Teaser Tuesday

Here's a short teaser from Mystic Taxi. Henry has a conversation with his demon-possessed cab:

"You hate Wanda because she's an exorcist, don't you?" Henry asked Mystic.

"Yes."

He nodded. "She was born that way, you know. It's not like she chose to have a life killing demons."

Mystic had no response to that. Her silence spoke volumes.

"I don't blame her for what she is. Look at me. I'm no paragon of Hellspawn virtue. I'm not a model half-breed."

"You… are… good… person."

"Thanks. But I doubt Wanda thinks so. Have you seen how she looks at me? Like she'd try to kill me the minute my back was turned."

The laugh track from a studio audience chortled through the Victrola horn on Mystic's radio.

"What's so funny?"

"Seen… her… when… your… back… turned. You… wrong."

"Yeah?" Now he was curious. "How so?"

"Not… try… kill… you. Kiss… you."

Henry frowned. "I must have given you the wrong oil for your engine today. You've gone loony." But it did make him wonder. As lovely as Wanda was, he couldn't help thinking those full lips of hers might be deadly for someone like him. What if she sucked out his demon soul? Not a risk he was willing to take.

Silence from the cab.

Henry asked, "Do you think Wanda—?"

"Shut… up."

Mystic had never told him to shut up before. He must have struck a nerve.

Marketing Monday

Good news! My agent got back to me the very next day after I sent her Mystic Taxi. She hasn't finished reading it, but she wanted to give me some editorial feedback on the first 3 chapters, which was very helpful. So I'm making those revisions now, and I'm going through the rest of the book to make sure everything I changed corresponds with events that come later in the story. Good times!

I'm enjoying posting and reading posts on Twitter when I can. I don't post as much as most do, but I scan tweets now and then and have my favorite tweeters. It's an interesting form of media that's getting mixed reviews. A lot of folks who haven't tried it speak out against it because it's a new form of networking that not everyone is comfortable with. They don't understand how it works, so it's easy to put something down when you don't get it. Maybe it makes them feel less dumb for not knowing.

When it comes to industry news for writers and authors, Twitter is valuable for up to the minute news if you're following the right folks. It's how I learned about The Knight Agency's pitch competition on their blog. This contest doesn't interest me personally, but it's something I want to share with my writer friends who are still looking for an agent.

When you read stories like this one, you know Twitter isn't a waste of time for those who understand it's usefulness. Not to mention late breaking news like this. Twitter is not just for reporting what you had for lunch or how much you paid for a cute pair of shoes. It's become a serious communication tool.

I'm happy to say that I'm already thinking about the next book to follow Mystic Taxi. The wheels are turning and I swear I smell smoke. Uh, I mean steam. *snort* I'm not sure about a title yet, but I'm thinking of using Clockwork Cat as a working title. There's a clockwork cat in Mystic Taxi that's owned by one of the elderly characters and the machine has a mechanical purr. It's possessed, of course, but the demon inside is sweet as a kitten. Anyway, the premise I'm thinking of for this book is: There's a new exorcist in town who doesn't want to kill demons, she wants to become one. And she has the means to make it happen.

I got all my tax crap together today for the accountant, so that's done. What a huge relief. I even put Kinsey, aka Pupzilla, in doggie daycare today so I could get it finished. I'm taking advantage of the sublime quiet time I have left and just enjoying not having to chase, scold, and be bitten by, a rambunctious five-month old puppy with ADD. Such fleeting luxury should be savored.

Teaser Tuesday - Mystic Taxi

Okay, couldn't resist. Sigh. But lets keep it between us, okay? :) From Mystic Taxi:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ronald laughed. "That trick never gets old, Henry. But you'd better release my web-fingered friend or I'm going to test how sweet your sweetie really is." The spawnster's tongue was long enough to wrap around Wanda's neck and slide along her chin. It felt slimy and smelled like garlic. She held back a gag.

She didn't want Henry to release his man, so it was up to her to make a move on lizard-boy. "How did you know what I like?" she asked Ronald.

"What?" He didn't sound so confident now.

"I enjoy bein' tasted." She snuggled against him, pressing her bottom into his groin. "You feel good. I bet you taste good, too."

