Wild, Wicked & Wacky

Budweiser Super Bowl Commercials: Part III

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

For when you're tired of the bad calls and the instant replays:

Budweiser Super Bowl Commercials, Part II

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

I know I've posted this one before, but it 'bares' repeating as the second funniest Budweiser commercial.

Budweiser: The Extra Point

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

For Tess St. John, a replay of my favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time:

The Force Is With You

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

After yesterday's post, you knew I HAD to post the original.

The Dogs Strike Back

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

Normally I don't post on Tuesday, but remember last year's VW Superbowl ad? Here's a sneak preview of this year's!

(Special thanks to Jesse Petersen of Married with Zombies fame for the link!)

The Apple De-Evolution

2012-01-23T12:09:00.002-06:00

Apple made their announcement Thursday regarding their dedication to education, and to that end, their creation of iBook Author. Lots of folks have commented much more thoroughly on the subject of Apple's asinine End User License Agreement, especially over at The Passive Voice.

Yet, someone I know, who's normally a very savvy businessperson, said, "I don't understand the big deal. Apple created iBook Author. They should get to say how it's used."

Um, no. Let me put this more simply.

Let's say you are a carpenter. You build birdhouses for a living. In fact, you have a reputation making the coolest birdhouses ever.

You need a new drill. Black & Decker** comes along and says, "Hey! We'll give you a drill for free. But you must sell your birdhouses through us, and only us, and we get 30% of the retail price you charge. The only way you don't have to pay us is if you give away your birdhouses for free."

Or you can pay Craftsman $100 for a new drill, and sell your birdhouses at all the cute, little boutiques, all the garden centers, and the flea market down the street for whatever agreement you make with each retail store.

In the long run, which way expands your distribution channel? Which way gives more people the opportunity to see and buy your birdhouses? Which way will make you more money?

Get the difference, now?

** No offense to the good folks at Black & Decker. They make fine tools, and to the best of my knowledge, their legal department has a clue.

Rest In Peace, Miz Etta. . .

2012-01-21T23:00:00.000-06:00

Soundtrack for Blood Magick

2012-01-20T07:00:00.003-06:00

I'm one of those people who listens to music while writing. Sometimes, I simply need sound to create a particular mood. Mozart for emotion and introspection. Madonna or Prince for a really hot sex scene. G'n'R or Aerosmith for action.

Over the last eight years, I've put together a specific playlist for each novel I've written. Here's the soundtrack I put together for Blood Magick (Bloodlines #1):

Man, I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain
Who Do You Think You Are by Spice Girls
Angel by Sarah McLachlan
How Soon Is Now? by Love Spit Love
Defying Gravity by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowyth
Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina
Sooner or Later by Madonna
The Continental by Prince & the New Power Generation
Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones
Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen
Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick
7 by Prince & the New Power Generation
Love Song for a Vampire by Annie Lennox
Say You'll Be There by Spice Girls

Status Update - January 2012

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

As I said earlier this month, I saw a spike in sales right around Thanksgiving and another spike over the Yule/Christmas-/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/New Year holidays. Other than that, December was a dead month (probably because all of you were at the mall, shopping).

On the plus side, I FINALLY got Zombie Wedding uploaded on December 30th.

Anyway, here's the sales numbers for December:

Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer - 3
Blood Magick - 3
Seasons of Magick: Spring - 3
Seasons of Magick: Summer/Die for Me - 4
Zombie Love - 5
Zombie Wedding - 2

Total for December = 20

The year end totals for 2011:

Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer - 4 sales, 42 given away
Blood Magick - 37
Seasons of Magick: Spring - 82
Seasons of Magick: Summer/Die for Me - 24
Zombie Love - 32
Zombie Wedding - 2

Totals for 2011 = 181 sales, 42 give aways

These posts give you an idea of what to expect as far as first-year sales for an unknown writer with no previous traditional publishing experience and/or reputation. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Okay, my loyal readers, please let me know in comments if this statistical crap really interests you. Otherwise, I'll just start posting more cute beagle and Lady Gaga videos. . .

More Thoughts on Covers

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Tess St. John and Savannah Rose had some interesting thought on covers in the comments. Like half-naked guys, yea or nay?

So I'm going to ask the rest of my audience the same thing I asked them:

1) Do different styles of cover in a series drive you crazy as a reader?

2) How do you feel when a book you previously bought is issued with a new title and/or cover?

This very discussion has been an ongoing topic between me, DH, my marketing guru and my cover artist. Particularly over the cover of Seasons of Magick: Summer (aka Die for Me).

Seasons of Magick: Spring is my best-selling title, though Zombie Love is catching up for other marketing reasons. When I released Summer on October 11, 2011, the sales were so-so. After much deliberation, we experimented with a new cover and a new title, which was released November 11, 2011. Sales started sliding south. Over the last three weeks, Die for Me was my only fiction title NOT SELLING AT ALL.

I took a hard, hard look. There was nothing to connect Spring with Die for Me. From the way readers are gobbling up the Bloodlines series, I know they love related books. So I decided to go back to the original title and cover. A few sales was better than no sales, right? The reversion to the old title and cover was implemented Sunday while I watched the Texans-Ravens game (gotta love multi-tasking).

I decided to leave the Seasons of Magick series alone. Write Autumn and Winter, and stick with the original cover concepts. I love the grimoire/tarot look. But I do understand that this is a business, and I have to take readers reactions into consideration. In the end though, I wonder how much a cover really means?

Thoughts? Opinions?

[Edit to add: Apparently this subject hasn't just been on my mind. Joel Friedlander has a pretty good write-up over at The Book Designer on the dangers of symbolism when you're the author.]

Discussion on Covers, Continued...

2012-01-16T07:00:00.003-06:00

Last week, I wrote a post about Revising a Cover. Romantic Suspense author, Tess St. John and I got into a discussion through the comments--until the Blogger comments barfed on me. We continued the talk by e-mail, and she gave me permission to repost some of her thoughts.

Tess: You can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself!

Suzan: It's not necessarily a question of pleasing people. There's someone of mutual acquaintance who HATES the cover of Zombie Love, but it's my most effective one. On the other hand, I don't want to confuse the readers about which books are part of the same series.

Tess: Well, I never thought I would put pictures on my books, because honestly I don't like pictures of people on books (I want the image I imagine), but I did my research and found that most readers do like pictures of people on the covers...not that it's necessarily helped my readership, but I have gotten compliments.

Suzan: But you write romantic suspense and historical romance. I think your target audience, which is largely women, expect people on the cover to feel a connection. On the other hand, I write urban fantasy. If I put anything remotely similar to the proverbial "clinch" on the cover, I'll chase away the male portion of my audience. The only reason I brought up the need for consistency was because I had confused a reader with the disimilarity between the covers of Blood Magick and Zombie Love.

Tess: I know what you mean...trying to have a similar look with the books for the same series is a good idea essential. But I LOVE the cover for ZOMBIE LOVE. I didn't get it until I read the book (it's supposed to be her nanites, right?)

Suzan: LOL Yeah, that was the intent. It surprises me how many people don't recognize the bio-hazard symbol. I mean, it's in your doctor's office for cryin' out loud! But mainly I used it because so many zombie stories start with a virus out of control, like World War Z or Zombieland. Even the game Halo uses it, even though their zombies are caused by an alien lifeform. If someone gets the contrast between a neon green bio-hazard sign and a hot pink Cupid, then they'll probably get my writing. (I think.)

Tess: For what it's worth, the people who say your writing sucks big hairy balls have no idea what they're talking about!

Suzan: LOL Most of those folks aren't my target audience anyway. What can I say? I provoke very strong reactions in people.

Tess: Your writing is funny and fresh (the ideas and concepts). The strong reactions means you have a strong voice (at least that's what I'm told because I have many with the same reactions). I'll take a strong definable voice any day! And it's the readers who like your stuff that you're trying to keep! Can't dwell on the others!

Suzan: Damn, girl. Now you're making me blush, but thanks for the compliments.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2012-01-14T23:00:00.002-06:00

I indie-publish because 'I Gotta a Feeling.'

Revising a Cover

2012-01-11T07:00:00.004-06:00

After much deliberation, I sent the cover for Blood Magick to my cover guru to re-do the title and other text to match the rest of the Bloodlines series. I'd already made the decision, and Sierra had already returned revised cover, but a Facebook question from a reader confirmed what I already suspected.

There needs to be a consistency in look when it comes to a series. I've found that I can switch between first person and third person narratives without much flak (but then, people either love my writing or think it sucks big, ugly, hairy balls).

I'm also in the process of changing the subtitles and text on the product descriptions. Even though every retail site where I've uploaded my books asks if this particular book is part of a series, which series, and the number order it comes in, none of that information shows up on the sale page. NONE.

Um, so what's the point of asking me, the writer, if you're not going to tell the customer?

Gets a little frustrating sometimes, but I'm slowly figuring things out.

So what does this mean for the Seasons of Magick series? It depends on how sales go the rest of January. So far, sales since November 11 (the date the new cover and title went up) haven't justified the change. In fact, sales have tanked dramatically compared to the sales for the Bloodlines series and Seasons of Magick: Spring. Despite the "boring" covers, the Spring and Summer were clearly linked. Also, Spring is still my best-selling fiction title, though the Bloodlines series has been gaining over the last of December/first week of January.

E-books are such a new frontier than experimentation is needed. And frankly, what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

In the meantime, all I can do is study the data and continue writing.

Latest Industry News

2012-01-09T15:24:00.001-06:00

Barnes and Noble didn't renew leases for several stores at the end of 2011. While many folks panic over the news, B&N's decision makes sense, especially in areas were the real estate prices are excessive like the Georgetown store in D.C. B&N needs to diversify and cut some overhead in order to compete with Amazon.

In the meantime, the B&N board is also examining the possibility of spinning the Nook division into its own company. Again, panic has insued in investors, but separating the e-device/book part of the business from the rest of the retail giant gives the Nook side a fighting chance, instead of getting dragged under by the rest of the company. The move would also allow B&N to obtain capital through loans and/or additional investors to improve the software of the web interface. The lack of ease in the search and recommendation capabilities of B&N's website has been a major complaint with consumers.

And if your NYT subscription is about to expire, sign up for the e-version and get a Nook SImple Touch for free.

On the other side of the pasture, Amazon has responded to their customers' complaints and added a page count feature for their e-books so you know whether you're buying a short story or a novel. About frickin' time!

Things have been relatively quiet as folks recover from the December holiday crazies, but there should be some interesting things coming out of the Digital Book Conference in a few weeks.

Happy Writing!

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2012-01-07T23:00:00.000-06:00

Cee-Lo Green channeling his inner Elton John makes me want to tell the people who didn't believe there was a market for my books, "Forget You!"

How to Tell a Story - Raiding the Lost Ark

2012-01-05T11:25:00.000-06:00

Jamie Davdar has created a wonderful 'filmumentary' about Raiders of the Lost Ark. He's put together the film itself, interviews, rare footage of the crew's time spent in Hawaii and Tunisia, and screen tests of the other actors in considerstion for the parts.

Not only does Jamie's film show how the movie was conceived and produced, it shows the storytelling skills that need to go into any tale.

@jamieswb Raiding the Lost Ark: A Filmumentary - Part 1 from jambe davdar on Vimeo.

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

2012-01-03T13:59:00.001-06:00

"Neil Gaiman's trash can."

My standard answer sounds flippant, doesn't it? Sarcastic. Maybe even rude. It's because I HATE that question. That question is a cop-out.

You want the truth? As Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men, you can't handle the truth. The truth is that most people avoid the real question. How can you NOT have ideas?

How can you read a book or watch a movie and not wonder what happens after 'The End'? Did Rick and Capt. Renault join the French Legion to fight the Nazis? Did Potter ever give back the $8000 that Uncle Billy accidentally handed to him on Christmas Eve? What did Scarlet do after Rhett walked out on her?

If you can't sit there at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope and wonder what happens to Luke Skywalker next, then why the hell did you go see The Empire Strikes Back?

Here's an exercise for you. Step outside your front door. Or if you're at work, peek around your cubicle walls.

Outside my front door, there's three houses on the other side of the street. My neighbor directly across from us works second shift. The couple to the right of him both lost their jobs and had to abandon their house. The lady on the left works from home.

What if the first gentlemen actually works for the CIA? Maybe he's trying to prevent an terrorist attack on the Houston Ship Channel.

Did the second couple really lose their jobs? Maybe there's something buried in their back yard. Something ancient and dead that tried to possess their youngest child.

What if the last lady is in the Witness Protection Program? Or is hiding her son from her ex who's in the Mob?

Take what you've got in front of you and spin it into something. You never know what great idea may come out of an supposedly idle thought.

The Versatile Blogger Recommended Blogs, Part 2

2012-01-02T14:47:00.000-06:00

2012 feels so fresh and new, doesn't it?

Here's some of my favorite blogs that you should check out this year. Some I peek at when I need a break and some when I need to think outside the box.

Angie's Desk by Angela Benedetti
Angie writes gay romance and erotica for Torquere Press, but in her blog, she also cover social justice and equal rights.

Lakeshore by Jay Lake
Sci-fi author Jay Lake talks about life, his daughter who's the same age as GK, and the struggles of fighting cancer for the last three years. DH and I both read Jay's blog because DH was in Jay's shoes seventeen years ago.

Musetracks by Jennifer Bray-Weber, Marie-Claude Bourque, Candace Wall and Stacey Purcell
I don't read Musetracks because I know two of the gals personally or because of their great programs, like Agent Shop. I eagerly await Jenn's Wednesday Writing Prompt. Beefcake. Yum!

Neil Gaiman's Journal by Neil Gaiman
It's Neil "F***ing" Gaiman! What more do you need to know? Seriously, though, Neil promotes a lot of causes in his blog that I support, like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Kickstarter.

Nina Cordoba by Nina Cordoba
I've known Nina for almost seven years. Trust me, her real life is so funny, no one would believe it.

Professor Beej by B.J. Keeton
Beej really is an English professor who analyzes pop culture. He's also the only person I know more obsessed with Star Wars than GK.

Alice's Bucket List by Alice Pyne
Alice is a sixteen-year-old woman, who lives in England and faces terminal leukemia. She's braver and smarter and far more articulate than most adults I've encountered in my life.

The Girl with the Shakespeare Tattoo by Joni Rodgers
Joni is a writer who happens to be a cancer survivor. She beat the odds to become a NYT Bestselling author. I cannot gripe about anything in my life after all Joni's accomplished with hers.

It's Just Another New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T22:58:00.004-06:00

This blog post is repeated every year on this day.

Here's what I'll be listening to when the clock strikes midnight, my own little tradition over the decades. Happy New Year to everyone.

Zombie Wedding

2011-12-30T07:00:00.005-06:00

Zombie Wedding has been uploaded with retailers and went live first on Smashwords at 12:35 AM this morning. Literally, at 12:36 AM, someone downloaded the first sample. LOL You gotta love real time stats.

[Edit to add: Zombie Wedding is now live on Amazon.]

[Edit on 1/3 to add: Zombie Wedding is finally live on Barnes & Noble]

Needless to say, the rest of my Versatile Blogger List will be posted Monday. And I'll post 'BUY' links as soon as they're available.

I had a blast writing this novel. Hope y'all enjoy it!

Blurb
Samantha Ridgeway thought being turned into the walking dead by a freaky lab experiment was the worst thing that could happen to her. She was wrong.

