Do you subscribe to author newsletters?

I do a monthly newsletter for my readers - Books & Cookies - which includes a recommendation for a book I've read and a cookie recipe. I like to include subscriber-only content to reward people for signing up. Sometimes that's a sneak peek at a new cover, or a bonus scene, or a giveaway. It is my experience other authors do the same to varying degrees. I've been considering changing things up in the new year, and I'd love to hear from people about the things they look for. This is what my most recent newsletter looked like: October newsletter

Often, audience builders are based on a giveaway. People sign up to get a free book without really considering who the author is and sometimes without knowing what the books are about. I was actually surprised when I did a promotion recently to my subscribers and the winner replied that she'd never read one of my books before. Surprise! She loved it. I was pleased to hear from her but had to wonder why she'd subscribed in the first place. Not complaining, I'm always happy to find potential readers, but it made me wonder how to make the transition from "potential reader" to "returning reader." 

What prompts you to sign up for an author newsletter? Content? Connection? Book news? Freebies? How often do you want to receive a newsletter? New release information only? More often if there's additional content (like my cookie recipes or book recs)? Anecdotes? Inquiring minds want to know. 

The phases of writing

I'm always amused by people who say, "I should write a book." Everyone who wants to absolutely should. What they do with it is another matter. When I first told my former husband I was writing a book, he immediately wanted to appropriate it as "we should write a book." Writing requires more than a solid grasp of grammar, it calls for a thick skin and "sticktoitiveness." Perseverance. My would-be partner lacked all of those traits.

As I'm writing and working with my critique group, the various phases of writing are jumping out at me. When we (my critique group and I) begin our projects, we submit chapters to each other. In the beginning phases, it's mostly the "creative" aspect. Ideas that are still forming. There are lots of errors and issues. The group helps keep each other on track and corrects the ticky-tack stuff along with continuity and plot issues (this is where the thick skin comes in). As the project progresses, we generally get ahead of each other, writing well past what we're submitting, so that by the time we're about halfway through critiquing a project, the author is more or less in the completion phase, which means the work is getting cleaner. Tighter. Accordingly, the critiques are getting sharper, more fine-tuned, because there is less to critique.

In the creative phase I, personally, am less tuned in to the mechanics. I'm trying to get the story from my head onto paper. The details aren't always clear, and I have a much broader picture of the work as a whole. Mistakes happen. Homonyms. Wrong words. Granted, my group is pretty keen to start with so those rookie mistakes are fewer as a whole, but they do pop up, during the creative phase especially. As I move past the creative phase into the fine-tuning phase, those errors become fewer--or at least I hope they do. 

I'm currently in the creative stage with my new work, although at about the halfway mark. The closer I get to the end, the more I know what's happening and the less the story - overall - is going to change. I haven't quite made the shift to fine-tuning, but my partners are closer to finishing their work. In fact, they both have completed first drafts and are working on final drafts. Their critiques are more pointed, because that's where they're currently focused with their own writing. Things they might have not noticed or didn't call attention to in earlier submissions for critique are now jumping off the page because they are looking for those "ticky-tack" mistakes in their own work. 

When I worked the day job, I was a proofreader, looking for errors other people made. I worked with a team, and we were the last set of eyes. The funny part is that by the time we got it, the work had already been through at least three previous sets of eyes looking for mistakes, so there was surprise when we found things that had been overlooked. There are always things that sneak through no matter how many people check you, and that's why you need SOMEONE ELSE to read what you've written - someone you trust to know what they're doing. Someone with at least rudimentary industry knowledge.

I'm grateful for my critique partners who keep me on track, both structurally and creatively. As published authors, themselves, they know what to look for and how to get successfully to the finish line. The critiques always hold value, even if we don't agree with what's been pointed out. If it makes us think, we have the tools to evaluate if what we've written requires greater clarification or if the reader has "lost the thread." There are many times when what we see in our heads doesn't make it to the paper, just as there are many times the reader lost track of what happened in the last chapter. There are also the genre-specific aspects (my partners and I write in different genres) to be accounted for, and we trust each other to know what those parameters are.

As I'm preparing to shift gears in my own work, the shift in focus will naturally apply to my partners' work as well. I hope to add value to their work, as they add value to mine. I couldn't do this without them.

Signs, signs, everywhere the signs

As we approach All Hallows' Eve, I thought I'd share some superstition with you - my own personal quirks.

When I moved into this house, I brought two cats with me. One was very chill, the other very hyper. One was boring, the other an endless source of entertainment. I loved them both for their personalities and because... cats. After a few years, when the older one (the "boring" cat) died, we had an infestation of drain flies. I'd never seen them before. Didn't know what they were. They mostly stayed where the cats’ safe haven was and I had the odd sense it was the old cat either reincarnated or a sign from the old cat. Weird. I know. And no, I didn't share that with anyone because ... weird. Fast forward a couple of years to when the younger cat died. She lived to be over twenty years old and was moving like an old lady, so it was only a matter of time before she "gave up the ghost." The odd thing is that when she died, again with the drain flies. Only around where the cats spent their "safe" time. Weird, right?

