Do You Want Your Name In Lights?

Write your first draft with your heart.  Re-write with your head.  ~From the movie Finding Forrester

 

Of course you do!!

Whether we tell ourselves that we want to be published or not is irrelevant. Deep down inside we all want the same thing. Thankfully, there are choices and different paths we can now take to achieve that end goal. I have something for you that will help- a writing contest.

Before you dismiss this because you’re self publishing, or you’re already published in another genre, you better check this out. The Lone Star Writing Contest gives you tangibles that you won’t necessarily find anywhere else. No matter how you decide to publish, an author always needs outside help. I’ve yet to meet a writer that could spot all of their mistakes. For a very small fee, your pages will be read by two published and one non-published judge. If you final, your story will be sent to an agent, an editor, and an e-publisher editor. (Wow- three for the price of one!)

How is this any different? Well, besides providing training for the judges, revamping the score sheet to reflect the writing not “romance” rules, this contest also offers a few bonuses! If you win your category, you will receive a banner for your website, FB etc. This is worth its weight in gold! Free advertising screaming how good you are! If you final, you will receive a seal that you can use in the same way. How cool is that?

Everyone who enters also has a chance to win a 50 page critique by a published author whether they final or not. This is an open playing field where all have the same chance to win. There will be a drawing for each category and the winner’s name will be drawn irregardless of how they placed!

I know I’ll enter this year. Don’t miss the Early Bird Special which ends in a few days!

 

 

Northwest Houston RWA announces The 20th Annual Lone Star Writing Competition.

Along with awesome feedback and a new and improved score sheet, the Lone Star offers a NEW Special Prize!!!

All entrants will be entered into a drawing for a 50 page critique by one of NWHRWA’s published authors. There will be 7 winners, one for each category.

Romantic Suspense: Teri Thackston
Historical: Melinda Porter (Anna Katherine Lanier)
FF&P: Suzan Harden
Inspirational: Carla Rossi
YA: Christie Craig (CC Hunter)
Single Title: PJ Mellor
Contemporary Series: Cheri Jetton

The Lone Star Writing Competition is one of the few contests with two published authors and one unpublished author judging the first round. Finalists will be sent to BOTH an agent and an editor for judging. In addition they will be sent to an e-publishing editor.

EARLY BIRD ENTRY FEE: $5 discount on all entries submitted by midnight May 26, 2012; $15 for NWH members/$20 non-NHW members.

Entry fee: After May 26, 2012 – $20 NWH members; $25 non-NWH members.

Winners will receive a custom made sterling silver pin and a website banner !!!! Finalists will receive a seal to put on their website.

For more information including rules, the score sheet, and entry form, see our new, updated website at www.nwhrwa.com.

Agent Shopping day w/ Literary Agent Laura Bradford.

UPDATE: I’ve heard from Ms. Bradford and have sent out e-mails to the six lucky pitchers!

Thanks to everyone, especially Ms. Bradford for coming and participating.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Good Morning!

As always, I’ll keep it short and sweet. The turn out for Ms. Bradford was awesome! Let’s hope she finds a few pitches below that she likes. Fingers crossed for all of you.

Here are the stats:

Pitches received: 78

Pitches Accepted: 30

Pitches Deleted: 48

• 5 – Missing info
• 3 – Too long
• 1 – Missing title
• 1 – Missing pitch
• 2 – Spam

So that’s it. The first thirty VIABLE pitches are below. Good luck to those who made it through.

Ms. Bradford! Welcome to the madness of Musetracks. The pitches are below. Have fun! If you find any pitches that you’d like to see more of, simply e-mail me the number, what you’d like to see, and how you’d like it sent. I’ll take care of the rest.

Huge thanks for being our guest!

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#1

SWAMP MAGIC

Paranormal Romance

45, 013 words

Beth expected bugs, swamp rats and gators. Finding out the bog monster was real? Well that sure as hell wasn’t.

Evil has a name, it goes by Octavia, and the swamp Witch wasn’t stupid. She cursed her stolen men into creatures that couldn’t become of serious threat to her. Namely, those found naturally in the swamp.

Opossums, lizards and armadillos oh my!

What she failed to realize is every creature is blessed with natural defenses. Though the cursed souls aren’t fully human, neither are they much like their counterparts…except in their defenses. Speed, strength and even armor help unlikely heroes Moss and Damien take a stand for those unfortunate souls who have crossed Octavia’s path.

Beth and her aunt were two such unfortunates…or so everyone thought.

Who knew that these two held special magic’s of their own or that one secretly has revenge on her mind and in her heart.

As the swamp heats up its creatures come out hunting. Only not all of them are in animal form as the past crashes with the future and as is nature’s way only the strong or strong willed survive.

#2

JULIA’S WELL

Women’s Literature

87,000 words

Julia is an optimist and expert problem-solver who “packs her diaper bag like it’s a mission from God,” but her quiet life as a stay-at-home mom is quickly unraveling. Her alcoholic father lands himself in the hospital with liver failure, her husband’s new job means that he is increasingly absent, her sister’s going through her third divorce, and her trouble-making uncle has just resurfaced to stir the family pot.

As Julia comes to terms with the fact that her father needs a long-shot liver transplant to survive, she tries to reconcile her strained marriage with raising her two daughters to her own high standards. While the family keeps vigil at her father’s hospital bedside, long-held secrets are revealed, leading the misfit group to a new understanding of one another, and Julia to a better understanding of herself. Julia learns to ask for help, admit defeat, be selfish when necessary, and surrender control as she redefines her own notion of happiness.

This novel was inspired by a true story: my uncle’s battle with liver failure. Julia’s Well was a semifinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. I was a Glimmer Train contest finalist and have published several short stories.

#3

AT THE END OF THE WATER

Romantic Women’s Fiction

80,000 words

In her heart, Kate would rather be her good friend Oliver’s second wife than anyone else’s first.  Seeing his strength and courage in battling back from his wife’s death has made Kate love Oliver in a way she knows will only ever belong to him.

And that is why she sits alone, today, in her cold basement.

Unfortunately, such a desperate love can leave one half of the heart lost in the other’s wake.  Kate gave herself to Oliver when she’d been whole.  His promise of a woman he could build a new life with.  Love fruitfully, bear his babies, hold heaven.

Kate shouldn’t have let him fall so hard for her.

His good heart will always love but never forget.

Her decision to be sterilized breaks him again and again and again.

How desperate is his love for her?

Enough to leave him sitting waiting, today, on her doorstep.

#4

SECRETS AND LIES

Mystery/Family Saga

177,060 words

Secrets and Lies is set on Caleb’s Woe, an island resort located off the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts. Kate Stanwood’s peaceful life was shattered the morning her brother found their father, Matthew Weston, lying in a bloody heap on the living room floor. At Weston’s feet lay a framed magazine cover page depicting the heyday of the family’s art gallery – an Abstract Expressionist exhibit held in 1957. The cover page was covered with a cipher, written in her fathers’ blood. The condition of her father’s body plus harassment of members of her family encouraged Kate to look into the incident on her own to get answers as to whom was harassing her family and why. What Kate did not know was that uncovering the mystery that led to her father’s death would dislodge an evil much older and much more determined to remain buried.

