I spent way too much time yesterday clicking back and forth between Dear Author and Smart Bitches, reading up on the comments after the announcement by Harlequin about their new "Harlequin Horizons" line. Even though I swore to myself that I would stop reading and get back to work, as more information came out, I couldn't resist. Clicky-refresh-clickety, repeat.
For those of you who, like me, ended up reading the hundreds of comments on each site...well, you're probably also nursing a headache now and you don't want to read anymore about it. Take some Excedrin and move on - you have all my sympathy. For those of you who haven't heard of the hoopla, thankfully, some people have taken the time to sum it up so you don't have to hurt your eyes/head reading all the comments yourself (though really, if you're an aspiring author who's ever thought about self-publishing or vanity-press publishing, take the time. Read the first 200 or so comments. They contain a goldmine of information (http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/i
For those who want a calm, organized recap of what happened, Jackie Kessler did a very comprehensive recap of the events here: http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog/2009/1
And an updated version from Jackie here: http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog/2009/1
And now, for those of you who want my take on this, which is neither calm nor organized, read on!
IMO, pitching the Harlequin brand to writers through information on the Harlequin Horizons website (and in other places) when in reality, writers under that line won't be getting the Harlequin brand after all is disingenuous. IMO, referring rejected slush pile authors who submitted to traditional publishing lines at Harlequin to Harlequin Horizons is unscrupulous. I don't say this because I think self-publishing or vanity presses don't have a right to exist (as the Harlequin Horizons spokesperson Malle seemed to dismiss all criticisms toward the new imprint), but because it appears to be a classic bait-and-switch. I feel bad for the writers who will take a world-wide publisher like Harlequin at their word that this is a way to become a Harlequin author without enduring the rigors of the slush pile. Despite Malle’s claims that the two brands are clearly separate (Quoting Malle, “Horizons books will not have Harlequin branding. Horizons is a separate brand and will carry the double-H Horizons logo on the spine only, NOT the Harlequin brand.”) it’s easy to see how a writer going to the Harlequin Horizons site wouldn’t know that. First, if the name of the imprint is Harlequin Horizons, there’s a big reason why writers might think that being published under it makes them a Harlequin author. Plus, on the Harlequin Horizons website it says “We know you love Harlequin novels…why not write your own?” (http://www.harlequinhorizons.com/harlequ
To those who ask, why am I (and other authors) upset about this? I can only speak for myself, but it burns my toast because when I started on my path to publication, I had a lot of dreams but not a lot of knowledge about the industry. That combination resulted in me being ripped off when I signed with an agency that required payment for submissions. Took me paying several hundred dollars before I realized I was getting scammed and dropped them. Sites like Writers Beware and the now-defunct Miss Snark ‘s blog were the ones that educated me on the "money flows TOWARD the author" mantra that kept me from getting taken advantage of again. That’s why I have links on my website for writers here , here , and here to try and help those who, like me back then, were looking for information on the publishing process and who were directed to a lot of “pay to play” sites instead. It's lovely to assume that every writer who seeks publication has first educated themselves thoroughly on all the ins and out of the system and knows exactly what they're getting for their money, but then there's reality - and many businesses have turned a healthy profit on the reality of writers not knowing a lot about the system. Example: self-published/vanity press books seem to max out at sales of only 200 copies (source: http://howpublishingreallyworks.blogspot.c
I tried to articulate that more briefly in my comment on Smart Bitches, which was in response to this statement by Malle Vallik from Harlequin on writers and self-publishing. Because I’m too lazy to find where it is and link it, I’m copying it in its entirety here:
Malle - "There are a number of reasons to select self-publishing including as a way to see their work in print – to give copies as gifts, to have a bound copy to help in finding an agent, or simply as a keepsake."
Me - *goggles* I hope all of their potential clients are rich, then. Because otherwise, spending thousands of dollars to self-publish your book just to give it as gifts to family/friends? Or keep it yourself? The same thing can be done for about twenty bucks with a printer and a nice binder folder. Plus, the idea that an author should self-pub so an agent can have a bound copy to read for query consideration makes even less sense, since that agent won't be able to sell a previously-published novel to most publishers. Just my opinion, but if that's Harlequin's take on uses for a self-published novel, THAT should be clearly stated on their website, instead of the bolded "Dare to Dream: Potential Discovery Opportunities" or "Reach the stars and prove dreams do come true."
Also, for Malle and others who scoffed at "brand dilution" being a result of this new imprint, well, it only took a day for that to happen: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/bo
I’m guessing author Carol Mortimer is not amused at having her traditionally-published novel be the poster child for an article called “Harlequin Hacks” about Harlequin Horizon’s vanity pub imprint. See how easily The New Yorker took the "HH" on Carol’s cover (which actually stood for Harlequin Historical) and confused with the new line of Harlequin Horizons that will also, when books eventually release under it, be branded with "HH"? Sure, no confusion resulting in brand dilution there /end sarcasm.