When my dad had to move from his home into assisted living, an odd thing happened. The senior living apartment my parents had lived in was overrun with drain flies. These little pests now represented death to me, but I kept that weird belief to myself. 

Recently, I found a drain fly in an unexpected place in the house. One. By itself. In a location diametrically opposed to where they appeared when the cats died. A harbinger of death? Now, it's sort of like when people say "death comes in threes." You're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

I'm currently writing a ghost story. The ghost's name in the story is Penny (this is not a spoiler, so don't worry about not being surprised). This morning, I was taking my shower and out of the blue, something brown shows up on the shower floor. Eww! That did NOT come from me! I step out of the shower for a tissue to pick up whatever it might be, expecting it to be soft and squishy, and to my surprise, it was a penny. Where the heck does a random penny show up from in the shower? There is a possible explanation for this, but it defies logic. Doesn't make sense, that I could carry a penny around on my body for an entire day and night without losing it. What does it mean? Probably nothing, but it does give me thoughts for the book I'm writing! Similar to the conical mound I visited on my field trip, it's a sign, like the world is tossing things my direction to keep me writing this story. I got the message. Not to mention I like the premise to start with, so I don't need the extra nudges - although they're always appreciated.

As to the drain fly? I haven't seen it again, nor any of its friends. Here's hoping everyone stays healthy and safe.

Field Trip

When the pandemic hit, I decided since we couldn't safely travel, it might be fun to visit old mansions. I made a list, and we went to a couple, providing the inspiration for HORNED OWL HOLLOW and DARK SHADOWS. There were more on the list that we didn't get to. I'm still a sucker for a good ghost story, so when I was recently looking for something to do, something popped up in my SM feed that looked interesting. Tinker Swiss Cottage is less than an hour's drive, and being of Swiss heritage, it looked like it would be "scenic," if nothing else, so we planned an excursion. When we mentioned it to a friend, they mentioned a Japanese garden that was also in that area, so we decided to do both.

We try to plan our visits at times we won't bump into a ton of other people - during the pandemic we were often the only people on the tours. When we went to the cottage, we were two of five tourists (unless you count the "support" dog riding in one woman's backpack). Nice, small group. Before we left the gift shop to begin, that particular woman asked if the place was haunted. I'll admit I was hanging on the answer, because that was one of the reasons I wanted to see it! Imagine my disappointment when the docent said no. Only one family had inhabited the house over the past 100 years, and to the best of her knowledge, it was not haunted. I was hoping for at least a story! Regardless, we took the tour, which was worth the trip. I desperately wanted to ask about one particular piece, however. A snuff box made from human bone. Human bone?? Whose? But I didn't. Sometimes, you have to let your imagination fill in the blanks when making up stories. I did learn something that I'll be using in the current work in progress - something I wasn't expecting to see there, but which I'd been entertaining as part of the story. When the world repeatedly presents you with ideas to include, you need to pay attention.

The kitchen with pictures overhead.

The library staircase

The conical mound!
(Look for this in the new book)

After we got home, I searched online for ghost stories related to the cottage, and found a show with Jack Osborne and Jenny McCarthy where they stalked around the cottage in search of ghosts. The usual performative type ghost show, and when Jenny professed to actually see/feel a ghost, Jack shrugged her off and suggested they move on. 🤣 I did learn more of the history of the cottage, and also that they "called in" the ghost hunters because locals were nervous and no one was coming to tour because they were afraid of said ghosts. I think they vastly underestimate tourists, but what do I know?

Then there was the Japanese Garden to get our Zen on. Beautiful day. Beautiful garden. Very peaceful. We had a great blue heron hanging out posing for pictures. Lots of ducks. Lots of koi. A Japanese tea house tucked into the woods. Waterfalls. We had lunch at a farm to table restaurant, and all in all, a very successful field trip.  I leave you with some pictures from our adventure...

The benefits of being a pantser

There have been books where I wish I'd have started with a definitive outline, one that plotted where my story was going and how it played out. There have been books where I had to stop writing in order to plot where the story was going because I was getting lost, or writing "blah blah blah" instead of anything that might move the story along. Being a pantser (defined as someone who writes by the seat of their pants) has its downsides. But then...

I'm working on my new book, and yes, I'm pantsing my way through it. I have a pretty good idea where I'm going and what comes next, but the mystery part has been hanging over me. I have a villain. And I have a red herring villain. Today, as I was trying to figure out what comes next--and I should have had this thought sooner, when I wrote down the motives and reasonable cause for the murder--I found yet a third potential villain, one that makes a lot of sense! 

