exposition | a writer's life

First Sales for my friends!

2006-09-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to a couple of my writing buds on their recent FIRST SALES!!!

WTG, Tracy Seybold--whom I've known through RWA and writing loops since about 1999. Tracy, a past RWA Golden Heart finalist, just sold her book, THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE, to Cobblestone Press for a Christmas 2006 release! Once Tracy gets a website, I'll link up to her. ;-)

And WOOT! to my good friend Debbie, who just got THE CALL--and an agent!--a couple of weeks ago, after a fabulous meeting with Hilary Sares at RWA Atlanta. Watch for THE CAPTAIN'S JEWEL (we think the title will stick) coming around December of 2007 from debut author Kayla Gray and Kensington Books!!

Congrats and good luck, guys! I'm so proud and happy for you both!

My poor neglected blog!

2006-07-26T04:05:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, look at the dust in here! I really haven't meant to neglect my blog for so long, and I intend to update soon -- promise! -- but at the moment, things are a bit hectic.

I wish I could say that part of the craziness is because I'm going to RWA's National Conference in Atlanta; alas, I'm stuck at home again this year. Hopefully there will be lots of juicy updates and pictures over at the Blogging National site. To those of you heading to the conference, have a great time!

Weekend Web Tour: Dan Brown speaks

2006-04-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

In the Spring of 2003, on something of a whim, John and I attended a public library reading and book talk of a local thriller author. We hadn't read any of his stuff, not even the new book--a breezy little caper called THE DA VINCI CODE--which was generating a lot of buzz and landing on all of the major bestseller lists just weeks after its release. It's always fun to hear other writers talk about their craft and their publication experiences, so we drove out to the small town library and joined the audience of roughly forty people to hear the engaging, humble, and thoroughly entertaining Dan Brown speak.

On April 23, 2006, 40 million-plus hardcover copies and one major motion picture in the works later, Dan Brown came to Portsmouth. In a sold-out presentation at The Music Hall, our local historic theater, he spoke about the wild ride he's been on, and delved a bit more into the making of his book and the controversy it's stirred up. Unfortunately John and I didn't get to attend this time, since, although we think Dan is a great guy and a fascinating speaker, we didn't have the ambition enough to camp out in the rain at 7am on ticket day to try to get seats.

Thanks to New Hampshire NPR, who co-hosted the "Writers on a New England Stage" event, a download audio file of the entire talk is available online. The file (and the link to it) will likely stay current for a long time, but you may want to save it to your computer just in case. (Click the link to get to the website, then right-click the file and do a "Save Target As..." to download it to your machine.)

Enjoy!

Early bird needs coffee

2006-04-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

Morning! Yes, it is--4am Eastern time, to be exact, and WTF am I doing awake at this hour, anyway?! I'm really not sure, but the coffee is brewing and I figured I'd better check in here at the blog before the entire month of April is gone and I have nothing to show for it.

First, I have to send out my congrats to this year's RITA Finalists! Lots of great books made it into the finals, from authors I love: JR Ward, Elizabeth Boyle, Terri Brisbin, Julia London, Jen Holling, Teresa Medeiros--truly, too many to name. WTG, guys! Alas, neither of my two 2005 releases made it, but that just means I can skip RWA National again this year and not feel the slightest bit of angst. I hear the conference hotel is sold out already anyway, FWIW.

Thank you to everyone who cast their votes for me in All About Romance's "Favorite Books by Favorite Authors" poll. Interesting to see that Black Lion's Bride came out on top. It happens to be one of the books I'm most proud of, so it's great to know that my readers give it high marks. Based on many factors, not the least of which being the book's timeliness and subject matter (medieval Crusader hero and Islamic assassin heroine, released just a few months after 9/11), Black Lion's Bride was not one of my better selling novels. Gee, go figure. Walmart didn't carry it (after they did stock the prequel, White Lion's Lady), and I am only recently coming to understand how much that can really hurt a book's numbers. Ouch! And, I guess . . . c'est la vie.

Everything is good on the homefront and in all other areas, I'm pleased to report. I hope to post some recent photos and more news soon! Meanwhile, I'm off to grab a cup of my favorite new brew and get the day started. Have a good Thursday, all!

2005 RIO Finalist!

2006-03-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

I just received word that HEART OF THE FLAME, my March 2005 release, is a Finalist for the Reviewers International Organization's annual RIO award!

I'm nominated in the Paranormal category, along with Sherrilyn Kenyon, Shana Abe, Robin Owens, Cheyenne McCray, and several other wonderful authors--which means I don't stand a chance of winning!--but hey, it's really nice to be included in the same category as so many of my favorite paranormal romance authors!

Thank you, RIO members!

Getting back in the groove

2006-03-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

Last night John and I went to see the Celtic Woman concert in Manchester, NH. It was wonderful! My God, those girls can sing. And the fiddle player was this adorable bundle of spritely blond energy that lit up the stage every time she hopped out of the wings with her bare feet, flying skirts and flippy hair. We had such fun! It's been a long time since we've gone to see a live performance of any kind, and we figured we were due. So much the better when the concert benefits NH public television.

Speaking of live performances, on Thursday March 24th, I will be speaking as part of a romance panel at the Public Library Association's national conference in Boston. Our topic is the appeal of romance fiction. If you've got an opinion on why you love romance novels, please post your thoughts down in the comments section of this blog entry.

Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by!

She's baaaack!