Not only did her creation cause an uproar in the paranormal community—the fairies want her dead permanently—but her vampire boyfriend is pushing for an eternal commitment, she’s a bridesmaid in her brother’s shotgun wedding, and now a necromancer has emerged, wanting revenge on her for something she did when she was still alive. The hungry corpses he raises from the dead are relentless killers. Can Sam protect her brother’s wedding guests from becoming appetizers for the flesh-crazed zombie army? And how can she keep herself from ending up as the main course?

The Versatile Blogger Recommended Blogs, Part 1

2011-12-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

As a nominated Versatile Blogger, I must nominate fifteen other blogs in turn.

Today's list is solely for those of you pursuing a writing career. Tomorrow, I'll list the fun blogs.

Here's my must-read list if you're a writer:

The Business Rusch by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Kris has been in this crazy business for over thirty years, as a journalist, a publisher, an editor and a fiction writer in multiple genres. She probably has more knowledge in her pinky finger than the lot of NY publishers combined.

The Writings and Opinions of Dean Wesley Smith by Dean Wesley Smith
Like his Significant Other, Kris Rusch, Dean's been in this business a very long time. He's seen it. He's done it. And he's willing to share.

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing by J.A. Konrath
Yes, Joe can be a pill on his blog (and other people's). However, I admire the man for being on the cutting edge of the industry.

The Passive Voice by the Passive Guy
Passive Guy is the pseudonym of a long-time California contracts attorney. He posts terrific insights in the world of publishing contracts with a dry wit that will leave you in stitches.

Write It Forward by Bob Mayer
Bob takes his Special Ops training and applies it to the world of publishing. I highly recommend his book by the same title.

The Official Website of Jon F. Merz by Jon F. Merz
Jon is a writer/producer who really gets the concept of transmedia. He's turned his Lawson Vampire novels into a web series and is shopping the pilot for TV.

The Self-Pubber's Pub by Gerard de Marigny
Like me, G started self-publishing this year. The man has some wickedly funny observations on the business. Also, DH gave G's book, The Watchman of Ephraim a thumbs-up (which, if you knew DH, is nearly impossible to get).

The Versatile Blogger Award

2011-12-28T12:14:00.001-06:00

Three weeks ago, my friend and regular reader Pat O'Dea Rosen of Reading, Writing & Rambling nominated WW&W for the Versatile Blogger Award. Thanks, Pat! *waves*

[Edit to add: I also should never write a blog before the first caffeine hit of the day. All misspellings of 'versatile' have been corrected.]

The rules are pretty simple:

Thank the blogger who nominated you.
Add the award pic to your blog.
Nominate fifteen fellow bloggers and let them know about it.
Share seven random things about yourself.

I'm going to start with the seven random things. Then I'll split my blog nominations over the next two days.

1) I collect Barbie dolls. I SERIOUSLY collect Barbie dolls. As in I have a storage unit for them. I've started giving them to nieces and friends' daughter for holidays, mainly to keep from having to rent another storage unit.

2) My birthday is the day before Halloween. DH was literally born on a Friday the 13th. We tell people we're a match made . . . somewhere. *grin*

3) Dax is the first dog I've owned that I can't get to sit still for a photo. I've got plenty of pictures of my other (now deceased) pets. But Dax? I just have lots of black, tan and white blurs.

4) Some people think I'm one of those moms when I refer to my son as Genius Kid. I'm not. He officially tested at 136, but the child psychologist is sure the score should be between 150-160 because GK deliberately tanked a couple of the tests. I totally understand the character of Mary Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.

5) I'm a bitchin' amateur cook. Not in the league of Ivy from The Happy Whisk (who is a professional), but I make a mean chicken-spinach phyllo with alfredo sauce.

6) I have no sense of direction. The GPS only makes it worse.

7) Hi, my name is Suzan, and I'm a chocoholic. My last piece was last night around 10 PM . . .

Is It Starting?

2011-12-27T10:35:00.001-06:00

Okay, I did lie a little bit yesterday. One prediction I did make was that all the folks who received new e-readers and pads for the holidays would start filling them.

What I've seen so far over the last month in sales:

1) A little bump over Thanksgiving weekend

2) Sporadic sales across all platforms over the next three weeks (i.e. one or two a week)

3) A nice bump just before Christmas

My guess is some folks were loading up stuff to read for the trip to Grandma's house. Even better than the sales was the lovely thirteen and a half hours of sleep last night.

So if you're not seeing bumps in sales just yet, be patient. I'm one of those people who got Amazon and Barnes & Noble gift cards, and I haven't had two seconds to shop yet.

Is It Over Yet?

2011-12-26T17:36:00.001-06:00

I mean the freakin' winter holidays, not the indie revolution.

The management at the mall where I work thought it was a brilliant idea to open at 7:00 am. Which meant the boss and I had to be there at 6:30 am. Which meant I had to go to bed early last night and set the alarm for 5:30 am. Which means after all the festivities I didn't have time to write and schedule a blog.

No, that's not true. I forgot.

Goddess, I'm tired.

I see everyone else listing writing goals or publishing predictions for 2012. You won't see me gazing at tea leaves or a crystal ball. No one really knows what will happen in the industry between digital and print formats. The only writing goals I have are to get Zombie Wedding and Amish, Vamps & Thieves uploaded and the rest of the Seasons of Magick series written. Everything else is gravy.

I just need to get some sleep first. Maybe for a week.

Or more.

Songs I Listen to Because . . .

2011-12-24T23:00:00.002-06:00

For all my Christian friends, Merry Christmas. . .

Latest Industry News

2011-12-23T07:00:00.002-06:00

Well, it's official. Stick a fork in Borders; it's done. The bankruptcy judge has signed off on the final liquidation of assets. This means the Kobo stock owned by the former bookstore chain can be sold and the remaining cash distributed among the creditors. Depending on the creditors' status, they are looking at 4-10 cents on the dollar.

Meanwhile, Amazon is claiming it's selling over a million units of the Kindle Fire per week for the month of December. If this is true (and Amazon is very reticent about letting anyone look at its books), writers are looking at some serious sales when these buyers/gift recipients start loading them in January.

Jeff Kinney, author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, has sued Antartic Press for their parody "Diary of a Zombie Kid." Um, Jeff, even Madonna understood that mockery by Weird Al Yankovic means you've hit the big time. It'll be interesting how this shakes out.

Speaking of lawsuits, still no word on any settlement between author Christie Craig and the bozos who comprise the Texas Department of Transportation. You remember TxDOT? The folks who have issues with a heterosexual couple practicing safe sex in a committed relationship? The trial is currently scheduled for early 2013. (And yes, this is how backed up the courts are over frivolous lawsuits by idiot politicians.) Hopefully, Santa brings an end to the stupidity to Christie for Christmas!

I know lots of you are traveling today and tomorrow. Please stay safe. Happy holidays!

Rankin and Bass Rule!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.002-06:00

DH and I have a mixed marriage. A long time ago, we agreed that we'd respect each other's beliefs and that we'd give GK the freedom to decide which spiritual path he wished to follow.

But one thing I do sincerely confounds DH. For a non-Christian, I watch the holiday specials produced by Rankin-Bass Productions, Inc. with a fervor bordering on religious.

You see Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Jules Bass were commissioned in 1964 to create a Christmas show built around the Johnny Marks' song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That show has taken on a life of its own and has been shown on broadcast TV for nearly fifty years.

Actually, the character of Rudolph was created in 1939 by Marks' brother-in-law Robert L. May for a Montgomery Ward Christmas coloring book giveaway. They added the characters of Yukon Cornelius, the Abominable Snowman, and my favorite Hermie, the elf who desperately wants to be a dentist, not a toymaker.

Anyway, every year DH points out that it's a Christmas special. But if the show is about the Christian religion, why doesn't Santa (aka St. Nicolas of Myra) exhibit any Christian ideals? He rejects Rudolph outright for being 'different'. Yet, it's Rudolph, after repeated isolation and verbal abuse, who saves Santa's ass. My counter-argument is Rudolph is the representation of the Horned God. Maybe, both Christians and Pagans should take the real message to heart--that we all need to work together to make the world a wonderful place.

[On a side note: By the time I got to college, the show had evolved into a drinking game involving downing shots everytime the reindeer's nose lights up. I don't recommend using anything stronger than wine because you really DO NOT KNOW how much that freakin' nose glows in the course of an hour until you play this game.]

With the success of Rudolph, Rankin-Bass produced more holiday specials. Except for Aaron in The Little Drummer Boy, the Christian heroes in Rankin-Bass usually can't succeed without a little pagan help.

Kris Kingle needed the Winter Warlock's magic corn to give his reindeer the power of flight in Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. In the Rankin-Bass version of L. Frank Baum's The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus, the producers stick with Baum's explanation that Claus was given the Mantle of Immortality by the Spirits of Nature. After a fierce debate, the spirits grant Claus, a lowly human, this amazing gift due to his kind and giving nature so he may continue his service to children.

But the best Rankin-Bass special ever is The Year Without a Santa Clause. C'mon, the Miser Brothers, the avatars of winter and summer? How can you not sing along with them? And even better is when Mrs. Claus has a little woman-to-woman chat with Mother Nature to get the boys to cooperate.

Yes, Messrs. Rankin and Bass are too much! (And not a little pagan as well! *grin*)

Happy Yule, Everyone!

New Book (Not Mine)

2011-12-21T14:23:00.000-06:00

My non-lesbian partner, Nina Cordoba (her words, not mine) has a new book up on Amazon. Mia Like Crazy is not her usual romantic comedy. While Mia has a few of Nina's trademark quips, the story is a gut-wrenching look at the aftermath of child abuse and its effect on two people's adult lives. Please be assured that the story does have a heartfelt HEA.

I hope you'll take a look.

P.S. Nina has some extras on her website. The extras contain major spoilers, so don't peek until you've read the book. You've been warned!

Marketing Experiment

2011-12-19T07:00:00.005-06:00

In all the holiday/life brouhaha lately, I totally forgot that I didn't talk about the new cover and title for what was Seasons of Magick: Summer until Friday's blog. I went to link to a post I thought I wrote. Except I never had written it.

Oops!

Not only that, but I accidentally left the old cover up on the 'My Books' slot on the right. LOL Sometimes, I swear, I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached.

So anyway, as I said on Friday's post, my marketing person thought my cover and title were too plain. She also thought the title wasn't indicative of the storyline: a summer affair between two long-time friends interrupted by her zombie ex.

On the other hand, Seasons of Magick: Spring is my best-selling title even with its equally plain green cover and equally misleading title. My second best selling title is Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer also has a relatively plain cover, though the title does tell the reader exactly what they are getting.

So seriously, I don't get it when it comes to attracting readers. I follow the folks who've tried various things. I've watched what works and what doesn't. I'm confused about why some books with not very professional covers attract lots of readers, but others with equally good writing and marvelous covers do not.

Maybe it's taste. Maybe I'm just that visually clueless. Maybe readers approach enticing cover art the same way U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart approached porn--they know it when they see it.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-12-17T23:00:00.001-06:00

I indie-publish! I don't care if they say The Lady Is a Tramp!

Status Update - December 2011

2011-12-16T11:53:00.002-06:00

It's that most crazy time of year where we're all so busy with family and holidays that we barely have time to breathe, much less read. Those facts have been reflected in indie book sales, lots of of other folks' sales according to the gossip, not just mine.

On the plus side, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble are reporting 400% increase in e-reader sales over the same period last year. Anecdotally, I was wrapping 1.5 iPads per shift at the Day Job (there's an Apple store down the hall from us) until the boss had to nix gift wrapping because we are just too busy this year. And from my experience this Christmas, customers are definitely wanting more bang for less moola, which is a plus for indies since the NY publishers don't appear to be lowering their e-book prices any time soon.

Personal opinion - we indies should see sales sky-rocket in January and February as folks redeem their gift cards and have more time to read.

Anyway, on to the actual numbers for November:

Fiction
Blood Magick -1
Zombie Love -2

Seasons of Magick: Spring - 3
Die for Me (formerly Seasons of Magick: Summer) - 7

Non-fiction
Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer - 1

Total - 14

Final note: My marketing guru suggested a change in cover and title for SUMMER. She thought the cover was too plain, the title unimaginative. Sales dropped after the new cover/title went live, but I'm not sure if it's relective of the overall e-book drop, the fact that it's not really linked with SPRING any more, or if the plainer cover did attract more readers. I'm going to leave Die for Me alone until the end of January or when AUTUMN is ready to be uploaded (which ever comes first). Hopefully, I'll have some more data for y'all.

Christmas Lovin'

2011-12-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

Today's holiday blog is brought to you by NWHRWA president emeritus and pirate wench, Jennifer Bray-Weber.

Some believe Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love. According to my husband, Valentine’s Day should be renamed Commercialism Day, meant to test men’s adequacy at expressing their feelings while draining their wallets. But I digress, and this post isn’t about the February holiday. It’s Christmas, and Christmas is the holiday of love.

Sure, Christmas is the season of giving, celebrations, and good will towards men. It’s a time of magic, twinkling lights, and the much anticipated 24 hour A Christmas Story marathon. Did I mention it’s a time for love? Not the kind of love shared with family and friends. The other kind.

Let me explain.

On Christmas Day waaaay back in ’88, I met a boy and before the day was over, fell in love. Stupid, head-over heels in monkey love. We were starry-eyed eighteen-year olds and soon, we were engaged. I didn’t marry the boy, but that didn’t diminish the special memory of him and that Christmas Day.

A couple of years later, my heart played tug-of-war between two mischievous guys on the naughty list. That was the Christmas my stocking was filled with professions of love. My open sleigh runneth over, and like any spooked female filly, I ran the other way—far, far away, with bells on bob-tail ringing.

Fast forward a hand full of years to a Christmas party. Picture if you will a rowdy office shin-dig. And as all rowdy, butt-Xeroxing, drunken office parties go, things got a little out of hand. Most especially when the man I was dating got on bended knee and asked for my hand in marriage. See the trend? There was definitely something in the eggnog. I had to put a stop to this madness. So I married him.

Now factor in a couple of children into the equation, both born in the month of September. What does late summer babies have to do with Christmas? If you do the math you’ll know that both children were conceived during the season of giving. Boy, was he giving. Because child #2 was a complete holiday gift (a.k.a. surprise!), my husband has decided to become a religious man during Christmas, specifically a celibate monk, not even breathing in my general direction for fear of getting me pregnant.

Now you see why I call Christmas the holiday of love. It’s also the season for traffic tickets. But that’s a topic for another blog.

Jennifer's latest Romancing the Pirate Adventure BLOOD AND TREASURE is available at Amazon and other find e-book retailers.

Ooh, Shiny!

2011-12-12T07:00:00.002-06:00

Please welcome today's guest blogger: writer, editor and rock'n'roll goddess Susan Helene Gottfried.

"Ooh, shiny!"

It's become a catch-phrase in today's Internet culture. Back in the Disconnected Ages, I had a shiny of my own: Rock and roll shows.

You know: concerts. Pyro. Lighting. Men sitting behind drum sets and with guitars slung over chests. Live music, baby. There's nothing else like it.

Then comes the ultimate in shiny: one splash of light in a dark arena, even if that puddle is the stage or if it's the singer bathed in a narrow spotlight. There's magic in those lights. There really is.

It stands to reason that I'd love Christmas, right? It's the same spectacle: lights cutting through a dark night.

I do love Christmas lights, don't get me wrong. I may not be the world's biggest fan of those trendy synchronized light shows, but I simply adore the sight of a tree in someone's front yard that's been well strung with a set of white lights, a trunk whose beauty has been emphasized by what looks like blankets of bulbs.

