New Arrivals

It has been an interesting week. A week of extreme highs and lows. The two highs are my new granddaughter - all 4 pounds 9 ounces of her and my new contract from Dramaur Publishing. The lows were just fighting a bug. Nothing new, but it does get you down after a while.

But back to the contract. Two of my friends and I went together and wrote an anthology - three stories - each story is a romance about a shape shifter, in our cases, two dog themed and one cat. We had a ball writing the stories and they sold very quickly so I know the publisher liked them. The book is currently titled "The Shape of Love" and will be available as both a paperback and as an e-book probably some time in February.

This all came about very quickly and we are flabergasted and excited and amazed that it all came about so fast. I had two weeks to write my part of the book - and found out that when under pressure, I can indeed write 16,000 words very fast. Then it sold, the contracts signed, edited and now is in the queue for processing. All just since the beginning of October.

So when you think things can't happen fast - trust me, they do.

And now I have to go get ready for dinner with the other new arrival. Baby Z. joins her big brother D. and the family is ecstatic.
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Tips and Teasers: Make a list of at least five good things in your life. Ten is even better. Put the list somewhere where you can look at it when you need it.

Thought for the day: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." - Darrel Royal

Inspirational web sites

Yesterday I spoke about rejections. When I opened my e-mails today, I found one that recommended a website for authors - one where you can feel inspired. I took a look - and I highly recommend this site to any writer, but especially if you're feeling down about your writing. It's called "Write Attitude":
http://www.writeattitude.net/

Another place you can go is "The Motivated Writer". To really benefit from their help, you need to join their lists, but so far, I'm happy with what I get.
http://www.themotivatedwriter.com/index.html

And finally, Stepping Stones. Though this is a personal website from a writer, she has some good information here. Take a look at the issues. There are good articles on the craft of writing.
http://www.freewebs.com/steppingstonesforwriters/index.htm

You'll note that these are not highly advertised sites. In fact, they're rather obscure. But that is the beauty of them. They offer inspiration and tips and help for writers because they want to, not because it's their business. Well, Motivated Writer is close, but still, it's free. :) I know there are others out there. If you know of one, let me know and I'll post it here. We all need a little help now and then and what better place to find it than from another writer?

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Tips and Teasers: Finish this using: fan, fishing pole, keyboard - And so I trudged off to work, my stomach roiling…

Thought for the day: "He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law." – Orison Marden

Rejections

A topic of discussion on one of my writing lists is how to handle rejections. Though most of us view them in a similar light, what surprised me is how hard some of them hit others.

A rejection is a difficult thing to receive. Yes, I know, we're supposed to be business people and view them as a rejection of our work and not ourselves. I'm sorry. That manuscript I poured my heart and soul into over the past year (or longer) *is* me. So yes, you are rejecting me.

But, that being said, I also know that to be in this business, you have to have a thick skin. A really really thick skin. So what do I do when I receive one? It depends. If it is one that I sent only half-heartedly and didn't expect anything from, I shrug and go on. But if it is one I really pinned all my hopes on - and unfortunately, those are more prevalent - it hurts. I cry a little. Get depressed a little. Rant at the injustice of it all a little. And then I send the manuscript out again. I try to never let the down side affect me for more than a day. I can't afford it. This *is* my business and if I'm going to sell a manuscript, it has to be circulating.

What surprised me, however, was one of the respondents saying she got her first rejection for her first manuscript, and put everything away. She didn't write another word for two years. Didn't submit anywhere else. Didn't do anything with writing. For two years!

I don't think I could go two days without writing something. Okay, yes, I can, but never for as long as two years. And she just recently sent it out again.

So what happens if she gets another rejection? Another two year moratorium on writing? At that pace, she'll never be published. This is not a business for the timid. I'm not saying I have a strong ego - I don't. I've got enough self doubts to fill several stadiums. But I know that nothing ever happens if you just sit still and let the world go by. If I had, I'd never have gotten my first book published. Or the next, and the next two under contract.

So, tell me, what do you do about rejection? How do you handle it? Chocolate? Or ranting? Or a shrug and get on with it? How fragile is your ego?
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Teaser: Write a short short - a complete story in less than 100 words. It must have a plot, character(s), a beginning, middle, and end.

