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The Princess of Dhagabad free for Kindle May 25-27, 2012

2012-05-25T19:28:04Z

Download your copy at Amazon.

And, check out my new blog site, where I plan to move all my contents in mid-June.

The Goddess of Dance GIVEAWAY -- enter the drawing by following the instructions posted on my new blog site.

Interview with Ellen Datlow, award-winning editor of science fiction, fantasy, and horror

2012-05-10T23:02:00Z

I am excited to interview Ellen Datlow -- a legend in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, a multi-award-winning editor of anthologies and story collections. Thank you, Ellen, for agreeing to do this interview.

Q: What you would like the blog readers to know about you. Which anthologies to you regularly edit?

I’m an endangered species: a short story editor of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, although I’ve been concentrating more on fantasy and horror the past few years. The only anthology I regularly edit is The Best Horror of the Year for Night Shade Books. I co-edited The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror for sixteen years with Terri Windling and then five years with Gavin Grant and Kelly Link. I always read for the horror side. They always read for the fantasy side.

Q: Apart from the regular ones (such as "the year's best"), how do you decide which new anthology to work on, and how does the theme get selected for these anthologies?

Usually I’ll think up a theme that interests me, then contact some writers to ask if they’re interested in writing for it (bigger name ones first), write up a proposal and give it to my agent. Then she sends it out and we hope that a publisher is interested and makes an offer I can afford to accept. (this includes paying the contributors at least 6 cents a word plus how much I need in order to acquire and edit the project). Sometimes a publisher approaches me with an idea I like (for example the Poe anthology in honor of the Edgar Allan Poe Bicentennial a few years ago. Also, my editor at Dark Horse suggested Supernatural Noir as a follow up to Lovecraft Unbound, which I edited for them a couple of years previously. As I love the supernatural and love noir it was a natural. I very much enjoyed editing that one. The third way I decide is that someone with whom I co-edit or who would like to co-edit with me comes up with a theme that I like. That’s how Terri Windling and I began co-editing our original anthologies. Nick Mamatas approached me about co-editing Haunted Legends (initially for the Horror Writers Association but that didn’t work out) because he thought my being involved would help sell the antho –which it did.

Q: If possible, describe the overall process of editing an anthology.

There are several different types of anthologies. There are all-reprint anthologies for which the editor chooses stories that already exist and there are original anthologies for which all the stories are solicited. Then there are theme anthologies vs. non-theme anthologies. An all reprint anthology can be based on a theme and/or an historical overview.

For a reprint theme anthology I put out open calls for stories, asking that readers recommend their favorites (eg. my cat anthology Tales of Wonder and Imagination and Hauntings, my forthcoming ghost story/hauntings anthology.)

For an original anthology I make a list of the writers I want in the anthology (leaving room for serendipity, i.e. the unexpected submission received through word of mouth). In fact, asking bigger name writers for stories is a part of the process of selling any anthology to a publisher. The bigger names the better. I cast a wide net among the many writers who I’ve worked with in the past and who I would like to work with in the future. My aim is always to acquire a variety of stories, always pushing against the theme. The closer an anthology comes to being done, the tighter the parameters. So if I realize I’m receiving too many stories about a specific sub-theme, or with similar types of characters, or too similar in point of view, I start urging those writers who haven’t yet handed in their stories to do something else. Several times during the process of acquiring and editing the stories (which can take up to year) I periodically encourage the writers who need encouragement and ask how their stories are coming. Most of the stories come in way before deadline, which is good. I pay as much as I can from the advance on signature of the contract, so the early birds don't have to wait until I hand in the book to get paid. The rest get paid from the “delivery and acceptance” money. Also, there's more flexibility in the type of story I'll buy in the beginning. As the anthology begins shaping up I'm much more careful of repetition in point of view and sub-themes—as I said above.

A couple of months before the deadline I’ve set with the contributors I start nagging, and I also may alert the writers who haven't yet submitted their stories that I don't want any more of a particular type of story.

Also, as I buy stories I ask for an Afterword (if that's the type of anthology I'm editing) and a biography for each contributor.

A month or so before I hand in the finished manuscripts I do the final line edit of each story—although for most of the stories I've already worked with the author on any substantive editing before I've committed to buying the story. But every story gets a final and thorough line edit towards the end of the process.

Q: What is your selection process of stories for the anthologies?

For The Best Horror of the Year, I send out an annual “call for submissions” which explains what kinds of stories I’m considering and my deadlines for that year. I make it clear that this is reprint only and that I’d prefer publishers to send me their anthologies, single-author collections, and magazines. Also, in the letter I explain that in my summary of the year I cover novels, novella chapbooks, non-fiction, art books, and what I call “odds and ends” --interesting things that don’t fit into other categories. I note stories that make an impact on me as I read during the year and toward the end of the year I go back to those stories to reread them multiple times until they drop out of the final table of contents or I take them. On occasion I read a story for the first time and decide on taking it for the Best of the Year immediately.

For original anthologies, after I approach the writers I want for each anthology, I follow up with them periodically (as I mention above) to see how the story is coming along. Inevitably, writers drop out because they don’t have the time to meet my deadline or they don’t have a workable idea. The advantage of asking writers I’ve worked with before or who I’ve at least read and whose work I’ve admired previously, is that usually they will write a story that works for the anthology and that I like or hopefully love. I usually make my decisions on the submissions immediately. If I love a story but think it needs work, I’ll discuss that with the writer. If the revisions it needs are minor and it’s someone I’ve worked with before I will likely commit to the story and send out a contract. But if it’s a newer writer and the story needs more work. I’ll not commit to buying the story until after we work on the story and are both happy with it. Sometimes even after an edit a story won’t be “right” for me. I find that if I’m sitting on the fence about taking a story, it usually means I don’t love it enough to buy, in the end.

The only original open submission anthology I edited was Haunted Legends, which I co-edited with Nick Mamatas. He insisted on having a two week window for open submissions, which we did. But we did this with the understanding that he, not I would be reading those submissions, and only passing on to me the best. So I ended up reading about twenty-five and we chose about five. But none of those stories were from complete unknowns. At least one was by a writer Nick had published. Another was from a writer I had published. And the three others were by writers one or both of us had heard of.

The selection process is always ultimately the same for any anthology. Which stories do I love and must include in the book, what stories complement the other stories and the theme (as broadly as I wish to interpret that theme), and which lend a feeling of variety to the overall selection.

Q: Does it ever happen that an invited story is not accepted, and what happens to the story in such case?

If a story doesn’t work for me or for the anthology I turn it down, saying that. It’s difficult to turn down stories from writers who have become friends (or from really big names) but one must do it. It’s my reputation on the line. Often the writer will just sell it elsewhere. But see, that’s one reason why I hesitate to open my original anthologies. The danger is that there will suddenly be a flood of rejected stories on a specific theme floating around in the marketplace, and very probably being published before my own anthology is published. (because magazines come out more often than most anthologies).

Q: Does it ever happen that you get too many, or not enough stories that fit the theme and the style of a particular anthology, and what do you do in this case?

If I’m aware that too many great ones are coming in, I’ll alert the writers who have committed to the anthology and ask if they’ve started their story yet. If not, I’ll tell them not to. I’ve rarely turned down a brilliant story that came in at the last minute—I’ll ask my in-house editor if we can fit it in (this doesn’t mean I can slip in a novella at the last minute, but usually a short story). If I’m worried about getting enough stories I’ll contact a few other writers in my “stable” and ask if they have time/interest in writing something quickly for me. I may also ask for a short extension on my delivery date if necessary, but I generally give myself plenty of time for drop –outs.

Q: How do you decide on the order of the stories in the finished book?

I feel the first and last stories are the most important in setting up the order. I try to begin with something accessible that’s not too dense or too strange (I’ve made exceptions, at the suggestion of my in-house editor). Last and next to last I try to put in what I consider the strongest stories—or have a really strong story with a grace note of a story afterward. I may put the oddball of difficult stories toward the middle because I feel the reader will accept the strange ones if they’re already engaged by the earlier stories. I vary length—not putting two really long stories next to each other. If I have two stories that bear some similarity to each other I’ll either put them at different ends of the book, or maybe just put them next to each other to compare and contrast their differences and samenesses intentionally. The problem with creating any anthology order is that there’s no guarantee how the reader will read the book. She may read her favorite authors first, skip around to shorter or longer stories, or she may read straight through. I have no control over that.