His grip loosened and she turned in his arms so that she faced him, her forehead level with his chin. She smoothed her hands up his belly, sliding them over his chest until she reached his heart. Power surged through her skin, seeking the demon energy beneath her palms. Her single lock of green hair heated her scalp. Looking at Ronald's face, she asked, "How does that feel, lizard boy?"

His skin had gone pale and he was making choking sounds, as if he couldn't breathe. "What are you doing?"

"Easin' your burden. It must be rough bein' only half a monster. So now you get to be half a man."

He moaned. "No. Please. Don't take away the best part of me." The light went out of his eyes and his expression became slack as drool dribbled down his chin. He sagged against her and she backed him toward the stairs, easing him down to sit on a step, her hand still on his chest. Her fingers still glowing, she watched Ronald's face. The reptilian features began to fade. The scales on his forehead vanished and his ears shrank to a more normal size, the tips no longer pointed. His nose was a regular shape now and she imagined his tongue shrank, too, but she wasn't about to check.

Marketing Monday

Lots of great news today! I'm happy to report I emailed Mystic Taxi to my agent yesterday. Yes! I'm so excited for her to read this book and am eager for her feedback. I'm anxious for this one to be out on submission as soon as possible. I'm already fantasizing about the editors I want to read it. And, believe it or not, I have a sketchy idea for the next book in the series. Fun, fun, fun!

I'm so excited for my online friend, known to AW Purgatorians as Tasmin, who just got a 3-book deal with Berkley/Roc. Woo hoo! She so deserves it, and it's so heartening to know publishers are indeed buying books, and they buying them from new authors! You can read about her excellent news here.

My other lovely online friend, Authoress, announces the big reveal of the Secret Agent for this month's Secret Agent Contest on her blog, Miss Snark's First Victim. So a lot of folks got good news today. I just love it when people are happy! It makes me happy. And boy, I need a good dose of happiness after the craptastic week I had last week. Ugh.

Let's see, what else. Oh! Another one of my online peeps, Cindy Pon, is looking forward to the release day coming up next month for her young adult fantasy novel, SILVER PHOENIX. The publisher is HarperTeen and you can preorder the book on Amazon. Not only does it sound like a fabulous story, you'll want to buy it for its stunning cover alone.

The economy may be in the crapper, but life goes on in the world of books and publishing. :)

Thursday Thoughts

I order a lot online these days. Especially gifts, because that way I can have them shipped directly to the recipient rather than me having to languish in line at the post office. There's always a line. It's nice not having to mess with the P.O. anymore now that I have an agent and the query/partial/full fiasco is OVER.

But I digress...

Anyway, regarding online orders: Has anyone else noticed the online ordering process seems to take longer these days? It's like running the gauntlet when you try to check out. Here's a scenario to demonstrate what I mean:

Me: Click check out button

Online Order Thing: Please check your order to make sure all items are correct and click continue.

Me: Click continue

OOT: Please confirm all items are correct and click okay.

Me: Click okay

OOT: If you're sure all items and totals are okay, click continue.

Me: Click continue

OOT: Please select method of payment.

Me: Enters method of payment

OOT: Please make sure all items are correct and click confirm.

Me: *pulling my hair out at this point as the phone rings in the background, someone's knocking at the door, and the dog is barking, while two of my cats get into a skirmish over whose turn it is at the food bowl.* Click confirm

OOT: Please check to make sure shipping information is correct

Me: *the landline stops ringing as the cell phone starts up, the email dings to let me know I've got mail, the doorbell is ringing since the knocking yielded no results, the dog is now growling, and there is cat fur flying through the air* Click correct

OOT: Thank you for your order. For a printable receipt... blah blah blah

This is an over-exaggeration, but my point is that ordering online takes longer than ever, and with all the distractions, I'm worried I'm going to click the wrong button and it will send me back to the beginning. It's happened before.

My daughter now has a copy of The Graveyard Book by the fabulous Neil Gaiman winging it's way to Colorado for her birthday. Was it easier than going to the brick and mortar bookstore to buy and ship from there? I don't know. It used to be. Even so, I understand why it probably takes so long to order online now. A lot of people order stuff, then change their minds and blame the merchant, so the merchant just wants to make sure you're sure what you're buying. Sheesh. The gauntlet, but I get it. And I'll keep ordering online, too.