I publish erotica and dark fiction with several small presses under the pseudonym Elizabeth Black. I’m looking for an agent because I need agent representation for my writing career to succeed.

#5

SHADOWS AT MOOSE RUN

Upmarket Women’s Fiction

110, 000 words

When an unexpected storm rolls in on the afternoon of her mother’s funeral, thirty-year-old Maddie fears that the indomitable Lena is not gone—at least not yet.  With Lena’s death, Maddie had hoped for release from her mother’s oppressive shadow.

Maddie abandons a promising career in New York to return to her childhood home in the Colorado mountains.  She soon discovers that her family has wasted no time in mourning Lena. While her father posts his profile on singles websites, her sister becomes engaged to a man Lena loathed.  Maddie wants her own new start, and sparks fly when she reconnects with childhood friend Brad. Brad is great in bed, but good sex is a poor substitute for the love she wants. She finds consolation from a broken heart in her friendship with cowboy artist Jackson. A cynic who doesn’t believe in romantic love, he’s a safe bet.

But Maddie discovers she cannot find love while haunted by the past.  As she adopts the unlikely role of maid-of-honor to both her sister and soon-to-be-stepmother, she must confront her mother’s shadow, and the one man who asks her to choose between him and her dreams.

#6

THE DETOUR TO HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Humorous Women’s Fiction

88,000 words

Falling in love is easy; it’s all the other junk that brings headaches…and nausea…and demands from family members.

Wedding florist Roda Morgan wonders if she’s destined to sit back and watch everyone else find their Happily-Ever-Afters. Until she meets Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome, and knows right away he’s different. A typical guy wouldn’t help pick up spilled feminine products, or stick around after being thrown up on. But her modest lifestyle clashes with his extravagant one. And instead of holding to her values, she loses herself in his world of fancy cars and glamorous parties. Her mother fears the woman she’s raised is being stolen away, and his is too closed-minded to accept someone who has a different set of beliefs. What’s a girl to do when she’s torn between two lives? Mental breakdown is one option.

#7

COLD MAN RIVER

Mystery

77,000 Words

Restaurant manager Georgie Nikolopatos is losing her husband.  To another man.  This doesn’t surprise her, but it presents a bigger problem.  If Spiro divorces her, Georgie won’t only be out of a marriage, she’ll be out of a home and out of a job in the family business.  She’s spent her entire adult life making a success of the Bonaparte House, a landmark in Bonaparte Bay,New York, and she doesn’t want to give it up.

When Spiro disappears with a chunk of money, and a rival restaurant owner ends up dead on an island in the St. Lawrence River, it’s up to Georgie to prove – or disprove – her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s innocence.

Enter Coast Guard officer Jack Conrad, a sexy stranger to Bonaparte Bay.  Jack seems to know way more than he should about the murder and about Georgie herself.  Will he turn out to be a cold-blooded killer, or a hot-blooded hero?

COLD MAN RIVER is a standalone mystery, with series potential.  It differs from other mystery series in that the murders in future novels are related to the murder in COLD MAN RIVERas part of a continuing story arc.

#8

SEA PANTHER

Paranormal Romance

85,000 words

Black magic corrupts the natural order of the universe when the present and the past and the paranormal collide.

After evading arrest for Jacobite activities, Scottish nobleman Robert MacLachlan turns privateer. Some might say pirate. A Caribbean Voodoo priestess curses him to an eternal existence as a vampire shifter torn between the dual natures of a Florida panther and an immortal blood-thirsting man. For centuries, he seeks to reverse the black magic whilst maintaining his honor. Cruising the twenty-first century Atlantic, he becomes shorthanded to sail his 90-foot yacht, Sea Panther. The last thing he wants is a female crewmember and the call of her blood.

Although she swore never to sail again after her father died in a sailing accident, Kimberly Scot answers the captain’s crew wanted ad to escape a hit man. She’s lost everything, her fiancé, her job, and most of her money, along with money belonging to her ex-clients. A taste of Kimberly’s blood convinces Robert she is the one woman who can claim the panther’s heart. To break the curse, they travel back in time to where it all began—Jamaica 1715.

#9

RAVISHING MIDNIGHT

Adult Urban Fantasy

85,000 words

After recovering from a heart transplant, Rieve Tarunessa returns to her job as head Control Officer to the demons who are legally allowed to feed on the sex, blood, and emotions of human donors. In return, the witches get to harness demon energy to strengthen their magic, which benefits the humans. Lately though, the witches’ magic has been going horribly awry, and the subsequent fallout with the humans has led the witches to a deadly plan to overcome their dependency on demon energy.

When Rieve finds out she actually received a demon’s heart, she uncovers the witches’ plot to use hybrids like her to destroy the demons. Things are further complicated when Rieve finds her heart donor Haden, and realizes that their lives are irrevocably linked because her heart is keeping them both alive. Haden is no ordinary demon though, and the unique power Rieve gains through him becomes the strongest weapon against the witches, who don’t realize that eradicating the demons will destroy everything their magic is a part of, including Rieve’s new heart.

#10

THE FORCES OF HEAVEN AND HELL ALIKE

Urban Fantasy

82,000 words

The demon Liam has been hiding a romantic relationship with the angel Mikael for centuries. When a battle for Heaven places them on opposing sides, Liam must decide if a victory for Hell is more important than losing the one being who taught him good and evil aren’t easily defined.

Liam enjoys traveling the Midwest on his motorcycle, chartering contracts for souls and feeding his addiction to coffee; a leftover need thanks to the body he now inhabits. Not even the minor annoyance of having to deal with archangel Gabriel’s sworn vengeance can interrupt his life for too long.

Thus far, Gabriel’s attacks have been a source of Liam’s mocking towards Heaven’s less-than-competent solider. But now God’s gone AWOL, Heaven’s in disarray, and Gabriel sees an opportunity to take the throne himself. The death of Liam would surely prove his worth as a leader, so he takes a new approach to an old problem. The next soldier to go up against Liam will be trained by the best teacher in heaven—Mikael. Now Mikael must decide how far he can go to protect Liam while serving Heaven, and Liam must save him from having to make the choice.

#11

UNDER THE MOON GATE

Romantic Thriller

85,500 words

UNDER THE MOON GATE is an 85,500-word (digital count) thriller set in contemporary and WWII Bermuda. The novel, a unique blend of old and new, has a mainstream feel that weaves a rich, compelling tale of action and romance spanning two generations. In UNDER THE MOON GATE, dashing Virginian Nathaniel Morgan sails into the life of prim and proper Bermuda heiress Patience Whitestone, determined to dig up her family secrets at any cost, along with a cache of Swiss gold he’s convinced her father buried somewhere on her property during World War II. Nathaniel confronts Patience with evidence – a wartime sea chest raised from the Atlantic, containing incriminating documents and a wartime journal – proving that her father, William Whitestone, was a German sleeper agent planted in Bermuda in 1937. Patience must save herself and her family’s reputation when she finds herself pitted against, but reluctantly drawn to, the stranger who has the power to expose her, while a man from her father’s past threatens to destroy her.

