Update on pub contract

Has anyone noticed that I sort of suck at updating my blog? As usual, life took over and time for writing, reading, and even breathing is almost nonexistent. I am inundated with grandchildren and household chores. Not that I’m complaining. Here’s a quick rundown on how things are going.

I turned down the publishing contract. I know it sounds insane, but there are some issues I just won’t budge on. Taking a deal, just for the sake of being able to say I’ve published a book just seemed like a cop out to me. In the end I’d be making next to nothing and there was no advance whatsoever. I can self publish an eBook and make 40% in royalties. No free author copies. (I’d have to buy those.) If I’m going to buy my own books, I might as well self publish at least then I’d still own the rights to my work. (See how this is working out? Lol) So in the interest of not screwing myself over, I turned them down. For now, I have no plans to self publish, but I am seriously thinking it over.

In the mean time, I am still querying the first and second books, and working on two others. Now I say working in the loosest sense of the word. I’ve started two more would be more appropriate I suppose. Both are at a standstill right now due to the inconvenient interruptions of my ‘real’ life. However, I’m itching to get back at it and get moving. Both books have taken over my dreams. It’s crazy how that happens. Today and tomorrow are mapped out for writing. If the chaos gods aren’t against me, maybe the words I’m dreaming will make it to paper. Maybe….. I hope you all are well! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Negotiating your own publishing contract

Negotiating your own publishing contract doesn’t sound intelligent, does it? Don’t worry, it doesn’t sound all that brilliant to me either, but I’m doing it anyhow. For the most part, I gave up on finding an agent for the first book. Believe me I tried. I have approximately 32 different queries saved to this computer. Crazy huh? As I am entirely too impatient, I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to sell this novel on my own.

Here’s what I discovered after I gave up:

1. Queries that do not interest agents can interest publishers.

2. It is easier to get a small publisher to read your full manuscript than to get an agent to read a partial. (Especially if you write about vampires and werewolves.) The majority of publishers I queried requested fulls. Some even before requesting partials. Every publisher I queried requested at least a partial. (That’s great if writing queries is not your cup of tea!)

Although I’ve received rejections from some of those publishers, I’ve also received invaluable insight. With the exception of one, every rejection letter received has offered advice on plot development, character development, even genre issues.

One editor told me she enjoyed my story, and that it was well written, BUT it was not a paranormal romance, instead she‘d classify it as more mainstream horror or straight urban fantasy. According to online definitions, my book is a paranormal romance. Now I didn’t agree with that definition because there really isn’t all that much romance in it. That little tidbit she gave me has helped tremendously! (It’s always best to send your work to someone who actually publishes your genre. Lol)

I am not in any way shape or form advising you to be your own agent or attorney! Believe me; I’d be happier if I’d acquired an agent. However, should you find yourself in the same predicament there are some extremely helpful articles on the internet you can utilize. This link is from Publishing Central. Although it isn’t intended to take the place of an actual attorney, there are a plethora of listed things you should know before signing a contract. This link from absolute write has also been exceedingly helpful. There are many more you can look up simply by searching publishing contract negotiation.

If you find yourself in a situation where you must do your own negotiation, do your homework. Research every aspect of the offered contract. Do not under any circumstances arrive at this knife fight with a spoon! And it is a knife fight; make no mistake about that.

Publishers, like writers, want to make money. You have the right to ask for things they don’t offer, and they have the right to tell you NO!

Read through the offered contract carefully. Small clauses that do not make sense to the average person and seem of little consequence can cause you big trouble later.

Keep a realistic perspective on what you will receive. Remember, although we all think we’ve written the next big thing, it hasn’t been proven. Don’t expect a publisher to bend over backwards for a debut author. Most don’t.

By the way, if you haven’t visited P&E, or writer beware, you should. Whether you are trying to find an agent or a publisher, it is important to know you are dealing with a reputable business.

Good luck and happy writing! I’ll let you know how this plays out!

A book for Christmas?

Well the turkey and fixings’ have been put away, brought out, reheated, put away again, and now have been thrown away. And it’s that time again. Christmas! Shopping, more shopping, and oh dare I say--shopping!

I’ve been reading quite a bit lately on helping your fellow writers out. Giving books as presents seems to be a nice way to do that. But if your son wants a new Ipod does it make good fiscal sense to buy him a set of books? I’d rather him read than listen to music, but will he? Or will they just sit on the bookshelf gathering dust while he complains about his buddy getting the exact Ipod he wanted?

Although I have some doubts, I’m on a mission to expand the minds of those I’d like to influence. I’m going to try to find the perfect book for each of my children. (Even the ones that don’t like to read.) No expensive sets, just one solitary book that I think will peak their interest. A good steam punk romance will do for the oldest. The youngest loves animals so something along those lines for him, and the others? Well I’ll have to do some digging and figure out which genre they’d most likely read.