And now, I really am getting back to work :).
**ETA: After several comments from readers, The New Yorker admitted their error in showing a picture of Carol Mortimer's book as an example of the new Harlequin Horizons imprint and took it down.
And, the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) also gave Harlequin a swift kick out of their approved publishers list because of this (excerpted below, but click the link and read their whole statement. It's worth it: "SFWA supports the fundamental principle that writers should be paid for their work, and even those who aspire to professional status and payment ought not to be charged for the privilege of having those aspirations.
Until such time as Harlequin changes course, and returns to a model of legitimately working with authors instead of charging authors for publishing services, SFWA has no choice but to be absolutely clear that NO titles from ANY Harlequin imprint will be counted as qualifying for membership in SFWA."
http://www.sfwa.org/2009/11/sfwa-stateme
In response to this, Harlequin states they'll change their new vanity-press imprint (which they're still calling self-publishing, even though in self-publishing the author keeps ALL the profits in exchange for putting up all the money/taking all the risk, but in vanity publishing, the author keeps only part of the profts, as is the case with Harlequin's imprint) to where the name Harlequin isn't in it. No mention yet of whether they'll change any of the other practices that organizations such as RWA, MWA, and SFWA are calling unethical, misleading, and disreputable, to quote from some of the statements by those organizations.
I was trolling Livejournal and came across links to this GalleyCat post where the question was presented as to whether literary agents would go the way of the Dodo bird in these newer, straight-to-Kindle publishing times. Let me be succinct – I do not agree that agents will become obsolete, but let’s look at the issue as a whole – and here’s where my succinctness ends, lol.
Is it possible to sell a book without an agent? YES. I know more than a few authors who sold their first book(s) while agent-less. So to those who say it’s not necessary to have an agent to get published – you’re right. I find it notable, however, that those authors I knew who sold their first book(s) while agent-less now have agents. Keeping the extra 15% to handle everything themselves wasn't worth it to them, even though they’d been on both sides of the agent fence. Some authors do want to handle everything themselves and will sacrifice a lot of their time to do so. More power to them, I say. The vast majority of authors, though, prefer to have someone else handle all the various different aspects of publishing that have nothing to do with writing (which is what I want to concentrate most of my work day on, personally).
Some of the comments in the GalleyCat post about agents becoming obsolete went like this (paraphrased): "Agents should be obsolete! I have an agent, but she doesn't return my phone calls, emails, or even remember me most of the time!" To that, I say the problem isn't with the agent profession as a whole, but rather between those authors and their individual agents.
Sometimes, writers will be hesitant to express their needs to their agent for fear of coming across as "pushy". This is a mistake. No single agenting style will be compatible for every writer - and just like in relationships, you don't always know what you need until you're in that relationship. Some writers only want their agents to negotiate contracts and that's it. Other writers want their agent to be active in their career far beyond just negotiating new contracts (I’m in that boat). Put together an agent/author with incompatible styles/needs and you end up with a scenario where unhappiness abounds.
In cases where an author is unhappy, a frank discussion about expectations needs to be held ASAP. If an author never expresses their unhappiness, the agent never has a chance to correct it. If, however, an author is clear about their needs/expectations and the agent still fails to meet them...then the author's choices are either to change their expectations to match that agent's style, or to leave. Neither of those choices are easy (or fun), but doing nothing while expecting things to change is a one-way trip to Frustration Land. Bottom line is that an author pays an agent for their services. If the author's miserable with those services and the agent is unwilling to change, then the author who stays anyway is actually paying someone to make them miserable (doesn’t sound very logical, does it? ;).
Granted, if the services an author wants fall more under the BFF category than a professional one, getting a new agent won’t fix that. If, for example, an author is frustrated that her agent isn't calling her back after she left a message telling said agent about the fight she had with her husband, or the cute thing her puppy just did...the issue isn't with the agent. It’s with the author’s misunderstanding of a business relationship. If an author is frequently calling/emailing/texting their agent about things that have nothing to do with his/her writing career, it’s no wonder the agent is perpetually unavailable.
If an author’s needs are business related and yet they’re still not being met, then it’s probably time for a change. It's not unusual for an author to change agents, either. I parted ways with my first agent last year. Now I'm with an agent whose style is compatible with my needs, which means I think she’s worth every cent of her 15% commission. Being unhappy with one agent doesn’t mean the entire industry is flawed. It means not every agent will be a good fit for every author, so it might be time to find an agent who is.
Agent necessity also depends on a writer's goals. If a writer just wants to be published, no preference regarding print or electronic format, distribution, advances, etc, then that writer probably has the same chance of success without an agent. If a writer is seeking to sell their book for a standard print advance (usually around 5K for a first book), or to sell to a publishing house that will distribute their book to stores nationwide, then an agent is frequently necessary. Most of the big, traditional NY publishing houses don't accept unagented manuscript submissions, so no agent = no chance to get published by them.