The problem here is that, unlike when I was intending to work in the music business and be part of that onstage shiny magic, I can't be part of Christmas. Not really. Not without feeling like I've betrayed something essential within myself -- and that's before I consider how fast my parents would disinherit me if I strung up lights in the spirit of the season.

So I stare at the gorgeous yards of my neighbors. And the neighbors who live two, three, four neighborhoods over. After all, why limit yourself to an annual treat you truly love to gaze upon?

I come home from that light-gazing to a menorah, which I'll light for eight specific days. Candles, not electric lights. They burn down in an hour or three; they seep in around curtains and blinds and blaze all night long. They may flicker and dance and fill me with a sense of peace that Christmas lights never can, but ...

They're not Christmas lights. They're Hanukkah candles. They're a shiny of their own, they probably save my electric bill hundreds of dollars every year (Maybe it's only ten bucks. What do I know? I've never done it, remember?), and they set me apart.

But at the same time, they remind me that even if I buy blue and white lights and tell everyone they're for Hanukkah, I still won't fit in. This time of year, I'm an outsider, driving past, imagining the time spent decorating, the good-natured arguments between spouses, the mad dash to buy presents, the happy faces on Christmas morning.

Yes, it's an idealized version of how it probably unfolds. And yes, every year at this time, I'm glad I don't have to face the mad rush of grumpy shoppers or fight with my family over whose house we'll be going to, when and for how long. There are a pittance of benefits to being an outsider this time of year. I'll take them.

To all you who decorate for Christmas, thank you on behalf of us whose beliefs don't allow it. Thank you for your shiny, shiny lights.

Susan's latest short story, Mannequin is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. If you're an indie writer in need of a quality, affordable editor, contact Susan through her website West of Mars.

Songs I Listen to Despite . . . Things

2011-12-11T00:38:00.000-06:00

I remember when this first aired (my mother is a Crosby fan). There's so much subtext in this duet, much of which I didn't understand at the time. I'll let y'all puzzle it out.

Amazon Introduces KDP Select

2011-12-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

If you self-publish through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing, you should have the e-mail from them by now.

If you don't, here's the scoop: Amazon is extending to self-published authors an offer to be included in the Amazon Prime Lending Library ("APLL"). Payment will be made from a pool of money based on the total number of self-published books borrowed from the APLL versus the number of times your particular book was borrowed.

In other words, if no one borrows your book regardless of total borrows, you make nothing. The pool for December is $500,000. If there are a million total downloads in December and your book is borrowed once, then you'll make $0.50.

The other side of this little offer is the exclusivity clause. Your book can only be available for sale only on Amazon, no other retailers, while it is part of the APLL.

For those of you who have jamming sales on Smashwords, the iBookstore, or Barnes & Noble, it doesn't make much sense to jump on this offer.

Something else to consider is that you may have 100 borrows from the APLL, but no sales. You'll be gambling that your ratio in the pool is high enough to offset the lack of sales.

On the other hand, if you're simply looking for visibility, this might be the program for you. If anyone tries it, I'd love to hear how it worked for you.

De-stress the Holiday Madness

2011-12-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

Today's December mental health post is brought to you by romantic suspense author Melissa Ohnoutka.

Brrrr….

As I sit and write this, it is finally feeling like the Christmas season here in my little part of Texas. The highs for this week are forecasted to stay below 60! After the blistering hot summer months and drought we had this year, it’s a really nice change. Shoot, even the cold rain didn’t bother me all that much. We even ventured out on Sunday when the rain slowed to a chilling sprinkle to cut down our Christmas tree. And what a tree it is. It sure didn’t look that tall or wide out there in the open field with the others. I think we may be having an ornament shortage this year. LOL

Ah, Christmas time. The time for compassion and sharing. The time to get together with friends and family to make those precious memories and play catch up with what everyone’s been doing. The time to reflect over the past year and be thankful for all the blessings.

So what the heck happens to my plans for a peaceful joyous season?

I love this time of year. It’s my favorite holiday. All the hustle and bustle that comes along with it, not so much.

Every year I tell myself I’m going to get better prepared. Make lists, shop early, get those Christmas cards printed and sent out before the 15th. And every year, it never fails. I’m always shocked at how fast the season sneaks up on me. Organization plays a key role in everything we do. I don’t know why I can’t get this through my thick skull. LOL It sure would make my life a lot easier.

I think it has a lot to do with procrastination. In my head, I’ve got plenty of time to run out and buy those gifts—-tomorrow. Or decorate that Christmas tree, or address those envelopes. Laundry, house work, writing. You name it and I’ll procrastinate before doing it. Time is just not on my side that’s all.  What’s a frazzled mom to do?

Tips I’ve found to be helpful over the years to de-stress during this time and still get stuff done:

1. Call a family meeting before December hits. And then delegate, delegate, delegate. Especially with the chores and normal daily routine activities. (I like this one a lot!)

2. Make those lists the night before. Keep that list close while you sleep. I always remember something I forgot around 1:00 a.m. And when I wake up the next morning, I have no idea what it was. Drives me crazy!

3. To tackle those things that need to be done at home, get out your handy dandy kitchen timer. Pick one thing. (Yes, just one!) Set the timer for 30 minutes and don’t stop till it goes off. You’ll be amazed at how much you actually get done in those 30 minutes of uninterrupted focus.

4. For those Christmas gifts, plan out your shopping trip a few days ahead. Draw maps, add stickers, smiley faces, etc. to your list to indicate priority, get those coupons organized and be sure to schedule a much needed break for coffee, tea or my favorite, one Route 66 Sonic Dr. Pepper. (Oh, you might put in a potty break as well.)

5. Finally, don’t forget to breath. Have fun. It will all get done. The main thing I try to remember each year is to not let all the chaos steal the true meaning of Christmas. Enjoy each and every moment and know that the most priceless gift of all was given out of love and didn’t cost a single penny.

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year filled with lots of love and laughter!

Melissa's latest release, Target of Betrayal, is available on Amazon as well as other fine online retailers this holiday season.

My Mind Got Boogled

2011-12-07T16:13:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry I'm late with today's blog. I should have written it last night, but I made the mistake of . . . wait for it . . . checking my Amazon numbers. Yeah, I know. Bad Suzan.

Except I found that Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer was listed at #55 on Amazon's Top 100 New Business Enterprise List for Kindle books.

I was shocked. Flabbergasted. Totally amazed!

I turned to DH and said, "Would you look at my screen?"

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me it's acting up again." He came over to the loveseat and looked at the screen. Then he tried to give me a high five. I was too stunned to lift my arm.

I tried to be good today. I went to the coffee shop and cranked out a few pages on the current wip as well as going over the edits for the first fifty pages of Zombie Wedding.

When I got home, I check Amazon again, figuring last night was a dream. (Because I've been having some freaking weird ones lately.)

Only to discover, not only was last night NOT my imagination, but Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer was now #85 in Amazon's Top 100 for ALL New Enterpise books (that's the list that includes hardcovers, paperbacks and e-books). It's currently #19 in the Kindle New Enterprise category.

This just blows my mind.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my readers for all your support!

Penguin Has Entered the Vanity Arena

2011-12-05T07:00:00.002-06:00

I voiced my concerns back in September when I questioned Is Traditional Publishing the New Vanity Publishing?

Penguin has answered with a resounding "Yes!" Apparently they learned nothing from the Harlequin Horizons fiasco two years ago.

Book Country is their entry into the vanity publishing field. $549 to ONLY FORMAT your book plus 30% fucking per cent of each book sold?

People, do me and yourselves a favor--just say "NO!"

Remember Yog's Law--Money flows to the writer!

The ONLY exception is if You the Writer is also You the Publisher!!

If you don't know how to format, then learn. There's lot of free advice among the indie gurus. If you really feel the need to pay someone, go read the how-to books by David Gaughran, Scott Nicholson, Jon F. Merz, etc., and spend the effing $5 these guys charge. Hire J.A. Konrath's formatter who's a hell of a lot cheaper.

But for the love of Murphy, don't pay Penguin for life for something you can do yourself!

Just don't!

Angry Sheep
Who Just Broke Her Fucking Soapbox

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-12-03T23:00:00.000-06:00

I indie publish 'cause I love Livin' on the Edge.

Latest Industry News

2011-12-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

Don't know if you heard about this? Three weeks ago, execs for Kobo inked a deal with Rakuten, a Japanese internet company, to take over the e-book seller. Indigo Books and Music out of Canada holds the majority of stock, but now-defunct book giant Borders Group Inc. still has their shares tied up in bankruptcy court.

For now, it doesn't look like the judge or the trustee in the Borders case will sabotage the proceedings. The Borders crditors are only getting seven to ten cents on the dollar, so they need this sale to through. The sale should boost Kobo's stock price so the trustee can sell the Borders shares and get the creditors a few cents more.

It sounds like Rakuten plans to reach into the West, just like Amazon is shooting for the East.

And yes, another publisher is "restructuring." Houghton Mifflin Harcourt plans to eliminate the Emerging Markets division and close their D.C. offices. Remember, kids. Everytime a corporation uses the word 'restructure', people lose their jobs. Merry Christmas, ex-employees.

And if you read this blog, then you know why I support the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Holiday Movies for GUYS . . .

2011-12-01T07:00:00.004-06:00

Since the All Hallow's Read Week was such a hit, I invited my writer friends back to tell us about their favorite December holiday stories. I told them the format doesn't matter. Pick a Rankin-Bass special, a movie, a book. The holiday doesn't matter either. Hannukah, Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, Kwanzaa.To start us off is thriller author Will Graham!

As long time readers know, we take a great deal of pride here in being different from the rest of the world. None of this "It's a Wonderful Life" or "White Christmas" for us, and "A Christmas Carol" is for eighth grade English classes, pallies. The offbeat, the avant-garde, the unusual, that's what we're all about; conformity is for the rest of the world. Therefore, whereas, and because of all that, below is the Official Will Graham Guide to Holiday Movies for Guys:

LETHAL WEAPON (1)

The heartwarming story of two police officers, one white and one black, who come to brotherhood over the holidays while solving a series of vicious murders and simultaneously shutting down an international drug smuggling network. Lots of clever dialogue, tons of guns and explosions, including a shootout and chase down Hollywood Boulevard on Christmas Eve, plus a highly unusual use of the Family Christmas Tree to defeat the villains. The flagship of action movies in the 1980's, it's still more fun than it should be today.

DIE HARD (1) AND (2)

This is one for the ages: a lone cop single-handedly foils the plans of not one but TWO groups of Serious Bad Guys on Christmas Eve, both times to save his wife’s life; is that Love or what?!? Single Best Line of the series: in DH2: “How can the same shit happen to the same guy TWICE?” Excellent question, but ultimately who cares? (I always liked the DH series more than most other series, and yes, I saw the last one, LIVE FREE OR.... My reaction when asked was "I want that computer room; hell the FBI wants that computer room!") Take 'em for what they are, kick back, and just enjoy the ride. Here is a wickedly funny spoof from Ben Stiller: DIE HARD XII

ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE

James Bond saves the world on Christmas Eve. So what if it’s got George Lazenby in his one shot at the role? (Frankly, he wasn't all that bad, and I firmly believe had he given it a chance, he'd have grown into the role quite well.) It’s Bond, it’s Christmas, it’s Diana Rigg in mini-skirts and…… whoops, sorry about that one, ladies. But still, the former Mrs. Peel in a mini, well……… (One has to wonder if it would preferable to find Ms. Rigg in one's stocking Christmas Morn, or find her IN stockings Christmas Morn.... but I digress....) There were rumors floating around at one time that of all of the previous 007 stories, this was the one Pierce Brosnan wanted to re-make. Had Jane Seymour been cast as Tracy, well....

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

Just because. Tom Hanks stars as Charlie Wilson (D-Texas (of course!)), a swingin', singin', Rat Pack type of Congressman who actually made some things happen. There's a brief shot of a Christmas Tree in it, which makes it close enough to be included. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as he usually does, almost steals the show. Favorite scene? "That's why you're the Press Secretary, Boo-Boo!" Everyone needs to see this one on general principles.

A CHRISTMAS STORY

The Ultimate. The Gold Standard. The Big One. The All-Time Classic. Given the above four movies mentioned, this one is particularly ironic as it concerns a young man, a BB gun, and the running imprecation, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Any guy of a certain age can relate to Ralphie, nodding and smiling all through the movie. Darren McGavin was proudest of his role as "The Old Man" in this, of all his career, and he should have been. Melinda Dillon was Everyone's Mom, and Ralphie even had a Kid Brother to deal with. A wonderful story about being a kid and trying to figure out how Life really works. An annual tradition here (the Widescreen Collector's Platinum Edition,of course) but a staple of TNT/TBS networks, with TNT running it for 24 hours straight starting Christmas Eve. The A-Number One Hall of Famer for Guy Holiday movies.

Will Graham is the pseudonym of a licensed private investigator specializing in computer forensics. His latest book is Spider's Dance.

More Holiday E-Book News

2011-11-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

Barnes & Noble is advertising a free copy of the new James Patterson novella Merry Christmas, Alex Cross with the purchase of Patterson's latest novel Kill Alex Cross and one other Patterson novel IN ANY FORMAT from any B&N store. Yes, you guessed it. The kicker is that customer can buy the harcover and an e-book from the physical store AT THE SAME time!

Plus, the customer has a choice of getting the free novella in the paper version or the e-version.

Maybe the execs at B&N do have a clue or two. I don't have more details yet (another thing to pump the kids at the local B&N about).

This is an interesting development if B&N has developed their internal software systems to trigger a download to your NOOK or NOOK app from their stores' registers.

Why Now Is an Excellent Time to Be a Children's Picture Book Author

2011-11-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

First of all, a disclaimer--I'm not advocating any particular brand of pad.

Unless it's a ST:TNG style Data Padd (Reg. tradmark by Paramount Studios).

Anyway, I figure that the only way I'll get my Kindle back from DH is to lure him with a cooler toy. On that note, I dragged him and GK to Barnes & Noble the Sunday before Thanksgiving so he could play with the new NOOK Pad.

(And before any execs from other campanies get their panties in a wad, I'll drag him to Target and Best Buy next weekend to play with yours.)

By now, y'all are thinking, For the love of Murphy, Harden, get to the point.

The point is I played with the new NOOK Pad as well. In fact, I flipped through the e-version of A Charlie Brown Christmas. All I can say is "Holy Crap!"

The colors on the screen were so vibrant. There were cool little Easter eggs for the kids to click on. It snowed, it jingled, and played cute animation when you correctly identified a character. This is exactly what J.A. Konrath is thinking when he talks about enhanced e-books.

Interaction keeps a kid's attention. So if you're children's picture book author, get your books illustrated and enhanced and up for sale now before my niece gets too old for them.

Please.

Guest Blog by J. D. Faver

2011-11-28T10:25:00.000-06:00

Need a hot read after a busy day of making Christmas cookies? Please welcome romantic suspense author J. D. Faver!

Hi Suzan!

Thanks so much for inviting me to be your guest today. I wanted to share an excerpt from my latest release, Bad Girl!

Bad Girl! is my sixth novel to be published and is the forth romantic suspense, although this one is the darkest yet.

My heroine is a very damaged dominatrix and the hero is a detective. Needless to say, they both have control issues. The subject is kinky, but it’s a mystery/suspense with a bizarre romance twisted in. The episodes of CSI featuring Lady Heather were the best ever and drew the most viewers. The theme of my website is Bad Girls Need Love Too…so my dominatrix is just another of my bad girl heroines.

Please visit my website/blog, follow me on Twitter and “like” my Facebook.