Q: How is the title selected for an anthology?

Usually the title comes first, as that could be a big selling point. The title for Lovecraft Unbound just came to me-I was influenced by Brian Aldiss’s use of the title Frankenstein Unbound for one of his novels. It seemed to perfectly reflect my intent for my Lovecraftian anthology—not to create yet another anthology of pastiches but to encourage writers to use elements of Lovecraftian literature to inspire new stories. Some titles were agonizing to come up with. The title of A Whisper of Blood, my second vampirism anthology was dreamed up during a five hour ride to and from Boston with my editor David G. Hartwell. The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy was suggested in desperation when neither I nor my editor could find a title we agreed on.

Q: How do you approach the editing? Is there ever a case where you like the idea of the story but there is too much editing and as a result you have to pass on it?

If I receive an interesting submission that I like but don’t think works without total overhaul, I won’t bother with it. At a magazine, it’s different. I had more leeway, as I wasn’t looking for a specific theme nor did I have deadlines regarding specific stories. I could spend the time working with a writer on her story and schedule a different one needing only a final line edit already in my inventory. An anthology has a deadline and my time to work on any one story is finite.

Q: What do you like to read?

I enjoy dark crime novels, dark, twisty novels with complex characters and the unexpected.

Q: What are your upcoming new projects?

I’ve started reading for The Best Horror of the Year Volume Five. Terri Windling and I have a young adult dystopian anthology coming out from Hyperion this October called AFTER. We’ve got adult writers in it, such as Richard Bowes, Jeffrey Ford, and Carol Emshwiller, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Carolyn Dunn , Genevieve Valentine, Katherine Langrish, Matthew Kressel, N.K. Jemisin, and Nalo Hopkinson plus popular YA writers such as Carrie Ryan, Beth Revis, Jane Yolen, Sarah Rees Brennan, Garth Nix, Gregory Maguire, Susan Beth Pfeffer, Steven Gould, and Cecil Castellucci.

I’ve turned in an all reprint anthology of ghosts and hauntings to Tachyon called Hauntings. It will be out next spring.

Terri and I have recently turned in a Victorian fantasy anthology to Tor called Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells.

I have several anthology proposals out right now but the market is tighter than it has been.

Q: Is there any advice you can give to aspiring authors on writing and publishing?

Keep writing. Send out a story and don’t wait for the acceptance or rejection. Start your next story (or novel). Research markets. Start with the highest paying markets and move downwards from there. Publishing a story on your website means it’s “published” whether 5 people read it or 50, 000 people read it. But the likelihood of 50,000 people coming to your website to see your story is pretty low. Take a chance and get your story out there. Get used to rejection. You can learn from them. Never throw out a story. Keep it around and cannibalize it in the future for other stories.

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Guest Interview Post: Angela Korra'ti, author of Faerie Blood, talks about her successful Kickstarter

2012-05-07T23:25:00Z

Hi there! My name's Angela Korra'ti, and like Anna, I was previously published through Drollerie Press. When the rights to my urban fantasy novel Faerie Blood reverted back to me, I chose to pursue running a Kickstarter project in order to republish it, and along with it, Book 2 of its trilogy, Bone Walker. Anna's asked me to come by and tell you all a bit about how that's gone for me, and how other authors may apply my experience to running their own Kickstarter projects.

Let me break this down into a few basic questions and their answers.

Q: What is a Kickstarter?

A: A Kickstarter is a project run on Kickstarter.com, which is the best known of a variety of what are called 'crowdfunding' sites. Crowdfunding is a way for people in various fields of creative arts--publishing, music, video games, you name it--to raise the money to do specific projects by seeking backers directly from the Internet. You attract backers by describing what you're trying to accomplish, and offering various levels of rewards depending on how much money a backer pledges to your project.

Q: What kind of rewards should a Kickstarter project offer?

A: Your rewards should reflect whatever you're trying to create with the project. If you're an author, you should offer at minimum copies of the book, novella, short stories, etc., that you're writing. You could add extra bonuses on top of this such as naming a character after a backer, adding names to your Acknowledgements or Dedication page, or even commissioning extra custom stories for sufficiently high pledges!

In my case, I'm offering ebook and printed copies of both of the books involved, as well as ebook copies of shorter, related works in the same universe. I'm also offering named characters (and in one case, a backer won the right to have a character named after her AND to have that character killed off in a dramatic and important fashion!), listing of names on Acknowledgements and Dedication pages, and extra commissioned work.

And since a big emphasis of my project is the cover art I'm commissioning, I'm also offering digital copies of that, postcard and poster copies, and the actual original artwork to the highest level backers.

Q: Why did you do a Kickstarter instead of seeking a different publisher for your novel?

A: Three reasons for this.

One, since Faerie Blood had been previously published, I had therefore already used what are called first publication rights for it, which would have made it much more difficult to sell to a big traditional publishing house.

Two, I'd already queried the book to most of the major SF/F publishers who accept unagented submissions, as well as to a number of potentially interesting agents. And I'd gotten rejections from all of them.

Three, because while Faerie Blood is more or less urban fantasy, it's a much lighter-hearted urban fantasy than many you'll find on sale in bookstores these days. So it didn't seem to me that the tone of the book fit well with the currently active market.

Q: Why didn't you go with a small press like Drollerie?

A: I could have done that, sure. But I myself have the technical ability to make my own ebooks. My partner has layout and design experience, for creating the print editions of the books. A local awesome bookstore, Third Place Books, has an Espresso Book Machine capable of printing those books--and by using it, I can support the bookstore while creating books to sell. And lastly, I liked the idea of commissioning my own cover artist and editor.

So in other words, I'm pretty much doing everything that a small press could have done for me. Given the number of sales I expect to make once I deploy the books for direct sale after the Kickstarter is over, I felt it was to my advantage to maintain direct control of the process.

Q: I'm an author! Should I do a Kickstarter for my own work?

A: That depends on what your goals are for your writing career. If your ultimate goal is to get your book onto the shelves of bookstores, or if you want to be a Hugo-award-winning SF/F novelist, or if you want to be the next Jim Butcher or Cherie Priest or J.K. Rowling or what have you--then you should still maintain much of your focus on the big publishers. They're still your most likely means to get there.

If however you're willing to take on the work necessary to not only write your book but also to run a Kickstarter, crowdfunding might work for you. But make no mistake, it is work. You not only need to finish your novel, you also need to market yourself and your project. And if like many writers you're a raging introvert, marketing yourself is hard!

Q: Marketing myself sounds scary. How does that work?

A: In my particular case, it's helped that I've had an established (if small) blogging and social network presence for years now. I post a lot about books and music I'm enthusiastic about, in an effort to make my online presence be more about just my work. So I've been sending out regular updates about my Kickstarter progress to my various online channels, but I've also tried to make sure that that's not everything I talk about.

I've also sought out a few ways outside my usual online channels to spread the word about the project as well. I've talked about it at my day job and on various mailing lists I'm on, and I've posted to a couple of public forums about it. But I've also regularly encouraged backers to spread the word themselves to reach people I can't.

Word of mouth is everything in a Kickstarter. But you have to strike a balance between generating enthusiastic buzz about your project--and spamming people about it!

Q: What else do I need to do to start a Kickstarter?

A: I have no direct experience with the other crowdfunding sites, so I'll answer this strictly from my experience with Kickstarter.com.

Right at the very top of their homepage, Kickstarter provides a 'Start your project' link. If you click on that, it'll walk you through the process of setting up a project to submit for the approval of their staff, who will review it to make sure it adheres to general site guidelines before they let you activate the project. You will be asked to provide your overall project description, a list of rewards offered and at what pledge levels, how much money you're trying to raise, and how long you want your project to run for (30-60 days). You will need to provide a static image that reflects your project, and--and this part is important--a short video that pitches your project to the Internet.

Kickstarter's pages for filling in your project are very detailed and very helpful, and they even provide a 'Kickstarter school' help section that provides a number of recommendations for how to tailor your project to make it more likely you'll succeed. I'd definitely recommend reading that.

I'd also recommend looking at successful Kickstarter projects in your area of creativity, and use them as examples. If you know people who have run Kickstarters, ask them for advice. What rewards did they offer? How much did backers have to pledge to get those rewards? How much money was being raised, and how were the project owners using it? If the project didn't succeed, what might have caused that?