Yes, the digital world is growing and will open up more chances for writers, but again, goals matter in deciding which route to take. Writing full time was a goal of mine when I started out, so I went with the avenue I felt would best help me meet that goal (nothing is certain, of course, and goals don’t mean guarantees). I turned down an electronic pub offer and a small-press offer on my first novel to slog it out through the Query Trenches looking for an agent instead, all so I could go the traditional, NY-print-publisher route. It took much longer and was much harder, but it turned out I’d guessed correctly about that being the right avenue for me to achieve my full-time writing goal.
I’ll explain: all my books are sold in Kindle and just about every other electronic format, too. But when I get my royalty statements, my electronic sales combined account for only about 6-7% of my writing income (at triple the royalty rate I get for print books, no less!), and that’s only recently. When I was first published and no one had heard of me, my total electronic sales only accounted for about 2-3% of my writing income. I’m also not counting any foreign rights money in these stats, or the percentage of money received from e-book sales compared to money received from US and foreign-right print sales would be even smaller. Based on those percentages, even the highest ones, if I'd skipped the traditional agent/publisher route and went the digital one, I’d still be working a day job instead of writing full time – and even a crappy day writing is better than a good day at my old job :). Plus, if I still had to work full time, I wouldn't be able to write as many books. There are only so many hours in the day, after all.
In summary, I believe agents play a vital role in publishing and will continue to do so, even in this brave new digital era. The fact that the vast majority of published authors are agented - even mega-successful authors who could scribble a book idea on a napkin and still have editors throw money at them for it – seems to illustrate the point that an agent's value lies in more than making a sale or reading contracts.
Getting everything off in the mail from the contests I ran for Halloween. Yes, I'm a little slow, so please forgive me. The total prizes ended up being 45 books and 10 cover flats given away. Thanks so much to everyone who participated! I feel sad when I get emails that say, "I never win in any of your contests!" but there are far more entrants than prizes available, so all I can do is continue to run contests and hope people's luck changes. Speaking of that, I'll have another contest in December for ARC's of FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON, which is Night Huntress World book one. Hey, maybe some of you have been saving up your luck for this one ;-).
And speaking of thankful, I received an email from my editor that really made my day. She wrote to give me an update on reprints for my series. As it stands, HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE is in its 10th printing, ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE is in its 8th printing, AT GRAVE'S END is in its 6th printing, and DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE is in its 4th printing (considering DESTINED has only been out for four months, I'm kinda speechless by that). Initial print runs reflect what a publisher expects to sell combined with what book stores preorder, but to me, reprints are all about reader word-of-mouth, which makes them extra awesome. So thank you SO MUCH, readers! Without you spreading the word about my series, none of these reprints would have happened. Please consider yourselves smooched! :D
Happy Hump Day - and really, what an odd saying that is, right? This week I should get my editor's notes on ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS (Mencheres and Kira's book). Already got her pre-revision revision letter last week and the good news is that revisions will be light. A case of "more detail here, more emotion there, make the ending more explosive" sort of thing. I also have my lovely critt partner's notes to implement at the same time, which, no shock, sound a lot like my editor's notes (they agree so often, it's scary). Then, once I finish implementing those notes, if I go by my normal routine, I'll throw the book at my other critt partner for her comments which I'll implement when I get copyedits. Then once I get galley pages, I'll want to change even more stuff (but can only tweak very minor things at that stage per my editor). If it was up to me, I'd never stop tinkering with a book!
But in the meantime, I'm also writing Cat and Bones #5. I'm at the beginning of the book, and that's always the scariest part for me. I can tell I'm at the more nervous stage of writing because strange things are starting to show up in my dreams. Take my dream the other night. In it, I was at my publisher's and my editor all the sudden told me that my height and weight would be added to all my copyright pages. There was even one of those big doctor's office scales in her office that I had to step on so my editor could record my weight right there. No, I didn't wake up screaming, but it was close ;-). If I were being Freudian, I'd say the dream meant that (a) I ate too much Halloween candy and I need to get back on my diet, and (b) my subconscious is dealing with my inner insecurity at this writing stage by metaphorically showing me another way I'd suffer public embarrassment, lol. Once I'm about a third into writing, I feel comfortable, but beginnings are tough. They usually end up getting replaced most of the time, too. I'm amazed that EKOD's beginning has made the cut. That might be a first for me.
By the end of writing a book, my dreams usually start overlapping with my writing process again, in even odder – and sometimes funnier - ways. When writing the end of DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE, for example, I had a dream in which I came up with the perfect way to end the book...by adding dragons. Yes, dragons. That's what my subconscious thought the ending of DFAEG needed. Sometimes, dreams/my subconscious are incredibly helpful when it comes to writing. And sometimes...they need to be ignored (those of you who've read DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE know that, indeed, there are no dragons ;).