2006-03-14T05:59:00.000-08:00

Well . . . been a long time since I stopped in over here with an update. For those of you still checking in at nhnovelist periodically, sorry for the lengthy radio silence. Quite a lot has happened since my last post, both on the writing front and at home. I'm hoping to be present here on the blog more regularly now, so watch for updates.

Meanwhile, I'm excited to report that translation rights for several of my books have been sold! German editions of HEART OF THE HUNTER and HEART OF THE FLAME are on the way, and a Czech edition of WHITE LION'S LADY is also in the works.

More news to come . . . .

RWA Reno -- the virtual tour!

2005-07-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is closing day on our new condo, so I am in a packing frenzy, trying to wrap up as much as I can so we can get outta this rental and into our own place ASAP. We are SO ready to be there! Can. Not. Wait!

Since I'm still moping about not being at the RWA National Conference this week, I think I'll live vicariously through a handful of other writers who are being kind enough to share the experience:

Alesia Holliday is feeling the love, people. Jill Shalvis reports in as well--with pictures! A couple of the WriteMinded bloggers are posting conference news, as are new authors Karin Tabke and Megan Frampton. Brenda Coulter is most impressed with the Reno Hilton room service thus far, while Carolyn Jewel reports in with news that she has, well, no real news to report. I must admit, I am waiting eagerly for reports and photos from the hotel lounge, because let's face it, that's where the *real* conference action is!

Naturally, the pithy and cool PBW remains unimpressed with the whole conference thing. Me, I am a giant conference dork. Put me in a hotel with 1500 other writers and I turn all wide-eyed and geeky. My friends and I dish excitedly about who we've seen, where we're going next, who's having the best parties, who's giving the best workshops, and how the hell we're going to jam all those free books into our bags when the time comes to head back home. I always come away from the conference with new friends, new ideas, and usually more than one great new industry contact. Maybe someday I'll shed my pink Pollyanna shades for some jaded coolness, but I ain't got there yet!

So, tell me, tell me! Have I missed any other good conference report blogs? Post them in the comments and share the luuurve!

ARC de Triomphe

2005-07-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

I've got ARCs! Real, honest to goodness, bound and printed ARCs for my December book, HEART OF THE DOVE. I believe this is a career first for me! For midlisters like moi, Ballantine usually sends out loose page proofs for print reviews, as printing actual ARCs is an added production expense typically reserved for publishing house stars. But this is verra cool!

Oooh . . . pretty!

As you can see, they are beautiful! Of course, they do contain some typos--about 8 affected pages--since the advance copies went into production before the page proofs were corrected. Grr. I hate typos!

I have a handful of these lovelies, which will be going out to Very Special People. (At his request, I did give one to the hub--which, God bless him, he actually took with him to read on the bus to work the other day! He tells me that at chapter three, it's already a lot better than Robert Ludlum's THE BOURNE SUPREMACY! *G*)

I also plan to reserve a couple copies to use as prizes in my newsletter drawings. If you'd like a chance to win a signed ARC (which, hey, could be worth about $6.99 cold hard cash on eBay one day!) make sure to join my reader newsletter!

RWA Conference Blues

2005-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

Visit a few romance writer blogs this week and it's a given that the topic on just about everyone's lips is the RWA Conference in Reno next week. Sigh. For the first time since 1996, when I was a greener than green, unpublished, clueless conference newbie, I am not attending.

I decided to forgo Reno for a number of reasons, mainly that I hated to lose the nearly three weeks writing time (one week to prep, one week to attend, and one week to decompress afterward), but also because I have developed an allergy to smoke and really could not deal with a casino/hotel location. I told myself that I wouldn't even entertain the idea of going, unless the impossible happened and I ended up a RITA Finalist.

The impossible happened, actually. And although I'm thrilled to have been nominated (and I so would LOVE to be there for awards night jitters and the alternate panic/hope that assails one as they sit in the finalists row, holding their breath as the winner is announced) I still decided to stay home. I hope everyone takes lots of pictures.

::::SIGH::::

July just isn't the same without RWA Nationals.

Up with the dawn

2005-07-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

John took the 6am bus to work this morning, so I am up early, enjoying the quiet of a new dawn with a cup of strong coffee and a Special K bar (vanilla crisp, very yummy) before I dig into more page proof review on HEART OF THE DOVE.

I should know better than to click on CNN and risk ruining the peace of a new day, but old habits die hard and I just read that the London police have ID'd the four bombers from last week's horrific attacks. They're kids--one 18, two in their 20s, and a 30 year old. They're also all dead, by their own design, which I confess does not make me the least bit sad or sympathetic. I just don't know what is wrong with people that they would be driven to kill and maim, particularly in the name of God. But it's been going on for thousands of years, so I don't expect it to change anytime soon. I am not a religious person (I'm swayed more by "proof" than "faith" I guess you could say), but any God that would encourage the harm of others in his name is no God I'd ever worship, no matter what brand of religion is being sold.

And while idiots like the London four are throwing their lives away in senseless terror acts around the world, John's daughter is back in the hospital, coping with another setback in her post-transplant recovery. Day before yesterday she was admitted, then transferred to ICU for tests and treatment of some type of internal organ distress. We're not sure what the diagnosis will be this time, but she's been stabilized and hopefully will be feeling better soon.

It's her I'm thinking of as the morning sun glances off the trees in the backyard, warming a clear blue sky above. I can smell the crisp brine from the Piscataqua River in the distance, and a white gull sails overhead, enjoying a view of the coast that I can only sit on the deck and imagine. Life is good. What a shame to take any second of it for granted.

Page Proofs

2005-07-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Page proofs arrived for HEART OF THE DOVE. This is the final step before the book goes into production for its November 29 release. Getting closer all the time!