If my experiment goes well, I’ll have the pleasure of knowing that this one particular present will be around for a while. After all, how many times will you read a favorite book? I have several in my library that I’ve had since I was thirteen. I still enjoy them. I wouldn’t even consider getting rid of my Wind in the Door, or any of my LOTR’s. And my Shanara series? Touch it and die!!!! (I don’t even loan that set out.)

If you decide to have your own reading experiment, here are some things you should know. First off, don’t buy used books. Writers don’t make any money off of used books. (Remember we have two goals here.) Secondly, if the book is part of a set, buy the first in the series. Third and most important, don’t assume. Look through each book. Just because your daughter loves the Twilight Saga, does not mean that other paranormal romances will be appropriate for her. I’ve read many that are filled with vivid sex scenes and although I enjoyed them, I wouldn’t want my thirteen-year-old reading them.

Well that’s it! Good luck! Should you decide to embark on this quest, let me know how it panned out.

Deciding between wants and needs.

I’ve been absent for a while. Sorry about that. (again.) Life took over and so many things were going on it was hard to choose between what I wanted to do and what had to be done. It’s funny how often that happens.

Today it’s raining. A dark dreary day that screams, “Grab a good book and read all day!” Except I really can’t do that today. There’s this blog that needed to be written weeks ago, I have a new book I seriously need to work on. And of course, there are agents to research and queries to send out. Not to mention I haven’t written the synopsis for the second book yet.

I have one free day this week. Today. My new story has filled my dreams for the last week or so. My fingers are twitching to hit the keyboard and allow the words to escape. So I’m asking myself what the smartest course of action would be. With book one on submission, and book two close to being submission ready, should I really take the time to work on book three? Or would it be prudent to complete the synopsis for two and send out more queries?

While I’m trying to figure this out, time is passing. They day is growing shorter. My gut says to do what the heart wants. Write. There is time for the other. I don’t have to get published this year. I don’t have to find an agent today. And I sure don’t have to figure out a way to break into the writing world this morning. I don’t have to write either, but I want to.

So for today, want supersedes need. Today, I’m going to allow myself the pleasure of putting words on paper. How do you prioritize? If want is the inner child, and need is the grown up version of your psyche, how often to you allow the inner child to play?

Rebuttal to Esquire article (of sorts)

I took a break from work to look over cutie, and agent extraordinaire Nathan Bransford’s blog. In his post, he referenced Esquire’s post about vampires and gay men. Of course, I had to click over and read it. Gotta say, I'm not agreeing with this man’s opinion.

Why do so many want to turn genre fiction into a platform for religious or economic crisis? Can't we just like scary stories for the sake of a good scare? I'm curious what those of you who are interested think. (I’ll wait while you read………)

Okay ready?

I really get frustrated when people turn everything into a platform with religious connotations. Now, I’m not saying that he’s doing that per say. What I am saying is that many people do. Stating that woman like vampire stories because most secretly desire to have sex with gay men, is ridiculously equivalent to saying Men play sports because they’re in the closet and like the physical contact with other men. I’d bet money that several large, professional football players would kick your ass if you mentioned that to their faces. Anyone game to try it? (Not this girl!)

So many things are continuously taken out of context. The article implies that fascination with vampires is a result of another round of sexual revolution. Maybe so. But then again, aren’t we in a perpetual state of sexual revolution? In the last several decades, we’ve gone from do anything and anyone, to abstinence, and back again. Do I like gay men? I have several good friends that are. Do I want to sleep with them? Well I have enough lost causes going on, adding one more seems a bit masochistic.

In addition, the article discusses the rise and fall of vampire fiction coinciding with the rise of Aids and other socioeconomic events. My take? The world is a messy, scary place. To see that, all you have to do is turn on the news. Any station, any channel. It’s terrifying. I’d much rather go to sleep worrying about, "What if a vampire showed up?" Instead of, "What if I wake up and all the banks are shut down?" (I'm not nearly as worried about the vampire.)

I think most people want to escape from reality. Sci-fi/fantasy provides it. Not everything has to equate to sex or god. Sometimes a tomato is a nice, plump--wait for it--tomato. End of story.

What do you think? I’m curious to read your comments and hear your ideas. Are people looking in the wrong places for answers to unnecessary questions?

Writing Purgatory

Your first novel is finished and with several publishers waiting to be read. One is showing great interest! Your second novel is finished, and is in the revision/editing process. A third and fourth novel are in the early stages, but you’re optimistic they’ll both be good. So how does it feel?

