UNDEAD and UNAPPRECIATED

So my friend Elizabeth Kruger emailed me yesterday about Mary Janice Davidson's latest book, UNDEAD AND UNAPPRECIATED. She's just finished it and said - "The third installment of the Undead series was awesome. Mary Janice kept the action moving and the quips hilarious. As usual, I was laughing out loud in places and read the entire book in record time." WOW! Now that's a fantastic quote!!

I've been a big fan of Mary Janice since reading her Secrets story, JARAD'S WOLF in Volume 8. I'd never read a hero before that was so fantastically original - sexy, strong as hell, and admittedly stupid, he made me laugh out loud in the bathtub the first time I read his story.

So I'm off to get this book. If you are a fan of funny paranormal stories, check out her excerpt here!

Warning from Deirde Knight

It looks like someone is pretending to be Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency, sending out emails to e-published authors with false information.

Check out her blog for details: http://www.knightagency.blogspot.com/

I guess this kind of follows that whole "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is" thing.

Crimson City

Well on Friday, I went and bought Liz Maverick's CRIMSON CITY, the start to a new series Dorchester is bringing out. The line up goes like this:
Book #1: Crimson City, by Liz Maverick
Book #2: A Taste of Crimson, by Marjorie M. Liu
Book #3: Through a Crimson Veil, by Patti O'Shea
Book #4: A Darker Crimson, by Carolyn Jewel
Book #5: Seduced by Crimson, by Jade Lee
Book #6: Crimson Rogue, by Liz Maverick

I'm actually not a huge fan of reading series unless the whole set is out in print already, but I'm finishing up Susan Grant's 2176 series now and loved the first five books (haven't started the sixth). They didn't have to be read in order or all at once, and neither do these. Thank God, because I hate leaving a hero or heroine stuck for six months while the author writes the next book in the line. Liz Maverick and Patti O'Shea both wrote books in the 2176 series - I actually just sent Patti an email a few days ago saying how much I liked her story THE POWER OF TWO. I loved Liz's THE SHADOW RUNNERS as well, so this new offering from her is going to be yummy!

This series is even jazzier, since vamps and weres abound in futuristic LA. A little different spin, for sure. I'll let you know how it goes. The excerpt was rocking! Read it here. Plus how can you resist a back of the book blurb that ends with: "Fleur Dumont is about to meet the one man who may understand her: a tormented protector who’s lost his way and all he loved." AWWW! A tormented protector hero. Gotta love it!

I must say with all these awesome books out, I don't know how I'm finding time to write these days. My To Be Read pile is so bad, the cats have started playing hide and seek behind the stacks on the floor. But I guess there are worse things in life...

Saying NO

One of the reasons I haven't been blogging recently (besides a summer cold and the complete panic attack I had over not being able to write a word for a solid week - yeah, I know - wah, wah, wah - I'm a big baby) is that I have so many extra things I'm doing besides writing that fall under the writing umbrella. You know - judging contests, critiquing new writer's work, being the treasurer of not one, but TWO RWA chapters, helping with a conference, helping with a party at Nationals, and the list goes on. This on top of trying to make a deadline.

As I sat in Wachovia setting up a bank account for the new Passionate Ink chapter the other day, I realize that I really struggle with the word "no."

The fact is, I feel guilty when I say no. Lots of people have helped me along my writer's journey and I want to give back. I don't want to be stingy, jealously hording my knowledge from my fellow author. I want to share like others have shared with me as I’ve gone up the ladder.

I once read in the RWR an article by some famous author (I forget who, but she's my hero) who sent out a letter to her whole apartment building saying that while she writes from home, she isn't going to accept her neighbors' packages, or walk their dog, or pick up their mail when they're out of town anymore. Essentially, she told them all to f-off. At the time, I laughed. Now I realize just how strong she really was and I admire her for it. I can only dream of being so kick ass!

It's hard to know our limits, hard to actually pre-plan enough to say no to judging a contest five months before you actually receive your entry packets. But some how I'm going to need to learn. Part of the problem is I'm just not sure how much is "just right." Of course, being treasurer of two RWA groups isn't "just right" but rather is obviously in the dumb ass zone.

