All post

I Once had Stationery Stamped Elf-Extraordinaire!

9:00 PM Add Comment
By Laura Spinella

Just like that! But a deer!
Years ago, when I was first married, we lived in rural Georgia—and by rural I mean a place where our beloved first child, a golden retriever named Daizy, once dragged a deer’s head home. Actually, it was a beautiful slice of the South, set on a lake that made you feel okay about time drifting by. Conversely, employment was scarce (read couldn’t get hired at local newspaper) and I took a job substitute teaching. Now, you may ask, what does this have to do with authors in public forums? Well, not much. Not until I thought about how that first “speaking engagement” compared to one I might take on today.
            In my youthful (read naive) twenties, I could envision myself dazzling an audience, captivating a crowd. It turned out that my imagination produced a better effort than the actual result. I was quickly mowed over by a room full of third-graders. Truthfully, my public speaking skills scored only slightly worse than my natural awkwardness with children. Still, I needed the job. Initially, things didn’t improve much. I choked every time I stood in front of a classroom. I didn’t come across as a teacher, and they knew it, outing me faster than a store-brand Oreo. Eventually, it occurred to me that if I couldn’t be a teacher, maybe I could be a character, one with persuasive credentials.  Welcome to the classroom, Mrs. S., Santa’s all-knowing
Apparently, I was the original elf on a classroom shelf!
elf-extraordinaire. I began each morning by explaining that while my job was to cover the day’s agenda, I was also there on behalf of Santa. I’d be taking names and doing a quick onsite surveillance. Things like behavior, deportment, school work, and attitude would all be reported back to the North Pole. Nowadays, grade-school minds are probably too savvy for the tactic and my methods surely too politically incorrect. But back then, it worked like a charm in Baldwin County schools, making me an in-demand substitute for a teacher.
            Fast forward a couple of decades into a world grateful—and rightly so—that I did not go into education. However, years removed from the experience I found that published author brought me right back around. Clearly, I missed the clause in my contract stating: Oh, BTW, you may get tapped, now and again, to share your knowledge (likely for almost free) on writing, revision, rejection, editorial skills, publishing, self-publishing, promotion while incorporating other areas of interest, including but not limited to agents, editors, and the secret handshake, which is being forwarded under separate cover.
            Surprise…      
In my tenure as a published author, comparatively short when considering multi-published authors, I have been asked to speak about all the aforementioned categories. My first invite was through a continuing education program our community offers. Could I do a one-night class on publication?  Who me? I hemmed and hawed, and pretended to lose the email, which was followed by another email from the diligent coordinator. I imagined it wouldn’t go any better than that classroom of third-graders. They’d point and whisper; there’d be snickering, maybe a spitball hurled at my head. Eventually someone would raise a hand. My heart would flutter in anticipation, only to be dashed when asked, “Do you know if there’s a refund option for this class?” Honestly, I didn’t think my elf-extraordinaire shtick was going to be of much help. But wait. Hadn’t I become something better?  Hadn’t I become something real?  I’d worked hard for that book with my name on the cover. I learned a lot along the way. I had knowledge and maybe even a little insight. Certainly I didn’t qualify as a keynote speaker, but this wasn’t the ballroom of the Ritz. This was a playing field on which I had earned a starting spot.
            I agreed to the class, which was successful enough that I was asked to repeat it twice, and asked again to plan another one for this coming fall. Overall, my foray into public forums has been positive.  Although I cannot, in all honesty, let this blog conclude without mentioning limitations. Since that first class—now three years ago—I’ve adopted a personal speaking rule: no podiums. If the invitation is a podium kind of event, I’ll pass.  That kind of white-hot light is not for me. But if your crowd is casual, and they can handle an offbeat sense of humor, if your agenda includes a desire to learn a little something from someone who can put published author on her resume, then drop me a line. I just might be your gal.  

Laura Spinella is the award-winning author Beautiful Disaster, a RITA finalist and the newly released Perfect Timing. Visit her at lauraspinella.net
               
                    

              

My Decision Never to be Nervous . . . Again

2:00 AM Add Comment
by Sylvie Fox

I used to dread public speaking. Dread it like I’d lose my life if I had to stand in front of a group of people and say something coherent.

