It is summer, after all, and thoughts turn to blue water, white sands, and umbrella drinks. Actually, my thoughts usually trend that way. Hm.
In any case, I have redesigned my blog in honor of the book I'm going to host this week starting June 2: Dianne Greenlay's Quintspinner. I finished reading it over the weekend and can honestly say that I loved it. I'll post a full review on June 9th, but I can say here that it is well researched and has great characters.
So, splash in my new waves, sip a frozen drink (I make great mojitos - just sayin) and enjoy the tropical look for the next few weeks. And don't forget to feed the fish!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Pirates of the Fantasy Island
See that cool banner I put at the top of my blog, as well as that book link to the right? I'll be hosting Dianne Greenlay's Quintspinner this week on June 2.
Ms Greenlay will be giving away a Quintspinner T shirt and a 10$ Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter. Save your comments for Thursday, June 2 and you will be automatically entered to win if you post then!
I'll repeat that: post here on Thursday, June 2, and be entered in the giveaway.
I'm reading her book now, and I will give you one hint - pirates. And it is really good - can't stop reading! Arrrrrrr!
Ms Greenlay will be giving away a Quintspinner T shirt and a 10$ Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter. Save your comments for Thursday, June 2 and you will be automatically entered to win if you post then!
I'll repeat that: post here on Thursday, June 2, and be entered in the giveaway.
I'm reading her book now, and I will give you one hint - pirates. And it is really good - can't stop reading! Arrrrrrr!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Social Media for Authors, Pt. 1: A New Star in the Twitterverse
Over the next few weeks, some of the authors at FIBP and I will be running a continuing series on how to work social media to increase your author network and drive traffic to your blogs. In doing so, that will get more eyes on your book and hopefully drive sales.
Each blog focuses on a particular aspect of the social media network. Today’s post, for example, highlights Twitter as an important portion of your toolkit for reaching readers. We should point out, however, that all forms of networking can interact: Twitter can highlight blog posts, blogging can take readers to sites like Goodreads, and Facebook can be a central hub for it all. In fact, each individual author can design a network that reflects her own marketing goals.
When I finished my book, agents and publishers never called or rang the doorbell. Once I was live on Amazon, the throngs of people clamoring to shell out three clams for my book also failed to materialize. I had to go and get them, one at a time.
One of the main tools I use to do that is Twitter. It’s a great resource for writers - in fact, I would hazard a guess that a lot of tweeps out there are writers.
When I started marketing, I had 17 followers. I now have close to 700, three months later. If you are starting off from scratch, I suggest you use your writer’s name as your twitter username, or your name + author if it’s not available. Go to Twitter .com and build a profile. Be certain to upload a nice photo – one that looks good humored or that has a bit of sass to it.
Include a short bio that mentions what your connection is to writing, as well as a link to your blogspot (more on that later.) The next step is to get a whole boatload of followers.
I built a following by participating in #WW or #WriterWednesday, and #FF or #FollowFriday. If you put some of your followers’ names in a tweet and add those hashtags, they will do the same for you. They’ll know you have done that because they will click on the @Mentions, which will bring up all the tweets with their names in them.
At a certain point the following will just start building on its own, especially if you take the time to say thank you to every new follower.
You can do the same thing. Click on @Mentions after you have been on for a few days and you’ll see who has mentioned you in a tweet. Tweet them back and say thank you. That gets both of your names out there even more.
That brings us to the magic RT, or retweet. If someone puts up a mention of a book or a blog in a tweet, be certain to retweet it for them. Do it often enough, and you’ll pick up a lot of thank yous. When you put up a blog or book link, people will do the same for you.
While all of this is going on, be certain to tweet about funny thing that happen to you, random thoughts as a writer, snippets from your day – fun things to read. If you go overboard with the marketing and retweets and #FF’s,, your tweet list will look like one sea of red links, and you won’t get as many followers. Who wants to get in touch with someone who talks like an infomercial all the time?
