Five Scribes

How To Blog Your Way To A Book Deal

2013-05-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

"How to Blog Your Way to a Book Deal"
Thursday, May 16
5:00 p.m. (PT)

Free Webinar for RWA Members Only

Presented by Scriptscene RWA
(A live 60-minute Tele-conference session)

Learn how to write, publish, and promote a book on the Internet using blog technology. Blogging a book is the easiest and quickest way to write a book and promote it at the same time. If you can write, you can blog. That means you can blog your way to creating a successful book—one that attracts readers and publishers. You can produce a manuscript, and promote and publish your work one post at a time in cyberspace. This class will also touch on how to book a blog (repurpose existing blog content in to a book).

Session takeaways:
--Why all aspiring authors should blog
--What to blog about
--10 reasons to blog a book
--The pros and cons of blogging vs. blogging a book
--6 things you need to do before you blog a book;
--and much more!

Nina Amir is the author of the bestselling How to Blog a Book: How to Write, Publish and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time (Writer's Digest Books, May 2012) and the forthcoming The Author Training Manual (Writer's Digest Books, Spring 2014), Amir has 35 years of experience in the publishing field; she also is the founder of Write Nonfiction in November, a yearly writing challenge accompanied by a blog.

Amir holds a BA in magazine journalism from Syracuse University with a concentration in psychology. Amir has edited or written for more than 46 local, national and international publications on a full-time or freelance basis producing hundreds of articles. Her essays have been published in five anthologies, and she has self-published 10 short books, including the popular workbook How to Evaluate Your Book for Success.

Register at: http://www.Scriptscene.org/fasttrack-classes/

--Webinar Open to RWA Members Only--

There are only 96 spaces available, so sign up soon!

Crested Butte Writers Conference June 21-23

2013-05-07T10:24:00.000-06:00

It's almost time!
We're jumping for joy--okay, so the picture has Writers House agent, Stephen Barr, St Martin's Press editor, Holly Blanck, and Del Rey editor Mike Braff --2011 guests, jumping for joy, but it could be you--when you were in your twenties, I'm sure you could jump that high.

Only one week left to get the Early Bird discount at the June 21-23 Crested Butte Writers Conference.

Don't miss out miss out on a chance to spend a fabulous weekend in this lovely mountain town,
hanging out with authors, being inspired, learning and networking with industry professionals.

Agent and Editors:

Christian Trimmer-Sr Editor S & S Books for Young Readers

Carlie Webber—Agent with CK Webber Associates

Jessica Williams-Asst. Editor William Morrow

Promotion and Industry Pros:

Mark Coker—Smashwords CEO

Kristen Lamb—Social Media Guru

Kim Killion and Jennifer Jakes of the Killion Group—Book cover artists and Marketing experts extraordinaire

Authors:

NYT Bestselling regency romance author, Tessa Dare, Sandra Kerns, Annette Elton, Anne Eliot, Michelle Major & Lana Williams

Hope to see you there!

Our Own Donnell Ann Bell Talks About Deadly Recall

2013-05-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

I can't tell you how excited I was when Donnell agreed to another interview by me.

Deadly Recall, a tense romantic suspense, is her second book from Bell Bridge Books, and which Donnell is pleased and shocked to announce that during Amazon’s April 5th Deal of the Day, DEADLY RECALL climbed to the Number 1 on the Paid Overall List and in the Suspense, Romantic Suspense and the Mystery genres.

It is my great pleasure to chat with her about Deadly Recall in our own home turf, Five Scribes.

LA: Wow. What a book. No spoilers, promise, but every time I thought I had it figured out who'd done it, I was wrong. Loved the way you put in those red herrings, Donnell. Good job. In fact, I've decided I'm jealous of the energy you have to make both Deadly Recall and the Past Came Hunting so darn good, true, and page turners.

This was a Golden Heart Finalist book in 2010, so it was written, but I'm sure you've rewritten it since then. Did you have the dreaded second book syndrome with this? Or because it was mostly done, it was easier to rewrite and meet deadline?

DAB: Hi, L.A. Thank goodness this is our home turf. At last I can kick my feet up and take a breath ;) Thanks so much for your lovely compliments. Energy, ha! If you’d seen me the last few weeks, you’d take that back. Yes, I had second book syndrome bad. DEADLY RECALL touches on and borders on some controversial issues, although I tried not to dwell on them or pass judgment. I got so freaked out that I asked my editor if maybe “Betrayed” working title for book three out in November, 2013, should come out first so people would give me a chance . Would you say that constitutes Second Book Syndrome?

LA: Yes, that works I think my second book took so much longer than my first book because I had high expectations that it would be easier. Wrong, it was harder.

LA: The layer of the Catholic Church made this book seem more real…it felt as if I were behind the scenes, yet not so technical it becomes a Dan Brown book. I'm assuming you are Catholic? And did you have to ask for any special dispensation to write about the church and the bishop with such detail?

DAB: L.A. Yes, I’m Catholic. No, I didn’t ask for dispensation because I imagine any objection I met would have frozen me colder than an Arctic glacier. I wanted to write a mystery about something I’m familiar with. I loved Catholic-themed movies like the “Trouble with Angels,” “Where Angels Fall, Trouble Follows,” or Plays like “Patent Leather Shoes Reflect Up.” Confession time: I’ve never read Dan Brown. His book was enormously popular the months before and while I was writing DEADLY RECALL. I also read his work was highly controversial. That wasn’t my style or purpose in writing DEADLY RECALL. I had no dark, deep-seated revenge motives and I had no intention of slamming the Catholic Church – there’s good and evil, past and present mistakes and corruption in every organization-- therefore I made the conscious decision not to read any of Brown’s work so as not to inadvertently take one of his ideas.

LA: It's set in Albuquerque! I have family in the area so that a most pleasing surprise. Loved the traffic jams on I-40 and near the shopping centers, so dang true! You grew up in the Four Corners region, Farmington NM. What or why is your Albuquerque connection?

DAB: I lived in Albuquerque a short while, I have friends who live there, and going to school in Las Cruces, NM, I had to travel through Albuquerque numerous times. Albuquerque, for my friends and I, when you grow up in Farmington, is the big city—we often took trips there. When my husband went on business, I accompanied him, went to the balloon festivals and more. New Mexico is a fairly small state. I claim the entire LAND OF ENCHANTMENT as my home.

LA: So who was your favorite character in the story? I know mine!

DAB: Oh, wow, you want me to choose? It has to be Eden. Although I love Kevin Dancer, Eden’s part of me. I also love Sister Beatrice, although we only meet her once and then posthumously. I also loved several of the characters because of their humanity and imperfections. Perhaps we should have said in what order ;)

LA: Who was your least? I have mine.

DAB: There is only one character I despised and I think you can guess who that is. As you can guess, I had my favorite nuns and I had a couple I didn’t care for. Sister Agnes is a hodgepodge of the latter. As I wrote this story, I found myself understanding her and forgiving her. I didn’t like her per se, but I did find that I loved her a little bit. Does that even make sense?

LA: Donnell, you picked two professions for your protagonists that leave, I think, little wiggle room to mess up the lingo and terms that are important to use correctly. Are you masochistic?

DAB: Ha, ha, ha. I’m entirely masochistic. I made mistakes and will continue to do so. I write fiction not perfectionism. The mistakes are entirely mine and not the terrific people who tried to help me. In one scene the psychiatrist asks Kevin how he felt when he had to draw his service revolver. After I read the published version, I cringed when I read that… Service weapons are not revolvers. But the good news is it was the psychiatrist who asked and not Kevin, so the doctor might not have known where as Kevin definitely would have.

LA: Okay, I'm married to a lawyer who hates to give me advice on my stories. The jargon for the police and legal side sounded just right. If I remember, you were a court reporter in a different life, right? Did that help?

DAB: An injury ended my court reporting career, but I find its curriculum aids me so much in my writing. Of course I call upon lawyers, and PIs and law enforcement professionals. I have them on speed dial and ask questions on Crimescenewriters.

LA: Your APD detective –Kevin Dancer- is also so real. How do you write male characters that sound so male? Strong, with a sense of who they are at the moment, even if that changes later. A sense of right and wrong, even if the lines have to be blurred later. AND they're not afraid to say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done.

DAB: What a beautiful compliment. I sure tried. When I create a character I get to know them as I write and where he is in his age group and in the stage of his life. Joe Crandall in The Past Came Hunting is a by-the-book, career police lieutenant. Kevin Dancer is still clawing his way up the ropes of law enforcement, and he hasn’t been hardened the way Joe has. He’s younger, still looking for the right woman, and events of his childhood still have huge influence over him. The events that happen in Deadly Recall will be part of his hard knocks education if I decide to write a spin- off book. I take these all into consideration when they evolve in the story.

As for dialogue and character, this might sound corny, but I create a lot of these characters surrounding my husband. There’s no one with a more ethical, larger sense of right and wrong than Les Bell. Les will say in one sentence what some people say in three paragraphs. After 30 years of marriage, I learned “men-speak” from him. ;)

LA: I shed a tear at the end for Sister Beatrice. (Promise, not a spoiler.) Do you get emotional when you write, I know I've cried over a scene. And when you're finished with the book what do you feel? Satisfaction? Fear? Sick of the dang thing?

DAB: I choked up numerous times in DEADLY RECALL, which means I’m either entirely sappy or too close to this story. I felt a great deal of satisfaction because this book evolved from my roots. I felt burgeoning satisfaction when I completed the story. I was also terribly afraid, but something compelled me to write it, even when editors and agents told me not to, whether I was the only person to read it or not – I had to tell this story. I’m not sick of it yet. Give it time ;) I’m still a relatively new author.

LA: Was Father Slater modeled on anyone one person. He was a fantastic character.

DAB: Loved Father Slater. When I was a little girl we had a priest who played the guitar. He sang a song called, “Little Boxes,” which challenged people trying always to fit in. He also sang in church, which I think some of the older parishioners took issue with as he was too hep back in the 1960s. I can’t say Father Slater was this priest, but somewhere in my subconscious, like the nuns, I created Father Slater to be Eden’s replacement for her mentor Sister Beatrice.

LA: You are one of the founding members of the Crimescenewriters and you belong to several mystery writers groups. Do you write the book and then use these experts to make sure it's right? Send them pages? Check for jargon? Use TV crime shows?

DAB: I’m not a founding member. That honor belongs to Wally Lind. I’m a moderator and co-owner these days. I can ask questions and form my answers from these professionals, but, no, I never send them pages. Kind of like asking for dispensation thing from the Catholic Church. I think having them read my work would freeze me. I do try to get it right to the best of my ability, which is why I take Citizens Academies, and workshops, every chance I get. The good news about Crimescenewriters is they don’t necessarily say that would never happen, they try to help writers create a way around their stories to make their scenarios plausible. Again, any mistakes are mine.

LA: In our last interview you mentioned forgiveness as one of your primary themes in writing and see this specifically this book. Forgiveness is often hard to grant, why do you think you chose this theme?

DAB: I think today’s society with reality shows an instant gratification sorely needs a mega-dose of forgiveness. Often, I see people ripped to shreds over misspeaking, or how they dress or look, or for having a differing opinion. I will continue to write about redemption and forgiveness. Like it or not, it’s part of me and who I am. I find it intolerable that people hate. I’m one of those who find it easy to love and to forgive.

