Karen Duvall

Zombie Bear takes a Field Trip

2012-01-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

I just may make Zombie Bear my official mascot. Ha! I had fun with him this week and took him on a field trip with on one of my other characters. This is like a story in pictures. The two visit the local clinic and find a few surprises while they're there. This was an experiment in lighting techniques done in a 3D environment.

Book Club Fun

2012-01-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Book Club - That's me in front of the piano. Look

at the window and you can see it was snowing.

I was fortunate to be invited to a book club meeting where the discussion book for this month was KNIGHT'S CURSE. I had a lovely time with these ladies, most of whom don't normally read urban fantasy. So they were introduced to a whole new experience in genre fiction.

Even though the genre was new, they all recognized the universal elements that comprise a character-rich story with a main character who struggles to adapt in a world she feels alienated from. Chalice's emotional growth toward becoming a woman, her determination to understand her roots and make it a part of her new life, and the dangers she faces as she works to achieve her freedom are all reflections of real life dilemmas. We had an interesting discussion.

I read a few pages from the first chapter of DARKEST KNIGHT, which won't be out until March 23 of this year. They gasped in all the right places so that was immensely satisfying for me. The book starts on a strong emotional note and picks up where KNIGHT'S CURSE left off. It was fun to offer them the first glimpse into the next tale.

It was also nice to have the opportunity to discuss the publishing process and what it's like to work with a good agent and a seasoned team of editors. I answered questions and was fed tasty goodies. The meeting was an enriching two hours long and I can hardly wait to do it again.

Deleted Scene from KNIGHT'S CURSE

2012-01-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

This is a scene about Elmo, Aydin's best friend who is an elf. My agent asked me to remove it from the manuscript because it slowed the pacing. I still like it so I kept it in its own file and I thought now would be a good time to share it with you.

In this scene, Chalice is trying to get to know Elmo better. He's a very minor character, but his backstory is interesting, just not necessary to the plot. Elmo's coffee shop used to be a pub in the early days, but he had problems when his fae customers got drunk. That's when he switched to just serving coffee instead.

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

Waking up to find a half-man, half-goat rummaging in your trash would have the neighborhood police checking family medicine cabinets for drugs. The psychiatric community must have made a killing that year. "I take it you've known Aydin a long time?"

"A hundred and fifty years, give or take."

My expression must have looked surprised because Elmo added, "Elves live a long time. Not nearly as long as Aydin, but at least four times longer than an ordinary human."

"Did the two of you first meet in Denver?"

He nodded. "Soon after gold was found in the South Platte River, the summer of 1858. Colorado wasn't even a U.S. territory yet."

It was no wonder the two of them had become close after so many years of friendship. Unaware how an elf aged, I was curious about the circumstances of their meeting. "Were you an adult, or still a kid when you met Aydin?"

Elmo laughed. "I was about twenty six or twenty seven, which would be like a preschooler in human years. He found me unconscious in a ditch after my parents were taken by the Vyantara."

The poor man. It had to have been devastating to lose parents at such a young age. Though I knew what it was like to be an orphan, I'd never known my parents so I never really knew what I was missing. I feared the answer before I asked the question. "Did you get your parents back?"

His eyes clouded with an unpleasant memory. He stared down at the table. "No."

I didn't ask what had happened to them. Did I really need to know? From his expression I knew the fate of his folks hadn't been good. I thought of the summoning room back at the Fatherhouse, the splashes of red that stained the concrete floor. There was a good chance Elmo's parents had been used in a ritual that required fae blood, something hard to find on the mortal plane.

"What was your family doing on this side of the veil?" I asked.

"I think it had to do with the gold recently discovered in the mountains. It's a precious commodity for the fae. My parents crossed through in the same place the veil is now, right here in this basement."

"So that's why you had a house built here."

"Aydin had it built for me after he found the veil. It took a few years for him to learn what had brought my family here in the first place." He shook his head. "They never should have come."

"But they accepted someone's invitation." That's the only way anything from beyond the veils could cross to this side.

"They were tempted by one of the Vyantara sorcerers who knew the veil was here when this property was still an empty lot. He used it to lure my parents across. He hadn't expected them to bring along a worthless elf child."

Lucky for Elmo. "Weren't you afraid the Vyantara would find you here someday?"

He shrugged and took a quick sip of his coffee. "Not really. The secret died with the sorcerer who first discovered this spot."

And I immediately knew who had been responsible for that sorcerer's death. Aydin protected the people he cared about. He had taken Elmo under his wing and raised him as his own.

"Elmo, why did you stay on this side? You must still have family beyond the green veil. Don't you miss your home?"

Palm down, he waggled his open hand like the wings of an airplane. "You can't miss something you never knew to begin with. Besides, I have plenty of fae friends who visit me all the time. I've held the invitation open to them for decades. And I've crossed over to their side a time or two, but I'm not comfortable there. It's very backward. And there's no coffee."

That made me smile. "I'm amazed Aydin was able to keep you and your shop a secret all these years."

"He's been a good friend." Elmo's eyes glazed over as he stared into the distance, looking wistful. "We've helped each other a lot over the years. We make a good team."

"I bet you do." Elmo's Coffee Shop had been Aydin's port in the storm, and now it was mine. And Quin's. "I'd like to know more about the fae. And about white magic. Would you teach me?"

His grin split his face from ear to ear, his cheeks bulging like two ripe plums when he smiled. It was nice to see him without his usual bitter beer face. He was an attractive old elf. More on the ancient side, but still handsome.

More Art: The Original Zombie Bear

2012-01-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished making this teddy bear in a 3D graphics program, so I took a snapshot of him. You've heard of Chucky, that evil doll that stars in those horror movies? Well, move over, Chuck, because here comes Zombie Bear! A cheerful stuffed toy that any child would love to play with, right? Other than his crazy eyes and bloody stuffing, he's a happy little guy who just wants to cuddle. But don't get too close or those fangs could take a bite out of you. Bwahahaha!

If you could make up a story about Zombie Bear, what would it be?

Literary Agent Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein Interview

2012-01-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to catch my busy agent this week for an interview. This is a special treat! Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein of the McIntosh and Otis Literary Agency has been my agent for 4 years and she is an amazing story editor, extremely responsive, well-informed about the publishing industry, and an all around fabulous person.

If her schedule allows, Liz will pop in to answer questions so feel free to ask away in comments.

Q: How long have you been with McIntosh and Otis? What did you do before becoming an agent?

A: I’ve been with McIntosh and Otis for fourteen years. Before becoming an agent I worked in various areas of publishing including subsidiary rights and Audio Acquisitions & Audio Producing. I also moonlighted as a Jazz singer and composer.

Q: How many queries do you receive a week or month on average? Have you noticed an increase over the past couple of years? Do you think more people have taken up writing fiction and if so, why do you think that is?

A: Hundreds! Our Agency has been around since the 1920s and we are very well established, so we have always received many queries. I can’t say that I’ve noticed any particular recent upward trend or a trend towards more fiction.

Q: What are four of the biggest mistakes you see writers make in their queries and beginning manuscript pages? What immediately makes you say "no" and alternately, what hooks you?

A: One of my biggest personal pet peeves is misspelling my name (it’s sloppy and plain bad form). In fiction queries it can be a bit off-putting when the author talks too much about themselves and their inspiration vs. getting to the actual plot. Show me don’t tell me!

Q: When you're considering a new client, how much do you take market into account? If you receive a great manuscript that's not in a “hot” market, do you pass on it? Or does a good story always sell?

A: A good story does not necessarily always sell (unfortunately), but if the characters draw me in and the writing is fantastic I am NOT afraid to take something on when it is “out of fashion.” I am not one to jump on trends anyway. Trends come and go, good writing lasts forever.

Q: What genres seem to be most popular right now? What trends or themes do you see as being in high demand among publishers?

A: The strongest trends in publishing right now seem to be towards women’s book club fiction, commercial narrative non-fiction, and of course romance!

Q: How has the fluctuating climate in publishing (both due to a struggling economy and changing technologies) impacted how you do your job?

A: It is much more of a juggling act. We are trying to explore all rights opportunities. So in many ways we not only act as literary agent, but also rights manager and PR consultant.

Q: What would an ideal author-agent relationship be for you?

A: Ideally one of trust and mutual respect, with some fun and mischief thrown in.

Q: Are you taking submissions? Anything in particular you'd love to see right now?

A: Yes! I’d love to see any project with a creative story, an amazing hook, remarkable characters, AND good writing!

If you would like to send Liz a query, please follow the submission guidelines on the McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency website.

Secrets Revealed and Secrets Kept

2012-01-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

To continue where I left off in my last blog, I'll start at the beginning regarding my adoption and what led up to me searching, and finding, my birthmother. Believe it or not, it does relate in some ways to how I developed Chalice, the main character in my Knight's Curse books.

My adoptive parents went through a private agency in the late fifties. Adoptions were handled quite a bit differently back then than they are today. Very hush-hush and in some cases, such as mine, lots of deceit going on. Even though my parents' application for adoption had been approved, I was still put in foster care right after I was born. My adoptive mother described my living accommodations and even I want to weep for the newborn that had been me. The foster care mother was pregnant herself and had four newborns in her care.

So imagine a tiny baby living in an unclean environment, soaked diapers most of the time, suffering an allergic reaction to the infant formula, and left to cry helplessly without anyone to hold and cuddle her for the first two weeks of her life. Yep, that was me. My adoptive parents weren't allowed to take me home until I was two weeks old.

I honestly believe my start in life affected my ability to connect and form relationships when I got older. My adoptive mother told me I preferred to be left alone in my crib and when held I cried to be put down. I was a product of my environment and struggled for years to be able to open up and allow others to love me. Loving back was another challenge I needed to overcome.

But my parents never kept the facts of my adoption secret from me. I don't remember a time when I didn't know where I came from, I just didn't know who I came from. To be honest, I didn't really care. At least not until I had children of my own. I had questions, especially in regard to medical history.

So when I was 26 years old I embarked on an intense search for my birthmother. Back then, there was no Internet and sealed records were more common than not. I spent a fortune on postage sending letters to all the various departments of government records, but most of what I received back were documents with thick black marker lines obscuring any identifying information.