Teaser Tuesday

I'm feeling glum today, so to boost my spirits, I've decided to post a short teaser from Mystic Taxi. I'm going through the manuscript page by page, polishing and tightening and fixing those "what was I thinking?" blunders I missed the first time around. So my rough draft is gradually becoming a second draft. I'm really enjoying this part of the process because I get to revisit my characters from their very first breath on the page.

From my completed steampunk urban fantasy novel, Mystic Taxi:

"Hey, would you look at that?" Henry studied the apparition dressed in baggy pants and a torn jacket. It didn't appear to have a shirt on underneath, but it was too far away to reveal much. "Did you set a trap on that side?"

Vernon made a loud swallow. "No."

"I'm taking an empty trap over there to catch it," Henry said.

Vernon grabbed his arm. "Don't. Leave it alone. I think we have enough."

Henry smiled. So his nephew hadn't lost his fear of ghosts. "Well, what luck. It's headed right this way."

Vernon directed his tube lamp at the specter coming closer, its fluid movements cutting a swath through the fog. It didn't walk, it floated. And it was finally near enough for Henry to make out more details.

The male ghost appeared to have died in his late forties or early fifties. It was hard to tell what color his hair was since the body was transparent. It looked as though made of glass because he could see right through it. Its naked chest appeared to be splattered with dark paint.

Vernon picked up the box of filled traps. "I have a bad feeling about that one. We should let it go."

Henry grabbed an empty trap from one of the graves and held it out to the ghost. "Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty."

"Don't tease it like that."

"Why not?" Henry chuckled. "It's not a person, it's a thing. It's not alive, Vernon. You said so yourself not fifteen minutes ago." He squinted at the ghostly form as it approached. It gripped something in one of its see-through hands. "What's it holding? It looks like an axe."

An apology

Well, I've learned a lesson this week. When I spoke out against spam, I shouldn't have mentioned the name of the author associated with the newsletter that appeared in my inbox. I'm still reeling from the backlash of speaking out against a form of unsolicited email that, for me, is like someone entering my home without bothering to knock first. Apparently, someone used my email address to sign me up for a newsletter I didn't want, or I entered a contest I don't remember entering and part of the terms were that I agreed to get these newsletters. So that's my fault. Regarding the newsletter I received, I'd never heard of the author, it was a genre I don't read, so when the newsletter appeared in my inbox, I got extremely upset.

I guess spam is something we all have to live with, no matter where it comes from. I'm sincerely sorry that this author's feelings were hurt when I used her name. I shouldn't have, and I apologize. And I apologize to Writers Space for being upset with them for sending it to me. It wasn't their fault, either.

Thursday Thoughts

I'm deep into revisions of Mystic Taxi, which is fun for the most part. However I tackled a problematic chapter today that needed major trimming. The pace was slooooowwww. I knew it soon after I wrote it, but figured I'd take care of it after I finished the draft. And that time is now.

A part of the reason for the section of the chapter that dragged is because I was getting too deep with my gadgets.This is steampunk, and that's a big part of the genre, the quirky inventions that use clockworks and alternate forms of energy to make them work. I went overboard on a Victorian age computer run by demon energy. Keyboards and coils and gears, oh my. Oh, brother. I had to strip most of it out. Those were darlings I didn't mind showing the door. Buh-bye.

Now I'm working on the chapter after that one, which goes a lot faster and presents a new plot twist, so this is fun. I've been going over some notes from my critique partners and found this one that made my head hurt and my eyes cross:

This lesser-demon goal is dropped suddenly upon Henry's appearance, and her goal then becomes finding the Vox box. Maybe this could be more clear if she awakes, ready to pursue the Vox goal, then reads the newspaper, considers the lesser-demon goal but prioritizes it below the Vox goal? Consider picking one dominant emotion ad goal for this scene, and get the reader involved with something concrete to worry about.