Blurb
The cell phone kept ringing. Kris refused to answer it, burrowing under her down comforter as the phone went to message. Tinker jumped off the bed just as the phone rang again.

“Damn!” Kris threw the covers back and slid out of bed. Her silk pajamas made a swishing sound against the sheets. She grabbed the phone and growled, “What?”

“Not a morning person, are you?” Nick’s voice was obnoxiously cheery.

“No, I’m fucking not!” Slamming the receiver against the nightstand repeatedly gave her some small measure of satisfaction. “What do you want?”

“Geez! I need to see you now. It’s important.”

“Get over that. I’m turning off the phone and I’m going back to bed.”

As soon as she turned off the ring tone, the doorbell chimed. “What now?” Kris growled.

Tinker ran to the door and delivered a volley of throaty barks.

Kris looked out the peephole to see Nick waving at her. An explosion of rage went off inside her chest. He’s stalking me. Throwing open the door, she grabbed him by his jacket and rolled back onto the floor, carrying him with her. Lifting both feet as she rolled propelled him over her and onto his back. He landed hard, his heels thudding on the floor. Leaping to her feet, she squatted astride him, clenching her fingers around his throat.

“You know,” she said, “if I crush your trachea not even God can save you.”

His chest rumbled with deep laughter. Heaving her off, Nick turned her onto her back, restraining her hands over her head. “Yeah, but I’ve got a good seventy pounds on you and that trumps your crushed trachea.”

Enraged, she glared up at his grinning insufferable face.

Nick straightened, releasing her wrists, but remained kneeling astride her hips, his smirk went viral.

Kris clapped both of her cupped palms against his ears, enjoying his howl of pain. She punched his throat with her fist, propelling him backwards. Springing to her feet, she kicked him in the face as he struggled to get up.

He fell back, striking his head on the corner of her kitchen counter. He gazed at her in disbelief, his mouth open. “Do you realize that you just assaulted a police officer?”

“Duh! You are one totally obnoxious cop. Arrest me if you want to. I am officially resisting.” She stood over him, dancing a little on her toes.

Nick exploded with laughter. “If you were as big as you think you are, you’d be dangerous.” He grinned as he pulled himself to his feet. “Am I being punished?”

“Shut up!”

A thin line of blood trickled from his lip. “Let me take off my clothes and you can spank me.”

“Don’t mock me.” She pointed to the door. “Get out.”

His expression changed as his brows drew together in a frown. He jabbed a finger at her. “You opened the door and you dragged me in here. I’m not leaving until you calm down and talk to me.”

Kris blinked to keep the tears at bay. “You can’t keep doing this. I am not available to you.”

He shrugged and headed for the door, but swerved suddenly. Grabbing her from behind, he lifted her off her feet, gripping her wrists.

She growled in protest, butting her head against his chest and kicking her heels against him.

“I didn’t want to have to do this but...” He handcuffed her wrist and fastened it to its mate behind her back.

Terror seized her in its cold grasp. A sense of helplessness mingled with the rage building in her gut.

He eased her down onto the sofa and stepped away, pointing a finger at her again. “Don’t kick me anymore.” He wiped at the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

Tinker barked and jumped furiously.

“I hope your dog doesn’t bite.” Nick rested his hand lightly on the holstered gun on his belt. “I’d hate to have to shoot him.” He rubbed his chin with his fingertips, massaging the spot where she’d kicked him.

“No!” Panic rose in her throat and her heart pounded. “Don’t you dare even think about shooting my dog!”

He quirked his head to one side, raising his brows. “I was kidding. You don’t have any sense of humor in the morning, do you?” His grin was only slightly more loathsome than the twinkle in his green eyes.

“I haven’t encountered anything funny yet,” she snarled through clenched teeth. Glowering at him as he looked around the room, Kris felt vulnerable and exposed.

Nick gave a little snort. “Well, you’re not standing where I am. This whole thing is pretty funny.” His eyes flicked over her body, the pastel silk pajamas clinging to her flesh. “I came here to question you, but you attacked me. I was forced to subdue you, so just chill out.”

He made a circle, touching the bare cream colored marble mantle and running his hand along the back of the pale micro suede sofa. He squatted down to scratch Tinker’s head. “You’re not so ferocious, are you, boy?”

He was in her place, touching her things, violating her sanctuary.

“Take these cuffs off me,” she demanded.

“I think I’ll just wait until you’ve cooled down a while. I kind of like this.” He sat down heavily on the sofa, his weight jostling her. “Have you been a bad girl? Do you need to be punished?” He pulled her across his lap and put his hand on her buttocks, gently caressing her.

She screamed, angry with Nick and angry with herself for getting into this position.

He swatted her twice. “I can see why you like this so much.” He turned her around to face him, holding her on his lap. His hand rested casually on her thigh. “What a firm body you have, Kristen, and so limber. Is that what you like to be called?”

She gritted her teeth together. This wasn’t supposed to happen. “Kris,” she hissed. She gave him a cold glare. “How did you find me?”

“I told you, I’m a cop. I have access to all kinds of cop information. I followed you from the time you left the diner Thursday afternoon. I went every place you went. I know the names of every man you were with, except the big guy you picked up in your car. What’s the deal with him?”

“He’s my martial arts instructor,” she said.

Nick grinned and shook his head. “You need to practice. Are you going to be a good girl now?”

Kris took a breath and nodded curtly.

He removed the cuffs.

Kris rubbed her wrists and moved to a chair across from him. They regarded each other silently for some minutes.

“You know,” he said, “You are beautiful, but you’re the worst tempered woman I’ve ever met.”

He moved the cream and lime green hand blown glass bowl Marla had given her for Christmas. Kris kept it precisely in the middle of her square coffee table.

“There’s a solution for that. Just stay the hell away from me.” Kris spoke to Nick but her gaze was riveted on the glass bowl, now displaced from its perfect symmetry.

“Can’t do that,” he said. “There’s been another homicide and the victim was wearing one of those cute little doggie collars of yours. His appointment calendar had your number in it. So you’re sitting right in the middle of my investigation. This is an official inquiry.”

His casually spoken words twisted her guts. She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. “Are you going to make me ask his name?”

“Yes.” He was grinning openly.

“Just tell me his name,” she snapped, “and don’t be an ass.”

“Eddleman. Melvin Eddleman,” he said. “You don’t deny knowing him, do you?”

She was silent for a moment, struggling with her gag reflex. “No. He was a client.”

Nick regarded her solemnly. “I have to ask you if you killed Mister Eddleman. I wouldn’t have thought so until your earlier demonstration of strength and agility.”

She glared daggers at him. “I did not. When was Melvin killed?”

“Sometime between midnight and four Thursday morning. He didn’t go in to work or answer his phone so someone from the bank went to his place around noon to see if he was okay. He wasn’t.”

She tried to speak without emotion. “What happened to him?”

“Someone choked him to death and wrapped him up like a mummy in his pissy sheets.”

A strangled whimper escaped her throat. “That’s horrible! I can’t believe it.” A wave of nausea washed over her. “Melvin was a pathetic man. He wouldn’t harm anyone.”

“Shows what you know,” Nick leaned forward. “His employees made a long list of people who’d like to see him dead. Seems like your friend Melvin was a real son-of-a-bitch.”

“He wasn’t my friend.” Unable to restrain herself any longer, she nudged the glass bowl back to the center of the table.

Nick followed her movements intently. He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. “That’s right. You don’t have any friends, do you, Miss ‘I don’t need anybody’?”

“I have friends.”

“Who? I’ve tailed you for days and you haven’t had contact with anyone personally. No lunch with the girls. No date with someone special.”

“I like my life this way. I’m the one in control.”

Nick leaned back against the sofa, regarding her stonily. “From where I sit, it looks like you’ve controlled yourself into a big old box of empty.”

“And what do you have that’s better?” she countered.

He spread his hands. “Nothing. Not a damned thing, but at least I’m willing to put myself out there and be available in case something good comes along.” He stood up and took a few steps toward the door. “If you decide you can be available, come to my place Tuesday night. I won’t pay you. I’ll rent a movie and order pizza. I’ll hold your hand and you can get to know enough about me to decide if you want me as your friend.”

Kris followed behind Nick, anxious for him to be gone. “Just get out!”

Nick turned and cupped her chin in his hand. “You don’t have to wear spandex and you don’t have to bring your bag of tricks. I’ll take you just the way you are.”

He lowered his head slowly and kissed her like he was taking a bite out of her, capturing her mouth with his. His tongue invaded, stroking hers and eliciting a spontaneous reaction. He kissed her hard and deep before he turned and slammed the door behind himself.

Kris swayed slightly, rocked by the sensual impact of Nick’s mouth. Securing both locks, she slid down to the floor with Tinker. She ran her tongue over her lips, tasting Nick’s rough kiss. Closing her eyes, she laughed as an angry tear rolled down her cheek.

What a total ass!

Except that she had kissed him back.

For more information on Bad Girl! and my other books, please visit my author pages on Barnes & Noble
and Amazon.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-11-26T23:44:00.000-06:00

I indie-publish because I'm Too Sexy to legacy publish.

(Sorry, guys. I couldn't resist! LOL)

3, 2, 1 . . .E-Reader Lift OFF!

2011-11-25T13:49:00.001-06:00

I knew the e-reader/pad wars would start in earnest today, but WOW!

Barnes & Noble had a commerical for the new NOOK pad during every break of last night's A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. (Yes, I forced the boys to watch Gaga. Since most of the songs were acoustic, ex-musician DH was suitably impressed with her vocal range, but I digress.)

For Black Friday, B&N has dropped the price of the basic NOOK to match Amazon's basic Kindle--$79. It's supposed to be 'today only while supplies last'. I'd lay money that this sale will crop up again before C-Day.

Overseas, Kobo has a new e-reader for the U.K. market. Bookseller Kyobo launched its own reader in Korea. And Amazon continues its fight for world domination with the soon-to-open Amazon India.

B&N, Amazon and Kobo, among other e-reader/pad dealers, are making their products available at big box stores like Best Buy, Wal-mart and Target. With all these device sales, personally I cannot wait for January because these new users will want content for their new toys.

Why do I say that? My sales have been a little blah through October and the first half of November, and I've been hearing something similar from other indies. But I've seen an uptick in just the last couple of days, so the fingers are crossed.

While the e-reader/pad battles for Christmas supremacy were expected, the content cold war is turning hot as well. Last week, both Penguin and Random House withdrew their e-books from library lending to patrons with Kindles (that's LIBRARY lending, not Amazon lending) because of the whole Amazon Prime book lending kerfluffle. Penguin relented earlier this week, but Random House is digging their Manolo Blahniks into the dirt on this issue.

Speaking of Amazon Prime, Amazon is reaching out to indie published authors with massive sales and asking them to allow their books to be part of the Amazon Prime lending service--for a price. It'll be interesting to see how many indies jump on this band wagon.

In the meantime, is Macmillan in deep trouble? Rumors of another "reorganization" (that's corporate code for kicking employees to the curb) by the end of the year are drifting through the air like snowflakes in October's nor'easter.

Can things get any crazier in the publishing industry this Christmas? The Magic 8 Ball says--Definitely!

In Memorium

2011-11-23T15:22:00.001-06:00

Today's industry news post is pre-empted.

I got home from the day job last night to learn Anne McCaffrey passed away late yesterday.

To me, Anne was the forerunner of mixed genres. She took dragons, the fabled enemy of mankind, and not only turned them into good guys but gave them a genetically engineered background. Her stories mixed romance and adventure decades before it was acceptable for a writer to do such a thing.

I first read Dragonflight nearly thirty-five years ago. To say Ms, McCaffrey influenced my writing would be akin to saying the sun affects a daisy. And I know I'm not the only writer who holds her in such regard.

May you fly with your dragons, Anne.

The True Meaning of Grace

2011-11-21T07:00:00.002-06:00

For the last several months, I've been following Alice's Bucket List. This is the blog of a young woman named Alice who lives in Ulverston, England.

Alice has terminal cancer. She may survive past the end of this year. She may not. But in the meantime, she and her family are trying to live life to the fullest.

With Alice's sixteenth birthday coming up, I'm adding my request to hers. Please consider registering as a bone marrow donor. Yes, the procedure has risks to the donor, but your registration may be the one that saves a life.

Thank you.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-11-20T00:11:00.000-06:00

We indie-publish because We're Not Gonna Take It!

(Gotta love that audience participation!)

The State of the Bookstore Address

2011-11-16T12:57:00.001-06:00

Today was my day off, and I went to the local Barnes & Noble Cafe to crank out a few hundred words.

Roughly a third of the bookstore had actual books. There's now a huge toy section where movies and music section used to be. The cafe, gifts and calendars make up the rest of the store. I still go for inspiration when I write, to look at copies of so many books I've read, so many I want to read, and so many I'll never have time to read in the probable fifty years I have left on this planet.

I know this is a big box store, but frankly, there's only a Half-Priced Books and a little used bookstore left in our neighborhood. Even Target and Wal-mart are cutting down their book sections. When I stopped at CVS to pick up prescriptions on the way home, their book rack, which was halved at the beginnng of the year, is being eliminated. The handful of books left were on clearance at 50% off.

Several folks have accused me of being anti-print. That's hardly the case. Looking at the loss of volumes on store shelves saddens me.

Logically, I know current publishing business practices cannot be sustained, and things must change. But paper books were my first friends, and I mourn their loss.

Plot Device

2011-11-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

This is just so effing wacky and warped that I had to post this. Thanks to Stacey Purcell for the link!

Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.

Flash Mob - Dubai Airport

2011-11-12T23:02:00.002-06:00

Something a little different for Saturday night 'cause this brought a smile to my face. Wait until the little kids join in for 'Proud Mary.'

(And thanks to Angie Benedetti for the link!)

Recent Indie/Trad Brouhaha

2011-11-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

I'll leave my comment to the late, great George Bernard Shaw:

"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."

Actually that insults pigs. I'm going to check out the new holiday scents at Bath and Body Works now.

Status Update - October and November 2011

2011-11-09T07:00:00.007-06:00

Okay, okay! Quit nagging me through Google searches, people!

Yes, I forgot to post September's numbers last month. I've been working my butt off getting Seasons of Magick: Summer up and Zombie Wedding to my editor and proof reader. (Yes, real writers, even indies, have their work double-checked. Doesn't mean things don't slip through, but I try.)

Here's the breakdown by title for the month of September:

Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer (only available on Smashwords) - 27 (all copies were free using the coupon code from Indie University)
Blood Magick - 3
Zombie Love - 3
Seasons of Magick: Spring - 9

Here's the breakdown by title for the month of October:

Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer - 0
Blood Magick - 4
Zombie Love - 4
Seasons of Magick: Spring - 4
Seasons of Magick: Summer - 13

Only eight sales were on Barnes and Noble. Twenth-seven were on Smashwords thanks to the Indie U promotional coupon. Thirty-two were on Amazon.

Summary for 2011: 5 titles available, 189 books sold

Are these numbers low? Yep, but it's my own damn fault for dropping the ball on production and promotion during July and August. I'm so not in a position where I can coast on my sales without any effort yet. This was my first big mistake of the year.

In the meantime, I'm stepping up production.

The next two novels of the Bloodlines series are written. As I said, Zombie Wedding is currently with my editor and proofreader. Why is it already with the proofreader? Because my editor said in an e-mail that all she was finding was typos. (Yes! *fist pump*)

Over Thanksgiving Break, I hope to have the first draft done on a short story featuring Sam, my zombie heroine. This will be my holiday present to my fans.