I’m in publishing purgatory. Now I’ve been here for a while, but some days (like today) are worse than others. Many days, you wonder what in the heck you’re doing and why. Why did I decide at 39 yrs old, I wanted to become a writer? I honestly don’t know. Someone put me on a path, and the story happened. Why did I think it needed published? Well…wouldn’t it be a waste of time, not to mention completely self-indulgent, to make no attempt to profit from all the time and work invested? Don’t I owe my family that?

There are mornings I wake up, plagued with doubts and questions. I religiously scan blogs from other writers and agents, always in the hope that I’ll find another soul with similar misgivings. Many say, “We write because we must.” I agree with that. Writing became an addiction for me within three days of starting the first novel. How healthy can that be? If there is one thing you do (addictively) that interferes with real life, can it really be good for you?

A cardinal rule of writing is: Do not trust the opinions of friends and family when it comes to your writing. I comprehend the concept of this, but how likely are you to send writing samples to people you don’t know? How likely is it that they’d want to read them? Where do you find said people? “Writing critique groups,” says those in the know. Really? Wow! We don’t have any real life writing groups here. I live in small town Arkansas for Pete’s sake.

In the few writing forums I go to online, there is constant repetition of one phrase to new writers asking for critiques: “You just want someone to tell you how great you are.” I have a two-word response for that---WELL DUH!!! Who doesn’t want to be told how great they are? Some will venture to say the writing shows promise, but they never say exactly what is wrong with it. Oh, you’ll hear things like punctuation and grammar, that’s easy. I only know of one person that I consider the grammar police. (And she knows who she is.)

Much doubt, work, and even denial is involved in writing a book that might not make it to bookshelves. In the mean time, you have moments of mild freak outs, you constantly second guess your motives and abilities, and most importantly--you keep doing what you’re doing and strive to master the craft. Why? Who knows!

I could be in the next room holding my new grandson. I did that a lot last week and can tell you it was wonderful. Closets could be organized, floors could be scrubbed, toilets always need cleaning, but I’m here. Right here in front of the computer. Drinking coffee, preparing my mind for surreal locations, and planning once again, to write a story that very few may ever read. I can’t say why anyone, including myself, keeps trying. Validation? An extreme belief you have something to contribute? Money? I write because it makes me happy. It thrills me. Allowing my thoughts to spill out in type, gives me a sense of wholeness. After all of this, the doubts have settled. Paranoia has receded. I’m not wasting my time. I write because I must.

Where are you right now? Are you in your own brand of purgatory? Are you still plugging away at a dream? Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up! ‘They’ might not come when you build it, but YOU built it. At the very least, you can take pride in that. When you quit, you fail.

Monster love

So I noticed today’s date. (I know I’m not terribly observant.) And immediately upon seeing said date, a song began playing in my head. Six more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween…. Remember that? Excitement ensued.

I’m all about Halloween. I love the parties, dressing up, handing out candy to tricker-treaters. It’s my second favorite holiday. (Christmas comes in first.) Halloween is the only holiday that you don’t have to be ’good’ to receive gifts. You can dress how you want, you can prank people, you can be a monster, and it’s perfectly fine.

It is no secret that I love monsters. Especially those misunderstood, trying to be more, monsters. Let’s face it; we all have a bit of monster in us. Don’t believe me? Here is a short quiz that will tell you which kind of monster hides beneath your strikingly human exterior.

Have you ever talked someone into doing something they didn‘t want to do? (vampire, witch)

Put your own needs ahead of others? (all of them)

So needy that you sucked the life force from someone you love? (vampire, siren, medusa, ect.)

Appeared to be something you’re not? (vampire, werewolf, shape-shifter, witch, ghost)

Here’s a big one: Been in love, know that your actions are hurting the one you love, and continued with said actions?


Those of you that can answer NO to the preceding questions are really wonderful beings. Those that can’t--well you’re human, and have a bit of monster in you. Don’t feel bad we all do. That’s why we love a good monster flick or book. The love affair with monsters is really our own need to see someone else act in a fashion we would never consider. They make our ‘good’ seem really good, and our ‘bad’ seems much more humane.

The best monsters, the ones everyone loves, are noble monsters. Those that will kill an entire village to save the one he/she loves. Is it right? Well of course not, but as humans we can watch from afar and feel a sense of justice in the evil. Who hasn’t cheered when a werewolf transmogrified and killed someone, thinking, “Man, that chick had it coming.” Or thought, “I hope that dude gets it first!”

We love it when the big, scary monsters take out the bad guys. Some monsters deserve a stake through the heart, but others--well they are heroes. We want to know them, we want to love them, sometimes, we even want to be them. Deep down inside we can identify with many of them. So celebrate your inner monster, keep it under control, but celebrate it, because it’s just a few more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween……..