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Stephanie Bond's open journal for readers and writers, updated as often as the muse strikes and Stephanie's writing schedule allows! (Note: If you want to read the steps Stephanie goes through in writing a novel, the first entry is September 20, 2004.) (Click here to go to the bottom of the page and read the entries forward.) Due to time constraints, Stephanie can't address questions about individual writing projects or career issues, but if you have a general question about writing or books that you'd like for her to address here on the Open Book page, send Stephanie an e-mail.
Wednesday,
August 20, 2008 It's fiction, folks (Speaking of making things up, an update on the recovery of a Bigfoot body in north Georgia: It's a hoax. Everybody lied. I'm so disappointed.) ~ Tuesday,
August 19, 2008 Relevant cultural
references
I read lots of unpublished manuscripts for contests and very often, the age of the author comes through in the word choice. It's really important to remember the age of your characters and try to put yourself in their shoes. I constantly have to remind myself that my main character in Body Movers, Carlotta, is thirteen years younger than I am. Not only that, but she grew up in an urban environment, which is vastly different than my own rural background. So I try to be ultra conscious of how she would speak versus how I would speak, to make sure my own voice doesn't intrude. I try to stay up on the youth culture by reading the free newspaper in Atlanta called Creative Loafing. (Most big cities have a free newspaper that covers counter-culture topics, or you can check out www.CreativeLoafing.com.) Also, as much as I dislike reality shows (except for my beloved Project Runway), they are a great source for listening to dialogue between people of all ages. If you write contemporary fiction, no matter what the age of your characters, they have to interact with a modern world. If you're a writer, don't allow a static vocabulary to stand in the way of a sale. ~ Monday,
August 18, 2008 Being close to the
work (P.S.--A big thank you to everyone who came out to Eagle Eye Books in Decatur, GA over the weekend for my talk and signing!) ~ Friday,
August 15, 2008 Another contest! (P.S. I'll be at the Eagle Eye Bookstore in Decatur, GA, tomorrow, Saturday, Aug 16., signing books from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Would love to see you there!) ~ Thursday,
August 14, 2008 Bad writing (By the way, when you follow the link, take a gander at the 'Bigfoot' Trackers Claim They've Found Their Prey story on the right sidebar--apparently a bigfoot carcass has been found just north of Atlanta! So they've found Bigfoot, but no one can find Osama bin Laden?) ~ Tuesday,
August 12, 2008 Reading--a family
affair For me, it was a beloved aunt. I grew up in a remote area of eastern Kentucky where there was no public library and no bookstores. We had a tiny discount store that carried a few children's and young adult books (like the Trixie Beldon mystery series), but I went through those quickly and the stock never changed. When I was in third and fourth grade, my mother signed me up for a children's bookclub, but the books were too...well, childish for me. Enter my aunt Fonda. Fonda was a voracious reader, and knew I was, too. In fact, during one of our family trips to where they lived in Ohio, she and my uncle Kennith took me to every bookstore in the area trying to find the two Nancy Drew books I didn't have in my collection. Every year Fonda would come to Kentucky to visit us and would bring for me big plastic garbage bags full of books--mostly Harlequin romance novels and gothic novels by Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. Those books were perfect for me at age 11 and 12 because while they were adult-themed and used vocabulary on my reading level, they were "sweet," meaning there were no explicit love scenes. Every year when I saw those bags full of books, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It gave me enough to read until Fonda came back the next year. I'm not sure anyone was happier than Fonda when I sold my first book--she couldn't stop smiling, and I was delighted to share the moment with her. But she passed away suddenly a few months before my first book was released. I remember being so sad when I held a copy of my book, Irresistible?, knowing that I wouldn't be able to give Fonda a signed copy. I probably wouldn't be a writer today if Fonda hadn't fed my hunger for fiction. I think those hundreds of books I read when I was a teenager instilled in me a storytelling rhythm that I draw on yet today. ~ Sunday,
August 10, 2008 Page counter (and
more)
http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/moreclicks If you have favorite widgets, send me an email and I'll post them here. ~ Saturday,
August 9, 2008 Beautiful day in the
neighborhood Hope you're having a great day wherever you are. Find a quiet place and take a few deep breaths to bring the world into your lungs. ~ Friday,