#12

SIXTH SENSE

Romantic Suspense

90,000 words

In Sixth Sense, reluctant Psychic Katherine Crystal, dubbed “Crystal Ball Kate,” is thrust into the national spotlight when she accurately predicts that the young son of actor Vince Rivers (think John Travolta) will die in a private plane crash. Skeptical Atlanta Police Detective Beauregard Lee Jackson Hale (Jack), who has a deep-seated distrust of psychics, is the by-the-book officer who ignores Katherine’s warnings when she calls to report her premonition, with disastrous consequences. When Katherine and Jack are forced to work together to help catch a serial killer, their brief and fruitful chase leads to romance and the ultimate discovery of a mystery and a murder surrounding Kate’s birth in the secret spiritualist community ofCassadaga, Florida.

#13

SIEGE OF THE HEART

Historical Romance

93,000 words

English-born but Norman-blooded, Isabel Dumont struggles to keep her home and heart intact when William the Conqueror sends his knights to her father’s holding after the Battle of Hastings—a task made more difficult when she learns of her father’s death. Sir Alexandre d’Évreux leads the men who have come to escort Isabel and her father to London to swear their allegiance to England’s new king. When Alex learns of William’s plan to give him Isobel’s hand in marriage, he is determined to win the affections of the reluctant maiden on his own terms. Unaware of the brash Normanknight’s true purpose in her life, Isobel strives to maintain her independence, desperate to hide her growing attraction to the confounding knight and the truth about her father.

But time is running out for Alex as they travel to London. He must lay siege to the heart of the one woman who can help him navigate the war-torn country still reeling from the brutal conquest. Just when Alex is convinced Isobel is finally his, she mysteriously vanishes, and his quest to find her plunges them both deeper into the conquest’s fallout.

#14

AMBUSHING THE HEIRESS

Historical/regency romance

110,000 words

“The sacrifice of one spoiled heiress for the good of many…” at least that’s how tarnished war-hero Major Vicks Geale quiets his conscience. Newly returned to England, Geale finds his pay and commission forfeited, he’s inherited a crumbling estate, worthless title and a mountain of debt. With his band of wounded men depending upon him, Geale chooses the feckless and rich Lady Evangeline “Mischief” Moorecroft.

Gorgeous over-indulged Lady Evangeline delights on dancing the razor’s edge between scandal and infamy. Unable to resist Geale’s bait of a notoriously naughty masquerade, Evangeline awakens to discover she’s been ambushed into marriage.

Ready to escape her new husband and pay her way out of scandal, Evangeline finds herself in the impossible predicament of needing Geale’s unwitting assistance to help her wayward brother escape to the Continent.

Alternately teasing and appeasing, Geale begins to win her heart. Evangeline fans the fierce attraction between them until she discovers Geale’s been commissioned by her father, the Duke, to return her brother to London, dead or alive.

If Geale succeeds, he will keep Evangeline and her fortune. But his failure he will pay for with his life.

#15

JUST BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE

Time Travel Romance

 93,000 words

Determined to regain her royal status, a banished Highland faerie accepts a challenge issued by the queen of the fae to unite an unlikely couple while the clan brownie vows to stop her.

Passion ignites when a faerie-shove propels burned-out business consultant Laurie Bernard through the garden gate, back through time, and into the embrace of Patrick MacLachlan. The arrogant clan chief doesn’t know what to make of the lass in his arms, especially when he recognizes the brooch pinned at her shoulder as the one his stepmother wore when she and his father disappeared. Laurie sets his blood afire and he’s determined to have her. She’s resolved to return to her own time and the quiet country life of which she’s dreamed. Yet her desire for Patrick is impossible to resist.

With the fae interfering at every opportunity, the couple must learn to trust one another while combating an enemy clan, exposing a traitor from within and discovering the true fate of Patrick’s missing parents. Against the odds, they learn the most important truth—love transcends time.

#16

HANNAH’S HALF

YA Paranormal Mystery

60,000 words

18-year-old Hannah Spencer would give anything for a dead-free day. For most of her life, she’s ignored the Visitors who appear in her bedroom each morning. After all, they’re dead, they don’t speak and they rarely stay more than a few minutes. Everything changes when Adam, a recent casualty in a car accident, appears and demands her help to move on to the afterlife. Troubled by her intense attraction to him, Hannah uncovers the truth about their connection: Adam is her twin flame — the other half of her soul— and the two have spent a number of lifetimes together. Unable to ignore their bond, Hannah and Adam rekindle their ages-old romance. However, when she links this mysterious ghost to the disappearance of his sister and the terrifying recurring dreams she’s been having, she must decide if helping him is worth risking her life … again.

#17

HOMESICK FOR GOODBYE

Young Adult Contemporary

59,000 words

There are no strangers in Coffee, Texas. This little town has two unspoken rules: 1. No one moves to Coffee, 2. No one moves out of Coffee. Willow Dean Connor and her father have broken not just one, but both of these rules. Willow’s getaway path out of town is littered with the debris of her former life including her surreptitious relationship with her older brother’s best friend and the shadow of the mother who left Willow when she least expected it. Having left without a backward glance, Willow’s escape is short lived. Now she must return to Coffee where she is shocked to discover the home she grew up in has been sold and is now occupied by Max, a new boy in town.

Overwhelmed by her unexpected homecoming, an anxiety prone Willow is confronted by the life she has left behind and the one she has yet to live. Willow must determine if “home” is her fractured family, an old house, or maybe a boy named Max. Homesick for Goodbye is about the realization that home is bigger than four walls; home is a broken puzzle comprised of all the seemingly mismatched pieces collected along the way.

#18

THE UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

Category Contemporary Romance aiming for Harlequin Blaze

55,000 words

Thirty-something Lucy is a returning college student who isn’t going to waste her time dating unworthy men.  She manages to fall for the wrong guy every time.

She makes a list for her perfect man, and ignores her heart in her quest for Mr. Right.  Until she meets Andy.  She can’t get him, or his sweat pant clad butt out of her mind.  Even after she learns he lives with his mom, and his goal is to “win World of Warcraft, and attend ComiCon.”  An honest man who can make her laugh means more than a five-year fiscal plan, doesn’t it?

Dr. Andrew Sullivan, PhD, is undercover researching his next presentation for ComiCon, and his subsequent articles in Wired magazine.  Since he’s famous in the gamer world and recently had a public break up with a B-list actress, he grows a scruffy beard, chooses clothes to match it, and acts the part of an unemployed slacker while living with his mother.  Unfortunately, he can’t keep his mind, or his mitts off Lucy.  Can he trust her enough to keep his secret?  And can he tell her before it’s too late, and she breaks his heart?

#19

SPARK

YA Paranormal

59,000 words

Seventeen-year-old Allison just wants to make it through high school without killing anyone.  There’s just one problem.  Allison, like all the other women in her family, is cursed.  She can weaken a man for days with a single kiss, and when it comes to sex, there’s no such thing as safe—losing her virginity means a man loses his life.

Fighting her murderous destiny isn’t the only thing on Allison’s mind.  She also has to deal with an aunt who keeps pushing her to “turn to God for guidance” and her sister, Jade, who has weakened more men than she can count.  Allison knows Jade’s reckless behavior will catch up to her sooner or later, but she never imagines it will lead to her sister’s death.

