What kind of books do you read? What kind of books should I write?
I've seen many of my favorite romance authors jumping into "Women's Fiction," and I have to say I'm not happy about it. They are excellent authors, so generally speaking, whatever they write is wonderful, but as a reader, I'm looking for what brought me to them in the first place. No, I haven't given up on them, and yes, I read across genres all the time, but it poses some interesting questions.
As I've been developing my new series, I've considered if I should tap a different artery. I've always loved reading Gothic novels, so I've been spending time looking into the elements that make up such a story. Also trying to decide if I should write one book - stand alone - instead of mapping out a series, while leaving my options open.
Most Gothic stories--romances, usually--are historical. Victoria Holt, for example. A few years ago, Susan Elizabeth Phillips wrote a wonderful homage to the great Gothic novelists we grew up with in a contemporary setting. Essentially, you need something a little bit creepy, someone in danger, and a haunting setting. Sounds like a neighboring alley to what I write.
Haunting setting? I had decided on my next setting many books ago, a very "charm"-ing place. Haunted/haunting? I've heard the place described as Pleasantville. Is that going to be a problem, I ask myself? Yeah, it could be. The setting is a step back in time, where today and yesteryear come together. I don't know if I want to add a sinister element to Pleasantville, and yet look what Stephen King did with the Quabbin reservoir in Massachusetts. What Dan Brown did with the Basilica's cistern in Istanbul. They aren't Gothic authors, but you get the idea.
I'm doing my research, to the extent I can while still on deadline with the day job, and preparing for a mad flurry of writing next week when my life switches gears once again, including a tour of "Pleasantville" and its charms.
Yes, I've started the story, but it's slow going while the balance in my life is weighted against writing time. Can't wait to set loose the reins of my imagination! As the final deadline draws close, the anticipation of immersing myself into this new world is like counting down the days to vacation. That's me, bouncing in my seat. I can hardly wait!
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Mush for brains
So you all know I work a day job, right? One with intense deadlines that takes over my life this time of year? Now, let's take a Category 5 Hurricane deadline in March, add in a bunch of personal *stuff* that doesn't normally crop up this time of year and a bunch of cranky worker bees. No, life is not fun right about now.
Not going to go into all the "oh, woe is me," moments, but I AM going to share with you that moment I tried to take the easy way out/shortcut and things only got worse.
My driver's license is expiring this year. I live in Illinois. They are starting to make their licenses security compliant, and we have another year and a half to do that, but since I'm up for renewal, hey! why not now? Dear husband did his last year. Easy peasy, right?
I work about 2 miles (it might be more, but definitely less than 5) from the DMV. So I packed up all the things my honey told me I needed (rather than reading the information packet by myself, because when I started to he said "oh, you don't need that. Your passport will work..."). Marched inside, handed over my documents, and I needed "that." Or, as an alternative, another document would do. So I went back to the office and printed off the alternate document. Drive back to the facility. Great. Except one of these proof of address documents isn't acceptable. Do you have another one? *grumbling now. I've already made a second trip.* I ask if I can pull up the one they want on my phone. Nope, they need a printed copy that they can scan. So back to the office I go to print out what I HAD prepared, but didn't bring with.
I started out at the DMV at 8:30 am. After three trips, I sat in the waiting room at 10:30 waiting for them to call my number to check out. Did I mention I bumped into some poor woman walking with a cane? We were in the same lane, walking opposite directions. I stepped aside to let her pass, but when I turned to go, guess what? She was still there. I was SO embarrassed. Red faced. Apologizing profusely. I mean how rude am I really? Not my best day.
Oh, one more thing. The guy sitting next to the man helping me told John, the guy helping me, he'd done something wrong. So the two of them went back and forth for five minutes discussing how he'd arrived at the one input screen, only to find out John had done it right in the first place, so why are you bothering him?? For what it's worth, the people at the DMV were friendly and helpful to the extent they could be. It's not their fault I had to make three trips. Well, not entirely.
Moral of the story: Do your own homework and don't take someone else's word for it. Who knows what my honey presented to get his ID last year, but it clearly wasn't correct this year. Or he neglected to tell me something. But he got his, so I trusted his word. I should have read the pamphlet, but I gotta tell you, with the craziness that accompanies the day job and the whirlwind of things going on in addition to that? My brains are mush. I'm not normally that stupid. Really.