August 8, 2008 An amazon-sized rumor In a two-line item as part of their weekly books column, the Independent says that "rumours suggest that Jane Friedman, recently departed global president and CEO of HarperCollins, is about to join" Amazon. Friedman is a LEGEND in the book industry. She recently left HarperCollins (some say pushed out) after an extremely profitable term at the helm. In my opinion, if the rumor is true, it's the clearest indication of a power shift within the industry away from publishers to a distributor/retail outlet. Amazon would've had to cough up some big bucks to lure someone like Friedman to their team. And they wouldn't have hired her if they didn't have plans for her. I'm speculating that it won't be long before Amazon is printing it's own line of books. (They've already distributed a few special projects of their own here and there.) I remember making the comment that we (writers) might all be working for Amazon someday...hm.... (P.S.--A big thank you to everyone who came out to The Book Exchange in Marietta, GA for my talk and autographing! What a great bunch of readers!) ~ Wednesday,
August 6, 2008 Mobile office Tuesday,
August 5, 2008 RWA in SF! The annual conference for me is also a measuring stick for where I am in my career as compared to the previous years' conferences. It's a bit of a "reboot" for me, like the end of a fiscal year, and the beginning of a new one. I always leave the conference having lined up at least one extra project for the year, and I always walk away with new ideas for promoting my career. The workshop I gave on "How to Make a Living Writing Romance Novels" was well-attended, but I was unprepared for how many questions the audience had! We barely touched on the some of the topics from the outline. I'm toying with the idea of asking for 2 hours to teach the same workshop next year! ~ Monday,
August 4, 2008
Me on TV! Monday, July 28, 2008
New book! "Fast paced and wickedly humorous story that skewers fame and celebrity obsession with deadly accuracy." If you’re following the Body Movers series and enjoying my blog, I hope you’ll consider buying 3 MEN AND A BODY for a few hours of entertainment! As a reminder, since the Body Movers series is a "hybrid" mystery series with mystery AND romance, it could be shelved almost anywhere in your book store (general fiction section in Barnes & Nobles, romance section in Borders and Waldenbooks, mystery section in most independent stores), so if you don't see it, please ASK! If you shop online, here's a link to purchase the book from Amazon.com, here's one for BarnesandNoble.com, and here's one for Borders.com. Many thanks for your support! ~
Saturday, July 26, 2008
How to Make a Living Writing Romance Novels
Friday, July 25, 2008
San Francisco bound
Thursday, July
24, 2008 The 2 keys to keeping your
mind young
Dr. Oz says the "major ager" is...stress! He recommended daily meditation and/or prayer to reduce stress. In a pinch, he said to lick your bottom lip, then open your mouth and inhale, deeply and slowing and quietly, feeling the cool air on your mouth as you draw it in. Do that a couple of times for an instant stress reducer in a meeting or, for me, at the post office. And to keep your mind limber to stave off senility, dementia, and even Alzheimer's--Dr. Oz says to do 2 things: 1) follow your passion and 2) teach it to others. The teaching part, he says, seems to be just as important, if not more, at keeping your mind young! ~
Monday, July
21, 2008 My Target signing kit But do you know how hard it is to find cheap luggage? Even the inexpensive stuff is pretty rugged. But rugged means bulky...and heavy. And this bag doesn't need to be able to withstand the rigors of checked baggage. I've looked and looked for something flimsy enough to do the job. And I finally found it! Target has this compact rolling bag for $20 (center in picture). It's exactly big enough to hold a 14"x17" poster in the inside mesh zippered pocket, plus it's very shallow when you turn it sideways (maybe 6 inches deep?) and light as a feather--perfect! LOL, as a bonus, it also comes with a free backpack and toiletry bag, which I didn't even realize until I got home and opened it! ~
Sunday, July
20, 2008 Step away from the light
Friday, July
18, 2008 APC coming to my
neighborhood soon (I hope)
The APC is a kiosk that features a scale and a monitor that walks you through creating a metered stamp for your package, and it warns you up front that it has to fit through the door to the metal bin in the wall. The experience is a little klunky, but it beats the loooooooong wait at my Post Office and dealing with the clerks who are understandably frustrated when I bring in a few dozen packages at once. Now I'm impatient for an APC to be installed at my post office, so I send an email through the "Contact Us" link at usps.com every other day. I've sent so many, in fact, that I received a response politely asking me not to send any more emails. To which I responded that I'd be sending emails until an APC is installed, thankyouverymuch, unless they changed their link to "Contact Us Occasionally." (Can the US Postal Service issue a restraining order on an individual?) ~
Wednesday, July