On the way up to the mountains today, my husband practiced saying no with me. He'd ask me a question like "So, you wanna be the treasurer of our group?" and I would answer, "No." Just no, without an explanation that will allow the asker to further negotiate me into a corner.

One day, I figure I'll have given so much that I'll know for sure I've given enough back. Then the guilt will be gone.

But until then, I need to learn to be strong and keep my eyes on the prize --- if I don't sell because I'm too busy doing free workshops or critiquing other authors' work that I don’t finish my own, I'm not going to be doing much eating next year.

Any hints on how to accomplish this would be greatly appreciated, by the way. Post them here in the comments or email me at leighwyndfield@yahoo.com!

Demon Hunting Anyone?

So I just discovered (rediscovered??) Julie Kenner. I read awhile back her Aphrodite's Kiss - I think it was up for an award of some sort at RT so I picked it up then - that was when I'd written one or two words of my first book and wore a little neon sign above my head that flashed "Clueless" as I stumbled into my beginning writing class that RT in Reno. Usually I'm great at remembering these things. Wait, wait, I found it - Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award Winner, Best Contemporary Paranormal of 2001. See? I had it in my mind I bought that book for a reason. And it was great!

But it looks like she's shifted into a new, demon ass-kicking type of book -- CARPE DEMON: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom. Read the excerpt here - scroll down to the bottom if you're feeling confused. I went all over the site, thinking, "gee, there should be an excerpt here, eh?" and then realized I just needed to scroll down on the first page I'd been to. Hmmm... I think I lost my mind awhile back -maybe at that last RT convention. Anyone finds it, let me know.

Can you tell I'm in the middle of a deadline? My brain is fried, the only thing I'm focusing on is "must write this sex scene." (like that guy on the donut commercial - heh) Well, that's not true. I had a nice, long conversation with myself this morning where I debated if 28 pages was too long in between sex scenes for this book I'm writing called SECRET OBSESSION. I usually write about people who keep in bed when not out having adventures, but my characters had some things they needed to take care. These things happen sometimes, I suppose.

I'm wandering again, aren't I? I guess what I wanted to say is that I've got this book ordered through Amazon, and thought all of you may want to check it out! With Julie's impressive writing resume filled with 24 books that are on the shelves or coming soon, you know she's worth a serious read.

The Word on Book Reviews

I have this theory about book reviews -- great ones can help you a little, bad ones are generally forgotten by everyone but the author, and okay ones are never read.

Now if you disagree, I want to hear! So post a comment.

However, I'm not finished, because this is supposed to be a rant, and so far I haven't been very rant-ish.

I've gotten two bad reviews for different books. One was for my first book, TRUE SEEING, and while the rating was really low, the words themselves were really nice. Sadly, that was my first review ever, and so it sent me orbiting around planet Neptune in one of my classic freak-outs.

The second one was for IN HEAT, my second book that is still on the best selling and best reader review erotic lists at Fictionwise.com, 20 months after its release. The reviewer said that while she loved the first half of the book, she could barely finish the second half, it was so awful. That book came out in November of 2003. I can remember reading that review as if it was yesterday. I lost a week of writing after that. I paced the floor and discussed with myself if I should even be an author. I agonized the impact to my sales (of which, there were absolutely none - this is still my all-time best selling book by 150%). I emailed my publisher and asked if I should withdraw the manuscript. I was a mess.

But I'm glad for that review. I owe that reviewer for letting me have that massive slap early on, before I had a book come out that would impact my career more than IN HEAT did. Learning how to take hurtful feedback and go on is a vital weapon in the author's toolbox. For that, reviews are great. And they're an ego stroke when they're good, although a million great reviews can't temper one bad one, believe me.