Once you fill in all of the data that the project creation pages ask for, then you submit your project. Kickstarter's staff will get back to you in a few days and let you know whether you're approved for launch.

Q: Eek, a project video? Seriously? But I don't know how to make a video!

A: This is one of the cornerstones of putting a Kickstarter project together, so you really can't skip this part, sorry! In this era of YouTube, Vimeo, and the like, having a short video to pitch your project is one of the most effective ways to draw in backers.

Fortunately, this video doesn't have to be complicated. It can be as simple as you parking in front of a webcam and talking about your project--and in fact, one successful Kickstarter that I backed myself, C.E. Murphy's Kickstarter for her novella NO DOMINION, was exactly that. But you should take care to polish what you want to say and how you say it. Write up what you want to say and practice presenting it before you video yourself. Get people to sanity check you as you do it.

If you have video editing experience, or if you know people who do, by all means take advantage of that. Again, look at other projects for examples.

In my case, my partner Dara was in charge of making my video. My contribution to it was to write up a short script about what I wanted to say, and Dara did everything else, from staging the shots of me talking, to doing shots of the in-progress versions of Faerie Blood's cover art, to even going to Third Place Books and getting footage of the book printing machine in action. She then edited the whole thing together in iMovie on her Mac so we could deploy it to the project.

Q: Are there other sites besides Kickstarter that do crowdfunding?

A: Yes! Kickstarter is simply the best known of them since it's the one that has had the most famous successful projects. But there's also peerbackers.com and indiegogo.com, and depending on how you prefer to let people pay you for your work, you may wish to investigate all three to see which is best suited to your preferences and needs.

One thing to note is that Kickstarter accepts payments only via Amazon, while peerbackers.com and indiegogo.com accept payments directly from credit cards and Paypal. You may find that, depending on your likely backer audience, some people may be more comfortable using one payment method or another. I've had people who wanted to support my Kickstarter but who were uncomfortable using Amazon as a means of delivering payment, so I had to encourage them to get others to pledge on their behalf. On the other hand, Kickstarter is the highest-profile of the crowdfunding sites, so you should think about whether that'll balance out possibly losing a few backers who don't want to deal with Amazon.

Q: How is your Kickstarter doing?

A: I'm thrilled that as of Friday, May 4th, I got full funding on the project with eleven days to spare! And I've still got over a week to go. Now that my funding is assured, all of the basic rewards I've offered my backers will be deployed--and now comes the fun of shooting for bonus rewards to offer as well! Like a soundtrack of associated music, or if all goes really well in the project's final days, Book 3 of the trilogy!

Q: Where's your project page?

Right over here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1959034636/faerie-blood-and-bone-walker-novels-by-angela-korr

Even though I've achieved full funding, the project will remain active until May 16th, so pledges can still be made! I hope you'll consider coming over to check the project out.

Many, many thanks to Anna Kashina for hosting this post! I'll be happy to answer any further questions about the project, so feel free to drop any questions you have in the comments, or come find me at angelakorrati.com!

Thank you, Anna Korra'ti, for telling about the Kickstarter, and congratulations on the success of yours! I look forward to reading your book series!

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The Princess of Dhagabad giveaway: thanks to everyone who participated!

2012-05-07T10:51:00Z

Thanks, everyone, for visiting my page and downloading my book during the weekend promotion. The giveaway was a whooping success!

If you read my book and like it -- please help me spread the word, by reviewing, blogging, sharing, tweeting, and word of mouth. Don't forget to visit Dragonwell Publishing bookstore, and 'like' Dragonwell on Facebook!

And, watch this space for more freebies and upcoming posts.

Thank you for reading.

Princess of Dhagabad on Kindle FREE for two days!

2012-05-05T11:56:00Z

Today and tomorrow only, download a FREE copy of the Princess of Dhagabad on Kindle at Amazon.

Doing so will make you eligible for a drawing to win an autographed pre-release copy of The Goddess of Dance!!!

To enter the drawing for the Goddess of Dance*:

1. Download a free Kindle copy of the Princess of Dhagabad from the Amazon store
2. Sign up for the Dragonwell Publishing newsletter at www.dragonwellpublishing.com /> 3. Contact me by leaving a comment on this blog or e-mailing me at akashina(at)yahoo(dot)com

Please help spread the word by posting on your blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere.

(*no purchase necessary for an eligible entry)

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Small Press: What to expect from your publisher

2012-05-01T23:13:00Z

OK, now that you have signed that contract, it is time to relax. The decision is made. Whew.

But is this decision a good one? How can you tell if your book is in good hands? How can you tell if your publisher is good at what she does?

Here is what you can expect from a good small press publisher after the contract is signed but before publication:

1. Prompt and friendly responses to e-mails (but please try not to overdo it on your side).

2. Upfront information on the realistic time frame for your publication, and the ability to follow through on a schedule that is close to this time frame

3. Periodic updates on how the work on your title is progressing

4. Opportunities to provide in-progress feedback on editing and to discuss all the edits on the manuscript in a timely manner

5. Opportunities to give feedback on cover art choices

6. Updates on your book's promotional efforts and full support for promotional initiatives on your part

Cover art is a sensitive matter with small presses. Most cannot afford (or don't want to invest into) professional cover art. Many small presses do very cheap in-house jobs with collages of public domain clip art and photos. If cover art quality is important to you, browse this publisher's titles before deciding. And, feel free to ask your publisher upfront about the plans for yours.

Here is what your publisher probably won't be able to do:

1. Answer multiple e-mails every day

2. Provide constant and extensive reassurances about the quality of your writing and other types of emotional interactions throughout the publication process

3. Accommodate detailed requests about the cover art, design, typesetting, and print formats. Ultimately, it's the publisher's choice how to package your title, but good publishers will listen to the authors as they make these decisions.

4. Guarantee a review in any specific venue. See my next post on getting the book reviewed.

In summary, you should know what to expect from your publisher, and what is too much to ask. Of course, after you already signed the contract, it is too late to walk away as long as your publisher is fulfilling all the points of the contract that appear on paper. But -- this is what places like Preditors and Editors, and Writers Beware are for. If you have a bad experience with your publisher -- tell them. Warn the others.

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Choosing a small press

2012-04-25T22:41:00Z

Let's face it -- once we are exhausted with rejection slips from agents and publishers, once we have decided to explore other venues, an acceptance from a small press seems like haven. Finally, all the worries are over. Finally, *someone* likes my book and is willing to take it!

But even in this elated state, it is good to remember than any author should exercise caution. There are many small presses out there, and a lot of them don't stay in business for long. There are even more with a track record of poor contracts, bad interactions with authors, hidden fees -- you name it. So, before you rush into that contract -- do your research.

The first thing you absolutely need to do is Google the small press and see what comes up. Complaints? Bad deals? Poor contract clauses? If any of this ever happened to an author, it is guaranteed to find its way onto the Internet. Don't ignore this resource.

Another good place to check is Preditors and Editors (misspelling intentional). It is not always completely up to date, but usually all the red flags find their way onto the P&E pages.

A resource that has always proved invaluable to me is Writers Beware, associated with Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. They always respond, always have up-to-date information, and are overall extremely helpful to aspiring authors.

If you find no bad things about your publisher in these three places, you are up to a good start. However, things can still go wrong. So, you should take time to discuss the contract and everything else you can think of with your publisher. Publication date? Print and e-formats? Marketing plans? Cover art? I know it seems way too early to think of these things before even signing up (and it is difficult to cope with the fear of rejection even after you have already received an offer), but these things are important. They can make it or break it for you in the long run.

Remember: every publisher receives hundreds of submissions, most of them bad. So, they are just as happy to have found you as you to have found them. They will not drop you just because you ask too many questions. And if they do -- do you really want to deal with them?...

So, exercise caution, do your research -- and, most importantly, never give up!

Good luck!
__________________________
PS: I plan to do a series of posts on small presses and self-publishing, so please watch this space and sign up to follow my blog if you want to read more. Or, 'Like' me on Facebook to receive updates through Networked Blogs.

The Goddess of Dance publication date announced!

2012-03-16T21:13:33Z

Dragonwell Publishing has announced the date for the release of The Goddess of Dance: August 30 2012!

It will feature beautiful cover art by Stephen Hickman that really captures the essence of the book.

Check out the book at the publisher's web site, and watch this space for future updates.

The Princess of Dhagabad out from Dragonwell Publishing!