After Jade’s apparent suicide, Allison’s good friend Ren is there to help her get through the difficult time.  However, their relationship soon turns into something more than friendly and far more dangerous.

As if trying not to kill the man she’s falling in love with and dealing with her bible-thumping aunt isn’t bad enough, Allison also has to come to terms with her sister’s death and the unanswered questions surrounding it.

#20

IMMORTAL BLOODLINES

Paranormal Romance

90,000 words

When an immortal alpha male searches the city for his rogue brother, he embarks on a torrid and illicit affair with a human named Kila. The instant attraction drags Kila into a clandestine realm that has hugged reality for centuries, one where shape-shifters prowl the earth while preying on humans. Powerful adversaries face Kila, vowing to destroy her while returning Ethan to his alpha duties.

As the adventure escalates, the dreams and whispers in Kila’s head pull her to the place of her birth, exposing the most astonishing revelation yet. You see, Kila isn’t a weak, insecure human begging at the feet of immortals. She just happens to be their worst nightmare, and fated for a destiny most befitting of star-crossed lovers.

#21

SONG OF THE SIRENS

YA Dark Fantasy

60,000 words

If you don’t think the idea of flesh eating mermaids is terrifying, then you’ve obviously never been trapped in the middle of the ocean during a storm constructed by the bloodthirsty maidens. Step into Anita’s world as she tags along on her father’s expedition in search of Atlantis. Since the arrival of the team’s newest member, the hotness known as Riley, an unexplained song haunts Anita’s dreams, and soon thereafter her waking hours. The siren’s song, a sweet and hypnotic melody, unleashes zombie-like mermaids turned human bent on revenge and plagued by madness.

When the sirens lure the mortals to the labyrinth tomb of Theoisis, Anita faces the demons from her nightmares. Trapped underwater and at the mercy of an undiscovered race, Anita must fight in order to save her father. A series of horrific murders set the pace for an unprecedented escape from the siren’s hold as Atlantis’ protector, Riley, struggles to imprison the sirens before they reach land.

#22

DARK KNIGHT

Paranormal Romance

75,842 words

Dark Knight is a paranormal romance based on the Shadowlands, a world parallel to our own.  Creatures, such as vampires and other demons, were born in the Shadowlands and often make their way into our world: the outer world.  Not all of them are evil, but the ones who are bad, are really bad.  The U.S. Government has designated a top-secret sector who has been assigned the job of researching the Shadowlands, while continuing to protect the outer world.  Ethan St. John is one of those agents.  Born into the secret life of protector and hunter, St. John will save Gabriella Woods from an evil vampire.  Gabriella is a “starving artist” at her first gallery opening when she’s abducted by one of the world’s most powerful vampires.  The clan wants her because she has a unique gene they need.  Ethan saves the day, sweeping her away from her captor to a New England safe house to teach her mind-control to battle against the evil that’s come for her.  Dark Knight is the first book of many in the Shadowland series.  Readers will get to know reoccurring characters as they read through the books.  Dark Knight is 75,842 words.

#23

FIREKEEPER

Upper middle grade fantasy

85,000 words

Mythical creatures are a complication Dexter Gallagher doesn’t need so
soon after his mother’s death. More so because shy, stuttering Dexter
is awkward; lots of awkward. When a not-so-fictitious firebird follows
him to school and sets a bully’s hair on fire, Dexter isn’t grateful.
He’s terrified, especially when this firebird by day also turns into a
beautiful mute girl by night. Dexter has always been clueless around
females, even those who can’t talk back.

Adding to his problems is his long-absent father, who just happens to
be a famous warrior from Faer. Yes, the place with all the magic and
ogres and Faeri godmothers. (And crazy seeresses, and talking pigeons.
Maybe a zombie or twelve. And lots of aggressive toads.) Said father’s
taking custody, and that means Dexter’s moving to Faer.

But legend also says firebirds are the key to finding the Kingsword,
Faer’s most powerful weapon. And there’s a Snow Queen who’d kill to
get her hands on both. She’s giving Dexter two choices: surrender the
firebird, or lose his life. But while Dexter’s no Prince Charming,
he’s learning that sometimes you don’t need to be a hero to fight for
the things that matter most.

#24

UNUSUAL YOU

YA Urban Fantasy

71,000 words

How do you live your life when you’ve already seen your death?

Seventeen-year-old Carri Helms ability to see the future did not prepare her for visions of her own death. Or, an attack on her life by a secret society who believe she is the descendant of one of the world’s oldest bloodlines and the key to unleashing an ancient power.

Rykeir Davis is used to hiding his supernatural abilities from the world, but when he saves Carri from certain death, he finds himself risking everything to protect her. Drawn to her, he will stop at nothing to keep her safe, even if that means revealing all he is and all he is capable of.

Now, Carri and Rykeir must uncover the truth behind her lineage while preventing the revival of a war that nearly destroyed her kind once before. It is a battle of good versus evil in this supernatural journey as the discovery of love and self defies nature and transcends time.

#25

SIN’S FLOWER

Dark, Romantic Women’s Fiction

104,000 words

Thirty-two year old musician assistant Trista Hart knows she needs to find a way out of the nocturnally persuaded world of her best friend and boss, Jaxon James. But no matter how dark that route has become lately, he and his band Sin Pointe are her family and she’s not prepared desert them for Jaxon’s visiting cousin, Lucky Mason of Tennessee, if it’s just going to take her down another of life’s pot-hole littered highways. She has valid reasons to question Lucky and his beloved south—having experienced at an early age the sometimes hypocritical underbelly of the region’s good manners and charm.

Her hourglass has been turned upside down and now with Lucky’s heartfelt proposal before her, she has to decide one for the other at the most inconvenient of times—just as Sin Pointe’s tour is taking off and on the heels of a horrendous late night attack on her and Jaxon that leaves her sure of only one thing…

It’s time for Trista to be her own savior.

#26

MASTER OF DISQUISE

Romantic Suspense or Contemporary

90,000 words

Count Aldric Bradawulf, aka Elliott Tibbles, aka Slick is the ultimate invisible man. A Master of Disguise, he collects clandestine global information. After overhearing three International thugs planning to kidnap Deidre Townsend in order to steal her sister’s new fuel technology, his plans to approach Deidre slowly, and ease his way back into her life, are spoiled. He’d hoped for more time to explain his deception a year earlier, but danger is imminent and he’ll have to move fast.

In the midst of mayhem, Elliott Tibbles tumbles back into Dee’s life and she soon finds herself ensconced in a magnificent Austrian castle with Elliott, or rather, Count Aldric Bradawulf. Can she forgive him for his deception a year earlier? Can she trust him and his dubious connections? Together they must outwit a dangerous group of men in pursuit of a hundred million dollar prize. Can love—based on a foundation of lies and deceit—grow and flourish?

My first published novel, Mirror Images, received two five-star reviews. I have been a member of RWA for ten years and hope that my pitch intrigues you.

#27

SIN ON THE STRIP

Romantic Suspense

102,000 words

Sin on the strip is a romantic suspense about Maggie Anderson, a televangelist’s    daughter and street counselor. Years earlier a violent near miss with a human trafficker destroyed Maggie’s confidence forcing her to use her strip club as a means to reach women in need. But when a serial killer kidnaps her friend, Maggie has no choice but to finally face her old demons and once again run to the rescue in spite of the fact that she couldn’t defend herself the one time she needed to.