The more time you spend on Twitter, the more followers you will get. Don’t let it take over your life, though. You have books and blogs to write after all.
Which brings us back to that blog link you put into your profile. Remember how you told new followers that you would check out their links? And how you did? And how you liked some of them enough to follow their blogs so you could read them each week?
Well, some of your new followers will be doing that to you as well. Through the use of Twitter, you will increase your blog readership. This is how social media will begin bleed over across formats, in a good way.
Not only that, but as you look at your new followers’ blogs and read their tweets, you’ll find new opportunities. There are writers out there looking for guest bloggers and people to interview and books to feature. They might as well feature your book.
BTW - as a reminder, you only have 140 characters to tweet in. You’ll need to shorten some of those looooong links. You can do that at bit.ly, or at a host of other shortening sites. I like Bit.ly because it stores your shortened links and copies them to your clipboard when you need them again.
As a final tip, now on #WW (Writer Wednesday) I feature a few select friends, instead of long lists of @writername and @whoosis. Here’s an example:
#WW @danielleraver - She’s funny, talented, and a tech whiz. Her book Brother, Betrayed is at http://amzn.to/jZxiSk
I actually tweeted that, by the way.
A tweet like that gets a lot of attention - well, more than strings of @writernames, and the people I mention in those tweets get a real kick out of it.
In my opinion, being classy, having a thick skin, and respecting the other authors out there will get you a lot further in the Tweetiverse than any automatic Followback software. But I think that’s true of most of the aspects of being a writer.
Look for the next aspect of social media at Philosophies of a Young Heart by Danielle Raver, author of Brother, Betrayed, appearing next week.
Each blog focuses on a particular aspect of the social media network. Today’s post, for example, highlights Twitter as an important portion of your toolkit for reaching readers. We should point out, however, that all forms of networking can interact: Twitter can highlight blog posts, blogging can take readers to sites like Goodreads, and Facebook can be a central hub for it all. In fact, each individual author can design a network that reflects her own marketing goals.
******
When I finished my book, agents and publishers never called or rang the doorbell. Once I was live on Amazon, the throngs of people clamoring to shell out three clams for my book also failed to materialize. I had to go and get them, one at a time.
One of the main tools I use to do that is Twitter. It’s a great resource for writers - in fact, I would hazard a guess that a lot of tweeps out there are writers.
When I started marketing, I had 17 followers. I now have close to 700, three months later. If you are starting off from scratch, I suggest you use your writer’s name as your twitter username, or your name + author if it’s not available. Go to Twitter .com and build a profile. Be certain to upload a nice photo – one that looks good humored or that has a bit of sass to it.
Include a short bio that mentions what your connection is to writing, as well as a link to your blogspot (more on that later.) The next step is to get a whole boatload of followers.
I built a following by participating in #WW or #WriterWednesday, and #FF or #FollowFriday. If you put some of your followers’ names in a tweet and add those hashtags, they will do the same for you. They’ll know you have done that because they will click on the @Mentions, which will bring up all the tweets with their names in them.
At a certain point the following will just start building on its own, especially if you take the time to say thank you to every new follower.
You can do the same thing. Click on @Mentions after you have been on for a few days and you’ll see who has mentioned you in a tweet. Tweet them back and say thank you. That gets both of your names out there even more.
That brings us to the magic RT, or retweet. If someone puts up a mention of a book or a blog in a tweet, be certain to retweet it for them. Do it often enough, and you’ll pick up a lot of thank yous. When you put up a blog or book link, people will do the same for you.
While all of this is going on, be certain to tweet about funny thing that happen to you, random thoughts as a writer, snippets from your day – fun things to read. If you go overboard with the marketing and retweets and #FF’s,, your tweet list will look like one sea of red links, and you won’t get as many followers. Who wants to get in touch with someone who talks like an infomercial all the time?
The more time you spend on Twitter, the more followers you will get. Don’t let it take over your life, though. You have books and blogs to write after all.