You ask the most amazing questions, L.A. Thank you very much for making me think. Now my head hurts :)

LA: Sorry I gave you a headache :) But the book was so good, I had to ask the questions that came up.

Don't forget Donnell is posting an excerpt TODAY over on my other blog, An Indie Adventure www.anindieadventure.blogspot.com.  AND she's giving away a copy of her book to one person who leaves a comment here and there!

Digital or paperback in North America, Digital for International readers. How wonderful is that!

Donnell Ann Bell is the author of The Past Came Hunting and newly released Deadly Recall from Bell Bridge Books. Both books were nominated for the prestigious Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America®. The Past Came Hunting climbed as high as #6 and Deadly Recall reached #1 on Amazon Kindle’s paid list. Her third release from Bell Bridge Books will be in November, 2013.

You can find her book sales link on her website: www.donnellannbell.com

And you can find her here at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Donnell-Ann-Bell/285286321485019?ref=hl

Twitter: @donnellannbell.com

Using the Five Senses in Writing

2013-04-24T09:37:00.000-06:00

Five Scribe readers, a comment I heard often in my early years as a writer is "your characters don't live in a vacuum." I took that comment to mean, "your work is one-dimensional drek, now fix it." Sure, we know that our characters have five senses. But how do we incorporate those senses seamlessly on the page without yanking your reader out of the story? Author Victoria Houseman visits today to introduce her workshop to help us do just that.

Making Your Writing Come Alive with the Five Senses ©

Victoria Bromley w/a Victoria Houseman

The story writer Flannery O’Connor said, “Fiction begins where human knowledge begins – with the senses.” We have only five ways of perceiving reality. We can SEE it, TASTE it, SMELL it, TOUCH it, HEAR it. Without the information we get through our five senses, we can’t function as human beings. Each sense is important individually, but each has its own limitations. Yet, one sense can be used to compensate for the lack of another sense. A blind man has a heightened sense of hearing and touch and taste and smell. This is how he learns to cope with the world around him living in a sightless world. The most effective way to perceive reality is to use all of our senses in harmony. In fiction, smell, touch and taste bring you closer to the story. Sight and sound can be close or from a distance.

Think of which sense(s) you use most. Are you overtly sensitive to smells that don’t seem to bother others? Can you eat really spicy, hot foods that would burn another person’s mouth? Do bright lights bother you? Do you like to make love with the lights on and see the expression on your lover’s face or do you prefer the dark – knowing what is happening only by touch and sound and scent?

Stories need to build on one basic tenet: to convince the reader the story is real – doesn’t matter if it’s science fiction or fantasy – the reader needs to believe the story is real, that it may have happened or could happen in the real world of their imagination. The trick for us as writers is to get the reader to smell the story’s reality, to taste it, to feel it, to see it, to hear it.

As authors, we enter the world of imagination when writing a story; our senses must be alert to details that exemplify the story thematically as well as physically. We need to be open to the sounds and sights and aromas that our characters have around them and we need to convey what is going on in any one given sense – internally and externally. Only then can we develop fully actualized three-dimensional characters. It’s vital to use the right sensory detail at the right moment. This is where your writer’s imagination kicks in and uses what sense(s) it needs for your story’s reality.

Use of the five senses not only tells our reader the experience of our characters at any given time, but can also infuse an ordinary story with deep layers. In art, it’s called “underpainting” – building layer upon layer upon layer. Subconsciously, we know the layers are there, but what we experience is the full-bodied result of those layers. Gestalt theory called it “the sum being greater than the total of the parts”.

By using the five senses, you can invoke what is going on in their outside world. Remember, it is your characters world – their point of view. How one character is affected by the world around them through their senses may not be the same as how another character is affected. This is part of the glory of using the five senses – they can be utilized to make your characters whole and multi-faceted and unique. Even secondary characters come to life. No matter how little time they are given in a story, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be fully developed.

The ripple effect of using the five senses is your story is fleshed out and developed. It bursts forth from your pages and your reader achieves that “fly on the wall” quality – they feel they are really there in the pages of your book. All effects come through the five senses or sensory memories of the reader as well as of the writer. By imbuing a reality in your story with the five senses, you bring about a magical quality. You join the abstract world with the physical world.

Sometimes a story develops directly from the sensory details that suggested it. The creative starting point often is simply some details of the senses, and recording that detail or those details starts an imaginative process from which a story is evoked. Many are locked in our subconscious and only need the key to set them free.

In his story, “A View of the World” (The Charlton Press, 1989), Thomas Kennedy uses memories of senses he had locked away from a time in high school when he worked in a shoemaker’s shop. He draws on his memory of the sensual smells of the shop – the aroma of raw leather straps, the glue, dye, tins of polish – the grumbling stitch of the heavy sewing machine, the whack of the nailer, the scrape of the sander, and the moan of the waxing wheels. From these stored memories, Kennedy has written a story of how a young apprentice and the shoemaker schooling him view the world. The shoe shop and all its sights and sounds and smells serve as the backdrop to their totally opposite views of life.

USE OF THE SENSES TO ANSWER, “WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?”

Think of the five senses as plotting devices.

While writers are always aware of the sensual aspects of a character, they can use this awareness to solve the problem of what happens next. A character’s senses can guide you, as writer, through difficult transitions into action. Use them to establish an alliance between character and reader by making the reader aware of what our hero/heroine notices. How? Whether or not the reader understands the cultural background, customs, religion, or politics of a character, she roots for the heroine, for example, because the reader can identify with what she sees, hears, tastes.

As our senses prompt us to action in life, so can they move our characters and story forward in sequence. Our senses create, and sometimes rule, our moods and actions. Let them do the same for you characters.

Through his/her imagination, your reader experiences the same sensory stimuli as the character, and thus, feels present in the scene. Providing a three-dimensional environment in which your character functions will enable your reader to step into the scene and experience the same sensory perceptions and anticipation as that character.

Ask yourself: What first catches the attention of your character? What sense? What does your hero/heroine sense first? Smell? Taste? Note that the mouth and tongue are the most sensitive. This first impression, via your character, will be your reader’s first impression of your hero/heroine and begin to set the stage of your story.

It won’t take pages or even paragraphs to convey these perceptions. A sentence or even a word or two will usually suffice. Revealing the senses is easy; remembering to show the reader how the character reacts to what he senses can be the “elusive elements” in a scene.

Sensory writing should create scenes that are alive with emotion and will reel through the mind of your reader as though on a movie screen. If you do your job properly by identifying with what your character experiences in every scene, your reader will savor every moment will live each transgression and every triumph.

Appeal to the five senses as a technique for developing your plot into connected scenes is the best way to place your characters in the story rather than simply pushing them through a plot.

Discovering what happens next in our story is the fascinating part of fiction, writing, and reading. Put yourself in the scene and examine what the character might sense as he encounters conflict. You will immediately know what comes next, because you will see, hear, smell, touch, even taste the elements present through your reader’s actions. More important, your reader will be able to do the same and will keep turning those pages.

In my workshop, I use the five senses to make characters three dimensional, to help with plotting, and setting. To add depth to a writer’s story.

Learn more about Victoria Bromley w/a Victoria Houseman’s two week on-line workshop using the five senses on her website: www.victoriahouseman.com.

Sandy Success Story -- Merrie Wycoff

2013-04-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog series highlighting the success of The Sandy Finalists.

I developed The Sandy writing contest seven years ago for the Crested Butte Writers and have been delighted to see many of our finalists go onto publication. I thought it'd be fun to follow up with them and see where they are now in their careers.

Merrie Wycoff is a Sandy success story. I am not much of a history buff, yet Merrie’s story captivated me. Three things drew me in, Merrie lights up when she talks about her story and has such incredible passion for Egypt that it’s contagious. She has the absolutely perfect voice to tell this story—I can’t imagine anyone else telling it as well. I certainly couldn’t. And thirdly, she’s a wonderful storyteller!

What year did you final, with what book and what place did you end up with?

I finaled in 2010 and came in third.

Are you published with a traditional publisher or are you an indie author?

I am self-published through Rosa Mystica Publishing.

What’s your story about?

Jealousy, Lies, Betrayal, Murder…and Magic

A reign of terror has kept Egypt in shadow, even at the apex of her power and glory. The greedy and corrupt priests of the dark god Amun maintain a tight grip on the people through the use of fear, superstition, brutality, and, when necessary, diabolical sorcery.

Now, there is the promise of a new hope, a new light, but that promise is not welcomed by all. When the ambitious Queen Nefertiti and her consort, the gentle King Akhenaten, introduce a peaceful--and revolutionary--form of Sun worship in the hope of bringing about harmony and unification, Egypt is instead torn into warring factions on all levels of society.

Into this deadly conflict is born the first Royal Daughter, Merit-Aten, whose ability to see vivid auras and converse with animals comes with a price. Before her birth, she entered into a sacred contract to save her family and restore peace to her country. But, with danger threatening from every side--even from within her own family--will she be able to honor her contract without destroying everyone she loves?

You have a passion for Egypt and it shows in your writing. What do you love best about it?

I love the mystery, and the untold story of Egypt. I am an Egyptologist, which is a very left brain study of Egypt and the facts that we have discovered and uncovered so far. On my second trip to Egypt I studied with an Egyptian wisdom keeper who helped me understand the living African oral tradition passed from mother to child. This is experiencing Egypt through the right brain and has paranormal elements to it. My paranormal historical novel, Shadow of the Sun reveals the true Egypt.

As much as you love Egypt, would you have enjoyed living during that time? Be honest!

There was a great deal of political and religious corruption. The royal family had to be constantly on-guard for their lives. I would have loved to journey through the mystery schools. I adore what we imagine to be ancient Egyptian fashion and the jewelry was exquisite.

I believe that through the writing of a book, each story comes with its own lessons for the author. Does that hold true for you?

That was very true for me. I thought I was telling the story. It turned out that my main character, the princess Merit-Aten had ideas of her own. My antagonist took me on a journey I’ll never forget and one I didn’t foresee.

What are you most proud of in your writing journey?

I learned that the historical elements of a story, while important to the author because we do so much research must be used to color the picture and not clutter the story. Editing is essential to cut the fat. As much as I loved certain chapters and tangents, I had to cut them because they weren’t essential to Merit-Aten’s journey. I am also proud that I had the courage to self-publish. I can’t tell you how many pitches I gave to agents who loved my story but didn’t want to buy ancient Egyptian paranormal historical fiction.

Can you give us a sneak peak at the next book in the series?

My next book Stealing the Shadow of Death is about the tragedy of mummification and how it wasn’t as revered as we believe it was. Akhenaten outlawed the practice and I will reveal why.

Congratulations to The Sandy Finalists!

2013-04-09T15:13:00.008-06:00

I helped start this contest seven years ago for the Crested Butte Writers group and I'm proud to announce this year's The Sandy finalists. These writers work very hard at their craft and it shows. I see The Sandy is my chance to play matchmaker--to introduce these skilled authors to agents and editors who can help take them to the next level in their career. Here's to the finalists.