DOVE Page Proofs

Abracadabra!

2005-07-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hurray!!

Houdini somehow freed himself from the cage! Of course, this was nearly an hour AFTER I called animal control, but since the rescuer hadn't yet arrived, there is a small chance I won't be charged for the call.

Perhaps the only thing more irksome than eating $125 for a squirrel rescue is eating $125 for a CANCELLED squirrel rescue. :-/

Sorry, hon!

Squirrel Update

2005-07-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Wildlife control is on the way. A mere $125 bucks to get Houdini out of the feeder. Sigh. John nearly choked when I told him that. Actually, I think he muttered something about the .22 rifle in the closet, but I chose to ignore it.

More to come, I'm sure . . .

Where there's a will . . .

2005-07-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Came home from errands this morning and discovered that our backyard bird feeder is, contrary to advertising, NOT quite squirrel-proof. This is a first; we've had the feeder for about two years without a single incident . . . until today. I have no idea how this idiot got in there. Unfortunately, neither does s/he. Guess I'm off to call wildlife control for a rescue mission!

I hope they will come armed with heavy-duty gloves and wire cutters to free the poor thing. Please cross your fingers for a happy ending!

Oops!

London 7/7/05

2005-07-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

My deepest sympathies, care, and concern goes out to everyone in London, England. Yesterday's bombings were an unconscionable act of cowardice by people who have no right to call themselves members of the human race. If there's a hell, surely there is a special pit of agony reserved for terrorist scum.

Live8 links to nhnovelist

2005-07-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my hit counter spiked into the ozone. Here's why:

Live8 Screenshot

If you can't read the tiny picture, it shows my June post on the Brad Pitt TV interview and the info he shared about One.org's efforts to end world hunger. How cool is THAT?!

Waiting, waiting, waiting . . .

2005-06-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

The condo purchase continues to go smoothly (which worries me, naturally). The inspection this week turned up only minor problems, mostly having to do with old appliances that need repair or replacement, and furnace/AC units that need tune-ups. Oh, and a hornet's nest somewhere in the crawlspace insulation. That will be fun-time for the hub later this fall/winter. Now, hopefully the radon test will come back clean and we'll be a-okay (we live in the Granite State, hence the necessity of radon tests).

In other news, I'm awaiting word from Ballantine about my proposal for HEART OF THE DRAGON. My agent loved it--that's always reassuring! With any luck, my editor will feel likewise. When we spoke last week, my agent asked for brief write-ups on future projects, so I sent her half a dozen story ideas, including this one. Even though I'm dying to stretch my creative wings a bit and try something *different* I also have this killer idea for another medieval/paranormal series, which I hope will be my next project after the Dragon Chalice books wrap with HEART OF THE DRAGON.

Happy last day of June!

We might be crazy . . .

2005-06-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

. . . but a mere week into our househunting adventure, we made an offer on a condo.

And it was accepted! =:-O

Of course, my life would be nothing without Murphy's Law, so really anything can happen to screw this up, but for now it appears that we will be closing at the end of July. (Excuse me while I freak out for a second, suddenly realizing that this means MOVING by the end of July! Like I said, we might be crazy.)

Regardless of the upheaval and chaos looming on the very near horizon, the hub and I are giddy with excitement over this new chapter in our lives. Okay, to be honest, I'm giddy. He's just trying to keep me away from the Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware catalogs until we're actually in the place and somewhat recovered from the major hit to our finances.

Cross your fingers that nothing wonky happens between now and next month!

Surfer Girl

2005-06-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Fun, Fun, Fun
Wow, leave the blogosphere for a few days and the world goes to hell in a handbasket. Michael Jackson is acquitted. Tom and Katie are engaged. Instead of doing jail time, the so-called "Runaway Bride" inks a reported mid 6-figure book and tv movie deal. And RWA becomes the tiger that eats its own tail (but then, a few days later, wisely coughs it back up).

It's enough to make me run back and hide In My Room for another two weeks!

I Get Around
I've been super busy since my last post, having completed the proposal for HEART OF THE DRAGON, tweaked the back sales page for HEART OF THE DOVE, and also created and sent out 700 copies of a poster/flyer for the book that will be going out through RT's "Bookstores That Care" program.

In addition to all of that, the hub and I are househunting! I've never owned my own place, always rented, mostly because the nature of John's work (software consulting) means he has to be somewhat mobile in order to get the best contracts. We've lived in at least a dozen places in our nearly 20 years of couplehood. We're finally ready to put down some roots, and having a great time trying to decide on our home-to-be.

Wouldn't It Be Nice
Now I'm waiting on word from my agent about HEART OF THE DRAGON, which will be (cross your fingers!) the start of a new contract with Ballantine. I hate this part, the tenterhooks period that will ultimately tell me if I am still loved, and if so, how much.

Gah. Need chocolate. Stat!

BTW. The peculiar Beach Boys theme today? It's all PBW's fault. I noticed that she has me listed in her "Good Vibrations" blog links, and now I can't get that song out of my head!

One

2005-06-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Night before last, John and I watched the Diane Sawyer interview with Brad Pitt. I learned quite a bit about him, including the fact that his name generates more than 2 million hits on Google. Well, here's one more, Brad!

Although the promos for the interview hawked the fact that Diane was going to ask the burning question: "Why did your marriage end?" (something I knew he wouldn't answer -- I mean, come on!) the bigger purpose of his appearance on the show was evident right away. As a spokesman for the non-partisan charity group ONE.org, Brad wanted to bring some attention to the terrible domestic/health crisis in Africa. More importantly, he was there to shed light on how each of us can make a difference in the fight to end extreme hunger and the spread of AIDS in this impoverished nation.