Like most teen-agers, my high school required any major research project be accompanied by an oral presentation. This many years later, I can’t remember the topic I had to speak on, but I remember the class: Modern European History. For two days before my presentation, I could neither eat nor sleep.

Then the morning of the presentation I woke up, and gave myself a stern talking to. What’s the worst that could happen, I asked myself. There was no answer I could muster that made all the nail biting, and near vomiting worth it. I couldn't think of a single thing that could cause humiliation or death in a high school classroom.

So in I went, full of confidence, and nailed it. It was one of the most liberating experiences of my life. I was freed from the shackles of fear. After that I've never been worried when I have to speak in public. I just go do it, and usually enjoy it.

But I recently learned all that bravado could be helped by the tiniest bit of preparation.

A few months ago at my local writer’s meeting, the president announced the sale of one of my novels. After each announcement, the author is invited to say a few words. I didn't have a few words to say. Hand to God, I walked to the podium and mumbled something about my son eating carrots. Why, you ask? Because my husband had just sent me a text about the aforementioned carrots.

Did I remember the title of my book? No. The elevator pitch I’d used to sell the book? Nope. The president actually had to pull the announcement from an e-mail and show it to me. I stumbled through that all the while knowing that words were tumbling from my brain. This in front of a group of people who think I make a living from writing lots and lots of words. I’m sure their faith in my writing was in doubt.

Many months later, you can bet when I got up to announce the publication of that book, I remembered every single thing. The title: The Good Enough Husband. The pitch: What would you do if you met your soul mate, but you were already married? Also, I shared the tidbit I’d wanted other writers to know—that you can write a book after having a baby. (I’d had some doubts about that).


I’m hardly the person to dole out advice . But if you were to ever ask what I had to say about public speaking, I give you this. First, vow not to be nervous. Second and last, go out there knowing what in the heck you’re going to say. It makes the first bit a lot easier.


Sylvie Fox Author
Sylvie Fox is the author of The Good Enough Husband. She’s also the author of Unlikely and Impasse, the first two books in the sexy, contemporary L.A. Nights series. Don’t Judge Me, the first book in the Judgment series, releases this summer. When she’s not battling traffic on the freeways of Los Angeles, she’s eating her way through Budapest.

Public Speaking

9:02 AM Add Comment
by Maggie Marr

I enjoy public speaking. I have since I was little. As an adult, I satisfied this desire by working first as a guardian-ad-litem in Cook County for abused and neglected children and then as a prosecutor for the City of Denver in Domestic Violence. Every day I'd enter a courtroom and tell a story. Some days I simply told the story to the judge, other day I told the story to a jury, but either way I was weaving the facts of the case into a compelling story, speaking in front of people, and hopefully getting the win.

As an author my public speaking has changed. There are three categories that my public speaking now falls into:
Panel and workshop and author events/signings.

I love a good panel. I met one of my best friends GBC Alumni Melissa Clark on a panel at the Phoenix book festival. On that panel there was no moderator. We started with two debut authors (who'd met just the evening before), an empty tent, and a microphone. We ended with a full tent and a lot of laughs.

I like workshops when they are interactive and inspiring. I've done Hollywood 101 when I was an agent and now as an author/attorney who works with subsidiary rights. I recently did a workshop that focused on The Writer's Team. In the Writer's Team workshop I discussed who an author needs to work with both as a traditionally pubbed author and and Indy author. I've also given workshops on the similarities and differences between women's fiction and romance.

The author event is this weird hybrid that I experienced when I went on tour. My first book tour I didn't know what to expect and my experience ran the gamut. In a couple bookstores I had a table and an audience and I spoke, read from my book, and signed.  Another bookstore put me in the lobby, right beside the front door. It was like I was a greeter/author/bookseller. I was meant to hook those readers right inside the door and convince them to buy my book--I did this for 4 hours.  Now THAT was a harrowing experience.