16, 2008 Observing dialogue I'm not above eavesdropping on conversations when I'm out and about just to listen to how people communicate. Eavesdropping on at least one side of a conversation is easy because so many people walk about with a cell phone glued to their ear, shouting at the person on the other end. Here are a few observations I've made about dialogue that I use in my books: 1) People generally are poor communicators. They meander, use too many words, use the wrong words, and repeat themselves. I can show these shortcoming in dialogue in my book sparingly for effect, but I have to "pretty up" dialogue when I write it to speed things along. 2) Men use about 1/10th the number of words that women use. 3) Men often don't even respond to a question, or respond to a question that wasn't even asked. Women feel obligated to answer THE question that was asked, no matter how intrusive or how incriminating their answer might be. 4) Women "emote" more than men, saying "I feel" or "in my opinion"; men just state things without a caveat. 5) Teenagers don't make eye contact when they talk to each other. 6) If people like each other, they mirror each other's body language; when people don't like each other, they employ opposing body language. Make it a point today to observe someone's dialogue when they speak to you--your coworker, the person waiting on you at lunch, the person next to you in exercise class. What makes that person's dialogue different--their accent? Word choice? Inflection? Tone? Speed? Volume? The number of words they use? And this is a good time to notice your own dialogue tics! ~
Tuesday, July
15, 2008 Feeling bullish (I've heard of writers taking their children's Ritalin when they're on deadline, and some writers have their own prescription for emergencies. At the other extreme, I know a writer who lost her career when the diet drug Phen-Phen stole her focus and her short-term memory.) ~
Monday, July
14, 2008 Putting an idea out in the
universe: Book Kiosks in Malls Why doesn't someone open a book kiosk in the mall? Just a few spinner racks, or a display area small enough for one employee to man. Chain bookstore or independent, you'd think they could make as much money selling bestsellers, books of local interest, and gift books as the people who sell clip-on hair pieces. Borders and other chains already rent out space seasonally in the middle of malls to sell calendars...why wouldn't the model work year round for books in the malls where traditional bookstores have closed? ~
Saturday, July
12, 2008 Harlequin offers "enriched"
eBooks (Reprinted from eHarlequin.com) Harlequin is the first publisher to release entirely enriched eBooks Toronto, ON (July 9, 2008) - Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, announced today the launch of their Enriched Edition eBooks. With this launch, Harlequin becomes the first publisher to offer entire eBooks that are enriched with interactive buttons that hyperlink to Web sites with more information about the content. The launch title, UNMASKED by Nicola Cornick, a Regency-set historical available from www.eBooks.eHarlequin.com, has been enriched with interactive buttons that hyperlink to Web sites containing photos, historical commentaries, illustrations, sound effects, maps, articles and more, bringing the world of the novel to life without the reader having to leave the computer or the current screen page. The interactive buttons have been designed to be unobtrusive, so if one prefers not to access the bonus material, the reading experience remains uninterrupted. By exploiting the interactive possibilities inherent with eBooks, Harlequin is recognizing the opportunity for online reading to enhance the reading experience, evolving it above and beyond the replication of print books. Harlequin will release select Enriched Edition titles from its many series and imprints, but chose to launch with a historical release since the period setting particularly lends itself to the enriched experience. Obscure period details, customs, terms and references become instantly accessible should the reader wish to learn more about the story's context. Enriched Edition eBooks are available at www.eBooks.eHarlequin.com and are being sold at the same price as regular eBooks. ~
Monday, July
7-Friday, July 11, 2008 BODY MOVERS
all week!
All this week I'll be discussing the Body Movers series and 3 MEN AND A BODY (available Tuesday, July 29) on the eHarlequin Forums. (The publisher of the series, Mira, is a Harlequin imprint.) Would love to hear from you! Click here to read the discussion and/or post a comment/question! Do you want to know I develop/plot a series? Writing questions are welcome, too! (If you get lost trying to find the discussion, simply click on Forums across the top of the eHarlequin menu bar, then scroll down until you see a "Go To" button to take you directly to the 3 MEN AND A BODY discussion.) ~
Friday, July
4, 2008 Happy Fourth! It's a serious competition that includes a segment known as Cardiac Hill, but some people have run it so many times, they get creative year to year. It's not uncommon to see people running dressed in costumes or themes. It's just such a big, fun event for the city every year, with as many or more people cheering on the sidelines as there are people running. Good luck and congratulations to all the Peachtree runners! And sigh, I couldn't have run even if I COULD stand the heat--I'm writing like a maniac trying to finish another manuscript. In fact, I might disappear for the next few days until I get this one completed. See you on the other side! Have a great holiday weekend! (I WILL be chatting all next week though about the Body Movers series in a forum on eHarlequin. Come back Monday morning for a link and follow or join the discussion when you can! It's like an open house--you can drop in, scroll through the discussion if you want and/or post a question, then come back later for an update.) ~ Thursday, July