Search and rescue investigator, Christian Beck has been on too many ‘damsel in distress’ missions to stomach another one. But when his latest assignment leads him to a reckless club manager determined to put herself in danger, professional distance no longer seems to be his motto. As the serial killer sets his sights on Maggie, Beck races to save her or face losing her to the same psycho he believes killed his kid sister twenty years earlier.

Maggie and Christian discover that on the strip sin is a relative term and to have a future they must conquer their pasts.

#28

INSIGHT

YA

97,722 words

Some say that dreams are the doorway to the soul. Willow is no stranger to that doorway. Each night she shares a silent dream with a stunning blue-eyed boy. With each new moon she’s haunted by a nightmare shared with a different boy, who is always hidden by the shadows.

In her waking hours she must battle her sixth sense. The one that allows her to feel others emotions as if they were hers. This insight is exhausting, causing her to draw inward, only trusting a few close friends. Oddly, this sense also attracts ghostly images that seem to appear out of nowhere.  With a touch, they take her to wherever they may be, allowing her to change their emotion. This alone would cause most to go insane, but Willow filters her aggression by painting, capturing the emotion.

One August night, a nightmare came days after the new moon. In this dream the shadowed boy marked her wrist with a star, leaving her father no choice but to share a family secret that would tie all of the odd attributes of Willow’s life together. Now, she has no choice but to outrun the fate that is closing in around her.

#29

DOWN UNDER DOWNEAST

Contemporary women’s fiction

96,000 words

Aussie veterinarian Shaye Gillies is running from the memories of a tragedy back home when she lands in Granite Harbor, Maine to take over the island’s only animal hospital. A tragedy she feels she could have prevented. How? Shaye gets visions of possible future events. No one listened to her warnings Down Under, and afterwards, the town vented its anguish and anger on her.

Now, years later, in a small village in Downeast Maine, new visions warn of a fire at the general store. However, the visions have some conflicting details. Past and present blend in seemingly impossible combinations.

Betty, the village’s elderly psychic. Jane, Shaye’s long deceased psychic mentor. Shaye’s visions of a future fire. A 1930 fire that destroyed the general store. Two suitors, both possibly with ulterior motives for winning her heart.

After denying her psychic abilities since the tragedy Down Under, Shaye must trust her heart and reveal her abilities to the village. When the visions gain startlingly sharp detail, she sees the fire, one suitor, his mother and herself. They race to the store to save lives, the store and something unexpected – a decades old connection between Down Under and Downeast.

#30

IN SARAH’S SHADOW

Romance/Historical

90,000 words

Mother Nature plays matchmaker in my ninety thousand word historical romance, In Sarah’s Shadow.

Separated from her family, frostbitten Roberta Shallcross is a woman in desperate need of a hero. David Henderson is far from that. He’s a drunken widower who can’t get past the murder of his seemingly perfect wife, Sarah.

When David grudgingly saves Bobby’s life from the Rocky Mountain wilderness, she intends to return the favor and see him sober. Unfortunately, battling liquid demons aren’t the only obstacles on the path to happily ever after. Enter Reginald Crocker.

Reg is a smooth talking Bostonian with a covetous heart. What he covets is Bobby’s affection.  And why not?   Didn’t Sarah fall into his trap?  Perhaps, Bobby will too, for aren’t the mountains a lonely place for a woman in the clutches of brooding drunkard?

Despite his meddling, genuine feelings between David and Bobby grow. But will their new found love be strong enough to survive David’s guilt over Sarah’s death. And more importantly, can they survive Reg’s wrath?

“A Vital Gem…A Kick In The Ass.”

How many of you have wanted to write a great book? How about simply finish your first one? Have you ever wanted to do something bigger than yourself? Learn to speak a language? Lose a bunch of weight? Run a marathon or join a humanitarian aid organization? If the answer to any of these is yes- then you have met the enemy.

Not the wanting. The desire to rise above yourself embodies all that is noble and good in humankind. The enemy is Resistance.

“Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. It is the root of more unhappiness than poverty, disease, and erectile dysfunction. To yield to Resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be. If you believe in God (and I do) you must declare Resistance evil, for it prevents us from achieving the life God intended when He endowed each of us with our unique genius. Genius is a Latin word; the Romans used it to denote an inner spirit, holy and inviolable, which watches over us, guiding us to our calling. A writer writes with his genius; an artist paints with hers; everyone who creates operates from this sacramental center. It is our soul’s seat, the vessel that holds being-in-potential, our star’s beacon and Polaris.

Every sun casts a shadow, and genius’s shadow is Resistance. As powerful as is our soul’s call to realization, so potent are the forces of Resistance arrayed against it. Resistance is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, harder to kick than crack cocaine. We’re not alone if we’ve been mowed down by Resistance; millions of good men and women have bitten the dust before us. And here’s the biggest bitch: We don’t even know what hit us. I never did. From age twenty-four to thirty-two, Resistance kicked my ass from the East Coast to West and back again thirteen times and I never even knew it existed. I looked everywhere for the enemy and failed to see it right in front of my face.”

Steven Pressfield

The War of Art

 

I found the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield with other craft books at The Lone Star Conference this past weekend. I’m late to the table of knowledge, but better late than never.

He breaks this book into three separate books. Book 1 is about identifying Resistance- the insidious evil that sucks us from our potential selves. There are many things he labels as Resistance. I’m guilty of a lot of them, but my main enemy is PROCRASTINATION! I found myself procrastinating about writing this article pointing out how procrastination will turn my potential into an unrealized dream. Now, if that’s not pathetic, I don’t know what is…

Book 2 is about “Turning Pro”. Words like professional, order, endurance etc. pop up and you know this writer is a pro. All you have to do is look at his career to know he practices what he preaches. His history books are used at West Point and by the Marines, some are even assigned by professors at Oxford. One of his fiction novels, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was made into a movie and The War of Art is used by artists and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Book 3 is called “The Higher Realm” which lies beyond Resistance. This is where we find the pay off for persevering through our own nonsense. After you’ve done a day’s work, your mind is free to receive other ideas that seem to multiply rapidly. The most important thing in art, of any form, is work. When you show up day after day trying to create, something special begins to happen. We set a process in motion where power is concentrated and muses are allowed to flourish. Ideas come. Words are written. We are artists.

Have you read this book? If not, I recommend it to anyone who wants to try something out of their comfort zone. To quote Esquire, “It truly is a vital gem…a kick in the ass.”

What do you already do to beat Resistance? Share with us your techniques…I’m sure we can use all the help we can get!

 

Putting yourself out there by Candi Wall

 

 

OH! Super cool update! Laura Bradford confirmed she’ll be here for our November Agent Shop since

gremlins messed with our last run of e-mails and this Agent Shop was cancelled. She’s a stellar lady peeps!

“This is wonderful. I could feel everything your character was experiencing!”

“You’ve got a strong voice and the writing was sublime…”

Oh, yeah. You all know what I’m talking about. The big grin, the heart thumping that goes along with opening your e-mail, contest scores, comment section, twitter, or whatever venue you use to put your writing out there, and reading something like that!