I'm a very determined person and I never quit until I get what I'm after. After 9 months of searching, I finally learned my birthmother's name and tracked her down. She was a cocktail waitress working in Las Vegas. When I told her who I was, she didn't believe me.

My birthmother hadn't been allowed to see me when I was born. Wasn't allowed to hold me. The nurses promptly swept me away to the nursery and that was that. They told my birthmother she'd given birth to a baby boy. That's why she didn't believe me. In those days, telling birthmothers the opposite gender of their babies was a common tactic used to prevent them from finding the children they'd given up.

It took some doing, but I had accumulated enough facts surrounding my birth to convince her I was the daughter she had given up at birth. We talked on the phone a couple of times, but we had nothing in common. She was a stranger. I'd come from her body, not from her heart. We never met, only exchanged a letter or two. She answered my questions and I was pleased to know I had 3 older sisters and 2 younger brothers, all of whom she had kept in her life. My birthmother refused to give me their names because they had no idea I existed and she didn't want them to think badly of her. To this day I'm her best kept secret. By mutual agreement, she and I never kept in touch.

Oh dear, this is getting long. I'm so sorry! Am I boring you all to death? If you haven't already clicked the little box in the corner to make me go away, I have one last thing to tell you.

My birthfather: who is he and where is he now? Well, I was surprised to learn my birthmother was a devout Catholic and had met my father in a Catholic church in Chicago. He was in the seminary, training to be a priest. Once he learned my birthmother was pregnant, he left the church and went on to become an electrician. He died of a heart attack at the age of 46. I found this out from his death certificate. I'd never had the chance to meet him.

So there you have it. How does any of this relate to the character development of Chalice? She's damaged, as was I, and though her mother had died in childbirth, she still longs for that connection to the family she's been denied most her life. She's desperate to belong. As for her father, she knows he's around somewhere and though she feels he abandoned her and her mother, he used to be her mother's guardian angel and is the reason she has the powers she does. Will she find him? If you read KNIGHT'S CURSE, you know the answer to that question. In DARKEST KNIGHT, there's even more to this part of Chalice's story.

Let's get personal

2012-01-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun and informative to give you a few interesting tidbits about me and how it affects how and what I write. There's an element of every author in every story they create. It's the foundation for our themes, our voice, and sometimes even our characters.

I don't have a fascinating or interesting life. Far from it. I live too frugally for one thing, plus I tend to stay on the safer side of living. However, that being said, life can be unpredictable and some of my past experiences serve as fodder for my writing. Though I've never been kidnapped, I have been in jail. And though I've never flown an airplane, I've jumped out of a few. And though I'm not an orphan, I am adopted. So you can kind of see how I might extract the emotions and perceptions from the aforementioned experiences to inject into my writing.

I'm not going to expound on a bunch of my real life scenarios all at once and bore you all to death, but I'll reveal a little here and there as the mood strikes. First I'd like to offer you a touch of background on why the need for family and a sense of belonging is such a strong theme in my Knight's Curse books about Chalice.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm adopted. I was raised by loving adoptive parents and I'd never have it any other way. I grew up knowing I wasn't the biological progeny of my mom and dad, and it didn't bother me. It did, however, inspire curiosity among my friends and their parents, so there was always a kind of stigma that set me apart and made me feel different. I exaggerated that feeling when I created Chalice.

Chalice has a strong need for acceptance, though she attempts to deny it at first. It's not until she learns that she's descended from an order of female knights from the Crusades that she makes it her goal to search for her family. She's never belonged before, and finally there's a chance that she can. In the second book she achieves her goal only to confront the risk of losing it again.

Like Chalice, I also searched for my biological roots. It wasn't until after my first two children were born that I felt a need for answers, for both myself and my offspring. Did I find what I was looking for? Check back to learn the answer, as well as some revealed secrets that I never would have found if I hadn't looked.

If you're a writer, how do you use your experiences to fuel your writing?

The fellowship of writers

2012-01-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

I had the best time yesterday spending the afternoon with a few of my writer gal pals. Living in Bend, Oregon leaves rare opportunities to get together with other genre writers. The writers organizations I belong to are all too far away so I often jones for the special brand of comradery that only comes from fellowship with other writers. Yesterday made me quite happy.

The six of us had lots to talk about, and as you might guess, not all of it related to writing. But the majority of discussion slanted that way. One of the main topics of conversation, and the one most important to me, was social networking.

I've had this blog for quite a long time (since 2007), probably before blogging was as popular as it is today. I used to be a disciplined blogger and posted something Monday through Friday. My focus was writing. I still want to talk about writing on this blog, but I'm more than a writer and an author, so I plan to interject other topics from time to time. As you may have already noticed. :)

I do enjoy blogging because it's a wonderful form of self-expression, but it can be challenging to find something interesting to say. I could promote myself until the cows come home, but how boring is that? So I promise to keep the self-promotion talk to a minimum. You see my book covers in my header, and the link to my website.

I had a conversation with my editor on Monday about social networking, and discussed this with my friends over coffee and the best brownies I've ever had in my life. She made it clear that it's important I step up my game in the area of social networking, which means more tweeting, more blogging, and more facebooking (though facebook stumps me 95% of the time and I'm not sure how to use it effectively).

Plan on seeing more of my art on my blog and more about my personal life as it applies to my books. You may also find items about my pets from time to time because they inspire me. Interviews with my editor, Ann Leslie Tuttle, and with my amazing agent, Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein, are forthcoming. I plan to post some deleted scenes that never made it into my books. And I'll have excerpts from DARKEST KNIGHT here just as soon as I get permission from Harlequin.

Oh, and one more thing. If you read KNIGHT'S CURSE and liked it, I would be so very, very happy if you'd post a review on Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble. I hate to ask, but it's become important that I do so. Stars make my world go 'round.

Huggles!

Sharing my Art

2012-01-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share with all of you some of my other creative projects. As much as I wish I could write all day every day, I also have other outlets to express myself. I've been a professional artist for over 30 years, and though most of that has been commercial art like ads and brochures and corporate identities, I also illustrate and do 3D photography for computer gaming.

I would love, and I do mean LOVE, to design more book covers. I haven't done a lot because the need hasn't been so great until recently with this whole self-publishing trend going on. If you need a book cover designed, or if you know someone who does, please have them get in touch. My rates are a lot less than you might think. Seriously.

On another note, I thought I might add that I'm a guest at Urban Fantasy Reviews today, and I talk about the great subgenre mash-up. Please stop by to say hello and leave a comment about what kind of genre crossing you'd like to see.

Do dogs have an imagination?

2012-01-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing for years that dogs are unable to imagine things. They're only driven by instinct. They're not like people and shouldn't be treated like people. Well, I agree you can't reason with a dog quite the same way you can with people, but imagination? I say hell's yeah they do!

Take my dog Kinsey, for example. She makes stuff up all the time and if that's not an imagination I don't know what is. Perhaps it takes a really smart dog to have what it takes to mentally imagine something. Kinsey has quite the vocabulary for a 3-year-old border bully, and I think she's learning how to spell, too. It's best not to say B-A-L-L in her presence or you'll have a slobbery tail-wagging 50 pound canine up in your grill.

I'm no dog behaviorist, but I must say my dog has taught me a few things about dog behavior. She's stubborn, willful, mischevious, playful and affectionate. And very sensitive, which is where I think her imagination comes into play.

Kinsey has irrational fears, and one might think that's a canine defense mechanism, which it could be. But some of the stuff she's afraid of makes no sense so I think she's making it all up.

For instance, one day my husband and I were walking Kinsey, like we do every day, and we passed some kids with a kite. Kinsey was very excited to see the kids because she adores children, but when she saw the kite flutter high above her head, she cowered and nearly pulled me off my feet trying to get away. What would cause such fear? A kite never threatened or hurt her before, so I'm thinking she imagined a future event that involved a kite swooping down to either attack her or lift her up and carry her away. She's okay with birds, though she doesn't much care for helicopters.

There's also a certain area on our regular walk that always makes her drop her tail, lower her head, pull her ears back, and make a beeline to get away as fast as possible. That all started when the dog in a neighbor's backyard got its leash wrapped around a chair and it dragged it across the concrete porch, making a loud scraping noise. The little dog that weighed about 10 pounds soaking wet didn't pose a threat, didn't bark, just sat down, but the sound of that chair scraping the concrete freaked out Kinsey and she remembers. Now every time we pass that house she behaves like that chair is coming to get her. She also recognizes the dog and and if we see it on our walks, she cowers, though the dog couldn't care less about her. I blame her behavior on an active doggy imagination.

Does your dog or cat or horse or other pet have an imagination? Want to share some examples? I'd love to hear it. :)

The Antihero

2012-01-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

I think the antihero can be a very misunderstood character in fiction, and not just in literature. Movies and television, as well. I believe those of us who love villains have a tendency to embrace the antihero archetype.

I'm not sure I'd have the guts to have a dyed-in-the-wool antihero star in one of my novels, but I sure do enjoy playing with them as important secondary characters. I think it's the unlikelihood of them doing heroic deeds that appeals to me. I adore strong contrasts because they shake things up and keep the plot interesting. And I love when the unexpected happens to turn the story on its head. Antiheroes are great for that.

The most recent antihero I embraced is the star of an older television series called The Guardian. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend that you do. You can stream it from Netflix if you have an account. The main character is a corporate lawyer who's working off a drug conviction with 1,500 hours of court-mandated community service. He's forced to be an attorney ad litum, hence the show's name The Guardian. Now this guy is cold, self-centered and ruthless, such a contrast to the type you'd expect to represent the interests of children. But his character is captivating. You love him and hate him at the same time. His moral scruples are questionable at best, but when his vulnerable side kicks in, you better have a box of tissues handy. Personally, I think the series was brilliantly written and is a very good study in antiheroism, if you're into that kind of thing. Which I am. :)

Vigilante type antiheroes are fascinating. They're well known for their appearances in noir detective novels. Sam Spade is a good example. In modern fiction you might consider the urban fantasy heroine Anita Blake as an antihero. Antiheroes are protagonists we love to hate, or hate to love, depending on the scene.

