Sunday, June 14, 2009
June 14
Today I'm off to have brunch with the wonderful and talented author, Liz Powell. At least the weather is good. The sun is shining and there is no rain. A good day for coffee and chat. Perhaps outside in cafe chairs... oh, wait, better put on sunscreen as my poor winter skin will wonder what that hot ball of light is. :) Cheers!!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
June 13
The greeter at the grocery store this morning said it didn't seem right that you could see your breath in the air- in June... and toward the middle of June at that!
It's been cool and wet here. The lake is up. The fishermen and boaters have been wearing jackets and building bonfires. Sure we would all love to be sitting on a warm sunny beach somewhere, but it is much easier to get warm then it is to get cool. So am not going to complain too much. Cheers!
It's been cool and wet here. The lake is up. The fishermen and boaters have been wearing jackets and building bonfires. Sure we would all love to be sitting on a warm sunny beach somewhere, but it is much easier to get warm then it is to get cool. So am not going to complain too much. Cheers!
Friday, June 12, 2009
June 12
I sent off the partial - first three chapters and synopsis- for the YA historical yesterday. So, that's in the mail and out of my hands. Today, more revisions and critiques.
I downloaded a step by step "how-to" create your own book trailer article to read. Do you have a book trailer? Do you watch book trailers?
There is some thought that book trailers are old hat- a dead trend that was cool two years ago but now there are so many that no one cares. Some people pay big dollars to have book trailers created for them. Personally, I think a book trailer on TV may be of some benefit-if you are a NYT Bestseller. It reminds people to pick up your latest book. But for midlist authors... I don't know. It might be something cool to put on your website. Just another little "value-added" piece of marketing. So if you have one- do it yourself and don't spend too much money on it.
Books are an impulse buy- that means unless the reader downloads your trailer on their smart phone and carries it into the store with them- it really is your name or cover or writing that gets someone to buy your book. The rest is just stuff to do so that the author "feels" like they are doing their bit to market their books. (Just my opinion folks.)
Happy Friday!
I downloaded a step by step "how-to" create your own book trailer article to read. Do you have a book trailer? Do you watch book trailers?
There is some thought that book trailers are old hat- a dead trend that was cool two years ago but now there are so many that no one cares. Some people pay big dollars to have book trailers created for them. Personally, I think a book trailer on TV may be of some benefit-if you are a NYT Bestseller. It reminds people to pick up your latest book. But for midlist authors... I don't know. It might be something cool to put on your website. Just another little "value-added" piece of marketing. So if you have one- do it yourself and don't spend too much money on it.
Books are an impulse buy- that means unless the reader downloads your trailer on their smart phone and carries it into the store with them- it really is your name or cover or writing that gets someone to buy your book. The rest is just stuff to do so that the author "feels" like they are doing their bit to market their books. (Just my opinion folks.)
Happy Friday!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 11
There seems to be a lot of buzz surrounding YA these days. A couple of my favorite blogger/authors write kids books and teen books. It's a market that has been in the back of my mind for some time. My Avalon books are very nearly YA books. I am always happy to get an e-mail from a teen who tells me they read one of my books for a book report.
That said, Harlequin Silhouette is opening a new teen line-with school quality hardcover books and some trade paperback. The editor said she had a solid line up for the first year or two but was short in the historical line. So- I'm reworking my western and sending in a partial to see if my voice and this story idea are along the lines of what she is looking for. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Cheers!
That said, Harlequin Silhouette is opening a new teen line-with school quality hardcover books and some trade paperback. The editor said she had a solid line up for the first year or two but was short in the historical line. So- I'm reworking my western and sending in a partial to see if my voice and this story idea are along the lines of what she is looking for. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Cheers!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 10
I went to the store yesterday to purchase office supplies to conquer the nearly six inch stack of papers and such on my desk. All of it is information for my Master's program which starts on the 23rd. So, today will be spent, shifting, sorting and organising because I think there is stuff in there -somewhere- I need to be working on right now.... :)
Yesterday I did final edits on part three of revisions for one book and was so excited by the outcome. Hopefully you've done this with your writing... felt like "this is so good I need to show it to everyone." Like little kids who show strangers the picture they just drew, the rock they learned to leap off of, the poem they memorized. It is a blissful feeling and one of the small joys of this business. Unfortunately, the showing off must wait because there is still part four to revise...and then editors to wait on... (Partials for this book were sent out in October.)