Today's thought: "Writing is a dreadful Labour, yet not so dreadful as Idleness." - Thomas Carlyle

Goal/Reward systems

I spent the afternoon at my son's home - taking care of laundry, listening on the monitor to the new baby, playing with my grandson, and tending to my son who managed to come down with a stomach flu amidst all the hoopla over the new baby.

Through it all, I even managed to get a paragraph or two written. And while I could have written more, playing with my grandson was infinitely more important than the number of words I jotted down. It's fascinating to watch a young child at play. They put their entire selves into the game. While their attention span may be limited, there is no doubt as to their concentration on the task at hand.

But there are times when they are so focused it is difficult to get them to do what they need to. "Put away your toys, it's time to do this..." Most children would balk at the suggestion they do what someone else wants them to do that moment. So most parents have learned to give them choices - very limited choices - You may have the red shirt or the blue one. Which one of those two do you want? Or: If you are quiet until the timer goes off, I will play with you. (making sure not to set it for longer than ten or fifteen minutes).

If only I could be so focused on my writing. But like many others in this profession, a hundred things press in when I'm writing. All those "But I should..." intruders who take time away from your writing. But I should get the dishes done. But I should do some cleaning. But I should go grocery shopping. But I should...

Then there are the "But I want to..." These are even more invasive and harder to ignore. But I want to meet my friends for coffee. We'll talk about writing. Honest. But I want to join my family at the park. But I want to... whatever.

Should do's and want to's are difficult to get around. But if you set yourself a goal - I'll write for fifteen minutes, then call my sister. Or "I'll write two pages then play a game of solitaire." If you set a goal/reward system, you'll have something to look forward to. And you may just find yourself getting more done, and enjoying it more, than you did before.
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Teaser: Pick up a child's book and read it. Really read it closely. What is the story about? What lesson, if any, does it teach? How does the writer get the lesson across in a way that appeals to a child?

Thought for the day: "Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity." - Phylls McGinley

Giving Thanks

To say the past few days have been hectic and interesting would be the understatement of the century. I'm diverging from my usual blog on writing and the writing life to tell a little about just life this weekend.

My son and his wife have been trying for a little over a year to adopt a baby. Friday afternoon, they got a call - completely unexpected - that a baby girl had been born and the parents were putting her up for adoption, were they interested.

In the words of any teen: "Duh!!!"

So in the midst of all the insanity of the holiday weekend, I am now the grandmother of a 4 lb. 11 oz. adorable baby girl.

She's so tiny, but so alert. It's amazing that something so small contains all the hope and promise of a life to be lived.

So during this time of thanksgiving, please give thanks with me for the birth parents for their acknowledgment that they could not care for this child and for all the necessary elements coming together at the right time for her to come to our family.

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Birthdays: Lope Felix de Vega, Helen Santmyer, Shelagh Delaney

Tips and Teasers: Write a brief scene about the first time you did something – rode a bike, drove a car, jumped out of an airplane – and how it made you feel.

Thought for the day: "In the long run, people hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high." - Henry David Thoreau

After

The turkey's been carved, the leftovers are in the fridge, and relatives are either on their way, or soon will be.

So what now? Well, since it's Black Friday, I thought I'd do a little shopping.

Okay, for my friends and family who know me so well, you can get up off the floor now. No, I'm not going out to malls or stores. Nor am I talking about "shopping" on line (though I will probably do that). I'm talking about looking around the wonderful web for websites that are good for writers. That help us get where we want, find what we want, do what we want. So I'm going to list some of my favorite places to go today. Please, feel free to add to the list. In fact, I'd appreciate it if you did. Having information available at the touch of a finger is a boon to all writers. Today I'm going to concentrate on agent and editor searches. Please note that some of these sites require you to be a member of their organization in order to access their lists or to pay a fee.

http://www.agentquery.com/default.aspx (Agent query - who represents what)
http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/ (Preditors and editors - who is or isn't good)
http://www.aar-online.org/mc/directory/viewsimplesearch.do (AAR is the overseer of good rules for agents)
http://www.rwanational.org (Romance Writer's of America has an extensive list of agents who meet their criteria)
http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/agents.html (who to avoid)
http://www.agentresearch.com/
http://www.authorlink.com/
http://www.booktalk.com/default.htm
http://www.bookwire.com/
http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/ncw/litag.htm
http://www.writersdigest.com
http://thewritermag.com


This is not by any means a complete list, it's just what I use on occasion. Feel free to add to the list.
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Birthdays: Shaun Herron, Paul Celan, Gayl JOnes

Tips and Teasers: Symbols or props can be important in a story. Where would we be without the light saber in Star Wars? Holmes’ pipe or Mary Poppins’ umbrella? Do you have any symbolic props in your stories? Can you add them?