Sometimes we write characters to fill space. Someone needs to be somewhere and they need someone to be there with. Oftentimes, those filler characters don't even get a name because they aren't critical to the story. Sometimes, they need a name because they're going to have a spot in the story later, or they will be a recurring character. Sometimes you just need to call them something other than "the other guy." Many times, I've discovered that if I've gone as far as to name the character, they need to have a reason to be there--sometimes, even to be the unexpected villain! This is when being a pantser is fun. You write things you didn't know you meant to write and they suddenly come together to make the story richer. Deeper. As if your brain knows before you do and sets the stage, just waiting for you to have that "a-ha!" moment. 

I just plotted my "a-ha" moment. Which makes me excited about the story all over again. Which keeps me writing. Of course, I've been pretty interested in this story from the beginning, so that makes it that much more fun.

Stay tuned for more information on Unidentified Remains!

And then what?

Have you ever stopped to wonder why, when you finish a chapter and you have things to do, you keep reading instead? One of the rules of writing: Every scene, every chapter, should have a hook, something that makes you want to turn the page. If you finish a chapter with "and it was the end of the day so they went to bed," so will your reader. But if you finish your chapter with, "and then the bad guy walked in," you're going to want to know what's going to happen next.

That applies to more than just reading a book. As an author, we're often told to write your characters into a corner, and we don't always know the way out. Oftentimes, the hook isn't always obvious, but sometimes... That hook not only keeps you reading, it keeps the author writing. Trouble is interesting. Mysterious characters who show up out of the blue are interesting. 

I often find myself writing the end of a chapter, and if it's the end of my writing day, I'll keep going into the next so I know what I did there. If I finished a scene with a potential villain walking in, I'll leave myself a note so I know where to pick up. If I leave a character in potential jeopardy, I make a note that the next time I go into that point of view, I need to resolve the jeopardy (or up the ante). One example: Bella is in the kitchen at Edith Ann's, the coffee shop she runs. The server on duty comes in to tell her someone is asking for her in the dining room. Bella goes to see, and the potential villain's sister introduces herself. What does she want? The reader has to wait to find out, because now it's time to switch POV and get the forensic results for the second body in the coffin. (Second body in the coffin? Yep, but I'm not giving the whole book away here.) But how did he know to point the forensic anthropologist/dentist in the right direction? Welp, that all has to be addressed before he goes out on patrol and runs into... duh duh duh ... the girl Bella interviewed for a job at the coffee shop -- and the girl is being stalked. By who? End of chapter.

You get the drift. 

In a world full of distractions, it's hard to stay motivated, but if you keep leaving yourself spicy breadcrumbs, they're more likely to draw you back in, both as a reader and as a writer.

Pirates be walkin' the plank

I'm on a rant today...

With the dawn of AI, even artistry is becoming automated. Would-be authors have decided they can use AI to write a complete book. 

AI is NOT the be-all and the end-all. There is only so much you can do with soulless technology. It is flawed, and its creators are pirating work from actual artists to train it. 

I was recently notified that my work was pirated without my consent, and as part of a class action lawsuit, I am now entitled to compensation. Theoretically. I'll believe it when I see it. This is only the first of many, as I understand it.

As an independent author, there are costs that go into producing a book. Sure, it's easy to say "it doesn't cost anything," but if you want to put out a quality product, you need an editor. Some people use a variety of editors for different things, or one editor for a variety of things. There is the cost of commissioning a quality book cover. There is the cost of formatting. If you do an audio version, you might have paid a narrator. Some people have skill sets that make life easier, but as one of my author buddies always says, hire out what you aren't good at. And here's the thing. I was an editor on the day job, and I still hire an editor, because that's a particular skill that requires "a second set of eyes." I can get close. I get it right for the most part, but it's way too easy to miss things. 

The settlement will cover some of those extra costs, assuming the amount they're predicting comes through, and that's just from the AI pirates.

There are other pirates out there. How many people want to save a buck and find a place that offers books for free? Legitimately? There are far too many pirates out there, but let's call them what they are. Thieves. You're buying "fenced" goods. Some people might remember when recording artists sued streaming services for essentially giving away their music for free. Hey, we need to eat, too.

There are plenty of authors who offer books free of charge to their readers - first in series is a prime example. We want you to read our books. Take the free one, and if you like it, support our work. If you can't afford to buy books, get them from the library. If they don't have the hard copies, you can bet they'll have the electronic copies, or you can request the hard copies.

I'm pleased the AI book pirates are being addressed, but that doesn't cover all the pirating that happens. I write because I love to write. I publish to share my work with you, but there are a lot of hours of blood, sweat, and tears that go into my work, and I don't overcharge my readers. In a lot of cases, my books are cheaper than a cup of coffee. I have to sell a lot of books just to break even. If you can't justify supporting an author as easily as your coffee habit, there will be fewer authors to choose from. I can't tell you how many days I ask myself if it's worth it. For myself? Yes. Sharing it? Not if you'd rather support a pirate than an author. It's very disheartening.