Monsters we love

Have you ever wanted a Jacob or Edward in your life? What is it that fascinates us? Is it the bad guy persona? Is it the thrill of the chase? Wanting what we know we can't have?

I think it's more than that. I think most women have a need for a Jacob, Edward, Lucian, Sirius, or even a Blade in their lives. Why?

Because they love with intensity.   How often do you get that?  They will kill or die for you. (Or that.)  Even better, they are nearly perfect. Who wouldn't love a nearly perfect man? Sure they have their faults. Some drink blood, others have anger management issues--but who do you know that doesn't have some type of issue? We love to love the 'good' monsters because it's enticing. It's above and beyond the usual. We're used to picking up socks and underwear. Doing laundry--been there done that a thousand times. However, when was that last time you got to be someones lifeline? See that's it right there! In books and movies we can indulge in the concept of being saviors. Only the love of a truly good woman will save these so-called monsters. And aren't we all dying to prove our worth?

 

Which monsters do you love?  What is it about them that trips your trigger? 

Who am I writing for?

I’ve spent the last several months wishing and hoping time would somehow miraculously arrive in large quantities. What with the kids, and the house (and life in general) my daily writing schedule has been completely flushed. However, it seems that things have sorted themselves out and (knock on wood) I’m on the cusp of retrieving said schedule. There’s only one little problem with that. The words won’t come. I’m not getting any story ideas for my current WIP. Zip, zilch, nada. It’s driving me crazy!

Yesterday I spent the day trying to come up with something. I did my usual—throwing myself into my main character’s mood. Trying to figure out where we’d go from here and what we’d do. Still nothing. Several of my writer friends outline their stories from beginning to end. They tell me that’s how they keep on track. I really don’t like the idea of being constricted to a storyline. I enjoy the way my novels unfold in their own way. Each time it is unique. Each day I enjoy new surprises as plots twist and unexpected things happen. I LOVE that about writing.

Yesterday was a doubt-filled day for me. That old saying about everyone having a book or two in them, kept coming to mind. What if I only had three books in me? What if the story isn’t progressing because there really is no story there? What if I’m washed up already????!!!!

Today however, is a little different. I think I’ve discovered the trouble. It’s not the story, it’s me. The new book has nothing to do with vampires, werewolves, witches, or ghosts. Why? Because I keep hearing the term ‘market saturation.’ It’s an ugly term. Seems there’s just too many of those kinds of stories out there right now. My problem is—that’s what I love to write. Those are the stories that turn me on and motivate me. I don’t mean to sound like a genre-ist, but that’s what I like reading too. If you check out my movie or book collections, you’ll see that they mostly consist of things that go bump in the night.

So today I have a huge decision to make. I have to decide who exactly I’m writing for, and what my motivations are. Do I write for me and enjoy every minute of it, or do I write with the intention of actually selling something? My vampire/werewolf series has at least two (if not three) more books before it is complete. I’m itching to get at it. I love those characters. They feel like family. What am I going to do? I have no clue, but I am making the decision today and I’ll let you know.

Happy Easter!!!!

So I'm thinking about Easter Sunday. I'm Thinking about God and all his infinate wisdom. Here are my thoughts (for what they are worth.) God is. He always has been, and always will be. Nothing we've been taught is original thinking. It's all training. Your heart, soul, or consciousness tells you what's right and what's wrong. You feel it. When you do something that goes against 'the right', you feel it. So don't look to man for answers. Look to God. He's the only one that knows the truth. Your favorite Sunday morning evangilist isn't going to be able to tell you what's right for you. His generalizations will cover some, but not all. Trust your heart. He is here. He is with you. In all things know that the glory of the lord will shine through. (No it's not an exact bible verse, however, He is always faithful. Trust and believe upon that.) Life is tough people, but that's why we're here. To learn. To grow. Everything else is just icing. Eat your cake and be glad. There are always others out there that have it worse than you!!!! Happy Easter, and God bless!!!!!!!

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?