And to all who did not final, we'll be returning your scoresheets shortly and hopefully you got some valuable feedback to aid you on your journey. Keep writing!

Congratulations to the

2013 Sandy Writing Contest Winners!

Mainstream Adult Fiction

Final Judge, Millicent Bennett, Sr Editor Free Press (Simon & Schuster)

Sandy Fails (CO) —Midnight Owl

Charis Himeda (MA) –- The Shape of a Kiss

Cindy Christian Rogers (MN) – Rogue Wave: A Redemption Story

Romance

Final judge, Katherine Pelz, Assistant Editor Berkley

Sandra Kerns (CO) – Rehabilitating the Lion

Steven Moores (CO) -- Cherub’s Play (tie)

Rebecca Waring (Australia) -- The Promise (tie)

Elysia Whisler (VA) -- A Rock That Burns

Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Final judge, Amanda Ng, Assistant Editor Berkley

Robyn Brammer (WA) – A Cloudy Return (tie)

Nicole Greene (CO)—Blood of the Taurus Ring (tie)

Stephen Merlino (WA) –The Jack of Souls

Joel Quevillon (CO) --- The Color of Gothic

Thriller/ Suspense / Mystery

Final Judge, Carlie Webber, Agent at CK Webber Associates

Denise Enos (FL) --- New Smyrna Swing

Annie Hogsett (OH)—Somebody’s Bound to Wind up Dead

Vanessa Lillie (RI)—The Lyneage

Children / Young Adult

Final judge, Christian Trimmer, Sr Editor at Simon & Schuster for Young Readers

Katrina Grigg-Saito (MA)—Otemba (tie)

Jedeane Macdonald (CO) –Nobody’s Home

Steven Moores (CO) – Matthew Cross & The Dragon’s Tear

Carrie Spencer (IA)—Captain Fanny Pack (tie)

Stephanie Tatalias (AK) – Unigoat (tie)

Sandy Success Stories--Meg Mims

2013-03-26T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog series highlighting the success of The Sandy Finalists.

What year did you final, with what book and what place did you end up with?

My Lighthouse Mystery mss, FIRE POINT, placed third in the Mystery/Suspense category in 2011.

Are you published with a traditional publisher or are you an indie author?

Both -- I published my first book, DOUBLE CROSSING, with Astraea Press, and a novella, The Key to Love. Then I self-published Santa Paws, a Christmas novella about a rescue dog. The sequel to Double Crossing, DOUBLE OR NOTHING, was just released with Blue Oyster Press.

What’s your story about?

Fire Point -- which I hope to publish soon, is about an artist who discovers a female keeper's body at the local lighthouse in 1909. Think American Downton Abbey, only without a lot of servants. ;-DYou write historical mysteries as well as contemporary romance novellas. What is it about the historical genre that attracts you and why set your mysteries in the past rather than present day?

I'm a history buff and research fiend. I could research the day long! I think I was born in the wrong era. Only I love my laptop and my indoor plumbing, my dishwasher, my microwave. There's a reason my heroines usually have a maid to do the housework. LOL

I believe that through the writing of a book, each story comes with its own lessons for the author. Does that hold true for you?

I think so too. I was surprised to discover I could "pants" with my novellas, and keep an outline in my head -- while I spend weeks on my full novels outlining and doing character sketches. Of course, the novellas are contemps. BUT I still have to research outfits, cars, houses, etc. And each character, historical or contemp, has to grow in some way. I try to incorporate a few things I've learned in my life into that character arc. It's fun, and I hope the reader enjoys not just the story, but the history and vivid details I put into all my books.

What are you most proud of in your writing journey?

Winning the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best First Book of 2012 was a true shocker! The actor Wes Studi handed out the awards, and I got to shake his hand -- he's an incredible actor, and so different in real life, funny and friendly. I truly am proud of all the wonderful reviews for Double Crossing.

Can you give us a sneak peak at the next book in the series?

Double or Nothing continues the adventures of Lily and Ace from Book 1. They're both stand-alones -- I kept any spoilers for Book 1 out of the sequel -- but to get the full effect, they ought to be read in order. And there won't be a third book.

In a nutshell, Double Crossing is True Grit mixed with Murder on the Orient Express. Double or Nothing is a blend of The Fugitive with Clint Eastwood's Hang 'Em High -- Ace is wrongfully accused of murder, and Lily must prove his innocence before the noose tightens.

Anything else you want to share?

I hope readers will find me on my Amazon Author Page, my website, on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, where I have boards for each of my books and also my characters from the Double Series.

I truly believe unpub contests like The Sandy helped push me to keep writing, submitting and finally reach my dream of being a published author. Thanks for having me today!

Sandy Success Stories-Kaki Warner!

2013-03-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog series highlighting the success of The Sandy Finalists. I developed The Sandy writing contest seven years ago for the Crested Butte Writers and have been delighted to see many of our finalists go onto publication. I thought it'd be fun to follow up with them and see where they are now in their careers.

Kaki Warner is The Sandy’s first big success story, I think. After finaling in The Sandy, Kaki went on to get a three-book contract from Berkley Publishing, followed by her Runaway Bride series and a third trilogy, The Heroes of Heartbreak Creek, which begins in August with Behind his Blue Eyes. And in between all that, she gave us a sweet Christmas Novella.

What year did you final in The Sandy, with which book, and what place did you end up with?

PIECES OF SKY placed second in the romance category in 2007. After carefully going over the valuable feedback I received from the Sandy Contest judges, I made needed changes, and in late 2008, sold the manuscript to Penguin/Berkley as part of a three-book deal. The next year, 2010, PIECES OF SKY won a RITA for Best First Book. I believe the Sandy and several other writing contests I entered were instrumental in helping me achieve that goal.

In six years, you’ve written nine long books (each one around 115,000 words, right?) and one novella? Not that I’m complaining—‘cause I’m a huge fan of yours, but . . . are you trying to make the rest of us look like slackers or just plain crazy? How come?

You’re as good at math as I am, Theresa, LOL. Actually, I’ve been writing forever, but have only been under contract for a little over four years. In that time, I’ve released six books and one novella, a seventh book is on its way to production for an August release, and a short story for an anthology is slated for release in early 2014. I’m under contract for two more books, then I’ll probably vacuum. Releasing two books a year is pretty standard in this business, although I whined about being a bit overwhelmed, so in my last contract I finagled eight months per book, rather than six. That’s why it helps if you have a backlog to work from when you finally take the plunge—either into traditional publishing or self-publishing. Alas, when I sold, even though I said PIECES OF SKY was book one of a trilogy, I had only that one complete manuscript, about fifty pages on a second, and a vague idea about a third. I lied. Big deal. It’s what I do for a living.

Publishing is changing almost daily, it seems. In this day and age when self-publishing is becoming a commonplace occurrence, do you think writing contests will be a thing of the past? Do you think finaling or winning a contest still has value?

I will ALWAYS think writing contests are a necessary step in the journey from writer to author. It’s a huge help to get feedback from experienced writers and judges. Contests also toughen us up for the hard rejections ahead. If you don’t have a decent critique group, feedback from a contest is a must. I don’t know of any writer who has made it without one or the other.

You recently released your first novella, what was it like writing such a short story? Do you think there’ll be more novellas in your future? Speaking for myself, I’m not really a fan of novellas in general, because I hate for a good story to end, but I can appreciate its function of tiding your fans over or whetting their appetite for the next release. I wonder how your other fans felt?

The novella was harder than I thought it would be. It still has all the elements of a longer novel in terms of conflict, setting, character growth…and it still has the same requirements (strong opening, good balance of narration, introspection, dialogue, action, and a satisfying ending). It’s just condensed—less backstory, less introspection, less everything. Every word counts—there can be no fluff. I did it as an exercise toward trimming and tightening my longer novels. I usually take a long time developing the characters and the romantic relationship. But I didn’t have the usual 110,000+ words to work with, so I had to get to the point sooner. I like the story and I like the characters, but I suspect five years from now, I could write it better. But then, that’s probably true of all my stuff. It was also a way to get an offering out there at a lower price, hoping to attract a wider readership. I have no idea how it did yet (it came out in December, and sales figures only come out every six months).

Not under a bed, but . . .

I also recently had to write a short story for an anthology (with Jodi Thomas, Jo Goodman, and Alison Kent). This one was even more restrictive in word count—20,000 words (the novella came in at 37,000 words). I made it as hard on myself as possible by trying to incorporate the growing romantic relationship with a mystery. I haven’t gotten any feedback from my editor yet, so I’m not sure if I pulled it off. It’s a little more open-ended than the novella or my other books, so it might serve as an intro into another series with the same characters. They were really fun to write. Who knows? That anthology, BOOTS UNDER HER BED, will be out early next year.

What are you most proud of in your writing journey?

I’m pretty ding-dang proud of just getting published. Then getting a RITA, of course. But I guess what I’m happiest about is that I did it my way, and wrote the story I wanted to write. It went from my editor straight to copyediting without any revisions, which was a huge relief. I was sure they would ask me to smut it up since they were marketing it to the romance genre. But they didn’t. Not that I have anything against a little smut, but this wasn’t the book for it. And it’s not my style.

Can you give us a sneak peak at the next book in the series?

BEHIND HIS BLUE EYES is the first Heroes of Heartbreak Creek novel, and will feature a new hero and heroine, plus all the old characters from the Brides Novels. Here’s the back cover copy:

Hoping to escape his past, Ethan Hardesty became an advance man for the railroad. Only two things impede his desire to transform Heartbreak Creek into a thriving town once again—a vandal bent on stopping the railroad, and the beautiful but hardheaded woman who won’t sign over the final right-of-way through the canyon.

Audra Pearsall has good reason for not allowing a train to pass within yards of her home, no matter how persuasive the handsome Mr. Hardesty can be. But when vandalism escalates to murder and fear stalks the canyon, Audra doesn’t know who to turn to—until the man she thought was her friend proves to be an enemy, and the man she wouldn’t allow herself to trust becomes her reluctant hero…

The second book takes place in Scotland where Ash and Maddie and their wrangler have gone to buy Thoroughbred breeding stock for Ash’s growing horse herd.

And the third book will be Thomas and Pru’s story. Finally.

Thanks much for Kaki sharing her writing journey and best wishes for continued success!

The 2013 Crested Butte Writers Conference!

2013-03-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Wow—we have a treat in store for everybody this year at the Crested Butte Writers Conference June 21-23 2013.

Take a look at the wealth of talent!

Editors: Christian Trimmer with Disney Hyperion and Jessica Williams with William Morrow.

Agent: Carlie Webber of CK Webber –formerly from Jane Rotrosen

Industry Pros: Mark Coker—CEO of Smashwords

Kristen Lamb –social media guru

Kimberly Killion and Jennifer Jakes of The Killion Group—cover designers extraordinaire and marketing pros

Authors: Tessa Dare—NYT bestselling author and RITA winner for Historical Romance

Anne Eliot, Michelle Major & Lana Williams

Sandra Kerns and Annette Elton

Take a look at some fun from last year. Lisa Gallagher was the only one brave enough to come on the zipline with me. Hope we have more adventurous people this year.

As Barbara and I are both Irish Italians, we love to eat, so take a look at this yummy hot breakfast included in the conference fee!