After that will be edits on Amish, Vamps & Thieves, then finish the first draft of Seasons of Magick: Autumn.

It's a crazy schedule for last two months of the year, but I'm determined to get it done!

Latest Industry News

2011-11-07T07:00:00.005-06:00

I haven't done a news round-up for a while, so here are some tidbits and links to kill time with as you drink your morning java:

This morning we should have confirmation of the new NOOK Tablet. Leaks say the new NOOK will have twice the RAM and storage as the Kindle Fire, along with a faster processor, for $249. Also, Barnes and Noble will offer the basic NOOK for $99 without the ads that plague the cheapest Kindle. I'll add the links once I can find offical word. [Editor's note: It's official.]

Yes, Virginia, the Pad Wars have started just in time for Christmas.

Remember how Publishers Weekly rubbed their hands with glee when Joe Konrath announced his hiatus from blogging and I said Joe wouldn't stay quiet for long? Well, Joe's been running guest posts be several of his friends with concise summaries by the man himself.

Amazon launched the Kindle Owner's Lending Library last week as part of their Prime package. I'm sorry, but $79 a year to only borrow one book a month? ONE? I don't think so Amazon. Sorry, guys, but I read more than that even on my current crazy-ass schedule.

Speaking of Amazon, the Threat to Holy Literature has expanded into Japan, on the heels of Amazon France, just in time for the Christmas holidays. (Do you think Jeff Bezos realizes that Christians are a minority in Japan?)

And in a reaction to Amazon, more of the Big 6 have decided to give their authors real-time numbers. What a fucking concept guys! My guess is only the Amazon sales numbers will be remotely accurate on these author portals. Let's just say I had a private conversation with a popular author. She was told she'd sold no e-books for the first six months of 2011, even though she's been ranked in the top 20% of sales on Amazon the entire time.

E-book sales are jumping despite the naysayers. Harlequin reported its digital sales rose to 7.1% of total sales through the third quarter of 2011. Bloomsbury reported similar increases.

Kobo keeps saying they will offer a self-publishing option like KDP or PubIt. But it looks like Kobo plans to be very picky about who they accept from the looks of their website. This annoys me because Kobo's perfectly happy to accept my book if it's sent through Smashwords, but they don't want it from me directly. *sigh*

Instead, Kobo is imitating Amazon by opening their own publishing arm and going after already established writers. No wonder the Big 6 are sending out those draconian contracts.

Speaking of draconian contracts, I'd love to see the one Kiana Davenport signed with Penguin. I'm hoping they have the stupidity to sue her so it becomes a public document. The NYTimes had a piece sympathetic to Ms. Davenport's position of trying to make a living on crappy NY contracts. Publishers Weekly snarked that NYT was "justifiying her breach." (Believe me, I wish I could link to THAT one for you!) Um, excuse me PW, but what happened to innocent until proven guilty? Not to mention that Penguin REJECTED the same book 15 years ago!

And if you thought Snooki's books were a very bad idea (yes, two more are coming out and I won't make you gag on your coffee by showing you the disgusting book trailer), then you don't want to know that Lindsey Lohan's mom is shopping her own tome. And no, I WON'T give you that link either. Not on a Monday morning.

Have a great week and get those word counts in!

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-11-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

I indie-publish 'cause I'm a One Girl Revolution!

Amazon, James Crawford and the Rise of the 'Bot Overlords

2011-11-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

For once, I'm wearing my programmer and ex-lawyer hats as well as the writer/publisher hats.

On Tuesday, Galley Cat ran a story on indie writer James Crawford. It seems Mr. Crawford's book Blood Soaked & Contagious was priced at $0.00 by Amazon without his knowledge or approval. Dianna Dilworth's article at GC strongly insinuates that Amazon dilberately screwed Mr. Crawford out of the royalties of the 5,104 books that were downloaded during the free period.

The following is merely speculation on my part on how this happened:

Mr. Crawford states in the comments over at The Passive Voice that he'd distributed the free sample of his novel through Smashwords. Even though he'd unpublished the sample, it remained on Barnes & Noble for some time.

So let's say the free sample of BS&C was still on Barnes & Noble's website when an Amazon 'bot strolled by. The 'bot pulls out his master list. Ooo, same title and same author. 'Bot starts comparing the first X words of found book against his list. Perfect match. 'Bot runs back to Amazon's Master Computer, screaming "I've got one!" The Amazon Master Computer matches the price of the Amazon version with the version the 'bot found.

Now from a programmer's POV, I wouldn't program the 'bot to check every single word of the document. Why? It's inefficient and slow. If the first, let's say, twenty percent of the document matches, odds are high that it's the same document. Mr. Crawford's free sample chapters fell within that X% sampling that the 'bot took. The 'bot's programming said, "If X = Y, then I go narc."

Now, I'm not blaming Mr. Crawford for the snafu either. It made sense to put out free sample chapters prior to releasing a book UNDER THE OLD SYSTEM of marketing to create buzz. Sample chapters with the same title because you WANT people to find your book.

The problem is that old system of marketing doesn't exactly work under the new paradigm. When an e-book is uploaded to a retailer like Amazon or a distributor like Smashwords, they AUTOMATICALLY create a FREE SAMPLE. The writer/publisher doesn't need to do that anymore.

Now I'm not saying an indie writer SHOULDN'T create pre-release buzz. But he/she needs to look at alternatives under the new paradigm than posting a sampler on a retail site where confusion can happen. Personally, I post the first chapter on my readers blog. But there's lots of other methods.

On the legal side:

Smashwords's contract specifically states you're not supposed to post unfinished works to their site. Both Amazon's KDP contract and Barnes & Noble's PubIt contract state that the retailer is allowed to price match if they learn that you're selling the e-book for less elsewhere. So the 'bot, based on its programming, assumed Mr. Crawford had posted Blood Soaked & Contagious at a lower price.

So neither side is entirely blameless. But I don't believe either side intentionally tried to do anything wrong either. Should Amazon be liable for the royalties on the 5,104 books accidentally given away for free? Regardless of intent of the parties, Mr. Crawford would have to prove he could have sold those books without the price drop. That's going to be very hard to do.

The biggest problems here are:

1) Amazon's handling of the situation. They should have handled communication with Mr. Crawford better after the snafu occured.

2) Programming of the 'bots. Can the programming be modified to prevent such problems in the future?

3) Should Amazon remove Mr. Crawford's books from people's Kindles? Let's see. One pissed off writer versus 5,104 pissed-off customers. Nope, I can't see that happening. And if I were in Mr. Crawford's shoes, I wouldn't want it to. 5,104 one-star reviews from irate readers who had their supposedly free book taken away is not going to help my sales. Not one little bit.

4) Galley Cat's handling of the story leaves something to be desired. Kris Rusch wrote a pretty thorough essay on the yellow journalistic aspects of the initial story. Look, I know everyone in trad-publishing looks at Amazon as the Evil Empire, but take a page from the LAPD manual. Don't make the mistake of having racist cops try to frame a guilty black man. It doesn't work.

Angry Sheep now stepping off her soapbox. Have a terrific weekend, everyone!

Survey Says . . .

2011-11-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

Last week, the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood posted the results of a survey on reader habits they did. They had 311 responses to the survey. Despite some particularly snarky remarks in the comments, nowhere did they claim this survey was a scientific sampling.

Go read it. I'll wait.

What I found interesting is that the No. 1 marketing technique matches my own research--word-of-mouth makes the difference in a writer's sales. But how do we generate this buzz?

WRITE A FREAKIN' GREAT BOOK!

Okay, beyond the obvious, I think it's a delicate balance between promotion and engagement with others. I've seen several writers send out desperate tweets of "Buy my book" every two seconds. I've seen writers spend too much time on social sites to the detriment of their craft.

Jon F. Merz is a good example of balance. He started following me on Twitter. My little pecadillo is you'd better have an interesting website for me to check out. If you don't, I won't follow you back.

Jon had a cool website. His first tweet had the tagline for his Lawson series--"James Bond with fangs." I love Ian Fleming and vampires, so I had to check the first book out. Plus, Jon is gracious enough to respond when someone tweets him. Also, his tweets find a happy medium between his promotions and other life stuff.

I read Jon's book, loved it, and STARTED RECOMMENDING IT to friends and family, especially males who like the action hero genre.

Word-of-mouth--it's the best way to advertise. Oh, and being nice works too.

New Year. New Ways.

2011-10-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's Samhain. Halloween. The Celtic New Year. And here's a New Year's resolution that needs to be heard and repeated. It's already happening in publishing. It needs to spread.

Video link courtesy of Pam Noles.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-10-29T22:22:00.000-05:00

I indie-publish 'cause I'll Die Another Day.

Stephen is the King of Fear

2011-10-28T15:22:00.002-05:00

Yep, it's my turn to talk about scary books for All Hallows Read.

Frankly, I'd never viewed books as truly scary when I was a kid. Washington Irving's Headless Horseman and Charles Dickens' Ghosts of Christmas were delightfully creepy but still enjoyable. In fact, I never met a book I couldn't finish. Not until high school. Not until my sister insisted I read a book she loved called Firestarter.

I got about a quarter of the way through the book before the nightmares started. Don't ask me why I had nightmares over a sci-fi thriller. I gave the book back to my sister. "Didn't you just love it?" I told her what happened. She shook her head in disbelief.

A few months, she handed me a book she'd borrowed from the library. "With all that weird stuff you read, you might like this one better." This time the book was Stephen King's Carrie. The nightmares were even worse than with Firestarter. It probably didn't help that I was going through similar issues in high school as the title character did. Once again, I stopped reading and returned the book to my sister.

She shook her head in disgust. "You watch zombie and vampire movies, and you can't handle this?"

I don't care what anyone says about Stephen King's writing. In me, he hit that gut-level response, the one you get when faced with the real possibility of pain and death. The one I've only felt a couple of times in my life, like when my car started sliding on ice and headed straight for a telephone pole. And in most of King's works, the real danger in not external, but internal. Literally, his characters are often their own worst enemy.

Maybe that's part of the reason I write urban fantasy. The monsters are an external force to fight.

On the other hand, I did manage to finish one of King's books. The title? On Writing.

Getting Your Money Back on a Haunted House with Guest Blogger Robin Badillo

2011-10-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Considering Robin's fabulous vampire books, I figured she say Stoker or Rice were influences. Boy, was I wrong! Demon pig, anyone?

FULL DISCLOSURE WORKS FOR ME!!!

To this day, I can’t say why I pulled it from the shelf of my high school library. Perhaps it was the title, maybe even the ominous glow of that attic with the spooky window panes. It may have even been the forked tail dangling from the H in Horror that forced the little voice inside my head, which should have been yelling NO!, to tuck tail and run, taking its warning with it.

Then again, the devil may have made me do it. Bwuahaha!

Who knows, I may not have noticed anything in particular about it at all.

What I do know is that it scared the bajeezers out of me. (FYI: bajeezers is a word my fourteen-year-old daughter made up for when there aren’t proper words to describe how you really feel without swearing)

To be quite honest, the story began rather slow, maybe even a bit boring so it must have been the promise of what I had heard was between the remaining pages that kept me reading.

The book, written by Jay Anson, was released in 1977, just a couple of years after the events depicted in the book supposedly occurred. The legitimacy of the facts are still controversial. Anson was said to have met with the actual couple, The Lutzes, and although did not officially collaborate with them for the book, did listen to around forty-five hours of tape recordings made by the couple explaining their experience in the actual house.

The first movie, staring none other than James Brolin, hit theatres in 1979. I read the book in the mid-eighties, at the age of 16 or so. I do remember seeing it on television a few years later, though I must say that the book left a deeper impression than any of the movies ever did.

If I had to take a stab at the reason why, I would say it was because I had to piece the scenes together with my imagination as I read, and that burned profound images into my brain that remain today.

I had nightmares for weeks after reading the book and always the same thing… flies gathered on the window outside my bedroom… buzzing…watching…waiting….

I decided way back then, that there were a few things I would consider when I grew up and bought a home of my own and these tips are why FULL DISCLOSURE works for me!! Now I’m passing these tips onto you:

1) If a realtor tells you someone died violently in a home you’ve considered buying and you elect to purchase it anyway and have it blessed, please listen to whoever you bring in to bless it, especially if they are blinded soon after, claim to have heard voices telling them to ‘Get out’, develop “stigmata” type blisters on their palms or all of the above.

2) If after moving in, you discover ANY room in the house that the family dog refuses to enter or if he/she cowers and/or whimpers when near said room, please take into consideration that the animal is called “man’s best friend” for a reason and… MOVE!

3) If you find hidden rooms, too small for occupancy that happen to be completely painted RED for no reason and the dog looks at you like you’re crazy for venturing in, please refer to tip #2 again.

4) If you find yourself waking every night at 3:15 a.m. with an inexplicable desire to walk down to the boatshed, rethink your options… this is a good time for a family meeting.

5) If your child claims to have an imaginary friend named Jodie, in the form of a demonic pig with glowing eyes, skip the psychotherapy and MOVE… immediately. DO NOT wait for said pig to float outside the bedroom window in the middle of the night, terrorizing your family.

6) If your spouse claims someone other than you is hugging her in the middle of the night and you both know for a fact she was ALONE in the room, don’t seek marriage counseling, she isn’t cheating… MOVE, before the entity snuggling up with her decides to move past first base.

7) If unexplained welts appear on you or your spouse while you’re in bed and this wasn’t from some kinky foreplay you’re just too embarrassed to admit to… MOVE… demons are one thing… demon Dom’s are quite another!

8) If flies gather outside your windows by the thousands, in the middle of winter… MOVE!

This isn’t a typical infestation, even if you’re in Texas. Yes, we have flies, but they don’t come in droves and cling to windows unless it’s slathered in honey and if it is… you’re weird and just asking for trouble.

9) If your husband spends an unusual amount of time sharpening his axe and even more time chopping wood without speaking or perhaps behaving stranger than normal… MOVE, the wood chopping is just a prequel to what is coming next … and it won’t be wood he plans to split in two.

And finally # 10) If your husband is shirtless and looks like Ryan Reynolds while he’s chopping wood….um, call me, I’ll take the problem off your hands right away and you can keep the damn house!!

***

Personally, I prefer sexy vampires and muscle-bound shape shifters any day, though I find all things paranormal intriguing and quite entertaining.

I hope you agree on November 15th when my latest novel, Midnight Beckoning releases right on the heels of Halloween!!

This novel has it all…incubi, damphyrs, vampires and even winged demons straight from the pits if hell. It’s a bit of a reach from my regular vampire novels, but still filled with romance, action and maybe even a couple of twists to keep you busy.

Happy Halloween!!

Want to keep up with Robin Badillo and her books?

Find her at any of the sites below:

Blog: http://www.robinbadillo.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.badillo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Robin_Badillo

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3zp5x2q

Publisher, eXtasy Books: http://tinyurl.com/3vmszta

Ghost Stories by Guest Blogger Teri Thackston

2011-10-26T07:00:00.007-05:00

Teri watches BBC's Most Haunted and SyFy's Ghost Hunters religiously. I was so not surprised which book was her favorite. Wait! Did your that?

Bumps in the Night. A sense that you’re not alone in the house. Whispers on the Wind. Because it’s the Halloween season, it’s a great time to discuss scary stories. One of my favorite scary books is THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson. Although this novel was first published in 1959, this haunted house story still gives me chills today.

The most recent movie adaptation of the book (starring Liam Neeson and Lily Taylor) was terrifying, but it didn’t come close to the spookiness of the novel. One scene that stands out in my memory—and still makes my arms pimple up with chills—is the one where the presence in the house pounds on the doors down the hall from the bedroom in which Eleanor and Theo huddle together in terror.