I think that's also the appeal of the alpha hero in romance. He appears to be a bad egg on the surface, but when his shell is peeled away he turns out to be a good guy. Antiheroes are human (well, not always) with weaknesses and vulnerabilities who often do bad things for good reasons. Their complexity is what wins us over.

Here are a few examples of antiheroes who rock:

Han Solo in Star Wars
Max Rockatansky in Mad Max
Captain Malcom Reynolds in Serenity
Snake Plisskin in Escape from New York
Rick Deckard in Blade Runner

There are female antiheroes, too:
Nikita in La Femme Nikita
Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind
Lara Croft in Tomb Raider

All the characters mentioned above are not benevolent knights in shining armor, yet their goals are in the best interest of the story. Their armor is tarnished and their swords a bit bloody, but they do what they have to do to get the job done. It ain't always pretty.

Do you have any favorite antiheroes you'd like to share?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

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Coming in March 2012... woot!

2011-12-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that the second book in my Knight's Curse trilogy will be out in less than three months. Wow. I'm not sure when book 3 will be out, but I can tell you it's in progress. As is another book in a totally new series. And a novella unassociated with anything else I've done. And a short story that will appear in an anthology from Double Dragon Publishing sometime in 2012.

Do I write full time now? Pretty much, yeah. But I still do my graphic design as well, mostly 3D art for a computer game. I'd really like to design more book covers (no, I did not design my Luna covers, those are totally Harlequin's awesome creative genius).

The blurb on the back cover:

After the warrior she loves saved her from a murderous Gargoyle, Chalice watched helplessly as Aydin turned into a Gargoyle himself. Now, free from the curse that enslaved her, Chalice pledges to join her sister knights in The Order of the Hatchet—and do whatever it takes to regain Aydin’s humanity…and his love. What she encounters within their hallowed sanctuary is pure intrigue.

Someone—or something—is murdering her sisters in their sleep, provoking fear and suspicion among the order. Meanwhile, Aydin, unable to stay away, starts haunting Chalice’s dreams, urging her onward. Ultimately, Chalice will be faced with an agonizing choice— one that will tear away at her newfound identity and force her to choose between duty and desire….

A Lovecraftian Short Story

2011-10-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

If you like short horror stories and have a hankering for H.P. Lovecraft, you just might enjoy the serialized short piece of fiction I've posted on Chiseled in Rock. It will appear in four parts, posted weekly, so the next installment will go up next Saturday, October 8. I hope you like it!

Guest Blogging today at Nicole Peeler.com

2011-09-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

Today I'm a guest on Nicole Peeler's blog and I'm talking about Urban Fantasy. Nicole created a special contest! Here are the details.

From Nicole's blog: The prize will be any two mass market paperbacks of your choice that are available on Amazon (totaling about $15, or the equivalent in your country’s money). You can enter by answering Karen’s question. You can also earn extra points by reviewing Karen’s debut on your blog, Amazon, Goodreads, etc (one point for each entry); adding Karen on FB and Twitter (one point each); and/or by adding me on FB or Twitter (one point each). Just be sure to add up your entries for me, as i’m no good at math. The A winner will be chosen in two weeks, on October 14th, to give you reviewers a chance to read and write. Buen suerte!

Please stop by Nicole's blog and leave a comment. I hope to see you there! :)

News & Updates

2011-09-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry about being rather silent lately. My bad. Guest blogging has taken up some blog time, and so has judging contests, which I enjoy doing. Contests can be time consuming, and I tend to linger over the entries so that I can offer as much critique as possible. I know what it's like to need feedback on unpublished work, so I'm happy to do what I can to help.

Update: There's not much I can share at this point, but I can say it's all good news. I'll be getting line edits for DARKEST KNIGHT soon, so that book will be done. Expect to see it out next spring 2012. The third book, which will be the final story in the KNIGHT'S CURSE trilogy, is in progress. After that? Something new and exciting is in store, but you're gonna have to wait to find out. Bwahahaha!

I have a few fun events coming up.

At the moment, there's an article about my rather lengthy publishing journey at Headdesk. Come check out the lessons I've learned. If you're a writer, it could save you a few steps on your own path. Oh, and by the way, there's a contest to win a signed copy of KNIGHT'S CURSE.

I'll be a guest on my agency sister's blog, Nicole Peeler, this Friday, September 30. I'll be talking about the urban fantasy genre and what makes KNIGHT'S CURSE different. Nicole will be giving away two mass market paperbacks to 2 lucky commenters and you can even get bonus points. Woohoo! Check her blog on Friday for details.

Also coming up is a serialized short story to appear in four weekly parts at Chiseled in Rock. It's a Lovecraftian tale sure to give you the heebie jeebies, and I swear you'll never think about hummingbirds in the same way again.

The Dark Faerie Tales blog has a special treat lined up for readers next month. They'll be featuring popular and lesser known urban legends as told by the characters from some newly released paranormal novels. On October 15, Chalice will relate her experience with an urban legend about a child ghost.

On October 20, I'll be contributing a craft article on the Character Hierarchy to the RWA Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal Chapter blog.

Reading & Signing at Bend's B&N

2011-09-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today was lots of fun reading from KNIGHT'S CURSE and then signing books. My family came, and some good friends, and even a couple of new people I had the good fortune to meet for the first time.

The staff at Barnes & Noble was very gracious and provided a few small refreshments, which everyone appreciated. I ~~bribed~~ encouraged questions from the audience by giving those who asked one a tiny gargoyle charm. Events like these always give me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. :)

The sun shone a bit brightly in the background so these pics didn't turn out so great, but a little photoshop work helped. This last one is of me and my fabulous hair stylist, who works magic with hair. Anyone who can deal with my unruly mop deserves a medal. She's also the one who gave me the lovely flowers.

Even though I didn't come close to selling out of books, the event itself was a good time and another great memory to add to my author scrapbook.

Flying High After Attending the Gold

2011-09-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Even though I have a million things to do now that I'm home, I feel the need to blog about this most awesomest conference EVER before I get caught up in the whirlwind that has become my life. Ha!

I've been attending the annual Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference for the past 18 years. Well, I actually missed last year's conference when I was having a hard enough time just finding two nickels to rub together. This year I opted to go into debt to make the trip and it was totally worth it.

The Gold has something to offer all fiction writers regardless of what level of writing they have achieved. My main goal this year was to reconnect with writing friends I've known for nearly two decades, and to share my latest accomplishment with them. Everyone's kind words of congratulations warmed my heart and fueled my motivation to be a better writer.

I made many, many new friends, too. I have no problem approaching people I don't know and introducing myself. I consider every individual as someone interesting whom I'd like to know better. So conferences like the Gold are the perfect venue for that. I was a social butterfly all weekend. The evening parties in the bar and hospitality suite did take its toll as I've never talked so much in my life. Because I work at home, I hardly ever talk at all, so my vocal chords were unused to the extra work. However, it was a great reason to lose my voice, which was only temporary anyway.

Though my fabulous agent, Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein, was unable to attend for personal reasons, her associate agent, Rebecca Strauss, was at the conference and she's amazing. Polished and professional, Rebecca charmed everyone she met, including me. She was gracious and helpful to all, which was no surprise. I hope she's able to find a few new clients from the pitches she heard because The McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency is a phenomenal agency that focuses on building a writer's career. A few weeks before conference, I interviewed Rebecca for the Chiseled In Rock blog.

I met a lot of fascinating agents while I was there. I really enjoyed getting to know Weronika Janczuk, an agent with Lynn C. Franklin Associates in New York. She's full of energy and enthusiasm. I think you could name just about any book, especially if it's YA, and she's either read it or knows about it. She's actively building her list and is open to just about anything, though she's not too fond of funny or overly light books, and doesn't enjoy heavy literary fiction. If you're looking for an agent to represent your YA, she's your girl, and her track record is impressive. There's a great spotlight about Weronika (pronounced Veronika) at Literary Rambles.

I didn't attend many of the workshops. Social butterfly, remember? But I went to at least two a day, and bought CDs of the ones I wanted to attend but didn't get the chance. I got a lot out of literary agent Sarah Megabow's "Bang! Zoom! Pow! Those First 30 Pages and Why They are so Important." She's a fabulous speaker, very entertaining, and really knows how to get the point across. I learned a few things that I intend to apply to my as-yet-unpublished MYSTIC TAXI manuscript.

Speaking of MYSTIC, I wished I'd had a chance to pitch the book to Moshe Feder, associate editor at Tor Books. He's apparently looking for steampunk because he asked to see at least two steampunk manuscripts that I'm aware of. I'll be sure to let my agent know about this for when MYSTIC goes back out on submission.

Oh! Before I forget, I should also mention that the Friday night conference book sale and signing was amazing. KNIGHT'S CURSE sold out! Woot! I had a few books packed in my suitcase and Who Else Books at The Denver Book Mall now has them if anyone wants a signed copy.

If you've never attended RMFW's Colorado Gold Writers Conference, mark your calendar for next year. Seriously. This conference has helped launch the careers of dozens of successful authors: Robin D. Owens, Diane Mott Davidson, C.E. Murphy, Mario Acevedo, Jeanne Stein, and many, many more. If you attend this conference, you very well could be next.

Going for the Gold

2011-09-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

I'm here for the Gold, at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference. I love this event, it's one of the best writers' conferences in the country, and this year it's just as amazing as always.

It's so good to reconnect with friends and make new ones. The agents and editors are awesome and I'm so impressed by their professionalism and willingness to share information with the writers here. They're fun and friendly, and appear to sincerely love what they do. Publishing is an amazing industry.

Last Night's booksigning went phenomenally well. This was my first signing event for KNIGHT'S CURSE and it gave me such a warm feeling inside to have so many people wanting signed copies of my book. I started out with 4 tall stacks and there were 2 left when the event was over. Who Else Books has set up a store in the conference so there are more copies available for those who couldn't make it to the signing last night. Yay!

I will have more to blog about after the conference is over, which won't be until tomorrow. I'll be in Denver until Monday. I'm staying an extra day so I can spend some time with my kids and grandkids. It's gonna be great!

Hugs to all!