*blink* Um... no. I don't do the sticking to one dominant emotion thing. Characters are prone to feeling a variety of emotions just like real people. If I'm confused by what this critique means, I think readers would be twice as confused if I tried to do this. I'm not that formulaic. I write simple scenes with a goal, the conflict, and the dilemma that follows. Believe me, there's plenty to worry about after this scene is over. Here's the last paragraph in the chapter:

"Okay, if that's how you want to play it." He held up the metal hose containing the Snit and snapped it in half like a twig. A blue stream of smoke snaked out of the broken hose and, unaffected by the hurricane-force wind that made Henry's eyes water, it shot straight at Eloise. The woman opened her mouth to scream, but inhaled the homicidal Snit instead. She made a choking sound. The fetid wind stopped howling, and her body fell like a sack of rags to the floor.

Well, back to my revisions while the puppy's still sleeping. However, I'm draped in cats, which makes it mildly difficult to type.

Tuesday Twos

Just a spin on the number two, twins, doubles, partners, twosomes... I'm refraining from the teasers for now, but that doesn't mean forever. I admit it will be hard to restrain myself from posting them.

So for now, how about dynamic duos? Those partners who fight crime side by side. Personally, I think they're fun, especially when you have chemistry. When that chemistry is between a man and a woman, you get tension, and loads of it.

I see a lot of television shows that work off this dynamic in the character pairings. Just last night we saw the premier of the new show Castle that features mystery author Rick Castle paired with police detective Kate Beckett. The sparks flew and it was loads of fun. Who wouldn't want to detect crime alongside Nathan Fillion, the actor playing Rick Castle? Yummy! Their chemistry, IMO, is a huge appeal.

Other tv show character pairings that often turn into a war between the sexes, with the sexual tension nearly palpable, is Bones (Tempe and Sealy), The Mentalist (Patrick and Teresa), Fringe (Peter and Olivia), and many others. These are sizzling relationships at times, and the arcs of these characters and their stories appeal to a mass audience. So why is it we don't see books with character partnerships written this way?

Oh, we see romances with partnerships that turn steamy before the book ends, but what about a series that slowly grows the relationship and plays off the couples' mounting personal conflicts. I've never read one that hasn't resulted in the couple ending up in bed together before the last page. I like to savor the conflict, similar to how these popular tv shows allow us to do.

This is why Mystic Taxi is about two main protagonists, Henry Paine and Wanda Snow, who are at logger heads before joining forces to fight the villain and foil his plan to take over New York City. There's chemistry, there's attraction, but there are no romantic proclamations in this first book. I love where the two of these characters end up by the story's conclusion. It's natural, it's exciting, it's satisfying, and there's a sigh of contentment at the end. But their story isn't over yet. It's just beginning.

Marketing Monday

I have joined the tweeting masses, yes I have. I've been tweeting for about a month or so, but would always forget to post an update. However, Thursday's infamous QueryFail day got me involved and I must say, I'm now an official Twitter addict. I'm following 40 other tweeters and it's a blast watching their updated 140 character tweets, some regularly, some never. I think Colleen Lindsay is the champion tweeter.

Speaking of QueryFail, I thought it was an awesome event. Entertaining and educational for the clueless looking for an agent or publisher. But a lot of writerly folks were upset with the agents and editors posting bits and pieces of queries they'd turned down and their reasons for passing. The complainers accused them of mocking writers. Personally, I don't see it. Most were generic as hell, and no names or titles were ever mentioned. The point is, the queries that got knocked down deserved it, IMO. They were silly and mindless and showed no respect for the agent being queried. You don't tell an agent "I have a great idea. You write the book and we split the profits." Ignorance is not bliss. It's shameful. It's lazy. There are too many resources on the web that will teach a new writer how to be professional in their queries, so there's no excuse for being stupid. Clueless queries take time away from the agent who'd rather be selling their clients' work to publishers. Anyway, I won't go on and on about it because too many people already have, on both sides of the fence. If you're curious about the queries tweeted about, you'll find a lot of them here.

If you want to see some over-the-top responses to how awful QueryFail was, visit Nathathan Bransford's blog.

Bookends didn't participate in Query Fail, but Jessica Faust's blog today is a funny look at how rejections can be misinterpretted by writers. She was very gracious in her responses to both the examples given, but my word, if you don't know what Middle Grade is, why are you writing it? LOL!