Thought for the day: "I believe in discipline. You can forgive incompetence. You can forgive lack of ability. But one thing you cannot ever forgive is lack of discipline." - Forrest Gregg

Catching Up

I haven't blogged for three days. Actually, I've barely written for three days. Having a "bug" will do that to you. You can't think, can't write, can't stand looking at the computer screen. Can barely function. Thank goodness this bout is over and done with.

But I did manage to finish one of the books I was reading for review. Finally. This is the one I wrote about a few days ago - the one that is so slow as to be a chore to pick up. It's actually not a bad book - just not very interesting from my point of view.

And that's what a review is all about. It's a point of view. Not every book appeals to every reader. If we did, there wouldn't be such the variety there is out there. The reviews I write are my opinion about whether or not *I* enjoyed the book - not whether you or anyone else will. I can give you my opinion and what I thought was right or wrong about the book, but then it is up to you whether or not you agree with me and either pick the book up or discard it.

For instance, a few years ago, one of my best friends was so enamored of the book "The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood". She was so enthused about it, she sent me a copy assuring me that I would love it. I didn't. In fact, I disliked it so much, I never finished reading it. The same with "The Bridges of Madison County." Hated it. But that's *my* opinion. Obviously others enjoyed these books enough to make them into movies.

So what do I like? I tend to like fast-paced books (there's that pacing term again), with adventure, strong heroines and heroes, a little romance, a little fantasy, a little science fiction, a little mystery. I like books that take me out of my here and now and put me in another world - one where people struggle - and triumph - over adversity.

I also like a book that ends. Series are great things, but don't leave me hanging. Please. Finish the darned book! Nothing irritates me more than a book that leaves every single thread dangling at the end so you are forced to purchase the next one. And the next. And the next. Trust me, I will NOT purchase those books. If you tick me off with the first one, I won't buy the rest no matter how intriguing the story line.

Okay, rant for the day over.

If you are a person who celebrates tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day, may you have a good day. If you are traveling, be safe. And know that no matter where you are, or who you are, I am wishing all the best for you.
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Birthdays: Voltaire, Marilyn French, Beryl Bainbridge

Tips and Teasers: Think of a time when you had an emotion encounter with another person – whether good or bad - what happened? Use those emotions in a short scene.

Thought for the day: "Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." - Samuel Johnson

Pacing

In one of the on-line workshops I'm taking, we've been talking about pacing. Now I'll admit I'm no expert when it comes to writing about pacing, but I have become very good at picking out good and bad pacing in a story.

For instance, I'm currently reading a book for review. It's a science fiction book with a touch of romance - one of my favorite genres. The characters are well developed and believable. The world building is excellent. And the premise is interesting. All very good things.

But I do not like the book.

Why? Especially when everything looks so good on the surface? Because it's so slow. It is incredibly boring. I've been trying to read the darned thing for three weeks - when I usually go through a book in a few days.

Pacing. In this case, the pacing of the book is much too slow. In a typical book, the pacing is like a stair case - or roller coaster. You build up, then let down a little, then build higher, then let down, then higher, and so on. In this particular book, there is no up and down, or very little. And thus the boredom. It's like watching a sitcom with no jokes or a drama with no drama.

Just as this book moves much too slowly, there are other books that err on the other side. They move too quickly. How can a book move too fast? If there's nothing but upping the ante. They build up...and up...and up without giving the reader any time for down time. Using our sitcom analogy, it would like having a sitcom with nothing but one joke after another. After a while, the watcher becomes tired of constant inanity and switches to another show.