It’s like CRACK!

More, more! Gimme more!

‘Course, the negative comments can be just as intense .

“You really should pick an author you like and try to emulate them.”

“Your characters felt cardboard to me, and your villain was nothing more than a cliché device to throw in some failed tension.”

Kill me now!

Okay, so it’s not that bad. As with everything, we have to take any and all comments with a grain or bucket of salt.

As writers, we’re going to come across every personality, like, dislike, good day, bad day, that our readers have. We’re going to be held high by a reader that just adored everything we put into words, and we’re going to be knocked so low, getting back up will be a Herculean task.

Color me a glutton…

But I’ll probably keep putting my work out there, through contests, groups, sharing sites and of course my Beta readers and Crit partners.

Wanna know why?

Simple. Feedback, friendship and the chance at winning!

And believe it or not, that’s the order of importance I take when I enter any contest. Feedback is gold.

As most of us do, I started this journey alone. Through contests, writing groups, and networking, I’ve found the most amazing people and am lucky to have them. I don’t believe for a moment that without them, I would be as far as I am today. And that in itself is enough reason for me to feel justified in encouraging any writer, at any stage of their craft, to get out there, take a chance, let others see what you write and learn what you can from what you get for feedback.

Soak it up like a sponge, retain what you need, and let the rest evaporate.

I took my first tentative steps into networking waters by joining Charlotte Dillon’s Romance Writers Community. Best choice I ever made. That’s where I met Jenn, Marie-Claude and John. I took a chance, they took a chance, and we found a solid foundation of friends to share our journey with. That friendship and professional connection remains today!

Marie-Claude stepped WAY out of her comfort zone and entered Dorchester’s American Title V contest and WON! But if you ask her, she met and remains friends with numerous other writers to this day, and that’s something even winning can’t compare with.

My first public contest was Dorchester’s Next Best Celler contest. It was hell. Pure and simple. Vote tarting sucks, that’s all there is to it. There was some back biting, some down voting, oh – it was tough, but again, out of the great, not-so-great, and sometimes questionable comments, I gained a group of ladies as my friends, all of whom will give it to me straight when I’m doing well, or writing crap.

‘Kinda makes you feel all mushy inside, don’t it?

Yeah, me too.

So I’m on to my next contest.

The Mills & Boon New Voices contest

I’ve met one stellar writer already, and I know she’ll be a friend way past this contest. I’ve read some great entries, left what I hope are seen as constructive comments and gained some as well. I’ve been down voted too, and it’s still early in the competition. but I’m looking forward to it just the same, because regardless of the outcome, I’m coming out of it a winner. Either with feedback, friends or (fingers crossed) a win.

New Voices is open to any writer who hasn’t been published. the deadline is Oct. 10th, so swing in and enter!

So, have any contest experiences you can share, good or bad? I’d love to hear about them.

DISCLAIMER: ALWAYS REMEMBER TO RESEARCH A CONTEST BEFORE ENTERING. THERE ARE SO MANY SCAMS OUT THERE. READ THE FINE PRINT CAREFULLY!

Jumping The Gun by Candi Wall

Hopefully everyone’s had a wonderful and productive summer.

Mine wasn’t overly productive, as far as writing goes, but with work and kids out of school for the summer, I planned ahead. Or rather, I told myself to prepare for limited computer time. I’ve been working on the Agent Shop schedule though, and hope you all remember to check back and see who we’ll be having as our guest agents for the rest of the year.

Today I wanted to mention a topic that comes up often in discussion with agents and editors alike.

Premature submitting!

Jumping the gun!

Hitting that send button too soon.

I’m sure we’ve all been there.

It’s exciting – and scary – and that dream agent you’ve been keeping your eye on just opened back up for queries – and her tweets say she looking for just what you’ve written – and – and – and…

Yep, you got it. All that time spent writing, and the opportunity is there. You’ve poured yourself, your time, your heart, blood and tears into the manuscript. How can you let this opp go by??? You talk yourself right into it.

I’m here to tell you – STOP YOURSELF!

A rejection is hard enough to take, but one that tells you you’ve got a great idea but the writing just isn’t there…brutal. I’ve heard agents and editors both say they see this A LOT and many times, it’s because the author didn’t give themselves the time or the edits needed. Unless your work has been through the following AT LEAST, and probably much more, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

• First round edit
• Crit partners
• A month where you don’t even LOOK at it
• Read it out loud
• Second round edit
• Contests are great at this stage too!
• Beta readers 2 or more
• VICIOUS edit (be brutal on yourself. If the sent makes you go ‘hmmm’ get rid of it or fix it.)
• A good dose of ‘this is crap, it’s great, it’s crap, it’s great’ limbo. (Okay, maybe that part was just me. But I find chocolate helps.)
• Final edit (and I highly suggest a final beta read)
• Make it shine

Quick and simple today. I have insanity clogging my to do list this week.

Happy writing, editing, revising, submitting or any stage in between!

UPDATE: I’m still waiting on confirmation from our guest agent this month…. Concerned that e-mails were lost in cyber space or spam…

“Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down”

No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published.  ~Russell Lynes

By: Stacey Purcell

I’m sure a lot of you have read about author Kiana Davenport’s trouble with a large traditional publishing house. In case you haven’t, I’ll do a short re-cap. This author signed a deal for a book that she wrote which was due to come out in 2012.

So far, so good.

Ms. Davenport has won numerous awards, been previously published and by all rights is a wonderful writer. She is also a fashion model who lived the high life and spent most all of her money. She submitted and was accepted by Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin books. The terms for her new contract were less than what she used to command, but she needed the money that the advance would pay.

Just prior to this arrangement, she came across Joe Konrath’s blog about self-publishing and turned to him for help. With a bit of guidance, she sold a collection of short stories and was successful! She then published a second collection and  the proverbial poop hit the fan!

 “The editor shouted at me repeatedly on the phone.  I was accused of breaching my contract (which I did not) but worse, of ‘blatantly betraying them with Amazon,’ their biggest and most intimidating competitor.  I was not trustworthy.  I was sleeping with the enemy.”

Kiana Davenport immediately hired a lawyer. (Good for her!) He pointed out that the first collection was published before she signed the contract, so they turned their attention to the second collection and demanded that she take it off line, erase all mention on the internet about her short stories and that she submit in writing that she would not publish any of her back log items while her current book was with them. (That would represent a good two or more years of her life.)

Can you say straight jacket?

She refused. (Yay!) They terminated their contract and demanded her advance back. They are also holding her novel hostage until she sends them the money. That’s the whole sordid affair in a nutshell.

My first response to reading about her plight was disbelief. I simply couldn’t believe that an established business under the banner of an even bigger company would resort to classic bully tactics fronted by their legal department. After spending several hours researching articles posted by several amazing bloggers (lawyers included), I can say I was wrong. Do they not realize writers have blogs? Stories like this WILL get out and spread like wild fire.

Authors are urged to remember they are “professionals” in most every writing group out there. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it ad nauseum to always be on my best behavior, remember this is a profession, dress appropriately etc. etc. etc. So I ask the question, “How professional was it that the editor screamed at her over the phone? How professional was it that they called her agent offering treats so she would move forward in the right spirit?” I would also answer the questions by saying that they seem to be on shaky legal ground.