Meanwhile I'm now kicking around ways to make two-yep-now two old books resaleable. I have received 9 critiques for class. I am reading a wonderful full for a friend. Promo has started for next month's book release. Nothing ever moves fast enough for my brain... HA!
Okay- off to organize. My value-added bit for today-I hope you find and savor all the blissful moments in your writing when you want to jump around and say: "Check this out! Isn't it great?" ;)
Yesterday I did final edits on part three of revisions for one book and was so excited by the outcome. Hopefully you've done this with your writing... felt like "this is so good I need to show it to everyone." Like little kids who show strangers the picture they just drew, the rock they learned to leap off of, the poem they memorized. It is a blissful feeling and one of the small joys of this business. Unfortunately, the showing off must wait because there is still part four to revise...and then editors to wait on... (Partials for this book were sent out in October.)
Meanwhile I'm now kicking around ways to make two-yep-now two old books resaleable. I have received 9 critiques for class. I am reading a wonderful full for a friend. Promo has started for next month's book release. Nothing ever moves fast enough for my brain... HA!
Okay- off to organize. My value-added bit for today-I hope you find and savor all the blissful moments in your writing when you want to jump around and say: "Check this out! Isn't it great?" ;)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June 9
Saw my fawn step out of the woods again yesterday--literally a stone's throw from my back door. (And I throw like a girl.) Sweet.
In my Sunday blog, I talked about validating your own personal process- for me it was the fact that I write too fast. Let me clarify... if you have been told you write too slow- don't worry. If that is your process- that is your process. It's not wrong... as long as you finish a book and start another.
Some of the most famous writers in the world take 15 years to write a book. Now, I'm not saying they live off their royalties... but imagine if they quit writing because someone told them they had to write faster to be successful and they knew in their hearts they could not. The world would miss out on their voice, their story and what they have to say. A part of our culture would suffer.
So-no matter what your process- here's to you and your efforts!
In my Sunday blog, I talked about validating your own personal process- for me it was the fact that I write too fast. Let me clarify... if you have been told you write too slow- don't worry. If that is your process- that is your process. It's not wrong... as long as you finish a book and start another.
Some of the most famous writers in the world take 15 years to write a book. Now, I'm not saying they live off their royalties... but imagine if they quit writing because someone told them they had to write faster to be successful and they knew in their hearts they could not. The world would miss out on their voice, their story and what they have to say. A part of our culture would suffer.
So-no matter what your process- here's to you and your efforts!
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8
I went to see a movie yesterday. (Ironically this was because it was too cold and rainy to do what I really wanted to do.) It was a romantic comedy that got some bad reviews- but I enjoyed it. I laughed out loud and I wasn't the only one. There were twenty or thirty people in the theater and I think we all had fun.
I mention it because one of the central themes of the movie was of acceptance of life and how to face things that are out of our control-which face, it is most things. The central character had lost her job and was stuck in what she saw as a lousy dead end job as a tour guide in Greece. Nothing went right. At one point she pitched a fit that the problem with Greece was that no one took anything seriously- the elevator goes out-they dance. Get arrested? They dance. Bus breaks down...they dance. They are all insane! But by the end of the movie she understood that when things happen that you can't control you have two choices- stomp around, shake your fist and curse (which changes nothing) or dance (which at the very least is good exercise and sometimes is so absurd it puts a smile on your face.)
So, I want to end with-- "and now... we dance!" Happy Monday!
I mention it because one of the central themes of the movie was of acceptance of life and how to face things that are out of our control-which face, it is most things. The central character had lost her job and was stuck in what she saw as a lousy dead end job as a tour guide in Greece. Nothing went right. At one point she pitched a fit that the problem with Greece was that no one took anything seriously- the elevator goes out-they dance. Get arrested? They dance. Bus breaks down...they dance. They are all insane! But by the end of the movie she understood that when things happen that you can't control you have two choices- stomp around, shake your fist and curse (which changes nothing) or dance (which at the very least is good exercise and sometimes is so absurd it puts a smile on your face.)
So, I want to end with-- "and now... we dance!" Happy Monday!
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