get His message of faith, trust, and forgiveness to a hurting world. My hope is that all of my stories will touch the lives of everyone who reads them and - in some way - bring them a truer knowledge of God and urge them into a closer walk with Him.

GREAT interview, Pam! Thanks. I'm looking forward to reading my copy of The Visionary.

BWG Writing Conference 2011

2011-11-13T23:49:00.004-06:00

Our BWG conference is over. I enjoyed it this year because I wasn’t on the conference committee. I didn’t work the door, the book room or anything. I was able to truly listen and not worry about anyone having a good time. There’s joy in being a spectator.

Here’s a little summary from the notes I took. Let me warn you—I’m not a good note-taker. I tend to collect quotes, phrases with a nice rhythm to them, sayings that will look great on bumper stickers. BTW, the pictures were taken by my friend Sylvia.

D.B. Grady told us, “To write is a sacrifice.” Can’t you visualize that on a bumper sticker? I’m sure David isn’t the first to say it—and we all know it, have lived it, but I wrote it down anyway. David’s advice and encouragement was laced with sardonic humor. He’s come a long way since his Red Planet Noir, a combination crime fiction and science fiction novel, was publishing in 2009 by Brown Street Press. His nonfiction book will be out late next year.

Agent Anita Mumm--actually a literary assistant--was a delight; very approachable, friendly, encouraging, but at the same time, professional. Anyone looking for an excellent speaker about queries and proposals, I encourage you to consider her. She’s the gatekeeper at Nelson Literary Agency. Bad queries and manuscripts do not get passed her. Anita said her agency receives 100 queries a day (minus holidays), 35,000 queries a year. Only 952 sample page sets went to the next round. 85 full manuscripts were requested and six new clients were signed – these are 2010 numbers. Do you see how important it is to hone our query writing skills? Anita told us we have to sell our book in two or three paragraphs within our one-page query letter. Yes, it can be done. “Even War and Peace has a blurb,” she said. She suggested we read the blurbs from the back of books—not new advice, but are we doing it? I am!

Mark Harris has been writing about pop culture for 26 years—since 1985. He said, “No one wants to read a writer that says the same thing all the time. (This hit home to me; sometimes I feel like a record hung on the same spot, playing the same thing over and over and over again.) Mark said we should look for subjects that have the potential to surprise us. He was talking about NF writing but I think we can apply his suggestions to our fiction too. He really spoke to me when he said, “Your writing should be an extension of your passion for the world.” And “Don’t be afraid to risk being wrong.”

The best way to enjoy a conference: Don’t work it. Let everyone else do the worrying. Sit down, listen, be a sponge then go home and write.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard at a conference? Share!

A Bridge to Publication - Bayou Writers' Group - Lake Charles, LA

2011-11-11T10:46:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is our Bayou Writers' Group annual conference. We have an interesting line-up this year. Check it out. You can get more info from our website: http://bayouwritersgroup.com .

D.B. Grady is a Correspondent for The Atlantic co-authoring Secrets: What You Need to Know About What You’re Not Supposed to Know with Marc Ambinder of National Journal (John Wiley & Sons, 2012). His debut novel, Red Planet Noir, won the 2010 Indie Book Award for Science Fiction.

Mark Harris is a contributing editor at New York Magazine and a columnist for Entertainment Weekly. His first book, Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood, won the 2009 Theater Library Association Award and a CODES Notable Books Award and was named a New York Times Notable Book and the year’s best nonfiction book by Booklist Magazine.

Anita Mumm, of Nelson Literary Agency (www.nelsonagency.com), is the first reader for all query letters and sample pages that come in through the slush pile. She takes pitches from writers at conferences across the country. Mumm has picked a number of exciting new authors for the company, including Jennifer Shaw Wolf, whose edgy young adult, Tigerseye, will be out in early 2012.

Relocation

2011-11-09T16:34:00.000-06:00

Remember when I told you we’d be moving to Columbus, Mississippi? Didn’t happen and not going to.

2012 will be spent in Oklahoma. Dodging tornados. Hopping over cracks caused by earthquakes. Slipping and sliding on icy roads. I don’t even own a coat because we don’t need them here in SW Louisiana.

The way it looks now, we’ll be relocating sometime in January. The job will actually be in Yukon, about 17 miles west of Oklahoma City. Don’t know yet where we’ll live.

In case you aren’t familiar with Yukon, it’s the home of Garth Brooks but best of all, one of my favorite old cowboy actors lives there. Remember Dale Robertson, Tales of Wells Fargo? He’s around 88 now. And yes, I will definitely look for him and recognize him. No one had a smile or voice like Dale Robertson. Surely he meets up with a bunch of pals for coffee.

When we face a relocation like this, I can't focus on anything else. So many unanswered questions. All I know about Oklahoma would be a drop in a thimble. I have a writer friend there—but of course, she lives just far enough away that we won’t be able to have daily meets. We have family in the Tulsa area. That’s more than an hour away.
There are many, many writers, writer groups, and conferences all through Oklahoma so why can’t I get excited about this? Yeah, yeah, I know it’s a new adventure, but I’m past the age for really enjoying new adventures--unless it's coffee with Dale Robertson.

Any of you live in the Yukon-Oklahoma City area?

Flash Fiction Winner

2011-11-06T18:05:00.001-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my flash fiction contest and signed up as a follower. I recruited three judges and they have spoken. My judges liked the energy and voice in the winning entry as well as the use of dialogue. So the winner is:

A Halloween Collar by Wayne Zurl

Wayne Zurl is a retired New York police officer who lives in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara. Wayne has been getting good reviews on his Sam Jenkins mystery series so it isn’t surprising that he can also whip out a little flash fiction. His latest release, A New Prospect, was named the year’s best mystery at the 2011 Independent Publisher’s Book Awards. To learn more about Wayne, visit his website HERE. My friend Sylvia Ney did an interesting interview with Wayne HERE. And he was a guest blogger for Sylvia HERE. If you like series characters, check out Wayne’s books on Amazon and make note: they’re print, some are audio and some are digital.

Now, read Wayne’s winning entry:

A HALLOWEEN COLLAR

“I’ve had a wonderful time, but this wasn’t it,” I said, and smacked the kid on the back of his head.
The ghoul mask fell from his hand to the floor.
“Up yours,” he said.
I grabbed his nose and put my face an inch from his ear. “The next time I hit you, sport, you’ll lose your teeth.”
His eyes strained to look at me. I removed my fingers from his beak.
“I chased you four blocks,” I said, “and ripped my pants going over that fence. I am not a happy policeman. I’ll ask again. Where did you get those fireworks?”
“I forget.”
I smacked him again, this time a little harder.
His hand went defensively to his head. “I’ll have your badge for that, man.”
“I doubt that. Blowing up a mailbox makes you guilty of a felony. Where did you get the M-80s?”
An arrogant smirk crossed his face. “From my father, the chief inspector.”

Wayne will receive a print copy of Southern Writers Magazine. Thanks everyone!

Flash Fiction Contest - 159 Words! (CLOSED! CLOSED!)

2011-10-24T01:18:00.002-05:00

The contest is closed. Thanks to everyone who entered my Flash Fiction contest and signed up to follow my blog. I had eleven entries and they're all so much fun to read. A couple made me laugh out loud. One made me cringe in pain. Some made me look over my shoulder when I was in the house alone.

I'll be shooting them off to the judges and will get back with you soon. I hate, hate, hate choosing just one winner, but those are the rules.

Winner will be posted soon -- I hope!
Jess

I’ve enjoyed reading (and writing for) the new Southern Writers Magazine . The pages are packed with encouragement and advice from voices of experience. The articles and interviews share secrets of success by experts in book marketing, promotion, branding, blogging, screenwriting, songwriting, conferences and more—all with a touch of Southern hospitality, of course. I want you to sample this great magazine so I’m hosting a writing contest. The winner will receive the latest issue of Southern Writers Magazine—a print issue because I want you to see just how wonderful it is. The color is vivid. The pages are thick. The print is comfortably readable.

Contest Rules:

"I’ve had a wonderful time, but this wasn’t it."

Using the Groucho Marx quote above as your first line, write a story in 159 words or less. (The quote serves as the first nine.) No profanity because I don’t like it. No erotica because you need to keep that good time to yourself. Put your name and email address below your story then post your 150 words in the comment section. There must be a minimum of ten (10) entries and you must add yourself as a follower of my blog. Deadline: October 31^st.

All entries will be judged by selected members of my Bayou Writers lunch bunch. Sorry, only one winner will be chosen. The winning entry will be posted on my blog with gushy, flattering comments from the judges.

I repeat—in a nutshell:

You must add yourself as a follower of this blog if you aren’t already.

Your first line should be: "I’ve had a wonderful time, but this wasn’t it." (No modification)

Story must be 159 words max. Any kind of story—romance, western, scifi, fantasy, horror, etc. No profanity/No erotica.

Post your story in comment section with name and email.

A minimum of ten entries or contest is cancelled.

Deadline: Midnight, October 31^st

Winner announced November 4^th (or shortly thereafter)

Winner will be published on my blog and receive the November issue (print copy) of Southern Writers Magazine. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at jessy31writer (at) aol (dot) com

This will be the first contest I've hosted -- hope it's fun!

Meet Michael Lamendola and his eBook Guide

2011-10-20T01:54:00.001-05:00

Last week I purchased The eBook Formatting & Publishing Guide by Michael Lamendola.

I came across Michael on Twitter. He’d made some mouthy comment that capured my attention so I looked at a few more of his tweets. Someone was raving about his eBook guide. I checked it out. For 99 cents, why not?

Many of the books I purchase don’t deliver—or totally overwhelm me with info, so much that I can’t comprehend. Michael’s book was right on target. When he says step-by-step guide, he’s not lying. I read the entire thing immediately, highlighting all pertinent info. Yeah, I said pertinent. You see, Michael has a lot of commentary that doesn’t have to do with his step-by-step; he has jokes, derision, profanity--some of it's funny, I guess. I cracked a smile now and then, but alot of it was distracting. And some of it just got old. At least for me. It's nothing the kids don’t hear on the playground, but then, I’m not a kid so I don’t like that kind of stuff. I waded through it, highlighting all the way.

In spite of the ‘filler’ Michael really does share valuable info in an easy to read, easy to understand manner. In fact, there were times I wanted to reach out and hug him because he shares info that I haven't read in other how-to books. It’s as if he’s sitting right there at your desk with you, telling you to do this…do that, but in real-talk. Once I memorize his instructions (make my notes) I’ll see what I can do about getting my own book on Kindle. And if his instructions don't work, I'll let you know. Oddly, I have faith in Michael's book; something about his tone, his friendliness, his being there at the desk with me, built trust. If you read this how-to book, you'll know what I mean--you'll feel it too.

At the end of the how-to, Michael includes a few chapters of his two novels. Of course, I can’t read them. Profanity is an issue with me. But he’s an interesting guy. Did I tell you he’s a cruise ship singer? This author/actor/singer has a lot going for him.

You can listen to a podcast HERE . He discusses his reading/writing history. Verrrrrry interesting.

Check out his novel Dirty Work HERE. This is the first in the Red Fox series.
and his second book in the series is:

Thrift Store Bounty Hunters HERE:

If you like hilarious, fast-paced thrillers, these books are getting great reviews. Michael Lamendola might be your next favorite author.

Part II: Marketing--More Secrets of John Locke's Success

2011-10-16T21:38:00.001-05:00

Back in July I posted Marketing: The Secret of John Locke's Success by Randy Ingermanson but never followed up with Part 2. Here it is for those who have contacted me. And for the record, How I Sold 1 Million Ebooks in 5 Months is now 2.99 on Amazon.

Marketing: More Secrets of John Locke's Success

Last month I began an analysis of John Locke's lastest book on marketing fiction, HOW I SOLD 1 MILLION EBOOKS IN 5 MONTHS, which you can get on Amazon for $4.99.

Locke has some great ideas, and my goal here is to organize them into something we can all can use -- a set of steps to follow when marketing a novel.

As I noted last month, there are six main tasks you need to accomplish in creating and marketing your
fiction. Locke doesn't list these anywhere in so many words, nor does he give you time estimates for how long they ought to take. So here's my list:

* Define your General Target Audience (days of work)
* Create your book (months of work)
* Create your platform (weeks of work)
* Launch your book (one day of work)
* Grow your platform (ongoing effort for years)
* Market your book (ongoing effort for months)

Let's look at these elements in turn:

Defining Your General Target Audience
_____________________________________

I talked about the first of these, defining your General Target Audience, in last month's marketing
column. If you haven't done this task yet, there's just no time like the present, so go have a look now. All back issues of this e-zine are archived here: http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/ezine

Creating your book
__________________

Creating your book is of course a topic I've been teaching in this e-zine for years. Most of what I teach
is summarized and organized in my best-selling book WRITING FICTION FOR DUMMIES.

The one main point that John Locke makes which I believe is different from most authors is that he very consciously writes a novel that he believes will delight his General Target Audience -- and nobody else. He really doesn't care if he offends everybody else.

There is real freedom in writing just for a chosen few readers. Make them incredibly happy and don't worry about anyone else. That's the Locke strategy, and I think it's exactly right.

As a matter of fact, you might write a book for some subset of your General Target Audience. This would be the Specific Target Audience for that particular book.

Locke has done that with his western novels, which aren't for all of his fans -- they're only for those of
his fans who love westerns.

Creating your platform
______________________

There are certain standard elements of any writer's platform, and John Locke has nothing new to say here. His platform uses the same basic parts as anyone else's.

Here are the basic elements of a platform. Again, I'm giving time estimates for how long each of these
elements should take:

* Create a web site (weeks of work)
* Create an e-mail list for your fans (one day)
* Create a blog (about a week)
* Create a Facebook page (less than one day)
* Create a Twitter account (less than one hour)

All of these are standard parts of your platform. You don't have to have all of them, but most writers have several of these elements. I've listed them in the order which I'd suggest doing them, although there's nothing sacred about this order.