Everybody really enjoyed the Advanced Read Master Critique Classes!

Join us this year!

Research --Thou shalt not make thy readers eyes glaze over

2013-03-12T22:01:00.000-06:00

Ah, realism. Nothing perks up a manuscript like a liberal sprinkling of facts, fun or otherwise. They add detail, make your character sound intelligent and your action authentic, and really plump up the word count. Not to mention the fun of researching--we can spend an afternoon wandering through downtown shops to gather local color for the pivotal scene in chapter thirty--and tell ourselves it’s research. We can lounge on the patio with a glass of experimental cocktail and a biography of Catherine the Great--research. Or fill the house with smoke brewing up a batch of gun cotton after failing to notice that ‘cosmetic puffs’ are not the same thing as ‘cotton balls’--research. But where do we start, and where do we stop?

I’m a forensic specialist, and my character is a forensic specialist; my pitch is that my books are more realistic than CSI. This requires both more and less research than people expect. For the areas in which I regularly work or worked--crime scene, fingerprint comparison, hairs, fibers, even some DNA--I can write the whole book without stopping to fact-check. For areas I don’t work in, such as ballistics, questioned document examination or forensic linguistics, I have to pull out some textbooks or email some friends. Or ask my great good friend Google. I often wonder what a Big Brother type spy would make of my browser history. At the moment it holds plastic explosives, Nazi nuclear projects, the menu at Sokolowski’s University Grill, jail design, the composition of concrete, what is a tidal bore, and available flights from Prague to Bordeaux, France. (Hint: Take Air France. For some reason Czech Airlines will take twice as long and cost twice as much.)

I also stayed on good terms with my college chemistry professor. I haven’t seen him since graduation but he’s always only an email away. It’s a wonder Homeland Security hasn’t taken more of an interest in our correspondence.

Basically research boils down to two thoughts. One, if I’m going to have my character test a spot on the victim’s couch for blood, there’s no excuse for, say, having her use a black light without spraying a reagent, or misspelling phenolphthalein. Two, you do not need use every single piece of information you run across. The readers do not need a paragraph on the advantages of Hemastix versus phenolphthalein in terms of sensitivity, cost and ease of use, or a history of my character’s relationship with the TriTech Forensics sales rep. Unless he gets killed in the next chapter.

My advice for the effective use of research is:

1. Obviously, keep in anything that’s relevant to the plot, moves the story along or judiciously sets the scene.

2. Leave out anything that’s going to make the reader’s eyes glaze over. Remember, you are not writing a textbook. Readers are not going to have to pass a final after the last chapter. Summarize, condense or just skip (“ten minutes later, she had completed the assay…”) the really mundane stuff.

3. Don’t keep in enough detail to allow readers to become better criminals. My characters have mixed up plastic explosives, cooked meth and home-brewed chloroform, but you would not be successful in any of these pursuits by reading my books. Like a competitive housewife, always leave an ingredient out of shared recipes.

4. If something has nothing to do with your plot but is just too fun to leave out, find another way to work it in--as a source of conflict between two characters, as the detective’s child’s school project, as the subject of a movie the quirky romantic lead suggests as a way to get closer to your protagonist.

Balance, as always, is the key. My books need those pieces of hard, cold realities to pave its road--when readers pick up a forensic mystery, they expect some forensics in it, and they expect those forensics to be accurate. But they also want a story that’s not just a collection of facts. I don’t want to bore, and I don’t want to gross out. Saying that flies had found the corpse is fine. A quick explanation of how we use insects to estimate time of death is better. Two pages on the anatomical changes during the pupa stage alone, well, deserves to be swatted.

Blunt Impact will be available April 1, featuring forensic scientist Theresa MacLean and a series of murders surrounding a skyscraper under construction in downtown Cleveland. The first to die is young, sexy concrete worker Samantha, thrown from the 23^rd floor. The only witness is her 11 year old daughter Anna, nicknamed Ghost. Ghost will stop at nothing to find her mother’s killer, and Theresa will stop at nothing to keep Ghost safe.

Also, Kindle owners can find a bargain in my new book The Prague Project, written under the name Beth Cheylan. A death in West Virginia sends FBI agent Ellie Gardner and NYPD Counterterrorism lieutenant Michael Stewart on a chase across Europe as they track stolen nukes and lost Nazi gold, hoping to avert the death of millions of people.

Lisa Black spent the five happiest years of her life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now she’s a certified latent print examiner and CSI for the Cape Coral Police Department. Her books have been translated into six languages. Evidence of Murder reached the NYT mass market bestseller’s list.

See my website at: www.lisa-black.com

New Series! Sandy Success Stories

2013-03-12T12:39:00.001-06:00

Hi all,
As most of you know, I started The Sandy writing contest for the Crested Butte Writers seven years ago. Since then, a great many of my finalists have gone on to publication. I am very proud of these talented people and thought it'd be fun to highlight them in a series of blogs, so keep your eye out for these Sandy Success Story Profiles.

Happy March!

Theresa

2013-02-18T12:25:00.002-07:00

~~ Permission to forward ~~

The 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery Suspense

When Opportunity Knocks… Do You Listen?

Recognizing that the industry is changing faster than writers can keep up, RWA®s Kiss of Death Chapter’s Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense has revamped its unpublished entry requirements.　 In some cases, the Unpublished Contest is now open to published authors who haven’t published in the last three years and have a manuscript never self-published and never professionally edited.　

Unpublished Authors, this is still your contest and your opportunity to avoid the slush pile and get your work in front of the top editors and agents in the business.　

What Genres?　

Mainstream/ Mystery Suspense (Romance Optional)

Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Paranormal Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Category Romantic Mystery/Suspense

What Judges?　

CATEGORY (SERIES) ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Wanda Ottewell – Harlequin Romantic Suspense & Scott Eagan – Grayhaus Literary

HISTORICAL ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Wendy McCurdy - Berkley Sensation &

Courtney Miller-Callihan – Sanford J Greenburger Associates

INSPIRATIONAL ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Elizabeth Bistrow – NAL & Diana Flegal – Hartline Literary Agency

PARANORMAL (PTTF) ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Denise Zaza – Mira　 & Amy Moore-Benson - AMB Literary Management

SINGLE TITLE ROMANTIC MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Kerry Donovan - NAL & Nephele Tempest - Knight Agency

MAINSTREAM MYSTERY/SUSPENSE

Faith Black - Berkley & Beth Campbell - BookEnds LLC

For more information and to verify if you qualify to enter, check out The Daphne Unpublished portion of

www.rwamysterysuspense.org

Published Authors:

Do you have a 2012 copyright in any of the above genres listed?　 The Published portion of the contest is dangerously close to maxing. What are you waiting for?　 Having the Daphne recognize your novel as one of the best of the best or winning the Overall Daphne Award is too good to pass up.　 Check out the Published Rules of the contest at

www.rwamysterysuspense.org

Questions:　 Contact Brooke Wills, Daphne Overall Contest Coordinator, at daphnecontest@gmail.com

Deadline March 15, 2013 – Opportunity's knocking, and it's a big one!

~~ Permission to forward ~~

The ABCs of Book Cover Art

2013-01-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder about book cover designs?

I never spent too much time worrying about it because the grand plan included being a bestselling author published by a traditional publisher. I'd been told--repeatedly--that once I sold a book, I'd have no control over it--which was kind of fine with me, because though I'm a very creative person, when it comes to covers for my own women fiction works, I totally lack inspiration.

Well, now the "grand plan" has changed and I've decided to make the plunge and self-publish. Hmm, now, my ignorance is a problem. I know absolutely nothing about cover art--except that it's really really important and that I want a great cover. So I found three great cover designers who were willing to share their expertise with us. Oh, and, they'll be stopping by, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask away! So say hello to Kim, Nick and Viola.

Kim Killion of the Killion Group Kimberly has 20+ years of experience in marketing, communications and design. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Certificate in Web Design, and she is an ACE--An Adobe Certified Expert. In addition to the paperwork, she also taught Graphic/Web Design at a technical college in St. Louis and the majority of our designers were trained by Kimberly. They are the cream of the crop and the top of their class.

Nick Zelinger of NZ Graphics. Nick has been in business in the Denver metro area for over 20 years, producing superior graphic design for numerous clients (such as KOA Radio and Clear Channel’s sports marketing materials for the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies.) He has developed a reputation for excellent work, fast turnarounds, and affordable pricing.

Viola Estrella of Estrella Cover Design. Viola , an award-nominated author and 2010 RITA® finalist, loves a story with humor, flawed characters, paranormal elements, and romance. She tries to include these aspects in all that she writes and loves every minute of it. When she's not reading, writing, or designing cover art, she's spending quality time with her husband and sons in their Colorado home.

Do you have an art degree?

NZ-- I have a Commercial Art Degree (in Technical Art) from Colorado Institute of Art (Denver) and that played a role in starting a career in Graphic Design. (Also have a BA in Liberal Arts)

KK--Yes, I have several J I have a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts, a Chancellor Certificate in Web Design and I'm an A.C.E. (Adobe Certified Expert) in Photoshop. And I taught Graphic Design for 15 years.

VE-- I don’t have an art degree...just a creative passion. In fact, I never thought I was an “artistic” person, outside of writing, until I began this journey.

How did you get involved in this?

NZ— I had an art background and started out doing illustrations — but developing overall graphic design skills provided me with a career. I worked at design studios and print shops — eventually going freelance and book cover and interior design starting being my “specialty.” Networking and good references and some awards gave me better exposure to more clients.

KK--The standard stock photo sites really lacked this type of imagery. I needed more…So I hired a photographer and we've been shooting ever since. I never thought within a 2 year period we'd have 10,000+ images for sale. It's really quite tremendous!

VE-- I began to design my own covers and found that I really enjoyed manipulating images and coming up with the overall cover design. I learned more about the nuts and bolts of Photoshop and started to design cover art for friends. I grew my clientele from there and now have a steady stream of business!

What is your process like?

NZ— First, consultation(s) with client, then research, investigating who their competition is, who their target audience is and producing initial front cover concepts. Then, further rounds if necessary with whatever changes in direction or other edits.

KK--Once the client returns the Questionnaire, I begin the design. Then I send the client the comp to approve or tweak. Most times it's a simple fix of "scooting" something over/up/down and once approved, we send out the final jpgs to the client.

VE— For custom cover art, I have my client fill out a cover request form that has numerous questions regarding their story. I ask about the tone/mood, the genre, the characters, the setting, what they’d like to see on their cover, etc. It helps so much when they can give me examples of cover art that they like and feel is similar to their story. I then look over the form. Sometimes I know exactly what the client has in mind. And sometimes it takes some pondering. To help, I scour through certain royalty-free stock photo sites. I’ll find anywhere from one to several images that I can use, then I purchase them and begin to pull it all together, including what font works best for this type of story. I send the mockup cover to the client and wait to hear back. I’m thrilled when I get it right the first try. But that doesn’t always happen, and that’s why I allow up to three alteration requests. Thankfully, I have yet to have a client who isn’t pleased with the overall end result.

Do you work exclusively for one publisher or do freelance as well?

NZ— I work with many publishers, individual authors, so I guess in that respect, I freelance.