Which brings us back to that blog link you put into your profile. Remember how you told new followers that you would check out their links? And how you did? And how you liked some of them enough to follow their blogs so you could read them each week?
Well, some of your new followers will be doing that to you as well. Through the use of Twitter, you will increase your blog readership. This is how social media will begin bleed over across formats, in a good way.
Not only that, but as you look at your new followers’ blogs and read their tweets, you’ll find new opportunities. There are writers out there looking for guest bloggers and people to interview and books to feature. They might as well feature your book.
BTW - as a reminder, you only have 140 characters to tweet in. You’ll need to shorten some of those looooong links. You can do that at bit.ly, or at a host of other shortening sites. I like Bit.ly because it stores your shortened links and copies them to your clipboard when you need them again.
As a final tip, now on #WW (Writer Wednesday) I feature a few select friends, instead of long lists of @writername and @whoosis. Here’s an example:
#WW @danielleraver - She’s funny, talented, and a tech whiz. Her book Brother, Betrayed is at http://amzn.to/jZxiSk
I actually tweeted that, by the way.
A tweet like that gets a lot of attention - well, more than strings of @writernames, and the people I mention in those tweets get a real kick out of it.
In my opinion, being classy, having a thick skin, and respecting the other authors out there will get you a lot further in the Tweetiverse than any automatic Followback software. But I think that’s true of most of the aspects of being a writer.
Look for the next aspect of social media at Philosophies of a Young Heart by Danielle Raver, author of Brother, Betrayed, appearing next week.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Formula
Good Lord - I sat in my office chair for twelve hours yesterday, working the entire time. At 1, driven by the extreme pangs of hunger, I went and draped some Muenster cheese over a piece of bread and devoured it in front of the monitor (note to self, clean the keyboard again.)
At the end of the day I did some instant messaging with Danielle Raver, the author of Brother, Betrayed. I love Danielle: she has boundless energy as well as a fulltime job and two babies. How does she write long, involved classic fantasy novels with incredible battle scenes, I wonder? But I digress.....
Danielle and I were moaning about the difficulty of getting anything done. Because, as I IM'd away, I realized the word count I had achieved after those twelve hours was Zero. Zilch. Nothing.
Now, the formula, as I have mentioned here before, is butt + chair = written work. However, that formula didn't work yesterday. Well, why was that?
Perhaps, Danielle explained patiently, just maybe you need to set aside some time for writing. Don't even open up your browser. Just get in there and write.
Shocker, right? Here's another thing - it works. I got up today, made a cup of tea, sent the kid off on the bus, showered, and sat down to work.
My hand hovered over the Firefox icon. NO, I went to my manuscript instead. (I'm trying to make writing sound as dramatic as possible, here; it's probably not working.) And instead of getting caught up with the very amusing, very nice folks on Twitter and Facebook and Goodreads, I got my 2K done. I know. To think that when you type words and stuff, you add to your WIP!
Thanks, Danielle. Hope that scene of yours resolves itself tonight. And adoring public, I'll see you on Twitter and elsewhere - but not before 12 noon.
At the end of the day I did some instant messaging with Danielle Raver, the author of Brother, Betrayed. I love Danielle: she has boundless energy as well as a fulltime job and two babies. How does she write long, involved classic fantasy novels with incredible battle scenes, I wonder? But I digress.....
Danielle and I were moaning about the difficulty of getting anything done. Because, as I IM'd away, I realized the word count I had achieved after those twelve hours was Zero. Zilch. Nothing.
Now, the formula, as I have mentioned here before, is butt + chair = written work. However, that formula didn't work yesterday. Well, why was that?
Perhaps, Danielle explained patiently, just maybe you need to set aside some time for writing. Don't even open up your browser. Just get in there and write.
Shocker, right? Here's another thing - it works. I got up today, made a cup of tea, sent the kid off on the bus, showered, and sat down to work.
My hand hovered over the Firefox icon. NO, I went to my manuscript instead. (I'm trying to make writing sound as dramatic as possible, here; it's probably not working.) And instead of getting caught up with the very amusing, very nice folks on Twitter and Facebook and Goodreads, I got my 2K done. I know. To think that when you type words and stuff, you add to your WIP!