Since we're trying to understand in this article what John Locke is doing differently from everybody else, I'm not going to go into details about how to do any of the above. I've written tons of material in the past in this column on web sites, e-mail lists, and blogging.

You can find excellent books on all of these topics.
Launching your book
___________________
You can launch your book in one day, simply by announcing it to your platform. Add a page to your web site with all the details about your book, including an excerpt and directions on where to buy it.
Send an announcement to your e-mail list, giving them a good reason to buy the book right now.

Post a blog entry announcing your book. Ditto for Facebook. Tweet your book.

There, your book is launched. Again. John Locke does this the same way everybody else does.

Grow your platform
__________________
It's not that hard to grow your platform. You do this by adding good content to your web site, answering your e-mail, and posting on your blog and Twitter and Facebook.

Your goals are to increase the amount of traffic to your web site, the number of fans on your e-mail list, the number of people who read your blog, the number of fans you have on Facebook, and the number of people who follow you on Twitter.

This takes time and happens slowly. It pays off whenever you launch a new book, because over time
you'll build an increasing number of people in your General Target Audience who now know about you.

By definition, your General Target Audience is the set of people who LOVE your work, so each book launch should get better as the years go by and your platform grows and grows.

Locke really doesn't say much about the mechanics of growing your platform. He does say that he answers all his e-mail himself, and he encourages fans to sign up for his e-mail announcement list. And he tweets a lot, building what he calls his Friendship Circle.

So what is it exactly, that John Locke is doing differently than everybody else? From our analysis
above, it's clear that he's doing most things the same as most authors.

The answer is that he tackles the final main task differently. Let's look at that now.
Market your book
________________

Marketing is an ongoing effort that begins the day you launch your book and ends when your book goes out of print.

Locke does some blog interviews, just like most authors. He considers this to be mainly an exercise in
building name recognition, and he's probably right.

He also listens to his readers, and this is key. What is he listening for? He's listening to what it is they
like (and don't like) about his books.

By listening to readers, Locke is continually refining his understanding of his General Target Audience.

If a reader likes his book, Locke asks himself what it is in that particular reader that makes her like the
book.

If a reader hates it, Locke asks what it is about that particular reader that makes him hate the book.

Where does Locke listen to his readers? He reads the Amazon reviews. He reads his e-mail. He reads the comments on his blog. He reads what people say about his books on Facebook and Twitter.

I think this is where Locke differs from most of us.

Most authors read a glowing Amazon review or a fawning e-mail and think, "Wow, I'm amazing!"

Locke thinks, "Wow, I understand my General Target Audience better now!"

Most authors read a scathing Amazon review or an angry e-mail and think, "Gack, either I must be awful or this reader is a jerk."
Locke thinks, "Well, that person sure isn't in my General Target Audience! I guess I understand who I'm NOT writing for a little better now. So how can I revise the marketing copy for the book to attract more of my General Target Audience and scare off those who aren't in it?"

Locke does two other things for his marketing, and these seem to me to be unique. Certainly, these are the things he considers to be different from what everyone else is doing:

* He writes "Loyalty Transfer Blogs."
* He taps into the "Viral Circle" on Twitter.

These are going to take some time to analyze, so I'll talk about them next month. They're related, so it
makes sense to treat them as two parts of the same basic idea. If you're in a hurry to learn about them
right now, go ahead and grab a copy of his book, HOW I SOLD 1 MILLION EBOOKS.

Here's a quick link to his book on Amazon, and of course this link includes my Amazon affiliate code,
because I think the book is darned good and therefore I highly recommend it: http://amzn.to/ndd258

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 26,000 readers, every month. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND
have FUN doing it, visit http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

Love is ... Writing, Reading, and Getting the Mail

2011-10-10T14:09:00.001-05:00

Saturday was a great day for mail. Yes, in spite of email and instant gratification, I still get excited about going the post office and finding all kinds of wonderful stuff. I’m probably the only person you’ll ever meet who can get somewhat excited about junk mail. I actually browse through it—especially if there isn’t anything else wonderful. Saturday was a major coup.

Hubby got his contributor’s copy of Love Is A Verb. I think when he saw the beautiful hardback book, he was sufficiently impressed. Until that moment, I was the one thrilled--he didn’t realize what a compliment, what an achievement it was to be accepted. If you happen to purchase a copy (and believe me it will make a great Christmas gift), check out his devotional. He’s April 4^th.

He also finally got the first issue of his birthday subscription to Mystery Scene magazine. That’s really a great publication for mystery writers. Educates and informs.

And, I got something too! My copy of Wishcraft by Barbara Sher w/Annie Gottlieb. Hey! Don’t laugh at me—this is a great little book, originally published in 1979. If it’s still in print (I have the 30^th anniversary edition) there’s good reason. Forty-six WONDERFUL reviews--go over and read them!

I’m taking a course from Kara Lennox over at SavvyAuthors called Aim High, Shoot Straight: Achieving Your Writing Goals. Author Kara presents her plan for focusing on what you really want from your writing career, then shows how to formulate concrete, achievable goals and develop a step-by-step plan for achieving them. She also shows how to manage your time and your fears; and instructs on proven problem-solving techniques and tips for staying motivated.

Kara also writes as Karen Leabo. She's written 50-plus contemporary romance novels. Kara's books have been nominated for major romance industry awards as well, including the National Readers' Choice Awards and the Holt Medallion. She won a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice for best Harlequin American Romance in 2003. She has also been a finalist in the Romantic Suspense category of the RITA competition, the Romance Writers of America's prestigious peer award. In the world of screenwriting, Kara has written ten feature screenplays, three of which have been optioned. And these credits are just the sprinkles on her publishing cake. She's an actress too! So yeah, the lady knows how to focus and achieve those goals and dreams.

The course has been great so far; I’ve learned a lot about myself; mainly, that I’m not aiming very high and I’m not shooting very straight. And why.

Do YOU have a career plan and steps to achieving your dreams? Do you know what's standing in your way or what diverts you from your goals? SHARE with us, please!

Write The Book You Want to Write -- Really?

2011-10-04T22:22:00.004-05:00

Last week my friend Christa Allan came to Lake Charles to speak to a book club and at the library. I always enjoy hearing Christa speak. Even though she’s had a couple of books published and several more contracts to fulfill, she still has a certain amount of naiveté about her when it comes to talking about/dealing with the publishing world. Translated, that means honesty.

I met Christa several years ago when she evacuated from South Louisiana to Lake Charles because of Katrina. She was here when Rita hit so she actually experienced two hurricanes. Last week she told us how she put her manuscript in a zip lock bag when she evacuated. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

During the time Christa lived here, we brainstormed, critiqued, judged contests and enjoyed getting to know each other. I was sad when she moved back to Abita Springs. Selfishly, I wish she was still here.

Christa has a quirky personality. Well, quirky is probably putting it mildly. She's really quirky. I suppose you have to be if you successfully teach high school English. On second thought, quirky helps the writer too, doesn’t it?

For her first two books, Christa mined from her own life, but she’s quick to say, “You don’t have to experience everything to write about it.”

Christa’s simplified progression to getting published is this:
“Write the Book * Go to a conference * Network * Sell it”

Basically, that’s the way you do it with a little of this and that thrown it. The this and that is—and I witnessed this with my own eyes—negative critiques, bad advice, low scores from contests and discouragement.

Christa was told in critiques and from contest judges to cut the prologue of Walking on Broken Glass, which turned out to be her debut novel. She was told that no one reads or likes prologues. Thankfully, she didn’t listen.

She was told not to write in first person—that readers/editors don’t like first person point of view. She didn’t listen.

She was told that she would never sell a book about an alcoholic; she didn’t give up. She didn’t listen.

Christa says, “It’s all about story. Story trumps everything else.”

It would have been so easy to throw the book away and start from scratch but Christa says she knew she wasn’t the only recovering alcoholic who was also a Christian. She searched Christian fiction for real life struggles but the subject of alcoholism was like an elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge.

Below, read the heartfelt prologue that everyone wanted to cut. These words were taken from the personal pages of Christa's own journal.

from WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS, Prologue:

If I had known children break on the inside and the cracks don’t surface until years later, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known some parents don’t live to watch grandchildren grow, I would have taken more pictures and been more careful with my words.

If I had known couples can be fragile and want what they are unprepared to give or unwilling to take, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known teaching lasts a lifetime, and students don’t speak of their tragic lives, I would have been more careful with my words.

If I had known my muscles and organs and bones and skin are not lifetime guarantees that when broken, snagged, unstitched or unseemly, can not be returned for replacement, I would have been kinder to the shell that prevents my soul from leaking out.

If I had known I would live over half my life and have to look at photographs to remember my mother adjusting my birthday party hat so that my father could take the picture that sliced the moment out of time—if I had known, if I had known—I would have been more careful with my life.

Christa’s second novel is just as honest and straightforward as her first. As if she's taller than her five feet, two inches, she goes nose to nose with hate and prejudice.

About EDGE OF GRACE:

When Caryn Becker answers the telephone on most Saturday morning, it’s generally not a prelude to disaster. Except this time, her brother David’s call shifts her universe. Her emotional reserves are already depleted being a single parent to six-year-old Ben after the unexpected death of her husband Harrison.

But when David is the target of a brutal hate crime, Caryn has to decide what she’s willing to risk, including revealing her own secrets, to help her brother. A family ultimately explores the struggle of acceptance, the grace of forgiveness, and moving from prejudice to love others as they are, not as we’d like them to be.

One reviewer says: Allan awakens compassion for the gay Christian as well as his loved ones whose paradigm he wrenches.

Most Christians argue there’s no such thing as a gay Christian while others say, “We’re glad man doesn’t choose who goes to heaven.”

Christa walks a tight-rope in her writing—with the Christian Book Association and the ABA. She is the Catch-22.

Writers like Christa Allan pave the way for those of us who don’t have the guts to write what we want to write or haven’t yet found our voice.

Above all else, we have to write what we want to write—from our heart—whether it is Christian fiction or that story of a serial killer that publishers call a cliché that is of no interest. Don’t listen to negativity. If we believe in ourselves and write the best story we can write, someone will buy it. Someone. Some day.

Christa says, “I didn’t get published because I’m the best writer; I got published because I didn’t give up.”

And we can take that bit of advice to the bank!

How To Write and Then Some

2011-09-27T16:18:00.000-05:00

Some writers outline their books using index cards or Excel; they jot notes about every scene. In other words, they’re plotting their books scene by scene. I don’t know if they do the entire book all at once or if they go as far as they can before they stop to write to the end of their list of scenes. When they feel the need, I guess, they start with the scene by scene outline again. Seems like an incredible amount of detail work to me, but I can see where it would be effective. Basically, who, what, when, and where are addressed in each scene. Actually, this method of outlining makes writing a novel seem pretty easy, doesn’t it?

There are so many ways to plot and write a book. The fine-tuning and layering is a whole other matter. Don’t even get me started on subtexting. There are so many things we need to know and learn and do before, during and after we have a finished product.

My question is: do you think a writer can “over-educate” himself to the point any natural talent he has might be warped or distorted by all the rules/how-to/book learning? Does this question even make sense?

My answer to my question is: I suppose we should read, write, study until everything we need to know is second nature when we write.

Yes, I often talk to myself.

What are your thoughts?

A New Complication for Writers of Online Content

2011-09-23T14:20:00.000-05:00

I received the following email alert this morning and believe it's worth sharing.

An alert from Wooden Horse:

Be careful if you write online and quote other sources, even in comments. In a recent blog post we highlighted a company called Righthaven LLC - a business founded solely to monitor and sue small websites and blogs.

To find out what Righthaven and other "copyright trolls" have been doing, read the Wooden Horse blog and then please, please, warn others. You have our permission to post all or parts of our blog post where appropriate, as long as you credit Wooden Horse Publishing at http://www.woodenhorsepub.com.

Wishing everybody safe and successful online publishing,

Meg Weaver

Wooden Horse Publishing

mweaver@woodenhorsepub.com

(503) 338-4300

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

This message was sent by Wooden Horse Publishing, PO Box 53, Astoria, OR 97103, (503) 338-4300, www.woodenhorsepub.com.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS - A CHARACTER STUDY

2011-09-22T10:12:00.001-05:00

What’s the first thing you do when creating a new character? Choose a name? Identify certain traits? Physically describe him or her?

I read somewhere that characterization never stops through the course of the novel. Our fictional characters come alive for us and our readers through our description and their reactions to other characters—as well as how other characters react to them. Our characters are supposed to change during the course of the book—grow, learn something, get their commuppance if they’re bad guys.

TV sitcoms are great for teaching us how to write good dialogue and characterization. I can remember an editor telling me she wanted dialogue like Maddie and David in Moonlighting. If you’re not familiar: Moonlighting aired from March 3, 1985 to May 14, 1989—66 episodes not counting the pilot that’s split into two episodes. Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd were private detectives and boy, did they clash. According to Wikepedia, Moonlighting is considered to be one of the first successful and influential examples of comedy-drama, or "dramedy", emerging as a distinct television genre. Recently, I tried to watch some Moonlighting. I’m afraid I found their banter more annoying than I did when I was in my thirties. So on to another TV show that speaks to my type of characters: FridayNight Lights -- The trials and tribulations of small town Texas football players, their friends, family, and coaching staff.

This year Kyle Chandler won an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama series and Jason Katims took an award for outstanding writer in a drama series. Both were well-deserved.

In each episode, writer Jason Katims shows us everything we need to learn and know about writing our novels—not only how to pull together strong, three dimensional characters but how to create/make us love and hate the same character; how to show the good and bad side of characters; how to create empathy and tears. He gave all the characters in Friday Night Lights universal qualities, emotions, and motivations. If I didn’t say that Friday Night Lights (so much more than a TV show about football) didn’t put fear in every parent’s heart, I’d be wrong. Aside from fantastic writing, casting played a huge part in Friday Night Lights. In my mind, no one—absolutely NO ONE—could have played Coach Taylor except Kyle Chandler. No one else could have made those wonderful facial expressions. The actors knew their characters so well that we fans knew the moment a character got OUT OF character. Successfully, every character in Friday Night Lights had his own integrity—and it worked. It was believable. Each character earned his happy ending—though for some, I question whether the ending is truly happy. FNL characters will stay in our minds and in our hearts for a very long time.