Did you know that for the cost of ONE music CD--just $16--you could fund ONE FULL YEAR's education (tuition, books, uniform) for an African child? And these are kids who want dearly to go to school. Watching the footage from Africa, I was sickened with myself for all the money I waste every day on frivolous things I don't really need.

A couple of years ago, Oprah did a TV special about the children of Africa. It was humbling and heartbreaking. I watched it with a lump in my throat the whole time--both for the suffering these children endure, and the simple joy they take in things like a new toy or a pair of shoes. These kids--mostly AIDS orphans--literally walked miles to attend the "party" Oprah threw for them. I'll never forget that glimpse into their lives, and I wish Oprah would air the special every year.

Yes, there is poverty and need in our country, too. But not like this. I hope we never know this kind of anguish, and I think we have a responsibility--not only as one of the richest nations in the world, but also as feeling, caring human beings--that we don't turn away in apathy when we see our neighbors suffering.

It's a downer post today, I know. But sometimes life isn't all romance and flowers. And even this can have a happy ending! We have to start somewhere . . .

Just stuff

2005-06-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

I had a great time hanging out with my friends last weekend, although the hub called to inform me that copyedits for HEART OF THE DOVE arrived on Friday with a note indicating they were due back on the following Wednesday. Yep, five whole days to work on them--if I would have been home to receive them, and if I wanted to spring for express mail postage on the return. Thankfully, of her own volition, my editor's assistant was able to squeak out a little more time for me (did she sense I was spending the weekend in a carb-and-mangotini haze?). Anyway, they're done now and heading back out to NYC on the morrow. Yippee!

Now I'm back to work in earnest on HEART OF THE DRAGON, which has a couple of cool new plot twists, thanks to the (ahem) brainstorming session of this past weekend. :-)

In other news, my cat Sammy tried to kill me a few days ago in the kitchen. I'm not the most graceful person on the planet, as those who know me will attest. I once fell off a chaise longue and into a swimming pool--spontaneously, just tipped over and fell in, summer dress and all. Everyone at my uncle's retirement party was quite amused as I spent the rest of the day walking around, sans all dignity, trying to airdry myself and hoping I wasn't flashing everyone my nips the entire time. Anyway. The simple act of walking is tough for me sometimes, but when you add a carton of eggs in one hand and a cat twining around my ankles, well, that's just asking for trouble. After quite an acrobatic stumble across the kitchen, I landed on my hip and free hand. Total wipeout. But I'm proud to say both cat and eggs came away unscathed!

"Who, me?" (Does this look say guilty, or what?!)

Girls' Weekend

2005-06-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

No writing on the slate today because I'm gearing up for a long weekend visit with a couple of my friends. Author buddy Gaelen Foley arrives tonight, and tomorrow we head to Manchester to our friend Debbie's house where much partying--'scuse me, working--shall commence. Today I need to shop for key plotting essentials including wine, tequila mix, chips/salsa, ice cream, chocolate, etc. Oh, yeah. Writing is hard, hard work, I'm telling you!

I probably won't surface until Sunday, so have a great week!

p.s. Gael's hot new book, ONE NIGHT OF SIN, hit stores yesterday -- don't miss it! I got an early copy--autographed!--last month (am I gloating? naaah!). All I can say is, the wait for Alec's story was well worth it! Enjoy!

Memorial Day

2005-05-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

I could not let this Memorial Day pass without pausing to recognize our brave men and women in the U.S. military. While none of my immediate family currently serves, that does not diminish my gratitude or my pride for those on the frontlines and their support and supply chains. In fact, if anything, it means even more to me to know that complete strangers are thousands of miles away from home, putting their lives on hold--and on the line--each and every day, because they love our country and want to ensure our future safety. Their sacrifice is profound, their courage immeasurable. And each time one of them falls, a heart back home breaks.

I wish everyone serving overseas could come home safe, and come home soon. Until then, I keep them close in my heart and hope for peace.

Freedom isn't free. And giving back means more than just sporting a yellow ribbon on your car. Here are my favorite ways to make a difference:

BooksforSoldiers.com (please volunteer; more help is always needed!)
HeroBracelets.org
Crocheted/knitted lapghans for wounded vets

Wishing everyone in the U.S. a peaceful Memorial Day.

More fan mail for the hubby . . .

2005-05-26T01:08:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bloggers, PBW, gave favorable mention today for WriteWay, my husband's fabulous software product for novelists. PBW did, in fact, *gush* over it. See for yourself!

PLA Boston wants me!

2005-05-26T00:48:00.000-07:00

It's confirmed -- I will be a panelist (along with NYT best-seller Suzanne Brockmann and a handful of others) at the Public Library Association's Annual Conference in Boston next Spring!

Our program will be called "What's Love Got To Do With It?" and at the moment, I have no definitive answer! Good thing I have another 10 months or so to ponder the question. Many thanks to my buddy John C. at the Scottsdale AZ Public Library for inviting me to take part!

More on this later in the year . . .

This just in . . .

2005-05-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's almost a book! My editor sent me the jpg cover for HEART OF THE DOVE, my December 2005 release from Ballantine. Isn't it pretty?!!

Heart of The Dove

Weekend

2005-05-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

It's a rainy weekend, and I am using bad weather as a great excuse to take care of a few things around the house. Besides, John is in NY visiting his daughter in the hospital, so there's no one to care if I listen to Joss Stone and Green Day's CDs on the stereo all day long. That's one thing John and I do not see eye-to-eye on: music. He loves do-wop and the 60s, while my tastes span from the mid-70s forward. And if that's all we can't agree on . . . well, lucky us.