Thanks, Danielle. Hope that scene of yours resolves itself tonight. And adoring public, I'll see you on Twitter and elsewhere - but not before 12 noon.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Blogging the Rapture
It was 6 PM. My husband, my daughter, and I were standing outside by a pond near our house, looking for minnows. To tell the truth, I didn't know what time it was. I had spent the day writing submission guidelines for my publisher's website, just in case the end of the world didn't happen and I still had to get those books out to a reading public.
I suppose I must say here that I am spiritual, in a vague sort of way. I don't enjoy talking about it - I find that religion is a much more intimate thing to discuss than mere sex, and I won't even be touching that topic here.
So I don't talk about beliefs, and I don't write about them, except for a scene that I include in every book that shows the power of prayer. Not prayer that goes to any specific god, or to God, even; it is just prayer that is born from despair - when things are overwhelming and the soul has nowhere else to turn.
I do believe in that. For a writer who writes about magic and fantasy, I think that prayer is the ultimate magic - magic that is real.
At that moment, when I stood by the lake and watched my daughter in the water, covered with duckweed and muddy up to her armpits, as the sky changed from blue to orange to red to purple, I had a thought in my head and my heart that one could call a prayer.
That thought was, "Thank you, whoever you are, for leaving all this here, just as it is right now."
I suppose I must say here that I am spiritual, in a vague sort of way. I don't enjoy talking about it - I find that religion is a much more intimate thing to discuss than mere sex, and I won't even be touching that topic here.
So I don't talk about beliefs, and I don't write about them, except for a scene that I include in every book that shows the power of prayer. Not prayer that goes to any specific god, or to God, even; it is just prayer that is born from despair - when things are overwhelming and the soul has nowhere else to turn.
I do believe in that. For a writer who writes about magic and fantasy, I think that prayer is the ultimate magic - magic that is real.
At that moment, when I stood by the lake and watched my daughter in the water, covered with duckweed and muddy up to her armpits, as the sky changed from blue to orange to red to purple, I had a thought in my head and my heart that one could call a prayer.
That thought was, "Thank you, whoever you are, for leaving all this here, just as it is right now."
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Brown Paper Packages
I have a really nice announcement: Lisa Yarde, who was featured on my blog this week, is going to gift her book to everyone who commented on the post.
Please send her an email here and tell her what e reader platform you would prefer. If you don't have a Kindle or a Nook you can still read the book on your laptop or desk computer by downloading free software from Amazon and B&N. (Here, for example, is the free download for Kindle, listed in the bottom right corner under the Sultana kindle page. Just click on the platform you want.)
Congratulations to my readers, and thanks for being here. You lucky lot are in for a reading treat. And, of course, a very special thank you to Lisa for this fantastic giveaway.
Please send her an email here and tell her what e reader platform you would prefer. If you don't have a Kindle or a Nook you can still read the book on your laptop or desk computer by downloading free software from Amazon and B&N. (Here, for example, is the free download for Kindle, listed in the bottom right corner under the Sultana kindle page. Just click on the platform you want.)
Congratulations to my readers, and thanks for being here. You lucky lot are in for a reading treat. And, of course, a very special thank you to Lisa for this fantastic giveaway.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sultana, by Lisa J. Yarde
 |
| Lisa J. Yarde, author of Sultana and On Falcon's Wings |
Lisa is offering an ebook to two lucky readers. Leave a comment, and we will get back to you with information if you are selected. Good luck - Sultana is a fantastic read for those who are searching for books for the beach this summer.
When I was a junior in college, I lived in Spain for one semester. The food, the art, and the people were beautiful, but nothing prepared me for the sheer majesty of Granada.