It has been said that Friday Night Lights had a fanatical following. Yeah—and I was one of those fanatics. I haven’t been so involved in a series since the early years of Dallas. I watched and listend with my heart pounding and a knot in my gut, wondering who was going to screw up, who was going to ruin his life forever, who was going to make an unfixable mistake.

Friday Night Lights is a character study for writers. Wipe your calendar clean and settle down to learn something. There are only 76 episodes and each one is worth your hour.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose

Surrendered Sleep, A Biblical Perspective by Charles W. Page, M.D.

2011-09-16T19:14:00.001-05:00

I sleep like a log unless I have an early morning out-of-town appointment that causes me to worry about oversleeping. This title got my attention because my daughter has always had trouble sleeping through the night. I believe you'll admit, the theme of Surrendered Sleep is fascinating. Medical Doctor Charles W. Page "challenges you to wrap your mind around the concept of a God who is just as active during your sleep--or sleeplessness--as during your wakeful hours."

Surrendered Sleep is filled with interesting statistics and solutions, beautiful scriptures, and prayers. It's not a how-to book even though it's written workbook style. Surrendered Sleep guides the reader into "turning off" when we "turn in" -- clocking out and transfering all control to God.

Book Summary

Sleep Clinics. Sleeping Pills. Sleep Systems. With all the focus on sleep, it’s obvious to anyone breathing (or not—in the case of sleep apnea) that sleep disorders are on everyone’s minds. Can’t fall asleep. Can’t stay asleep. So many problems, but so few zzzs.

Dr. Charles W. Page has been plagued with sleep deprivation his entire adult life. Whether from the rigorous unpredictable lifestyle of a general surgeon or dealing with obstructive sleep apnea, Dr. Page sees sleep as a precious commodity. Many of his surgical patients also report sleep problems on their medical histories. It’s certainly a widespread problem.

Although there is extensive medical literature regarding sleep, insomnia and sleep disorders, there is little instruction about these issues from a Christian worldview. Sleep was God’s idea—why shouldn’t we go to the One who created rest in the first place for answers to our sleep problems. One of the reasons Dr. Page wrote Surrendered Sleep was to heighten people’s awareness of the spiritual side of sleep issues, which often goes neglected in health and medical literature.

Author Bio:

Dr. Charles W. Page is a sleep-deprived surgeon. He completed medical school and residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and serves as surgeon in rural Texas. Dr. Page is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Christian Medical and Dental Association. In addition to his involvement in the teaching ministry of his local church, he has participated in medical mission trips to Cameroon, Pakistan, Milawe, Niger, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua. He and his wife Joanna live in Texas with their five children.

This book was provided by Kathy Carlton Willis Communications in exchange for my honest review or participation in a blog tour. No monetary compensation was exchanged.

Something to Think About

2011-09-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer. ~ Barbara Kingsolver

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master. ~ Ernest Hemingway

For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I’m surprised where the journey takes me. ~Jack Dann

The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new. ~Samuel Johnson

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum. ~Graycie Harmon

Plotting at Killer Nashville

2011-09-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

I’ve had to put aside blogging and some of the books I’m reading to meet deadlines. My attention is so easily yanked from one interesting subject to another. Robert Dugoni’s The Jury Master came yesterday. I thumbed to the first page and moments later realized I’d read three chapters and lost all sense of time. He’s got an excellent writing style. Excellent storyteller. Last night I stayed up until midnight again—went to YouTube and looked for every interview I could find with Dugoni. Watched them all. He’s such a likable guy and he always shares something valuable.

I’m a terrible note-taker. When interviewing I always take tape recorders with me. Yes, tape recorderS. Just in case. My notes during the Killer Nashville conference are sporadic and abbreviated, to say the least. Out of all the good stuff P.J. Parrish said on the plotting panel, I have one thing beneath her name: “Plotting is nothing without good pacing.” I got caught up in all she was saying, but too, I guess that’s what resonated with me the most. I see myself as a weak plotter and if I'm not careful my story will move at a snail's pace.

I have much written beneath Debbie Henson’s name: She said she identifies three climaxes in her story. I take that to mean three major plot points, then she builds her book around those three. The first climax occurs during the first third of the book, the second climax is in the middle and it changes the game, offers the big twist that moves the book forward. Then there’s the climax that offers a race to the end—the finish. She uses a bulletin board, writes her three climaxes on index cards and builds her story with scenes.

We each have to do what works for us and I think the reason Debbie’s method appeals to me is I did pretty much the same thing when I wrote my first book. I took 12 sheets of paper, each symbolizing a chapter of the book. I outlined on each sheet/chapter—loosely. I started writing. As I wrote, I filled in my pages. It worked. That book got published—and I’ve never, ever used that method again or sold a book. For some reason, I’ve became a seat of the pants writer. What’s wrong with this picture?

I’ll have more posts on Killer Nashville but on another note:

I’m writing a short piece on Walker Percy for Southern Writers Magazine. I can’t begin to tell you how enamored I am with this man. I can’t possibly use all the interesting info I’ve collected about him and hope to do a blog post too, but for sure I want to tell you now that a Walker Percy symposium will be happening October 14-16. The conference will take place on Loyola University campus in New Orleans. That;s located in the Uptown area of N.O. across from Audubon Park. This is going to be very interesting. Wish I could go--Check it out HERE.

Did anyone watch the Walker Percy documentary? It's for sale HERE.

Robert Dugoni - Killer Nashville Guest of Honor

2011-09-06T01:04:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, our last day, I attended Robert Dugoni’s writing workshop. Dugoni was the Guest of Honor at Killer Nashville and he was truly the icing on my Slimfast cupcake. His was one of the best workshops I’ve ever attended. His words echoed with honesty when he told us we have to do four things:

We have to Persevere. We have to be Patient. We have to be Persistent. We have to Pray.

Yeah, yeah, I know, we’ve heard it a thousand times, but sometimes we hear it and it doesn’t sound like someone trying to sell us a lake house in the desert.

Several things Dugoni said resonated with me: One being “don’t get too concerned or caught up in the idea. It’s all about the character.” I’m afraid for me it’s always been about the idea. I had an editor tell me once not to try to be so different; she was talking about my ideas. They're over the top. They (and you know who they are) always tell us to write what we want to read and that’s what I do. Okay, so I get a little weird. I suppose I need to take a closer look, rework them so they’re all about character. {sigh}

Remember the saying by Somerset Maugham—“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

Dugoni says there's only one rule: “It Must Work.” Whatever we do, whatever we try, whatever we write--it must work.

He said that nobody can teach you how to write; they can only teach you how to teach yourself how to write.

I like that.

I've ordered Dugoni's first book--The Jury Master. If I like his writing style, I'll buy all the others. Now, go HERE
to see why I like this guy so much--without having read one word he's written.

The Mystery of the Perfect Pitch

2011-09-02T09:34:00.004-05:00

I’m puzzled over querying and pitching to agents and editors. There's no way to get it absolutely right. I’ve taken a number of online classes teaching the how-to of the perfect pitch/query but every teacher has a different take on it. One agent says don't open your query with what you think is a provocative question; another says she likes the so-called provocative question opening. For sure, it's akin to sending out resumes with cover letters; we have to tailor each query to that specific person or house. And we have to make sure we spell the editor/agent's name correctly. It's the kiss of death of we don't. If we don't know if it's Jody or Jodie, we'd better spend time finding out. If we don't know if Jody/Jodie is a guy or a gal, we'd better spend time researching to find out. Believe me when I say, Google is our friend.

I sort of expected agents and editors to be united in what they want to see in queries, pitches, synopses. At Killer Nashville, what one liked the other hated. There was quite a heated discussion on likes and dislikes. One thing for certain: they do NOT want queries that read like text messages. Yes, they're actually receiving them. Here's a question for you: what's your definition of common sense? :)

Agents Jill Marr, Jeff Kleinman and Kathleen Ortiz joined editor Deni Dietz and publisher Martin Shepard on a panel that discussed pitching. Jeff hates the word pitch. I came away with the impression that he wants a ‘visit’ – just sit and talk about the book in a casual manner and that we should talk about ourselves too. Of course, the women leaned more toward structure (don't we always?) though they all encouraged us to relax and not be fearful. Easier said than done. I hate pitching. If I could be an anonymous writer living in my attic with no FB, no tweeting and no getting out in public, I'd probably be okay with that.

Here’s something I’ve never heard before so I guess I learned something new at Killer Nashville. Martin Shepard, The Permanent Press publisher, hates synopses! Can you believe it? Don’t you want to yell, hey- join-the-club-we-writers-hate-them-too? Martin likes to start reading a manuscript with no notion of the ending. He likes to watch the story evolve. I’ve always thought this was the better way to read and judge a book, but then I’ve been under the impression that editors actually read manuscripts. I’m not so sure anymore. Martin isn't greatly concerned about word count either. If he likes the manuscript and it falls a little short, he'll just use a larger font when publishing it. Sounds like a writer's dream, doesn't he? Add to the dream--this publisher is very picky about his likes.

This weekend, browse the websites and blogs of the following editors and agents. Educate yourself. If you're looking for an agent, Jill, Jeff and Kathleen are good choices. As for publishers: The Permanent Press is a small press that publishes mysteries. They deal in hard copies only. Their books hardly ever go out of print. Deni Dietz is with Five Star, an imprint of Gale (not to be confused with the self-publishing Five Star Press. Five Star-Gale publishes hardback and they are distributed to libraries only--but you can purchase them online. Many first time mystery authors get their start at Five Star-Gale. They have specific submissions guidelines. Check them out.

The following links can help you educate yourself.

Martin Shepard and The Permanent Press

Donald Bain: Murder He Wrote at Killer Nashville

2011-09-01T11:25:00.002-05:00

Killer Nashville had a couple of very interesting keynote speakers. One was Donald Bain, author of the Murder She Wrote books.

Bain has written more than 100 books—mysteries, comedies, westerns, biographies and investigative journalism. Because of contractual obligations, he can’t publicly take credit for some of the novels and nonfiction books he’s ghosted.

Mr. Bain advised conference attendees to “Say no to nothing. Be open to everything.”

He also told us that “A good writer should be able to write about anything.”

One thing he keeps in his mind while writing is: “This is the most important thing I’ll ever write—and it may be the last.”

I like his philosophy—and the way he motivates himself. He said he used to be a morning person, but now he enjoys his leisurely mornings over coffee. (Me too, but since I gave up being a morning person, I've never quite found my writing groove.) Bain writes seven days a week.

To learn more about Donald Bain, you might want to check out his autobiography: Murder He Wrote: A Successful Writer’s Life.

And remember: Be open to everything.

KILLER NASHVILLE - TV Coverage

2011-08-31T12:24:00.002-05:00

My friend Linda and I are shown in the Killer Nashville bookstore on a Nashville TV station. For those of you who don't know me, I'm the gray-haired woman in the black blouse and I've just met Patricia Winton, a Sisters In Crime Internet friend. We're gabbing away about her short story, Feeding Frenzy, that was published in The Guppy Anthology. The Guppies are a chapter of SinC.

It's weird that you can see me reflected in the mirror, behind the guy talking about his novel. My hair looks pretty good considering I hate going to the beauty shop and cut it myself. Of course, some of you may think it looks as though I cut it myself. I take that risk because I really, really HATE going to the beauty shop. Just seems like a waste of time and a waste of money. Besides, I don't have to look at my hair--you do. :-)

After the short advertisement featuring a roller coaster, stay tuned for the Killer Nashville thing. You'll see the crime scene conferees had to solve. The body looks real!

http://www.wsmv.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6201392#.Tl108PCkYp5

If I'd known there was a news team nearby, you would have seen me drop and roll to avoid them. One of those sneaky freelance guys, I believe.

Home from Killer Nashville

2011-08-30T11:48:00.001-05:00

I’m back from Nashville and completely worn out. I might be a little too old and out of shape to drive 11 hours straight—but it was worth it. This is the first conference I’ve attended where I was totally relaxed and not a nervous wreck. Maybe wisdom really does come with age.

By now, you know I did not win the Claymore award. Of course you know. I’m not shouting “I won, I won” from the rooftop. I have to say though, I was in excellent company as a top 10 finalist.

Judith Dailey won first place with her novel Animal, Vegetable, Murder. Neat title, huh?

The other two in the top three are Joan Lipinsky Cochran who wrote The Yiddish Gangster's Daughter and Craig Faustus Buck who entered his novel, Go Down Hard.

My money was always on Craig. Don't know him and never met him, but reading his bio, I felt certain he would be the overall winner or make the top three. There's something about writing scripts that gives writers an edge. Craig has been a journalist, a NF book author, and written for TV. He's also written movies of the week and mini-series. Remember Simon and Simon and Magnum P.I.? I loved those guys and watched them faithfully! Having a history with those two shows alone, Craig had my vote!

You might have an idea the caliber of writing I was up against. Killer Nashville was a wonderful experience for me. I'll be posting more about it so I hope you'll pop back over for a visit.

KILLER NASHVILLE HERE I COME

2011-08-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

Killer Nashville, here I come. My friend Linda and I will be taking off early Thursday morning heading to Nashville where we'll rub shoulders with a lot of people who love murder and mahem.That sounds creepy, doesn't it? Maybe I should clarify--they love writing about it.

The 10+ hour drive is a little daunting; I can honestly say I'm dreading it. Since Linda does all her writing by hand, I've suggested we write a novella all the way there and back. We should be able to whip out 22,000+ words there and back, shouldn't we? I don't know that the idea thrilled Linda; guess I'll find out Thursday morning if she has her pen and yellow pad in her lap by the time we pull out my drive.

