"Dabblers" Published!

"Dabblers" has launched! Yesterday, I created a Facebook page, added it to Authors Den and Goodreads, updated my Google site, added a publication credit to Linked In, and sent out tweets on Twitter. Next comes the paid advertising. I sent off an ad for the Love Is Murder Author Spotlight which appears on their website and newsletter. Other choices: FB, Goodreads, Google, or a combination of them? I also started thinking about doing some print advertising if I can find some appropriate publications.

I did some brochures for Author Fair last month, but now I need to update them to include "Dabblers."  The tri-fold ones will be tricky, and considering how much effort went into producing them, I hate to waste the ones I have left. If I can print a summary of "Dabblers" sized like the ones for the other books and then attach it to one edge of the sheet, it might work. Need something for the other side of the addition, though.

With the first draft of "Stranger Faces" done, I'm working through the editing process. The first phase is to check for discontinuities, add details to make sure I convey what I intended, and to provide proper setup for later scenes. This process also comes with some hazards, like repetition of both words and ideas, or referencing something at Point A which doesn't actually happen until later at Point B. Sometimes, it also leads to a massive change, an idea that comes into my head to make the story better. I guess the rule of thumb is, the bigger the change, the bigger the chance to introduce errors or problems.

Cover art. I can visualize the ideas but can't quite execute them. And searching the web for images to use can be hazardous as well, in the shape of viruses.

Once I get through the second pass on "Stranger Faces," I might let it rest for a while and play with some short stories. I'm still considering putting a collection together at some point, but there's one story still unfinished in my files and the idea for another knocking around in my head. The most recent one I finished, "Mr. Fixit," has gotten a couple of nice comments after posting on Authors Den. Should I post the other two when I finish them, or put them into a collection as "brand new"? Not sure at this point which would be best.

A Change of Pace

As alluded to in a previous post, I had some ideas in mind for some more short stories. I finally decided to go ahead an write one of them. The inspiration came after I spent way too much time cleaning a virus from my computer and wishing there was some way to make people who create them pay for the irritation and aggravation. "Mr. Fixit" was born.

Click on the page at the left to read the story. It's not very long. Leave a comment if you like.

Gratification

A link from the Joliet Public Library on its Author Fair coming up in October contributed to 25 hits on this blog yesterday. People who click on my name come here. For a writer with a small publisher, this is how the game is played. I am going to put a link on this page (although not inside this particular post) to lead people from here to there. What goes around comes around.

Not a lot of writing got done since my previous post. Sometimes, life and work intrude. I did start writing one of those short stories I mentioned earlier, and have added a bit to "Stranger Faces" as well, mostly inserting bits in earlier parts of the novel to set up for coming events.

Pretty soon, the Chicago Writers Association will be publishing the next issue of "The Write City Mag" and it should contain an article I wrote for them which discusses some of the things I have learned about editing and  getting published. I hope it helps some new pre-published writers along their way. I'm going to add a link to CWA as well. For a writer in the Chicago area, it's a great resource.

With "Two Faces, Two Faced" print edition completed, I'm eagerly awaiting galleys for "Dabblers" which I  really hope will be available before the holiday shopping season. As soon as I get a projected release date, I'd like to buy an ad on the Love Is Murder site. Really looking forward to the conference in February.

Miscellany

More progress being made on "Stranger Faces," heading up to the point where it's kind of a free-for-all with every player involved. I really want to go for the humor here but with a dangerous edge, sort of like the denouement of "Two Faces, Two Faced."

I've also been giving more thought to what my next project should be, and the short story compilation holds ever greater appeal. Many of the stories have appeared on Authors Den and Writers Cafe already, but many could stand a touch of editing, which I discovered after reading a couple of them in the last week. So here's the list:

• River of Ghosts (ghost story)
• Night Vision (ghost story)
• In Memory Of (ghost story)
• Squatters (science fiction)
• Tourist Season (science fiction)
• Second Coming (science fiction)
• Pets (science fiction)

There are a few more--one previously written, one mostly written, and two still just ideas--that would be included. Quite a collection now that I see it all listed.


Thinking about the finished stories, I really wish I was more of an artist. I have ideas for illustrations that could go with them. Alas, while I can squeak by in designing covers for my novels out of bits and pieces, I just don't have the talent or time or patience to draw from scratch. Especially people. I was never good a drawing people. Landscapes? Maybe.

This is an invitation to any visitors to leave a comment if this sounds like an interesting project.