November is also NaNo month. No, I'm not officially participating, but it's my goal to write 2K words a day, 5 days a week on Cat and Bones #5 (still untitled, as you can guess). I'm comfortable at that pace. Some writers don't like to churn out that many words that fast, and other writers can blow away that progress while writing a better quality first draft than me. *shrug* Everyone's different. So, for those of you participating in NaNo, best of luck to you! And hey, the more writing you do, hopefully the less you'll get drawn into the stress and drama of the upcoming holidays. That's my goal, anyway ;-).
I'm also going to be updating my playlist for the C&B book. Maybe a little new writing music is what I need to get me past this nervous stage. Last time, you guys were awesome in giving me music recommendations. I ended up writing EKOD while listening to White Lies, Dashboard Confessional, Shinedown, Within Temptation, Breaking Benjamin, Stars Go Dim, Mew, and Kings of Leon – all from your recommendations (I added a little Melissa Etheridge, U2, Collective Soul, Snow Patrol, and Stevie Knicks all on my own ;). So, based on those bands, got any new music recs more me? Who else am I missing? Any recommendations will be much appreciated!
If you want a signed copy of DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE shipped to you, no matter where in the world you live, be one of the first FIVE people to reply to this post and it's yours. This is the fourth novel in the Night Huntress series and Cat and Bones have some big changes in store for them.
Good luck!
Well, lots of entries for the giveaway of 10 signed copies of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE. 200, to be exact. Because I can never bring myself to choose, Randomizer was once again consulted and this is what it said:
|
So, those entry numbers turned out to be SusiSunshine, Brenda Hyde, Elizabeth Holland, Erin Lindsay, elaing8, timothy.rowe3, Daj8700, Megan Fuller, Zoe Zygmunt, and van pham. Congrats! I'll send you an email shortly asking for your shipping addresses to send you a signed copy of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE.
But wait! There's more!
Because it's Halloween and there were so many entries to the contest, I wanted to throw in a "wild card" contest. Out of those 200 names, removing the ten winners above, I consulted Randomizer to pick ten more entries. This is what it picked:
Set #1:
<input ... > 7, 26, 49, 53, 75, 127, 147, 152, 161, 188
And those entries turned out to be J. Anderson, Brenda White, onyxciel HA, AF Stone, michelle rubalcado, Faith Imholt, Bethan West, Dr. Kay Johnson, Cassie H, and Kristen Sanders.
For the "wild card" winners, I will send you a signed copy of AT GRAVE'S END. Can't give more copies of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE because I don't have any more. Also, AT GRAVE'S END is very Halloween- appropriate, since that novel is probably the most spooked out of my series (contains not just vampires and ghouls, but also black magic! wraiths! ghosts! and zombies!) Of course, if any of you ten "wild card" winners don't want a copy of AT GRAVE'S END, just reply to the email I'll send you with a no thanks and I'll draw another winner.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween! I'm not quite done giving out blog treats. Look for an Instant Winner contest here and on MySpace sometime today :-).
Today marks the two year anniversary of when my debut novel, HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE, hit the shelves. It does not seem like two years since then. It feels more like one year, tops. But, calendars don't lie :).
So, to celebrate the second anniversary of my book, I'm giving away ten (10) signed copies of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE, book one in the Night Huntress series. To enter, email me at frostlight1 AT yahoo DOT com with "HTTG" in the subject line, any time between now and 8am tomorrow (why 8am? Because that's usually when I roll out of bed, check the emails, and announce a winner ;). Yes, I will ship internationally.
If you're new to my blog and want a little more information on HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE, you can go here for back cover description, teaser page, and link to the first 20% of the novel available for free reading: http://www.jeanienefrost.com/halfway-to-t
Good luck, everyone! And Night Huntress readers, thanks so much for making these last two years as amazing as they have been! :).
Without further ado, here are the numbers Randomizer chose:
Set #1:
<input ... > 122, 52, 83, 69, 64, 124, 108, 104, 46, 9
Those turned out to be: Sonja Zeiler, Heather Hann, Beatriz Ongaro, Brittany Hyde, Faith Imholt, Kathryn Willadsen, Ala morenson, Lilibeth Ramos, Vicki O. Reggentin, and Morning Glow. I'll send all of you an email shortly notifying you by email as well that you won. Congrats!
To the other 114 people who didn't win...I still have 30 more prizes to give away, and they're all books. Look for at least one more contest today! :)
The cover flat also has the back cover description on the book and a marketing plan listed inside (something only me, my agent, and book sellers probably care about ;). So, if you would like a signed coverflat for FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON, email me at frostlight1 AT yahoo DOT com. If I get more than ten emails, winner will be picked by Randomizer. Contest is open from now until 8am tomorrow Eastern time (Oct 30th).