However, what else do reviews bring us? A writing resume stuff if you're just starting out. Something to put on your book cover and website. Sales? I don't actually think so. Maybe you'll see a small bump for a really stellar book review, but to be honest, looking at daily sales, I saw no decrease or increase for anything except for a mild jump for my RT Bookclub Top Picks. Not enough to even come close to covering the cost of my RT ad, by the way. (In case you were wondering, I'm a complete numbers freak - give me data and I'll start running all kinds of analysis on it.)

Some other truths about reviews from my perspective:

-- Don't worry! No matter how bad your book is, you'll have someone review you high. It's the way of the land, I'm telling you. Think of the worst book you've read recently, then do a search across review sites. Someone will have given it a high score. I guarantee it!
-- The more generic and inoffensive (and boring) the book is, the more you'll see it getting consistent 4 out of 5 review scores. The books that fly up and down on the review scale usually have something interesting about them, something that may cause a reader to love it or hate it. (I don’t think this is the case with my published books, by the way. I’m just trying for love it or hate it and I can’t sell any of those books – LOL!)
-- Some review sites will not review books badly. If the book gets a 2 out of 5, the owner will hand it over to another reviewer to try again. If that reviewer gives it a 2 as well, the owner will email the author and ask if the author wants to withdraw the book. Now I don't know about you guys, but a review site that never gives a low review seems a bit counter-intuitive to me. Aren't they supposed to keep people from wasting their money?

So the long and the short about this rant? Reviews are cheap to obtain, especially when most sites take emailed galleys. So your time isn't wasted. But don't blow their importance out of proportion. They’re a tool. Use them all you can, then lose them. They are, after all, one person's opinion... and we all know that we can't please everyone all the time. Maybe, just maybe, we don't even want to...

Happy 4th of July All!

I've been in the mountains with my step-kids and in-laws, playing cards and doing that all-American craft fair/fireworks/picnic thing. Oh, and playing a lot of Spyro the Dragon with my eight year old step-son. I love that guy. Very relaxing to run around solving puzzles, flaming bad guys and picking up gems. If only life was that easy!!


Of course, what I really want to do is head home so I can pick up a copy of Angela Knight's MASTER OF THE MOON!

Wow! Check out the cover! And the excerpt here. RT gave this a Top Pick, one of many she's received.

As some of you might know, Angela and I were up for Best Erotic Romance of 2004, but she took home the gold for her Red Sage Release, THE FOREVER KISS.

I personally loved her book, JANE'S WARLORD. Fantastic book and I can't wait for another great read.

Stella's Groove is MIA

So today on the way to yoga, I heard that Terry McMillan is getting divorced. Turns out her book, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK (about a 42-year-old woman who went to the islands after her divorce, met a HOTTT 20 year old man and fell in love) was autobiographical. Her now-26-year-old husband, though, is gay. He claims he didn't know when he married her -- she claims he used her to get into the US, since he wasn't a citizen. Regardless, the court just ordered her to pay him 2K a month in spousal support and 50K in his attorney fees (covering his run at her money). I guess his dog grooming business doesn't bring in large amounts of cash. She caught him spending hours talking to a "friend" long distance, hanging out for long amounts of time at his place of business and (this one would be the kicker for me) she busted him having cyber sex on an online gay chat group. Um, yeah. That would be a hint he was gay.

What made me laugh out loud, though, was when the two DJ’s who were discussing this had the following conversation:

Guy DJ: “Wait, so she’s paying him?”
Girl DJ: “Yeah, well, she’s an author. They make a lot of money.”
(I snicker)
Guy DJ: “That much money? I mean, she’s paying to support him and for his attorney fees.”
Girl DJ: “Authors make a lot of money, man. I’m telling you.”
(I begin to both laugh and sob a little at this oh-so-untrue statement.)
Guy DJ: “Really? Maybe I should write a book then.”
Girl DJ: “Me too.”

Which reminded me of this wedding I went to a couple months ago.