2012-03-05T21:36:48Z

I am exited to announce the release of my book, The Princess of Dhagabad, from Dragonwell Publishing. Please visit the publisher's web site for buying information and review quotations, or check it out at amazon, where it is currently available in a beautiful trade paperback edition as well as in the Kindle store.

Featuring beautiful cover art by Stephen Hickman.

The Kindle edition is currently available for free download for Amazon Prime members. If you have Prime membership, please help promote my book by downloading it for free. You can sign up for a free Prime membership to do it!

Post a review and enter into a drawing to win a signed copy of The Princess of Dhagabad.

Its sequel, The Goddess of Dance, is, scheduled for a June 2012 release!

Paypal, censorship, and freedom of speech

2012-03-02T16:23:17Z

Should a payment processing company dictate what you do in your leisure time? Should it control what you purchase and read?

Paypal thinks so.

According to their new guidelines, issued on February 18, booksellers may not use their paypal accounts to sell works of fiction that include sexual fantasies containing themes and implied scenarios of: pseudo-incest (including “daddy” fantasies, step-family), incest, fantasies about non-consensual sex or rape, bestiality (widened to include non-human fantasy creatures), and sadomasochism.

Many online booksellers submitted to this policy and pulled books by independent authors from their stores. Some, like Smashwords, went further and banished event paranormal romance that includes shape-shifters - if the shape-shifters were to have sex in their non-human forms.

These guidelines would immediately ban books by Vladimir Nabokov, Henry Miller, Marquis de Sade, and a large number of others. What hurts most is that they would arm-wrestle many new authors from ever getting a chance at a publication. If your book ever mentions rape, or even a forced marriage, it seems that Smashwords would not be willing to take chances with you.

As stated, these guidelines could in principle be applied to a very large number of currently published books, including Romeo and Juliet (an implied sexual relationship between minors), George R.R. Martin (a realistic fantasy saga about the medieval society that mentions forced marriages, rape, etc.), Memoir of a Geisha (training an underage girl in the art of sex)... and even the Bible.

If the publishing world goes along with it, this would be an unprecedented first step into the world of censorship, the end of free speech, and, sometime in the future... burning books, perhaps?

Paypal has a monopoly in the e-payments zone, and one would think they should be content with the money they are making, and stick to what they are good at -- facilitating payments. But censoring literature? Changing the things we read and write?...

I hope not.

Blog Tour: Marlene Dotterer, the author of Shipbuilder.

2011-09-04T02:03:51Z

Today I am happy to host a guest post by Marlene Dotterer, whose first novel, "Shipbuilder", has just been released this weekend.

Imagine being there before the Titanic set sail.

Now imagine being there before she’s even built.

Sam Altair is a physicist living in Belfast, Ireland. He has spent his career researching time travel and now, in early 2006, he’s finally reached the point where he can send objects backwards through time. The only problem is, he doesn’t know where the objects go. They don’t show up in the past, and no one notices any changes to the present. Are they creating alternate time lines?

To collect more data, Sam tries a clandestine experiment in a public park, late at night. But the experiment goes horribly wrong when Casey Wilson, a student at the university, stumbles into his isolation field. Sam tries to rescue her, but instead, he and Casey are transported back to the year 1906. Stuck in the past, cut off from everyone and everything they know, Sam and Casey work together to help each other survive. Then Casey meets Thomas Andrews, the man who will shortly begin to build the most famous ship since Noah’s Ark. Should they warn him, changing the past and creating unknown consequences for the future?

Or should they let him die?
____________________________________________

And now, on to Marlene's post:

Let's Talk About Characters

A big thank you to Anna, for hosting me during my tour! I’m excited to be here and chat her readers about my book and how characters make the story.

Characters are the lifeblood of any novel. You can have a kick-ass world, awesome magic, and terrifying fight scenes, but if your characters are boring, stereotypical, or one-dimensional, no one will care.

My own pet peeve in characters: unlikeable.

Not every character has to be likeable, of course, but I'm the kind of reader that will not finish a book if there isn't at least one character I can really connect with. And I like nice people. So it's safe to say that the current trend of hard, gritty jerks-as-heroes leaves me cold.

That doesn't mean a character should be sweet-as-pie perfect. Repeat the boring, stereotypical, one-dimensional mantra from above. Characters are people. And people are complex. They make mistakes. They make poor choices. They may have good intentions, but mess up everyone around them. All of that may be true, but they can still be decent people.

It’s easy for me to write characters that are decent. The challenge is to keep them from being so decent that they don’t have any traits that cause problems for themselves or others. TTJ: Shipbuilder has three main characters. One is an historical figure - a man with his own personality and his own life. I had to take special care to portray him as the man he was, and obtain a certain level of historical accuracy. The other two characters are fictional, and it was up to me to imbue them with traits that give them a place in the story. Traits that gave them their own story, and make them feel like real people. You'll have to let me know if I succeeded after you read the book. Here’s a brief analysis of each of them:

Sam Altair is a physicist, sixty years old. He has devoted his life to his research on time travel. In 2006, he is head of a research team at the Sun Consortium in Belfast. He is a well-liked and much respected scientist and mentor. He has never married, but he's had a few close relationships over the years. He's an amiable fellow, with a touch of compassion for anyone less fortunate than he.

Sam’s biggest fault is that he is too often tempted to skip steps or skim over procedures if he feels he's close to a big leap in discovery. He is quick to justify his means by simply sweeping objections under the rug. He places too much faith in his own abilities and intelligence. We see this shortcoming in action at the beginning of the book, but keep an eye out for it as the story unfolds. Sam never quite gets over this problem.

Casey Wilson is a college student, twenty years old. Raised in a well-off, liberal American home, she has never had to suffer or struggle for anything. This doesn't mean she is arrogant or lazy - far from it. Casey is practical, smart, and hard-working. She is even respectful toward older adults. But she has no doubt that she can do anything she wants to do, that the world is open to her in all its possibilities. This attitude blinds her to the realities of life in the Edwardian era, and the toll she must pay for it is large.

Thomas Andrews was a real person, with a real life and real dreams. His personality is well-documented, and even today, he commands respect. I have done my best to portray him as he was, within the limits of my own understanding. Obviously, there is much I can't know, and in the end, my character of Tom Andrews may not be anything like the real man was. But I've done my best.

When we first meet Tom, he is a 34-year-old naval architect. He was born in 1873 to a well-off, privileged family in Ireland. From childhood, Tom has a reputation for compassion and generosity toward people and animals. He has worked his way up in the shipyard, starting as an apprentice when he was sixteen. He has degrees in naval architecture and engineering. He is much loved by the men in the Yard, and is considered one of the best shipbuilders in the world.

Tom’s fault? I hesitate to say that the real Thomas Andrews may have been a “yes” man, but I did get that impression from some of the research I did. As in any business, there are times during a ship’s construction when safety conflicts with schedule or cost. Did the real Thomas Andrews give in about features he knew were needed?

So in my book, I tried to show that Tom hates to disappoint people. This applies especially to those who hold power over him - supervisors, managers, and his uncle - Lord William Pirrie, who heads the shipyard. Once he knows of Titanic’s fate, Tom must learn to stand his ground and insist on providing Titanic with features that will be needed to save lives, even if the cost is hard feelings or damage to his career.

In all fairness to the real Thomas Andrews - Titanic had far more safety features than were required at the time. More lifeboats, higher bulkheads, more watertight compartments... and we can’t blame the builders for not seeing the future. The reasons for Titanic’s sinking are myriad, and we only need to look at our own modern disasters to realize how much we don’t know.

____________________________
About the author:

Marlene Dotterer grew up as a desert rat in Tucson, Arizona. In 1990, she loaded her five children into the family station wagon, and drove north-west to the foggy San Francisco Bay Area. To stay warm, she tackled many enterprises, earning a degree in geology, working for a national laboratory, and running her own business as a personal chef. She’s a frustrated gardener, loves to cook, and teaches natural childbirth classes. She says she writes, “to silence the voices,” obsessed with the possibilities of other worlds and other times.

She is married to The Best Husband in the World, and lives in Pleasant Hill, California.

Her website is http://marlenedotterer.wordpress.com/

_____________________________
Marlene is on a blog tour this weekend, and this is what she says about it:

Must Have Give-Aways!

Ships are launched with a bottle of champagne. My book is about a ship, so...

Actually, perhaps it’s best if I don’t try to mail anyone a bottle of champagne. But how about a free book?

