Free Books?

There are those who tell me an author should give you a "free" book to entice readers to buy more, and to some extent, that does work. I've done it in the past. When I talked with a marketer last year about taking over some of my business responsibilities while I concentrated on writing, she suggested that, as well. "It invites people to try you for free."

Been there, done that. I work hard to provide a quality product, and I think it's worth spending at least a buck.

How many of you shop at Kohls? Or a similar store? Do you ever buy anything full price? As a rule, are we being told "full price" is too much? My answer would be yes, and it's for that reason that I price my books reasonably. When I see the big house publishers selling e-books for more than $10, my eyes bug out. As much as I love my favorite authors, I'm not going to pay that. Heck, I can buy the paperback for the same, and in many instances, less. So when my books are priced reasonably, I feel like I'm already providing the "low, low, sale price." And when I run a special? Yes, I've discounted the books even further, but I have a real hard time giving away my hard work for free, even as a sample.

Which brings me to why do I write. It's certainly not to get rich. I write because it brings me joy and I want to share my stories with you. I work hard to make sure they make sense, that they are the best stories they can be. I want to be professional about telling you stories and it costs money to bring them to you. I invest in my writing in hopes that you will like it, as well. So when I publish a brand new book and someone asks me "is it free?" my immediate response might not be the one I want to verbalize. Heck, even the bards of old had a hat for people to throw in their pennies in recognition of a story well told. I'd like to believe the stories I write are worth something to the people who read them.

Let me back up for a second. When I got my first Kindle, the first thing I did was search out free books. Why? First, I didn't know how ebooks worked. Second, I didn't know if it was going to be a medium I could appreciate. (Example, I'm not a fan of audiobooks. Not because they aren't entertaining, but because my attention span wavers too much to listen for an extended period of time.) I started out with the classics on my Kindle - Jane Eyre, A Christmas Carol, A Portrait of Dorian Grey, etc. I found some others that sounded interesting and downloaded those as well. Then comes the moment of reckoning. Do I enjoy reading ebooks enough to pay for one? If you're like me, the answer is yes. There are a number of authors I like and a limited amount of shelf space for paperback/hard cover. Then there's the transportability. When I go on vacation, I can take half a dozen books with me without going over the weight limit with my suitcase. I found I liked ebooks, and for those books I was "testing out," if I enjoyed them, I could still buy a paperback version for my shelf to go back to, to hold in my hands. I still prefer holding a "real" book in my hands, but for convenience and on the go, ebooks are fabulous.

Back to the "on sale" mentality. Yes, I still struggle with paying full price for a book. Hey, I shop at Kohls. I might spring for a hard cover book by someone I truly admire and know I'll read again and again. It's an investment. I do have a price I won't pay for an ebook, even for highly anticipated books by my favorite authors. Do I expect them to give their books away for free? No. Storytelling is an art form, and its worth something to me. I hope its worth something to you, too.

The thing about ghosts...

The post in which I step into woo-woo land.

I had a conversation the other day with my son's future mother-in-law. Why doesn't my son believe in ghosts? I mean, I write about them, right? And we decided it was because he is too logically minded.

Which brings me to the thing about ghosts.

If you've been following my Epitaph series, you've noticed that spooks tend to show up. Loved ones who have unfinished business. People who have been wronged and can't find their way "home." This almost always brings about the question. Do I believe in ghosts?

I'm going to deflect the question for just a second to point out that our local ghost hunters have never captured anything tangible, even with their professional equipment. Does that mean they don't exist? Going out on a limb here and saying I don't discount the possibility. I've seen and heard unusual things that may or may not be "preternatural," which means there is no reasonable explanation for them, but there might be one day.

Before my mother passed, we had a family conversation about "the next phase." I think I tried to add some humor to the conversation and said something along the lines of "aren't you going to come back to be my guardian angel?" to which I got a resounding "NO." Alrighty then!

I do believe in sensitivity to those we love, a bond that transcends time and distance, and maybe death. I don't think of ghosts as scary and threatening, rather, I think of them as comforting. There have been moments in my life where I find myself suddenly overcome with emotion for no apparent reason. A feeling like you'd get with a hug - warm and comforting. Those aren't necessarily "ghostly" experiences, though. Well, maybe, if the person you're sensing has passed on.

I've also had those hair-raising moments - a wind chime swinging from the ceiling when there's no breeze and they don't produce any sound, a door opening and closing for no apparent reason (we're talking heavy, front entrance door, not a half-closed interior door). Ghosts? Maybe, or maybe some other as yet undiscovered rational explanation.