And thus - pacing. There has to be up and down in a book and it has to be strong enough to keep the reader interested.
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Birthdays: William Gilbert, Johnny Mercer, Margaret Atwood

Tips and Teasers: Take a look at everything that has happened in your lifetime and make a list. Pick one thing from that list and write a brief essay on why it's a good or bad thing. Be persuasive. Build a good case.

Thought for the day: "Our earth is degenerate in these latter days; there are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; every man wants to write a book; indeed the end of the world is approaching." – an Assyrian inscription, 1500 B.C.

Just Write

Several of my friends are heavily invested in NaNoWriMo - the November writing frenzy where you attempt to start - and finish - a 50,000 word manuscript in one month. It is a daunting writing challenge which thousands undertake. And like any marathon, there are those who will finish way ahead of the game, those who don't come anywhere near the top performers, but still manage to finish, and those who drop by the wayside.

This blog is for those who drop by the wayside. Or those who decided they didn't have the time to do this so aren't even trying. I have several friends who keep saying they want to write a book but just don't have the time. They have jobs, families, other obligations.

If you're on track, or ahead of the game, you don't need encouragement, though I definitely cheer your success. This is for those who find themselves unable to meet their lofty goal and who may be feeling guilty or blue about their supposed failure. My advice? Quit wallowing.

Okay, so you didn't make your goal. Did you write a paragraph or even a word? If so, that's one more word or paragraph than you had yesterday. You have a story to tell. No one else can tell that story in that way except you. So tell it. Don't let the lack of progress sit heavy on your back - or your psyche. The trick is not to aim for unattainable goals that someone else has set, but to set goals that are right for you. You can't write 3,000 words a day (the equivalent of 12 properly formatted manuscript pages)? So write three pages. Or three paragraphs. Or even one paragraph or a minimum of 100 words. Or a sentence.

If setting a word or page minimum doesn't work for you, set a writing time limit. "I will write for one hour." Or fifteen minutes. Or three hours. Or whatever works for you.

Then write.

Do not play solitaire games. Do not read e-mail. Do not surf the net. Do not find anything to do besides write. Tell yourself this is writing time and stick to that resolution. Then write. And do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. Do not skip a day for at least 28 days. By then, you will have established the habit and you will find yourself writing.

At the end of your month, look at your progress. Don't compare it to anyone else. Look only at what you were able to do. And celebrate. You have accomplished something. You have more pages than you had at the beginning of the month.

And all because you wrote one paragraph. Start today. Start now.

Let me know how you do.
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Birthdays: George Kaufman, Michael Arlen, Colin Thiele, Julian Thompson, A.C. Achebe

Tips and Teasers: For a lark, you go to a palm reader. At first, she smiles broadly, then shakes her head. What is your reading?

Thought for the day: "It's your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude." – Zig Ziglar

Famous Last Lines

We've all seen quotes from movies and books - famous lines that make the movie memorable. But what about last lines? Lines that make the story stick with you days, weeks, even months or years later. I picked out a few below - I've not seen all these movies, but if you say the line, it's something everyone recognizes. That is good writing. Making something memorable. So what are your favorite last lines?

Oh, no! It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.” King Kong (1933)

“It’s a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done. It’s a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known.” A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

Rhett... if you go, where shall I go, what shall I do?
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. – Gone with the Wind, (1939)

"All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up.” Sunset Boulevard (1950)

“Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
“That's right, that's right. Attaboy, Clarence.” It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

“Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home! Home! And this is my room - and you're all here! And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again because I love you all! - And oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home.” The Wizard of Oz (1939)

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Casablanca (1942)

“Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?” My Fair Lady (1964)

“Love means never having to say you're sorry.” Love Story (1970)

“I used to hate the water.”
“I can’t imagine why.” Jaws (1975)

“This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.” Alien (1979) and Alien 3 (1992)

“I’ll be right here.” E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

“You can tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You’ve got to tell them soylent green is people. We’ve got to stop them somehow.” Soylent Green (1973)

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Birthdays: Adam Oehlenschlager, Harrison Salisbury, Astrid Lindgren, Norman MacCaig, PJ O’Rourke

Tips and Teasers: You have been given the opportunity to secede. Design your own country. Don’t forget to include a monetary system, political system, education, etc.

Thought for the day: "To me, writing is a horseback ride into heaven and hell and back. I am grateful if I can crawl back alive." – Thomas Sanchez

Good Books

Have you read a good book lately? You have? What was it? Was it fiction or non-fiction? For fun or because you "had" to?