Throughout the blog tour, I’ll keep track of everyone who leaves a comment on any of the blogs and enter them into a drawing. At the end of the tour, I’ll pick three winners, each to receive an autographed copy of The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder.

So, read on! Comment!

___________________________

Golden Age of Writing: reflections on my conversation with Peter Stampfel

2010-10-23T13:18:00Z

I really enjoyed talking to Peter Stampfel during our interview , and was in awe to have access to 
the information coming from the very top of science fiction and fantasy publishing.  Some of his 
answers really surprised me, others confirmed what I heard from other sources, but one thing is 
certainly true.  Everything I learned was very useful, things I always wanted to know but never 
before had a chance to ask.

I wanted to highlight some things from the interview that I found most thought-provoking, in order 
of appearance.

The quality of invented names is important in a well-written fantasy.

I guess this really shouldn’t be a surprise – I remember flinching at names in some novels, and admiring 
names in others, but I never thought these names could be a selling point. Learning that an editor looks
for the quality of names as an indicator of the quality of writing would likely change my approach 
to naming when writing fantasy.

Readers (and authors) tend to prefer shorter fiction these days.

Even though I keep hearing of the publishers’ and agents’ guidelines about the recommended length 
of 100-120K words, I personally enjoy longer fantasy books and tend to think that real fantasy fans 
love longer work. Talking to Peter Stampfel made me realize I am living in the past. Talking to him 
finally turned some rusty gears in my mind and made me re-think some of my recent fantasy projects.

We are experiencing the golden age of writing.

This thought was like a gust of fresh wind amidst the gloom of the dominating predictions about the 
decline of book publishing. I never thought of it this way, but indeed this couldn’t be more true. If the 
competition is especially fierce, we are seeing the best of the best that made it through the grinder. In 
this light, I also started thinking differently about books by new authors. They must be really brilliant 
to break through, and while it is still a bit of a gloomy thought for the struggling writers, it is highly 
promising for the readers on the look out for new superb-quality reading.

Self-publishing is a good idea.

Now, there was an eye opener – and coming from the top publishing house, no less. While I am 
still cautious about whether most of the other top professionals share Mr. Stampfel’s view on this, 
I felt this was a window for those authors who have been holding off on self-publishing and shelving 
complete manuscripts in the hope of landing a big contract on their next work. If you are not sure 
about your unpublished novels – maybe it is best to hold off, but if you have a good book lying 
somewhere in the depth of your desk drawer (I mean, hard drive) – go for it!

This certainly applies to the category of authors Mr. Stampfel mentioned, who would have been 
successful 20 years ago but lack the necessary twist to break through in the markets of today. Heck, 
I have encountered such authors myself and really enjoyed their unpublished work. I have somewhat 
of an old-fashioned mind set and like good old fantasy even if it has an overused, but well-executed 
plot, which makes it virtually impossible for such authors to land a good contract. And, I happen to 
know that my tastes for the 'good old' are shared by so many other readers out there! So, based on 
what I learned, it seems that self-publishing done properly is a really good idea for such people.

Self-publishing won’t hurt your chances of a future contract with a big publisher.

I really hope Mr. Stampfel is right on this one! He certainly convinced me.

Comments? Suggestions? Additions? I would be very interested in opinions from other readers on 
what you found most useful – and/or most surprising in the interview. Please read the full interview 
at this link and leave comments! I also always welcome suggestions on whose interviews you would like to see next, and what 
questions do you want to ask. Please leave your suggestions in the comments section, or contact 
me by e-mail or Facebook.

Interview with the Author Heather S. Ingemar on her 'Spooky Times' Blog Tour

2010-10-18T04:59:00Z

I am happy to welcome author Heather S. Ingemar for a guest appearance and interview for my blog. Heather is a dark fantasy author for teens and adults. Her “Requiem” was voted among the top ten young adult books for 2009.

What would you like your readers to know about you?

I'm multi-faceted. Some have even called me a Jill-of-all-trades.

What do you enjoy most about writing fantasy?

I enjoy the escapist nature of it. I love being able to 'disappear' into a whole new world for a few hours at the end of every day.

What inspires the dark/horror twist in your stories?

I'm not sure. I've always had a fascination with myth, legend, and the occult. I love poring over things science can't explain. I also sometimes wonder if it came from having so many nightmares as a child. When you get used to looking at fear in the face, it doesn't seem so mysterious – and that shows up in my fiction. These vampires and were-creatures and zombies… are they really so bad when you can look at them in broad daylight and shake hands? Or is it just the shadows around them that frighten us?

What, in your view, is different about writing for teens and adults?

I see the big difference when writing about topics that are still sensitive to our society – sex, suicide, drug abuse. With adults you can be blunt, and YA writing tends to be a little gentler in its depictions… but then again, that is changing and changing fast. My day-job is being a librarian, and I'm seeing more and more YA books that could really go in the adult section.

What is the next project you are working on?

I'm working on an as-of-yet untitled flash fiction piece I hope to submit to a few literary magazines, and after that, I'm going to tackle some more stories in my "demonic" universe. The first piece in that series, "Crown of Thorns," has been contracted by Drollerie Press and should be out sometime by 2011.

Heather’s Bio:

The woman known as Heather S. Ingemar is a bestselling author of dark short stories for teens and adults and an accomplished folk musician. She loves coffee, tea, intravenous Mountain Dew, cats, and motorcycles. She is currently at work on her next tale, or maybe avoiding work by shooting around canyon corners on her Suzuki Savage LS650.

To learn more about Heather, visit her blog at http://ingemarwrites.wordpress.com/

Join Heather once again for the next 'Spooky Times' tour stop at Karen Syed's blog at http://klsyed.com/ on October 25th

Interview with Peter Stampfel, Associate Editor, DAW Books.

2010-10-07T11:56:00Z

I am very excited to welcome a very special guest to this blog – Mr. Peter Stampfel, an Associate Editor for the major Science Fiction and Fantasy publisher, DAW Books.

Unlike other major publishers, DAW Books accept unsolicited submissions from new, unknown authors, and thus offer a unique opportunity for every aspiring writer to get their manuscripts in front of the top editors without having to find an agent first. This opportunity has been alive for all of us in a large part because of Peter Stampfel, who has worked as the Submissions Editor and first reader of unsolicited manuscripts (also known as the slush pile) for nearly 30 years.

Over his career Mr. Stampfel has read a stack of manuscripts nearly 2 miles high, and he has discovered many talents in there that went on to become very successful authors. I am happy that he has graciously agreed to do an interview for my blog and to answer some questions about book publishing and manuscript review process that I had. I hope his answers would be of interest to other aspiring writers interested in landing a contract with a big publisher at any point in their career, and to the readers who are curious about how the manuscript selection works.

Can you tell me a little about your background? How did you become a book editor?

The word is ‘nepotism’ – getting a job through relatives. DAW Books was started by my wife’s father, who became ill in 1985 and then my wife took over. In 1981 I was offered a job of the first reader, and I have been doing it ever since. It helped that I have been an avid reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy since 1950’s, so I felt the job was really right for me.

What do you like and dislike about your job?

I like reading books, especially Science Fiction and Fantasy, and I enjoy reading new manuscripts. I also like working with my wife. The only thing I don’t like about this job is the delays. We get a 6-foot-high pile of unsolicited manuscripts every week, and as the first reader I have to go through them and pass on the ones I like to the second readers who, in turn, pass them on to the senior editors. They all have other jobs to do, so there is a big backlog, resulting in really long waits. I always feel bad for the authors who have to wait all this time to hear back on their submission. I really wish we could do things faster, but with the amount of manuscripts we receive it is simply not realistic.

It is a great opportunity for us, authors, to be able to submit manuscripts directly to DAW Books, but I can only imagine the load you have to deal with. Why do you accept unsolicited manuscripts?

This is really what sets us apart from other publishers. And, I have to say that there is quite a number of authors who went from what we call the slush pile on to sell very successfully.

What percentage of submissions you receive makes it to publication?

The conventional wisdom is that one in a thousand manuscripts is publishable. Actually, I feel this number is closer to one in a few thousand. These days it is extremely hard to break in a new writer. Book distribution is controlled by big companies, which are much more reluctant to take on new unknown authors compared to previously established ones. A new author has to be extremely, extremely good to make it through the process.

Do you deal with both agented and unagented submissions?