KK--We work for several NYC Publishing houses and Agencies as well as for Indie Authors.

VE-- I’m completely freelance at this time. Anyone can contact me to purchase cover art—that includes both independent authors and publishers.

Do you actually read every book you design a cover for?

NZ— No — would never get any work done! I do request a sample chapter or synopsis.

KK--If I did, I'd get no designing done. LOL *see number of covers designed and you'll understand why.

VE— I wish I had the time! I depend on the author to include a brief blurb of their story in the cover form so I can get a good feel of the story.

How much input do editors and author have?

NZ— I regard working with authors as a collaborative venture. While editors (and publishers) do have input into the substance of direction and copy, there is much back and forth with both.

KK--We send each client an extensive Cover Questionnaire. It has places for links to images the author likes, a place for the blurb so I can get a feel for the book, H/h description areas…the list goes on. By the time the author fills that out, I should have everything I need to design a cover that will match their story and the genre.

VE--100% input. That’s what the cover form is for. I want to give the author and/or publisher the exact cover they have in their minds, something they can be proud to promote. Their “dream” cover.

Which covers are you most proud of?

NZ— That’s hard to answer – I work in all genres. I recently did the sequel to Andrew Valentine’s “Bitter Things” entitled “Bitter Consequences” (an erotic vampire series) which really captures the brand they were looking for. I also am proud of Lynn McLeod’s “From Simms to Zanzibar” which won best cover design in last year’s USA Book News awards.

KK--Oh, wow! Super hard question! We've done over 1,500 covers. There are so many I like in so many different genres, but I will select the covers I did for Lila DiPasqua because they received rave reviews. I had a lot of time involved in creating those and they became like children to me. I think the images to the right tell the rest of the story.

VE— I’m proud of them all. But I’m proud when I hear how much the author LOVES the design. That’s always my goal. (Viola's titles below)

Do editors request your work?

NZ— Yes – and I’ve established relationships with publishers who provide me steady work.

KK--Yes, editors and/or (if the house allows) the author will request me.

VE-- I currently have one small press that regularly contacts me for work. I’ve had two authors who’ve requested covers for their publisher to approve and use. But most of my clients are self-published authors.

What inspires you the most when coming up with covers?

NZ--Other covers. And of course, the authors themselves – sometimes they have great vision into what they want. And if they don’t, that’s where I earn my money: problem solving.

VE— A few things... Getting a good grasp of what the author wants from how he/she filled out the form. Knowing the genre and having a feel for the tone of the story. Also, finding fabulous images on stock photo sites can be very inspiring.

Is there a trendiness to what the covers should look like?

NZ— There can be at times, in regards to colors, font styles. Font can really dictate the style of covers, making them either trendy or dated. And there are some PhotoShop effects that can pigeon-hole a style.

KK--I think what most people don't realize is that there is a certain look each genre should have. Readers look for that. A lot of that has to do with typography. Typography is a skill that is very much under-appreciated. There are skilled illustrators out there who can give you an awesome graphic but if the type fails, then you do not have a marketable product. There are certain fonts that stand out better than others and certain fonts that are used for certain genres. That's where I would recommend a new designer start the learning process. Anyone can learn how to use Photoshop, but knowing how to use the tools is just the beginning.

VE-- To a point, if I’m understanding the question. Readers see that XYZ Best-selling Author has this particular cover and if they become a fan, they might search out other types of books that look similar. This is what I think causes trends and I have no problem with authors and publishers who want to play along. Why not make it easy for the reader to find your books?

Are there any awards –nationally –to recognize wonderful covers or is it SOOOOO subjective that this isn’t possible?

NZ— There are more and more awards nationally that engage self publishers with traditional publishers – so the competition is stiff: USA Book News, The Indie Awards,

KK--There is! I think it's called the JABBIC (Judge A Book By Its Cover)

VE-- I’ve heard of cover contests here and there, but I can’t think of any particular one at the moment. I don’t think it’s impossible to judge a cover. Everyone has an opinion. But yes, I feel that cover art is as subjective as the story inside.

Have you won any awards for your covers?

NZ— Yes. I won the USA Book News 2011 Best Cover Design. USA Book News is one a several national book awards that features thousands of entrants including major publishers. My covers (and interior layouts) have won numerous awards from USA Book News, Colorado CIPA’a EVVY Awards, the Indie Book Awards, and more.

KK--I normally have several authors enter their covers I've done in the JABBIC and I think *not sure* that my designs have won more than once. But honestly, I don't keep up with that. I truly stay in "the designing cave" about 15-18 per day.

VE— Not yet. Of course, I haven’t entered any either. It hasn’t been a goal of mine...yet.

How are cover artists paid and if it’s not too nosey, may I ask how much per cover is typical.

NZ--Usually by the project (not the hour.) It may go to an hourly rate if numerous changes/edits are taking place – but my estimate is given with a range of changes included. While I won’t talk about my fees here – I have seen covers (full cover: front, back, spine) in ranges of $100 to $1000. Both are a bit extreme – I’ve never been paid $1000 for a cover but I know of some designers who have. I consider my fees to be very affordable and in line with the competition.

VE-- Not too nosey! I have all my pricing available on my website, so it’s not a secret. Currently, I charge $85.00 for custom cover art (front cover only), $125.00 for both front and full cover (including spine and back) and $40-$60.00 for pre-made cover art.

How many titles do you typically design a cover for a year?

NZ— This past year, close to 40-50, in past years, about 20 average.

KK--About 1000 or more.

VE-- Last year was my first year of designing cover art and I designed about 100 covers. It was enough to keep me busy. LOL

If you were interviewing cover artists, what would you want to know? What would help you make your decision?

NZ— Their experience in book design, references, samples of their work and of course, what they charge.

KK--Seeing samples of their work and seeing if these coves have made any lists. We almost consistently have a cover or covers on the Amazon Best Sellers list or Top 100 lists. Though we've been told we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, let's face it, everyone does.

VE-- If I were interviewing cover artists to design my book cover, I’d want to know how much input I had, how much it costs, how many alteration requests I would have after the initial mockup, and—a biggie—I’d want to see their portfolio to find out if their designs match the type of aesthetic that I find appealing.

What else would you like people to know about you and/or your work?

NZ— I love what I do – working with authors is rewarding and challenging. It’s that fine balance between art and marketing. If a cover is beautiful but doesn’t help sell the book – it’s a failure. The challenge is to produce the right cover for the right market.

KK--That we strive to be a one-stop shop for authors while maintaining quality. If you just need an eBook cover, we've got you covered. If you'd like a POD cover and some Romance Trading Cards. We can do it! If you're like some of our clients and want to focus on writing, we can design your cover, format your story for Print and/or eBook, upload for you and now (!!) turn it into an Audio Book for you.

Do you have a Traditional Print Book that you'd like to get back out there to your readers? We can scan it, format it, put a new cover on it, narrate it... We are truly the ala carte menu of author's needs. From branding to websites to covers to formatting…AND…beginning in 2013, we hope to offer authors a brand new service. Keep an eye on us for that announcement. Here's a link to everything that we do: http://thekilliongroupinc.com/services/

VE-- I’m an author as well. I know what it feels like to wait for my book cover to arrive and to see it for the first time. I know what if feels like to love it...and to HATE it. So that’s why I work so hard to get it right for the author. I want them to be proud to promote their books, cover design included.

You can see my portfolio, pricing info, testimonials, and pre-made cover art at www.EstrellaCoverArt.com

On Chocolate, MFAs and Writing

2013-01-23T13:24:00.002-07:00

Karin Huxman is my in-town writing buddy. She's a prolific writer of both children's stories, compelling nonfiction, contemporary and paranormal fiction. Karen has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. I asked her to tell us about what's she's learned both in and outside the classroom. Please say hello and welcome Karin to Five Scribes:

Actually the title is in the incorrect order of importance, if you’re a writer that is. I just wanted to get your attention with mention of my favorite treat.

Naturally the most important part of being a writer is, well, writing. Writing is learned by doing, and redoing, and starting over again. You can learn the basics, and most Americans do in order to graduate from high school. Writers take the foundations of our language and marry them with imagination and perspiration to create a story or a poem or an article or all the many things that writers write.

But you may reach a point, as I did, of plateau. In spite of encouraging responses to fiction submissions, in spite of selling magazine articles and poems, in spite of winning awards for unpublished authors I found being successful with fiction to be elusive. I have joined many writing groups both local and national. I had a marvelous critique group and critique partners who guided me. In the end, I hit a wall. I wanted to be a better writer and decided that I needed more structure and discipline in order to do so. Pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree, an MFA, in writing seemed like the natural next step.

Choosing an MFA program can be daunting, there are loads to choose from.

However, before you choose a program, take some time to decide if actually working towards this degree is right for you. What do you expect to gain from the time and effort you put into it? To that end, here are five pros and cons of entering into an MFA program.

Starting with the cons, because I want to end on an upbeat:

It’s expensive. Graduate degrees are. You will either need to get a student loan or work extra to afford it. Decide if the time and money will be worth the end result.

There is no guarantee that having the degree will get you the publishing contract or the teaching job at the college or anything.

The program you choose may be a poor fit for you as a writer and as a person.

Unless the program is in your home town or a reasonable drive from where you live, you may have to relocate.

Top authors who teach at your program may not be the best teacher or mentor.

One the positive side:

You get to concentrate on your passion, your writing.

You will create a strong network of like minded writers.

Traditional programs versus low residency programs abound. There’s a lot to choose from.

The best programs engage top notch faculty who will challenge and engage and motivate you.

The best MFA programs will take you out of your comfort zone, you will be challenged in ways you never saw coming and you will be a better writer for it.

So you’ve decided that yes, you do want to get this degree… where to start? Are you a literary writer or do you long to publish in romance? Does the art and craft of writing children’s picture books feel like what you are meant to do or is the particular skill needed to write for a teen audience what really grabs you? Is there a literary void you believe your unique voice can fill? Once you’ve narrowed that down, consider whether you want a traditional college classroom setting or would be comfortable in a low residency program or even a program with online classes.

Since there are so many MFA programs to choose from here are a couple of links that will help you narrow down the field:

https://www.awpwriter.org/programs_conferences/guide_writing_programs

http://www.pw.org/content/2012_mfa_rankings_the_top_fifty?cmnt_all=1

Once you have two or three prospective choices the real work begins. Go to the programs’ websites and really dig deep. Who is on faculty? Have you ever heard of them before? What are the requirements to apply and what are the costs involved? Is there an alumni organization you can contact to find out graduate’s happiness with the program? How much time is going to be required of you to finish the coursework and graduate?

I’ve had discussions with writers who think getting a Master of Fine Arts degree is a waste of time and money. In my case, the rigors of the coursework, the friends I made during the program, and the delight in setting a difficult goal and seeing it through made it worthwhile. My MFA is in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College, at the time affiliated with Norwich University in Montpelier, Vermont. The low residency program was a perfect fit for me. Since earning my degree in 2001 I have gone on to publish two children’s picture books, one of which won an EPPIE for best children’s or young adult ebook. One of my classmates is now a publisher of children’s nonfiction and my continuing friendship with her has garnered me a place as one of her nonfiction authors of the America’s Notable Women series. I continue to write poetry. Shortly after I started the program, my first romance novel was published and I went on to publish many more.