What about you? Have you had a ghostly encounter?

When you don't know what you don't know

At the day job, when we're training someone, we always encourage them to ask questions. The problem is, you can't ask questions when you don't know what you're missing.

When I start a new book, I take the "pantser" approach. I dive into the story and then figure out what I don't know as I go along. Normally, that isn't a problem, and there are often times when I have to halt the action to do research. Researching can be fun, but it can also be distracting. While I was writing my first book, I went on so many different tangents that it took me two years to write that book. Fortunately, in learning the process, I was reminded that I needed to stick to my theme, to tell the story I started out to tell and let the rest of it go (perhaps as fodder for future writing).

I'd wager eighty percent of research doesn't make it into the novel, but it's critical information. The problem comes in when you let it take you away from the story you're writing. As a pantser, I don't know what I don't know, and when I stop for research, I learn important details that color the story. For instance, when you're recovering from ACL surgery, you do not do "open chain" leg lifts. And then I get distracted by what exercises you would do, and pretty soon I've lost the focus of my story in favor of writing a recovery plan for someone post surgery.

This is where I stop to take off my pantser hat and buckle down as a professional writer to determine the story I want to tell.

Time to refocus. Yes, I need to know the research information, but that's background. Now I know more about the process and can avoid incorrect information, include relevant information, but that isn't the main focus of the story. That information gets put into a file labeled "authenticity," but likely isn't necessary to my plot.

Now that I know what I didn't know, it's time to write the rest of story.

Character Interviews

In every book I write, there's always one elusive character, one where I'm not sure what they're all about. That's the point where I stop and consider who they are, what's their backstory. What makes them who they are. (I think I need to develop interview questions for those characters!)

As an author, we have to be careful not to draw one-dimensional, cookie-cutter characters. Even the bad guys weren't always bad (unless they're sociopathic, but that's a different story altogether). In THE ARCHITECT, I had to interview the ghost to find out what his deal was, and even then, there was more to the story (which I often don't discover until I keep on writing). In the current work in progress, my protagonist was keeping secrets from me, and I got as far as Chapter 5 in the first draft before I stopped and said "hey, wait a minute. I don't know enough about you." Putting on the brakes, I started writing down questions. How did she get to where she is today? What's her history?

When I start writing a new story, I begin with goals, motivation and conflict. It's a good start, but can still be fairly flat without knowing why they have those goals and what pushes their buttons. I knew their goals. I had motivation, and conflict, but I still didn't know enough about my characters to move the story forward. Generally, it takes several chapters before they start "talking to me," but this particular character wasn't talking.

Here are some of the questions I'm asking her:

• How did you get this job?
• What are your credentials?
• What's at stake if you fail to execute your directive?
• What are your afraid of?
• What makes you question your ability to successfully execute your job?
• Tell me about your family life. Are they instrumental in your career choice? Do they support your career choice? Do they encourage you or do they expect you to fail? 

She is mindful of her choices and decisions and especially conscious of her own state of mind. I think that's where I'm running into trouble. She sets a higher standard for herself, a level of confidence and knowledge she wants to project and share, so as I look for those doubts, she's pushing me away and denying that they're there (but nobody's perfect...)

A little secret about THE ARCHITECT, the first hero failed his job interview and had to be replaced.

I'm moving forward with the next in the series. My protagonist passed her interview, but I still have much to uncover!

The new release is on sale now!

Pick up your copy today.

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Oh, I'm Being Followed by a Moonshadow

We had a supermoon this week. Did anyone see it? Officially, it was Tuesday night, but I happened to be up in the middle of the night on Monday night (Happy New Year!) and as I paddled into the bathroom, I looked out the window and saw...

Shadows. At three o-clock in the morning. The moon was casting shadows. Have I mentioned my life is a musical? Enter Cat Stevens.

Tuesday night I was watching the news with my husband and they were advertising the supermoon, and I told my husband I'd already seen it - or close to it - and I told him it made me think of Cat Stevens. This is where he turns to me, brow furrowed. So I sang for him. His response, "You were awake enough to think of that?"

Hey, if I'm moving, I'm awake, and I was moving. Yes, I was awake enough to break into song. Quietly, mind you, but singing at three a.m., nonetheless.

"Did it take long to find me? I asked the faithful light./Did it take long to find me? And are you gonna stay the night? o-o-o-oh..."

Songwriters: Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam

Moonshadow lyrics © BMG Rights Management US, LLC

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