Thanks to a recent discussion at The Romance Book Club, I ran across a new author's website today: Mary Beth Bass. Her debut novel is called FOLLOW ME, and I gather it's along the lines of "Somewhere In Time" -- one of my favorite movies. (In fact, John and I chose its theme song, "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" as our first dance song at our wedding. It's a beautiful piece of music, very romantic.) Anyway, I hadn't heard of Mary Beth's book, but her website bio made me smile, and prompted me to place my order for FOLLOW ME this morning.

In other news, the May/June issue of ROMANCING THE MIDDLE AGES just went out. It features an article on the Knights Templar, by my friend Mary Reed McCall (whose new book, BEYOND TEMPTATION is out now), an interview with debut medieval romance author Jessica Trapp (whose first title, MASTER OF PLEASURE, is also on sale now), as well as the usual list of new medieval romance releases. If you're not a subscriber to this free newsletter, you can sign up right here!

Thanks for reading.

Damn you, Blogger!!

2005-05-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Sigh. Moments ago, I wrote a nice long catch-up post about an epiphany I had while working on my proposal for HEART OF THE DRAGON (it involved Darth Vader), an update on John's daughter's most recent post-leukemia health scare, and sundry other things. When I went to publish my entry, Blogger ATE IT!

I don't have the patience to retype the whole thing over again, so instead I'm posting some fresh links to the sidebar, including one for my website message board, a favorite procrastination hang-out of mine. Come say hello!

Meanwhile, happy Friday!

Proposal progress!

2005-05-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the mindmapping exercise ended in frustration and a trash bin full of crumpled paper. I simply cannot draw to save my life, and if I can't make a pretty mindmap, I don't want to make one at all. Harumph. So I'm back to brainstorming with notebook paper and a cheery sky blue marker and doing just fine, thankyouverymuch. I've got my first three chapters of HEART OF THE DRAGON all mapped out in detail, and today I will draft a complete synopsis of the story. I can't wait to start writing the book! :)

Old Money: Part Deux

2005-04-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

So, remember those Massachusetts guys who unearthed several grand in old currency the other day? I knew there was a story there somewhere! Just . . . not this one.

Anyway, happy Friday, all!

A brave new frontier, or the coming of the end?

2005-04-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Cruising the AAR boards today, I ran across a link to an article in the NYT about the supermarketing of book sales. Supermarketing as in, grocery stores getting into the book business in a Very Serious way. To wit: "Supermarkets, long the domain of paperback romances, pulp thrillers and astrology guides, are the new frontier of book selling."

The article talks about how supermarkets are moving past the old paperback spinner racks and cash register dumps in favor of expanded book sections (excuse me, "literary centers") within the store. I think it's pretty widely agreed that book sales are impulse purchases for the most part, so what's the harm in creating yet another outlet for selling books--especially one as convenient as this? I've certainly shopped for books at grocery stores. After all, it's a lot easier to bury the cost of a few paperbacks in the monthly food budget than it is to explain to the hub all those $50 trips to Barnes & Noble.

Personally, I'm rather torn on this issue. As a reader, I'm happy for the prospect of a more plentiful fiction selection at the local Shaw's. I like convenience, and I like discounted prices. As a published author, I hope like hell my books will actually end up in some of those supermarket "literary centers" because if the concept of Shaw's-as-bookstore takes off, I know that a lot of my new reader sales are going to occur there (similar to Walmart, Target, or any of the other discount chains that make or break a midlist author).

As an observer of the publishing industry, however, I am nursing a feeling of rising dread for both the independent bookseller and the midlist author (hello) if this "new frontier" expands. Indies are already bruised from trying to compete with chains and online booksellers (to say nothing of the competition from UBSes). If grocery stores muscle in hard, and it seems reasonable that they will, then I don't hold out much hope that the indy bookstores will ever regain ground. When we lose them--the handsellers and true book lovers who work at indy stores--we're going to lose a lot of our choices in terms of authors and the depth of material available to buy. Slowly, or maybe not so slowly, our reading selection will be pared down to just the big sellers, the sure things. The "literary centers" will tell us what we can buy: Would you like Grisham, Roberts, Steel, or Rowling today?

Like I said, I'm torn. I want to be excited that maybe more Americans are reading (wouldn't that be great?), and that maybe a few of them will slip one of my books in with the cat food and PB&J, but in my heart I feel like this is just another form of outsourcing. Sure, it looks fairly useful today, but where will it leave us a few years down the road?

ADDENDUM: On the heels of the NYT article, Publishers Lunch offered a link to this story on the closing of Bound To Be Read, a large indy bookseller with two locations in MN.

Mind Maps and Old Money

2005-04-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Now that HEART OF THE DOVE revisions are outta here, I'm playing around with plotting the next (and final) installment in the Dragon Chalice series, HEART OF THE DRAGON. In the past, after much thinking and navel-gazing, I generally would sit down and write a stream-of-consciousness synopsis that will become the basis of my story. The basis, I say, because very often the story will veer away from the submitted synopsis to one extent or another, once I begin plotting and writing in earnest.

This time around, on a whim I will likely regret later, I'm tempted to try mindmapping my story before I pressure myself to produce a working synopsis. There's a Scottish thriller writer who makes it seem pretty easy ("you write your 'Big Thing' in the middle of a large sheet of paper, then start adding branches coming out of it . . . In the end you're left with a massive, sprawling mess that gives you pretty much everything you need to know"). Sounds good to me! Of course, a few minutes of Googling for examples and I start getting a brain cramp, looking at stuff like this and this. Hmm, I feel inadequate already.