Years ago my daughter and I attended a Sisters In Crime conference in Houston. I learned a lot. I haven't attended another conference solely dedicated to suspense, mystery, and crime. I understand Killer Nashville is one of the best. It began in 2006. The conference offers five concurrent tracks: The Writing Track, The Publishing Track, The Career Management & Promotion Track, The Forensic Track and The Fan Track. I'm always totally confused about what to attend when I go to conferences. I wish I could clone myself and attend everything! I want to attend Creating Mood and Atmosphere in Fiction (I'm so totally rotten at that!) but I also want to attend Writing and Selling YA Suspense. Even if I could attend both, I'd be missing Law Enforcement Jurisdiction by a real FBI Special Agent. What's a writer to do in a case like this?

Killer Nashville was founded by writer/filmmaker Clay Stafford of American Blackguard Film and Television. Clay is an international award-winning writer, director, producer, actor and speaker. He's worked for PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Sony Pictures, Republic Pictures, Disney, and Universal Studios. And all I can say is ... WOW! Go check out his CREDITS.

I've wanted to attend Killer Nashville since its inception, So thank you, dear husband, for making it possible. Expenses paid and new car for travel. I promise, I'll write faster, harder, and strive to sell my book. (Pssst, sometimes he thinks I'm a slacker.)

I read on another contest finalists blog that there were 232 entries in the Claymore contest. If that's true, then I really feel honored to be in the top 10. Several of those finalists have published books under their belts; remember, this is a contest for both published and unpublished writers. Only the manuscript need be unpubbed. And only the first 50 pages are entered.

I'm probably showing my ignorance here, but I have no clue where they got the name for the Claymore contest. All I know is that the Claymore was the greatest sword of its period, wielded by only the most powerful knights.

So yeah, I'd love to hold it in my nervous, hot, sweaty little hands!

Needless to say, I'm so excited. But I want to tell you something ...

If by some weird stretch of the imagination, I win--even if I'm in the top three--I might not survive it. I might pass out cold, or even, God forbid, have a fatal attack because of my adrenalin rush. I just want to tell you now before it's too late . . . I appreciate and love all you readers and followers. You've made blogging fun.

Hopefully, see you when I get back. ~jess

P.S. Mama always said I was dramatic. :)

How Long Does Your Passion Hang Around?

2011-08-15T14:11:00.002-05:00

“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” ~ Orson Scott Card

Novel ideas are everywhere. But I can't grab one and immediately start writing. An idea for a novel has to flop around in my head for awhile until it catches hold and takes root. I think about it constantly, trying names on my characters to see if they fit, getting to know them, and working out scenes and plot points.

Still, I agree with Orson Scott Card's quote. NF ideas slam into me left and right when I listen to dialogue in a restaurant, or the pastor's sermon, or watch a TV show, but if I don't grab the idea and the passion that goes along with it and do something with it at that moment, then the idea doesn't speak to me the next week, the next day or even the next hour. My passion for it is gone. That's not to say I can't write the story or the article, but I have to drum up a new excitement for it. A lack of original passion makes the writing seem more like work.

I wonder if this falls under the category of a mood writer or if everyone has this problem.

Comments?

A Mentor is ...

2011-08-11T09:27:00.000-05:00

Mentoring is one subject that confuses me. Once I volunteered for a position with a writing group and was turned down because I had no "record" of mentoring other writers. The reason I have no "record" is because I don't advertise that I've mentored anyone. If I do something nice for someone, I'm not going to go around bragging about it. I feel it's up to the individual to say s/he's been mentored, but also, I haven't charged a fee. Almost all the mentoring I do is in my local area--Louisiana and Texas.

For the past five years or so, I've taught a six week NF writing class. I've always taught the class in the fall and given students the option of staying in touch with me for help through the end of the year. Several stay in touch with me much longer because we become writer friends. I've never called it mentoring, though some of them have. All of my students have sold their work with the exception of one or two. :/ I continue to send my students and other writers I know specific markets for their works. I continue to encourage them and offer help and critiques when they ask. I've never considered myself a mentor.

I believe mentoring is very misunderstood. An agent I know started a mentoring program by putting writers together in groups of three (a Paul, Timothy and Barnabas group) but we weren't at all compatible or dedicated to helping each other. I think mentoring has to just happen with people who connect with each other. Maybe it can be a business relationship where one is paying for services but I absolutely HATE that thought. The word mentor--the action of a mentor is too beautiful to be charging a fee. Needless to say, I've never had a mentor; but I have (and have had) very dear friends and critique partners who give me wonderful tips, advice and inside publishing information.

So I'll be the first to admit, I come to the word MENTOR a little fuzzy. Straighten me out. What's your definition of a mentor? Is mentor the same as a writing coach? Have you ever had either one? Did you pay? Would you like to have one or the other? Would you pay? What would the "perfect mentor" be like?

Looking forward to your comments.

P.S. FYI--I take after my dad who worked hard and never wanted to charge for anything! :)

A Helping Hand

2011-08-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

Nothing, not love, not greed, not passion or hatred, is stronger than a writer's need to change another writer's copy. - Arthur Evans

Growing Old Gracefully ... and Having Fun!

2011-08-02T12:13:00.001-05:00

Quick post to let you know the new issue of Swamp Lily Review is HERE. We had a lot of submissions for this issue. I have no doubt I'd be totally overwhelmed if we accepted submissions from all over the country. Hope you enjoy the poems, short stories and photography we accepted. I think they're great. My partner Jan who contributes to a new reviews site, tweaked Swamp Lily Review, and it looks beautiful. Let us know what you think. We're on Facebook too so join us there.

I also want to let you know that Southern Writers Magazine (I'm a staff writer!) has started a blog so you can follow it HERE.

On another note, I've registered for the Killer Nashville conference. I'll be sitting in the audience, heart pounding, palms sweating, as they call out the winner of their Claymore contest. I'm thrilled to be a part of this and in the top ten. My hubby gave me the "All Expenses Paid" conference for my birthday so turning "old" hasn't been ALL bad. Now I need to practice my pitch and start taking some B-O-L-D vitamins. I've attended a lot of conferences in my lifetime, but in spite of my self-pep talks, I always find myself becoming a shrinking violet. I hold up a lot of walls.

So, help me with this. What's your best tip for attending conferences and pitching to editors and agents? Share!

KILLER NASHVILLE'S 2011 CLAYMORE AWARD FINALIST!

2011-07-25T19:26:00.001-05:00

I don't usually post twice in one day, but I just got some GREAT news. I'm a finalist in the Killer Nashville 2011 Claymore Award Contest. The conference is in late August and I've been waiting to see when we'll relocate to Mississippi before I register for the conference. I didn't plan to go if we didn't move. After all, it's about 8+ hours away and I've given up flying. But now ... now... I think being a finalist puts a different slant on travel, doesn't it? The other finalists are listed below. I have no doubt I'm in good company. Don't their titles sound wonderful?

A finalist! ME! Killer Nashville! Pinch me!

Congratulations to the 2011 Claymore Award Top Ten Finalists (in alphabetical order by title):

Baron R. Birtcher (Rain Dogs)
Craig Faustus Buck (Go Down Hard)
Bryan Camp (Where the Dead Remain)
Joan Lipinsky Cochran (The Yiddish Gangster's Daughter)
Judith Dailey (Animal, Vegetable, Murder)
Debora Dale (Canyon Road)
Jessica Ferguson (A Bad Guy Forever)
Frank Jenkins (An Embarrassment of Riches)
Doc Macomber (Riff Raff)
E. Joan Sims (A.K.A. Love)

Flashbulb Memories

2011-07-25T12:43:00.003-05:00

Some of you know that I started and maintain the Bayou Writers' Group blog. Yesterday, I received a submission from Dr. Stan Weeber, a McNeese professor who wrote the book In Search of Derrick Todd Lee. I remembered I haven't interviewed Dr. Weeber for Louisiana Saturday Night. I'll have to remedy that. But, back to Flashbulb memories:

From Wikepedia: Flashbulb memories are highly detailed, exceptionally vivid 'snapshots' of the moment and circumstances in which surprising and consequential (or emotionally arousing) news was heard.^[1] Flashbulb memories have six characteristic features: place, ongoing activity, informant, own affect, other affect, and aftermath.^[1] Flashbulb memories are believed to be highly resistant to forgetting.

Interesting, huh? Go to BayouWriters' Group blog and read more.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

2011-07-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

Loves lost. They're just hanging around my house, taking up space, gone but not forgotten. Every now and then I turn them on, frown at their phlegmy hum as I search for a short story or novel chapters I can't seem to lay my hands on. I'm tired of them tempting me the way they do. Making me think there's something of value on them. I have to admit, it's hard to let go, walk away, sentence them to the junk pile. They were faithful. We were a great team. Once.

Unfortunately, nothing stays the same. We grew apart. One of us wanted to reach for the stars while the other grew slower, weaker and wouldn't--couldn't--try new things. Sad when we refuse to change with the times. Grow. Learn. Stretch ourselves even when it hurts. And believe me--stretching, stepping into the unknown is always scary and always hurts.

What should I do with my old friends here? How should I do it? Is there such a thing as a computer hit-man that will take them out quickly, painlessly? Or might there be a way to clean them up, and out, and give them new life?

What do you do with your old computers and laptops?

The Power of Words

2011-07-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

I browsed through several James Lee Burke novels the other day. I'm the type that reads all the extra stuff on a book: back cover blurb, inside flaps, author bio, dedications, copyright info, reprint info, list of other novels, acknowledgements and prologue. Here are a few words and phrases used to describe Burke's writing. I couldn't help but wonder if even one could be used to describe my own.
How about yours?

Powerful plots
Powerful characters
Distinctive style
Vivid
Expansive
Luminous
Gorgeous
Wicked bite
Gifted
Great
Stylish
Seduces
Lacerates
Mesmerizes
Evocative
Complex
Rich
Startling
Brilliant
Moving
Elegant
Fascinating

Gripping

Writer Gone Missing?

2011-07-13T13:44:00.004-05:00

I have a question for you: what do you think a writer would miss if she turned off the Internet for six months and did nothing but write? Would she re-enter a changed publishing world? Would all connections with writer friends be severed? Would she miss out on valuable learning experiences? Would it be like starting over when she hopped online again? Would she become a stranger--even to herself?

I don't believe that old adage absence makes the heart grow fonder but I do believe out of sight out of mind.

Would a disconnect be detrimental to her writing, selling, marketing self?

Thoughts?

Marketing: The Secret of John Locke's Success by Randy Ingermanson

2011-07-11T22:52:00.002-05:00

Everywhere I turn, there's talk about John Locke's ebook, HOW I SOLD 1 MILLION EBOOKS IN 5 MONTHS. I didn't pay much attention until I received the Advanced Fiction Writing Ezine and saw this article by Randy Ingermanson. I've subscribed to Ingermanson's Advanced Fiction Writing Ezine for a number of years. I trust it and it's loaded with information writers need to know. Subscription info is at the end of this article. (And yes, I bought John Locke's book.)

(Reprinted by Permission)

John Locke is a self-published novelist who has sold over a million copies of his e-books so far this year.

That's rather amazing. He's had as many as 8 of his novels on the Kindle Top 100 list at one time, all
priced at $.99.

There are people who think Locke got lucky. I've been told that Locke sells well because he produces short novels, writes decently well, prices his books low, releases new ones frequently, promotes them hard, and has the same name as a popular character on the TV series LOST.

All that may be true, but it doesn't explain why Locke's books were selling only a few dozen copies per month until last October, and then suddenly began selling hundreds (and now thousands) of copies per day, starting in November.

How does Locke explain his change in luck? He says that he changed his marketing strategy at the end of October. He says that he began doing things differently in early November, and he saw good results right away.

You can read all about it in Locke's latest $4.99 e-book, HOW I SOLD 1 MILLION EBOOKS IN 5 MONTHS. Here's a short link to the description page on Amazon: http://amzn.to/ndd258

I recently read this book and it's radically changed my thinking in a couple of key areas. I consider it the best marketing book I've read in the last year, and it's the best fiction-marketing book that I've EVER read. (To be fair, there aren't many books on how to market fiction.)

Locke's book is a very quick read. It's thin, and it's even thinner if you consider that the first half is obvious stuff that "everybody knows," along with a discussion of all the things Locke tried that didn't
work.

If you already know all the things that "everybody knows" and you don't care about the things that don't work, you might decide to skip Parts 1 and 2.

On the other hand, since some of the things that "everybody knows" don't actually work very well, I suggest you read Parts 1 and 2 anyway.

It's not until Part 3, halfway into the book, that Locke unveils his marketing plan.

If you don't look closely, you might imagine that it's all the same stuff you've heard before. Most of the elements of Locke's plan are things we've all heard about: web sites, blogging, Twitter, e-mail, etc.

Locke only does a very few things differently than most people. That should be reassuring. He's using the same tools as most authors. He just uses them differently.

I've read through Locke's book twice now, taking it apart to figure out what the pieces are. There are four major tasks you must complete and there are two ongoing projects that you will keep doing indefinitely.

Locke doesn't list these in so many words anywhere in his book, nor does he give you any estimates of how much calendar time most of them normally require, so I'll do that here. The first four tasks have a definite end-point. The last two are open-ended:

* Define your General Target Audience (days of work)
* Create your book (months of work)
* Create your platform (weeks of work)
* Launch your book (one day of work)
* Grow your platform (ongoing effort for years)
* Market your book (ongoing effort for months)

Over the next few months, I'll talk about these in more detail in this column.

For today, I'll focus on the first step, defining your General Target Audience. All the other steps depend on this one. If you haven't done this, or if you haven't done it well, all your other efforts are going to be out of focus.

And what is a General Target Audience? It's the group of people who love the kind of books you write, or who would love your books if they knew about them.

Not just LIKE your books. LOVE your books. The people who, once they find out what you write, will buy anything you write.

Don't confuse your General Target Audience with the set of all people who have ever bought one of your books.