Agented published authors go straight to our senior editor. However, I do get submissions from agented unpublished authors, and I found that by and large a book submitted by an agent won’t be any better than unsolicited submissions. The truth is, agents who don’t read thousands and tens of thousands of books have no idea what is actually selling. If I see, for example, a ‘Harry Potter’ pitch, I usually know right away this agent doesn’t know what he/she is talking about.

What do you look for first, and what makes you want to take a closer look at the manuscript? How do you decide which books to select for further consideration?

It differs in different cases. Sometimes a cover letter is enough to make an impression, sometimes it is the first sentence, sometimes I have to read for a while to make up my mind. In some weeks, I have nothing to set aside for a further look. In other weeks, I set aside half a dozen manuscripts to look at later.

It is very important to have a catchy story right away. Some authors say things like ‘please read to page 140, where the plot really starts to pick up.’ Obviously, this doesn’t work.

It is also really important to have likeable characters. Certain characters are basically appealing, and this is fairly universal. No one likes to read for a great length about a brilliant, horrible villain – you know. Even the secondary characters have to be well-drawn and three-dimensional.

Another important thing is to see the characters interact in realistic terms and situations. The story has to be well thought through, and it has to show from the beginning.

One thing I look for in fantasies set in imaginary worlds is good made-up names, interesting and evocative. Good names show skill and imagination right away, so I always look at the maps that come with the book and if I see things like ‘Eastern Mountains’ – it just sounds too generic to me.

A good example is the first novel by Tad Willams – Talichaser’s Song. One of the characters is a squirrel, and his name – can’t recall it right now – sounds exactly like a squirrel’s noise. It really evoked the image, and fit the character really well. When I read it I knew right away that this guy could really write.

Which plot lines do you see too much of?

A story opening where a young protagonist goes out hunting and comes back to see that everybody he knows has been brutally murdered, and he has to set out on a quest to get the bad guys and promises to get them in the end. Generally, there is nothing wrong with such an opening – it is certainly catchy and engaging, but haven’t we all seen too much of these stories already?

Did you ever read a manuscript all the way to the end and then decide to reject it?

I rarely read the full manuscript, even if I pass it on to the next level. Usually if I am still reading after 200 pages or so, it is a good sign. I then skip on to the end and read the last 50 pages, then pass it on to the second reader. There have been only several manuscripts I read all the way to the end, because I liked them so much I wanted to.

What do you think are the current market trends for science fiction and fantasy?

What sells right now is paranormal. But there is also a glut in the market for paranormal fiction. Everyone wants to write the next blockbuster – such as, say, Twilight, -- but the bandwagon is awfully loaded.

What are the trends in book publishing right now?

Book publishing is definitely on the decline. Readers – and writers – tend to spend more time on the Internet. In fact, I could think of several writers who nearly stopped writing – haven’t produced any new books in a year or two – because they spend their time on some on-line games. There are just more things to do out there for creative people than before, and books are sliding down the list.

In relation to this, I noticed that both writers and readers are getting tired of long books. The new model that works better right now is to write a ~100,000-word book yearly rather than publish a really long book every 2-3 years. To my knowledge DAW is one of the few markets who still look at longer fiction from new authors.

A good advice to authors is to keep their books under 120,000 words. Such books are just easier to sell.

Any projections for the future?

E-publishing is really taking off, but we have to wait and see where it leads us. I see a bigger problem, though. Statistically, most books are bought by middle-aged people. Unless the young people start to read, we will see more of a rapid decline in book publishing in the future. There is also a large, growing category of people who read a lot but never want to read fiction. Non-fiction sells better than fiction these days, so the outlook for fiction publishing is even worse.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Unless you are passionate about your writing, compelled to write, unless you absolutely have to write, don’t do it. You are competing with other passionate writers who are very good at what they do, and you have very little chance unless you absolutely love writing.

Of course, I have also seen a number of writers who are passionate but just not good at it. Some authors keep submitting to me for 30 years, but their writing just doesn’t seem to get any better. Many of them work with paid editors who keep stringing them along by telling them that they are improving so much they are almost there. These authors spend loads of money on editing, and they really shouldn’t. In fact, I would caution anyone against working with such editors.

A lot of books I see would have been successful 20 or 30 years ago, but just not now. Things have become too competitive. In a way, this is the golden age of writing – we are seeing the best work out there – but the competition is really strong.

Do you pay special attention to authors previously published with small presses?

Previous publications are definitely a good sign, I will notice it in the cover letter. In the end, of course, only the quality of the manuscript is important.

What about self-published authors?

Doesn’t really matter. I definitely wouldn’t hold it against them. In fact, I think that in the current competitive environment self-publishing is a good idea – simply because you can do it. I never realized before how many people are trying to write books. The vast majority of them will never be commercially successful. But if you self-publish, you can sell to friends, and the few people who happen to enjoy your writing, and this way you can at least reach somebody.

Self-publishing may be an even better idea for those authors I mentioned whose writing is solid, and who would have been successful 20-30 years ago but cannot break through in the current markets. If these authors can reach their audiences with self-published books, they could potentially make pretty good sales. There is always a small number of self-published books that make it in a big way.

In addition to everything else, Internet is now providing unprecedented possibilities to advertise yourself, making it easier for anyone to self-promote. An average person can easily reach thousands of people, in some cases this is all any author can hope for even with traditional publishing. And if you can sell thousands of copies of your self-published book, it can really serve to your advantage in finding a big publisher for your next work.

Aspiring authors are repeatedly told that self-publishing is frowned upon and can hurt one’s chances of ever finding a traditional publisher. Isn’t it true?

I’d say it is old-fashioned advice. These days self-publishing is so easy there is no reason for anyone not to do it. And if you ever write a really good book with commercial potential later on – the big publishers will take it, no matter what your previous history is.

As I researched you on the Internet, I found out that you are also a musician. Can you also tell me something about your music?

I have been playing professionally since 1960s and made 2-3 dozen albums. My music is part folk, part rock, part traditional, a mixture of 19^th and 20^th century. I made several albums since last summer, and just made an album with my daughter who also plays in my band. We have 9 people in the band.

How do you combine your music and your job as an editor?

(laughs) I like to keep busy. But seriously, if you’ve got to be an artist you need a regular job. For every self-supporting artist there are thousands who need other means to support themselves. It is normal for an artist to have a regular job. I would call it abnormal when they don’t need one.

Thank you very much for your time. This has been a great opportunity. Do you have anything you would like to add?

Just to reinforce my advice for aspiring authors. Be passionate. Write about people, situations, worlds you really care about. This may not be enough, but without it you’ll never make it.

A Path to the First Novel Sale

2010-08-18T13:18:00Z

We all heard about the 'instant success' of some bestselling authors, who wake up one day to find out they are famous and their first novel is selling like crazy. Some of us probably also heard of the fact that such an instant success is never that instant, and is preceded by years and years of rejections and hard work. And that this 'instantly famous' first novel is usually not the first book these authors have written and shopped around. Heck, even for J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, it took years of hardship to sell her first book.

To imagine what it's like, it always helps me to look at the numbers. I heard that some famous authors spent ten years or more before selling their first book, and that others had to shelf four or five perfectly good manuscripts before making their first sale. I was always terrified by this kind of statistics... until I learned what it can really be like.

Many aspiring authors have never completed a manuscript in their lives. Many think completing one is a major achievement one should be commended on. It's true, each completed novel is a major thing. Can you imagine having to complete five before your first sale?

How about seventeen?

A discussion about this recently came up in my writing workshop, and a workshop member Jodi Meadows, who recently made her first sale, shared with us a guest blog post she wrote on the subject. I found it not only informative, but very moving, a real look at what kind of strength, dedication, and perseverance it takes to gain this hard-earned success. I wanted to share it with everyone. If you are an aspiring author, or a reader who is wondering what it takes to publish a book, I encourage you to read it at this link .

I am extremely happy for Jodi, and hope her novel ERIN INCARNATE sells millions and millions of copies when it comes out from Harper Collins in 2012. And, I feel that her example will always be my guiding star.

VACATION READS feature: FAERIE BLOOD by Angela Korra'ti

2010-08-09T21:30:00Z

Kendis Thompson of Seattle thinks she’s as normal as the next computer geek, and up till now, she’s been right. But her world is about to turn on its ear, for she is the daughter of a Seelie Court mage and her mortal husband–and her faerie blood is awakening. Suddenly the city she’s known all her life is transforming before her eyes. Trolls haunt the bike trails. Fairies and goblins run loose in the streets. An old woman who is not what she seems and a young wanderer running from his past stand ready to defend Seattle–and Kendis–from magical assault. She will need those allies, for the power rising within her is calling her fey kin to the Emerald City to find her. And kill her.