3, 2008 Involve your family If your spouse or children are resentful of your writing career, it's because they're jealous of the time you spend not tending to their needs. And it's hard to blame them--life is good when you have someone taking care of you and keeping you entertained! To reduce friction in your household, invite your family to participate in your career. Go out of your way to involve them and let them know that you don't prefer writing over spending time with them, but that writing is important to you for you to feel balanced and happy. Be magnanimous and approachable, persuasive and inclusive, but know that in the end, you can't MAKE a person be supportive. Unless the person is a toddler, reconsider a relationship with someone who knows only how to take, and refuses to give. Relationships are a two-way street--as your interests change and grow, the people who care about you should be willing to accept and support those interests. But it's up to you to make them feel extra welcome inside your new world. ~ Tuesday, July
1, 2008 Stumblin' in Monday, June
30, 2008 Fire alarms Saturday,
June 28, 2008 Just buy it
Friday,
June 27, 2008 Why we're always
smiling Women who read romance novels make love with
their partners ~ Thursday,
June 26, 2008 How to get the best
deals on books That said, how can you get good
deals on NEW books? Buy within 2 weeks of a book's release. Publishers are most concerned about sales early in a book's sales cycle, so you're likely to get a good deal on a book if you buy it as soon as it arrives in stores. Join a store's membership club. All the big chains and many independent bookstores have special deals for members--readers who take the time to fill out a form and register for the club. Usually there's no charge. Bookstores offer free membership because it allows them to market to you, and they know you're more likely to become loyal to their store if they market to you regularly. If you provide an email address, you'll receive coupons regularly, especially around the holidays. Buy often! Some clubs allow you to earn gift cards and deeper discounts depending on the level of your accumulated purchases. But just shopping more often also exposes you to clearance sales and limited-time offers that might otherwise go unnoticed. Join a mail order bookclub. (Also called direct-to-consumer clubs.) You're probably familiar with Doubleday, which prints its own hardcover versions of popular books and sells them to its bookclub member for less than traditional hardcover prices. Harlequin offers bookclubs for almost all of their lines. I belong to the Mira Books mystery and suspense bookclub. Every month I receive about 4 books chosen for me (which I love because it exposes me to new authors), and I get the books at 30% off the cover price. AND they're delivered right to my door! Check out the publisher's website. Many publishers are now selling their own books and offer great discounts and clearance sales. Sign up for their mailing lists to be notified of special offers. If you shop online, hold out for free shipping! Most online bookstores offer discounts on the cover price of books, plus free shipping if you reach a minimum purchase threshold. Ask for deals! Ask bookstores if they offer special discounts for teachers, students, retirees, etc. Take advantage of regular specials. Many chain bookstores offer Buy 3, Get the 4th Book Free deals at the same time every year, or discounts to educators just before school starts, etc. Want FREE books? Many authors (like me!) run contests on their websites for book giveaways. You can't win if you don't enter! Enter Stephanie's monthly contest. ~ Wednesday,
June 25, 2008 Read for more enjoyment When I hear people say that they don't like to read, I always suggest that perhaps they haven't found anything to read that interests them. I used to be the kind of reader who felt compelled to finish reading a book even if I didn't like it, but not these days. What's the saying? So many books, so little time. I give a book 50 pages, and if it hasn't grabbed me, it goes back on my shelf with a bookmark on page 50. I'll give that book another chance on another day because I know sometimes you have to be in a certain mood to read a certain type of book, but if I pick it up the second time and it still doesn't grab me, it goes into my giveaway box! The point is, there are SO many good books out there. Don't let an unfortunate or unlucky choice of reading material convince you that you don't like to read--keep sampling! ~ Tuesday,
June 24, 2008 New book! “Bond keeps the pace frantic, the plot tight and the laughs light, and supplies a cliffhanger ending that’s a bargain at twice the price.” A shout-out to my husband, Christopher Hauck, who was kind enough to give me a cover quote: "What a great book! I'm
really glad my wife made me read it!" If you remember, the first Body Movers book had a cover quote from another unbiased reader: "This is the best book I've ever read!" --Stephanie's mother What started as a joke when my husband and I created a mock cover for the first book to send to the publisher's art department turned into a marketing hook--my first grade teacher was kind enough to lend a quote for 3 Men and a Body! As a reminder, since the Body Movers series is a "hybrid" mystery series with mystery AND romance, it could be shelved almost anywhere in your book store (general fiction section in Barnes & Nobles, romance section in Borders and Waldenbooks, mystery section in most independent stores), so if you don't see it, please ASK! If you shop online, here's a link to purchase the book from Amazon.com, here's one for BarnesandNoble.com, and here's one for Borders.com. (Strangely, an image loading and saving error resulted in the online stores showing this book with a white cover, but it is, indeed, green.) Many thanks for your support! ~ Monday,