Some people in your General Target Audience may never have heard of you, much less bought one of your books. Your goal in marketing is to help them discover you.

And some people who've bought one of your books may not much like your writing. Your goal in marketing is to prevent similar people from buying your books because they probably won't enjoy them.

Your General Target Audience is crucial to get right. The reason is that the other five steps in producing and marketing books depends on them:

* When you create your book, you should do everything in your power to produce a a book that is perfectly targeted for your General Target Audience. You should be desperately trying to make this core niche group as happy as possible.

* When you create your platform (including a web site, blog, Facebook page, etc., you should do everything in your power to make it as appealing as possible to your General Target Audience. You really don't care about anyone except them. These are your people.

* When you launch your book, you should do everything in your power to reach those people in your General Target Audience. If you accidentally reach other people too who somewhat like your book, that's fine, but your General Target Audience will be the ones who love your book and spread the word.

* As you grow your platform over the years, you'll continue to focus on building an online presence that makes your General Target Audience happy. You'll focus on adding them to your e-mail database, and they'll be delighted to be there, because there's nothing they want more than to hear when your next book comes out.

* As you market each book over a period of months, you'll focus on crafting a message designed to appeal to people in your General Target Audience. These are your evangelists. You reach them; they'll reach everybody else.

You may be surprised to hear that John Locke prefers a small, sharply defined target audience. This is why he doesn't want to work with a major publisher, who would try to force him to have wider appeal and would thereby destroy the amazing loyalty of his actual readers.

This may sound like you're asking for a disaster--consciously trying to appeal to fewer readers. But it makes great marketing sense to focus on making one small niche exceptionally happy. Because that's how word-of-mouth gets going. Small fires burn hot.

Next month we'll look at some of the methods Locke uses to reach his target audience, using such ideas as the "Friendship Circle," the "Viral Circle," the "Loyalty Transfer Blog, and the "Guaranteed Buyer" e-mail list.

All of these are powerful tools, and if you can't wait to hear about them, go ahead and grab Locke's book and read it. Once again, a link to his Amazon page is here: http://amzn.to/ndd258

If you get his book, read his description of his target audience. It runs on for about a page and a half. Some parts of it are rather dull demographic stuff, which your publisher has probably already asked you to define.

In my view, the demographic stuff--age, gender, and socioeconomic status of Locke's reader (or your readers) are the least important part.

The real gold comes from knowing what emotive buttons your target audience wants pushed. Locke knows that his readers want a quick read but not a deep read. They aren't a bit worried that Locke's signature character, Donovan Creed, is an amoral bed-hopping assassin, because it's all just good clean sex and violence.

Locke's men readers would like to be Donovan Creed. His women readers would like to date Creed -- but not to marry him, because he's a lousy marriage risk. They like that he has potential.

Locke has plenty more info on his target audience, but you get the point. Locke knows exactly who he's writing for, and everything he does is aimed at pleasing those people. Nobody else. Just them.

Most people are not in John Locke's target audience. I'm not. You might or might be. You might find his books outrageous or offensive. Or you may find them hilarious and relaxing.

This is, I believe, a major part of Locke's secret. He writes so consciously and so specifically for one small class of people. He doesn't care about any other readers.

What that means is that there are plenty of people who don't fit in Locke's target audience -- but they might in yours or mine.

But they'll never know, and you'll never know, unless you first figure out exactly who YOU write for.
So let's get practical. You will probably never have much success in publishing unless you clearly define your General Target Audience. Let's take a first cut at it right now. It won't be perfect, but it's a start. You can polish it later.

Think about the following kinds of questions for a few minutes. This is not an exhaustive list. It's intended to get your mental juices flowing so you can ask the right questions about your particular General Target Audience:

* Who are you writing for? (No, no, no, the answer is not "everybody.")

* What are your readers looking for? Do they want to laugh? Cry? Think? Avoid thinking? Have a romance? An adventure? Both? Neither?

* Do your readers suffer from low self-esteem? Sneer at the "little" people? Don't care what anybody else thinks?

* What kinds of hero will make your reader cheer? A tough guy? Tough girl? A patriot? One with a soft side?

* What are the powerful forces in your reader's life? Religion? Politics? Science? Gaming? Exercise?

Give yourself 5 minutes to think about the above questions. Then give yourself 15 minutes to finish this sentence: "My ideal reader..."

Don't stop and think. Just type. Shoot for 500 words in 15 minutes. Drill out the words. You can edit them later. Just blast out thoughts.

Now save the results in a document named "My General Target Audience." You'll come back to this again and again over the years, and you'll refine it as you get more information from actual readers. But for now, you've got a target to shoot at.

Next month, we'll look at some of the other steps in the process of writing books for your General Target Audience and helping your General Target Audience discover you.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 26,000 readers, every month. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit
http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

In Memory Of . . .

2011-07-06T07:07:00.001-05:00

A couple of years ago an opportunity to write for The Times of Southwest Louisiana fell into my lap. The Times of Southwest Louisiana began publication in February 1996, covered local events and entertainment in a five parish area. I've never grabbed anything so fast or held on so tightly as I did that opportunity. What an honor. What a priviledge. What a blast! What constant 24/7 work. The Times had lost their entire staff and the owner/publisher was desperate. I might add, he was cooly and calmly desperate. That's how my daughter and I walked into the positions of writers, photographers and assistant editors--as if we knew what we were doing. Sure, we had a basic knowledge of writing and shooting pics but that was the extent of it. We had more want to than experience. I think that's what Patrick Marcantel saw--our want to. Thankfully, our naivete didn't keep him from giving us a chance. We had his trust and his friendship from the day we walked into The Times with tearsheets in hand. So, along with another fairly inexperienced writer-editor, Nancy Correro, we did it all. I learned alot from working with Patrick at The Times, but here are two very important things I still use today: how to talk/approach total strangers and how to write fast. My first day on the job, I interviewed my subject and thirty minutes later, whipped out his story. I'm a wait for inspiration to hit sort of person so that was a high I'd never experienced.

And today, I'm sad to report that my friend Patrick Marcantel, owner of The Times of Southwest Louisiana passed away last night after suffering a heart attack and being in a coma. He's had our prayers, our tears and our constant thoughts. We're stunned and brokenhearted at the loss of him. His energy, his enthusiasm, his ideas will be missed in our city. He won't be forgotten.

Fun Quotes

2011-06-28T00:29:00.003-05:00

You know how I love quotes. Here are a few that make me think so I thought I'd share. These authors are alive and well, and selling books!

For me, television can be a big distraction, so I get out of the house to write. There's no tv at the coffee shop and I feel like, if I'm going to spend the $$ on something as frivolous as a Black Thai Latte Fusion, then I'd better have something productive to show for it. ~Erica Vetsch

Real voice should be like a road with some curves and potholes. ~Charles Gramlich

Never, ever, let someone outside of your world derail your dreams. ~J.T. Ellison

I advise all new authors to listen to their gut, and focus on their dreams. ~J.T. Ellison

I've been to college. I've worked in the cutthroat corporate world. I've been in a war. Nothing could have prepared me for the publishing business. ~D.B. Grady

Aspiring writers have got to go out there and meet people, because the personal connection trumps the cold query every single time. ~D.B. Grady

But if you notice something unusual that brings comfort or meaning to your life, why question it? ~Amy Yelin

And from my daughter who is faithfully doing the Insanity workout:

I exercise until I drip with sweat. That better be pounds I smell! ~Chaney Ferguson

Progress--It Ain't All Good

2011-06-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

The Internet is one of life’s most amazing perks. I can sit all day and browse newspapers from every state and country. For some odd reason, I’ve always loved reading obits. Really good ones are detailed tributes to the life of the deceased. Did you know there’s even a club for obit writers? I used to be a member until they started charging dues. And that brings me to this:

I just read in The New York Times that some of the independent bookstores are starting to charge to meet the author. They’re taking this approach because they’re being squeezed by the competition—Internet retailers like Amazon. You can read the article HERE: Be sure to read the comments too, and think about it. As an author, you might feel slapped in the face if no one paid to attend your signing. As a fan, you might get a little ticked if you shell out ten bucks to hear a reading, have to stand the entire hour and don’t even have a visual of the author. I can understand why independent stores feel the need to give this a try, but I don’t like it. At the same time, I feel a little guilty that I visit book stores and key titles into my phone. I want to get them for free from PaperBackSwap or cheaper from Amazon. Please tell me you’re as guilty as I am. Of course, I purchase new books too, and support brick and mortar stores--just not as much as in earlier years. These days, I’m a little more careful in how I spend hubby’s hard earned money.

On the other side of the country, visiting The Los Angeles Times, the following headline screamed at me: Spam is Clogging Amazon’s Kindle. Spam? How’s that happening. According to the article, thousands of e-books are being published and they just aren’t book worthy. The article is worth reading. Go HERE.

Progress is great. Progress is also a curse—in its own way. Sometimes I yearn to go back to the flashlight under the covers with my Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys books. I hope I don’t read an obit telling me that free author readings and signings are dead. That would actually bring tears to my eyes.

How about you? Got any news to share?

REFLECTIONS

2011-06-15T13:30:00.003-05:00

I’ve been reflecting today.

Today I remembered the woman who told me, “Out of all the writers I know, I thought you would be the one to make it.” A backhanded compliment or a blatant put-down? I guess whatever I want it to be.

I remembered the woman who looked at my Silhouette Romance and said, “You mean they have book signings for those kinds of books?” We romance writers put up with a lot.

I remembered the organization that turned me down for a volunteer position because they wanted someone who was more involved in mentoring and encouraging other writers. My writer friends and I had a good laugh. They know how busy I stay doing just that. I guess the lesson here is to loudly toot my own horn though I'd rather not. A nicer way of putting it is--have a platform. :-)

Many of my writer friends/critique partners have gone on to grab multi-book contracts. I’ve been thrilled for them. I’ve critiqued them, brainstormed and encouraged, and promoted them to the best of my ability. I’ve wanted them to succeed, prayed for them to make wise choices and achieve their dreams as if they were my own children. Today, after so many years of multi-book contracts, some of them are retiring from writing because they want to finally settle down to enjoy holidays with their families—with no deadlines.

Thinking back on the good, the bad and the inconsiderate, I’m amazed at how full and satisfying my writing life has been. And believe me, my writing life definitely spills over into my personal life. I told my husband the other day that I’m so content, I can hardly stand myself. I have everything I want. A good, supportive husband who encourages me in everything I choose to try—even though he discouraged my getting a private detective’s license! A beautiful creative daughter who is always laughing and happy. A handsome stepson who calls just to talk to me! How blessed can one gal be?

Sure, there are a lot of things I still want to do: sell another book, continue to freelance and teach, go back to Boston and spend a month, become an agent, paint a picture, become an editor, own a publishing company, write and sell a bunch of ebooks, own a cabin on the beach, publish a chapbook of poems, find a lost child . . . become a detective!

But even if I never do any of those things, I have to say: Any more good God chooses to give me will be akin to chocolate sprinkles in a cup of fat-free, cake-batter yogurt from Swirll.

Now share some things you'd like to do.

I'VE BEEN TAGGED

2011-06-08T11:17:00.003-05:00

My friend Sylvia over at Writing in Wonderland tagged me and because I have so much to do and need a break, I'm going to answer her questions. So ... procrastination time!

1) Do you think you’re hot?

Do you mean do I think I’m HOT or do I think I’m a HOTTIE? Well, duh!

2) Upload a pic or wallpaper you’re using at the time.

Here’s a pic of my beautiful daughter. She’s always been my inspiration. Along with her hero dad, of course.

3)      When was the last time you ate chicken meat?

Been quite a while. My daughter read the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and shared info with us. For the past month we’ve all been vegetarians.

4)      The song you listened to recently?

Last night I listened to Gravity by John Mayer. Love it.

5)      What were you thinking as you were doing this task?

Thank God, A blog post!

6)      Do you have nicknames? What are they?

Jess or Jessy/Jessie. Another day and time, friends called me John Boy because of my writing and love for The Waltons. A crazy guy used to call me Fresca but don’t ask me why. And a friend from high school called me Roachie; my maiden name is Roach. Oh, yeah, I loved that one.

7)      Tag 8 bloggers.

Well, I can't bring myself to do this. Kinda reminds me of those pass-along things that tell me I’m gonna get rich or have bad luck if I do or don’t. Or pyramid schemes. Or chain letters. If anyone wants to be tagged, just feel free. Love you all!

~~jess

Short Fiction

2011-06-02T14:18:00.006-05:00

Go to THIS LINK and listen to Vonnegut and King discuss short fiction. Then take a look at the guidelines for submitting your own short fiction. Best Fiction: A Journal of Short Stories accepts stories from 1,500 to 7,500 words and pays a small honorarium. Best part--they nominate for the Pushcart Prize! In my mind, that beats an honorarium any day. So ... is your short fiction good enough? Submit and find out.

On another note: The winning blog, for the CFBA Blog Tour Spotlight last month, featuring a review of Over The Edge by Brandilyn Collilns:

Jess at Praise, Prayers and Observations

Yep, that would be me. I appreciate the promo. Click on the link above or scroll down to read my brief review.

Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso

2011-05-31T22:55:00.000-05:00

Because of several deadlines and a couple of out of town trips, I'm still reading Darkness Follows, but I have to tell you what an incredible writer Mike Dellosso is. I read his first two books--and they were excellent, but Mike has truly outdone himself with this one. The depth of his plot is truly gripping and nothing less than enviable. Read about Mike and his book below, but believe me when I say there's so much more to both!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Darkness Follows Realms (May 3, 2011) by Mike Dellosso

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Mike now lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Jen, and their three daughters. He writes a monthly column for Writer . . .Interrupted, was a newspaper correspondent/columnist for over three years, has published several articles for The Candle of Prayer inspirational booklets, and has edited and contributed to numerous Christian-themed Web sites and e-newsletters. Mike is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the Relief Writer's Network, the International Christian Writers, and International Thriller Writers. His short stories have appeared with Amazon Shorts and in Coach's Midnight Diner genre anthology. He received his BA degree in sports exercise and medicine from Messiah College and his MBS degree in theology from Master's Graduate School of Divinity.