Writing extreme emotions

2011-09-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I have not experienced first hand most of the tragedies I put my characters through. I haven't watched someone get murdered, or seen my life flash before my eyes, or been chased by demons and gargoyles. My life is a bit more subtle (aka boring). So then how does an author write about the emotions brought on by these experiences without having gone through them herself?

You could say you've watched similar things happen to actors on television or in movies and that's what inspires you. Or you could say a friend or family member had a similar experience and told you what it was like. Or maybe you read a nonfiction book or article from the point of view of someone who endured similar tragedies.

These are okay resources if they inspire you and get you to crank up your imagination. In fact, I have an awesome nonfiction book called LEAD POISONING that does a pretty darn good job of recounting the experiences of gunshot victims. I got it from Paladin Press, a terrific resource for this kind of information.

I'm sure you already know that exaggeration is key to writing believable fiction. I don't mean over-the-top plots and purple prose, but sometimes you have to push the envelope just to get the right information across to the reader, whether it be emotion, physical description or action. That being said, a little goes a long way, so everything you write must pack one hell of a punch.

I'm not pushing hyperbole, but I am emphasizing the importance of making your words count. In everything. I could go on for pages about this, and I'll add to this in future blog posts, but for now let's focus on the bugaboo writers tend to pull out their hair over. Emotions.

Think about anything, and I mean anything, that has had a powerful emotional impact on you and you can use it as a launching pad for any emotion you need your character to express.

Of course you'll have to embellish it for the purpose of your scene. For example, consider the most frightening experience you've ever had. Even if it was a call from the IRS telling you you're about to be audited. Such shocking news would likely send an icy ball of fear hurtling to the pit of your stomach. You don't have to face an evil sorcerer, ax murderer or a vampire to know fear. You just have to compound what you already know with intensity. The point is to use your personal storehouse of bona fide emotions as a building block to create authentic reactions for your characters.

But here's the thing. There are different levels of feelings we derive from our emotions. The IRS phone call elicits fear related to anxiety and dread. Fear for our lives is on a whole other level associated with horror, terror, panic, and hysteria. Escalating nervousness to terror is no easy task, so you will have to borrow from another emotional experience to balance the playing field.

Wait a minute. How can a different emotion be in the same ballpark as the one you're trying to convey? When it comes to visceral reactions, there are plenty of physical similarities to draw from.

Physical pain and emotional grief are heavy hitters. Most of us have experienced these to some degree. That intensity is what you need to carry through to your characters in a way that will create a tragic experience for the reader to share. You'll have to put your imagination into overdrive, and if you build on these base feelings, you may be surprised at how effective it can be.

Everyone feels. Whether the character is a six-year-old child or a fifty-year-old hardened criminal, these individuals are human beings. And for the benefit of the reader, the characters need to emotionally react to the events around them, even if the character only expresses it internally. A character who denies feeling anything is feeling it enough to think denial is the best way to handle it. That's a Catch 22, wouldn't you say?

Be prepared to venture into some dark places inside your head. If you want to create realism in your fiction, this is a sacrifice you need to make for your art. You can do it!

Feel free to share an intense emotional experience in a comment. It can be anything you think you could derive an emotional reaction from to enhance an experience for your character.

The Joy of Writing

2011-08-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to congratulate the winners of my Gargoyle Charm giveaway. The winners are:

Kathy Lane
Laurel N
Magola

The cats had fun picking the names and I had fun watching them! Thanks so much for playing! ☺

Now that KNIGHT'S CURSE is out and on store shelves, you'd think I could breathe a sigh of relief and move on to the next thing. The build up to this point has been arduous to say the least. It's been years of honing my craft, writing one manuscript after the other and collecting enough rejections to wallpaper an entire room (or two). So do I feel relaxed now? No.

This post is meant to be about the joy of writing, and it is, but there can't be joy without a little disappointment to highlight it properly. So bare with me.

I've been an apprentice novelist since 1995, when I wrote my first manuscript. It took a couple of years to write and it wasn't too horribly bad for a first effort. It even got me my first agent, but looking back I know it wasn't ready. It was a poorly written work of angsty women's fiction and it was just something I needed to get off my chest. I don't even know where it is now. Reduced to digital dust inside a discarded hard drive somewhere I imagine.

I went on to write five more books after that, two of which were published with small presses. It was good training ground. I made very little off those books, which is perfectly fine with me. It wasn't until the second one was published that I discovered how limiting small presses could be. So I decided that if I was to ever be published again, it would be through a large established publisher that could ensure good distribution through all the major and independent bookstores in the country.

All this time I never forgot the joy of writing. Once into a book and cavorting with my characters and their journey, all the gritty realities of the publishing world faded away. I was doing what I loved to do, what I knew was all I ever wanted to do. So the dream of being published took a back seat to just loving the challenge of writing a good book. Every word I wrote was pure joy.

That being said, my focus on writing competed with my other career, the one that brought me income. Even after I got my agent and she worked her butt off submitting my manuscript to publishers, then submitting my next manuscript, I was starting to feel the pressure. I had to make a choice. Yes, writing is all I want to do, but I also need an income. Would this book ever sell? Was it time to let it all go and just settle for being a hobby writer?

I hung on by my fingernails and gradually sunk into a state of depression. I wrote less so I could focus more on finding ways to make a living. I stopped blogging. The economy tanked and I lost 80% of my design clients. I quit all my writing groups because I could no longer afford to pay their meager dues and I had nothing to contribute to them anyway. I gained weight and I cried a lot. I was a mess.

And all this time my amazing agent never gave up on me. She gave me pep talks. She encouraged me. She believed in me. She saved me.

Then it finally happened. I got "the call" from my agent about Luna's offer for a two-book deal. Did I immediately bounce back to life? No. But I slowly crawled out of the pit I'd dug for myself. I had to. I had to write another book to fulfill my contract and I could hardly wait to get started. I felt reborn.

Now KNIGHT'S CURSE is out and everything is rainbows and sunshine, right? *cough* I wish. I wanted this, yes, but most importantly I want to keep this. My goal is for my writing to become a full time career. My primary design client unexpectedly and unceremoniously kicked me to the curb a couple of months ago so that she could hire a different designer. My writing is all I have now and I have no choice but to make it work.

I'm lucky to love writing as much as I do or I'd be in danger of getting that mysterious thing called "Writer's Block." I've never suffered from it, but I understand it's a miserable condition. I have so many more stories to tell and I especially love the stories I have lined up for Chalice in her Knight's Curse series.

So to wrap this up let me just say that getting published isn't the end of the dream. It's the joy of writing that gets you there, and it's the joy of writing that will keep you there. I'm in it for the long haul.

KNIGHT'S CURSE releases today!

2011-08-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, the day is finally here. KNIGHT'S CURSE is on sale in bookstores all over the country. It's hard to believe that just one year ago, practically to the day, I got "the call" from my agent telling me Harlequin Luna made an offer on the manuscript. I've been floating on Cloud 9 ever since. :)

It's funny how certain days when momentous events happen will stick in your mind. I remember exactly what I was doing at the time the call came. I was on my way out the door to go to a lunch meeting and almost didn't answer the phone. Needless to say that lunch ended up including a celebratory Margarita. Ha!

Also on that day, my husband learned he got the job he'd been pining for for months. It was amazing that we both received such awesome news on the same day, news that changed both our lives.

To celebrate the release of KNIGHT'S CURSE, I'll be giving away this cute little gargoyle charm to three lucky winners who post in comments. They are hand-painted by local artisans in South America and are beautifully detailed. He's not very big, but he's a mighty gargoyle with the power to ward off the same gargoyle curse Chalice has to deal with in the book. So you need one. :)

The charms are strung on a black chord you can wear around your neck, but they're very small (as in tiny, like 1/2 inch tiny). I have mine hanging off my computer monitor.

I hope you'll buy my book and share Chalice's amazing journey. Her next adventure will be out in about six months and that book is called DARKEST KNIGHT. I'll be talking more about it when it gets closer to its publication date.

Don't forget to include your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win. I'll do the same thing I did last time and have one of my cats draw a name. They really have fun batting around the pieces of paper with the names on them. If my camera doesn't die, I'll be sure to snap a photo. Heehee. :)

Literary Agent Rebecca Strauss Interview

2011-08-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Literary Agent Rebecca Strauss of the McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency for the Chiseled in Rock blog today. Rebecca will stop in throughout the day to answer reader questions so head on over there for this unique opportunity.

Also, I'm interviewed over at Manga Maniac Cafe today. So if you want a behind the scenes look at my new urban fantasy novel KNIGHT'S CURSE, please drop by.

My Favorite Writerly Quotes

2011-08-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite quotes related to writing. I'm sure you'll find some familiar ones among them, and possibly some you haven't seen before. They all resonate for me and I'm sure some will resonate for you as well.

By the way, I want to let everyone know that tomorrow I'll be posting an interview I did with Literary Agent Rebecca Strauss of McIntosh & Otis, a very successful literary agency in New York City, on the Chiseled in Rock blog. This agency is near and dear to my fuzzy little heart. :) You do NOT want to miss this exciting event. Rebecca will be available most of the day to answer your questions in comments. See you there!

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

One idea does not make a story, you need a second idea to rub it against in order to make a fire. ~Twyla Tharp

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. ~Anaïs Nin

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies. ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain

A writer is someone who can make a riddle out of an answer. ~Karl Kraus

Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. ~Gene Fowler

Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum. ~Graycie Harmon

Every writer I know has trouble writing. ~Joseph Heller

A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one. ~Baltasar Gracián

If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad. ~Lord Byron

Pen names are masks that allow us to unmask ourselves. ~C. Astrid Weber

If I'm trying to sleep, the ideas won't stop. If I'm trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness. ~Carrie Latet

The coroner will find ink in my veins and blood on my typewriter keys. ~C. Astrid Weber

Write your first draft with your heart. Re-write with your head. ~From the movie Finding Forrester

An author in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere. ~Gustave Flaubert

If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams. ~Danzae Pace

No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published. ~Russell Lynes

Loafing is the most productive part of a writer's life. ~James Norman Hall

A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. ~Thomas Mann, Essays of Three Decades, 1947

Sit down, and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it. ~Colette, Casual Chance, 1964

Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted. ~Jules Renard, Journal, 10 April 1895

Who's more flawed, the character or the author?