June 23, 2008 "Stacked" book releases Sunday,
June 22, 2008 Repetition sells How many times have you heard about a new TV show on a regular network and then...it's over before you even got a chance to see it? You forgot when it was supposed to come on or you forgot to watch it, and the network killed it after 2 episodes for lousy ratings. Ditto for a feature film that you heard advertise once or twice--it's gone from the theater almost before you knew it was there! To combat this day-late-and-a-dollar-short phenomenon that affects all of us because we're bombarded with SO many images, not only does TNT and USA bombard viewers with advertisements for their shows often, but they also do it EARLY. USA began advertising Debra Messing's The Starter Wife TV movie/mini-series months before it actually aired. Ditto for their new shows Burn Notice and In Plain Sight. Same for TNT with The Closer and Saving Grace. Two months or more of hyping a show and its start-date actually sinks in, resulting in unprecedented numbers of viewers tuning in. So if you're a writer or a singer or a teacher or a preacher, know that repetition is what will sell your product or your idea. Repetition early, and often. Tomorrow: Along a similar vein (and uppermost in my mind at the moment), the benefits of having several books out in a short period of time! ~ Saturday,
June 21, 2008 Atlanta Beltline Tour Thursday,
June 19, 2008 Word Choice Wednesday,
June 18, 2008 It's the little things Tuesday,
June 17, 2008 Book formats Hardcover Also called "hardback," this is a book with a hard cover and dust jacket, and usually features acid-free (non-yellowing) paper, which is why it's more expensive, $22-$25 or more. Petite hardcover A smaller sized hardcover with a lower price point. Also called "gift hardcover," and is popular for holiday books. Price point $13-$20. Mass market paperback Also called just "paperback" or "pulp" paperback or "pocket book," this is the regular sized paperback that most of us are familiar with in the U.S., with a price range of $3-$8. Pulp paper is used, so pages of mass market books will eventually yellow if exposed to light. Trade paperback An oversized paperback; if it features acid-free paper, it's also called a "cloth" or "quality" paperback. Can also feature pulp paper. Price range $9-$16. Premium paperback This book is the same width as a mass market paperback, but is slightly taller, with pulp paper. This format allows for wider margins and a larger font than a regular mass market paperback. Price point, about $10. Petite paperback This book is about 4" x 6" (the size of a photo) and are typically targeted toward young adult readers. Might feature either acid-free paper (makes for a small, heavy book) or pulp paper. More popular in countries outside the U.S. Audio book A spoken abridged (condensed) or unabridged (word for word) version of a book, recorded in a studio. Because of talent and production costs, audio books are more expensive than printed books. eBook An electronic read-only computer file of a book that might be specific to a handheld device (such as the Amazon Kindle), or a more general electronic format (such as PDF), that can be read on a desktop or laptop computer, or on a handheld device. The eBook format is typically priced the same as the most recently released printed format of the book, but is attractive to readers for immediacy and portability. ~ Monday,
June 16, 2008 30 minutes at a time Friday,
June 13, 2008 My Boys return (Spoiler alert.) It was Bobby! And he started the trip off right by upgrading both of their seats to first class. The trip didn't go exactly as PJ hoped however, because Stephanie and her guy argued and Stephanie was the third wheel all week, keeping PJ and Bobby from taking their relationship to the next level. On the plane trip back, Bobby also upgraded Stephanie to first class, so she was STILL in the way. Then she announced to PJ that they should do something big with their lives, and she knew just what--they should each write a book! (I groaned.) Then Stephanie whipped out a notebook and started scribbling, saying she already had an idea. Fast forward to a few days later and Stephanie announces to PJ that she finished her book! (I groaned again--it was beyond ridiculous.) But I suspect that Stephanie, who is deeply in credit card debt, is going to sell her book for a lot of money and that the book will be about all their friends (including PJ and Bobby) to create all kinds of friction among the group. That's just my guess...stay tuned. So, just to recap: Writing a novel should take less than a year (see yesterday's post), but will probably take longer than a week! ~ Thursday,
June 12, 2008
Hamster wheel? Whew--someone get me off this hamster wheel before I keel over! Laughable, too, is the author who said that all writers were grousing about increased production, and how producing one book a year was just too much pressure. Have these people never held any other kind of job? Just more proof that writers are the only players in the book industry who don't treat it like a business. Publishers, editors, and booksellers all do, but writers--not so much. Keep grousing, big name author, about having to write a few paragraphs a day to keep up with your "grueling" contract demands; when readers forget about you and you're cut from the list, the publisher will be able to choose from hundreds of other authors who will cheerfully meet their "demands." This isn't open-heart surgery, folks--this is commercial fiction. Get over yourself. Am glad, though, that the author of this article also interviewed authors who don't have a problem with and, in fact, want to write more than one book a year to grow their audience and to satisfy their loyal readers. Top Writers Feel Heat From Publishers' Presses by David Mehegan. ~ Wednesday,