I've been seeing a lot of statistics lately that say the reading population is dropping. That people don't have time to read anymore. That they're too busy playing computer games to pick up a book. While that may be true, I also see more and more people turning to books just to get some down time. To get away from their work-a-day worlds and enjoy some quiet time.

Every reader should have three outlets available for getting their books - a place to purchase them new, a good used book store, and a good public library. I'm going to look at each of these.

First, a place to purchase new books. Whether that's on-line or in a book store, there should be somewhere you can go to get a new book. I love the convenience of purchasing them on-line - whether a print or an e-book. But going to a bookstore can be an experience in and of itself. You may go in with a particular author or genre in mind, but then you get in there and see all those shelves and all those different books just calling out to you, just waiting for you to pick them up and read them. Whether it's a small corner bookstore that specializes in a particular genre or a large mega-plex chain with a coffee shop and places to sit, you need to go to one on occasion just to experience it. I am one of those people who does not like shopping. At all. But take me to a bookstore and I'm in heaven. I could spend hours there just browsing, and yes, looking at the competition. But still...there is nothing like a brick and mortar bookstore.

Some of my fellow writers will disown me for saying the words "used bookstore" and to them, my apologies, but I still think they are good places. I've found some real gems at used stores - mostly reference works that I could not afford new. But I've also purchased genre fiction there - and the purchases I made often led me to purchase new works by the same author. I look at a used store as a place to experiment and find new authors and to get works I can't get new. I know the authors don't get royalties when I buy their book used, but that's why, if I like them, I then go on to buy their other works new. If I hadn't made that first purchase, I might not have made the others. So I believe it all balances out in the end.

And the third outlet is the public library. Not only can you check out books for free, but you can attend programs, have book signings, and find out all sorts of information you might not be able to otherwise. It's also where children learn to love books from an early age as they are brought to story times and craft days. Libraries are not as heavily used as they once were, but they are also changing with the times. Many now carry audio-books, e-books (and the readers to read them), as well as the usual hard back and paperback fare we've come to know and love. If you haven't been there lately, do yourself a favor and go visit your local library. See what's new there.

Above all, check out a good book - whether you get it from the library, used store, or as a new purchase. There are thousands of them out there. Surely you can find something you like. :)

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Tips and Teasers: Make a list of books you've read in the last year. What did you like or dislike about them?

Thought for the day: "We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may becomes." - Ursula K. LeGuin

Veteran's Day

In memory of my father who served during WWII, the Korean Conflict, and other parts of Asia. This is from his personal memoirs:

One day in WWII, I was working with an infantry outfit in a little village outside of Orleans and the Germans were acting up a little bit. We were walking down a narrow street and the Germans opened up with machine guns. Most of the section troops ducked into a doorway on the opposite side of the street and I ducked into one on the other side. The door was locked and I couldn’t get in and all I was doing was standing pressed up against the door and the bullets were nicking pretty close. I decided that maybe I could get across the street to where the other guys were hiding. The street wasn’t that wide, probably no more than an alley, but it was still open. I got jammed up against the door as hard as I could; took my helmet off so it wouldn’t fall off; got my rifle clutched tight, put my head down and took off across the street. I wasn’t planning to stand there and open the door, I was planning on going right through the door. Just as I got to the door, it opened and I ran through the room and into the wall on the other side of the room. Seems that my buddies had seen me through the window and knew what I was doing. They stood there looking at me on the floor and laughing and asked me “What’s the matter? Didn’t you think we’d open the door?”

Close to the end of the war, we were staying in an old chateau. Rumor had it that it had belonged to Napoleon’s daughter at one time. The Germans had been in there and when they got kicked out, we moved in. Written on the one wall was something in German that took my eye. I couldn’t read German so I wrote it down and got someone to translate it later. It was from a German soldier and said: “To the American soldier who reads this: May we never meet on the battlefield and may you return to your home victorious and I to mine alive."

This is from his book "Memories Along the Tuscarora" (c1991)

"I was thinking of all the parades we have every year and I got to thinking about those forgotten men who sit in a dark corner in some nursing home and, yes, some memories can bring tears. I wrote this about WWI soldiers in 1988."