The lush beauty of Moorish Spain is mirrored in Lisa J. Yarde's book, Sultana. Her historical novel is set in Granada, or Gharnatah, in the 13th century.
 |
| Sultana, available on Amazon paperback and Kindle, as well as on Barnes and Noble paperback and Nook |
I asked Lisa a few questions about her novel:
What is Sultana about and why did you write it?
Sultana is a story of revenge and intrigue, the bonds of family and the redemptive power of love. The story takes place during a turbulent period in 13th century Moorish Spain, when the union of a child bride and her groom, precipitates a civil war. Fatima is the young granddaughter of the reigning Sultan of Granada and Faraj is his nephew. Although the couple is part of the same renowned family, each has separate, sometimes contrary interests. Fatima is utterly devoted to her family while Faraj, who is ten years older than her, has one cause in mind – to regain a heritage lost at the brutal death of his father. The union between Faraj and Fatima has endangered both their lives. It has turned the Sultan’s one-time allies into powerful enemies. In addition, the Christian kings of Castile and North African Muslim rulers have their own designs on Granada. Fatima and Faraj have to overcome their initial mistrust and misunderstandings of each other. If they do not unite in the struggle against their common enemies, Granada will fall.
During my college years, I was fascinated to learn that there had been an Islamic presence in Europe. For seven hundred years, a diverse people known as Moors had ruled what would become one of the most influential Catholic nations. The thirteenth century in Spain was a brutal and turbulent era, as most of the medieval period, but it was also the flowering of an age of artistic, intellectual and architectural brilliance in Spain. Fatima and Faraj played pivotal roles in the history of that period, as did their descendants for another two centuries. I am truly fortunate that the primary setting of their story, the Alhambra Palace in the southern Spanish city of Granada still exists and is open of visitors. I hope readers will share my fascination with the Alhambra, the Moorish period, and Fatima and Faraj’s lives.
Who are some of your best writing influences?
That is very easy to answer. The two authors whom I admire the most in my genre are Persia Woolley and Jeanne Kalogridis.
Persia Woolley is the author of an amazing trilogy about Guinevere, wife of King Arthur; her Queen of the Summer Stars is a favorite. I initially became aware of her when How to Write and Sell Historical Fiction appeared in 1997. In it, Woolley laid out a guide to writing historical fiction that I have followed to this day. It is still one of the best resources for going about the process ... The other influence is Jeanne Kalogridis, who is responsible for my fascination with the Borgia family, which started with her The Borgia Bride. As luck would have it, I connected with Jeanne through Twitter a few months back. She kindly offered some much-needed feedback on Sultana. She is one of the most generous authors I have ever encountered and I admire her greatly. It is such a rare opportunity to connect with the authors who inspire us that I still get a little giddy when we chat.
You can learn more about Lisa and her other books here.
Book Trailer for Sultana:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sultana, by Lisa J. Yarde
|
| Lisa J. Yarde, author of Sultana and On Falcon's Wings |
Lisa is offering an ebook to two lucky readers. Leave a comment, and we will get back to you with information if you are selected. Good luck - Sultana is a fantastic read for those who are searching for books for the beach this summer.
When I was a junior in college, I lived in Spain for one semester. The food, the art, and the people were beautiful, but nothing prepared me for the sheer majesty of Granada.
The lush beauty of Moorish Spain is mirrored in Lisa J. Yarde's book, Sultana. Her historical novel is set in Granada, or Gharnatah, in the 13th century.
|
| Sultana, available on Amazon paperback and Kindle, as well as on Barnes and Noble paperback and Nook |
I asked Lisa a few questions about her novel:
What is Sultana about and why did you write it?
Sultana is a story of revenge and intrigue, the bonds of family and the redemptive power of love. The story takes place during a turbulent period in 13th century Moorish Spain, when the union of a child bride and her groom, precipitates a civil war. Fatima is the young granddaughter of the reigning Sultan of Granada and Faraj is his nephew. Although the couple is part of the same renowned family, each has separate, sometimes contrary interests. Fatima is utterly devoted to her family while Faraj, who is ten years older than her, has one cause in mind – to regain a heritage lost at the brutal death of his father. The union between Faraj and Fatima has endangered both their lives. It has turned the Sultan’s one-time allies into powerful enemies. In addition, the Christian kings of Castile and North African Muslim rulers have their own designs on Granada. Fatima and Faraj have to overcome their initial mistrust and misunderstandings of each other. If they do not unite in the struggle against their common enemies, Granada will fall.