June 11, 2008
How's it hanging? And it's an image I think about when I'm dreading getting back to a story. If I'm procrastinating, I know something is wrong--I don't have something figured out, or a character isn't behaving properly. My hesitation is usually a symptom of something that needs to be fixed. How do I make myself tackle it head on? I remind myself that until I get in and resolve the problem, I'm leaving my characters "hanging" in midair. Sometimes that image alone is enough to get me moving again. I've been absent from my blog finishing a project--tomorrow, I'm starting another new manuscript! Whew! Hope you're having a productive week, too. ~ Thursday,
June 5, 2008
Losing track of time Am hoping to finish my manuscript late today, so I'm primed for an afternoon writing marathon. Will rejoin civilization this weekend, hopefully. Hope you're having a good, productive day! ~ Tuesday,
June 3, 2008
Give when you shop Monday,
June 2, 2008
"No problem" can be a problem The same is true for most women (writers or not), who are called upon not only to work, but also to be the primary caregiver of their family (and extended family). Toss in volunteering for your children's school, your church, and your community, and that leaves precious little time for your own extra-curricular activities. But here's something I've noticed whether it's inside or outside the workplace: The people who get dumped on most are the people who don't value their own time. How can you tell? They're the person who, at the end of delivering a big project (paid or volunteer), when thanked by a superior or by the person who conned them into doing the work in the first place, they respond, "No problem." I once worked with a woman who was asked by her superior to take on a project that was left undone when a peer went on maternity leave. She knew it would mean a LOT of extra work for not a penny more money, but she agreed, hoping it would earn her bonus points when it came promotion time. For the next few months, she practically slept in her office to do both her job and to take care of the extra project. I saw the hours she put in because my office was in proximity to hers. It took its toll on her health and on her family life. At the end of that grueling time, I was in the staff meeting where the woman's superior thanked her for taking on the extra work. And what was the woman's response? "No problem." I couldn't believe my ears--her superior hadn't been privy to all the long hours she'd put in; by the woman waving off the work as "no problem," she left her superior with the impression that she'd been able to absorb the extra work into her schedule at no sacrifice. (Implying that she hadn't been that busy in the first place.) When promotion time came, she was passed over. Coincidence? I don't think so. By saying, "No problem," she might as well have said, "My time isn't important." The point is, when people ask you to do something that takes your precious time and you agree to do it, it's okay to let them know what you had to sacrifice to get it done. When they say, "Thanks," it's appropriate to respond with something like, "Glad I was able this time around to devote the extra hours to the project that it required." or "I'm glad you appreciate the result because I had to give up weekends with my family to get it done." Maybe verbalizing the sacrifice will help you more carefully weigh future requests for your time. If you're the person in your family/office/organization who constantly gets dumped on, try striking "No problem" from your vocabulary. ~ Sunday,
June 1, 2008
I've fallen in love...with jumping rope! Friday,
May 30, 2008
The things that go by Thursday,
May 29, 2008
3:00 in the morning (Speaking of manic, I realized yesterday that I have 15 books coming out in the next 19 months. Advance apologies to friends and family who won't see me at all this summer. I promise to rejoin civilization in October...ish.) If I seem to be rambling today, it's because I'm operating on little sleep. But despite the sometimes manic nature of the business, I truly love this job. As far as the long hours, I remind myself that there were lots of times I was up at 3:00 a.m. working when I had my corporate job--at least now when I'm up at 3:00 a.m., I'm working for myself! ~ Wednesday,
May 28, 2008
What a pain in the neck A writing friend uses her television as her monitor, which allows her to sit in a chair or a recliner and keep her head up to write. And she says it's great on her eyes because the type is so nice and big. What a great idea! No matter what your occupation, if you have a home office, be diligent about investing in a good chair and other equipment to make it not only comfortable, but injury-preventive. (If you're avoiding your home office space, it might be a sign that it's not conducive to work.) Pay attention to pains in your neck, back, shoulders and legs; take a couple of breaks during the day to realign everything. ~ Monday,
May 26, 2008
Happy Memorial Day Sunday,
May 25, 2008