"The Old Veteran"
Seventy years ago, he was young and proud,
Now he lives in the home, just one of the crowd.
Does anyone remember what happened this day?
Does anyone care as they go on their way?
Yes, he remembers the uniform he wore
As he fought in a battle on a distant shore.
His country's flag he remembers with pride.
He remembers the men who fought by his side.
Ah, it is all past now, and many forgot
That he was a hero, believe it or not.
He carried that flag in Balleau Wood
And on November the eleventh, with it he stood
One of the proud victors of that war.
He remembers this and so much more.
He remembers his friends who died over there,
No wonder he weeps for someone to care.
So give him a smile as you pass him by.
If you have the time, hold his hand and try
to imagine him when he was there.
Try at least to show that you really care.
True, other wars were fought since then
And other heroes there have been,
But that does not lessen his duty there
Of keeping American so free and fair.

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'nuf said.

Dreams and Wishes

My son, d-i-l and I were having a discussion today about dreams. A friend of theirs is about to leave his steady, but less than satisfying job, move his family to a new state and start a new job - one that's being created with him in mind. He is following his dream. We are all excited for him and wish him the very best.

Don't you wish you could do that? Just drop everything, pack up and start over new some place? No baggage dragging you down. A clean slate to start over.

Which begs the question - would you? If you were given the opportunity of a lifetime but it meant moving hundreds of miles away to someplace you'd never been and had no ties to, would you?

As writers, we ask these kinds of questions of our characters all the time, but what of ourselves? When it comes to the tough questions, how do we deal with them? These feelings of anxiety, hope, dread, etc. These emotions? And how do we infuse these deep seated feelings into our characters to make them more real? To make our readers feel for them? When you're writing a sad scene for your character - are you crying? Or laughing with them during an upbeat time? Or quivering with fear while hiding in that closet? If you're not feeling these emotions, neither will your reader.

So ask yourself the tough questions - then remember those feelings and write them down. That is how you create good characters that people will care about.

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Birthdays: Oliver Goldsmith, Friedrich von Schiller, Vachel Lindsay, J.P. Marquand, William Butterworth

Tips and Teasers: Open any magazine to a picture and write a paragraph about what is happening or what is being advertised in the picture.

Thought for the day: "Learning to write well takes time and much effort, but it can be done." – Margaret Mead

A Million Words

Four of my writing friends and I set a goal for this year, an oddball goal, but still a goal. We were going to see if among the five of us, we could write a million words this year. I'm happy to say that as of today, we not only reached, but exceeded our goal and all the numbers aren't in yet.

That means 200,000 words each which is the equivalent of two full-length 400 page novels each. No, we didn't all write two full-length novels. But we did write novels, novellas, short stories, and other work - some of which is already contracted and in production for publication. Some of it is still waiting for editing. And some of it will be trash. But we did it.

A million words.

Wow.

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Birthdays: Ivan Turgenev, Anne Sexton, Erich Auerbach

Tips and Teasers: Take a walk and look at the world as a child would. Listen to the sounds around you. Look at the colors. When you get back home, immediately write down your impressions using all five senses. How did you feel during and after the walk?

Thought for the day: "While plot and theme and pacing and every other element in fiction are important, the really key element in fiction is characters. Because if you've got characters that come alive, they tell your story." – Jean Auel

We Have Liftoff!

Yesterday saw the launch of a new continuity series at Ellora's Cave/Cerridwen Press. With the publishing of L.A. Day's novella "Savage" we are now official. The Hunters for Hire series has been almost a year in the formation and I am honored to be one of the founders of our little universe. My book, "Danger on Xy-One" is the third in the series and will come out January 10, 2008. Because it spans both CP and EC, the heat levels vary from warm to extremely steamy so there is something for everyone. Length varies too, from quickies to full length novels.

For those who don't know, a continuity series is a group of books that all take place in the same universe. They may or may not have crossover characters and each book stands alone. But they all fit under the umbrella of the universe we created for them. We have that universe described in what we call our bible. It started out as twenty pages but has grown to over 200. We have 21 systems in our universe with approximately 161 planets. We've got heroes, heroines, and villains. There are robots and fancy holograms and imaginative weapons. You'd be surprised what you can come up with when science fiction writers start brainstorming.