“…they heard the crash against the door across the hall. It was louder, it was deafening, it struck against the door next to them (did it move back and forth across the hall? did it go on feet along the carpet? did it lift a hand to the door?), and Eleanor threw herself away from the bed and ran to hold her hands against the door. “Go away,” she shouted wildly. “Go away, go away!” There was complete silence, and Eleanor thought, standing with her face against the door, Now I’ve done it; it was looking for the room with someone inside.” (*Jackson, Shirley, The Haunting of Hill House (p. 129, Penguin Classic. Kindle Edition.))

I tried to put some of that heart pounding eeriness into my haunted house story SCENT OF LAVENDER. In my novel, a ghost haunts the house on Black Tree Creek. New tenant Rob Sheridan has seen her, but Lily Graham—who grew up in the house—believes he’s lying. This haunting tale of betrayal, possession and seduction in the Texas Hill Country brings together the lonely war veteran and the beauty from his past…and the ghost that could drive them apart. Here’s a short excerpt:

A sigh sounded again somewhere beyond the milky dimness of his bedroom.

Fine hairs prickled across Rob’s bare shoulders. Shaking off the sensation, he forced himself to push back the sheet and get up. Despite his willingness to believe in ghosts—maybe he was crazy—he knew he’d sleep better if he found a logical explanation for that noise. There was also the possibility that the artists he planned to host at the house wouldn’t find a ghost as acceptable as he did.

Oak planks chilled his bare soles, creaking gently as he neared his closed bedroom doorway. Cold seeped upward along his ankles and shinbones, soaking into his marrow. His pajama pants offered little protection as the chill continued up his body and he hugged his arms over his bare chest in a vain attempt to warm himself.
Opening the door, he paused. The air in the corridor wasn’t as warm as he’d expected. Nor was the darkness as black. He could make out the staircase railing and the pale oblongs of six other doorways that opened off the upper corridor.

As he stood there studying the dim hallway, he heard the sigh again, fainter, coming from the front of the house. It was a shuddery sort of sigh that raised the hair on the back of his neck.

Tiptoeing along the corridor, he looked into each empty bedroom until he reached the one that overlooked the front yard. Pausing in that doorway, he peered inside. Gloom clung to empty corners, driven there by the blue-gray of the dawn coming on just beyond the parted window drapes. The scarred wooden floor gave off a flat gleam and the off-white walls appeared dull and softened by time.

Rob stepped inside. The wood beneath his feet gave out a quiet creak and for an instant he caught a sense of presence. Feminine and sad, it was as fleeting as the soft floral scent that accompanied it, gone just as he became aware of it.

As he stood there wondering if he had imagined that odd sense of presence and the sighs that had preceded it, the light in the room took on a hint of yellow. The sun was rising and what lay before him now was nothing but an empty room.

He stood still, searching the room with his eyes. It was bare of furniture, of personality, and yet he wondered who had lived here over the decades. He wondered, too, if, once lived in, a room could ever become truly empty again.

Slowly, he backed out of it and closed the door.

SCENT OF LAVENDER is available in digital format (print coming soon, I hope). Amazon.com has it at a great price, but my publisher’s price might be lower. Check Ellora's Cave or Amazon.

Thanks, Suzan, for inviting me to talk about spooky books for Halloween.

When the Monsters Are All Too Human by Guest Blogger Tess St. John

2011-10-25T07:00:00.004-05:00

Continuing our Halloween series this week is the terrific Tess St. John! In her books, the bad guys do despicable things to her heroines, so I wondered, "What actually scares Tess?"

When Suzan asked me to blog about “Books that give you chills” I couldn’t wait!!!

I didn’t read as a kid (not even required reading, don’t ask how I passed in school, I got by with what I learned in lectures), but I went to the movies all the time. HOWEVER, scary movies were not my thing. I spent all of HALLOWEEN (the original, yes, I’m that old…don’t go there) and JAWS sitting on the floor with my fingers in my ears humming to myself. I won’t even discuss THE SHINING or I’ll have nightmares tonight.

And while I might be totally frightened with movies, I found books were a different story.

After I married, my husband traveled a lot and would leave books behind after he’d read them. That’s when I discovered how much I enjoyed reading scary books. And Dean Koontz was one of my favorites. The first book I read of his was WATCHERS—From a top secret government laboratory come two genetically altered life forms. One is a magnificent dog of astonishing intelligence. The other, a hybrid monster of a brutally violent nature. And both are on the loose—OMG, I can still visualize the monster holding the Mickey Mouse cartoon he and the dog used to watch together, while begging the hero to kill him. **goosebumps**

And his book STRANGERS—THEY WERE STRANGERS. A handful of people. From different backgrounds, living in different towns and cities across America, they had nothing in common - except fear. THEY WERE VICTIMS. Cold and stark, an unknown terror gripped their dreams and turned their days into living nightmares. THEY WERE CHOSEN. And they could not escape. Deep in the heart of a sprawling desert, a dark memory called out to them drawing them to the Tranquility Motel - where the terrifying truth was waiting—I’m not sure how many of you have read it, but I still have the words “the moon” go through my mind every once in a while and feel a shiver race through my body!

And I’ll never forget the first time I read Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. That first scene where the man is dying and positioning his body to be found as a clue, WOW. I still feel a bit of a tremor thinking of it.

I’m in awe of writers who have written something so visually and emotionally compelling, that I can remember the scenes decades later!

I thought when I started writing I would write thrillers, but found I didn’t have that jagged edge talent. But I do write Romantic Suspense, and I hope I raise a few hairs on people’s necks every once in a while!

Here’s an excerpt from my latest release, EYES OF JADE:

Eve peeked from under the jacket Jake held over them. Something was familiar about the guy on the motorcycle. Cloaked in black, the only color on the rider was a rainbow helmet. She’d seen that helmet before. When he reached inside his jacket, panic pulsed through her. This was a scene from Legally Mine.

“He’s got a detonator!” she screamed.

“Her car!” Stewart yelled.

Jake grabbed her shoulders and shoved her toward the building, away from her car.

A sonic boom exploded and shook the ground.

She tripped and lost her footing, landing on her hands and knees. Like a rag doll, her palms skidded out from under her, scraping the rough wet bricks. She turned her face, just as her cheek smashed to the pathway.

A body instantly covered hers—knocking the air from her lungs.

Heat assaulted her like an unharnessed furnace.

Gray smoke engulfed the air.

A car engine roared to life and peeled out—no doubt chasing the motorcycle.

Eve wished for a way to melt into the blood-red bricks.

Jake jumped up, seized her arm, and hauled her to her knees. “Can you walk?”

Stewart gripped her other arm and the two men lifted and carried her toward the street. Her feet hit the ground every once in a while, but she wasn’t using them. Her palms stung, and her head and cheek throbbed. The ringing in her ears resembled the bells used to wrap a day of shooting—except the ringing wouldn’t stop.

The men hustled her to one of the cars still waiting on the street. Agents surrounded the vehicle with their weapons drawn. One held the back door open, while Jake helped her inside and slid in beside her.

Stewart shot into the driver’s seat and sped off.

She glanced back at the inferno. A sickening déjà vu struck her as she remembered the same scene from Legally Mine. Her voice was nothing more than a coughing whisper. “My movies are coming back to haunt me.”

“Don’t.” Jake nodded toward the front of the car. “Don’t look back. Only forward.”

She twisted toward the front seat. Bullets. Explosions. Her life had become an action/adventure movie. Not one she wanted the starring role in, but it seemed she had no choice. She didn’t realize she was trembling until Jake cradled her hands in his. His touch a comfort she desperately needed. Rocking back and forth in her seat, her body jerked every so often.

Don’t look back. Only forward.

Easy for him to say. He hadn’t been shot at and almost blown up.

Wait.

Yes, he had.

But this was a life he’d chosen, signed up for. He promised not to let anything happen to her. She hoped he’d be able to keep that vow.

“Get down,” Stewart yelled.

Jake shoved her upper body to the seat and crouched over her.

The back window shattered.

She bit her lip to keep from screaming.

Stewart turned corner after corner and sped through the streets.

Flattened on the leather, facing the front seat, Jake’s now familiar body protected hers. Eve caught a whiff of his citrus cologne. Considering how close they’d been this morning, she was surprised she hadn’t noticed his subtle, clean scent earlier.

She tried to think of anything besides the motion sickness plaguing her. And the fact they were being chased. But she was too terrified for rational thought.

***
I want to thank Suzan for having me today, what a blast!

You can find out more about me and my books at my website.

Monsters with Guest Blogger Will Graham

2011-10-24T07:00:00.005-05:00

With only one week left until Halloween, a few friends have dropped by to talk about the creepy, the eerie and the down-right terrifying. Please welcome my first guest, the incomparable Will Graham!

It’s a moment I’ll never forget. My grandfather gave me a copy of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The cover still lingers in my mind; a dark green background, Baskerville Manor in the fog… and the face of the Hound right there in front. (It was a Dell paperback, priced at .40 cents, which tells you how long ago this was!)

I didn’t read that book, I devoured it. I’d never read anything like this in my life. Fascinating and scary by turns, it was the single most amazing book I’d ever read, and it opened the floodgates to an obsession with reading that continues to this day.
A few months later, home in (at that time) Chicago, WGN was running late night movies. One particular commercial for the upcoming Fright Night Friday, was….. yeah, you guessed it. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Hammer Studios version, starring Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes.

Negotiating, pleading, begging, pick your word, I was eventually granted Parental Permission to stay up late and watch it. It started at 10pm, way past my usual bedtime at that point. Determined? You have no idea.

So I did.

And it scared me to death.

I don’t mean it frightened me, or made me shiver. I’m talking about stark terror. Even at that age, I recognized some of the differences between the book and the movie (Hammer jazzed up the sexual components in the story, but at that age I was more interested in car chases and exploding briefcases).

I’d never seen anything as outright evil as The Hound, the climactic chase through the Moors was bad enough, but confronting The Hound was something that, to this day, I cannot quite find the words. I slept with a light on for months afterward and, I’ll confess it now, a BB gun under my pillow. It was THAT scary.

Flash forward thirty-plus years. VHS dominated the market, and there was a wonderful store at the time called Suncoast Motion Picture Company in the Mall. One Saturday, browsing the rack, I turned…. and there it was!

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hammer Studios, 1959. I was too adult to bellow “Wow!” in the store, but it was in the back of my mind.

According to witnesses, I left a vapor trail when I snatched it from the rack.

I couldn’t wait to get home and pop it into the VCR and re-live it. I knew, I just knew, it would be wonderful and terrific and as amazing and scary as I remembered it.

What I remember now is feeling sorry for the Great Dane they strapped a paper-maché mask on and made run around with over-dubbed growling and snarling on the audio. It was so bad, you can even see the straps holding the mask on the poor dog from some angles.

It’s laughable now, but I’ll never forget the first time I saw the movie. OR the first time I read the book. To this day, it’s a favorite. Somewhere over the years, I lost the copy my grandfather gave me, but there’s an entire bookcase full of Holmesian works.

When I re-wrote SOMETIMES, THERE REALLY ARE MONSTERS UNDER THE BED, once I got a grip on the newest version of it, there’s a moment I remember thinking, “I’m gonna scare Conan Doyle himself with this one, it’s only fair!”

I deliberately wrote the final confrontation in a howling rainstorm with powerful winds bashing the hero and villain about, on a rooftop, vulnerable both to each other and the elements. The setting is a multi-story building in modern times, but in my mind it was set in another time, a long-ago time, on the Grimpen Mire in the Moors, where The Hound bayed at the moon and warned the populace to stay out.

Did it work? I can’t really say. But I’d like to imagine Sherlock Holmes himself might smile kindly about Michael O’Leary and the drastic -- but final -- solution to the mystery….

Will Graham is the pseudonym of a Houston private investigator specializing in computer forensics. Will's latest book Sometimes, There Really Are Monsters Under the Bed is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-10-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

To paraphrase Aretha and Annie, [Indies] Are Doing It for Themselves!

RESPECT Dedux

2011-10-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

On her Wednesday blog post, Kris Rusch talked about a couple of editors who treated her like she was stupid. This is a woman who's been in the business for thirty years, who has worn all the hats someone can in the publishing industry, who's won a freakin' HUGO, but she was treated like dirt. The title of the blog post was R*E*S*P*E*C*T.

Ironically, I wish I could say I was surprised, but I've hit a similar wall myself. That's the reason last Saturday's indie-themed music video was Miz Aretha belting out her anthem.

I've learned to walk away when someone treats me like crap. It was a hard lesson to learn, especially since our society trains little girls from the start that they need to please others in order to have any worth. We're not just talking old boyfriends or employers. I had to walk away from my own mother several years ago. (Let's just say she has "issues.")

I worry about the writers who sign the shitty contracts, who take the disrespect from their agents and editors. Nothing is more valuable than their self-worth. But until they figure that out, people in the publishing industry will continue to take advantage of these writers.

You've got to stand up for yourself in this life. No one else will. It doesn't matter if it's your spouse or your boss or your business partner. Like I said, it's hard. But you'll be able to face yourself in the mirror every morning if you do.

I Got All 51 Flags!

2011-10-19T07:00:00.003-05:00

Okay, I know this sounds stupid, but that little flag counter down at the very end of the column on your right hand side?

I added the flag counter to Wild, Wicked & Wacky a long time ago for two reasons:

(1) How long would it take to collect all fifty U.S. state flags?

(2) What folks in which countries other than the U.S. might actually read my blog?

What I didn't think about was that the District of Columbia would be listed as part of the U.S. by the good folks at Flag Counter while commonwealths like Puerto Rico and Guam aren't. So as of October 4th, I officially got a blog visitor from South Dakota, my last state needed. (Yes, I got lazy and finally checked.) It took two years and three weeks.

I say offically because there's some satellite providers that don't list the state/country of origin. So if one of y'all from South Dakota visited prior to October of this year I apologize.

State-wise, my top visitors are from Texas (of course *grin*), followed by California, New Jersey, Ohio (home state *wave*) and New York.

So far, folks from eighty countries other than the U.S. have dropped by. The most visitors come from Canada (hey, neighbors!), the United Kingdom, India, Australia and the Phillippines.

What amazes me is how connected the Internet has made the world. That we can find common interests beyond the BS our leaders spout. That people from exotic places I've only read about can reach out and say "Hey!"

This is the future, and damn, it's cool!

Implosion of a Publisher

2011-10-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

I don't know if you folks have been hearing the same rumors as I have about Aspen Mountain Press over the last year. Last Thursday, a former editor Celina Summers posted her version of the meltdown.

I cannot vouch for the veracity of her blog post, but it sounds all too familiar to the Triskelion and Dorchester collapses, publishing business disasters that friends of mine were caught in.

As Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch continue to espouse, check out a publisher before you sign on the dotted line. The $50 or so dollars on a background check will save you a lot of heartache.

Wise Words

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you didn't read Kris Rusch blog post about new paths, then click on the link and scroll down to Martin L. Shoemaker's comment. He clearly illustrates the problems with writers today. Instead of screaming at each over who's right and who's wrong, maybe we should understand that our comfort levels are not the same as everyone else's and respect that choice.