More than you bargained for? Come on--did you really think it was going to be easy? If it were easy, that would sorely reduce your accomplishment, wouldn't it? If there's something you want to do in life (lose weight? learn another language? travel?), take one tiny step today--maybe that means writing it down or telling someone about it. Maybe that means researching a class or ordering a book on the subject. Writer Annie Lamott wrote a great book called Bird by Bird. It's about writing, but also about life. I heard Annie speak once about where the title of the book came from--her brother brought home a school assignment that had to do with drawing and writing a report on every state bird, which seemed like a monumental task to him. When he asked his father how he was going to do the assignment, his father replied, "Just take it bird by bird." Click here to order. ~ Saturday,
May 24, 2008
Only you can do the research At the conference I attended last weekend, a published writer related the story of attending a workshop in the beginning of her career. When someone in the audience raised their hand and asked, "But where do I send my manuscript?" the writer flatly responded, "I'm not going to do your homework for you." The now-published writer said at the time she thought, "What a witch." But now, years later, she understands the writer's response. It might have seemed a bit abrupt, but it was the best advice the person asking the question could have gotten if she was open to it. What the writer leading the workshop meant is that once the manuscript is finished, there are LOTS of decisions to make:
Frankly, most published authors are so busy with their own work, they don't have time to evaluate your work and help you find a place for it. (You do realize, don't you, that when you ask a published author for help in finding a place for your manuscript that you're asking them to help their own competition, right? We're generally a pretty sharing bunch, but check your expectations.) On the surface it might be nice if someone told you what you needed to do with your finished manuscript...but then does that person really know what they're talking about and do they have your best interests at heart? What if that person is wrong and you waste months or years pursuing the wrong channels? In short, only you can do the research to find out where you need to send your manuscript. The good news is that with the Internet and the explosion of writing groups and conferences, research is easier now than when I got into the business, that's for sure. There is a sense from new writers that veteran writers have a "clique" and that we don't want to share the "secret handshake." But the truth is that a new writer's willingness to do their own research might be the single most telling attribute as to whether they will have a successful writing career. Once at a cocktail party a guy announced to me that he had a manuscript he'd been working on for years, but he "just didn't have the time" to find out where he needed to send it. "So why don't I give it to you and let you take care of it for me?" he suggested. I just looked at him and said, "The thing is, I sort of have my own career to take care of. But wow, good luck with it." ~ Friday,
May 23, 2008
Find a support group When I first started writing, I unwittingly joined an academic, literary writing group. The members focused on poetry and experimental fiction for their own entertainment and self-fulfillment. When they learned I wanted to write, horror of horrors, commercial fiction, they were appalled. And when I told them I actually wanted to make a living at it, they had a collective stroke and promptly held an intervention to try to talk me out of "selling out." I couldn't revoke my membership fast enough. I'm sure those women are still meeting, sitting cross-legged and holding hands as they discuss their latest work of genius. It just wasn't my thing. Can't find a writers group that fits your needs? Start one! There are probably other writers in your area who are looking for the same kind of support. ~ Thursday,
May 22, 2008
Feeling overwhelmed Tomorrow: "I'm not going to do your homework for you," she said vehemently. ~ Wednesday,
May 21, 2008
Setting goals So true! Holly and Susan did a great job of talking about writing career as a long-term experience, over which there will most certainly be ups and downs. They mentioned goal-setting, and Holly stressed a crucial point: Set a goal that is within your control. Holly gave the example of a goal such as "I'm going to sell my manuscript by the end of the year." is not something you can control. But "I'm going to finish my manuscript by the end of the year." or "I'm going to submit my manuscript to six publishing houses by the end of the year." is within your control. Over the next few days, I'm going to talk about how to keep going in the face of adversity. ~ Tuesday,
May 20, 2008
Writing love scenes, cont'd Remember, if you're writing a romance novel, readers will be reading it for the romance and the love scenes. Don't disappoint them! Take the extra time and care to craft delicious love scenes that will make the reader sigh. ~ Monday,
May 19, 2008
Writing love scenes, cont'd
Friday,
May 16, 2008
Writing love scenes, cont'd (This doesn't work for critique groups, though. Next time--how to critique love scenes.) ~ Thursday,
May 15, 2008
Writing love scenes, cont'd Robin says, "I'm leery of writing explicit love scenes because of how my friends and relatives might react when they read the book." I'm SO glad someone brought up this very common concern. Psst, Robin, lean closer. "Guess what? Your friends and your relatives all have sex." That |
way.