Good luck!
***ETA: Contest closed, winners drawn. Thanks for playing, everyone!****
Check it out:
First posted here: http://www.theoddshots.com/2009/10/happ
As I promised Monday, I'll be hosting contests this week to celebrate Halloween (also because I haven't had any contests in a while and who doesn't love free books, right?). Check out my MySpace page, too (link on sidebar) because contests will be held there also. If you didn't read my post Monday, you need an LJ account to play in the Instant Winner contests, so sign up, it's free and easy. In the interest of fairness, when it's an Instant Winner contest, I'll try to spread them out to encompass as many time zones as possible, lol.
This morning's prize:
Good luck!
A reader emailed me last week and said, "Aren't you going to hold any contests soon? You haven't had any in a while!" Well, good point, I haven't. So, this week in celebration of Halloween - and because I have a bunch of author copies to give away - there will be contests. Some will be Instant Winner, some will be email-in-to-enter. Because anonymous comments are disabled on my blog (thank the internet trolls, people!) here's a head's up to get a Livejournal account if you want to play in the Instant Winner contests. LJ is free and easy to set up, trust me. I set mine up all by myself and I am incompetent when it comes to anything technical. So, head's up: contests coming.
In other rambling, I saw The Vampire's Assistant on Saturday and liked it. It has somewhat of an open ending that's clearly the setup for more movies, but I don't mind that. I like series, be they in movies or books. Also, The Sacramento Bee had a nice mention in their paper today about me and other authors. Yes, I know, they left out Charlaine Harris (among other notables) on their list of top UF authors, but I'm flattered to be included just the same.
That article mentions the popularity of vampires in the current market, which probably comes as news to no one. However, something that amuses me is how lately, some people ask me in interviews, "Did you decide to write about vampires because the market is so hot?" Um, as many people know, the publishing process isn't a speedy one. It either moves at the speed of torturously slow, or drink-yourself-to-death-while-endlessly-w
This is why I strongly urge writers not to try and catch trends. If I'd been trend-trolling back in 2003, I wouldn't have written about my favorite paranormal creature - vampires. I would have written about something else, though I don't even know what was considered "hot" in 2003/2004 because I was too busy writing books about the creature I loved. As you can guess, writing about what I love worked out well for me in more ways than one. Yes, what I loved turned out to be a popular theme in the current market, but even more importantly, it's what I love. If I wanted a job I disliked, I would've stayed at my Day Job, which had health benefits, paid vacation, required less hours, and was far easier on the ego, lol. So, think twice before trend-chasing. Chances are what's hot now won't still be hot when your book finally gets published, and then you'll be stuck writing about something you might not even really like, anyway.
Note: language in this is NOT work or children safe...which made me laugh even harder while watching it ;-).
As many of you know, I finished another novel last week. It's an amazing feeling to write "the end" on a book. Ever since I was twelve, I dreamed of writing a novel. It took me until I was thirty to actually sit down and do it. Now I wish I wouldn't have been such a procrastinator in my twenties, but I digress.
I get asked all the time as to what my process is when I write a book. A lot of those emails could be paraphrased like this: I have all these ideas and I want to write a book, but I'm not sure how to do it. How do you write?
I still consider myself fairly new to writing, but I'll talk about my process. In fact, one thing I pondered a couple weeks ago was that a finished novel only represented about 25% of the effort involved in creating it for me, and I'm not even talking about what happens once my publisher gets their hands on it. Here I'll pause to say that every author has their own process. The day someone tells you that you HAVE to write a book following their specific formula, run, don't walk, away. Plotting versus pantsing (or a variation of both) and what works best before starting a novel depends on the individual writer. If there was a tried-and-true specific formula for success, we'd all be J.K. Rowling or Dan Brown. So, my method is not THE method any more than my deep love of dark chocolate means you have to love dark chocolate, too (though white chocolate lovers...I don't understand you ;).
If you're already bored reading about my writing process, stop here, because I'm just getting warmed up. Hungry for more? Here goes! ;-).
Why do I say a completed novel only represents about 25% of my efforts? Does that mean I'm shortchanging readers and not giving them my best? Not at all. Before I even type "Chapter One", I've spent a while thinking about my hero and heroine. What they look like, what type of family or background they came from, what they want the most, what they're most afraid of, what are they struggling with, what's their best attributes, their biggest flaws, etc. If I don't have a detailed picture of my them in my head, I don't even begin to hash out a plot. And then, just as important as my hero/heroine, is the villain. I ask all those questions about him or her, too, because if I don’t know all those same details, I’d miss a vital part of the story.