It all started with wanting to be a better writer. That’s what it should be about. Where you go from there is up to you. Once you decide, have a piece of lovely chocolate, pat yourself on the back, and get yourself back to the keyboard. After all, you are a writer.

Karin Huxman writes for children as K.D. Huxman, you can find her picture books, Dragon Talk and Grizzelda Gorilla at Kittycatbooks.com. She contributed to Women of the Prairie State: 25 Women You Should Know and Women of the Empire State: 25 Women You Should Know, from Apprentice Shop Books. Her romance novels are published by New Concepts Publishing, her most recent release being a reissue of her paranormal romance With an Open Mind, re-titled as Extrasensory Perception. On the web find K.D. Huxman at kdhuxman.wordpress.com and Karin Huxman can be found at myivorytower-karin.blogspot.com. Besides chocolate, Karin enjoys wine, walking and of course reading.

I Did It, My First Book Trailer, For Dare To Believe.

2013-01-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Why did I suffer through the maddness to create a book trailer?

To intice you to go find the book, read the excerpt and hopefully buy the book.

And.....

To give you a visual glimpse of one major beat of the story.

Writers write with images in their heads, be they novelist or screenwriter. I'm both.

Frankly, I thought it would be easier than it was. Finding the right beat to covey the messge was much harder than I thought.

I put my efforts in front of produced film makers time and time again, and finally hit on something that made chills run up their arms and down their spines.

So here it is.

Will I do another? You bet.

As I said, I'm a screenwriter as well as novelist and it fills an interesting part of that life. I write on paper, and the trailer can make a bit of it come to life, give visual emotion.

AND later this month, I'm excited to bring you Vicky Koch, aka the brillant Sophia Knightly, Samhaim and Indie author, as we talk book trailer making.

Pros, cons, whys and why nots. Is it for you?

Stay tuned, and I hope my Dare To Believe trailer conveyed a bit of the emotion of the story to you.

Ciao

~LA

http://bit.ly/Msu6J8

Permission Not to Write

2013-01-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ever heard the phrase there's no such thing as writer's block? Well, there is fatigue, stress and a mind and body on overload. What to do about it? Author Lois Winston is known for her invaluable advice, and she's about to give you some more. Please welcome Five Scribe contributor Lois Winston. ~ Donnell

Permission Not to Write

What do you do when you’re suffering from the literary equivalent of a bad day on the mound? You’re all set to hurl a fast ball that should nip the corner of the strike zone and send the batter swinging at air when you wind up tossing a lob that he hits out of the park. In other words, you’ve got writer’s block.

Some people insist that there’s no such thing as writer’s block. Try telling that to someone who spent the last three hours staring at a blank computer screen. There are many reasons why the words don’t always come, but for me, often it’s because I’m just too tired to write. When I’m tired, my brain shuts down. But write I must because I’m on deadline, and if I don’t write, I don’t meet those deadlines.

When this happens, I’ve learned to listen to my body. I give myself permission to take a few hours off to rejuvenate. I’ll take a walk. Or watch a movie I’ve been meaning to see. Or curl up with a book by a favorite author or a new one I’ve been meaning to read. Whatever I decide to do, I give myself permission not to feel guilty about doing it.

And that’s key.

Most writers can’t afford to quit their day jobs. We juggle our schedules to accommodate work, writing, and family responsibilities. So when we have our writing time, we feel compelled to write and feel guilty when we don’t. We’re wasting precious writing time. What we forget, though, is that we’re not perpetual motion machines. Writers, like everyone else, need down time. Time to relax. To play. To do nothing but daydream.

I’ve found that when I give myself permission not to write, I’m able to return to my writing with fresh energy and a brain no longer blocked.

I know this is counter to the conventional wisdom that stresses you should write through the block. Just stick your butt in the chair, place your fingers on the keyboard, and start typing – that bad writing is better than no writing, and you can always go back to fix what needs fixing. To me, that’s just as huge a waste of time as staring for hours at a blinking cursor.

Don’t let the purveyors of conventional wisdom bully you. Listen to your body instead. If you give yourself permission not to write, you might find that when you next sit down at the computer, you’ll be far happier with the words you produce. It works for me. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

Bio:

Award-winning author Lois Winston writes the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series featuring magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Kirkus Reviews dubbed it, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series also includes Death By Killer Mop Doll and Crewel Intentions, an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery. Revenge of the Crafty Corpse is a January 2013 release.

Lois is also published in women’s fiction, romance, romantic suspense, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. In addition, she’s an award-winning crafts and needlework designer and an agent with the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. She’s also the author of the recently released Top Ten Reasons Your Novel is Rejected. Visit Lois at http://www.loiswinston.com, visit Emma at http://www.emmacarlyle.com, and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers character blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com.

Revenge of the Crafty Corpse:

Anastasia Pollack’s dead louse of a spouse has left her with more bills than you can shake a crochet hook at, and teaching craft classes at her mother-in-law’s assisted living center seems like a harmless way to supplement her meager income. But when Lyndella Wegner—a 98-year-old know-it-all with a penchant for ruffles and lace—turns up dead, Anastasia’s cantankerous mother-in-law becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Upon discovering that Lyndella’s scandalous craft projects—and her scandalous behavior—made her plenty of enemies, Anastasia sets out to find the real killer before her mother-in-law ends up behind bars.

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738725862/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0738725862&linkCode=as2&tag=loiswins-20

2013-01-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

Interview with Carlie Webber, Agent at Jane Rotrosen Literary

2013-01-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Carlie webber is an agent with the Jane Rotrosen Literary agency and the final judge for the suspense/thriller/mystery category of The Sandy.

Bio: Carlie Webber took her love of young adult and genre fiction to the University of Pittsburgh, where she obtained a Master of Library and Information Science, and worked as a YA librarian and reviewer for publications including Kirkus Reviews. Wishing to explore her interest in the business side of books, she decided to switch from librarianship to publishing and enrolled in the Columbia Publishing Course.  Now she is building her agenting career on her favorite genres: young adult, women’s fiction, romance, horror, mystery, suspense, thrillers, and contemporary speculative fiction. Her ongoing submissions wishlist includes but is not limited to high-concept YA, literary suspense, grunge era nostalgia and things that go bump in the night.

Which categories do you currently acquire/ represent? Which category has a special/constant place in your heart?

Answer: I am looking for romance, mysteries, thrillers, suspense, women’s fiction, YA, and light science fiction and fantasy. Of these, YA is my favorite. I love any and all YA, whether it’s serious or fluffy.

What length synopsis do you prefer to see with a partial? Single spaced or double?

Answer: Double

In terms of submissions, what are you sick to death of and what would you like to see more of?

Answer: I would love to see more women’s fiction that doesn’t revolve around men, marriage, or babies. I am not looking for any more YA paranormal romance.

What are the most compelling elements you feel are necessary for a good
read? What particularly grabs your attention?

Answer: The main character must pass my personal reading test. For me to really love a character, I have to be able to say, “I want to go to the mall with her!” or, “I want her on my side in a fight!” If I want both, that’s great. If I want neither, the book is not for me. Other elements that make a novel great for me include good pacing, memorable settings, and high stakes for the main character(s).

For you, in general, which elements in a fiction submission are terminal problems garnering automatic rejections and which are tempting and fixable meriting a look at a revision if a talented author is willing to accept your advice?

Voice – Automatic rejection
Weak Grammar – Depends on how weak it is. An occasional misspelling or misused comma is one thing, but if I see too many Unforgivable Errors (incorrect apostrophes or dialogue formatting), that makes a book hard for me to read and I will reject it.
Common plot—I can work with this. I like to say there are really only twelve plots in all of literature. Any plot can work with great writing.
Poor character development—Automatic rejection
Story is too controversial (ie rape, politics, religion—what else?). Everyone’s version of “controversial” is different. I don’t mind sex, drugs, and rock & roll.
Mediocre / uninspired writing – Automatic rejection.
Excessive use of violence or cursing – I can work with this.
Lacking genre –specific requirements like, suspense/sexual tension/ world-building --- Many genre books break rules. I would handle this on a case-by-case basis.
Pacing is off—plot is too slow – Automatic rejection
Story starts in wrong spot – Easily fixable
Ending is unsatisfactory –Depends on the degree of unsatisfactory and how hard the writer is willing to work to fix it.
Other

Does meeting an author face-to-face at a conference make a difference in your response time, the submission process, or the rejection process (ie. Form letter vs a few sentences of advice)?

Answer: I do prioritize authors from whom I request material at a conference. All unsolicited materials that I reject get a form letter.

Besides the writing, the story and the talent, what are the most important elements you look for in an author, ie. contest wins, cooperativeness, affiliations to writers organizations, knowledge of publishing industry, promotability, etc?

Answer: I look for authors who have long careers ahead of them, who understand that publishing is a business that runs on deadlines and needs money to survive, and who are upfront about their projects and career plans.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Answer: Musicians in YA novels who go to/are only interested in going to Juilliard. If a YA character wants to be a writer you’ll hear about a variety of colleges with fine English programs, but if all you read was YA you’d think there was only one college where you could study music. I’ve never figured out why no one ever mentions Eastman, Peabody, Berklee, the Curtis Institute, etc.

What are you addicted to?

Answer: Bad reality television

What have you always wanted to do?

Answer: Attend Hogwarts.

Interview With Berkley Assistant Editor, Katherine Pelz

2013-01-13T13:33:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that Katherine Pelz is The Sandy's final judge for the Romance category. Katherine graciously took the time to answer my questions for this interview.

Bio: Katherine Pelz has spent the past 3 years at the Berkley Publishing Group, and wouldn’t have it any other way. A lifelong bookworm, she’s thrilled to play an active role in discovering new authors and bringing fabulous books to the hands of readers. 

A native of a small town in Western New York State, Katherine spent most of her childhood with her nose in a book. She continued to read as an English and Psychology major at Cornell University. After acquiring her B.A., she moved to Manhattan and now acquires for the Berkley Sensation, Heat, Prime Crime and InterMix lines.  

Katherine is currently seeking submissions in romance (contemporary, historical and erotic), cozy mystery, women’s fiction and historical fiction

Which categories do you currently acquire/ represent? Which category has a special/constant place in your heart?

Answer: I currently acquire in romance (contemporary, historical and erotic), cozy mystery, women’s fiction and historical fiction. I have a particularly special place in my heart for historical romance—I find all of the historical details to be very fascinating.

What length synopsis do you prefer to see with a partial? Single spaced or double?

Answer: About 2 to 3 pages, double spaced. An overly detailed synopsis isn’t particularly helpful to me when considering a partial. With a partial, I’m more concerned with the story’s overall premise, the strength of the author’s voice and their ability to craft a story.

In terms of submissions, what are you sick to death of and what would you like to see more of?

Answer: I would like to see more submissions that have a really excellent hook. I’ve read many submissions that are capably executed and overall pleasant to read…but there’s no ‘spark’ to make these manuscripts stand out from the crowd. There are conventions to every genre, but an author still needs to be able to make their story feel fresh and unique.