Am I?
Did you ever kick yourself and say "I should have known better?"
Not going to go into all the "oh, woe is me," moments, but I AM going to share with you that moment I tried to take the easy way out/shortcut and things only got worse.
My driver's license is expiring this year. I live in Illinois. They are starting to make their licenses security compliant, and we have another year and a half to do that, but since I'm up for renewal, hey! why not now? Dear husband did his last year. Easy peasy, right?
I work about 2 miles (it might be more, but definitely less than 5) from the DMV. So I packed up all the things my honey told me I needed (rather than reading the information packet by myself, because when I started to he said "oh, you don't need that. Your passport will work..."). Marched inside, handed over my documents, and I needed "that." Or, as an alternative, another document would do. So I went back to the office and printed off the alternate document. Drive back to the facility. Great. Except one of these proof of address documents isn't acceptable. Do you have another one? *grumbling now. I've already made a second trip.* I ask if I can pull up the one they want on my phone. Nope, they need a printed copy that they can scan. So back to the office I go to print out what I HAD prepared, but didn't bring with.
I started out at the DMV at 8:30 am. After three trips, I sat in the waiting room at 10:30 waiting for them to call my number to check out. Did I mention I bumped into some poor woman walking with a cane? We were in the same lane, walking opposite directions. I stepped aside to let her pass, but when I turned to go, guess what? She was still there. I was SO embarrassed. Red faced. Apologizing profusely. I mean how rude am I really? Not my best day.
Oh, one more thing. The guy sitting next to the man helping me told John, the guy helping me, he'd done something wrong. So the two of them went back and forth for five minutes discussing how he'd arrived at the one input screen, only to find out John had done it right in the first place, so why are you bothering him?? For what it's worth, the people at the DMV were friendly and helpful to the extent they could be. It's not their fault I had to make three trips. Well, not entirely.
Moral of the story: Do your own homework and don't take someone else's word for it. Who knows what my honey presented to get his ID last year, but it clearly wasn't correct this year. Or he neglected to tell me something. But he got his, so I trusted his word. I should have read the pamphlet, but I gotta tell you, with the craziness that accompanies the day job and the whirlwind of things going on in addition to that? My brains are mush. I'm not normally that stupid. Really.
Am I?
Did you ever kick yourself and say "I should have known better?"
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
"The Idiot Box"
My husband likes to relax watching television after a long day at work. Me, not so much. With that being said, I sit near him and absorb some of the things he watches, and occasionally add my input into what we should be watching. I'm late coming to the Netflix party, only having joined after Stephen King recommended a series based on one of my favorite books, The Haunting of Hill House. (Great series, by the way, although the last episode had me scratching my head a bit...)
With that being said, yes, there are shows I enjoy watching. For years, I watched Grey's Anatomy (until they killed McDreamy, and then I had to walk away). I like the new show, New Amsterdam, and I've watched This is Us, but it's hard to maintain momentum, and I'm losing interested in that one, too. We have been watching Hallmark movies more frequently while I was working on developing a Hallmark story - a break from the stress and tension that is our everyday life. Yes, you can play drinking games with the plot points, but sometimes you need something soft and upbeat to detract from all the negativity in the world today, something predictable to counterbalance the "say what?" that shows up on Twitter when you aren't expecting it.
More often, I'll read a book while he's watching his shows. There is a list of shows I'd like to see, at least once, but I have a hard time investing my time. I've never seen Game of Thrones. I'd like to see Stranger Things. One of these days...
While I was growing up, television was the "iPhone" of my generation. The thing that distracted people's attention when they should have been doing something else. I sort of like doing "something else."
What shows should I be watching that I shouldn't miss?
With that being said, yes, there are shows I enjoy watching. For years, I watched Grey's Anatomy (until they killed McDreamy, and then I had to walk away). I like the new show, New Amsterdam, and I've watched This is Us, but it's hard to maintain momentum, and I'm losing interested in that one, too. We have been watching Hallmark movies more frequently while I was working on developing a Hallmark story - a break from the stress and tension that is our everyday life. Yes, you can play drinking games with the plot points, but sometimes you need something soft and upbeat to detract from all the negativity in the world today, something predictable to counterbalance the "say what?" that shows up on Twitter when you aren't expecting it.