During my college years, I was fascinated to learn that there had been an Islamic presence in Europe. For seven hundred years, a diverse people known as Moors had ruled what would become one of the most influential Catholic nations. The thirteenth century in Spain was a brutal and turbulent era, as most of the medieval period, but it was also the flowering of an age of artistic, intellectual and architectural brilliance in Spain. Fatima and Faraj played pivotal roles in the history of that period, as did their descendants for another two centuries. I am truly fortunate that the primary setting of their story, the Alhambra Palace in the southern Spanish city of Granada still exists and is open of visitors. I hope readers will share my fascination with the Alhambra, the Moorish period, and Fatima and Faraj’s lives.
Who are some of your best writing influences?
That is very easy to answer. The two authors whom I admire the most in my genre are Persia Woolley and Jeanne Kalogridis.
Persia Woolley is the author of an amazing trilogy about Guinevere, wife of King Arthur; her Queen of the Summer Stars is a favorite. I initially became aware of her when How to Write and Sell Historical Fiction appeared in 1997. In it, Woolley laid out a guide to writing historical fiction that I have followed to this day. It is still one of the best resources for going about the process ... The other influence is Jeanne Kalogridis, who is responsible for my fascination with the Borgia family, which started with her The Borgia Bride. As luck would have it, I connected with Jeanne through Twitter a few months back. She kindly offered some much-needed feedback on Sultana. She is one of the most generous authors I have ever encountered and I admire her greatly. It is such a rare opportunity to connect with the authors who inspire us that I still get a little giddy when we chat.
You can learn more about Lisa and her other books here.
Book Trailer for Sultana:
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Aria in G
I've been navigating the choppy waters of social media for about a month now, and I've made contact with a lot of fun, friendly writers who publish ebooks. One thing I've noticed is that there are a great deal of writers of erotica and romance (which, at times, is erotica with more plot line added.)
Not that there is anything wrong with that, I hasten to add! It must be very difficult to create a great novel which drives the characters to the bedroom (or the billiard table, or the hot tub, or the grotto.) This can be done brilliantly; I've read some romance books that are both titillating and amusing and exciting, all at the same time.
It's not my genre, though. I am a writer of YA fiction, which is steampunk in nature and G-rated. I just am a G-rated gal. I don't know why; it's just what comes naturally to me.
My main characters are 12 - 15, and they go through loads of adventures, encountering a tiny bit of romance along the way. So, the books are geared towards young adults.
But am I reaching that population? What I mean is - do young adults own ereaders?/ I see a lot of them with ipods and smartphones; Kindles and Nooks, not so much.
Hm. I'm not going to become a writer of erotica. My failure as a sexy author would be truly epic. I"m going to stick with my own little G-rated universe that I've created, because it's what I do. I'm just wondering - are there young adults out there who have Kindles and who read books on them regularly?
Please ring in if you have an answer for me.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, I hasten to add! It must be very difficult to create a great novel which drives the characters to the bedroom (or the billiard table, or the hot tub, or the grotto.) This can be done brilliantly; I've read some romance books that are both titillating and amusing and exciting, all at the same time.
It's not my genre, though. I am a writer of YA fiction, which is steampunk in nature and G-rated. I just am a G-rated gal. I don't know why; it's just what comes naturally to me.
My main characters are 12 - 15, and they go through loads of adventures, encountering a tiny bit of romance along the way. So, the books are geared towards young adults.
But am I reaching that population? What I mean is - do young adults own ereaders?/ I see a lot of them with ipods and smartphones; Kindles and Nooks, not so much.