Below is the prologue from the series. I hope you enjoy. And while you're at it, take a look at the H4H website: www.huntersforhire.net - most of it is still under construction, but if you peek at the book shelf and the coming soon pages, you'll see what we have and what's coming.

Prologue:

Welcome to the Devil’s Pit. Home sweet home. My name is Ulrich Vonner and I run the Web, the base of operations for Bounty Hunters, Inc. You need a criminal found? We will find them. The crime doesn’t matter. Remember that we don’t work for free—our fees are high, but we always catch our man, woman, or whatever species it is that you’re after. Of course, catching them and bringing them in are two different things. We may be scoundrels but we aren’t without conscience.

I started this business fifteen years ago. Hunters come and hunters go, but that’s life. No one lasts forever, not in this business. Each of my bounty hunters has his or her reasons for turning hunter. I don’t ask what they are and I don’t care. They war with their inner demons, carve out a living for themselves, and then they move on—provided they survive their stint as a hunter. I don’t get attached, and I don’t mourn their loss. I learned long ago not to depend on anyone but myself. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, which is the primary reason I deal with the Amalgamation.

Behind every great power is corruption, and the Amalgamation is no exception. However, they do pay well, and I’m not without my own agenda. I fight to survive and to hold on to what little I have left. Bounty Hunters, Inc. gives me a purpose and a damned good excuse to move in the circles I do. It’s said a man is judged by the company he keeps, so what does that say about me? In a galaxy fraught with danger, Bounty Hunters, Inc. will strive to satisfy all our customers—if it’s in our best interests to do so. Though we may wear a veneer of legal process, we are bounty hunters and we hunt those we are paid to hunt. If in the process we bring down those who would do harm to others—so much the better.

What is a bounty hunter? We’re just glorified rogues trying to make the best out of what life tossed our way. The galaxy is not without its flaws or its bad seeds, and that’s what we’re here for—to do the jobs no one else wants.

The best way to learn about Bounty Hunters, Inc. and me is to get to know the people who work for me first. They are good people in their own ways, but if you cross them, be prepared to face the consequences.

Let the hunting begin…

How to be a better writer

No, this is not going to be a lesson in grammar or plot points or characters or setting. Instead, it's going to be a list. A list of tips to help you in your writing life. Feel free to add to the list. Or better yet, make your own.

1. Read. This is so important to a writer. You can't know what's going on in the publishing world if you don't read. Read books, magazines, web sites, anything and everything.

2. There are 24 hours in a day. Surely somewhere in there you can find time to write a sentence or two.

3. Don't be afraid to take risks with what you write. By stretching yourself, you learn to write better.

4. Take a class, whether on-line or in person. Keeping up with the craft of writing is important.

5. If you have a deadline, don't make excuses, make the deadline.

6. Join a critique group. It may take some time to find one that "fits" you, but it can be an enormous help.

7. Keep track of all your expenses. When you do finally sell that novel, Uncle Sam will want his cut.

8. Inspire other writers through your encouragement.

9. Realize that rejections are not a reflection on you personally. They're about as impersonal as a photocopied "Thanks but no thanks" can get. Rant a little. Cry a little. Then get back to work.

10. Pamper yourself. Writing is hard work. Give yourself time every now and then for a little pampering.

And last but not least - keep writing. :)

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Birthdays: Thomas Kyd, Colley Cibber, Harold Ross, James Jones, Jonas Lie

Tips and Teasers: Write an excuse to the writing principal about why you didn’t write today.

Thought for the day: "I write to understand as much as to be understood." – Elie Wiesel

commercials

After spending the day on the road, I am exhausted. So... to that end, I am asking my loyal readers to check out two other spots:

www.zoidland.com - a cute comic produced by my co-blogger (and eldest son), Jeff. And if so inclined, you can buy one of the books - the proceeds of which go to the Make a Wish Foundation.

The second spot is: www.annycook.blogspot.com - a fellow CP author who was kind enough to do an interview on me and a review of my book, Prime Time.