Where did you get the idea for Faerie Blood, Angela?

Basically, it goes back to this--as a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley, I'm very finicky about Elvis impersonators. And as a lifelong fan of fantasy novels, I'm also very partial to elves. Elves. Elvis. Only one vowel's worth of difference, and it was inevitable that I'd come up with a scene involving what would happen if an elf showed up at an Elvis impersonator contest!

I wrote a scene fragment for this many, many years ago. But fast forward to Nanowrimo 2003, and my deciding that I'd try to make the writing as easy as possible on myself by throwing everything I loved into it: Seattle, biking, computer geekery, magic, elves, and most of all, music. Several people in the cast of Faerie Blood are musically inclined--and Elessir a'Natharion, bard, Unseelie, and all-around rogue, is absolutely shameless about milking his Elvis look.

Elessir would also shamelessly tell you the story's really all about him. Don't listen to him. Even if he can play a hell of a guitar.

Come visit Angela at http://www.angelakorrati.com if you want to find out more about Faerie Blood, and tell her about your favorite music!

New review of IVAN AND MARYA

2010-08-04T13:23:00Z

A new review of IVAN AND MARYA was just posted at The Fantasy Tavern .

Check it out, and leave comments!

JULY VACATION READS -- WEEKEND 4!

2010-07-24T17:10:00Z

The fourth weekend of Vacatoin reads brings wonderful new titles from Joely Sue Burkhart and Cindy Lynn Speer, and an additional feature from Julie Achterhoff. Check them out and leave comments here and on the master site to enter our July Vacation Reads drawing to win great prizes!

THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN by Joely Sue Burkhart

Worlds within worlds await through the Maya Bloodgate….

Dr. Jaid Merritt doesn’t do digs. The last time she ventured into the jungle, someone died. Now she’s content to decipher Maya glyphs from pictures sent to her by her famous archaeologist father. But when he goes missing while trying to perform a ritual based on her translations of an ancient codex, Jaid must put aside her fears and travel to Guatemala to find him.

After misusing the Bloodgates to bring his twin brother back from the afterlife, the Maya priest known as Ruin was cursed by the gods to stand as the guardian for all time. He was unable to stop Dr. Charles Merritt from opening the gates, and now demons roam this world. The last thing he wants to do is hurt the beautiful woman who is somehow infused with his magic, but if she uses the codex to retrieve her father, Ruin must do his duty. And this time, he won’t fail. Even if it kills him. Again.

What inspired this book, Joely?

I’ve always loved the idea of blood sacrifice. From vampires to the symbology of communion, I’m fascinated by the inherent power in this essence of life. Add mythology to the mix, and I’m one happy camper, so of course, the Maya have always been one of my favorites mythologies. Bonus: pyramids!

One of my inspirations for THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN is a demotivator poster (link www.despair.com/sacrifice1.html) that shows the famous El Castillo pyramid of Chich’en Itza that says “All we ask here is that you give us your heart.” While there’s no archeological evidence that the Maya sacrificed hundreds or thousands of victims until the pyramid steps ran red with blood as in Mel Gibson’s Apocalytpo, they did practice blood sacrifice. Most of the time, they cut their ears or (men, avert your eyes and cover yourself) penis, caught blood on special paper, and then burned it with incense to honor the gods.

And yes, occasionally people were sacrificed, especially the losers of the famous ballgame or captured kings from other villages. Sometimes people were simply tossed into the cenote—large sinkholes that form over thousands of years in the limestone, often with an extensive network of caves. If they were still alive hours later…or possibly the next day…then they might be rescued to see if they bore any messages from the gods. Sadly, children were often the victims of this type of sacrifice, inspiring a short story that I’m offering for free on my website Well of Sky, link
joelysueburkhart.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Burkhart.Well_.of_.Sky_.pdf).

Most of the time, it was the willing sacrifice—of his own blood—that imbued so much power into the priest’s prayers and rituals. Ruin, the hero in THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN, has paid that price numerous times himself. In fact, he’s died many times in service to the Bloodgates. He willingly pays the ultimate price over and over to protect that sacred magic.

When this man falls in love, he falls hard. How many times will he die to keep her alive?

BUT CAN YOU LET HIM GO? by Cindy Lynn Speer

In this collection, Cindy Lynn Speer, author of The Chocolatier’s Wife and editor of StereoOpticon, a collection of re-told fairy tales, gives us several new stories and an interesting look at the classic ‘Cinderella’ as well. Cindy’s stories examine the roles of women, our expectations, and the aftermath of the classic happily ever after in interesting, sometimes disturbing, ways.

Every Word I Speak: Most of us know the fairy tale of the girl who, because of her kindness, was given the gift of gems and flowers that fell from her mouth with every word she spoke, but what happens afterward? Who can she trust and what will they want from her? This version of the story is a dark and troubling tale, and absolutely delicious for those of us who like our fairy tales unmarred by a Disney ending.

What Will I Do When This Dream is Over?: Matilda is a unicorn, calmly cropping the grass in Emmy’s front yard. Hank is her ex-boyfriend, who can’t see her anymore because, she’s afraid, he’s angry with her for not putting out. Emmy’s been preparing for the day Matilda would show up all her life. It’s been like a dream, always there. She’s been called upon to do a job, to save the world, and now it’s time. Emmy’s off on an adventure. She hopes she’ll win, beat the bad guys, save the day, but if she does, what happens after?

The Fortunate Ones: Once upon a time, there lived a people who were always fortunate. And then they discovered that their fortune resided in their women, so they turned them into a commodity to be bought and sold. Annabelle is living the dream with her very successful husband, except he beats her sometimes, when he’s angry, when things don’t go right. She doesn’t like knowing she’s a commodity. She doesn’t like thinking like that. But she has to, and it’s up to her to save herself. If she can. If she can take her fortune back into her own hands.

But Can You Let Him Go?:The fairy godmother who provides Cinderella with her pretty clothes and shoes and the ride to the ball is paying penance for her mistakes. When she’s not passing judgement on foolish and avaricious humans, she’s hunting for Cinderella, the Cinderella in this tale, at this time, and the handsome prince who will give Cinderella her happily ever after. She needs to get it right. She needs to save them both. If she doesn’t, she’ll never see her people again. Her sister, however, is determined to see her fail, and she’ll do all in her power to make that come to pass.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I have way too many...I sew, garden, obsess over home improvement, read constantly...but my primary hobby is learning how to fence the way that they did in the time of Elizabeth I, through the Society for Creative Anachronism. I have a true passion for the blade...I love trying to push myself to become a better fencer.

DEADLY LUCIDITY by Julie Achterhoff

Caught in a tangled web of dreams and nightmares, Marie Reilly is being hunted by a psychopath in the dream world she can't escape. Her single ally, a Ranger named Murphy, may be her only hope. He must help her reach the Great Fortress, where they've been told there is a way back to her reality. Together, they fight their way through the twists and turns of Marie's mind so she can have her life back. But what of their growing passion for each other? How can Marie leave the man she has come to love behind in this nightmarish world he has called home as far back as he can remember?

What have you learned about being an author since you started writing professionally, Julie?

Gosh, I've learned so much! I started out reading a couple of books on how to write and taking a women's literature class at the local community college. That was ten years ago. I started writing professionally three years ago, starting with a novella titled Native Vengeance, which was published on the Demon Minds website for their Halloween edition that year. That experience taught me that I might have what it took to write a full length novel. I started out small because I thought I'd test the waters and see if anyone thought I could write well. I was pleased to get my first acceptance letter, as well as recognition for my writing skills. Learning that someone else enjoys what you've written is one of the biggest thrills I've ever experienced!

I had some idea because I got an "A" on my class final, which was to write something. I went way overboard and wrote an entire three-act play titled Angel in the House! I wrote that in six weeks, too! So that gave me some validation about my writing. That's when I also found out there just wasn't enough time to write anything and homeschool my five children at the same time.

So I waited until most of them were out on their own to start writing my first novel, Quantum Earth. While writing this book, I learned all about the predictions for the year 2012 from the Mayan calendar. I also learned that I could create characters and scenes that would last through to the very end. It took me several months to write Quantum Earth. It takes up a lot of your day to day thinking to write a book. It keeps you up late at night, too.