Totally O.T., but the other day on CNN.com I read about these Methuen, Mass. guys digging up $100k worth of old money in their backyard (a local Boston news source puts the figure at $50k value). The bills date from 1891 to 1928, and were buried in tin cans inside a wooden box. What do you think? Mob money? Pre-depression "rainy day" stash? At any rate, I'm sure there's a story behind it . . .

Idiot in Lane 2 (that would be me)

2005-04-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I woke up thinking about a story idea. It was unlike anything I've written before, and it was so exciting and different, it grabbed me by the throat. While I showered and got dressed, The Big Idea teased me with movie-like snippets of scene and character and dialogue. Everything was right there--so real and vivid, I could practically touch it. If you're a writer, you've no doubt had these flashes of inspiration as well. You know what I'm talking about. The details come at you fast and furious, and if you don't jot them down immediately, they are liable to float away on the ether of your subconscious.

I grabbed a scratchpad and scribbled hasty notes. I really wanted to sit down and knock out a quick synopsis, or maybe sketch out the scenes that were coming at me rapid-fire. But I had been promising the hub (and the cats) that I would not let them starve a day longer than I already had. Grocery shopping, a duty I loathe almost as much as swabbing bathrooms, awaited. So, I dragged myself out of my office and headed out to Shaw's.

While I shopped, The Big Idea stayed with me. I put my mind on auto-pilot and loaded up with necessary supplies. Too many carbs and sugar, but who had time to look at labels? I headed for the checkout lanes, and, seeing the mile-long lines at the human cashiers, I opted for the nearly empty do-it-yourself scanners. Nobody ever uses them. Me, I prefer them. It's like the choice between sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway, or taking a side road to avoid the tangles. I'd rather be moving, even if I have to do so at a slower pace. So I begin scanning my cart full of groceries, still mentally working on TBI.

A small line begins to form behind me. One of my produce items confuses the scanner and I need store assistance. It only takes a second to clear it, yet I am beginning to sense some agitation behind me--animosity, even. Whatever, I think, and forge on, wondering if my agent will think I'm crazy to want to write this other book that I'm not even sure fits a specific genre.

Finally, as I'm nearing the bottom of the cart, a man comes up beside me with his small bag of self-scanned groceries. He doesn't look friendly. "You do realize you're in the express lane, don't you?" he snarls at me. I feel my face flame as I look up and see the 15 Items or Less sign taped above the scanner. Mortified, I murmur apologies and wonder aloud if the store has recently converted the scanners to express lanes. He doesn't care; he's already storming off with his beer and chips. I finished scanning my $130 worth of groceries and wheel out of the store feeling like an utter idiot. At least the hub and kitties were happy to see me. :-/

Bloggus Interruptus

2005-04-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I was doing so well with my regular blog entries . . .

A long weekend visit from John's daughter and son-in-law kept me away from my computer (not to mention my ms revisions) from Friday to yesterday. It should have been a lovely visit. The weather was fantastic, John had taken the time off from work, and his daughter, who's been dealing with prolonged health issues following a bone marrow transplant two years ago, was feeling well enough to travel north from NYC to enjoy a "country" weekend. The first evening she was here, she developed a low grade fever and chills. It worsened, and that next morning her doctor advised her to check into the ER here in Portsmouth. Four days later, they let her out. Long story short, they suspect she ate an iffy clam where we had lunch and as a result she came down with gastroenteritis. Stomach bugs are no big thing, unless, like her, you have zero immune system. Then they can be deadly. But she's better now, and safe and sound back home. (((Hugs))) Leslie!

I'm not quite finished with revisions on HEART OF THE DOVE, so I've readjusted my wrap-up date to be this weekend since I missed the goal of last weekend by a mile. I am eager to clear my desk of this ms and move on to the next one!

Signed a few books around town the past couple of weeks, so if you're in New Hampshire (or if you want to phone in an order and have a book shipped to you), you can snag an autographed copy of HEART OF THE FLAME and in some cases HEART OF THE HUNTER as well, at the following stores: Barnes & Noble in Portsmouth; BDalton at Fox Run Mall in Portsmouth; Barnes & Noble in Manchester; Barnes & Noble in Nashua; Waldenbooks at Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua.

I'm still reading Catherine Mulvany's RUN NO MORE and enjoying it very much. Next up is Lynn Viehl's IF ANGELS BURN, which debuted at #148 on the USA Today list! Wowza!! Not entirely surprising; I've seen the book in great numbers and prominently displayed at nearly all of the stores I've been to lately. (Total distribution and cover envy, lemme tell ya.)

Now I hear rumblings online that the vampire trend is going cold with publishers. Seems to me it was just getting really hot in the market . . . ? Ah, well. No doubt there's been a glut of vamp mss hitting editorial desks these days as everyone dreams of becoming the next Feehan, Kenyon, or Hamilton. I must admit, I've entertained a book idea or two with a vampiric bite myself. Vampires were my monster of choice as a kid, the only ghoul that truly scared me . . . until I got a little older and realized (thanks mostly to Anne Rice) that the shiver of fear they inspired also carried an immensely seductive edge. Then I was lost to the fantasy, and remain so today. I've been loving the fact that there are so many new vamp romances to choose from! Hopefully this purported slow-down in the trend will merely eliminate the weaker entries to make more room for the new trailblazers of the subgenre. Time will tell!