2011-08-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

I’ve discovered several character issues in what I’ve been reading lately so I felt compelled to blog about it. Characters are what make a story so if you screw that up, well, you’re in beeeg trouble. In my opinion, anyway.

A lot of writers either prewrite or conduct character interviews in order to get to know their characters better. That’s an awesome start. You hear about writers saying how it feels like their characters are real people, or their characters talk to them. Though my characters don’t talk to me as in voices inside my head, I do dream about them sometimes, which I think is my subconscious way of solving plot problems that may arise during the course of writing a book.

Because characters are so vitally important to the success of a good story, I thought it worth mentioning a few of the mistakes I’ve encountered lately in what I’ve been reading.

Disclaimer: The actual material I read is revised for the purpose of these examples so as not to offend the authors.

Contradictory behavior

In the first chapter the main character describes herself as she imagines the man she just met is seeing her. The description is bogged down with her extraordinary beauty, fabulous fashion sense, amazing charisma, mind-blowing sexuality… You get the picture. Aside from it being heavy on the Mary Sue, it’s unlikely she’s going to know how a man she just met perceives her unless he tells her. Or shows her.

So that’s how it starts. The contradiction comes a chapter later when this character is brooding over her double shots of scotch in a crappy bar, reflecting on what a horrible person she is. No reason is given for the sudden low self-esteem, so I guess it’s a mystery we’re supposed to figure out later in the story. Maybe the author’s critique group said the main character needs to be more vulnerable, who knows. Point is, this self-deprecation could work if it matched the overblown high opinion of herself expressed earlier. Even so, no reader likes to be told about a character’s attributes or flaws. We prefer to observe and interpret it for ourselves.

The uncharacteristic character

A character is introduced as a rebellious teen with multiple piercings, rooster style Mohawk, spiked boots and a switchblade in his holey jeans pocket. He’s young and riddled with angst. We know him; he’s the next door neighbor’s kid or Uncle Mike’s foster son who stomped out a cigarette on our living room carpet at last week’s family dinner party. Get the picture?

He chooses the day’s wardrobe from the bottom of the dirty laundry hamper. Of course, we’d expect him to do that. He leaves the house through his bedroom window. Not a tony kind of guy. Satisfied with our rugged bad boy, we read on. Our rough and tumble teen describes a man on the street in terms of his Miuccia Prada double breasted overcoat, knife-creased Gucci trousers and Fashion Flat Cow Leather Lace Up High Mens Boots. As a reader I’m going WTF?

It’s not that he notices the man is well-dressed, it’s how he describes the clothing by brand name and style. That’s not our angsty kid talking, it’s the author, and we’ve just been yanked from the magic of the story because the character is now out of character.

Unmotivated motivation

Every character has a goal and a purpose, even the bad guys. Say you have a nefarious group of magicians who worship the great god Bumble. Everything they do is in his name. They gather disciples and convince them to worship Bumble. These evil doers are menacing and cruel, and make our hero’s life miserable. They want to sacrifice our hero to Bumble. It’s scary and exciting and… confusing. Because we don’t know why. Who the hell is Bumble and what does he want with our hero? What do the magicians get as reward for their devotion? If the author doesn’t clue us in on these reasons, we’re not going to care much about the outcome. Too many whys result in a book getting slammed shut.

Are you finding character mistakes in what you’re reading these days?

We have a WINNER!

2011-08-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks, everyone, for visiting my blog over the past couple of days and entering your comments to win a free book. I had lots more visitors (147 visits) than comments, but that gave those who entered a better chance of winning. Yay!

I loved your ideas for curses and charms, too. One thing I often figure into the charms I invent is that there's no such thing as a free lunch. In other words, a charm or a curse may expect compensation for its favors. This leads to some very interesting outcomes as you'll discover in my second book, DARKEST KNIGHT. Get ready for a wild ride. :)

Back to the contest: I wrote down all the commenter names on tiny strips of paper, folded them up, and dropped them in a bowl. Then I set the bowl in the middle of the kitchen floor and let my cats have at it. The dog wanted in on it, too, but she slobbers too much so I promised her she could pick a winner the next time. So 2 of my 3 cats (the lazy one was sleeping... big surprise there) huddled around the bowl, curious as I expected them to be, and Sammy reached her paw in and grabbed a slip of paper that said...

Wait for it...

TheaH!

Congratulations, Thea! I'll be emailing you for your address so i can send you a signed book.

Thanks, everyone, for playing! My next contest will be for a gargoyle charm necklace, so stay tuned for more information.

Have a great weekend!

Curses and charms and a CONTEST!

2011-08-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

KNIGHT'S CURSE is an urban fantasy about a modern day female knight named Chalice who is cursed with the mark of the gargoyle. What that means is she's in constant danger of turning into one of the ugly, fanged flying beasts and she almost does a few times during the course of the book.

There are a lot of curses and charms in this story. Part of Chalice's job as a thief is to steal them for a nefarious group of magic users called the Vyantara. So part of the fun in writing this book was inventing a variety of charms and curses. I pushed the envelope of my imagination to come up with this stuff and my creative subconscious surprised me sometimes. I didn't know such bizarre and creepy things lurked inside my head. I need therapy.

If you could create a charm or a curse, what would it be?

It's time for a contest. Woot!

This is an easy contest and the prize is a signed copy of my soon-to-be released urban fantasy novel KNIGHT'S CURSE. In less than two weeks, the book will appear on brick and mortar store shelves all over the country and it's already available for pre-order through online booksellers, including ones I didn't even know existed.

All you need to do is tell me what kind of charm or curse you would make if you had the power to do so. Good or bad, doesn't matter. Be sure to include your email address when you comment so that I can contact you if you're a winner. I'll put all the names into a bowl and have one of my cats randomly choose a winner. You must be in the continental United States due to shipping costs outside the country.

Contest extended until Friday midnight. (When will I learn that it can take more than 24 hours for the word to get out about a contest? Sheesh.)

Let's get this party started!

So you think you can write...

2011-08-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite TV shows is So You Think You Can Dance. I watch the episodes streamed on Hulu.com because I’m never able to catch them at the time they’re televised.

While watching the show the other night, I noticed some similarities between dance as an art form, and writing. Dance is an art, as is theater, music, the visual arts, and of course the various literary arts. Each art can be performed with varying levels of creativity.

One of the points made by guest judge Lil' C was how each dancer, as an artist, interprets dance differently. They may each execute the same steps, but it’s how the dance is performed that makes the difference. Some dancers are superb technicians with impeccable timing, posture, extensions, and all the other myriad moves that are choreographed into a performance. But if their heart and style and individuality is left out, they won’t rise above the ordinary. Dancers who give it their all and let themselves feel the joy of dance, who pay less attention to their steps and more to how dance lifts their souls, are the ones who become extraordinary artists.

So I got to thinking about how writing is much the same way. I should change the title of this post to So You Think Can Write a Novel because writing, like dance, is interpreted different ways. There are superb technicians who are competent wordsmiths. Journalists and technical writers might fit in that camp. If you can write an excellent software manual, can you write an equally excellent novel?

Maybe.

Good skill in one area does not guarantee excellence in another even if it’s the same art. Aside from the X factor no one can quite put their finger on, when it comes to writing fiction, there’s so much more to it than good grammar and a knack for stringing sentences together. A great poet may be a poor storyteller, a fabulous storyteller may suck at journalism. I think it’s rare for a writer to be especially good at writing everything, but I’m sure there are exceptions.

By the way, I finally have excerpts from KNIGHT’S CURSE on my website for anyone who would like to check it out. And I hope you’ll come back to visit the blog tomorrow because I’ll be having a contest and one lucky winner will get a signed copy of KNIGHT’S CURSE. The book won’t officially be available for sale until August 23, but I haz books! Mmmhm. ☺

So tell me, writers, are you a good writer? Or are you a good storyteller? Do you think there’s a difference?

Monday Madness

2011-08-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have a list of blog topics to write about, but every time I look them over, I can't decide which one to do. So I put it off a day. And then another day goes by, and another, and another...

Yes, I'm a card carrying member of Procrastinator's Anonymous. So not a good thing for a writer.

Anyway...

I thought I'd post a quick update. The countdown begins for the release of KNIGHT'S CURSE, which is due in stores by the end of the month. It really hit home today when a firm knock at my front door launched the dog into frantic bark mode. The UPS guy came to drop off 2 boxes of books!

I couldn't open the box fast enough and I'm surprised I didn't rip any covers in the process, but they all look okay. One's a little bent, but I'll hang on to that one. So you can be expecting some free giveaways soon.

I also got a proof of the cover for the next book in the series DARKEST KNIGHT. I'd show it to you, but I don't think I'm allowed to yet since it's just a proof. But I fell in love with it on first sight. Harlequin's design department sure knows what they're doing.

I'm also excited to have received my first reader review and she gave me 5 stars! Woot!

I've come up with the idea for my third book in the series. My agent met with my editor last Friday and mentioned my idea to her. She wants two chapters and a synopsis by Monday, so what am i doing here writing in my blog? The usual. I'm procrastinating.

Okay, playtime is over. Gotta get back to work. Hugs to you all!

Thursday Thougths: Writing the "Different" Book

2011-07-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Writing in the fantasy and paranormal genres means a more diverse playground for story ideas and concepts. But even in a sea of limitless imagination, there are a limited number of slots to fill with each publisher. Especially if it’s one of the Big 6.

My agent tells me that’s been a very common reason lately for editors to reject a project. They see a lot of the same thing cross their desks and even if a manuscript has a stellar plot and unforgettable characters, it can still get the boot. If the company has a similar title on their list, the new submission will likely be a no-go.

It’s ill-advised to write to the market because it’s so fickle and a far better idea to write what you’re passionate about. If you’ve got a thing for vampires in outer space, go for it, even if it’s the hottest trend going at the moment. Just make sure your story is extraordinary and give it a twist that makes it fresh and original.