Once I've got a detailed picture of my hero/heroine/villain in my head after usually a minimum of weeks mulling over them (sometimes years, in the case of my spin-off books), I move on to writing a skeletal outline that highlights the basics of my main plot - and that's subject to change. If my editor isn’t a drinker, she should be, because on several occasions I've called her to say a variation of "You know how I wrote that X would happen in my proposal? Well, I have this idea about Z instead, and here's why I think it'll work even better..." Well over half of the events in every book I've written have not been plotted out in advance. Most subplots, side characters, twists and scenes come to me as I write, not before I write. For me, until I'm fully immersed in writing a book, I don't know enough about it to give a detailed summary of everything that’s going to happen.
Take all that brainstorming I mentioned on my hero/heroine/villain before starting a novel. By the end of the book, it inevitably turns out I only knew about thirty percent of what made them tick, even though at the onset, I thought I had them pegged. That knowing comes through seeing how the characters react in scenes, whether stressful, dangerous, or sexy. And through - one might say - an obsessive tendency to think about my characters night and day. An average novel takes me about two months working thirty hours a week on just writing new words, yet during those weeks, I probably spend twice that amount of time thinking about the book and characters (Don't believe me? Ask my husband or family. They'll confirm that I have a perpetual glazed look on my face and I'm only partially paying attention to things around me while writing a new book).
Then there's research. My last novel had my heroine living in
If this sounds like a lot, let me say that most authors I know do all the same, if not more, when writing their books. My critt partner's research puts mine to shame, and you could ask my other regular critiquer, Ilona Andrews, the most obscure worldbuilding question and she'll have an answer for you that second.
So perhaps you see why, between the new plots, subplots, characters, research, endless mulling, bouncing ideas off my long-suffering friends, implementing edit notes from my critique readers, and lots of self-revision along the way, I say that a finished book only represents about 25% of the effort involved, even before my editor sends me revision notes and I complete those (plus copyedits, plus galley edits).
And you know what? I love this process. Sure, there are days when I bitch and moan, but I love to write, revise, obsess over my characters, look up obscure facts about their neighborhood or time period or other details that might only be mentioned in passing - or not at all. A lot of the things about my characters, world, and setting will never make it into a book, because those are details that would bog down the pacing in endless backstory, but I still love to find them out. Without those details, I wouldn't be able to write my stories, even if they’re things my editor, critt partners, or readers will never see. They’re the necessary cogs in the wheel that eventually leads to that moment of satisfaction when I type “The End”.
That’s my process of writing. I’m not saying it’s The Right Way to write a book. Other authors have different processes or can write a better book in half the time with far less obsessive tendencies (I aspire to be like those authors). Writing doesn’t have a one size fits all method. It’s more trial and error that’s repeated until success or insanity occurs – or both J. For everyone who has stories and characters that demand to be written, I wish I had the perfect formula to give you, but I don’t. Just keep at it until you find the process that works best for you.
And if you find yourself thinking about your book obsessively while writing it, and your husband or family asks, “Are you paying attention to a word I’ve said?” make sure to smile, nod, and say “Of course I am!” in a convincing tone ;-).
But enough jabbering from me! Here's the cover:
And here's the stepback:
And here's the back cover description:
The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows - her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield - and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness - and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.
And here, if you're interested, is the first chapter (hope the LJ cut works):
Read more
On Monday I completed my sixth contracted novel (more on that later). Tuesday, I went with my husband and my dog to Universal Orlando for some R&R and to attend Halloween Horror Nights as a mini-vacation. I would tell you about how that trip went, except I think it would be best narrated by my dog. So then, little Gypsy, take it away!
::Gypsy takes over the blog::
Mommy and Daddy took me bye-byes in the car on Tuesday. I love car trips. Mommy puts pillows on her lap and that's where I sit. Or, where I stretch out while making sure to cut off Mommy's circulation in her legs. I only weigh twenty-six pounds but I know how to use them. Alas, it was a short drive, so Mommy arrived at the hotel with feeling still in both her legs. I knew I had to do better. I hate Mommy, by the way. She steals Daddy's attention away from me. If she didn't walk me all the time, I'd insist Daddy get rid of her. Still, I need my walkies, so Mommy stays...for now.
Oh! Oh! I know this hotel, we've been here before! I drag Mommy around the grounds while I pick the perfect spot to pee on. It's not as easy as it looks. Sure, she's sweating and mumbling something about it being 95 degrees out, but I need to take my time. And chase lizards. I love lizards. Mommy always stops me from eating them, though. Doesn't let me eat squirrels, either. See why I hate her??
We're in the hotel room now. I jump on the bed, for all beds are mine. Mommy and Daddy unpack and talk about getting dinner. Food, yes! It's been hours since I've eaten. I might have lost some of my back fat - unthinkable! They put some of that dry crunchy crap in my bowl again, why I don't know. I've never seen them eat it, so it can't be real food. I ignore it as usual. When they get their meal, I will sit and stare at them with my Gypsy Vulcan Mind Meld Gaze, where I don't blink and I convey to them their cruelty in not giving me some of their food. It always works. I'm very talented.