I haven’t seen the contract, I can only interpret the actions by both parties. If the publisher thought they had an iron clad legal stand, there wouldn’t be such an emotional outburst on the editor’s part, and they wouldn’t have tried to offer incentives for her to agree to their terms.

“The vice president and publisher of that house called my agent, offering extra little sweetmeats if I would just capitulate and ‘adopt the right spirit going forward.’  This somewhat sinister and semi-benevolent attempt at mind-control fascinated me.”

I think someone at Riverhead omitted the clause about what they would allow her to publish or not publish during the tenure of their agreement. I also think that if all of the above is true, then they are in breach of contract. By terminating the contract and demanding the advance back, on baseless grounds, they are now in the wrong. I believe they are bluffing by demanding the advance back and I’ll bet that her lawyer is telling her much the same thing. **Remember, I’m not a lawyer and am only expressing my thoughts.**

This whole story makes me sad. Not every publisher is a bad guy, some actually support the idea that the author is out there drumming up business and making their presence known on line. It seems to me that it’s a win-win situation and a model that would help traditional publishers stay afloat in this tumultuous time. Scenarios, like this, hurt everyone and I hope that the coming days as the landscape dramatically changes in our business, we will see calmer, more rational behavior from all.

Take some responsibility! by Candi Wall

So I hit the purchase button the other night SEVEN times. Yeah, you heard me right. Seven times. For a grand total of $21. and some change.

I don’t part easily with my money, except when it comes to books. I could spend THOUSANDS. (Checking to make sure hubby didn’t read that.) Below is what my house will probably look like some day.

I usually don’t complain. But here’s the thing. I read the first book – LOVED IT – and went on to the next. It was a .99 cent purchase from an author I didn’t know, self-pubbed and I liked the premise. Hey I’ll give anyone a chance. ONCE.

I hadn’t reached the end of the first chapter when I realized I’d given my money away for nothing. I groaned, archived the sucker and went on to the next one. The next wasn’t as bad, but there was a plot hole the size of Jupiter about midway through and by this point I was losing interest in the hero. Too bad, because it started off as a good read. Darn.

I’ve twittered several times about this as well, venting my frustration for the self-pubbed authors who are making other self-pubbed author look bad. Every reader who has a bad experience with a self-pubbed book makes it harder for other authors to sell! Argh, the frustration! And I’m not even self-pubbed.

At this point, hubby was starting to get sick of my ‘waspish’ attitude. After three more days, my results were:

Seven purchases

1- Loved

2- Liked

4- Couldn’t finish

I know – it’s a crap shoot right?!?

NO! It isn’t.

And here’s where dear hubby had all he was going to take.

In his words…

“What did you expect, hon?” Raising a quizzical brow. “If you go to Wal-Mart and buy a vacuum for twenty bucks, you get what you pay for. It’s like buying toilet paper at the dollar store. It ain’t gonna hold up.” (Yep, I’m married to a thinner version of Larry the Cable Guy.)

Well how dare he. I have friends who self publish. That’s not fair! (Insert indignant foot-stomping) “There are tons of authors out there with brilliant books!”

“Really?” says hubby. “Then you would think you’d do your homework before you buy.”

GADS! He’s SO right. And I’m so not going to tell him that. Sheesh.

What was I thinking?!?

We’ve been spoiled peeps. Let’s face it. The publishers we’ve come to trust have given us so many great books, we may have forgotten how to check the products first. Don’t get me wrong, one person’s crap is another’s gold. I hate what you love at times and visa-versa. But we came to rely on what they put out there.

Now if we, the consumer, are going to gripe about prices and go elsewhere to read at super cheap prices, we’ll have to start doing our own research. We’re spoiled again however, because there is this ingenious little thing called the World Wide Web. Search engines abound, and at any time, we can sluice through the crap to ferret out the truth, or at least get a sense of what we’re getting into.

Here’s my new list of things I check BEFORE I purchase:

• Google the author
• Do they have blogs?
• Reviews? (Other than where I’m purchasing from and checking the author’s responses to reviews)
• Any other books out?
• Website?
• And of course – I ask my writing/reading pals

Seems like a lot of work, but hey, there are some amazing authors out there getting lost in the shuffle of self-pubbing. I want to find, support and enjoy them. If that means I have to do a few minutes of research, so be it. I’m a big girl, I can handle the responsibility of checking out my purchase’s history beforehand. After all, who wants a $20 vacuum that doesn’t work, when you can get the fantastic $5 super sweeper that might just be the next big thing?

So take some responsibility as readers! Check it out first.

For Crying Out Loud- Get It Right!

The wastebasket is a writer’s best friend.  ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

By: Stacey Purcell

Do you want to hear a semi depressing number? I read that less than 1% of the books that are published by the Big Six are by debut authors. Excuse me while I sit down for a second. That is a fairly harsh number, to say the least.

Fortunately for those of us still working on getting the first book out of the door, we have options. The publishing landscape is not as desolate as it seemed when I came across that tidbit of information. As you have undoubtedly heard by now, our industry is changing fast. What does that mean?

It means that we have options…if we don’t blow it.

E-publishing has brought us several more publishing houses that are looking for quality work. Companies like Carina, Wild Rose and Ellora’s Cave are offering representation to thousands of authors and paying a higher percentage to the writer. We also have the ability to skip agents and publishers altogether.

Here’s where we start to have some trouble.

The other day, I was chatting with Jenn about writing contests. She noted that there seems to be a drop in the number of entrants across the board. I’m sure the economy is partially to blame, but she also pointed out another factor that is driving the numbers down. As more writers self-pub, they are entering less contests. Whoa! Stop everything! It should be just the opposite..

One of the biggest draws in a writing contest is the final judge for each genre. If you’re a finalist, then your pages are read by agents and editors. Obviously, if you are doing your own work, then you don’t need them. So why enter? In my opinion, if you are publishing your own book, then you should be entered in multiple contests. It’s a terrific way to get your pages edited and help you polish those words. Can you edit your own work? Of course you can, I just wouldn’t advise it.

Listen up people, if you are going to publish DIY, then please don’t settle for editing it yourself. Enter contests, find critique partners, hire professional editors, and just get it right! We have this amazing opportunity to take control of our artistic future and the public is receptive. There are many success stories, but there are many failures as well. I’m afraid that if they are continually disappointed with mediocre, sloppy books, they will stop giving new authors a try.

Even at $2.99.

Even at $1.99.

Heck, even at .99.

When an author puts out a crappy piece of work full of typos, poor spelling and awkward sentences, they sink themselves. They also make it more difficult for me to grab that customer back to being willing to try an unknown writer. That makes me mad. Many of my friends have beat me in putting their stories up for sale first and I watched how hard they worked. Countless hours were spent writing and re-writing until it was their best possible product. They used the feedback from contests to hone their writing style and add more texture to the stories. It didn’t stop there. They had critique partners and beta readers marking up their manuscripts. It wasn’t always fun, but they knew it was necessary. Feedback is essential to any really good author.