If you think your story is different from everything else out there, chances are it’s not as different as you think. There’s no way for you to know what every other writer is working on. That being said, someone has to be “first” so why not you? ☺

Now that you’ve decided what to write, and as far as you know yours is the only urban fantasy starring furry magical snakes, how will you tell that story? In first or third person? Will you write it past or present tense? Will you alternate points of view? Combine first and third? Mix up your chronology so that you have both past and present tense? The style you use to write your book will also factor in to making it different.

I bring this up to caution against letting your freak flag fly too high. It’s great to be different and tell a unique tale, but remember that if you’re an unknown writer, going against the typical grain of storytelling could do more than raise a few eyebrows. It might send an agent or editor reaching for that form rejection because they’d rather not take a risk on something too new.

When my agent first started sending KNIGHT’S CURSE out to publishers, the response was questionable. The story didn’t match anything else on the market other than it being urban fantasy with a strong heroine. Most everything else about it was new and original so there wasn’t much to compare it too. That might have become the book’s downfall if not for my forward-thinking editor, who saw the book’s potential as a real contender in the market. And now Publisher’s Weekly has it on its Top 10 Picks for Fall 2011. Yay!

If I were to do it all over again, would I write a more typical book that aligns with tried and true genre trends? No. I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. I can’t write to the market, and I can’t write a cookie cutter concept. I’m the same way when I cook; I never follow a recipe.

So what are your thoughts about original stories? If you’re a reader, how open are you to something new and different in the genre you enjoy? And if you’re a writer, how far will you go to create a story that’s uniquely different?

World Building at Chiseled in Rock

2011-07-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

Heya, peoples. :)

I'd like to redirect you all to the post I wrote for the Chiseled in Rock blog, of which I'm now a staff member. Chiseled in Rock is a blog about writing, writers, chiseling great stories, and the industry folks who make it all happen. I'll be contributing a blog post about once a week, or when time allows, so please drop by to check it out. There are lots of great articles and interviews at The Rock. I think you'll enjoy it.

Today I talk about World Building and how it's intrinsically tied to a story's characters. I hope you'll stop by The Rock to give it a read and leave a comment.

Peace out! o<

When Intrusions Affect your Writing

2011-06-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

I’ll be going great guns on a scene, really be into my characters and have total focus on what’s happening in my story. Then suddenly the phone rings and it’s my sister having a melt down. Or it’s the bank informing me of some crisis with one of my accounts. Or a pipe bursts inside the wall and it sounds like a flood is about to carry me and my computer away. Events like this can put a serious dent in “the moment.”

Those aren’t the best examples, but my point is that sometimes everyday life intrudes on the writing life and can seriously affect creativity. When sudden events pass, you can climb back on that horse again and hopefully pick up where you left off. But if you’re suffering from a more long term interruption, such as a death in the family, loss of work, illness, or a big move, it’s not so easy to get your groove back.

Such setbacks are part and parcel of the writing life. Depending on the level of devastation, it could take time to get yourself back on track. It’s up to you to decide when. Sometimes you have no choice but to get back to it because of a deadline.

There are times that just switching your focus to another creative project can jolt you back to the path you were on before you got derailed. I think most artists have more than one creative outlet, so embarking on a new artistic project may jar your muse back into action.

A change of scenery often helps, too, so a quiet walk through the park or a gentle hike in the wilderness with Mother Nature may return peace to your soul.

It’s like clearing out the bad mojo and brushing away whatever dark clouds descended during your trauma. Best of all, getting back to your creative work is often healing all by itself.

Do you have methods that work for you when the unexpected comes along to disrupt your writing flow?

PW Top 10

2011-06-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

This blog is not supposed to be all about me and my books because it's also about writing and getting published. However, please indulge me and my occasional news flash. I want to share with future readers and also encourage other writers, and sometimes good news can be motivating.

Can you believe it? I'm still dizzy with the news my agent called to tell me this morning. First she emailed me a page out of PW that mentions the book title and ISBN and tells me Knight's Curse is the only LUNA book PW mentions for the Fall. I thought that was cool, not that I really understood what it meant. Even though I've been published before, I've never had any of the experiences I've been having with this book. I'm regularly dazed and amazed and thoroughly thrilled on a variety of levels.

Then I get a phone call from my agent. This time she says she has even more good news. She hadn't yet finished leafing through her issue of PW when she emailed me about the mention. Now she's found the page that lists PW's Top 10 Picks for Fall in the romance category. And Knight's Curse made it to the list. Top 10! From PW! Out of all the romance novels coming out this fall! OMG!

Wow. Just... wow.

Reviews will start trickling in soon, but what a great start. It's very encouraging. I hope this will peak Harlequin's interest in seeing a third book for the series. Keep your fingers crossed for me. :) And thanks for letting me share.

Putting a new spin on new story ideas

2011-06-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

I had a really long and wonderful talk on the phone with my agent the other day. The purpose of the call was to brainstorm ideas for the sequel to the second book in my KNIGHT’S CURSE series. However, my agent hadn’t had a chance to finish reading DARKEST KNIGHT, so it was challenging to discuss follow-up events to a story she wasn’t completely familiar with yet. But the call was far from wasted. We went on to talk about other things.

We discussed story ideas in general and what editors are looking for. I wanted to know if fantasy and paranormal stories are still in demand, and she said the market is so glutted right now that the rejections she sees are often because the publisher already has something similar to what’s on offer.

So what’s a writer to do? Are all the good ideas used up already? I think you know the answer to that one. No.

However, the task for coming up with an original story is tougher than ever. The demands on our creativity has never been greater. It’s up to us to put a new spin on what’s already been done to make it irresistible to editors and then to readers.

Liz and I talked a little about KNIGHT’S CURSE and how different it is from anything else out there. That was a problem when the manuscript first went out on submission because there was no yard stick to measure it against. There’s still nothing to compare it to. That eventually turned out to be a good thing in a market that has become eager for something different.

So while I’m waiting to hear back from both my editor and my agent on DARKEST KNIGHT, I’ve come up with an idea for a totally new and different paranormal story. I’ve never seen this idea done quite this way, but it appeals to me and I plan to have fun with it, just like I did with KNIGHT’S CURSE.

Writers of fantasy and paranormal fiction are kind of lucky when you think about it. It’s such an imaginative genre that there are no limits to where you can take it. Any writer with a good imagination has a great opportunity to get published in any genre. It’s all in the spinning.

If you’re a writer, do you consider the idea for your book original and different? If you’re a reader, what would you like to see in a fantasy or paranormal story?

Down Time

2011-06-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

The down time between books leaves me with mixed emotions. I just finished writing my second book in my new series for Harlequin Luna, and though I'm relieved to be done, I miss my daily routine and I miss learning new things about the characters I'd fallen in love with. In a way, I'm grieving.

That's just the emotional side of it. Intellectually I know I'm not totally finished with that book yet, but what comes next isn't the thrill of discovery. It's the revisions and edits that will be requested by my editor after she reads it. I admit that on top of the grief, I'm angsting over what my editor will think about this new book. Will she love at as much as the first? When we talked the other day, she'd said she was looking forward to my next proposal, so fingers crossed I'll get to write the third book that continues this series.

My agent and I plan to brainstorm this week about book three, so I think once I'm in the mindset of continuing Chalice's story, I'll get over myself. Ha! There's just that weird lull that hangs over me when I'm between books. It's kind of like waking up from a dream that still lingers.

I have a lot of continuing plot ideas that hit me as I wrote DARKEST KNIGHT, Chalice's second book. So I'm comforted with knowing her story isn't over. Plus I'm also thinking on ideas for other series as well. There's no end to that constant exploration of new stories. I love that, but at the same time I'm eager to get back into the swing of having a book in progress.

My design career is in limbo at the moment, so now's the perfect time to jump feet first into a new book. However, that being said, I'm stressing over the lack of income and need to pound the pavement in search of new design work. So I'm kind of in a weird place right now.

If you're a writer, how do you feel after completing a book? Do you need a break, or do you want to immediately launch into the next one?

I'm Baaaack!

2011-06-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

*Stretches and yawns*

Wow, that was one loooong sabbatical. Those of you who remember me must have thought I'd either died or quit writing. To tell you the truth, I think I would die if I stopped writing. It's too deep in my blood for me to quit.

My last post was nearly 2 years ago. o_O Yep, that's right, 2 years. September of 2009. The good news is that in September of 2011 you'll be seeing... wait for it...

KNIGHT'S CURSE in print! Woot! Harlequin Luna is publishing this book and it's sequel, DARKEST KNIGHT, which will be out next spring.

I won't bore you with minutia of what I'd been up to before this awesome book deal changed my life. Suffice to say the shattered economy beat me bloody, I lost nearly all my design clients, I became depressed, and I pretty much withdrew from the world. Then in August of 2010 my agent calls me with the best news ever. Luna offered me a 2-book deal.

So right after that wonderful news, it was obvious I had to get a proposal ready for the 2nd as-yet unwritten and untitled book for what I hope will be a lasting series. Luna wants book 2 to come out 6 months after the first book, so I've been in a tail spin to get that done. Finished writing it last week. I should be seeing the cover proof for DARKEST KNIGHT any day now, and I can't wait to share it with you all.

My editor at Luna is Ann Leslie Tuttle, who is just wonderful. I hope to interview her on this blog soon so you all will get to meet her. I'm also planning to interview my awesome agent, Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein, for the blog. She's a literary agent with McIntosh & Otis, one of the oldest literary agencies in New York.

I also plan to feature a few authors here, and run some contests, maybe do a couple of writing workshops the way I have in the past (however, those tend to be huge time-sucks, so I haven't planned that far ahead.)

I have a new website that's close to being finished, I just need to add the links and the book excerpts, for which I'm now waiting to get the okay from Harlequin.

I'll try to post to this blog a couple of times a week, but I'll be participating on other blogs soon and doing some guest blogs as the release date for KNIGHT'S CURSE gets closer. I will be writing the proposal for book 3 after my agent and I chat about some ideas. Liz is really great for brainstorming.

It's so good to be back! :)

Post Conference High

2009-09-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

There's so much to say about the fantastic Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold. Fabulous! I know I'm biased because I've been a member for over 15 years, but even so, this is a wonderful venue for writers of all genres. Not only are the workshops fantastic, the folks putting in on are knowledgeable, friendly, and know what it takes to facilitate a successful writers conference.