Mike Dellosso writes novels of suspense for both the mind and the soul. He writes to both entertain and challenge. In addition to his novels, Mike is also an adjunct professor at Lancaster Bible College and a faculty member at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer's Conference.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sam Travis lives in a Civil War era farmhouse in Gettysburg, PA, where he awakens one morning to find an old journal with an entry by a Union soldier, Lt. Whiting…written in Sam’s own handwriting. When this happens several more times, both at night and during waking “trances,” Sam begins to question his own sanity while becoming obsessed with Lt. Whiting and his bone-chilling journal entries. As the entries begin to mimic Sam’s own life, he is drawn into an evil plot that could cost many lives, including his own.

Can the unconditional love of Sam's daughter, Eva, break through his hardened heart before a killer on the loose catches up with them and Sam’s past spurs him to do the unthinkable?

If you would like to read the Prologue and first chapter of Darkness Follows, go HERE

Watch the book video:

OVER THE EDGE by Brandilyn Collins

2011-05-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing

Over the Edge

B&H Books (May 1, 2011)

by Brandilyn Collins

__________________________________________________________

I don't normally read medical suspense. I'm squeamish so I sure don't like medical details. Yet, I couldn't resist this one. I knew before I ordered this book that author Brandilyn Collins had suffered from Lyme Disease; I was very curious to see how she turned personal experience into a novel--especially a suspense. I very seldom read for pleasure anymore. It takes a really good book to zap me from learning mode to being completely lost in the excellence of story. I didn't expect this book to be any different from the majority of books I read. I planned to use Over The Edge as a learning tool, paying attention to how it was constructed. The moment it arrived at the post office, I tore into it. I sat in the parking lot and devoured the prologue and the entire first chapter. Talk about yanked into the story! I put washing, drying, cooking on hold; just one more chapter, just one more. I read off and on until one o'clock a.m. then awoke at four a.m. and started reading again. Readers will experience a myriad of emotions while reading this book. Anger, confusion, frustration are only a few. Collins has done an excellent job of informing the reading world about Lyme Disease. She's put them in the mind and body of someone who has it. Collins has also shown us a very real problem in the medical profession: competition between doctors. Competition between hospitals. It truly exists. She could get many more suspense novels from those topics!

Over The Edge is a novel that will stay with me for quite awhile. And I have no hesitation in recommending it to you. Meet the author and watch her trailer below to see just how she came up with her idea.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline "Don't forget to b r e a t h e..."® Brandilyn's first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley &;Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.

In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author's own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today's medical field.

Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.

One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.

But Janessa's marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.

Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.

“A taut, heartbreaking thriller. Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages.” --Publishers Weekly

“Tense and dramatic. Holds its tension while following the protagonist in a withering battle.” –NY Journal of Books

“A frightening and all-too-real scenario. Very timely and meaningful book.” –RT Reviews

“If you know someone who suffers from Lyme, you need to read this compelling novel.” –Lydia Niederwerfer, founder of Lyme-Aware

If you would like to read the Prologue of Over the Edge, go HERE

Watch the book video:

Is Your Story Structurally Sound? So What!

2011-05-18T13:46:00.002-05:00

There’s always something to watch outside my hotel window when I come to Houston. Once I watched a window washer and thought about putting a heroine in such a job. Yesterday, I watched the demolition of the 70 year old Young Men’s Christian Association. I always feel sad when I see old buildings torn down. (There was no good reason for this building to be torn down but there was a reason.) Lots of history floating through the air in the form of dust. Looking at this one, I wondered about all the lives touched inside those walls. What are their stories, their memories?

The YMCA served the city of Houston for 125 years—evolving and changing into what new generations needed. Built in the Italian Renaissance architectural style (according to their website), the building they’re demolishing had beautiful interior rock walls and painted beam ceilings. It had a dorm for 270 men, an assembly hall and 19 classrooms. There were two gyms and six handball courts, an indoor pool, and much more. Now, it’s time for a change and the new YMCA is built.

(I’m too sentimental, I guess. You'd think as much as we've moved around, I wouldn't have ties to anything, be nostalgic at all.)

Watching the wrecking crew strategically bump, swat and grab to bring the structure down, I thought about my novel. In my mind’s eye, I’m the person maneuvering that wrecking crane. Crashing, pulverizing all that back story and narrative and fluff—until it’s a distant memory —a sentence here and a thought there that only hints of conflict past and conflict to come.

There might be some beautiful ‘history’ in that back story but it doesn’t work.

That’s what rewriting is—changing, evolving, making the story stronger. We have to be like chefs—the right seasoning, sprinkled throughout the novel judiciously like Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. We have to be like wrecking crews, aiming at and demolishing just the right spot so that we can rebuild with the talent of the finest construction worker. We have to be like architects, designing a story that’s perfect for readers at just the right time in their lives, something that will last for years to come in someone’s memory or on someone’s bookshelf.

The following quote spoke to me today:

. . . writing is like cooking is like painting is like sculpture is like music is like gardening is like tying flies is like carving is like making bread is like making wine is like singing is like dancing is like cooking is like writing . . . ~Ev Bishop

I agree. And a whole lot more.

Who's Swinging from Your Tree Limbs?

2011-05-16T17:36:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged in a few weeks. I wish I could say I've been tip-toeing through the tulips but I haven't. I've been meandering through graveyards. Online graveyards.

Many years ago, way before we could do searches online, I struggled to learn who was perched in my family tree. I battled relatives who wanted me to mind my own business and others who laughed at me for wanting to know where that large McGinty nose came from, or those squinty, sleepy Roach eyes. Finally, the war of the relatives (and a divorce) had me packing my paperwork away for another time. And then I passed it on to family members who have since died. The paperwork has made its way back to me.

So now it's time to finish the story--especially considering my own age. How hard can it be these days with ancestry.com and findagrave.com. Not as difficult as it was 40 years ago. I've found graves, marriage licenses, mugshots of relatives, and much more. And because my mother's long-term memory is much stronger/clearer than her short term memory, I'm learning some juicy stuff. Talk about addictive!

I've spent hours searching findagrave.com. I located old friends who have passed away and I didn't even know it. When did those friendships disappear from my life? In my mind, I thought about them, remembered fun times with them. Each time they popped into my memory it was as if we'd just been together. One, a writer and teacher, and one of my best friends for a number of years, was instrumental in my own progress as a writer. We went to a lot of conferences together; critiqued each other, read each other's books, but we'd lost touch. She retired, quit writing and turned to other things. When I came across her obit, I sat and cried ... for myself, I guess. Just because I didn't know.

On ancestry.com I located a couple of dead husbands. Yeah, unfortunately, they were mine.

Searching your family tree can sure make you stop and think about relationships, the value you place on family and friends. It can be darned depressing too, when you count up how many younger family members have passed on long before they should have.

If there's someone you need or want to talk with, share a laugh with, or a memory, or even interview--do it now. Don't wait. Time is passing at breakneck speed. Pick up the phone now. Call them. Write that letter. Don't wait.

Cutting the Good Stuff?

2011-05-01T23:10:00.001-05:00

The moment I opened my eyes the other morning, I knew … I knew beyond any doubt that I should not only cut the prologue of this book I’m wrestling with, but do away with the grandma scene too—an entire chapter! The dialogue between grandma and heroine/granddaughter is nothing less of an info dump. Info that I deem vital to the story, but looking at it through your eyes, NOT!

I should be happy with this breakthrough (it isn't unlike throwing away a drawer full of valuable newspaper articles from the 60s) but I’m not. I like the book the way I wrote it originally, with my prologue, my info dumps, my meandering through each chapter telling and showing what I want when I want. To heck with what the reader wants ‘cause I’m running this show! Yeah, right.

Actually, I’ve reached the point where I have a difficult time even recognizing an info dump. If it reads smoothly, doesn’t interrupt the flow, doesn’t yank me out of the action, makes sense, then I’m okay with it. Of course, if it stops the action completely, reads like a history lesson or a genealogy—well that’s just ridiculous.

I got back a contest entry the other day. My scores were interesting. Perfect 50, a 48 and a 37. The 37 seemed lost as a goose, couldn’t follow the leap from prologue teens to adult years. The others had no problem and liked the prologue, said it was a great place to start but the first chapter was too, if I decide to cut prologue.

So here’s my question: everything is so darned subjective, how do you know what’s right, what’s wrong, what works, what doesn’t? I know most of you will say for me to go with my gut, do what feels right, tell the story I want to tell. Well, heck—that’s no help! How do you decide when it’s really time to put your book out there--self-pub, submit to an agent or editor, let it go? And what do you do months later when you realize you made the wrong decision?

Rev. David Wilkerson

2011-04-28T13:26:00.001-05:00

Rev. David Wilkerson

May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011

Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church in Manhattan, N.Y., died in a horrific wreck on a backwoods Texas highway.

Wilkerson was more than a household name in our family. He was like a member of our family. We talked about him, quoted him, thought about him and discussed him frequently. My mother-in-law gave each grandchild a copy of his bestselling book, The Cross and the Switchblade, which documents his ministering to youths involved in drugs and gangs.

Wilkerson is also the founder of Teen Challenge, an evangelical Christian recovery program connected to the Assemblies of God denomination that teaches biblical principles to help young adults struggling with addictions, including drug and alcohol problems. My in-laws dedicated many hours to working with Teen Challenge.When we were in Scotland, we attended The King's Community Church (formerly Assembly of God/Aberdeen). The thirty to fifty young men involved in Teen Challenge who came to church each Sunday was a testimony to how important this ministry is.

We have always believed and supported the honest, heart-felt ministry of David Wilkerson. We’ll miss his newsletter, the World Challenge Pulpit Series, sent out by World Challenge, Inc. (FREE subscription to anyone who requested it.)

David Wilkerson had a visible passion to help people, to provoke people to pray more and seek God in a greater way. No doubt his ministry will live forever while his passing will leave a tremendous void in the hearts of many.

To read his newsletters or listen to his sermons, go HERE:

Please say a prayer for his wife and family.

Treasure or Junk?

2011-04-27T12:17:00.000-05:00

I haven’t blogged in a few weeks. I’ve been battling some of my demons—one in particular.

I want to be a minimalist but the packrat/hoarder side of me is rebelling. I don’t understand how people throw things away. I can’t. I’m not talking about TV dinner boxes or empty Aquafina bottles. Though I admit sometimes pretty jars make me hesitate. I’m talking about writer magazines that come to my post office box once a month. Wonderful AARP issues with Robert Redford’s picture on the cover. And no, I can’t even give them away ‘cause it hurts. Newspapers—such wonderful articles. And what if I need to wrap something breakable? Paperback books. Letters and cards from friends. I’m doomed!

I’ve told you I have magazines that go back to the early 70’s. I’m not lying, I really do. And I treasure each and every yellow, brittle issue. A couple of weeks ago, I chunked old issues of Apartment Life—granted, not the issue featuring Michael Douglas’ apartment which is totally outdated now but still interesting.

Listen, it gets worse. I have every hard copy of every novel proposal, critique, revision/rough draft that I’ve printed out (I deal in hard copies ‘cause I’m visual to a fault) over the last 30 or 40 years. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much. If you’ve ever sent me a hard copy of your work in progress (even an email copy)—no matter when it was written—I probably still have it. Want it back? I have the results/judges’ scores and comments of every writing contest I’ve ever entered. I might have results of your stuff too—that is, if you ever sent it to me for my opinion. I have every rejection slip I’ve ever received. Even the form rejections that don’t even call me by name. They have no value whatsoever but I’m stubbornly hanging on to them.

I’m frustrated. Can you tell? Don’t get me wrong, I still value these treasures, but what do I do with them? There’s not room for one more sheet of paper in my office. Not even one as thin and light weight as an old cigarette wrapper.

The time has come for me to take a stand, fight back, light a match!

I’ve discovered that clutter interferes with creativity. I want to be a minimalist but the packrat/hoarder side of me is rebelling. Any tips?

Louisiana Saturday Night with Author Randy Denmon

2011-04-09T00:07:00.004-05:00

I came across author Randy Denmon when I researched Louisiana authors a few years ago. We invited him to speak at our Bayou Writers' Group Conference in 2008. Randy might be one of our "most quoted" speakers. He gave us some great advice about writing, as well as finding that elusive editor and agent. I've found him to be one of our most generous speakers. I encourage you to check out his website HERE and purchase his books HERE. Now it's my pleasure to introduce author Randy Denmon and I hope you enjoy the interview!

1) Could you tell us a bit about your path to publication, and how you've built your career? Did you choose to be a western writer or did westerns choose you?

The westerns found me instead of the other way around. The first book I wrote was set in the Mexican Revolution. Kensington agreed to publish it if they could market it as a western. They actually had one of their western writers who didn’t deliver a book they had a contract on, and they needed a western to complete their list. This was a lucky break for me, and the first book did well. Kensington then gave me a contract to write a second book. You guessed it: the contract was for a second western novel.

2) Have you ever wanted to write something other than westerns? Short stories? Romance? Mysteries?

Yes, I have written several more novels that are more mainstream, historicals. They are typically harder to get published than genre fiction. I’m now writing another western, primarily because they are easier to get published, and sell rather well.

3) What has surprised you most about being an author?

I don’t know. Not much has really changed in my life. For all but a few, well known best sellers, writing is a lot of work and worrying, for little monetary gain. I guess I would say, somewhat disappointingly, that I was surprised to learn the book publishing industry is more of a business than a form of art or expression. Beforehand, I looked at writing the other way.

4) Tell us about your books and how you plot them—your method of creating.

I like to write books that are set in a different time, theoretically, around some major event, a war, or a tumultuous time, etc. The book I’m working on now is set around the building of the Transcendental Railroad. Fiction should take the reader somewhere else, a place or time he can’t go to by getting in a car or on a plane. When a writer fictionalizes these events, the reader can see them through the eyes and ears of the people experiencing them as opposed to just a bland historical overview.