Hm. I'm not going to become a writer of erotica. My failure as a sexy author would be truly epic. I"m going to stick with my own little G-rated universe that I've created, because it's what I do. I'm just wondering - are there young adults out there who have Kindles and who read books on them regularly?
Please ring in if you have an answer for me.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Interesting Zine - Good eReader
For those of us in epublishing, we are forging paths in a landscape without a map. It is as though we are explorers of the Congo, perhaps, or of the Wild West, discovering new landscapes as we ride along.
It is a relief, then, when we can find a guide to help us navigate this new territory. http://goodereader.com/ is a fantastic source - it helps authors and readers discover what tech is out there, what the future of ereaders looks like, and how we should format our books.
There are forums and blogs, as well as news about new online formats for writers. The ePaper, which I just started seeing last week, is one of those - you can create a newspaper with a publishing collective and drive traffic to different areas and sites.
There are reviews of new tablets, in case you are thinking of purchasing a kIndle or a Nook, or the new Windows 7 tablet. And, most important for an Indie author, there is an Indie Author resource, which features interviews with upcoming authors.
I was honored to have been featured in an interview this weekend. If you have a second, check out the interview here.
Do check out the rest of the Zine - it is a great resource!
It is a relief, then, when we can find a guide to help us navigate this new territory. http://goodereader.com/ is a fantastic source - it helps authors and readers discover what tech is out there, what the future of ereaders looks like, and how we should format our books.
There are forums and blogs, as well as news about new online formats for writers. The ePaper, which I just started seeing last week, is one of those - you can create a newspaper with a publishing collective and drive traffic to different areas and sites.
There are reviews of new tablets, in case you are thinking of purchasing a kIndle or a Nook, or the new Windows 7 tablet. And, most important for an Indie author, there is an Indie Author resource, which features interviews with upcoming authors.
I was honored to have been featured in an interview this weekend. If you have a second, check out the interview here.
Do check out the rest of the Zine - it is a great resource!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Blog! On! Fire!
If you haven't heard of Gary Hoover, you will soon. He's a terrifically funny author with a great blog out, called Land of Nod. Now - here's the thing - he just started the blogspot and he already has thirty-eight followers. As a wizened old blogger (been writing this for three months, now, which gives me the right to wave a cane at you and shout, "Get off the lawn!") I can tell you that it is really hard to get that many followers.
And to do so in a week is insane. This guy has mad skills. Check out my brother in arms / pens and while you're at it, check out his book: Land of Nod: The Artifact
And as for you, Gary - Come on down and pick up your Blog on Fire award!
And to do so in a week is insane. This guy has mad skills. Check out my brother in arms / pens and while you're at it, check out his book: Land of Nod: The Artifact
And as for you, Gary - Come on down and pick up your Blog on Fire award!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Miss Nesbitt, or The Muse Upstairs
Stephen King, in his fine book ON WRITING, said that his muse was a fat, cigar-smoking slob called Al who lived in the basement. He said that Al was messy, but he really couldn't complain. After all, Al had provided him with a good life.
My muse couldn't be more different. She is an elderly spinster with half-glasses that swing on a silver and bead chain. She wears twinsets and narrow skirts, and her stockings have seams up the back, in an old-fashioned way, not in a sexy way. Her shoes have a T strap, which buttons over her instep. She likes a butterscotch sweet from time to time.
She works in a small office at a desk that is piled high with letters and notes. She does her work, of course, on an old typewriter, since I love them so, although she also employs an old-fashioned fountain pen.
Where would I be without her? When I feel dreary, or lazy, or sleepy, she is the one who is by my side, tapping her toe and pointing to her steel wristwatch. "Stir your stumps, lazybones," she says to me, and I groan and obey.
I wonder if my fellow writers have a muse, and if you would care to describe them here? I would love to read about them.
I also would love to hand out some awards. I was given the "Blog on Fire" and "Most Versatile Blogger" awards, and I sorely want to share. Any nominations?