The photo above was taken at the Thursday night pre-conference launch party that's given for all the volunteers and agent and editor guests. I stole this one off Janet Lane's blog (thanks, Janet). From left to right, we have: Scott Brendel, Janet Lane, Kay Bergstrom, Susan Smith, me, and Lawdon, who's drinking water. Water! Kay has a soda! What's wrong with you people? Believe me, there was plenty of booze to imbibe because I partook quite a bit that night.

This party is one of my favorite events at conference. It kicks off the mood with lots of energy and breaks the ice with our agent and editor friends. Agent Becca Stumpf of Prospect Literary was there again this year after snagging RMFW member Bonnie Ramthun for a client at last year's conference. I enjoy Becca quite a bit and if I didn't already have an agent you can bet I'd be knocking at her door.

We got to pal around with Janet Reid (FinePrint), Kaitlin Heller (Del Rey), Christine Hogrebe (Jane Rotrosen Agency), Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary), Emmanuelle Alspaugh (Judith Ehrilich Literary), Jenny Rappaport (The Rappaport Agency), John Helfers (Tekno Books) and Sally Kim (HarperCollins). Drink in one hand, plate of yummy catered goodies in the other, and chatting about books and publishing. Is this a dream come true or what? :) Janet and Jenny recognized me from Twitter.

On Friday afternoon, I audited the critique session with Del Rey editor Kaitlin Heller. It's great to see an editor in action and Kaitlin did a wonderful job leading the critiques. She's a sharp editor who made very helpful observations and suggestions on the 8 participants' work. I'm eager for her to read Mystic Taxi and I emailed my agent this morning about sending her the manuscript. Fingers crossed she likes it!

That evening was the conference kick-off dinner, which was a buffet-style Mexican feast. I'm a vegetarian so I walked away starving, but everyone else seemed to enjoy their meal. My measly salad of lettuce, cheese and salsa didn't go very far and I was so hungry by the time we headed up to party hardy in the hospitality suite that I hung out by the snack table and gorged on junk to fill up.

I learned Kaitlin is as big a Hunger Games fan as I am and had just finished reading Catching Fire, which I brought with me to read on the plane. Suzanne Collins is a genious and a goddess. I haven't read a book this good in a very, very, very long time. At the Saturday night banquet, Kaitlin wore the mockingjay pin featured in the story that she got at Borders. It's too bad we don't have a Borders here in Bend. I checked online, and though the Borders site mentions there is such a thing, you apparently have to go to a brick and mortar store to buy one. So not fair. Aargh! I want my mockingjay pin and I don't want to have to drive 140 miles to get it. *pouts*

Sheesh, I've rattled on, haven't I? But I'm not done yet! I have much more to tell you so I'll save it for later. To read another blog about one of the best conferences in the country, aka the Colorado Gold, visit Betsy Dornbusch's blog.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

2009-09-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Though it's all I can do to keep from stepping on my droopy eyelids, I made it to Denver without a hitch! Got up at 3 am, left the house in Bend at 4 am, plane left at 5 am. I know I was a zombie for most of the trip. I can't sleep on planes. And the way they pack you in, OMG, it's like snuggling with strangers. My shoulders still hurt from scrunching.

I flew Alaska Airlines from Redmond, Oregon, to Portland, and the prop plane is so cute! Not as tiny as the puddle jumper United uses, but it has that nostalgic pre-jet feel. The extra noise and jostling about is similar to an amusement park ride and may have contributed to my inability to sleep.

I zombie-walked from one gate to the next to board my flight that would take me from Portland to Denver. Yeah, a lot of flying for not so great a distance, and though there are direct flights from Redmond to Denver, they cost twice as much. Some day I aspire to take one of those much coveted direct flights. *Note to publishers: please buy my books. kthxbye.

The only problem with arriving in Denver so early is that there's nothing much to do until the party tonight. No one else is here yet. I did take a nap, didn't sleep so good, and I'm still groggy. The high altitude may have something to do with it. My roommate won't get here until 6.

While I wait, I'm tweeting (of course) and savoring the second book in Suzanne Collins' YA series, CATCHING FIRE. I started reading it today and I've already suffered the leaky eye syndrome twice. I'm not even at the halfway point, but man, this is powerful stuff. If you haven't read HUNGER GAMES or CATCHING FIRE, you're missing out on something truly phenomenal. No kidding.

I think I'll go read some more, then maybe take another snooze. I'll let you know tomorrow how the party went, depending on how well I'll be able to think through my hangover haze.

Preparing for Conference

Thursday Thoughts

2009-03-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

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

As you can see on the right hand side of this blog, I've joined the Twitter tweeters. You'll also notice I don't do a good job of it. TGIF? WTF? I just couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

A writer friend of mine had a baby girl this morning. Yay, Christa! This is wee one #2, and now we're all waiting for her to post pictures on her blog and to see which one of us won her guess-the-baby's-weight contest.

Puppy Update: Kinsey is becoming a little easier to handle (ie my husband and I are suffering less blood loss). She's still high energy, but she's more focused and listens better now. I discovered a spray bottle with water really helps get her attention. She actually likes getting squirted, but what it does is make her stop doing whatever she's doing, like grabbing the banana off the table or the newspaper out of my husband's hands. I've enrolled her in puppy classes that start February 3.

Speaking of puppies, did you know dogs love sweet potatoes? Our local pet supply store sells a line of sweet potato treats for dogs. The things are hard as rocks, and I bought Kinsey the ones that look like dog bones. Expensive! They're just dehydrated pieces of sweet potato, so I decided to make some myself, though mine are more like sweet potato chips. Kinsey loves them like nothing else! So I'm sharing the recipe so you can make these yummy treats for your own dogs:

Take 2 or 3 sweet potatoes (organic is best for your dog), slice them length-wise about 1/4" thick. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. The longer they bake, the harder they'll get.

How about a healthy human treat? I discovered this by accident one day. I like cottage cheese, and I like dried cranberries, so I thought why not mix them together? It's a surprisingly tasty combination.

Did I mention Mystic Taxi is still in the running for Karin Tabke's First Line contest? I think we're up to seven lines now. I'll know by next Monday whether or not I made the next round.

On the publishing front, though any news about my book is still pending, I just found out that Pocket Books and Juno Books signed a co-publishing agreement! That's very exciting because it creates another opportunity for Knight's Curse. My agent emailed me today saying they're on it. So that's encouraging.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday Thoughts

2009-01-22T11:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged about craft stuff for a while, so I thought I'd talk about beginnings today. Beginnings have become all the rage lately among writing-related blogs and forums. It's like if you don't nail down that first page, or perfect the hook that invites someone to read your first page, you're SOL.

There are a lot of ways to start a novel, not all of them good. We're familiar with those throat-clearing starts, the one where the writer is warming up to the story and needs to get all that preliminary set-up crap out of the way, like weather and the character waking up and what a tough childhood he had. Yawn. So we'll leave those as given no-nos and go on to some other first page killers.

I don't think readers can always identify what turns them off when they read the first page of a novel, but a lot of the reasons agents give for passing on a project would probably apply. Here are a few to consider:

Opens with rhetorical question(s).
The first line is about setting, not about story.
Not enough happens on the first page.
The opening contains clichéd phrases and/or situations (i.e. a character shakes his head to clear the cobwebs, character runs away from an unknown assailant, etc. )
The main character responds to an unnamed thing (e.g., something dead in a bathtub, something horrible in a closet, someone on the other side of her peephole…) for more than a paragraph without naming it, creating false suspense.
The characters talk about something (a photo, a person, the kitchen table) for more than a line without describing it, creating false suspense.
The unnamed protagonist cliché: The woman ran through the forest... The man hid the knife in his pocket... yadda, yadda.
Fake suspense created by some relevant fact that's kept from the reader for longer than a paragraph.
The character spots him/herself in a mirror, in order to provide an excuse for a physical description.
The first page is straight narration that doesn't involve the character doing anything.
Too much physical descriptions in the opening paragraph, rather than action or conflict.
When the first lines are dialogue, the speaker is not identified.
The book opens with a flashback, rather than what's going on now.
Descriptive asides pull the reader out of the conflict of the scene.
No conflict.
Too much repetition.
Too many generalities.
Stakes are not high enough.
Story is written in the second person.
The narrator speaks directly to the reader (“I should warn you…”), making the story hyper-aware of itself and thereby tossing the reader out of the story.
When characters tell one another things they already know.
The tag lines are more revealing than the dialogue. ( “She squawked.” "He growled.")
The writing switches tenses for no apparent reason.
The action is told out of chronological order.
Took too many words to reveal what happened.
Dull and/or awkward writing style.
The writing falls back on common shorthand descriptions: “She did not trust herself to speak,” “She didn’t want to look…”
Too many analogies/metaphors/similes per paragraph.
Purple prose and overwriting
Melodramatic opening
Makes the reader laugh at it, not with it.
Too much unnecessary explanation.
Unmotivated characters.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all the best for 2009!

What's Up Wednesday - New Years Eve

2008-12-31T07:55:00.000-08:00

It's the day before the New Year begins, and I have nothing planned to celebrate. My husband and I aren't big party people. I'd be open to gathering with friends for an informal celebration, but my husband's more of a recluse. It's just as well. Staying up past midnight doesn't sit well with me right now since puppy Kinsey still likes to get up real early in the morning.

Kinsey slept 10 hours last night, which was a special treat. I feel more rested today than I've felt since we got her a month ago. She had her first set of puppy shots yesterday, which could account for the long sleep, so I doubt I'll be so lucky tonight.

It's windy and cold out, and I usually like to drape myself with a blanket during the day. I have a favorite down throw I used to use until Kinsey chewed a hole in it yesterday and spread feathers everywhere. So I went in search of another one and picked out a quilt my mother-in-law made for us several years ago. That worked great until our youngest cat peed on it. She's very territorial. I found another comforter, but the cat peed on that one, too. Needless to say I've been doing lots of laundry and have taken to wearing my coat inside the house just to stay warm.