Everyone was writing a book. Everyone. And they knew a million people who were also writing books, or selling books, or who had friends who were writing and/or selling books. I patiently asked them what kind of book they were writing. “Well,” they said. “I haven’t really decided yet. Probably something about shoes or something. It’s hard to explain.” Huh. I nodded wisely. “Well, I’ve heard shoes are really in right now,” I said and gulped another mixed drink from the open bar. No wonder so many authors have been alcoholics. Between accidentally marrying gay men, making little or no money even when they’re writing decent books and having every person they meet think this is the easiest job on the planet, what else is there to do but drink?

When Bad Covers Happen To Good Authors

It's sad. Really, really sad when a bad cover happens to a good author.

I'm sure you've all seen this one:

When I first looked at it, I thought, "Hmmm... is that a guy's body? Yeah, but why do they have him lying face down like that?" Then I was like, "WAIT! is that a LEG up in the left hand corner?" At first I thought they were HIS legs, sticking out of his shoulders. Then it hit me, "Ooooh, Noooooooo....."

A friend took one look at this cover and remarked, "It's a shame. The author is SUCH a nice person, too."
"Well of course she is," I responded. "If Billy Joel is right and only the good die young, then it stands to reason that this bad of a cover could only happen to someone one step away from sainthood."


But on to another type of travesty that isn't so extreme.

Let's take this cover:

I bought this book in a Walgreens. I have a policy where if I'm off the beaten track and find a paranormal romance I don't own, I buy it. Walgreens (or the one across town from where I live) has a HUGE paranormal romance section, which is totally cool, so every time I'm close, I stop in to buy another book there. I figure it's so rare to have a paranormal romance outpost like that I should do my part.

That's how I bought this book. It says Paranormal Romance on the spine, but after I got it home, I read the back of the book blurb and it didn't light me on fire. And the cover -- here this poor woman is, in her nightgown, and her washer has exploded suds all over her nice red drapes. I could never bring myself to read it. It just looked so, so BORING. Ugh.

But then a friend said something about how great Melanie Jackson is and I realized I had that washing machine explosion book (it reminds me of that time Bobby on The Brady Bunch becomes a power hungry lunatic and overflows the washer), so I gave it a whirl the other day. It was a wonderful read!! Although as a warning, this is the last book in the series, so you might want to start somewhere else if you're a stickler for that kind of thing.

But based on this cover, no-no-no.

It doesn't seem fair that we as authors work so damn hard and end up with absolutely no ability to change something as important as this, does it? I wish I had some sort of wisdom to impart to make us all feel better, some sort of suggestion on what to do in this situation, or a battle cry to fight for a better cover. But really, I have nothing. I just hope Billy Joel is right and my theory that sainthood is required for a truly bad cover is spot on. I figure with my past, it will be a long time before I get a really bad one. Maybe not until my next lifetime...

High Heel Shoes And The Kick Ass Heroine

So someone said I should talk about high heeled shoes, that they're all the rage these days on people's blogs.

Hmmm... Well, I think I'm up for the challenge. I certainly wear them every day. A couple months ago, I had a group of writers over and my husband came through the room. I went to talk to him (we're having really ugly problems with our windows) and everyone couldn't believe how SHORT I was without my shoes, especially next to him. (If you can't tell from my writing, I like big, tall, strapping men - LOL!) Anyway, I'm 5'3" but with a good pair of heels, I can be 5'6" or even 5'7" - how can you not love that??

But high heels aren't always bliss. When drunk or even tipsy, they'll cause you to fall down, for example. And what's up with these kick ass heroines wearing 4 inch heels and doing roundhouse kicks and whatnot? PLEASE. I tried to jump off a two foot tall rock after my stepson with 2 inch heels on and ended up sprawled across the parking lot like a complete idiot. I mean, I love a kick ass heroine as much as the next gal, but don't you think we should be a little realistic here? She's not running anywhere for long in 4 inch Pradas, ladies. It's just not going to happen (and why would she be wearing that nice of shoes to kill mutant aliens, anyway???!). What's wrong with having a heroine dress correctly to battle evil? I mean, if I was going to go kick some baddies asses, I think I'd dress in my intergalactic military uniform, not a red slinky dress and heels. But then again, I've always been known for being a bit stuffy.