As far as my own news, I have none. But I'm happily revising the first draft of Mystic Taxi and I couldn't be more excited about this book. I may not be posting teasers on my blog anymore, but I experimented on Twitter with a paragraph, so I may do that instead.

Follow me on Twitter! Just click on the "Follow Me" link under my latest tweet, and it will take you to my profile page there. The more Twitter pals, the better.

Thursday Thoughts

It's snowing. Again. I enjoy the snow, but these are flurries and don't really amount to much. I like it when it accumulates because the puppy enjoys playing in it and that gives me a much needed break.

Have you all heard of the Nielson ratings? It's how they rate TV shows based on frequency of being watched. I participated in one last year, but it was during the strike so I didn't watch anything but DVDs. Plus, the little booklets the Nielsons send are time-consuming to fill out. And you get no compensation. Well, a few weeks ago I get a call from Nielson asking me if I wanted to do it again. I said no. A couple days later I get another call asking me the same thing. Again I said no. So on Tuesday I get their stupid little booklet in the mail with the instructions on how to fill out the days and times I watch TV. Aargh! What part of "no" don't they understand? This totally explains the demise of some of the most fantastic television shows ever broadcasted. The rating system is run by idiots. No one fills out their freaking booklets. The whole thing is a scam! /rant

I realize I didn't post a teaser from Mystic Taxi on Tuesday. This is because I'm close to finishing the book and it will go out on submission before too long. So I'm not comfortable posting much more, and probably shouldn't have posted as much as I did. Posting work on the internet is contraversial and I hear both sides. But I have to say the feedback I get from readers is invigorating. Sometimes, as writers, we need that kind of encouragment. It's difficult to write in a vacuum. As far as teasers go, I'm going to cool it for a while.

Hey, all this week, Nathan Bransford is focusing his blog on positivity. I love it! There's too much doom and gloom out there. We need to hear good news now and then, or at least positive perspectives from the professionals in the industry. Thank you, Nathan!

Colleen Lindsay of Fine Print Literary announced a Query Fail Day on Twitter. Colleen says: A group of online agents, book editors and periodicals acquisition editors are posting about their queries in real time. The idea is to educate people about what exactly it is in a query that made us stop reading and say "Not for me." Cool. I joined Twitter, but I don't know how to use it right, and forget to post to it all the time. I don't know how to follow people, either, yet I have a few followers of mine. I've got to figure this thing out. Maybe I'll use the Query Fail Day thing as a teaching tool. I'm such a technotard.

You know, speaking of queries, I heard agents are seeing a huge increase in the number of queries they're receiving lately. I also heard the reason for this is because so many people are out of work, they've all decided to write books and make a living that way. Yeah, that's the ticket! Write a book and make a butt-load of money. Ha! Ignorance is such bliss.

I'll continue to refresh my inbox all day to see if any news from the agent shows up. So far, nada. Very frustrating.

Marketing Monday on Tuesday

The view outside our beach house window.

I arrived home from my weekend Writer's Retreat on Sunday and have been too pooped to post since. I'm happy to report I was extremely productive over those 3 days, despite the hours and hours of driving. Ugh. Then yesterday I think I was going through retreat withdrawals because I felt yucky and had no energy. The real world slapped me in the face and I rebelled. Ha!

But today I'm a bit more chipper and am finally getting things done. Dealing with devil puppy madness. Finishing up design projects. Trying to collect on clients' past due invoices. The usual.

My agent emailed me on Friday to let me know one of the five publishers considering Knight's Curse passed. Sigh. But it's okay because the editor, based on his email, had a totally different vision for the book that I didn't share. It wasn't a good match. At least I'm still holding out for the editor who loved it and is passing it up the food chain. May this be THE ONE!

Over the weekend I brainstormed an idea for a new book with my writer pals. It's based on a dream I had a couple of weeks ago. I'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate it into the next series book, but I don't know. Everyone felt it was too big and should be a stand alone. It doesn't fit into either of the two worlds I created for my other series. It's more of a psychic suspense and could possibly be written as YA. I have too many ideas to keep up with.