This is a competitive industry. Be smart when you make decisions about your career. There are many things we can’t control in life, but the quality of our work isn’t one of them.

This one is just because I thought it was funny!

Paying the TimeKeeper – Blogger’s Debt

Song of the Day: Paparazzi by Lady Gaga

So, let’s talk about author blogs. Commentaries, musings, chronicles, running narratives of a writer’s life, there are a bajillion out there. But are they effective in bringing in sales and new readers? Or are they another time sucking black hole?

The answer I’ve come up with – yes and no.

Blogs are great tools in developing a web presence, especially when following a few tips. Blogs should reflect the blogger’s personality, be entertaining, and offer something (education, advice, links, prizes, a good knee-slapping laugh, etc.) to readers.  Length can be whatever the blogger is comfortable with, but shorter is sometimes better, especially when blogging often. (Not today. Sorry.) The blogger should make every effort to reply to every commenter. Personal touches go a long way, showing the blogger is not a cold, unapproachable, one dimensional being.

There is no question blogs are important to writers, whether they write them or not. Commenting on blogs regularly is an easy way to gain name recognition. They (whoever ‘they’ are) say it takes seven times for a person to see a name before that name becomes recognizable. That’s what we want, right? To be recognizable? Okay, maybe we won’t walk outside and be blinded by dozens of paparazzi flash bulbs. But we do want people to remember us.

Let’s go back to my original question. Are blogs another chupacabra sucking us dry of our precious time?

A question to ask yourself is who is the target market for your blog? For many of us, our circles of followers are other authors. This is great because writers tend to form supportive, tight knit communities. And in this industry, we need to each other’s back. But how far will that go in terms of sales and readership? It goes back to becoming active in the blogosphere.

We want to expand from the bubble of friends. We want to draw in readers near AND far.

Many authors do blog tours. Any way you slice it, blog tours are time consuming. Consider the time spent looking for and corresponding with other bloggers for a guest spot. Also consider that the content posted will need to be fresh and unique for each site. Don’t forget the time spent replying to every commenter to your post.

If you have time for a blog tour, I say go for it. Got a couple of tips for you, too. Keep the blog tour to a manageable amount, be that 10, 25, or 50 stops. Offer prizes. People will likely ‘follow’ you (think Grateful Dead’s Deadheads) on your tour if they have a chance to win something. Have a boilerplate about yourself and your book’s information already prepared. The boilerplate can easily be copied and pasted into each blog written. Don’t just hit up all your writer buds for guest spots and interviews. There are endless blogging opportunities out there. Expand on blogs that have content you may be interested in. For example, if your book is about a dragon-slaying pastry chef who falls in love with a racecar-driving homicide detective. You might consider looking for blogs about Renaissance festivals, Nascar, baking, and law enforcement and write a blog relevant to those topics. And if you have a boilerplate at the end, you’ll be slipping in that PSA on your book, upcoming release, or YOU the future best-selling author.

Need help finding blogs to appear as a guest? You might try Myguestblogger.com to get you started. Or try Googling ‘guest blogging sites’ or ‘guest bloggers wanted *topic*’. There is also The Cheap, a blog for authors and readers who welcome guest bloggers. Then there is MuseTracks.  That’s right. Want to do a guest blog here, contact one of us!

If tours aren’t your cup of ale, you can still use these blog tips to your advantage and at your leisure. Keep at it regularly and you will likely pick up a few loyal followers. That translates to readers and sales.

Just as with keeping up with the Joneses (damn you Jones- shaking fists in frustration) on social media sites, it goes back to managing your time to fit in a couple of blogs a day/week to visit, comment, and write.

For me, I recognize that my plate is full. I don’t have the time to do a blog tour. I will gladly do interviews, and I always try to put a fun spin on each one. But I am human and I know I can’t do more at this moment.

What about you? Do you blog? Love it? Hate it? Any advice to share? Let’s hear from you!

Eat Humble Pie And Die!

Writers are not just people who sit down and write.  They hazard themselves.  Every time you compose a book your composition of yourself is at stake.  ~E.L. Doctorow

By: Stacey Purcell

I had another article I was going to write today, but I ran across a series of emails that I felt compelled to share with all of you. Sit back and watch me eat humble pie and die!

It’s a doozie.

No, really- it was beyond embarrassing.

Background information: I’m first vice president of my writing chapter where I live. It’s a fairly time consuming and challenging job, but one I think that I handle fairly well. I bring in speakers every month from around the country to share their knowledge about writing or their particular profession. For instance, this spring we’ve had an ordained voodoo priestess, a literary agent teaching us about pitching, and a celebrated author (C. C. Hunter) sharing her inside knowledge of the YA market with us.

We’ve also gone on field trips and I’m in charge of our annual conference. Alexandra Sokoloff will be our key speaker this year, and we’ll have three agents plus an editor taking pitches as well. (If you’re in the area, it will be an awesome event and you won’t want to miss it. www.nwhrwa.com -Shameless plug, I know.)

Anyway, one of the hurdles I have to face is getting industry folks to commit to coming. This year, I set my sights on a particular agency. They have a wonderful reputation and both of their top agents are well liked. With high hopes I fired off my email requesting their attendance.

Things were going great. The first agent said she was already booked but would be happy to ask her associate. Yay! I loved her too. Then I waited. And waited. I sent a gentle nudge to see what was happening. And waited.

At this point, my nerves were getting frazzled. I knew I couldn’t ask another agency until I heard from this one. That would be rude. Little did I know that I would take rude to a whole new level!

Finally after two months, I got a response. It was not the one I wanted to read.

I would love to be there, but unfortunately I also already have a commitment that weekend. I hope you have a wonderful conference, though, and perhaps we can plan for 2012.

It was a perfectly lovely decline to our invite. She obviously had manners and responded with grace. What did I do? I decided I needed to let off some pent up anxiety over planning this shin dig. I wrote an email moaning over this new development with a snarky flair. I then sent it to the president of our chapter. (Hi Jenn)

Wow- they are just now getting back to me. Glad I wasn’t counting on them!!

Unfortunately I pushed the wrong button! Instead of the forward icon, I chose the reply one. OMG!!! I knew my mistake as soon as my mouse rolled over the little envelope with the arrow wrapped around it. How could I be so stupid?

Her response came quicker than I could say, “I’m moving to Siberia.”

I think this may have gone to the wrong person.

Wow. Really? Just slit my wrists and let me bleed out. I think my cheeks burned brighter than the sun that day. There was only one thing to do. I had to pull on my big girl pants and grovel like there was no tomorrow. Sigh.

After offering my first born child and apologizing until there were no words left, I waited for a response. I don’t know what I was more afraid of -getting one or never hearing from them again. I didn’t have long to wait.

No worries–I think we’ve all had that kind of email snafu. For the record, though, I responded within an hour of XXX”s email. I believe she was in Italy in when the invitation came through and then we had travel for a sales conference. We certainly try to get back to everyone as quickly as possible, and we really do appreciate the invitation.

This agent will forever be my hero. She could have raked me over the coals for my comment, instead she let me off the hook. I also made it a point to catch her in New York and introduce myself as the moron who couldn’t tell the difference between reply and forward. I apologized again and we had a good laugh. Thank goodness for folks with a sense of humor.