Wait, they're going out to eat! Damn it! They better bring me something back. They can't really expect me to eat that kibble...::waits three hours:: They're back. Mommy didn't bring me any other food. My revenge will be merciless.
They leave me alone for hours again the next day while they each get a massage. This is bullshit. Then Mommy tells Daddy the masseuse said her spine is slightly crooked and she should get it adjusted. Well of course it's crooked! She has to type and bend over to pet me every few minutes at the same time.
Hey, if she didn't want a crooked spine, she should've gotten a shorter chair or a taller dog. Either way, it's not my problem. Chiropractor adjustment, my furry ass!
They're talking about going out to dinner again tonight. More hours alone in this room? I will not stand for this. I pretend to good when they leave, but I have a plan. I heard where they're going, and I'm going to have a little talk with the chef about Mommy's food...
Heh heh heh. Mommy came back and said she didn't feel well. I play dumb. She doesn't know it yet, but the chef undercooked her chicken. My Gypsy Vulcan Mind Meld Gaze works even if I'm not in the same room. That's right, Mommy, take some antacids. Won't do you a bit of good.
Mommy spends the next five hours in the bathroom, leaving me and Daddy with the bed all to ourselves. It's wonderful. I lay on her pillows with all my paws in the air. When she finally climbs into bed, I growl at her and refuse to move. She's so sick, she just passes out and leaves me where I am. Oh well. Shoulda brought me back some food last night. Then this wouldn’t have happened.
The next day, Mommy is still sick. Score! She can hardly get out of bed. Something about dizziness and dehydration. Whatever. All I know is it means she's staying in bed instead of going to the theme parks with Daddy. The hotel didn’t have many channels, so she watched the entire season of
Thank you, chef from last night. I owe you a leg hump.
At night, though, Mommy gets up. Talks about non-refundable Halloween Horror Night tickets. I am alarmed, but hopeful. She looks awful and even though it's dark out, it's still about 90 degrees. Mommy won't last long, I know it.
I’m right. She and Daddy are back after only a couple hours. Told you Mommy couldn't stand the heat and all that walking while still being sick from food poisoning. She's starting to feel a little better, though, which worries me. She made me sleep in the chair instead of on her pillows. Must find a way to fix this problem.
Uh oh. Mommy looks even better the next morning. She wants to go to the theme parks, says something about this being their last full day. I have to think up a way to get them back early. Think, Gypsy, think. Can't do the food poisoning again; already did that. Must find something else to knock Mommy on her ass...
They go to the park. It's over 95 degrees out, but Mommy's planning ahead. Even though she still doesn't feel great, she's riding the water rides to keep cool and drinking a lot to stay hydrated. Shit! They're talking about having dinner at Emeril's tonight. That'll mean more hours away! Must act fast to prevent this. Wait, Daddy loves upside-down roller coasters and Mommy has a slight headache. I know what to do. :::starts Gypsy Vulcan Mind Meld Gaze:::
It's working! Mommy just told Daddy she'd go on The Hulk roller coaster because she knows he really wants to ride it. She's still feeling a little queasy and her head hurts, but she thinks she can handle it. That's right, Mommy. Step on up to that roller coaster. Don't pay any attention to me silently willing my mind powers into the attendant...
Mommy and Daddy get into the roller coaster. They strap a metal harness over them that attaches to a strap between their legs. Mommy's starting to feel claustrophobic and it's really hot, but she knows Daddy loves this ride so she doesn't say anything. Okay, attendant, you're up! Do as I've told you.
The attendant unlocks Daddy's harness. Has him to step out. Says something about how Daddy has to take the little bag around his wrist where he put Mommy's new tee shirt and put it in a locker. Mommy waves her hands and tells the attendant to let her out, too. Attendant ignores her. Mommy can't move because the attendant didn't release her metal harness. She flops her hands around again and asks to be let out. Daddy can't hear her, he's by the lockers. The attendant ignores her again. The girl next to Mommy says, "You're stuck, lady."
She is so right. The ride blasts off with Mommy still flapping her hands. By the time it is over and she gets off, Mommy thinks she's going to faint and puke, possibly at the same time (want a virtual taste of the ride? Click here - has sound) She is sick all over again, yay! Mommy and Daddy come back to the hotel, don't go out, order room service, and spend the night petting my belly while watching a movie. The next day, we leave to go home, me cutting off the circulation in Mommy's legs the whole drive back.
This is the best vacation ever.
Love,
Gypsy
No, I'm not talking about my mental state with that subject line (though it would fit ;). Popping up from my last couple days of deadline to wish Ilona Andrews a happy release day. Many of you probably are familiar with Ilona from her NYT bestselling Kate Daniels series. ON THE EDGE is out today, a novel unrelated to her Kate world, but it actually might be my favorite thing Ilona’s written to date. I liked it so much that I blurbed it (and I am very picky about what I blurb, as my long-suffering agent and editor can attest).