What are the most compelling elements you feel are necessary for a good
read? What particularly grabs your attention?

Answer: An author’s voice and writing ability will grab my attention, and excellent character development will keep me reading happily till the end.

For you, in general, which elements in a fiction submission are terminal problems garnering automatic rejections and which are tempting and fixable meriting a look at a revision if a talented author is willing to accept your advice?

Terminal problems:

Common plot

Story is too controversial (ie rape, politics, religion—what else?)

Poor character development

Mediocre / uninspired writing

Voice

Fixable:

Weak Grammar

Excessive use of violence or cursing

Lacking genre –specific requirements like, suspense/sexual tension/ world-building

Pacing is off—plot is too slow

Story starts in wrong spot

Ending is unsatisfactory

As an editor, it’s my job to work with an author to craft their manuscript into the best shape possible. If the overall premise, writing and characters are strong, I’m happy to work with an author in other areas.

Does meeting an author face-to-face at a conference make a difference in your response time, the submission process, or the rejection process (ie. Form letter vs a few sentences of advice)?

Answer: It doesn’t make a difference in my response time or the submission process, but I am more likely to provide a little more advice to an author whom I have met and spoken with.

Besides the writing, the story and the talent, what are the most important elements you look for in an author, ie. contest wins, cooperativeness, affiliations to writers organizations, knowledge of publishing industry, promotability, etc?

Answer: Cooperativeness is very important—it leads to a better book when the author is open to edits and collaborating on new ideas. Two heads are better than one in this case. I appreciate when an author is affiliated with a writers organization because I think they truly help writers develop their skills, but it’s certainly not a requirement.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Answer: As a resident of Manhattan who takes the subway every day, most of my pet peeves are related to public transportation. However, all the little annoyances are balanced out by the fact that I can read a good book during my commute.

What are you addicted to?

Answer: Definitely sweets. I always have room for dessert.

What have you always wanted to do?

Answer: Edit a New York Times bestseller—I hope to get there eventually!

Interview with Disney Hyperion Sr. Editor, Christian Trimmer

2013-01-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that Christian Trimmer is The Sandy's final judge for the Children/ YA category and is attending the Crested Butte Writers Conference, June 21-23, 2013. Christian graciously took the time to answer my questions for this interview and will be popping in to answer your questions, so take advantage of this great opportunity!

Bio: CHRISTIAN TRIMMER is a senior editor at Disney Hyperion Books. He edits books by folks like Mo Willems (the New York Times best-selling The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? and the Elephant and Piggie series) and Rick Riordan (The Red Pyramid, The Graphic Novel and the forthcoming The Sea of Monsters, The Graphic Novel), as well as the Ghost and the Goth trilogy (by Stacey Kade), the Touch series (by Laurie Faria Stolarz), the Carter series (by Brent Crawford), and The Classroom: The Epic Documentary of a Not-Yet Epic Kid (by Robin Mellom). Christian works on various formats: picture books, graphic novels, and middle grade and young adult fiction.  Christian is looking to acquire more novels about kids in real world situations: romantic comedies, family dramas, road trips, coming-of-age tales. An original voice and strong character development are key to him.

Which categories do you currently acquire/ represent? Which category has a special/constant place in your heart?

Answer: When I first started acquiring, it was YA, YA, YA! But now, I work on books in most categories: picture books, graphic novels, middle grade, and young adult. I’ve yet to do a chapter book, and I look forward to trying one. I still have a soft spot for young adult, though. The protagonists of YA books can deal with more mature themes, and I find the intensity of feelings that these characters experience fascinating.

What length synopsis do you prefer to see with a partial? Single spaced or double?

Answer: Long enough to effectively convey the narrative and emotional arc(s) of the novel. Always double spaced.

In terms of submissions, what are you sick to death of and what would you like to see more of?

Answer: Happily, I’m not sick to death of anything…yet. I don’t need any paranormal romance for the time being, and I’m good on middle school books set in school for the next few years. I’d love to read more contemporary novels; they just need a really strong hook.

What are the most compelling elements you feel are necessary for a good
read? What particularly grabs your attention?
Answer: Voice, voice, and voice. And then a cool premise.

For you, in general, which elements in a fiction submission are terminal problems garnering automatic rejections and which are tempting and fixable meriting a look at a revision if a talented author is willing to accept your advice?

Voice TERMINAL
Weak Grammar FIXABLE!
Common plot FIXABLE!
Poor character development TERMINAL
Story is too controversial (ie rape, politics, religion—what else?) INTRIGUING!
Mediocre / uninspired writing TERMINAL
Excessive use of violence or cursing FIXABLE!
Lacking genre –specific requirements like, suspense/sexual tension/ world-building FIXABLE!
Pacing is off—plot is too slow TERMINAL
Story starts in wrong spot FIXABLE!
Ending is unsatisfactory VERY FIXABLE!
Other

Does meeting an author face-to-face at a conference make a difference in your response time, the submission process, or the rejection process (ie. Form letter vs a few sentences of advice)?

Answer: Absolutely! Once they’ve seen your face and shaken your hand, you have to make a real effort to save face! I might not spend more time on a critique of a manuscript, but I will move the submission closer to the top of the stack.

Besides the writing, the story and the talent, what are the most important elements you look for in an author, ie. contest wins, cooperativeness, affiliations to writers organizations, knowledge of publishing industry, promotability, etc?

Answer: First and foremost, I want to make sure I have a connection with the writer, so it’s important to me to speak with an author before I sign up his/her novel. I like working with writers who are actively involved in the industry: attending conferences, participating in book clubs, developing an online community. Promotability (good word!) is huge, too.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Answer: Yes, but they’re not related to the publishing industry.

What are you addicted to?

Answer: Mother taught me everything in moderation, but I don’t miss Parks & Recreation, 30 Rock, or Girls. I read Entertainment Weekly cover-to-cover every issue.

What have you always wanted to do?

Answer: Create!

Interview with Amanda Ng, Assistant Editor at Berkley

2013-01-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Amanda Ng is the assistant editor at Berkley Publishing and the final judge of the Fantasy/ Science Fiction category of The Sandy. Amanda will be popping in to answer your questions, so take advantage of this great opportunity!

Bio:

Amanda started her career in publishing at GamePro magazine in San Francisco where she wrote and edited video game reviews. Books have always been her true love, however, and she moved to New York to pursue a career in trade publishing.

After completing NYU’s Masters in Publishing program, Amanda joined The Berkley Publishing Group and is actively looking to grow her list. She is interested in acquiring fantasy, science fiction, general fiction, thrillers, and mysteries.

Which categories do you currently acquire/ represent? Which category has a special/constant place in your heart?
Answer: Fantasy, science fiction, general fiction, mystery, and suspense. Fantasy in particular has a special place in my heart.

What length synopsis do you prefer to see with a partial? Single spaced or double?

Answer: Two page synopsis, single spaced.

In terms of submissions, what are you sick to death of and what would you like to see more of?

Answer: There’s nothing I’m truly sick to death of as a great manuscript will always pique my interest.

What are the most compelling elements you feel are necessary for a good
read? What particularly grabs your attention?
Answer: Interesting characters and solid pacing. A solid plot will keep me turning the pages of one book, but characters I can connect with will make me want to read the second book.

For you, in general, which elements in a fiction submission are terminal problems garnering automatic rejections and which are tempting and fixable meriting a look at a revision if a talented author is willing to accept your advice?

There are exceptions in every case, but in general:

Voice – Automatic rejection
Weak Grammar – Automatic rejection
Common plot – Potential revision.
Poor character development – Potential revision.
Story is too controversial (ie rape, politics, religion—what else?) – Potential revision.
Mediocre / uninspired writing – Automatic rejection
Excessive use of violence or cursing – Potential revision
Lacking genre –specific requirements like, suspense/sexual tension/ world-building – Potential revision
Pacing is off—plot is too slow – Potential revision
Story starts in wrong spot – Potential revision
Ending is unsatisfactory – Potential revision
Other

Does meeting an author face-to-face at a conference make a difference in your response time, the submission process, or the rejection process (ie. Form letter vs a few sentences of advice)?

Answer: There’s no difference in response time or submission process, but I do try to give more advice than usual if I’ve met someone.

Besides the writing, the story and the talent, what are the most important elements you look for in an author, ie. contest wins, cooperativeness, affiliations to writers organizations, knowledge of publishing industry, promotability, etc?

Answer: Cooperativeness is extraordinarily helpful in creating a long and lasting relationship. Promotability is always helpful.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Answer: When an author comes up with a clever or striking phrase, but repeats it numerous times in the manuscript.

What are you addicted to?

Answer: Stories featuring strong protagonists, both mentally and physically.

What have you always wanted to do?

Answer: I’m already doing it!

Amazon Select: One Author's Choice

2013-01-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Five Scribe Readers, I'm always impressed and grateful when authors share their experience and knowledge. Special thanks to award-winning author Diana Layne for her perspectives. Please welcome Diana Layne. ~ Donnell

Seduced by the Dark Side: Amazon Select

by Diana Layne

Although I’ve run home businesses in the past (childcare, piano teacher and housecleaning) and I do my own taxes and manage to balance my checkbook every month, I’m not really a numbers-crunching kind of girl. However, it didn’t take an accountant for me to see two things with regards to my self-publishing venture:

1. My books didn’t sell nearly as well at any other venue as they did at Amazon

2. Trust No One, which never had been in Select didn’t sell nearly as well as The Good Daughter which had been in Select the first three months of its publication.

Now, I can state with some confidence that the only certainty in publishing is that the experience for each author is different. I belong to a couple of fabulous indie groups and there have been authors who sell loads of book on Barnes and Noble or iTunes. Not me.

With iTunes I had 3 sales in 6 months and 1 on Sony. None on Smashwords except for about 50 with free coupon downloads I’d generated and given away. I never uploaded to Kobo because by the time authors could upload directly, I’d already begun considering going back to Select. Granted, it took me a long time to decide. I’m not the world’s fastest decision-maker and giving books away seemed so anti-profit. However, I eventually came around and here’s why.

At Barnes and Noble I often sold less than one a day-for both books. There were two times I had good sales with The Good Daughter on Barnes and Noble. One was when I joined a Beach Book Blast sale with the WG2E group and lowered the price to 99 cents and the second time was when Vanessa Kelly with Love Rocks reviewed The Good Daughter. Numbers respectively for those exceptions were 149 sales at 99 cents and 94 sales for the Love Rocks review.

Whereas on Amazon, The Good Daughter had been in Select the first three months and by the third month I was averaging 3 sales a day-I know, not great, but not nothing either. I dropped Select after the first three months because so many authors recommended not upsetting readers by limiting yourself to Amazon and so I needed my book available everywhere, right? Plus, my run in Select was not doing as well as some other books. I think now it’s because I didn’t know much about categories and I had The Good Daughter in the wrong categories. Regardless, it's always been my best seller on Amazon and I’m leaning toward thinking it’s because it did have a brief run in Select.