My muse couldn't be more different. She is an elderly spinster with half-glasses that swing on a silver and bead chain. She wears twinsets and narrow skirts, and her stockings have seams up the back, in an old-fashioned way, not in a sexy way. Her shoes have a T strap, which buttons over her instep. She likes a butterscotch sweet from time to time.
She works in a small office at a desk that is piled high with letters and notes. She does her work, of course, on an old typewriter, since I love them so, although she also employs an old-fashioned fountain pen.
Where would I be without her? When I feel dreary, or lazy, or sleepy, she is the one who is by my side, tapping her toe and pointing to her steel wristwatch. "Stir your stumps, lazybones," she says to me, and I groan and obey.
I wonder if my fellow writers have a muse, and if you would care to describe them here? I would love to read about them.
I also would love to hand out some awards. I was given the "Blog on Fire" and "Most Versatile Blogger" awards, and I sorely want to share. Any nominations?
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Speaking Writertongue
For my readers who aren't authors, there are phrases used in the writing world such as WIP (Work In Progress) or POV (Point of View.) There are shortening such as graf for paragraph or script for manuscript.
You could call these author speak, or writertongue. Perhaps you have to be born with the ability to speak it, like Harry Potter's Parseltongue.
But there is something more to speaking like a writer, at least on line. There is a certain playful attitude to words that varies according to each personality. I have a lot of friends that I correspond with everyday. I have never met most of these people; perhaps I never will. Yet, I have an idea of what each writer is like. I know who is dedicated, and who is technical, who is a gamer and who loves fantasy, who enjoys wine and who doesn't touch the stuff.
As I posted in my Sharks blog, there is a great deal of civility in our online dealings. Of course, we don't have to deal with our physical essence, either. Right now, no one has BO, no one has pimples, no one even poos - because we are all just text on a screen.
And there is that playful attitude to posting that is simply delicious. A simple question such as "What are you having for lunch today?" will morph in a number of directions in the hands of writers. Someone offers a virtual menu, and another writer creates an online eating spot. Perhaps there is a dragon or two. Why not? Let's throw in a hot tub, and mojitos for all.
And when we work together, it gets even more fantastical and more fun. We aren't just a collective of Indie authors - we are pirates blazing our way on a virtual sea, getting our books out to the Google spiders from Mars. We have our own pirate names (mine is rather typical - Captain Dork Sparrow*) and I do believe costumes are next.
This may all change tomorrow. The online world is in constant flux, like a huge wave, and my writer friends and I are surfing to the crest that never breaks.
*I know - lame, right? Any suggestions are very welcome.
You could call these author speak, or writertongue. Perhaps you have to be born with the ability to speak it, like Harry Potter's Parseltongue.
But there is something more to speaking like a writer, at least on line. There is a certain playful attitude to words that varies according to each personality. I have a lot of friends that I correspond with everyday. I have never met most of these people; perhaps I never will. Yet, I have an idea of what each writer is like. I know who is dedicated, and who is technical, who is a gamer and who loves fantasy, who enjoys wine and who doesn't touch the stuff.
As I posted in my Sharks blog, there is a great deal of civility in our online dealings. Of course, we don't have to deal with our physical essence, either. Right now, no one has BO, no one has pimples, no one even poos - because we are all just text on a screen.
And there is that playful attitude to posting that is simply delicious. A simple question such as "What are you having for lunch today?" will morph in a number of directions in the hands of writers. Someone offers a virtual menu, and another writer creates an online eating spot. Perhaps there is a dragon or two. Why not? Let's throw in a hot tub, and mojitos for all.
And when we work together, it gets even more fantastical and more fun. We aren't just a collective of Indie authors - we are pirates blazing our way on a virtual sea, getting our books out to the Google spiders from Mars. We have our own pirate names (mine is rather typical - Captain Dork Sparrow*) and I do believe costumes are next.
This may all change tomorrow. The online world is in constant flux, like a huge wave, and my writer friends and I are surfing to the crest that never breaks.
*I know - lame, right? Any suggestions are very welcome.
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