As far as plotting and creating a story, I get ideas from everywhere: books, movies, make them up, etc. I’ve done the plotting in a number of ways. Several times I’ve plotted most of it out in advance, and other times, I’ve found my way through as I write. The key, I think, is to always make sure there’s plenty of suspense, tension, conflict, etc. I’m always going back and adding this if I think there are stretches of the narrative that are lacking here.

5) If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were a beginning writer, what advice would you offer?

This is kind of back to the first couple of questions. It’s my opinion that is much easier for new writers to break in writing genre, mass market fiction, or something that is hot – or maybe something that might appeal to a regional publisher. Whatever is selling is the easiest to publish. Young Adult appears to the new fashion. Thrillers are also big right now.

Looking at the market instead of the product is very difficult for all writers, but it is very important to write what the publishers want. I read Richard Curtis’s book. Richard is one of the most respected agents in the business and broken in many new writers (never met him). He said he takes on new clients based solely on whether he can sell their books, with very little consideration given to how good the book is, or how well it’s written. Beginning writers should not fight this, but use it to their advantage, but this is contrary to all of us.

I do read a fair amount of work from beginning writers. They almost all make the same mistakes. Most tend to over write - say way too much about a character or setting or background, input too much non relevant information than is required to tell the story. Many new writers write from too many viewpoints, or try to tell the story from the omnipresent viewpoint, like a camera filming a movie. Tell the story through the character’s eyes. That’s the truest form of literature.

6) Do you or have you ever had a critique group? If not, who are your early readers?

I try to get as many critiques as possible. I caution everyone to be leery about friends or non writers, or people who won’t give you the bad news. Don’t think I’ve ever used a critique group. People who are writers are the best, and my agent it really good at this. I’m always thinking who I can get to read something. I usually have to return the favor.

7) Many writers describe themselves as "character" or "plot" writers. Which are you? What do you find to be the hardest part of writing?

I started out as clearly a character writer, but I am now much more of a plot writer. The character writing is a more pure form of expression, but the public likes the good story, the page turner.

It’s probably easier for most of us to character write, a more natural form. We are, after all, characters. As I study some of the big sellers, I find I get away from the character writing. I now find myself having to go back add more character writing because I’ve skimped on it.

8) What are your goals for the future? Do you have an agent who is involved in career planning?

I’d certainly like to publish some of the works I’ve recently completed and write some more novels outside the western genre. I do have an agent who works very hard for me, but the current economy is making the industry very difficult for writers. My agent, probably like most, who is a business person trying to make a living, would like me to write whatever is the easiest for him to sell. I’m kind of doing a mix right now of what I want and what he wants. We’ll see how it works out.

9) You have a full time job so how disciplined are you when it comes to writing? Does your job play any part in your writing?

Day job contributes little to the writing – just pays most of the bills!! Actually, I’ve found that writing doesn’t take that much time. A few pages a day can add up soon. Strangely, after I worked on my first novel for years, I was required to write the second novel in 90 days, and it turned out fine!! It’s the critiquing and editing that takes much more time, at least for me.

10) What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Favorite pastime?

I’m a pretty typical guy. I play golf, work, and like to travel if I have time.

11) How much research goes into the writing of your books?

I do quite a bit of research that I enjoy. Since I write mostly historicals, there’s often a general study of history, but I find personal accounts to be the best sources of research and inspiration. When I wrote the Savage Breed that was set in the Mexican-American War, I read a remarkable book by Samuel Chamberlain who fought in the War called My Confession. Amazing book, Sam’s insights and embellishing are better than fiction. Cormac McCarthy says that when read this book it motivated him to write Blood Meridian, which is considered one of the greatest works of fiction in the last fifty years.

12) How do you edit and how much editing does your editor provide?

Maybe I’m lucky, but my editors haven’t done that much to my work. Mostly, they touch the writing, maybe remove some curse words, etc., that the book distributors think are too much. My editors have mostly given guidance on things like length and title, etc. The title’s got to match their marketing aim, and I’ve quit fighting with them about these things. It’s a battle I can’t win.

13) What is your favorite part of writing a novel?

Writing is hard, tedious work, especially the careful reading and editing. It can be a grind. My favorite part of writing is finishing and thinking it’s good. Reading a good passage is rewarding. Reading a bad passage is disheartening, but the culmination of all of it is rewarding.

14) What kind of marketing/promotion do you do? Facebook, Twitter, websites? What’s best in your opinion?

I have a web-page. Marketing and selling books is a grass roots effort. I’ve gotten lot of mileage out of libraries, speaking at them, etc. Everyone has their own niche. Book fairs and conferences are good – anything where you can get your face in front of readers, meet booksellers, or reviewers. I’m not that big on this new digital age and internet marketing, though it has worked for many authors. I can see its advantages for non fiction.

Elmer Kelton, probably the most successful western writer since Louis Lamour, told me once that he told his publisher about every book signing he went to in his early career. I extrapolated from this that is important for publishers, readers, booksellers, etc., to think you are a good publicist for your work. Actually being a good publicist may not be as important having people think you are.

15) Tell us what’s next for you and how we can find your books. Point us to your website so we can keep an eye on you.

My website is www.randydenmon.com. Probably the best place to find my books is Amazon or another online bookseller. There may be a few in the stores, but typically they only stay in the stores six months to a year after publication.

I’ve two new books that my agent is trying to sell. I’ve had some good response to them; it’s just a matter of finding the right publisher. The one that I’ve had the best response to is set in Louisiana during Civil War Reconstruction called Lords of an Empty Land. I hope to have some news on it in the next couple of months. This publishing business is very slow. One of the biggest publishers in the country looked at it for almost six months before just recently telling me they wouldn’t publish it, primarily because it didn’t fit into what they were currently trying to get out, though they thought is was a great book.

___________________________

Many thanks to Randy for answering my questions and sharing some of his writer-wisdom. We'll be waiting and watching for that next book!

Story? Character? Writing style?

2011-03-31T21:50:00.000-05:00

What keeps you reading?

“They say” we have to like and identify with characters. Do you agree? I’ve been told several times that my heroes come across unlikeable in my first couple of chapters. Evidently, my “readers” don’t believe in a character starting out bad--learning, growing and changing. Either they’re not exercising patience with my story or I’m not accomplishing my goal.

Writing style is a deal breaker for me. If I don’t enjoy an author’s style or voice, then I have a rough time hanging in there until the end of the book. If the story is good, I force myself, but I don't like forcing myself to finish a book.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot. Studying. Paying close attention to style, characterization, story telling skills. I’ve read several books by Laura Levine, a cozy mystery writer. I’ve read one book by Lee Child, and just finished a Mary Higgins Clark book. I stepped completely out of my comfort zone to read a fantasy—Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass. These are four very different bestselling authors with very different writing styles. I’ve learned a lot.

Laura Levine is hilarious. Her dialogue is fantastic. Of course it would be—she’s a sitcom writer. She knows comedy. I’ve read two of her books with three more waiting for me and hope to finish the series. Levine knows her character well. If you want to create a cozy mystery series, this is a fun one to study.

Lee Child knows how to yank a reader into his books. He has a real handle on pacing. I didn’t find this book—the first in his Jack Reacher series—very believable but from what I understand, thrillers don’t have to be. A lot of what I found unbelievable had to do with characterization. I’m curious to see if Reacher changes any during the series so I plan to read more.

I’ve been reading Mary Higgins Clark since her very first book. I prefer her earlier books. She always has a lot of characters that are hard to keep up with. Many of her readers say they have to jot down names with a word or two of identification to be able to keep things straight. Still, MHC is a master storyteller if you can forgive the odd way she uses introspection—and to the degree she uses it.

Seressia Glass made her fantasy extremely believable. I was yanked into the story immediately. She has a great writing style and good pacing. Her main character, Kira, was tough as nails yet sympathetic enough that the reader cares for her. Unfortunately for me, I think I got the second book in her series so I’ve missed reading Kira’s history. Because of this author’s story telling skills, when I see the name Seressia Glass on book stands, I won’t hesitate to reach for her.

Their writing styles vary. They aren’t all on equal footing when it comes to excellent writing but they do have one thing in common. They’re all excellent story tellers. What does that tell us? That story rules?

I find it interesting that two of these authors did some outrageous things in their books—things that jar most readers (writer-readers) to high heaven. Things that would get most of us rejected and booed by our critique partners. Those crazy things don’t seem to matter at all. Why?

Because … Story Rules!

What have I learned from all my reading these past few weeks?

That we should write the book we want to write—the way we want to write it. To succeed, we have to pay attention to story. To succeed, we have to pay attention to pacing. Characterization is important. We have to pay attention to characterization in the first 50 or 60 pages. That’s when the reader bonds with our main character.

If our writing style causes a reader to chunk our book across the room, then our story isn’t good enough to overcome our weaknesses and grab our readers by the throat.

Writing is an art. Story rules!

Study The Craft by Linda Yezak

2011-03-29T13:45:00.020-05:00

I don't usually have guest bloggers but this lady is special. I met her February 2, 2007. I received an email with "Hi, I'm Fred's friend" in the subject and there we were. Fred is my favorite creative writing professor from Stephen F. Austin University. He always encouraged me and I vowed to pass it on. Together, Fred and I commented on Linda's first attempt at novel writing--probably canceling each other out. But inspite of our comments, Linda has written several novels, won and placed in contests, mentors others and even edits for a small press. You've probably seen her on the 'net because she's everywhere! Meet my friend, Linda Yezak.

Anyone who regularly reads Praise, Prayer, and Observations knows Jess Ferguson has a gift, a fruit of the Spirit, a God-given talent for exhortation, so you can imagine what it was like for that sweet woman to tell me my first attempt at writing reeked. She couldn’t do it. Although they probably should have, the words, “Don’t give up your day job,” never crossed her keyboard. Possibly because of our mutual love for a cranky critter who lives here in Nacogdoches, but more likely because it’s not in her to discourage dreamers.

When I started my first blog, 777 Peppermint Place, Jess read all my early posts and cheered me on like a proud sister. When the one of judges of a major writing competition hurt my delicate feelings, Jess jumped to my defense with all the snarling rage of a she-wolf. She has been a major encourager for several years now, so being invited to post on her blog is one of my biggest honors.

I remember sharing with her a comment I’d received from who-knows-who, telling me I should study the craft of writing. I wrote something akin to, “C’mon, who does that?!” Well, as she was quick to point out, everyone who takes writing seriously studies the craft. So I studied. Edgerton, Bell, Gaymer-Martin, Maass, Kress, Kempton, Rozelle, Le Guin, Gerke, Brohaugh. Even after becoming a two-time Genesis finalist, I’m still studying. For as long as I can see the flaws in my own work, I’ll be studying. And once the flaws are ironed out, I’ll study more in pursuit of perfection.

After the first few how-to books I read, I saw a massive difference in my writing. I became more alert to things I’d done wrong in the past and made a conscious effort not to make the same mistakes. I picked up techniques for writing action scenes, character descriptions, solid structural foundations–I can’t begin to list everything that improved after pouring through the how-tos. Study is one of the differences between writers who make it and those who don’t. Have I made it? No.

Give the Lady a Ride is only my first novel–well, my first novel worth reading. The fact it’s published is just a rung on the ladder. If I continue studying and writing and reading the works of others–and get that second book published–I may get to step up another rung. But I guess the definition of “making it” differs among writers, and I guess I’ll never “make it.” Success for me means that each book I put out is better than the last. When they pry my gnarled fingers off my keyboard and lay me down to meet my Savior, I hope I can say I made it.

Back cover copy:

Patricia Talbert is a high-class social coordinator from New York. Talon Carlson is a rugged bull rider from Texas. He thinks she’s too polished. She thinks he’s insane. Opposites aren’t quick to attract when the lady who enters the cowboy’s world is on a mission to sell the ranch. But a box of letters changes her mission–letters of unshakable faith and a love deeper than anything she’s ever experienced. Soon, she finds his integrity appealing. Her spunk draws him in. He has the faith she craves; she may be the love he longs for. But faith and love aren’t achieved in a single weekend. To buy time to explore the possibilities between them, she issues a challenge: “Teach me to ride bulls.” From here on, they’re in for the ride of their lives.

Author Bio:
Two-time ACFW Genesis finalist Linda Yezak resides in the state of Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. Aside from being a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she also belongs to Women Writing the West (WWW) and The Christian PEN. She lives in the heart of a forest with her husband, three cats, four ducks, and a pond full of fish.

A Traveling Office?

2011-03-24T14:21:00.005-05:00

You can't miss watching the video below. Guys, don't feel insulted. Sometimes gals just need to get away and have fun with other gals. :) But looking at these trailers, I can't help but wish I had one in my little back yard so I could move all my writing and how-to books out there. A clean paper-free house!

Sisters on the Fly looks like fun--except for changing the flat tires. Be sure to have your sound on so you can listen to their interviews and pay close attention to those great southern accents. To watch the video without the right side being cut off and to explore their website--go HERE. And if you'd like to order a Sisters On The Fly book by Irene Rawlings, click HERE. You'll learn how to restore your own vintage trailer.

My Very Cool, Spirit-Filled Church

2011-03-20T16:38:00.022-05:00

Little more than a year ago, we left a traditional Southern Baptist church for something completely different--Water's Edge Gathering, a church that doesn't claim to be perfect, doesn't follow tradition, stays out of politics and has a heart for God, people and the city. Hearing sermons from a creative young pastor has been an interesting, eye-opening experience.

I was raised Southern Baptist--and no, not the kind of Baptist that pickets funerals and screams hate messages.