Maggie Marr is an author, attorney, and producer. She is the author of Hollywood Girls Club, Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club, Hollywood Hit, Courting Trouble, and Can't Buy Me Love. Hard Glamour the first book in her new Glamour Series is out now and Broken Glamour will be available this spring. You can follow Maggie on Facebook and Twitter. She lives and works in Los Angeles. Please sign up for her newsletter here because she likes to give away books and chocolate.





Keynoting Backspace 2012

4:04 PM Add Comment
by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

This cycle at GBC we're discussing the author in public forums. As has been noted in the comments of Maria Geraci's brilliant post - by me! - public speaking tops the list of human fears, up there ahead of death and spiders. So when the amazing writing forum Backspace asked me to deliver the keynote speech at their 2012 conference, I was immediately both flattered and panic-stricken; the former, because previously they typically had publishing icons like literary agent Donald Maass or bestselling authors like David Morrell give these speeches, and the latter because, well, you know. When I asked how long they wanted me to speak for, and learned it was 50 minutes, panic deepened.

I've done a fair amount of public speaking in my career - my knees always shake - and the last few minutes before going on, I always feel like I'm going to pass out. But before I can hit the floor, I remind myself of one important fact: I'm there because someone asked me, because they thought I had something worthwhile to say. So however I might be feeling, it's not really a hostile room. The people in attendance came voluntarily and want to hear me. So, no pressure, right? Or, at least, less pressure. Still, this Backspace keynote thing felt bigger than my usual top-of-my-head, shoot-from-the-hip, anecdotes-plus-Q&A session with no notes. This time, I realized I'd need an outline, something I could glance at occasionally to jog my memory and so that I wouldn't forget anything important that I wanted to share. What follows then is that outline, which I thought it would be fun to reprint here. (By the way, I did time myself in my basement before going to New York and found I could turn the following into 50 minutes of - hopefully! - meaningful stories, without going over the time limit; it's always been important to me not to exceed any time limits.) Each line represents one or more anecdotes. Oh, and it's in all caps so that I could easily see it on the podium. Here you go:


BACKSPACE 2012

HOW I GOT HERE – JOINED 6 YEARS AGO JANUARY

KAREN DIONNE


SURPRISED AT BEING ASKED


THE KIND OF SPEECH THIS ISN’T GOING TO BE


THE PLEDGE, PART 1: LOCK THE DOORS

THE UNHAPPY WRITER

CHOICES; LIVING CONSCIOUSLY



10 THINGS I’VE LEARNED

1 DON’T CHASE TRENDS OR WRITE BOOKS SIMPLY TO GET PUBLISHED; WRITE WHAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO READ; SET DAILY GOALS


2 IF AT FIRST, OR TENTH, YOU DON’T SUCCEED, WRITE ANOTHER BOOK, e.g., FALLING FOR PRINCE CHARLES – ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD; WE ARE NOT DEFINED BY THE FACT THAT WE HAVE FAILED – WE ARE DEFINED BY WHAT WE DO WITH THAT FAILURE.


3 GATHER ALL THE WISDOM YOU CAN, THEN MAKE THE DECISION THAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU, e.g., THE THIN PINK LINE


4 AGENTS; DON’T WORK FOR YOU OR AGAINST YOU; NOT A MINDREADER


5 HOW TO TAKE CRITICISM: “THANK YOU, YOU’VE GIVEN ME A LOT TO THINK ABOUT”; ALL EDITORIAL ADVICE REALLY COMES DOWN TO THREE THINGS


6 DEALING WITHCOPYEDITORS; STET IS YOUR FRIEND


7 DEALING WITH REVIEWS; THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE


8 YOUR ONLINE LIFE AS A WRITER; YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN EXPERT ON EVERYTHING; DON’T TALK BACK TO REVIEWERS, UNLESS YOU’RE CHARGED WITH PLAGIARISM; DON’T LOOK DOWN ON WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WRITE; DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY WHEN OTHERS LOOK DOWN ON WHAT YOU WRITE; NEVER TELL AN UNPUBBED WRITER THAT ALL IT TAKES IS TALENT AND NEVER TELL A PUBBED WRITER THAT ALL IT TAKES IS LUCK. 