More often, I'll read a book while he's watching his shows. There is a list of shows I'd like to see, at least once, but I have a hard time investing my time. I've never seen Game of Thrones. I'd like to see Stranger Things. One of these days...
While I was growing up, television was the "iPhone" of my generation. The thing that distracted people's attention when they should have been doing something else. I sort of like doing "something else."
What shows should I be watching that I shouldn't miss?
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Getting people to read new books
As an author, one of the things I hope for when I release a book is that someone who's read it will post a review so that other people who might be on the fence about reading it can decide if it's worth their time. But how to get people to take that extra step?
Part of being an author is promotion. We get the books into people's hands in hopes of getting those reviews. Most authors have an early review team - ARC readers. Bloggers and professional reviewers often get copies, and we hope for the best. At best, a percentage of them will leave a review, and that doesn't guarantee the reader actually likes the book. Hey, if that's the case, I'd just as soon know what didn't work so I can make the next book better, or know that I haven't reached my target audience. At the day job, we are required to give feedback to our coworkers, our subordinates, and even our superiors. That's how people improve/get better. Whether it's a pat on the back or constructive criticism, it's how we know if we're hitting the mark.
In searching out new avenues, new reviewers, I signed up for a promotion with my most recent release, folks who had recently rebranded from one company to a new name. The old company had a pretty good rep, and in deciding whether or not to try them out, I reached out to another author I know who'd endorsed them (under the old brand). I'll just say I've been pretty disappointed. For all their promises, they have not returned the hoped-for results (and it's always a crap shoot, but they do over promise). As one of my friends says, it may be a case of "your mileage may vary," but I'm more inclined to believe the rebranded company isn't as well run as the previous incarnation. For one, they'd promised me weekly updates on how many people wanted to read my book. Haven't gotten those. When I asked, three weeks in, they sent me a very short list. When I followed up again two weeks after that, they didn't reply. Big black strike through their name going forward, for any sort of promotion. The new brand obviously doesn't have the same potential the old one did. Moving on.
The best promotion is still word of mouth. If you've read the book, recommend it to a friend. Can't tell you how many people have said "oh, so-and-so told me about your book and we've really enjoyed reading them and talking about them together!" And if you've read the book(s), this is where I encourage you to leave reviews so the rest of the world knows what you thought. Sometimes that's all it takes to push someone over the edge to buy or not buy and support us struggling authors!
What keeps you from leaving a review for the books you've read?
Part of being an author is promotion. We get the books into people's hands in hopes of getting those reviews. Most authors have an early review team - ARC readers. Bloggers and professional reviewers often get copies, and we hope for the best. At best, a percentage of them will leave a review, and that doesn't guarantee the reader actually likes the book. Hey, if that's the case, I'd just as soon know what didn't work so I can make the next book better, or know that I haven't reached my target audience. At the day job, we are required to give feedback to our coworkers, our subordinates, and even our superiors. That's how people improve/get better. Whether it's a pat on the back or constructive criticism, it's how we know if we're hitting the mark.
In searching out new avenues, new reviewers, I signed up for a promotion with my most recent release, folks who had recently rebranded from one company to a new name. The old company had a pretty good rep, and in deciding whether or not to try them out, I reached out to another author I know who'd endorsed them (under the old brand). I'll just say I've been pretty disappointed. For all their promises, they have not returned the hoped-for results (and it's always a crap shoot, but they do over promise). As one of my friends says, it may be a case of "your mileage may vary," but I'm more inclined to believe the rebranded company isn't as well run as the previous incarnation. For one, they'd promised me weekly updates on how many people wanted to read my book. Haven't gotten those. When I asked, three weeks in, they sent me a very short list. When I followed up again two weeks after that, they didn't reply. Big black strike through their name going forward, for any sort of promotion. The new brand obviously doesn't have the same potential the old one did. Moving on.
The best promotion is still word of mouth. If you've read the book, recommend it to a friend. Can't tell you how many people have said "oh, so-and-so told me about your book and we've really enjoyed reading them and talking about them together!" And if you've read the book(s), this is where I encourage you to leave reviews so the rest of the world knows what you thought. Sometimes that's all it takes to push someone over the edge to buy or not buy and support us struggling authors!
What keeps you from leaving a review for the books you've read?
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