Also, a granola bar and a bottle of water, tape, index cards, scissors, pens, and
rubber bands. In short, it's my all-in-one rolling survival kit that I
take to autographings. 
Recently one of the clerks told me that they were
supposed to get a space-age machine known as an APC--an Automated Postal Center,
which allows postal customers to serve themselves! I went on-line to find
the one nearest me and the next time I had the opportunity to be in a car
(usually about once every couple of months), I drove to the post office with the APC to 1) see how close the P.O. is to a MARTA train station (relatively close,
but I wouldn't want to make the trip often laden down
like a camel), and 2) how
the APC actually works.
Today
is the release date for the reprint of 2 Bodies for the
Price of 1 in regular-sized paperback. If you missed it last year
in trade paperback or just prefer the smaller format, I hope you'll check it
out. Book 2 in the Body Movers series picks up where book 1
left off--Carlotta Wren is still working for Neiman Marcus by day and helping
her brother move bodies from crime scenes by night! Publishers Weekly
gave this book a starred review, which I'm very proud of:
by
running light-rail trains, trolleys, and buses on the "beltline," a strip of
land that the city (mostly) owns that was once a right-of-way for the railroad.
The Beltline Project is based on the thesis of a GA Tech grad student who first
proposed that the city use the existing (and mostly abandoned) right-of-way to
build an in-city transportation system, but has since snowballed into a
comprehensive plan that integrates mobility with the parks system, an arboretum,
plus water management projects, while linking all the disparate historical areas
of the city. In other words, the Beltline is the last best chance for
Atlanta to become a true pedestrian-friendly city while refurbishing areas of
Atlanta that most people don't even know exist. (When you fly into
Atlanta, it's clear from the aerial view how much of the city is undeveloped or
under-developed.) If you live in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend that
you
lly
tried this year to be more eco-conscious. I truly believe that everyone
wants to do things that are
good for the environment, but many don't have the means or the time or the space
to do things like install solar shields on their roof or create a compost pile.
And many people don't have access to
recycling centers. Still, I like to do what I can. I don't have a
car, by choice--I use public transportation and I walk everywhere. My
living space is small. I refuse to buy bottled water (I'm still working on
my husband). And I take my own canvas bags to the grocery. I
think it's the little things that a person does that can make a big
difference--especially if we're all doing them. I love this article on
When
I need to jumpstart my writing, I reach for a kitchen timer. I have an
inexpensive model, the kind that clicks loudly as it winds down. I set it
for 30 minutes, and see how much writing I can get done before the bell rings.
Without fail, it always gets me going. I use my timer for working out,
too--I set it on the landing of the stairs in my building when I walk the stairs
for exercise. I use my timer for lots of things throughout the
day--straightening my desk, cleaning, etc. Working under the gun (the
ticking clock) adds an element of immediacy to any task, and gets your
adrenaline going. Plus it's fun! Using a timer is also a great trick
for getting a group to brainstorm the solution to a problem, and for motivating
kids! 
organizations
to help you donate to the organizations you support-simply by shopping!
It's simple--you go to 
a
quality jump rope (I recommend weighted handles) at a sporting goods store and
in only five minutes, get your brain and your blood moving! What's great
about jumping rope is that it doesn't take a lot of skill or equipment, and not
much room. Plus it's portable and you can do it almost anywhere--your
living room, office, on a patio or sidewalk, or even in a hotel room. I
used to jump rope when I was little and have flirted over the years with working
it into my exercise program. My mistake was trying to replace a 30-minute
run on the treadmill with 30 minutes of jumping rope. 30 minutes of
jumping rope is HARD! So now I do it in short segments. When I get
up in the morning, I jump rope for five minutes--that's about 300 revolutions,
at 1 revolution per second, enough to get your heart pumping! Throughout the
day I'll jump for another five minutes here and there. It never
fails to give me a mental boost. If you have little ones at home who don't
understand why you have to work/write instead of play with them, take jumping
rope breaks and get everyone jumping! Another bonus: Jumping rope is
great to get the circulation moving in the lower body--crucial for
those of us with sedentary jobs. You gals might like to know that the act
of jumping actually makes your bones stronger to help ward off osteoporosis.
Tip: When you jump, make sure you land on both feet so that both knees
absorb the impact. For more benefits of jumping rope,
Happy
Memorial Day, everyone! Hope you are flying your flag to honor all the men
and women who serve in the Armed Forces, but especially to honor those who gave
their lives to defend the freedoms we enjoy in this magnificent country of ours.
For some interesting tidbits about the American flag, including proper handling,
folding, and display,