9 KEEPING YOUR MIND RUNNING ON TWO TRACKS AT ONE TIME


10 THE BEST ADVICE: 1) READ, READ, READ; 2) THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN EVER REALLY TAKE YOU OUT OF THE GAME IS YOU

WHAT I SAID WHEN I ACCEPTED THE AWARD FOR BKSP MEMBER OF THE YEAR SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WHEN THERE WERE ONLY 500+ BKSP MEMBERS INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT NEARLY 2000: I’m crazy enough to believe that if people are willing to work hard enough at it they deserve the career of their dreams. So I wish all of you who are trying to break into this insane business success in that insane endeavor, and for those of you who are already in the game, I wish you the career you want it to be.

THE PLEDGE, PART II: “I WILL BE...A HAPPY...RESILIENT...WRITER.”


ANY QUESTIONS?

Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the author of over 30 books for adults, teens and children. Her most recent release is the paperback edition of THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER, appropriate for teens and adults, which she hopes you will buy because she thinks it's the best book she ever wrote. And if you have kids or know them, her nine-book series THE SISTERS 8 is featured all this month at Amazon under Books for Children Ages 6-8 (the books are actually for kids 6-10 but olde kids and even adults like them too). Visit her at www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com or follow her on Twitter @LaurenBaratzL  
 
 

Say Yes to that Speaking Engagement!

3:32 AM Add Comment
by Maria Geraci


As a writer, I sometimes get requests from book clubs or writing associations for speaking engagements. These occasions are always met first with a "You want me?" to a "Of course I'll come!" to "Oh My God. What am I going to say to these people?"

Recently, I was contacted by a lovely person who started off by telling me she had just purchased my latest book A Girl Like You. She said she was loving it and that she was a professor of English at one of the local colleges. She went on to say that she had a masters degree in Creative Writing and a PhD in English and was teaching a continuing education class for the over 50 crowd about the significance of the romance novel and would I like to come speak to her class? And perhaps do a reading?

"You want me?" (I only thought this aloud in my head).

"Of course. I'd love to come speak to your class!" (or something like that).

We exchanged a few emails and she said she would like to take me to dinner before the class so that we could get to know one another a bit. She allowed me to select the restaurant, where we met on a Friday evening. Meeting a complete stranger for dinner can always be a bit daunting (sort of like a first date) but within minutes, I was completely at ease. The conversation flowed. I found out that one of her favorite romance authors was Madeline Hunter (mine too!) and that she wrote poetry and was fiddling with the idea of writing a romance novel. Yes, we were kindred spirits.

Then I asked her to tell me a bit more about the class. That's when I learned that it was a dissection of the romance novel and feminist theory and that...well, a lot of the students were not fans of romance. Gulp.

"Oh my God. What am I going to say to these people?" (yes, I wisely kept that thought to myself).

She went on to explain that I would be speaking at the last class and that their discussion would be centered around Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.  For some reason, this relaxed me a bit. Yes, it's been  years since I read Jane Eyre, but as a writer, there's nothing I love better than to discuss good books, so I was in.

The day came and I packed up a bunch of my books to give away as freebies and drove over to the continuing education center. I was a bit early, which gave me an opportunity to meet a few of the students before the class began. They all seemed genuinely glad to see me. These were people who enjoyed reading. And read a lot. But in my scattered discussions, it didn't seem that they were big fans of popular romance. In preparation for the class, I had thought about what I would read. I've written 2 contemporary romances and 2 romantic women's fiction books, but I'd decided to read an excerpt from my latest work-in-progress which I'd recently completed--a contemporary romance (after all, this was a class discussing the romance novel, so I thought, why not?) They could be my guinea pigs.

I have to admit to squirming in my seat as the class began and the discussion of Jane Eyre ensued. I'm surprised the ghost of Rochester didn't spin in his grave. Yes, I do remember him as a bit of a creep, but modern film has tended to romanticize him a bit and I think my rose colored glasses needed a firm cleaning. They discussed the modern stereotypical romance hero and heroine and how romance was a fantasy. Yes, this might be a tough crowd.