Publishers Weekly agreed that ON THE EDGE was something special. They gave it a starred review, and Romantic Times gave it a Top Pick rating. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes urban fantasy or paranormal romance novels.
Book description:
Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either. Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power). But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .
Read the first chapter here: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/the-edge/on-t
Now that I’ve given you something fun to do, back to the keyboard for me! *mumbles, “Time to write the words” in the same monotone as, “Time to make the doughnuts…”*
Me: *trying to go to sleep*
Subconscious: *poke* I have plot ideas.
Me: Not now. I’m tired.
Subconscious: *poke, poke* I have plot ideas that will help tie up several earlier threads in the book.
Me: I’M TIRED. Go away.
Subconscious: *poke poke poke, pokety poke poke!*
Me: Fine, what are they?
Subconscious: *gives really good insight about backstory on a side character, ties together an event in the my third book to this book, and provides a better way for the villain to :::censored::: at the climax*
Me: Okay, those ARE good. I’ll write that all down tomorrow and put it in the book.
Subconscious: No you won’t. You’ll go to sleep and forget all about it by the morning.
Me: Not true! It’s good stuff, I’ll remember it! Now, let me sleep. I worked until after eleven tonight, damn it.
Subconscious: *poke* Write it down now.
Me: *rolls over in bed, grabs pillow* No.
Subconscious: *poke poke poke, pokety poke POKE POKE!!!* Your memory sucks! You know it does! Who are you kidding, you forgot to put water in your coffee pot yesterday and then thought it was broken because it wouldn’t brew!
Me: *throws off covers* You’re right. I’ll write it down now. *staggers into office, writes down notes without even turning the lights on, staggers back to bed*
Subconscious: There, don’t you feel better?
Me: No. Now I’m awake.
Subconscious: Eh, doesn’t matter. You’ll thank me later. They were good ideas.
Me: Yes, but why didn’t you give them to me at 12:30 PM instead of 12:30 in the morning???
Subconscious: Because I’m your SUBconscious. I only work when you’re half asleep. Too bad your consciousness can’t plot for shit, or you wouldn’t need me.
Me: *up until 3am thinking about ways to expand new plot ideas while trying to sleep and failing* Damn subconscious is right. My best ideas never come during the day. *pokes consciousness* You suck!
And that, my friends, is a snapshot into my brain on deadline J. Hope everyone has a good weekend! See you once the book is done!
*blows cobwebs off blog page* Hi everyone! Yes, it’s been a while since I blogged. Kinda guessed it would be, as I mentioned in my last blog post, since the deadline for Mencheres’s book is drawing ever closer. My habit is to write up to the very last day, and no surprise, Menchere’s book is following that same format. It’s due in two weeks, so once it’s turned in (and I recover, lol) I’ll be back to my version of normal blogging.
Speaking of Mencheres’s book, a title has finally been decided. I wanted something with the word “darkness” in it, and when my editor asked me for ideas, that’s about all I was able to give her. Big help there, right? *eyeroll*. However, I am pleased to say that thankfully, she had more title mojo than I did, and thus my editor came up with a title for this book that includes the word “darkness” and fits several things in the novel. In short, I am pleased, always a good thing when it comes to stuff relating to my books J.
So without further buildup, the title for Mencheres’s novel is ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS and it releases August 2010. Several people have asked me for hints about this book. I can’t say much yet, but I can say that yes, in addition to exploring more of the vampire world with action and intrigue, there’s also a love interest for Mencheres in this novel. Her name is Kira and she’s a new character to the Night Huntress world. Oh, and for everyone who’s asked me, “What does Mencheres look like, anyway?” here’s an actor who – except for the beard – totally personifies Mencheres for me:
http://x54.xanga.com/54983b0341308108010
http://media.photobucket.com/image/oded%2
http://im.in.com/media/blish/p/photos/20
And in other news, I will be doing a live podcast tomorrow at 2pm with my fellow authors in the UNBOUND anthology (Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Vicki Pettersson, Jocelynn Drake). We’ll be discussing our stories as well as whatever else the moderator throws at us. Please do stop by to listen and call/email in with questions if you can. Here is the info and the link:
Finally, speaking of Melissa Marr, yesterday she was at last allowed to announce her awesome news. If you haven’t heard this already, Melissa’s debut novel, WICKED LOVELY, has been optioned for film by Universal Studios and Vince Vaughn Productions. Screenwriter Caroline Thompson of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and the Corpse Bride fame (among many others) has also been signed for the film project. I am beyond excited for Melissa. One, she’s a great friend and awesome critt partner, and two, I loved WICKED LOVELY and know it will make an amazing film. MTV had more details on the news. Once again, congrats Melissa!
Profile
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
frost_light- Jeaniene Frost
- Jeaniene Frost
Syndicate