Argh!

2005-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling it's going to be One Of Those Days . . .

I discovered last night, after preparing what would have been a lovely baked chicken dinner, that my 5-year old oven is not working. Fifteen minutes of preheat time on 350, yet when I opened it to put the lovely baked chicken dinner inside, the blasted thing remained stone cold. Naturally, this prompted a sudden panic that I'd just unwittingly gassed myself in the kitchen for 15 minutes, but everyone survived the night, so apparently no harm done. Now, instead of spending the day with a writer friend across town, I get to call around and wait for an appliance repairman. Oh, goody.

Yesterday I got my advance check for D&A of the complete ms on HEART OF THE DOVE. Yippee! I think, until hubby informs me that the IRS will be hoovering up every penny of it--and then some--on Friday, 4/15. Grumble. Sigh.

Bookmarks for HEART OF THE FLAME, my March release, arrived yesterday as well. (I know, I know, why the hell did I wait until *after* the book was out to get bookmarks?! All I can say is, there's a reason the word "procrasTINAtion" is spelled like it is.) The good news is, the bookmarks are here. The bad news is, the background color is not quite what it appeared in the PDF proof I okayed from the printer. I asked for deep, blood red at the top of the bookmark and the finished color is a sort of burnt orange. It's not awful, but it doesn't make the cover image pop like I had hoped. John saw it and said, "Why didn't you use that purply/blue color from the cover's inset picture instead of red?" Argh. He's right, I should have. I hate it when he's right.

If anyone wants a bookmark (or a dozen), just give a shout!

Blog Links & Current Reading

2005-04-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Another day of revision work on HEART OF THE DOVE . . . and some errands that cannot be put off any longer. Meanwhile, I've dressed up my blog with a couple of images and a few more links. Ahn-jzoy! :)

In other news, I'm reading a romantic suspense novel--one of the little treasures that arrived from B&N the other day. Currently enjoying RUN NO MORE by Catherine Mulvany. It's somewhere between "To Catch a Thief" and "Entrapment." Heavy emphasis on Entrapment, since the hero is a silver-haired, dark-browed, 60-something Scotsman--a la Sean Connery--and the heroine is a much younger, spunky kid type who is being groomed by the master to undertake The Big Heist--think Catherine Zeta Jones of the same movie, only blond.

I already know the big secret of the book (spoiler alert: you'll have to highlight this next portion to read it). At some point the story is going to become a time-travel, where the heroine goes back a couple of decades to try to spare the hero from a fall that will leave him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Cool twist, but it's practically spelled out on the front sales page! When I first read it, I wondered why the publisher would want to spill the beans before the reader even cracked open the book, but I think I know. I believe they wanted to assure everyone that it was okay for the paraplegic, graybeard Sean--I mean Ian--to lust after the young heroine because he's actually going to be around her age and fully mobile once we reach Happily Ever After. (That's a guess on my part, so maybe I'll be surprised?)

Personally, I wish I hadn't known all of this going into the story. The premise was edgy and intriguing as presented, but the front sales excerpt took a lot of the surprise factor away before I even read page one. (shrug) I'm still enjoying the book, however. Great writing, and the story is reading at a good, suspenseful clip.

Pardon the dust . . .

2005-04-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

Still revising. Lately I've been getting a flurry of very nice reader emails on HEART OF THE FLAME and HEART OF THE HUNTER, which is really helping to keep me motivated and enthused as I put the polish on HEART OF THE DOVE. I'm hoping to have the revised ms back in the mail to my editor by week's end.

Something amusing I found on Amazon yesterday: For books with the "Search Inside" feature, they are now posting various information such as the 100 most frequently used words in the text and general readability indices. When I first saw the blue box of frequently used words on nearly all of my books, I felt this sudden ping of dread.

Oh, God. Please tell me I didn't abuse words like manhood, bosom, or the dreaded throbbing loins!

Whew. Thankfully not. Although I am, evidently, fond of want, need, mouth, body, and (ahem) hard. ;-P

(Small advert here. I could have discovered the occurrence of all my pet words on my own, using WriteWay's Word Usage report--and I've since made a mental note to run a check on HEART OF THE DOVE as part of my current revisions!)

(De)construction Zone

2005-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

The revising hath begun.

Despite a week of houseguests, assorted interruptions, and two dental appointments (no root canal, fwiw, just a filling gone rogue at this point) I am now ripping into HEART OF THE DOVE in earnest. Armed with a revision report I created and printed out of WriteWay, I am currently going through the ms chapter by chapter and cleaning things up.

Even though I've revised to varying degrees with each book I've written, it still takes a measure of courage to crack open a chapter and make that first big change to the ms. That initial cut or addition to the prose, the effects of which reverberate throughout the rest of the story, is the hardest one to make. Am I mucking it up? Was the ms actually better before I began "fixing" it? How many plot and character threads am I severing (or creating) with these changes? Will I make it to the end with the ms intact, or will it crumble like a house of cards?

These fears are just part of the process, I've found. I expect them. I almost welcome them, because I know the good stuff awaits once I blast through the anxiety of actually beginning. Once I'm in the thick of things, revision is--dare I say it?--a joy. The story begins to really take shape, the characters move through their scenes like real people, and themes that might not have been apparent to me as I was writing the draft suddenly gain clearer focus.

I know some writers live for the initial telling of a story--the heady rush of a first draft. For me, that stage is a great deal more pain than pleasure. Oh, sure, initially it's all fun and games, but sooner or later it's a mess of blood and tears and all I want to do is hang on and try to survive to The End. Give me 400 rough pages on crisp white paper and a juicy red marker--that's my bliss.