Soon, it was my turn. Then someone came out of the blue and put a mic on me (I've never been "mic-ed" before) and the few times I've spoken into a microphone I've hated how my voice came out. But I tried to ignore the awkwardness of it as I faced my crowd. A lovely, warm, smiling crowd, but nevertheless, these were people who seemed to be eager to hear what I had to say only I wasn't sure that anything I could say would impress them.

I thought I'd start off with the reading, but instead I decided to tell them how I began to write romance. My love of romance novels. How I thought the genre was special. How the character growth in a romance novel was superior to other genres. And before I knew it, almost an hour and half had gone by and no one had fallen asleep. On the contrary, they seemed engaged and asked lots of questions. Then came my reading. I prefaced it by saying that the work had not been copy edited. Heck, it hasn't even been edited yet. But it didn't seem to matter. They listened attentively, laughed in all the right places and in the end, a lot of them said they wanted to read the rest of the book. Yes! (mental fist pump!)

After the class was over, many of the members came up to me to thank me. I found myself smiling and thanking them. Yes, I hoped they learned a little something or maybe I inspired them in some way, but afterward, I remembered why I will always yes to a speaking engagement. In the end, I'm the one who's inspired. I'm the one who learns something. And all that only makes me want to be a better writer.



Maria Geraci writes fun, romantic women's fiction. You can visit her website at www.mariageraci.com


Ten Trends in Book Titles That Keep Me Up at Night

6:00 PM Add Comment

By Karin Gillespie

A few years I wrote a blog post called Ten Things About Publishing That Keep Me Up at Night. Recently book titles have been giving me restless nights.
1.      Wives are the hot new thing: The Silent Wife,(as if), The Shoemaker’s Wife, The Reliable Wife, The Last Original Wife, The Headmasters Wife and The Unwilling Wife.  (Sounds like last Saturday night at my house.)
2.      Husbands, by the way, are not completely left out. One of my favorite books this year was The Husband’s Secret, but a quick check of Amazon reveals wife books are far more popular. Here are some of the husband titles: The Husband School (one hopes back rubs are part of the curriculum) Rent a Husband and The Perfect Husband(a fantasy novel, of course).
3.      Next is that ever-popular genre, wives of famous dead guys. You got your Aviator’s Wife, The Paris Wife, The Traitor’s Wife, The Astronaut Wives Cluband The Wives of Los Alamos.
4.       Not to be outdone, mistresses have also entered the fray, i.e. Freud’s Mistressand Mrs. Lincoln’s Rival. Would this trend work in reverse? How about Madame Curie’s Main Squeeze, Amelia Earhart’s Arm Candy or Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Hottie? Something to consider.
5.      On a related note, before you’re a wife, you need to be a bride. Did you think bride books became passé with the death of chick lit? Think again. For some reason mail-order brides are huge. More brides include The Rancher and the Runaway Bride, Prairie Brides, the Cowboy’s Reluctant Bride, and my favorite, Badass Brides.
6.      Almost everyone knows that Fifty Shades of Grey made erotic romance lit even hotter, but did you also know it has paved the way for a rash of billionaire books? There’s the Billionaire’s Obsession, Forbidden Disclosure (A Billionaire in Disguise), Bedding the Billionaire, The Billionaire’s Wife (two birds with one stone) The Billionaire’s Bride of Vengeance, the Billionaire’s Mistress and let’s not forget The Billionaire’s Pregnant Mistress.(Shrewd move, girlie.)
7.      Before you’re a bride, you’re a daughter, and that’s also a popular word in book titles. You have the Memory Keeper’s Daughter, The Rancher’s Daughter, (What’s up with ranchers? Is that a thing?) The Bloodletter’s Daughter, The Daughter of Darkness and of course, The Billionaire’s Daughter. 
8.       And let’s not forget sisters: Two Sisters, Sisters in Love (Not with each other one imagines), Between Sisters, Twisted Sisters, Weird Sisters, and The Divine Secrets of the Whoopie Pie Sisters. (Yes. That is a real book title.)
9.      Many titles enjoy being a girl, particularly after the success of Gone Girl. You have The Rancher’s Girl (again? It mustbe a thing), Girl Missing, Clever Girl, Mafia Girl and The Girl Who Bit Back. (Maybe because she’s tired of being in so many novels?) 