Then I learned about writing query letters and synopsises to send out to publishers and agents. They have to really hook them from the very start. I learned that different publishers require different things from a potential author. Some want just a query at first, some want a query and a synopsis, and some want these plus some pages from your manuscript. You absolutely have to follow what they want exactly. If you don't do this part just right, that alone will cause them to say no. I found out that some publishers are very nice, sometimes even giving you advice, but some of them aren't very nice, and can say some rude things to you.

I had to find sources for publishers. I used Writer's Market and Duotrope mostly. I learned to keep track of whom I sent out to so I wouldn't duplicate my efforts. Then I learned the pretty painful feeling of being rejected over and over again. That was very hard for me because I don't take rejection well! Those were a tough few months of sending out my work very carefully, and getting nothing back but negative replies.

I had already learned that there were people who liked my writing, so I tried not to give up hope. I tried to see every no as one step closer to that magical word, "yes." Finally, after sending out at least fifty queries, synopses, and/or pages, I got a very big yes from an e-book publisher. She said Quantum Earth was exactly what she was interested in and loved it from start to finish. But one thing I had learned was that e-books were just sent by email. They are not really a solid book you can hold in your hand. This put me off a bit, so I contacted one of the publishers who said they wanted more about Quantum Earth and asked them if they were interested in publishing it. They said yes, too! Now I had a decision to make, and not much information about the pros and cons. But I knew I wanted to see my book in print as a real book, so I ended up having to be the one to say no to the first publisher. That was a twist. She was very disappointed, but understood.

So it happened that All Things That Matter Press was the one to publish my first real book. A year later they published my second book, Deadly Lucidity. For this book I learned all about lucid dreaming, among other things. During the time I've been with ATTM Press I've learned so much from Deb and Phil Harris. They run this small press, and I couldn't be happier with them. Deb has taught me everything I could possibly want to know about editing, and Phil has taught me all about promoting books and creating a name for yourself. They are experts at what they do. An author has to learn how to sell their own books by doing interviews, blogging, publicity, creating an author platform, and many other ways to get people to buy their books. It's not an easy process. I work on this almost every day.

I've also learned so much from other authors, especially the ones that are also published at ATTM Press. We have a yahoo group where we keep in close touch, sharing ideas and supporting one another. Another source for my education is my friends on facebook who are also writers. I have learned a lot from these and other sources, and continue to learn what it takes to be a writer. Now I'm at the point where I am starting to do some teaching, myself. I recently got an offer to teach at a writer's retreat next January in Georgia. I'm very excited about that, and hope that I can help others on the path to writing.

As of this writing I am finishing up my next book, Earthwalker, which will be available by Christmas.

Link to video trailer for Deadly Lucidity:
www.associatedcontent.com/video/687534/book_video_trailer_deadly_lucidity.html?cat=38

Link to Blog:
earthwalkr.wordpress.com
Link to buy Deadly Lucidity:
www.amazon.com/Deadly-Lucidity-Julie-Achterhoff/dp/0984421904/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
or
allthingsthatmatterpress.com
Link to BookBuzzr preview of Deadly Lucidity:
www.freado.com/book/6046/Deadly-Lucidity

JULY VACATION READS -- WEEKEND 3

2010-07-17T16:40:00Z

For the third weekend of July Vacation Reads, we are featuring three titles:

REQUIEM by Heather S. Ingemar

Hattie Locke has a gift: when she sings, the dead dig themselves from their graves to listen. As a death-siren, her life has always been this way.

Then the dead begin to show up in numbers far beyond expected. With each song she sings, they grow pushy and demanding, rushing the stage to reach her. Trapped in a place where her dreams of music become her nightmares, Hattie is left with nowhere to turn.

But then she meets a boy, who promises freedom from her curse.

Now Hattie wonders: is ridding herself of her voice worth losing the music she’s lived to create?

Heather, tell us a bit about yourself and your novella, "Requiem"?

In some ways, Hattie reminds me of myself. I came from a musical family, and I delved right into all of it. By the time I was a sophomore in high school, I’d mastered seven different instruments, and it was pretty much thought a guarantee that I’d pursue Julliard, or Berkeley, or some other prestigious music school. Imagine everyone’s surprise when I decided to major in English lit!

Thankfully, I had a more-or-less understanding family who allowed me the space to pursue my words (they knew I wasn’t leaving music completely, and they were right; I still play now and then) – however, I faced extreme opposition from others. It was these experiences that I drew on in creating Hattie’s unusual situation. What if my family hadn’t let me do my own thing? What if they reacted like these vehement strangers and teachers and friends who all thought they knew best for me?

Combine that with my morbid streak (zombies! death! magic!), and "Requiem" was born.

DEADFALL by Shaun Jeffrey

A team of mercenaries race to an abandoned mining village to rescue two children held hostage by rogue ex-soldiers. But the kidnappers are a ruse, the real threat more terrifying than any of them could imagine.

Aided by a couple of unsuspecting eco-warriors, mercenary team leader Amber Redgrave must fight to survive against foes that don’t sleep and don’t feel pain.

Now as the body count rises, so do the stakes, and when the dead won’t stay dead, there’s going to be hell to pay.

Shaun, what are some ways in which you promote your work? Do you find that these add to or detract from your writing time?

As a writer, promotion is one of the hardest things to do as you’re competing against thousands of other authors for a reader’s attention. To promote my work, I participate in things such as this blog tour. I post on message boards. I maintain a presence on Myspace, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Goodreads and other sites. I help by sending out review copies. I do interviews in magazines and online. But it all takes time and obviously detracts from the writing side of things. I don’t think it matters whether you’re published by a major publisher or a small press one, most authors need to help promote their work. Now readers are a major part of this, and I would ask that if anyone has read a book and enjoyed it, they show their appreciation and help by posting a short review on any of the book sites such as Amazon or Goodreads etc, as it goes a long way towards helping an author along what is a long and lonely road. It only takes a couple of minutes, but I'm sure the author concerned would be most grateful.

For more info on my work, please check out www.shaunjeffrey.com

THE AETHER AGE Anthology.

This week's feature includes a mini-interview with a contributing author, Jaym Gates.

What was it like to write for Aether Age, Jaym?

I have to admit, when I first heard about the Aether Age project, I kind of wrote it off. Like so many other things, I'd heard about it on Twitter, when a couple of guys asked me if I would be involved. At the time, I was in California for a week, on vacation, and heading for some major deadlines.

I said I'd try. I wrote four different starts. My computer crashed, I was trying to put out a wildfire in the writing community I was administrating, I was running too tight on the deadlines as it was. On top of that, it's been established that I don't play well in other people's worlds. I'm an unrepentant devotee of massive, detailed worlds, and had several failed collaborative attempts behind me.

A week before the deadline, I took my retired dinosaur of a computer and hammered out a first draft, a second draft, polished, sent it in 2 days before deadline...before the deadline was extended. The editors asked me if I'd be interested in writing another story. Ok, well, if you insist.

The world of Aether Age is difficult to write in, the first time through. Anything dealing with ancient Egypt or Greece is going to be problematic. The sheer level of detail is boggling, and the confusion. Was this ruler male, female, 1st Dynasty or 20th? Add a complex alternate history, and there are thousands of possibilities. It's like trying to find the one special blueberry in a 5 pound box.

But, it does get a writer thinking. How would technologies change religion? How would airships change economy? How much horror would you get from mixing an unstable, unknown eternity of space with an endless pantheon of gods?

My stories explored the horror. What happens when criminals and monsters are abandoned on a rock, thousands of miles from anything they know, reliant on an atmosphere that goes away every now and then? What are those shadows in the dark? Where did the legends of Hades come from? What new gods would form in the endless depths of space, and how would they be worshiped?

Join me in the Aether, in the Age of Helios, this fall. It will be the adventure of a lifetime.

Check our master site, http://vacationreads.com for links to more blogs and participating authors' info. And, don't forget to leave comments to win prizes! Better yet, feature our titles on your blogs, and share the links with us to become eligible for double prize drawing!

Guest Blogging -- The Challenge of the First Page

2010-07-13T17:43:00Z

Today I am guest blogging at Cheryl Kaye Tardiff's Write Type Blog, talking about the challenges of the first page. Follow this link to visit the blog, and leave comments at Cheryl's wonderful site that contains so many great resources for writers.