On Writing

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    Books and info …

    24 Comments

    So several days ago, I posted about some of the book blogs that I like. Since then, I’ve been thinking about where folks go to get information about books.

    Mostly, I learn about upcoming releases by visiting book blogs or reading magazines like Romantic Times. But what about after that? Where do you go if you want more information about a book or author?

    Most folks would probably say that they go to an author’s website to get info on their books. But you know what? I hardly ever look at an author’s website. It’s just something that I never think to do. Instead, my first stop is usually Amazon. Why? Well, to me, Amazon isn’t just a place to buy books — it’s more like a giant database, with covers, release dates, similar books, and more. The same thing goes for the Barnes & Noble and other bookseller websites. Sometimes, I’ll look up books on Goodreads, but really, I use Goodreads as a database to keep track of the books that I’ve read, rather than to get info on other books.

    I’m weird, I know. LOL.

    I wonder if folks do the same thing that I do — look everywhere else but an author’s website for information. I try to have quite a bit of info on my own site about my various book series, characters, worlds, frequently asked questions, and more. But sometimes, I wonder if anyone ever reads any of the info. Do people even want that much info? Or are excerpts and a book description enough?

    Yes, Virginia, these are the things I think about … 😉

    What about you guys? Where do you get your book info from? Authors’ websites? Amazon? Goodreads? What do you like to see on authors’ websites?

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    First Frost e-short story …

    6 Comments

    Well, I’ve turned in the page proofs so I guess I can announce this now: I’m doing an e-short story for the Mythos Academy series.

    The story is called First Frost and is a prequel to Touch of Frost, the first book in the series that’s coming out on July 26 from Kensington. Basically, First Frost fills in some of the details of how and why Gwen winds up going to Mythos Academy and gives folks a sneak peak at the academy and some of the characters there. It’s sort of like the Spider’s Bargain short story that I wrote for the Elemental Assassin series.

    First Frost is about 40 pages long (around 11,000 words), and I believe the plan is to offer the story as a 99-cent download through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. (Although don’t quote me on that just yet.) I’m told that the story will be released in July. I’m assuming early July since Touch of Frost is out on July 26, but I don’t have a firm release date yet or exactly how this is going to work.

    Now, because my publisher is releasing the story as an e-book, that means that I can’t post it here on my website. I’ll probably be able to post the first page or two as a teaser, but that’s it. We haven’t worked out all the details yet.

    I know some folks will be disappointed that the story isn’t available on my site for free. But I thought letting my publisher offer it as a download would be a really good marketing opportunity and hopefully attract some new readers, not only for the Mythos Academy series but for my Elemental Assassin series as well.

    E-books and short e-reads are really taking off right now, and I think offering the story as a download is a smart thing to do. More people visit Amazon, etc. than look at my website. Maybe having a 99-cent download will convince more folks to surf on over here and try my books. I don’t know, but I figured that it was worth a shot.

    Of course, you don’t have to read First Frost to enjoy Touch of Frost, but if you like bonus material, you might enjoy it.

    I’ll post more details, including the cover, when I get them …

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    Oh, the plots we weave …

    8 Comments

    As some of you know, I am totally addicted to TV. Seriously, I watch waaay too many programs every week, and one of my favorites is Gossip Girl. Now, this year hasn’t been as good as previous years — until the writers decided to hook up rich bitch Blair with Brooklyn boy Dan.

    I am love-love-loving this pairing. Why? Well, for one thing, Blair and Dan have never liked each other, but they’ve slowly become friends this year based on their mutual love of movies and art. It’s been fun to watch them inch toward each other. They’ve always been two of the nicest and most loyal characters on the show — Blair with Chuck (who is an ass most of the time), and Dan with Serena (who is flighty and selfish most of the time). I like the idea that Blair and Dan could be loyal to and happy with each other for a change.

    But really, it’s the plot that’s got me hooked because it’s an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers plot. Romance readers and authors talk about plots all the time — the secret-baby plot, the friends-to-lovers plot, the second-chance-at-love plot.

    There are tons of them out there, but one of my favorites is the friends-to-lovers plot. Why? Because I think it’s one of the most realistic plots. Love (or lust) at first sight is great, but to me, there’s something magical about watching or reading about two people becoming friends, then realizing their feelings have turned into something more. It just makes me sigh with happiness every single time.

    This is probably why I’m also addicted to romantic comedies and all those cheesy TV holiday movies — because so many of them feature the friends-to-lovers plot or a modern-day variation of the marriage-of-convenience plot, which is another one of my favorites.

    So I’m rooting for you, Blair and Dan. May your friendship turn into something more. Even if it doesn’t last, I think it will be entertaining to watch. I just wish it was April and Gossip Girl was back from its spring break already …

    What about you guys? Which TV shows are you digging? Which plots do you love?

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    Letting go …

    18 Comments

    So I’ve been sending out e-ARCs of Tangled Threads to reviewers/bloggers, and a few folks have e-mailed me back letting me know about typos, small mistakes, etc. I’m really grateful for this, and I’ve been able to make some changes based on these e-mails. Even if it’s too late to make changes to the original version, I still pass along the info to my editor so the second and subsequent printings can be corrected (assuming the books go back to press).

    But no matter who it’s from, whenever I get an e-mail pointing out a typo, etc., I always cringe a little inside because I hate, hate, hate that there are mistakes in my books. Argh! It makes me feel like Charlie Brown running up to kick the football and Lucy pulling it away from him at the last minute.

    Believe me, I’ve tried to cut down on the typos and mistakes. I spend days (sometimes weeks) apiece on each round of rough drafts, revisions, copy edits, and page proofs. I probably read through each one of my books at least 10 times (if not more), editing pen in hand every single time. And still at the end when the book goes into print, there are typos and other mistakes that creep in.

    Argh! I feel like I just hit the dirt again, just like poor ole Charlie Brown.

    I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot since I just finished up the page proofs for Touch of Frost and am currently working on copy edits for Spider’s Revenge. I’ve looked at these pages until I can see them in my sleep, but every time I go back through them, I see something else that I could fix or tweak. Sigh.

    I know that I’ve just got to make peace with the fact that my books are never going to be perfect. There’s always going to be some small typo that I don’t catch or a better word that I could have used somewhere — but letting go is never easy.

    I think maybe the next time Lucy pulls the football away from me, I’ll just lay there on the ground awhile and take a nap. At least then, I’ll be well-rested. LOL. Until I get the next round of edits or page proofs, that is …