The big puzzle to me, though, was that Trust No One didn’t do well on Barnes and Noble or Amazon either. Why? It’s possible I had it priced too high at $4.99, but dang, it was over 400 pages long and it was my Golden Heart® final book. It’s also possible it never found an audience, at least on Amazon, because it had never been in Select. Granted, when I lowered the price to $2.99 it sold better, maybe one a day as opposed to 2 or 3 a week, but still it was way behind The Good Daughter in spite of significant advertising dollars and time spent promoting, too.

I’ve watched friends who stayed in Select who put other books in and learned how to work Select and their books are doing much better than mine in terms of ranking. And the big advantage is they’ve had time to write more books while I've been spending time (and a lot of money) learning promotion and doing everything I could to find a magic formula to sell these books. It was a huge learning curve, and at least I have an idea now of what works and what doesn’t. But I want to spend next year writing new books instead of promotion.

As for promotion, there is also a lot more geared toward Amazon, although that is starting to change. Still, very few promos geared to Barnes and Noble has as good of results as those aimed at Amazon. At least not yet.

And one last thing I considered about Select-The Good Daughter received more reviews while it was in Select. It has 26 reviews now, while Trust No One just has 7. It’s harder to even buy promotion with only 7 reviews.

Yes, I know there’s no guarantee that Trust No One will do well in Select, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try it at least for a run or two. I’m not losing much by pulling either one from the other sites. And hopefully I’m gaining something very important to me-new readers and time to write!

I have already had a two day free run with The Good Daughter over Christmas while I was waiting for Trust No One to unpublish from some other sites. It was a hastily put together promo with 12 other authors, no big sites picked it up although a few smaller sites did. It had 3688 downloads in the US and hundreds across the European markets and made #166 overall free in the US store which is better than it’d done before. After 3 days the sales back to paid, its ranking was in the low #4000s. Plus Trust No One got a bump and its sales ranking is in the #9,000s. It had been living in the 100,000s. So already in a few days I’ve sold more of Trust No One on Amazon than I sold in an average month on Barnes and Noble with both books.

Below are some numbers I used to compare the books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

THE GOOD DAUGHTER:

First three months published on Amazon (Select):

US Amazon: 240

UK Amazon: 12

Free: 3796 (over 5 days)

Free UK: 297

Borrows: 42

TRUST NO ONE:

First three months published on Amazon (No Select):

US Amazon: 118

UK Amazon: 6

THE GOOD DAUGHTER:

First three months on Barnes and Noble

BN: 170 (includes one month price at 99 cents and it sold 149; the next month dropped back to 26)

TRUST NO ONE:

First three months on Barnes and Noble:

BN: 32

Below are numbers for both books during a time when both were published.

THE GOOD DAUGHTER: June – November

US Amazon: 1338 (this includes a 99 cent Ereader News Today paid promo)

UK Amazon: 440 (ditto ENT)

BN: 325 (includes the 99 cent special and Love Rocks column)

TRUST NO ONE: June-November

US Amazon: 190

UK Amazon: 35

BN: 49

So last thought-my whole viewpoint has shifted. I don’t look at it as giving my books away for free, but rather investing in promotion to reach a worldwide audience. And for a while I’ll be keeping my pricing at $2.99 instead of $3.99 and $4.99. Granted, they’re big books and size-wise are worth a higher price which is still substantially less than traditionally published ebooks of the same length. However, by keeping the price at $2.99 for a while, I’m hoping to lure more readers into taking a chance on an unknown author.

Yes, to many, I know Amazon is the Darth Vader of the book world. And yes, I’m aware there are dire predictions that the ‘Zon has plans to turn us indies over to the evil emperor to be destroyed. I get that, I do. But nothing’s saying I have to stay in Select. If it doesn’t work, I simply won’t renew. While nothing’s guaranteed, I’m hoping this is a solid plan for now.

So that’s my new strategy for this year. Questions? Comments? I’m no expert, but I’ll do my best to answer.

Native small town Texan Diana Layne is a homeschooling mom of six kids who grew up riding horses and motorcycles, practicing the piano and reading every chance she could. As an only child she kept herself entertained with imaginary playmates and now writes romantic suspense thrillers and historical romances. Her book The Good Daughter (Vista Security prequel) is a 2012 RT Book Review Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee for indie press/self-published contemporary romance, while Trust No One (Vista Security Book 1) was an RWA® Golden Heart® nominee. You can find Diana at www.dianalayne.com (along with all the social media stuff) and www.rubyslipperedsisterhood.com

Happy New Year!

2013-01-01T09:16:00.003-07:00

Wishing you all

good health, happiness, and prosperity

in 2013!

From the Five Scribes,

Theresa, Donnell, Leslie, Kerri-Leigh & Ann

This May Be The Most Important Post You Read All Year - Redux

2012-12-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

This was originally posted Dec7th, 2011, but I plan to post it every year as a reminder.

Hey guys, this post may be one of the most important posts you read all year.

Nope it's not a writing tip, it's a career saving tip. So read on and meet Syndee Rogers-Nuckles, not a writer per se, but a creator of wonderful images that I found though a fascinating site called Scrap Girls. Please welcome Syndee.

Syndee's

Blog

LA: Syndee, before we begin, tell us a bit about you.

SN: I'm a freelance graphic artist and the mother of four. I love reading, painting, drawing, going to antique stores looking for treasures and pretty much anything with a creative spin! My working experience includes working in management, designing artistic rubber stamps, teaching classes, self-publishing craft books and the list goes on. And I've been very fortunate to work with a great bunch of artists at Scrap Girls www.scrapgirls.com/ for the past 6½ years.

LA: So why did you become interested in online backup services?

SN: LA, have you ever had your heart sink? Feel the sting of tears streaming down your face as you realized all your files had disappeared?

I have.

LA: Me too!! It's a horrible, HORRIBLE FEELING!

SN: Yup, the worst. In a total panic I searched my computer looking for any sign of hope, I shook my head trying to awaken out of what had to be a nightmare.

So, does any of this sound familiar to anyone reading this, other than LA and me? Or were you one of the few lucky ones that had backups of all your files on another EHD (external hard drive) or DVD's?

Or perhaps it's just been another thing on your ‘to do’ list?

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to backup your files, but it can be so time consuming and overwhelming. Like so many of you I am stretched to the limits of available time so after trying at least a dozen different strategies for backing up I finally hit upon something that really works for me.

Now, I use the ‘triple threat’, not just having a single backup copy but two so that you have three copies of all your important files.

For instance I have the following:

1- Original files: all my business files like documents are kept on my computers built-in hard drive. My original design files are kept on my main External Hard Drive.

2- Backup 1: I try to make copies of all my important files as I create them to a second EHD that I keep hooked up to my computer. I try to back this up at least once a week.

3- Backup 2: This is where the online backup service comes in. I LOVE this! I use Backblaze which just runs in the background whenever my computer is on saving all my files for me! My files are backed up to a secure offsite server so if something were to happen to my computer I can still get to my files from another computer!

Online Backup Services:

Backblaze

http://www.backblaze.com/

Features:

· Unlimited Storage

· Backs up your External Hard Drives

· Free Web Restore

· Military-Grade Encryption

· Free Customer Support

· Continuous Backup - Backblaze by default, backs up all the time so you don’t have to remember to but you can schedule backups if you wish.

· I will automatically find all your photos, music, documents, and other irreplaceable files and then compresses, encrypts and backs them up.

· Supports Intel-based Mac OSX 10.4 and newer, Windows XP, Windows Vista 32 and 64 bit, Windows 7 32 and 64 bit, Windows 8

· Access your files from any web browser anywhere

· $5.00 a month or purchase a full year for $50

· They offer a Free Trial

This service was easy to install and was backing up my files in minutes! One of the best things about this company is that it features unlimited storage. I was using Mozy before and they changed their pricing structure so much that it priced them right out of my budget. I have been so happy with this service, I totally forget it’s running on my computer!

Carbonite

http://www.carbonite.com/

Features:

· Unlimited Storage

· Encrypted Files

· Access to your files anywhere

· Easily Restore Files

· Backs up photos, documents, music and most user-generated content, compresses and encrypts them

· Free Customer Support

· Supports Windows 8, 7, XP, Vista, Intel based Macs with OS X 10.5 or 10.6

· $59 a year for the Home/Home Office plan

· They offer a Free Trial

I have heard good things about Carbonite. The biggest drawback is that they do not offer backups of your EHD’s, which is something I can’t live without. But if you are not using any EHD’s they are worth looking in to.

Mozy

www.mozy.com

Features:

· Backs up EHD’s

· Backup any files you like

· Military-Grade Encryption

· Restore just a few files or all (MozyHome users are limited to one restore in the queue at a time)

· Backs up automatically in the background while you work

· Supports Windows 8, 7, 2000, XP (32 and 64 bit), and Vista (32 and 64 bit), as well as Mac OS X 10.6, 10.5, and 10.4

· Submit tickets or chat live with Mozy Support

· (Pricing and information is for the MozyHome Plan)

· $5.99 a month for 50 GB

· $9.99 a month for 125 GB

· add an additional 20 GB for $2 a month

I had trouble installing Mozy on my Mac when I switched over from a PC, and when I contacted customer support and followed the instructions they gave me it still did not work. It was around the same time they changed the pricing structure so I cancelled my account and signed up with Backblaze.

Keep in mind that these online backup services are not meant to be an addition storage system, if you delete the files off your computer these companies will delete those same files after 30 days.

A good plan of action might be to try out the Free Trials from these companies and get a feel for each one before deciding which one to go with. I just love the piece of mind having an online backup service gives me, I can sleep a lot easier knowing my important files are safe!

Be safe and backup!

LA: Syndee, this is great information. And after reading this article (after all, I got first lookee :) ) I decided to try Backblaze just before vacation. Little did I realize it was going to take more than 20 days to back up all my info. Did you run into this as well?

(it actually took 45 days)

SN: Yes, the initial backup can take quite some time depending on how many files you have. It actually took 2 months for all of my files to be backed up but to be honest I completely forgot about it since it just runs in the background.

LA: And I decided to do continuous backups, which slows down my DSL. So would you agree with me, to leave the computer on at night and let it back up everything then, then turn it off during high volume time for internet usage? Or is this simply a DSL issue. I have a pretty high speed connection?

SN: You know I didn't have any slow down issues at all, it really could be a myriad of different reasons that it caused your computer to slow down. I would actually check with your service provider, they might have a few tips. I didn't leave my computer on all night, it makes me nervous because there has been some theories that leaving a computer on all the time causes it to become hot and therefore can result in hard-drive failure. I just left my computer running during the day and let it take a nap at night. LOL

Thank you Syndee for your research!!

Back up your career, and have a wonderful and hopefully now, a worry free Holiday Season.

Ciao and here's to 2013!

~LA

Every Author's Goal: Getting the Words Right

2012-12-24T08:19:00.003-07:00

One of the best editing books I own is Theodore A. Reese Cheney's GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT, How to Rewrite, Edit & Revise. One reason because of this particular stanza in the book, an an interview between the Paris Review & Hemingway.

Paris Review: How much rewriting do you do?

Hemingway: It depends. I rewrote the ending to A Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, thirty-nine times before I was satisfied.

Paris Review: Was there some technical problem there? What was it that had stumped you?

Hemingway: GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT.

~~ Every author's goal, Getting the Words Right.

What editing books do you love? Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope it's joyful!