10.  Finally, related to girl titles are girlfriend titles which include Girlfriends Forever, Secret Girlfriend, One Week Girlfriendand the oh-so-relatable book Life With a Fire-Breathing Girlfriend.

(The last one is my favorite trend considering this is The Girlfriends Book Club.)
How about you? Seen any trends in titles? Share them here.

Karin Gillespie is the author of five novels; three titles have the word dollar in them, one has the word pleasures in it and another one, a co-written novel, has the words “big ass” in it. (No. She does not write money management books or erotica.) Visit her at Karin Gillespie.     



Introducing CJ Carmichael and Her New Book Good Together-- Q&A + GIVEAWAY! by Megan Crane

9:00 PM Add Comment
I don't remember when I met CJ Carmichael.  I know it was through our mutual friend Jane Porter and I know it must have been at one of the Romance Writers of America annual conferences, but when?  I couldn't say.

What I do remember very clearly is last winter, when Jane called me and asked if I'd like to take part in a brand new publishing adventure--YES, I said.  And when she told me the venture in question involved romance luminaries Lilian Darcy and CJ?  YES YES YES, I said.

Cut to May, when we all went to Flathead Lake, Montana, and spent a fantastic week getting to know each other, brainstorming the first Montana Born Books that would kickstart Tule Publishing, and working very, very hard, as you can see in this picture.  That's me and CJ.  It was a grueling schedule!



You can check out the novellas we wrote as a result of our week together here.

But CJ was also working on a longer trilogy of books set in our fictional Montana town, and the first of these has just come out!  Here's a Q&A with CJ about the first in her Carrigans of the Circle C series, Good Together:


What inspired you to become a writer?

Love of books, stories and the process of writing. I began wanting to write mysteries like the Trixie Belden series that I adored as a young girl! Then I read my aunt’s Harlequin Romances and wanted to write those!

What is your writing process?

I  start each story with a central question...something I find compelling. Like...what if you thought you’d found the love of your life, but then you discovered he was married? (Promise Me, Cowboy started like this.)

Another thing I love to do at the beginning of a story is to collect pictures on Pinterest. They can relate to the setting or the characters or other story details, but I have found this a really helpful tool for the beginning of a story.

Something else I do is to create a story chart – basically outlining in very rough form the main turning points (dramatic events) of the story. Once I have that in place, I start thinking about the characters, though I find they don’t fully evolve until after the first draft.

 What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing?

I love to be outdoors, hiking, walking, kayaking, biking...enjoying the beauty of the Alberta Rocky Mountains and also Flathead Lake, Montana—my two favorite places in the world!

Tell us a little about your new book, Good Together, from the Carrigans of Circle C series.
Hawksley Carrigan, owner of the Circle C Ranch south of Marietta, Montana, always wanted a son to carry on the family name. Unfortunately for him, he ended up with four daughters.

Mattie Carrigan’s Story (Good Together)
The eldest of the Carrigan girls, Mattie married right out of high school and moved north of Missoula to live on her husband’s ranch. She and Wes, a rodeo cowboy, had twin daughters who just this fall left for college. At thirty-eight Mattie is suddenly faced with an empty-nest—and the realization that she doesn’t really know her husband anymore.
As Mattie’s life falls into chaos, the only steady presence is her gorgeous neighbor, Nathaniel Diamond. Nat’s always been there for Mattie when things went wrong on the ranch. Why is he suddenly avoiding her now?


Grab a copy of Good Together on sale for only 99c!  Find out more here: http://amzn.to/1cPuxEY


GIVEAWAY: To celebrate the release of Good Together, Tule Publishing is hosting a giveaway! What goes good together?  Hot cocoa, rustic marshmallows and a giant Montana mug!  Leave your name and email here to be entered to win! 
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)