A revisions and root canal kind of day

2005-04-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

So, I read my draft of HEART OF THE DOVE and it's not bad. Not exactly "amazing," but not bad either. Some parts of the ms I really liked, while others inspired little more than a "meh" sort of reaction. Obviously the latter parts are the ones I mean to address, along with some further character development work, stronger description/sensory detail, and more attention to my ending scene, which feels pretty rushed. No big surprise; as I recall I wrote the last few chapters of the ms in a final-day-of-deadline panicked haze. Today I will write up my general revision thoughts, then begin a second read with red pen and sticky notes in hand.

Unless my dentist appointment later this morning knocks me flat for the rest of the day.

I'm thinking I need a crown to replace one of my old fillings, but I live in fear that I'm going to hear the words "root canal." I've never had one--never had more than a few fillings, actually--but I loathe the idea of drills and needles and whatever other instruments of torture might be laid out in the dentist's tray while I'm sitting there at his mercy. Sigh.

In other news, I have a B&N order coming in a few days--all fiction, some new releases I've been very eager to read, including Lynn Viehl's (aka Paperback Writer) vampire romance, IF ANGELS BURN. I first "discovered" her through a promotional post she made on All About Romance announcing her new website, Darkyn.com. Very cool website, but somewhat out of date. I think the last News item was posted November 2004. Anyway, the website turned me on to the book, which looks wonderful! It doesn't hurt that there's a Clive Owen clone with a come-hither look dominating the front cover. Mrrowwwrh! :->

Hump Day Check-in

2005-04-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

As expected, yesterday was a total hooky day. John took the day off from work and together with his brother and sister-in-law, we toured the NH seacoast, lunched, talked, and generally had a good time. Time out of the house is something of a rarity for me (full-time writing has turned me from natural hermit to outright recluse) and I really enjoyed the hours of sunshine and fresh air. Of course, it helped that it was a glorious 65 degrees most of the day yesterday--Spring is springing in NH!

Today I begin revising HEART OF THE DOVE. This process consists of an uninterrupted read-through of the entire ms, just to get a feel for the overall story, pacing, etc. No notes or fixes today, just reading and thinking. Tomorrow I'll make my general notes on what I read today, then do a second review of the ms with highlighter and red pen in hand. I'm also waiting to hear back from my agent, who is reading the unedited ms this week as well. I hope she can give me some additional ideas on how to make the book really shine.

In other news, I'm taking an online course this month on Author Branding with publicist Theresa Meyers of Blue Moon Communications. Our first assignment was to think of several well-known authors and jot down five things that immediately come to mind when we hear their names. Then we had to come up with a list of ten things we'd like people to think of when they hear our own author names. This was harder than I thought it would be! I've never been any good at defining my own style or voice, but I do understand it's going to be key in helping me define my "brand." I've always been interested in advertising (I actually *watch* commercials and read just about any print ad that lands in front of me) so I'm loving the class already.

Goal, Motivation, Conflict

2005-04-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

My plans for the week . . .

Goal #1: Jump into revisions on Heart of The Dove, which my editor says are minimal (actually she said "the ms is in amazing shape" so most of the revising will be my own picayune changes and tweaking). Once that is done, proceed directly into Goal #2, which is the proposal for Heart of The Dragon.

Motivation: I'm eager to get into the new book, which will also be the start of a new contract with Ballantine. Not to mention the fact that this will also be my first deal with my current agent, who took me on right after I had signed a 3-book contract with my first agent. (Thank you, Karen!!) See, first agent decided to scale back on agenting in order to attend Divinity School. My reaction: WTF?! Meet my agent, the minister. I don't think so! But I digress . . . .

Conflict: Oy, yes. Lots of writing obstacles this week, unfortunately. Brother-in-law and wife are in town for the week, which means John and I will be playing tour guide part of the time (this is technically play, but still obligatory and time away from writing, which makes me cranky). I have several family and friend birthdays coming up this week and next, which requires shopping (thank god for the internet!). Yesterday I did something to one of my teeth that feels like it's going to require immediate attention and mucho dinero, since dental insurance is a luxury the hub and I cannot afford. Ah, the joys of the self-employed. Add to that a potential trip to visit his daughter in NYC at the end of the week and, yep, my writing goals are pretty much shot to hell.

But we'll see.

Wish me luck! Thanks for reading.

And so it begins . . .

2005-04-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

When a friend first mentioned that I should do this, I thought, "Am I bitter enough to blog?" I've read quite a few by other people, and I have to admit that I take the guiltiest pleasure in the snarky ones. You've probably read them, too--maybe even bookmarked them as I have, and eagerly await your daily armchair view of someone else's career misery or general irritation with the world at large.

For you, not-so-gentle-reader, I post the following warning: This probably won't be one of those blogs.

Aside from my concerns about where our country is heading, I don't have much to complain about. But, hey, things change, so if you stick around here for any length of time, maybe down the road I'll spill some blood in this blog, too. ;-)

As I start this online "diary" I have submitted my seventh novel to my editor at Ballantine Books (now awaiting revisions) and I am about to begin my eighth (as yet uncontracted). I love this part of writing--mapping out my story, sculpting my characters, drafting those first few chapters. From here, everything always looks fresh and exciting, full of possibilities. It doesn't turn to crap until I hit around page 150 in the manuscript. Then the real work begins. But for now, I am energized and itching to dive in. I probably won't begin composing for another week or so, but I'll keep you posted.