Angry Sheep will now step off her soapbox.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-10-15T23:00:00.001-05:00

I indie publish because I deserve some R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Latest Industry News

2011-10-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

It's Friday, and I'm exhausted from birthing a book Tuesday through Wednesday, so here's a round-up of news that may have slipped under your radar:

Bowker (you know, the folks you get your ISBNs from) plans to start monitoring ebook sales in the U.S. My question--how are they going to monitor ebooks without ISBNs? Not even the big boys are bothering with ISBNs when they upload their goodies to Amazon and B&N these days. In fact, the only e-tailers still demanding ISBNs on ebooks are Sony and Apple. So ditching the ISBN: great cost cutting measure or road to inaccuate sales reporting?

Ooo la la! Amazon France is officially open. Don't know about you, but I seriously need to find a translator.

Both Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million stomped their feet over Amazon's exclusive Kindle Fire deal with DC Comics (currently owned by Time Warner) and pulled all DC graphic novels from their virtually and physical shelves. I know Barnes & Noble doesn't give a rat's patootie about my dollars spent on corrupting nieces and nephews with copies of Sandman. It looks like it's time to visit my local indie comics shop Bedrock City Comics.

On a side note, the whole brouhaha over DC will be a moot point if they don't improve the writing on their books. Another re-boot? Again? How many does that make over the last thirty years? And that last issue of Wonder Woman? Yeesh!

Then there's the snark over Barry Eisler's exclusive deal with Amazon for his latest ebook. People repeat after me, "There is no DRM on Eisler's book from Amazon." Convert the damn thing if you want it on your NOOK. Frankly, if you can't convert it or get your kid to do it for you, then maybe it's not something you should be reading. Barry uses some pretty big words.

Okay, kids. That all we have time for. Have a snarkalicious weekend!

Summer is here!

2011-10-13T07:00:00.003-05:00

I wanted to make sure all my links were live before I made the official announcement, but Seasons of Magick: Summer is out!

The Blurb
Welcome to Morrigan’s Cauldron! But be careful what you ask for because this little Greenwich Village shop can deliver your heart’s desire. Or your greatest nightmare.

Shan Wong thought when she broke up with her boyfriend Mark, he couldn’t hurt her anymore…until she discovers he’s planned his revenge on her by committing suicide and turning himself into a kiang shi—a zombie with super-human powers.

Jamal Washington has loved Shan since they were children. When he thinks he finally has a chance with her, her ex comes back from the dead to kill her…and anyone who gets in the way. Is the ancient sword the magick shop owner gave him enough to stop Zombie Mark? And is Jamal brave enough to win Shan’s love as well as save her life?

Novella, approximately 25,000 words or 90 printed pages

“This story somehow combines hot sex, young love, and some startling zombie moments that still make me shudder!” –Author Nina Cordoba

Available at the following retailers:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

All Hallows Read

2011-10-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a positive Public Service Announcement from the ever-charming Neil Gaiman:

Now go buy or borrow scary books for your loved ones!

Let Them Eat Cake

2011-10-10T09:17:00.001-05:00

I took today's title from a quote attributed to Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France. Supposedly, it was her response when told the peasants had no bread and were starving. While the quote isn't real, it is endemic of the disconnect between those in power and the general public.

Over two hundred years later, leaders are making the same mistakes. Look at how the Occupy Wall Street protests are spreading across the country.

What the PTBs don't get is that the loss of one leader isn't going to stop the revolution. Nowhere was the more prevelent than Publishers Weekly's gleeful headline last Friday: 'Konrath to Take Hiatus From Telling Authors To Abandon Publishers.'

Just because Joe stops blogging for a while (and frankly, I'll be surprised if he lasts more than two weeks) doesn't mean writers will accept bad contracts and crappy deals. Not to mention, there are plenty of other bloggers like Bob Mayer, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith, and Passive Guy who are trying to educate the writing public. And these folks aren't going away any time soon.

Last week I talked to two friends, both whom had books with a certain publisher. In both cases, these ladies were now self-publishing. Apparently, their former publisher is sending out e-mails to their authors or former authors asking for submissions. At least for one publisher, it's sinking in that they do need writers.

The real question is will the publishing industry as a whole get a clue before the guillotine is sharpened.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-10-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

I indie publish 'cause I'm Workin' For A Livin'!

Conference Time!

2011-10-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lateness, folks! I had a post scheduled for 7AM this morning. Really, I did. And it simply went poof! It's gone.

So I'll run Monday's public service announcement instead.

The Northwest Houston Chapter of the Romance Writers of America puts on their annual Lonestar Conference every October. The conference is next Saturday, October 15th, at the Greenspoint Marriott. The speaker is the wonderful Alexandra Sokoloff.

Seats are still available. The conference itself is $125 for an all-day workshop, plus agent and editor appointments. If you want to spend the night, the Mariott is offering a fantastic rate of $69 per night for conference attendees.

The conference is run by our V-P, who also poses as Stacey Purcell of Musetracks. And believe me, she does a bang-up job!

For more conference info, click here.

In Memorium

2011-10-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." - Steve Jobs, 2005

Vampires Are Just Regular Folks

2011-10-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

Please welcome my special guest blogger, the terrific Tea Trelawny! Take it away, Tea!

Did you ever wonder what vampires do when they’re not imbibing their favorite beverage or sleeping the day away? If ‘real’ vampires are anything like the ones in the books we read, they do just about anything they like. If you’re a regular reader on this site, then you know that Suzan Harden’s sexy vampire hero Duncan St. James is suspected to be a mobster in her book Zombie Love (Bloodlines). In Kerrelyn Spark’s Love at Stake series, the vampires pursue many occupations from security specialists to genetic scientists and television stars. Robin Badillo’s heroine Raven Prince in her Blood Hunter series is unemployed as she runs from vampire hunters in the series opener.

In my new Moon Racers erotic romance series, the vampires race motorcycles in between seductions. The first book, Start Your Engines, features Rory Shaw, a young man turned into a vampire as he was dying from injuries sustained in a terrible motorcycle crash. Horrified when he nearly kills the first woman upon whom he feeds, he allows his lover Cherry Lee to believe that he did die in the crash. But Cherry discovers he’s alive and she is determined to win back her man. Fearing he will accidentally kill her, Rory tries to resist her advances. But Cherry uses her erotic charms to seduce him and help him learn to trust himself, even as other vampires in the series may not be such honorable characters.

Detectives, doctors, deep sea divers…today’s vampire heroes and heroines can be just about anything they want. But no matter how ‘regular’ they are, in romance novels, vampires remain seductive and attractive. They intrigue our imaginations and help us, as readers, to feel a little less regular ourselves.

Start Your Engines, Book One of the Moon Racers, the erotic vampire series by Téa Trelawny

Adult excerpt:

Rory caught her wrist before she could hit him again. In spite of how much he wanted her at that moment, he gave her a shake—gently, mindful of his increased strength. One wrong jerk and he’d snap her delicate bones.

Still holding her wrist, he leaned close to her and said, “Calm down, Cherry.”

“I will not calm down.” She tried to pull her arm free. “I want answers.”

A shadow fell over Rory’s face.

“Perhaps I can be of assistance.”

Rory looked up. Damon stood barely two feet away, watching Cherry with that look of hunger in his eyes once more.

Whispers swirled through Rory’s mind. He had lowered his guard and the inner thoughts of others were sweeping into his head. His gaze shifted and he saw that they had drawn a crowd of onlookers.

He pulled Cherry close to his side as he faced Damon. “I think you helped plenty seven months ago.”

Damon’s lips curled upward, parting just enough to reveal his incisors. His canines remained hidden. But not for long, Rory feared. He pulled Cherry closer.

“I just thought Cherry might want to hear the truth,” Damon said, folding his arms over his chest.

“I’ll be the one to explain the truth to her.”

Rory felt her shudder. Like other humans, she could sense something was wrong with Damon…and with him. But she didn’t want to accept what her primitive instincts were telling her.

Available in digital formats at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Suzan's Note: Since Tea and I are critique partners, I got to read Start Your Engines before anyone else. This is one hot story, and I'm already nagging Tea to finish the tale of Rory's cousin Cameron.

TxDOT v. Christie Craig: The Write-In Campaign

2011-10-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Several writers in the Houston area, including me, wrote to the Texas Department of Transportation in regards to Civil Action No.1:11-cv-726, i.e. their lawsuit against Texas romance writer, Christie Craig for alleged violation of the state's trademark. The responses most of the writers recieved were generally dismissive and condecending.

So we're going over TxDOT's head, and we're asking all writers and readers to help.

Please contact Texas Governor Rick Perry and ask him to stop this travesty. The main points that refute this lawsuit are:

1) TxDOT's counsel admitted to Judge Sam Sparks in open court that NONE of TxDOT's trademark registrations apply to books.

2) TxDOT claims that Ms. Craig's book ruins their reputation because it contains scenes between a heterosexual couple in a committed relationship practicing safe sex. Yet, TxDOT believes selling men's thongs with the trademark clearly stamped on the front does not.

3) TxDOT has not sued other entities using the title 'Don't Mess With Texas.' Other works using the title include a rap song, a magazine article and several country songs. Please note that ALL of these other situations I mention involve an artist or a controlling party who is MALE.

4) TxDOT is wasting money pursuing this action that is all likelihood they will lose when Texas is in a fiscal crisis.

We ask that you contact Gov. Perry directly and protest this lawsuit.

Snail Mail: The Honorable Rick Perry, PO Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711-2428
Website: http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/
Phone No: (512) 463-2000
Twitter: @GovernorPerry (mention @TxDOT and @Christie_Craig)

We also ask that you tweet, FB and blog this information.

Even if you don't live in Texas, this matter concerns you since Gov. Perry is running for President of the United States.

Please spread the word. No government should bully a writer because they dislike that writer's content. And frankly, this lawsuit is not about a trademark. It's an attempt by a state to bypass the First Amendment and harass a author based on her subject matter and her gender.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-10-01T22:14:00.000-05:00

I'm an indie writer. Take a Chance on me.

Should I Leave Agents on My Blog Wall?

2011-09-30T15:23:00.002-05:00

Have you read this blog post by Janet Reid?

Yeesh! I respect Janet, or at least I did, until that load of self-serving crap was dished out.

I'm sad. I'm disappointed.

And personally, I'm tired of the anti-indie stance that agents and publishing houses have taken. Why are they so fucking worried when allegedly, we indies weren't worth taking on as clients to begin with?

*sigh* Is there something in the air this week? Between Kris Rusch, Passive Guy, Joe Konrath. . . Wait, nevermind, Joe always rants. But you get my drift.

The dinosaurs are dying, and their blaming us cute, fuzzy mammals.

Yes, Traditional Publishing! Zombie Hamsters will have you for lunch!

Robin's Rant

2011-09-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

After my blow-up about the stupid censorship-disguised-as-trademark-infringement and waste-of-taxpayer-money lawsuit by TxDOT, fellow paranormal author Robin Badillo added her two cents over at Sealed With a Kiss.

She found even more interesting "trademark infringements."

More on TxDot Versus Christie Craig

2011-09-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

TxDOT is lke the dog with a chew toy that just won't let go. Discovery has started in Case No. 1:11-cv-726. Apparently, Judge Sparks pointing out in his ruling on the TRO and permanent injunction that a romance writer can't really harm the state fell on deaf ears.

Nor did reality sink in when the state's attorney ADMITTED IN OPEN COURT that NONE of the state's trademark registrations APPLIED TO BOOKS.

In the original complaint, TxDOT's biggest objection was that Christie's book "contain numerous graphic references to sexual acts, state of arousal, etc."

Okay, TxDOT, if you're that worried about sex, why do you sell these?

Yes, this thong is available for sale by the great state of Texas. And people wonder why I think the lawsuit against Christie is really an attack on women's rights.

Is Traditional Publishing the New Vanity Publishing?

2011-09-26T07:00:00.003-05:00

If you haven't read it yet, go read Kris Rusch's rant of what constitutes a professional writer. She warns against her, um, vulgarity. Really, it's pretty mild. But then, I can and have made Marines blush during my rants so my POV is a little skewed.

Seriously, go read it now. I'll wait.

Here's what scares me me: the way traditional publishers are treating mid-list writers is very reminiscent of how the old vanity model works.

Unfortunately vanity publishing and self-publishing got wrapped up together in the blanket of bad ideas, so let's differentiate.

Self-publishing is exactly what a lot of us are doing right now. We either subcontract certain jobs or do them ourselves in addition to writing the books. This includes cover art, back cover blurbs, actual printing of the book, etc. Any marketing anad retailing is the responsibility of the writer.

Vanity publishing is a scam that preys on naive, uneducated writers. They present themselves as a legimate publisher and make a lot of promises. But then they ask for money from the writer to actually publish the book. These sums can easily hit five figures. The vanity publisher then often produces a badly formatted, unedited tome. They sometimes require the writer to buy a minimum number of copies. They do not market the book to retailers, despite insinuations to the contrary. By the time, everything's said and done, the writer has blown the kids' college fund or his 401K for a garage full of books he can't give away.

From the incidents I've been reading and hearing about, traditional publishers are starting to act like vanity publishers. Locking naive writers in unteneable contracts designed so that the publisher get all the money and the writer has nothing. Threatening legal action if the writer protests the unfair treatment. Verbally abusing the writer if the writer questions anything regarding the process.

And what does the writer end up with? Well, this time they don't even get a garageful of books.

I'm not saying all publishers are bad or that all publishing deals are bad. But seriously, talk to an IP attorney BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.

And if I were you, I sure as hell wouldn't talk to Kris AFTER you've signed one of these atrocious contracts.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-09-24T23:37:00.000-05:00

I indie publish 'cause I've been Searchin' My Soul.

Summer is DONE!

2011-09-23T13:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, I typed that title and realized today is Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, the first day of Fall.

So, Happy Mabon, everyone!

What I meant was that I'm done with the initial editing of Seasons of Magick: Summer. Finally! And it's been sent to critique partners and a beta reader for review.

In the meantime, the first 2500 words of Seasons of Magick: Autumn have been banged out on Isabella the laptop. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no other incidents or family traumas will interfere. And I'm doing a pretty good job of saying "No!" lately to a lot of requests for my time.

All-in-all, I think I'm back on track. Yea, me!

Status Update - September 2011

2011-09-21T07:00:00.006-05:00

Currently reading - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (MMPB)

Here's the numbers for all four of my books available for the month of August:

Amazon - 16
Barnes & Noble - 6
Smashwords - 15
XinXii - 0

Total books for August: 37
Total books for 2011: 122

Please note that all Smashwords downloads were for Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer, a compilation of a series I did for Pitch University. It was available for free with the coupon code available at Pitch U.

So for actual books sold, the real number is more like 22.

As I said in the My Big Mistakes post last week, I seriously dropped the ball in several aspects of my business. Bad Suzan!

Can I fix it? Yes, by returning to my original business plan and putting in some elbow grease.

P.S. If you too want a free copy of Creating a Business Plan for the Indie Writer before the coupon expires on September 30th, go to Smashwords and enter coupon code EW59P at check-out.

I'm Not Here Right Now. . .

2011-09-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today, I'm guest blogging over at Everybody Needs a Little Romance. [Editor's Note: Oops! Link has been fixed.]

The subject?

Breaking the Mental Cycle: Or Why I'd Rather Be a Bitch in a Lap Pet World.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-09-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

I indie publish because there's Room at the Top.

My Big Mistakes

2011-09-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

When I started documenting my indie publishing journey, I said I'd share my disasters as well as my triumphs. In that spirit, here's three of the biggest mistakes I've made in the last three months:

1) Not making MY business top priority

Women in our society are socialized to put others' needs before their own. Despite my general bitch-ness, I've found myself helping friends with their projects instead of working on my own this summer. As a result, I'm way behind on the schedule I put together at the beginning of the year.