It's my mother-in-law's birthday tomorrow -- she was a New Year baby seventy-six years ago -- and I need to shop for a present for her today. I'll probably end up getting her a gift certificate at her favorite department store. We like to take her out to dinner on her birthday, but the problem is that most restaurants here in Bend are closed on New Year's Day. We might postpone the dinner thing until this weekend.

Sorry about the boring blog post. My world lately has been confined to puppy-raising, which is very restrictive. It's like having a baby and scheduling activities around the baby's routine. Except this baby has very sharp teeth and four legs that get her around very fast, usually to places she shouldn't be. At least she's potty trained. Mostly. There is an occasional accident on the rug mat in front of the sliding glass door to the backyard. She's still learning.

Happy New Year to you all, and I hope you get to read more interesting blogs than mine today. Best of luck to everyone in 2009!

Teaser Tuesday - Mystic Taxi

2008-12-30T07:05:00.000-08:00

The following is a short excerpt from my steampunk urban fantasy work in progress, Mystic Taxi:

Henry parked Mystic at the curb. "Can you answer a question for me?"

"Don't know until you ask." Wanda studied him, one eyebrow raised. "So ask."

"Why do you think I'm a… that I can…"

"That you're a Bringer?" She touched a metal collar around her neck, the center of it dotted with copper rivets. "The voices told me." Without waiting for him to respond, she pushed open the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Damn. It's colder than a well-digger's ass out here."

He stood from the cab and faced her. "Did you say voices?"

She nodded, but didn't look at him. "Comes with the job."

"Of being an exorcist?"

"Yep. They're not literal voices because demons don't have mouths to talk with, but they can think. They think all the time. And I get their thoughts inside my head, which is why I wear this pretty necklace I got on." She touched the collar again. "It keeps 'em quiet until I'm ready to listen."

Wanda Snow had to be the strangest woman Henry had ever met. And though she was tall, her face was that of a girl barely out of her teens. She couldn't have been more than twenty, and yet this child had almost snatched his soul right out of his body. Or half his soul. It would take a while to wrap his mind around that one.

"I tried to capture the demon myself yesterday and it about singed my eyebrows off," Wanda said, smoothing her bangs over her forehead. "I couldn't cut its bond and that made it wrathy."

"What's it possessing?" Henry asked.

"The kitchen oven."

That gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "burn in hell."

Marketing Monday

2008-12-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

What a gloomy, gloomy day outside. It's raining. We had so much snow for several days, and now it rains. That seems so strange to me. Winter means snow, spring means rain, but that's not how it works in Oregon.

The publishing industry is still in holiday mode with most companies closed until January 5. So there's nothing to report this week. Karin Tabke's First Line contest continues and the next announcement of finalists for the 3rd round won't happen for another week.

Okay, I've been thinking a lot about my goals for next year, and I'm hesitant. Will I fail to reach them? I'm trying to put myself in a mindset that it's okay to fail, but if I do that, then I'm giving
myself permission to not meet my goals. But if I don't leave myself the option to fail, then I feel pressured and it stresses me out. Aargh! Maybe this whole goal-setting thing isn't for me. Sigh.

Here they are anyway:

Finish Mystic Taxi by the end of January
Enter MT in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest before February 8
Get a multi-book contract for Knight's Curse (actually, that's my agent's goal, but it's one we share since we're in this together)
Attend RMFW conference in Sept.
Write and submit a novella for Silhouette Nocturne Bites
Write the second book in my Knight series
Write 1000 words a day
Keep up with my blog by posting Monday thru Friday
Lose 25 pounds
Teach Kinsey to run and hike with me

I think that's it. I can add to them whenever I want, right? The thousand words a day thing is a bit ambitious, but I'm really going to try. My days are filled with interruptions lately, so staying in the flow of a good writing session has been challenging. Now, while the puppy is sleeping, I'm going to attempt to add to the WIP. I'm coming up on a scene where Henry and his nephew are hunting ghosts to catch and use as an ingredient for a spell. It will be a fun one to write.

Freestyle Friday

2008-12-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

Tis the day after Christmas, and all through the house, everyone's stirring, including the mouse. Well, we don't have any real mice, but the cats have some fuzzy ones that rattle, if that counts.

The holidays came and went very quickly this year. We had a pleasant afternoon at my mother-in-laws, where our puppy had a chance to play with her dachsunds. Kinsey isn't used to other dogs, so this was a good experience for her. Then my sister-in-law came over with her 3 lap dogs, so there was a total of 6 canines running through the house. The older dogs didn't appreciate being chased by a puppy, but Kinsey will chase anything that runs, and pounce on whatever doesn't. So there was growling and snapping, but thankfully no one got hurt. Kinsey loves her crate, and we have a portable one, so she simply retreated to her "den" whenever she felt uncomfortable. Barking scares her, and little lap dogs bark... a lot.

I managed to reach one of my daughters on the phone, and left a message for the other one, and also a message for my son when my call went directly to his voice mail. Sigh. I just hope they send me pictures of their Christmases.

Today it's back to business. My new computer is all set up and raring to go (it's unbelievably awesome), which is good because I need to work on a logo and a menu. I also have to clean the litter boxes today, and there are 3, one for each cat. Then I get to go to a neighbor's house and check on her cat because she's out of town until Sunday. The cat always hides when I come over, so I never see her, but I know she's there because her litter box is usually overflowing. Ugh.

It's a winter wonderland outside, and the sky is clear and swimming pool blue. I'll try to take Kinsey out for a walk today, but the leash training is a slow process. So far, she freaks whenever I put the leash on her, but she does a little better every day. I'm so glad she enjoys playing in the snow, which will make it easier to walk. You should see the thick pads on her feet! I've never seen anything like it on a dog. They look almost like little pink hooves.

Will I write today? Most definitely. May not be much, but I always write a little of the WIP every day. I'm only a bit over halfway done, which is always the hardest part for me. But I'm still in love with the story, and Henry and Wanda are awesome characters to write.

I hope you all had a fun and loving holiday.

Teaser Tuesday - Mystic Taxi

2008-12-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted since last Wednesday because not much is going on. Or I should say nothing much is going on in the publishing world since it's pretty much shut down for the holidays. Not everything is closed, but most things.

Jessica Faust of Bookends is giving her readers a special holiday gift by offering to critique random pitches posted to the comments section of her December 19th blog post. Unfortunately, a good number of posters don't know how to follow directions and they posted entire query letters or synopses. LOL! It amazes me that thse writers who care enough to read Jessica's daily informative posts are clueless what a pitch is. And twice her post specifically asks for a "one paragraph" pitch. People are posting up to five paragraphs or more! Simply amazing. What a way to impress an agent. I have to wonder what part of one paragraph don't these people understand?

I got some good news last night when I learned I made the cut for the second round of Karin Tabke's first line contest. Yippee! I'm now in the top sixty out of a hundred. So I got to post my third line. Karin is waiting until after the new year to post the results of the third round, and in that one only five entries will be cut instead of twenty. There are some great entries, and I was sad to see a few of my favorites not make it through. Sigh. I'm eager to see how far I get with Mystic Taxi. If you'd like to follow along with the contest results, go here.

Speaking of Mystic Taxi, I have a teaser to post for Tuesday! The following is a brief excerpt from my steampunk urban fantasy novel in progress:

***********************************

Mystic slammed the passenger side door a second time. Then locked it.

"What's with you, Mystic?" Henry grabbed the taxi's door handle and gave it yank. It didn't budge.

"I don't think it likes me much," Wanda said as she leaned against a lamppost to watch. "It's not going to let me in."

"Mystic is a she, not an it." He gave the cab's hood an affectionate pat. "You hurt her feelings."

Wanda snorted. "Feelin's? Who you tryin' to kid? That machine feels about as much as this here lamppost."

"You're wrong," Henry said. Mystic was afraid of Wanda, and he didn't blame her. The exorcist could easily pull Mystic's demon soul right out of the cab and send it straight to Hell. Mystic didn't belong there. She belonged with Henry.

"It ain't happenin', friend. We might as well take the tube." Wanda pushed away from the lamppost and started down the sidewalk, joining the other pedestrians who made up the afternoon rush.

When Henry started to follow, both the taxi's front doors flew open. A few passersby stopped to give it a startled look, then quickly moved on.

Henry grinned. "It looks like she changed her mind."

What's Up Wednesday

2008-12-17T07:34:00.000-08:00

Man, is it ever cold. A storm blew in last weekend and hung around, then the temperature plummeted to the single digits. Gah! Taking a five week old puppy outside at 2 in the morning when it's 3 degrees outside is utter torture. But the little tyke is a trooper and gets her business done in seconds flat. I always watch to make sure her pee doesn't freeze before it's all the way out.

The snow is beautiful, though. There was an awesome sunrise this morning, but it's clouded up again and the wind is blowing. Since it hasn't started melting yet, the roads aren't covered with that grimy gray slush you usually see in a city with lots of traffic. Bend is serene, the lifestyle laid back, and no one here is ever in a hurry. When it's cold, things slow down even more. And because Central Oregon climate is so arrid, our skin tends to freeze-dry in the winter. My nose and lips are so dry I can hardly stand it.

The puppy and I went out last night to buy Christmas cards at the Human Society thrift store. Quite a bargain. Now I have to address the things and get them in the mail so they'll at least arrive close to Christmas day. My heart's not in it, though. We didn't put up a tree, no decorations grace the mantel, no wreath hangs on the front door, and my kitchen doesn't smell like cinnamon and nutmeg. Not a big holiday person, and neither is my husband. I miss my kids and grandkids, and since I can't be with them, I prefer skipping the holiday altogether. Nuff said.

Today will be a busy day. I have client phone calls to return, critiques to do, a puppy to care for, words to add to the WIP, laundry to fold, and I absolutely must get my butt down to the computer store to drop off my old iMac. The big shiny new Mac G5 is waiting for me to get all my stuff transferred over, but I'm having trouble unplugging the old machine. Not technical trouble, mental trouble. I rely so heavily on my computers that detaching any cables or chords is like shutting off life support and I freak out. It's a phobic thing. I seem to be getting more and more of those these days.

My husband and I aren't exchanging gifts this year. We figure the puppy is gift enough. But what I'd really like for Christmas is an uninterrupted day of writing. No other obligations, no phone calls, no visits... That would be heaven.