I was raised to believe in the importance of tradition--that we dress up for church and always have a new Easter outfit, that altar calls are a must and visitors always fill out cards with name, address, phone number. As much as we've moved around, we know the difficulty in finding a good church that truly preaches and teaches from the Bible, and we dread having to start the process again when we move to Mississippi. We know from experience that if we fill out a visitor's card, we can expect no less than three visits from various members of the church we visited. Now, there's nothing wrong with tradition but often, we tend to make things like that sacred--along with the church building, the music, all our traditions. They aren't sacred. The only thing that's sacred is the Bible and the message.

Check out our church HERE. You can see a pic of our hot (loud) band and if you click HERE you can listen to Tony's latest sermon or just look over to the right and click on one of my favorites. If you want to hear more than one, go to podcasts. I promise, any sermon you choose during any given month is excellent. We've not heard one bad, questionable, iffy sermon. We visited Water's Edge Gathering out of curiosity, and knew immediately we were exactly where God wanted us.

Today we opened our church service with Dream On, an Aerosmith song. I'll bet we're the only church in the country that opened its service with an Aerosmith song. How cool is that?

I hope you had a blessed Sunday too!

Best Sellers

2011-03-19T13:35:00.009-05:00

Here’s a very incomplete list of best selling authors from Wikepedia. "Best-selling" refers to the estimated number of copies sold of all fiction books written or co-written by an author. If you’d like to see the genres they write in, as well as other details, go HERE. I have favorite authors who aren't on this list-where oh where is Jacqueline Susann who wrote The Valley of the Dolls? I found this interesting bit of trivia regarding The Valley of the Dolls:

The Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
"This tale of sex, violence, and drugs by Jacqueline Susann (1921-74), first published in 1966, is perhaps surprisingly the world’s bestselling novel. Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, which has achieved sales approaching 28,000,000, is its closest rival."

The authors I’ve marked are those I’ve read but there are a number of authors here I've always wanted to read. How about you? Do you have a favorite here? Who? Why?

William Shakespeare
Agatha Christie
Barbara Cartland
Harold Robbins
Georges Simenon
Sidney Sheldon
Enid Blyto
Danielle Steel
Dr. Seuss
Gilbert Patten
J. K. Rowling
Leo Tolstoy
Jackie Collins
Horatio Alger, Jr.
R. L. Stine
Corín Tellado
Dean Koontz
Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin
Stephen King
Louis L'Amour
Erle Stanley Gardner
Jin Yong
Jirō Akagawa
Janet Dailey
Nora Roberts
Edgar Wallace
Robert Ludlum
Frédéric Dard
Stan and Jan Berenstain
John Grisham
Zane Grey
Irving Wallace
J. R. R. Tolkien
Karl May
Mickey Spillane
C. S. Lewis
Kyotaro Nishimura
Charles Dickens
Ann M. Martin
Ryōtarō Shiba
Arthur Hailey
Gérard de Villiers
Beatrix Potter
Michael Crichton
Richard Scarry
James Patterson
Clive Cussler
Alistair McLean
Astrid Lindgren
Jeffrey Archer
Debbie Macomber
Dan Brown
Eiji Yoshikawa
Catherine Cookson
Norman Bridwell
Paulo Coelho
Roald Dahl
Evan Hunter
Andrew Neiderman
Roger Hargreaves
Anne Rice
Robin Cook
Wilbur Smith
Erskine Caldwell
Eleanor Hibbert
Lewis Carroll
Denise Robins
Xueqin Cao
Ian Fleming
Hermann Hesse
Rex Stout
Anne Golon
Ken Follett
Frank G. Slaughter
Edgar Rice Burroughs
John Creasey
James Michener
Yasuo Uchida
Seiichi Morimura
Mary Higgins Clark
Stephenie Meyer

HE SHRUGS - SHE SHRUGS

2011-03-08T07:25:00.008-06:00

Do you shrug? If you don’t know how, instructions to the right: just lift your shoulders quickly then let them fall back into place. If you want to add emphasis, lift your hands or arms in an I-don’t-know-I’m just as baffled-as-you-are manner.

I remember shrugging a lot when I was a kid. My mother would chastise me for it because it was an evasion to the question she asked. I didn’t want to answer her so I shrugged, buying time, mentally searching for a plausible explanation—better known as fib.

I don’t see a lot of shrugs today—not even from kids. Shrugs seem useless to me—in real life and in fiction. What do they offer? They make a hero seem sort of juvenile. Heroines shouldn’t shrug at all. Shrugging looks dumb.

I’m reading a book by a bestselling author and everyone shrugs. I mean everyone! In fact, there are a couple of shrugs on almost every page. The protagonist shrugs, his latest love shrugs—all the cops shrug. Even a bad guy shrugged a few times before he disappeared. All these shrugs are driving me crazy. Aren’t there any editors out there?

Granted, this is the first book in a long series of best sellers, BUT, this book, published in 1993 was nominated for and won several awards. Why? The writing isn’t spectacular—lots of holes as far as I can see. The story itself doesn’t seem plausible; no way could it really happen. Action-reaction or cause and effect seem to me all askew. After reading the first 50 pages, I felt as though I knew this author’s protagonist better than the author did. Some of his responses seemed so off the wall and out of character, I was embarrassed for both of them—the author and the protagonist.

I’m almost finished with the first book and intend to move on to the second. I’ll count the shrugs but I do hope he and his editor have cleaned up and tightened the writing. If not, then I plan to skip on to his latest book to see if the author (and editor) learned anything writing and editing all those best sellers. Now, if I’d been critiquing or editing this book—I’d have said it has great potential but tighten it up, cut all the shrugs. I’d say, cars have to do something other than “nose” into the parking lot, nose down the highway and nose across speed bumps. No ‘nosing” allowed. And I’d say do away with all those grunts. A detective doesn’t need to grunt in response to every question—doesn’t he know any words?

But I’ve learned a lot reading this book. For example—if I’m carrying important papers that are in danger of getting stolen, I won’t put them in my brief case because that’s too obvious. I’ll put them inside my garment bag—after all, who the heck steals a garment bag? Also, I’ll never again stay in the same motel for more than one night—I’ll stay in a different motel each night and sometimes skip over the state line regardless of how far away the state line is—that’ll really throw them off my trail.

This book—anonymous for now—is an interesting read in spite of all the holes and clichés and repetition and—oh, there’s so much more. At this point, I can’t tell you why this author has become a house-hold name. The protagonist is definitely different and may speak to that born to be wild side of both men and women. The story—no matter what a stretch it is—is intense. Aside from that, I’m totally in the dark…and shrugging.

MARKETS, MARKETS, MARKETS

2011-03-03T22:59:00.008-06:00

I'm a little busy taking my MS Word for Writers class and trying to edit some works for three contest deadlines so thought I'd post some market info instead of trying to create an original blog post. I know many of you are searching for homes for your work so I hope you find these markets interesting and helpful. One of my favorite sources for markets is Cindi Myers so you might want to subscribe to her blog. Check her out HERE. Also note that Cindi has a new release, a historical romance called A Long, Sweet Ride.

Writers with a strong connection to Prince Edward Island are eligible to submit to a new anthology, The Island Fiction Reader, to feature work by PEI writers. Stories may be up to 5000 words, any genre, for teens or adults. Those chosen for inclusion in the anthology will receive $75 and author copies. Deadline for submissions is June 30, 2011. Find the details here.

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eChook publishes short stories as apps for people to read on their phones. They’re open for submissions now of short stories, 750 -2000 words. Payment is $100 and 10 apps. Deadline to submit is March 31, 2011. They’re also looking for holiday stories — Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza — deadline October 31, 2011 and memoirs — deadline Decemer 1, 2011. You may submit as many stories as you like, but they must be previously unpublished. See all the details HERE.

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Albedo One, an Irish magazine that features science fiction, fantasy and horror, is hosting the Sixth Annual Aeon Awards for short fiction. Writers from anywhere in the world may enter. First prize is 1000 pounds and publication in Albedo One. Second and third place also receive cash prizes and publication. Entry is 7 pounds, payable via Paypal. Dealines to enter are March 31, June 30, September 30 and November 30. At the end of each entry period, judges choose the top stories to go on to the final round. Final round stories compete for the grand prize. Entries should be no longer than 10,000 words and previously unpublished. See the rules HERE.
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Heroes and Heartbreakers is a new website launched by Macmillan. The site is accepting submissions of romance short stories between 6000 and 15,000 words. They welcome all subgenres — contemporary, paranormal/urban fantasy, women’s fiction/chick lit, historical, and romantic suspense. Payment is a $1000 advance against 25 percent royalties for stories downloaded from the site. Find all the details HERE.

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Crescent Moon Press publishes ebook and print editions of all sub-genres of paranormal and fantasy romance. The editors are open to submissions of urban fantasy, futuristic, steam-punk, science fiction, space opera, time travel — any kind of speculative romance, in both novel and novella lenths. Novels should be complete at 60,000 to 120,000 words, and novellas should be 20,000 to 40,000 words. Acquistions Editor Heather Howland is also accepting submissions of young adult books in these same genres, with strong characters and compelling romances, for a new line to launch this year. Find the submissions guidelines HERE. And check out the interview with Ms. Howland HERE.

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Silver Moon Press publishes nonfiction study guides for elementary and middle school studetns. But they also publish historical fiction aimed at these same markets. They’re interested in Chapter Books targeted to grades 3 to 5, featuring mystery, adventure or suspense set in a significant historical period. No paranormal elements, please. Query with your resume, table of contents and first chapter of the work. Include information about your research sources. Check their catalog for sample titles. Query to: Submissions Editor, 381 Park Ave. South, Suite 1121, New York, 10016.

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Don D’Auria, former executive editor with Dorchester Books, has joined Samhain Publishing and is looking to acquire horror manuscripts. Samhain publishes ebook and trade paper editions. They’ve been successful with romance and are now looking to launch a new horror line with D’Auria at the helm. He’s looking for all kinds of horror stories, between 12,000 and 100,000 words (minimum 50,000 words for print in addition to ebook; shorter works will be ebooks only). Unagented and previously unpublished authors are welcome to submit. Send the complete manuscript and a full synopsis. Get all the details HERE.

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If you write mystery, or aspire to write mystery, check out Sisters In Crime’s new report “The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age.” Among interesting tidbits in the report: the majority of mystery readers are women, and more than half are baby boomer age or older. Younger readers like darker, more suspenseful stories. E-book sales are growing. Book covers matter.

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Enchanted Conversations, a Fairy Tale Magazine, will be accepting submissions soon for 2011. Each issue has a theme around a particular fairy tale. You can submit a short story, a poem or an article that addresses some aspect of the fairy tale spotlighted in that issue. Payment is 10 cents a word for stories and articles, $50 for poems, via Paypal. Stories and article may be up to 2000 words, but preferably no more than 1500 words.
Issue themes and deadlines are as follows:
Issue #2: May 11-14, Snow White (poetry only)
Issue #3: June 27-30, Cinderella
Issue #4: Sept. 27-30, Little Red Riding Hood
Check out all the guidelines HERE.

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Writers often find themselves up against the closed door of publishers who only accept submissions from agented writers. Non-represented writers are left out in the cold. Angry Robot Books, which publishes fantasy, science fiction, horror and urban fantasy, will make an exception to their own agents-only rule in March of 2011. During that month only they’ll be accepting manuscript submissions from unagented writers. Find all the details HERE.

A Fiction Factory?

2011-02-28T22:46:00.014-06:00

During the past day or two, I’ve put old material into the computer—some of it I typed. Some of it I read into Dragon Naturally Speaking 11. I wasn’t sure how well dictation would work since I haven’t used Dragon in months—actually, since the day I installed it. Wow! Pretty cool. How I dreaded re-typing a 4500 word short story. I’m so glad I didn’t have to--I just read from my manuscript and watched the words appear. Though it wasn’t 100% accurate, I’m not disappointed at all. I understand the more I use Dragon, the more accurate it will become. Also, I need to add words to the vocabulary. Needless to say, I’m thrilled with the program. Remember all those short stories I found while cleaning out the garage? And now I’ll get to that novel I’ve been trying to scan—gave up scanning and started typing. Things should start moving pretty fast. The worst part of dictation is that after hours of reading aloud, I get a little hoarse so I’m wondering how in the world Erle Stanley Gardner did it. I decided to find out since I own all his secrets . . .

In Secrets of The World’s Best-Selling Writer: The Storytelling Techniques of Erle Stanley Gardner by Francis L. & Roberta B. Fugate, the flap boasts: All the hard-earned storytelling skills of Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason and still the world’s biggest-selling writer, are revealed in this informative, entertaining, and instructive book … and that’s the truth!

I read this book back in the 80’s and it’s one that’s stayed with me. Probably because Gardner was a writing machine. When Gardner first started studying writing, he came across a book called The Fiction Factory by William Wallace Cook. I just found The Fiction Factory online—downloadable. Go HERE. This little book was published under the pseudonym John Milton Edwards, copyright 1912. What’s fascinating is how Cook was such a major force in molding Gardner’s writing career.

Gardner became a writing machine, hiring one secretary, two and eventually seven. Being a lawyer, he was used to dictating so I guess his storytelling skills were perfected the more he dictated. Chapter 8 in Secrets of TWBSW is called The Fiction Factory; it’s inspiring. Made me want to try dictating my own stories. Now that I have Dragon 11, maybe I’ll give it a shot--from scratch. Funny though, once Gardner started churning out books, he got letters from writers (or wannabes) wanting to join his stable of writers. They thought he had hired people to write his books for him. In fact, on page 110 of Secrets of TWBSW, the authors state: At this point, Thayer Hobson of William Morrow and Company offered $100,000 reward for proof that anyone but Erle Stanley Gardner ever wrote any of Gardner’s material. There were no takers.

If you can get your hands on Secrets of The Word’s Best-Selling Writer, do so. It’s a great read.

Now I have a question for you: Does it bother you when you read stories where the characters don’t use cell phones or do research on the Internet or have digital cameras, etc? If you have older short stories, do you update them or put dates on them so readers will know when they took place?

I have a mystery that utilizes a Polaroid camera, video stores and no cell phones. Rather outdated, I’d say, and I’m wondering what to do. Advice?