And that's all for tonight. Have a good one all. :)
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Birthdays: Jeff Burkholder, Ellie Buss, James Flecker, Will Durant, Thomas Flanagan, Geoffrey Wolff, Tom Phelan, Sam Shephard

Tips and Teasers: You have planned the ultimate sit-down party. The guests have all arrived and the food is being served – there is just enough for everyone – when an unexpected guest arrives. This person is important and to turn them away would be an insult. What do you do?

Thought for the day: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear." - Mark Twain

What Character Do You want to Meet?

My son, d-i-l and I were having a talk the other night about fictional characters. Like all interesting discussions, we started on one topic and it evolved into something else. Our original discussion was an answer to the question, if you could meet and talk to any fictional character, who would it be and why? Although we were specifically talking about books, the discussion eventually came around to include television and movies.

We discovered that, while there are a lot of fascinating characters out there, there are more than a few we'd rather not meet. For instance, Spike in the "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" series. We all thought he was a wonderful character, but would we like to meet him? No thank you. Especially in his earlier personna. But he is a well-written character. Sherlock Holmes is another interesting character, but he's also egotistical, a drug addict, and conceited. I'll avoid him too, thank you. I wanted to visit with Dumbledore of the "Harry Potter" series, but Nean pointed out that he rarely answered a question. He always made you work for an answer, so that could be a very frustrating conversation. Yes, he made you learn, but still...

From there, our discussion went to the "Smallville" series and we talked about the characters there - how Clark seems too full of himself, Lana is just plain irritating, Jonathan Kent (before his demise) was either too angry or too "aw, gee, Clark, be a good boy, and keep your secret". Martha was okay - nothing about her stood out, which is good in a secondary character. Then there were Lex and Lionel. Especially Lex. If you know anything about Superman, you know he's a bad guy, and yet on the surface, he comes across as a caring person. He is the ultimate villain - and very well written. He's got layers upon layers. A very complex person. He comes from an ultra-rich background, and yet had a very poor upbringing as his father was manipulative and, at times, cruel. Lex's background, and his future, were shaped by how his father treated him. And Lionel's change over the years also add layers to his characters.

And that's what it's all about. Layers. These two characters are the most complex, and the most interesting of the group. And yet, they are the villains.

Many writers fail to give their villains, their antagonists, the complexity needed to make them worthy characters. They are two-dimensional - all evil with no reasons for why they are that way. Granted, if you are writing a story about the ultimate evil - demons, etc., there may be no reason beyond their makeup is evil, but they can have multi-dimensions within that darkness.

The next time you read a book or watch a movie or TV, pick out a character you like - or don't like - and figure out why? Has the writer created a multi-dimensional character with layers? Reasons for their actions? Then check out your own writing. Are you building a solid foundation for your characters to act as they do?

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Birthdays: Lucan, William Cullen Bryant, Andre Malraux, Terrence McNally

Tips and Teasers: Finish this using chocolate, watch, fan, ice: When the lights went out, I was….

Thought for the day: "The real writer will write. He has something inside of him that must come out. If a person has a book in him, he will sit down and write it." – Kurt Vonnegut

November

November is an interesting time of year. For my family, it is the month that holds most of our birthdays. It's also a time to figure out whose house we go to for the holiday, whose family we will be with, and all that wonderful angst.

For many of my writing friends, it is NaNoWriMo -National Novel Writing Month - the month those more insane among us attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in just thirty days. And it is insane. But it's also invigorating and fun and challenging.

Do I do it? Nope. I'm not that crazy. I just spent the last two weeks tearing my hair out over 15,000 words. There is no way I'm going to attempt 50K. Though it is a tempting challenge. I may challenge myself to do as much a I can each day, but not officially. I will be interested in seeing what my friends manage though. :) I wish them good luck.

I'm still waiting to hear from two agents whom I sent queries to about three weeks ago. Out of the four, the first two sent back rejections fairly quickly. I'm hoping since these are a little slower there might be something better coming. But I'm also realistic.

In the meantime, I'll continue to write, to submit, and to hope that one of these days I'll be able to hold one of my books in my hand.

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Birthdays: Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux, Stephen Crane, Hermann Broch, Edward Said

Tips and Teasers: Last night was Trick or Treat night. In your child's bag, you find a note: "Help me. I've been kidnapped." A phone number and partial address are scribbled on the note. What do you do?

Thought for the day: "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." – Vidal Sassoon