2) Underestimating my time

When I was a computer consultant, I could estimate to the hour how long it would take me to complete a project. As an attorney, I could do it within a half day. Unfortunately, I'm still getting the hang of estimating my time when it comes to writing. The difference is working in an office versus working from home. The only time I may not get interrupted is when I'm writing at one of the survivng local coffee shops. And even then, I often get interrupted by men who don't have a clue.

(Seriously, guys. Just because a woman is overweight, middle-age and in front of a goddess-damned computer doesn't mean she's desperate for your attention.)

3) Underestimating the need for marketing

Some marketing of your product must be done at all times. I really dropped the ball on that one because of Items (1) and (2). I thought I had plenty of promo work over the summer to drift for a little while, but it apparently wasn't enough from the drop-off in sales since the end of August.

Right now, I struggling to get back on track with my schedule. So if you see a red-head in a coffee shop with a Star Trek t-shirt and a laptop, for your own safety, I wouldn't approach her.

Guest Blog by Robin Badillo - Overcoming Obstacles

2011-09-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

I'm a sucker for a vampire story, so I was ecstatic when I met fellow paranormal author Robin Badillo. Robin's one of the people that you can't help but be impressed with. Once you hear her story, you'll understand why. Take it away, Robin!

Thank you so much for inviting me for a visit, Suzan.

As an author in the public eye, I could talk about my books all day and probably never take a breath. But talk about myself? Uhh, not so much.

What is there to say?

Okay, I guess I could tell you about my three story mansion and latest whip, (that would be of the luxury “car” variety), or about my indoor pool and private bowling alley. I could also mention the tennis/basketball courts and private theater where I often preview new movie releases before their public premiers. (I usually invite Bobby Di Nero, George, Brad and Angelina over for popcorn on those nights)

I’m sure you would be dazzled by my state-of-the-art kitchen, personally designed by Martha Stewart or I could show you photos of my designer wardrobe…but if I did I would not only be a writer of fiction, but a magician as well.

Needless to say, I have none of that stuff… with the exception of Bobby and the Gang on speed dial… Yeah, right!

The truth of the matter is I’m just a country girl with a high school education and average intelligence at best. I’ve slung burgers, waited tables, changed diapers in a daycare or three, bussed tables, operated a drive-thru cash register and done just about any other blue-collar job one can think of.

I’ve worked in education and at one time was even trained to give parenting classes for our local school district. What were they thinking?

Along the way, I managed to get married, had a couple of kids, adopted a couple more, vacationed, paid bills, became a member of a typical two income household… all while trying to live the American dream.

Things were chugging along at an even pace until my husband of fifteen years had a massive coronary due to an undetected blood clot and passed away in his sleep. Forty-two years old, in the prime of his life and he was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving me behind with four kids, a stack of bills and not a freakin’ clue.

What did I do about it?

The only thing I could do. I pulled up my big girl panties and survived!

Writing had always been a therapeutic outlet since my teen years. What once had been a love of poetry and rhymes had soon morphed into journal entries and writing short stories. Most were written as personal reflections of day to day life and how I saw the world around me. More often than not, the entries were a bit on the cynical side with a smidgen of tongue-in-cheek humor.

In 2004, just two years before the loss of my husband, I penned my first full length novel, a cougar story, written in long hand because I had no typing skills and had no idea how to create a document on a computer. Sad but true.

Flash forward a few years and there I was with four kids, still no skills to speak of and fresh out of ideas of finding employment where I could still be a full time mother and keep a roof over our heads. It wasn’t long before a friend called saying that a few teachers I used to work with had suddenly found themselves without childcare and hoped I could give them a hand.

Poof, I was in the kid business once again, and still NOT back to writing.

In 2009, my daughter asked if I would rent a little movie called Twilight. The idea of a romance with vampires sounded interesting enough having always been a fan of the genre. I hadn’t read the books, but my son, who was in high school at the time, said all of the girls he knew were really into the saga.
I ran out, bought the first one and jumped right in. By the time I was on book two, New Moon, my daughter was all about Edward Cullen and ready to put an ad in the local newspaper seeking her very own sparkly vampire…not a good idea for a thirteen year old.

My best friend and I often discussed the books, not realizing the things we talked about were slowly but surely igniting my imagination in ways it had never been sparked before.

One afternoon, while driving home down our long, curvy road, my mind began to wander. It’s a miracle I didn’t crash as my thoughts drifted to a dark alley where a young woman in her early twenties had awoken confused, dirty, disheveled, without a hint of memory as to how she came to be there and not a clue that she was now… a vampire.

I couldn’t get home fast enough. I called my best friend, excited and out of breath and relayed my vision to her.

“Why are you on the phone, wasting time with me?” she asked.

Click.

That was all I needed to hear.

Sydney Chance was born and the rest is… well you know how that goes.

Paranormal romance is now a major element in our lives, complete with worlds where anything goes and if I can dream it, a story can be told. I’ve had so much fun learning and sharpening my writing skills and goodness has my craft improved, not to mention the heat levels have cranked up a degree or two. *insert gas here*

I now have two vampire trilogies under my belt, with a single title, Midnight Beckoning, due out in November. But if I have learned anything over the last few years, it would be not to limit myself or my potential.

On September 15th, my first ever contemporary romance will be released and let me warn readers…there isn’t a fang in sight!

Flesh Wounds will bring this writer back to her roots with some good old fashioned, down home, Texas lovin’. Now, that doesn’t mean the hero is a cowboy, but he’s definitely one hell of a good ol’ boy.
I hope you’ll follow me on this new journey of uncharted territory and stick around to see that the stars have in store for me next. Who knows, my sexy vampires just may get some competition from other fanged creatures.

Now wouldn’t that be something to howl at? *wink wink*

Blurb
After five years away, Julia Benson has finally come home. Facing the painful memories awaiting her in the small Texas town is nothing compared the mess she’ll make when she gets there. Dealing with the ripple affect leaving caused the ones she loved is just as hard as dealing with being abandoned by a father who wasn’t everything she’d believed him to be.

Dylan Banks was the boy from across the street who’d loved Julia since they were twelve. She was the only girl for him and the only one he couldn’t have. Unable to repair that broken part of the girl he loved so much from afar, he now had a second chance to fill the void the only way he could… love her until she got it through her thick skull that not every man was like her father.

Can love really repair all that has gone wrong in Julia’s life or are some wounds just too deep to heal?

* * *
For more information about the ravishing Robin Badillo and her books:

Website: http://www.robinbadillo.com/
Blog- Sealed with a Kiss: http://www.robinbadillo.blogspot.com/
eXtasy Books: http://www.extasybooks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robin.badillo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/robin_badillo

If You Choose to Go Traditional . .

2011-09-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

. . . and you need an agent, take a good look at Janet Reid. Here's why: she understands that potential clients are also current client's potential customers.

Too many agents and editors in the Big 6 absolutely CANNOT connect these dots.

I wish Janet represented urban fantasy or erotica. *sigh*

I Remember

2011-09-11T07:00:00.002-05:00

[This is the first post I wrote for 9/11. It runs every year on this date.]

On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, I watched nearly 3,000 people die on live TV while sitting in the treatment chair at my dentist's office.

When I got home, there was a message from my friend, Lanelle. "Don't bother coming to the office. They're shutting down our building and the Galleria."

I called DH. "Get GK and come home now. It's bad."

The rest of the day we listened to fighters out of Ellington Field fly patrols over Houston. In between the passes, an eerie silence blanketed the city.

Have things gotten better? Yes and no. We heal, but we cannot forget.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-09-10T23:00:00.002-05:00

I indie publish because I want to be the one in Control.

TxDOT Still Going After Christie Craig

2011-09-09T16:18:00.001-05:00

TxDOT isn't giving up on their campaign against women (because frankly that's what it comes down to). According to the article in the Sunday edition of the Houston Chronicle, the TxDOT spokeswoman refused to answer whether the department will sue Rick Perry for using the 'Don't Mess With Texas' slogan in his campaign. No answer in politician speak means they won't. But TxDOT refuses to drop their frivolous lawsuit regarding Christie Craig's book Don't Mess With Texas.

Here's the Chronicle article.

I'm asking all Texas citizens to file a complaint with TxDOT in regards to this lawsuit. Heck, even if you're not, feel free to let our public officials know how ridiculous they make our state look.

Here's the complaint form online.

I already filed a complaint with TxDOT, and as a Texas tax payer, I asked for the specific amount spent on the original request for the original restraining order (which TxDOT lost, by the way). I received a response from the Office of General Counsel stating that no money had been spent, even though TxDOT would have had to pay filing fees for the first lawsuit and they hired outside counsel to represent them in federal court in this matter. If you would like a copy of the repsonse I received, please e-mail me privately.

Because this is ongoing litigation, Christie cannot comment on any of this. Please respect her in that regard.

But as a Texas citizen, I'm very angry about the rampant sexism in our state and the waste of state funds in this economic climate.

Times Are Changing, But Are Attitudes?

2011-09-07T09:09:00.000-05:00

Currently Reading - Baby, Come Home by Stephanie Bond (MMPB)

[I'm on Day 6 of my numbers fast. Almost broke down and checked last night, but managed to hold myself back. Is there any correlation between not checking sales and writing over 3300 words since September 1st? Yeah, I thought so too.]

Part of the whole indie movement is writers getting paid what they're worth. I may not sell as many copies as folks who trad publish but I make more per book. (We've talked numbers into the ground so I won't rehash the calculations.)

Now, folks in traditional publishing are taking a hard look at what we're doing. Some of the scrutiny is good; some not so good.

The Good
If you've got experience with editing, formatting, covers, or marketing, then SF&F author David Farland is looking for you. He needs a publishing assistant, like now! Go to David's website and sign up for his newsletter for more information on what he's looking for. And he's willing to *gasp* pay his assistant(s)!

So why am I not taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity you ask? Because I'm the quintessential Scorpio who doesn't play well in someone else's sandbox. I want my own sandbox, damn it!

Seriously though, I've been approached about publishing support positions over the last few months and said no because I want to focus on my own writing and publishing. It's one thing to help a friend. It's another to work for someone else.

The Not So Good
If you're going to work for someone else, then you need to be paid.

Except some folks are trying to do end-run-arounds in the guise of a "favor." I've sqawked enough about my opinion of agents acting as publishers (as in it's a serious fucking conflict of interest). Yesterday, a trad pubbed person I know contacted me on behalf of her agent for information on how to upload to Smashwords. This is the same trad pubbed person who literally spit on me back in February for daring to self-publish.

Look, folks, if you want to pay an agent 15% to publish your work, that's your decision. (I still think it's stupid, but it's your career.)

But for the love of Djehuti, people! Make sure your agent knows what the fuck he/she is doing!

Oh, and if the agents needs help then THEY should be paying out of THEIR OWN DAMN POCKET! Not having their writers asking their indie acquaintances for "favors."

- The Angry Sheep signing off

AA for Indie Writers

2011-09-05T07:00:00.004-05:00

Currently reading - Baby, Come Home by Stephanie Bond

It happened. It's the risk you take when you have real-time data for writers. The rest of my c.p.'s didn't have this problem as traditionally published writers. They simply didn't have access to the numbers. Numbers were totally the purview of the houses.

Hello, my name is Suzan, and I'm addicted to checking my Amazon numbers.

I knew I had a problem when I started checking three times a day. I knew I was on the way to the harder stuff--viewing my numbers on an hourly basis. I knew I needed help when I was only writing 100-200 words per day because I was worried about the FUCKING NUMBERS!

Addiction is a problem in my family. I've always known this, but self-publishing wasn't alcohol or prescription drugs or tobacco. Checking Amazon shouldn't have been a problem, right?

Wrong.

I'm on my fourth day without logging onto Amazon KDP or Author Central. DH is acting as my sponsor, and he's keeping me accountable. Let's see if I can make it to the end of September.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

2011-09-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Don't like indie writers? Maybe you need to Free Your Mind.

Being E in a Print World

2011-09-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

Currently reading - Baby, Drive South by Stephanie Bond (MMPB)

The mass market is shifting from print to digital slowly but surely, but there are still people who equate 'writer' with 'a bound collection of paper in my hand.'

Apparently, word is circulating through DH's hometown that I have books out. This is good news. Folks are asking family members where my books are available for sale. Also good news. Then they find out my books are currently only available as e-books, they want to know when they'll be able to buy them in print.

Uh-oh.

This situation illustrates one of the main problems of being indie--I don't have enough frickin' time in the day to do everything.

Since I haven't tried formatting a print book yet, I already know it will be a labor intensive/serious learning curve problem. I'd love to hire a professional book designer, but my funds are severely limited right now between GK's braces and my everyday car coughing its last breath on our driveway Wednesday.

So what's an indie writer to do?

For right now, I'm sticking with my business plan--edit and upload the next two Bloodlines novels; edit and upload Seasons of Magick: Summer; and write, edit and upload Fall and Winter.

Then I'll study up on formatting for print while I work on the next wip. After the holiday insanity at the Day Job. Which means January of 2012 at the soonest.

DH jokingly refers to my path as a previous president's decision to "Stay the course." I look at it as following my business plan until it makes sense not to.

Wild, Wicked & Wacky

Budweiser Super Bowl Commercials: Part III

Budweiser Super Bowl Commercials, Part II

Budweiser: The Extra Point

The Force Is With You

The Dogs Strike Back

The Apple De-Evolution

Rest In Peace, Miz Etta. . .

Soundtrack for Blood Magick

Status Update - January 2012

More Thoughts on Covers

Discussion on Covers, Continued...

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Revising a Cover

Latest Industry News

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

How to Tell a Story - Raiding the Lost Ark

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

The Versatile Blogger Recommended Blogs, Part 2

It's Just Another New Year's Eve

Zombie Wedding

The Versatile Blogger Recommended Blogs, Part 1

The Versatile Blogger Award

Is It Starting?

Is It Over Yet?

Songs I Listen to Because . . .

Latest Industry News

Rankin and Bass Rule!

New Book (Not Mine)

Marketing Experiment

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Status Update - December 2011

Christmas Lovin'

Ooh, Shiny!

Songs I Listen to Despite . . . Things

Amazon Introduces KDP Select

De-stress the Holiday Madness

My Mind Got Boogled

Penguin Has Entered the Vanity Arena

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Latest Industry News

Holiday Movies for GUYS . . .

More Holiday E-Book News

Why Now Is an Excellent Time to Be a Children's Picture Book Author

Guest Blog by J. D. Faver

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

3, 2, 1 . . .E-Reader Lift OFF!

In Memorium

The True Meaning of Grace

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

The State of the Bookstore Address

Plot Device

Flash Mob - Dubai Airport

Recent Indie/Trad Brouhaha

Status Update - October and November 2011

Latest Industry News

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Amazon, James Crawford and the Rise of the 'Bot Overlords

Survey Says . . .

New Year. New Ways.

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Stephen is the King of Fear

Getting Your Money Back on a Haunted House with Guest Blogger Robin Badillo

Ghost Stories by Guest Blogger Teri Thackston

When the Monsters Are All Too Human by Guest Blogger Tess St. John

Monsters with Guest Blogger Will Graham

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

R*E*S*P*E*C*T Dedux

I Got All 51 Flags!

Implosion of a Publisher

Wise Words

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Latest Industry News

Summer is here!

All Hallows Read

Let Them Eat Cake

Songs I've Been Listening to a Lot Lately

Conference Time!

In Memorium

Vampires Are Just Regular Folks

RESPECT Dedux