It's a Labor of Love

"Stranger Faces" final sequence proving to be a major planning endeavor. There are so many people involved, each with his or her own motive for doing what they do, and it all has to come out in the end, preferably not in the form of a big chunk of exposition by any character in the wrap-up chapter. It's a tall order.

I've gone through the exercise of writing a sort of synopsis of what happens that Tracy doesn't get to know about until later. The tricky thing is that she is coming at the puzzle sideways, long after the action originally starts offstage. Each person involved takes actions that move the story forward but they must also have a motive for what they do. And it must be a believable one. As I work out those motivations and figure out who did what along the way, sometimes it changes passages I have already written in fundamental ways. For example, I had in mind two characters in a conspiracy but they have since merged into one. (Less complicated always helps!) Then I had to go back and make sure all the references were in order, did not contradict the actual facts but did not relay too much too soon to the reader. Arrrrgh! Sometimes creating the puzzle can be harder than unraveling one.

I've also been sidetracked a little by planning for the Joliet Author Fest. I have designed some new signage as well as a tri-fold brochure for my books. That took some fiddling around, but I think I've got something. It's not as fancy as the full-color fliers I put together for the Glen Ellyn BookFest back in June, but it does the job and may be easier for people to grab and look at. It might also lend itself to being placed in public places for the casual passerby.

Already I'm thinking ahead to my next project after "Stranger Faces." I've been toying with the idea of a collection of my science fiction short stories, an anthology type thing. Beyond that, there are a lot of choices among my older manuscripts, any of which could be revised and massaged into shape.

A Little Lift

Sometimes it's funny how just when you're feeling down or discouraged, out of the blue comes something that picks you up.

I was in that very position a week or so ago, and then I received an e-mail from the contest administrator for Writers of the Future. The message mentioned my semi-finalist standing in the first quarter and then indicated they had not seen any further submissions from me and asked if I was still writing. Then the kicker, and I quote, "You are too talented to give up! I hope that is not the case."

Of course I haven't given up, and I responded as such. My most recent contest entry just came from a different e-mail address is all.

Work is progressing on the sequel to "Dreamer," but I'm reaching a point where I have to go back and make a chart of what happened when and who knew what when. Since my writing opportunities come in fits and starts, it's easy to lose track. When I find myself scanning through more than a hundred pages of text, looking for past references of a name or event, it's time to make a chart.

Someone asked me recently if I storyboard my novels. The answer? Not really. While working on one novel, I actually did sketches of a scene to figure out how the room should be laid out and where all the people would have to be positioned for the denoument to work out. Usually, I kind of work it out as I go, developing, going back and revising when I think of something that makes me say to myself, "Ooooh, that's good!" That method sometimes gets me into trouble, though, because the revising opens up all sorts of opportunities for inconsistencies to be introduced. I guess that's what proofreading is for.

I don't know that I would have the patience to outline an entire novel before starting on page one. What would happen to all the great ideas for bits of conversation or the perfect words to describe something? I think I also secretly fear that if I put the whole story down in an outline, I'll feel the story  has been told and lose interest in it. The general story is in my head, the urge to put it into print is irresistable, the doing of it a satisfying labor of love.  

Publishing Updates

Almost ready to send galley corrections to publisher for print edition of "The Dreamer Gambit". Barnes & Noble is already offering preorders on the paperbacks. Release is scheduled for January, 2012.

Thanks to a tip found on the blog of Arline Chase from Write Words, I have added an author page to my book on Amazon. Will it drive more people to this blog and the other sites? I hope so.

The short story for Writers of the Future contest is pretty much ready, but I'm going to have my hubby read it. He's been a very good judge so far on my other stories as to which ones were the best. I also need a second set of eyes on it to make sure everything is as clear on the page as it is in my head. He doesn't mind reading short stories, but novels are a whole nuther thang.

My http://www.goodreads.com/ ad has been getting clicks, which is most gratifying. Don't know if those clicks actually relate to hard sales, but when it comes to self-promoting a novel, you take any avenue you can. Also got the first edition of the "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" newsletter from Love Is Murder on which I am in the Author Spotlight section. Both of these ads are of the paid-for variety, so I really hope they create some sales. That's what the book business is all about, eh?

Making Strides

It's been a pretty good day on the writing front.

Finished the first draft of my next Writers of the Future Contest entry. Can I wow the judges and get to the Finalist category this time? I think this one has a chance as its premise is something I've never seen done before. Of course, I don't read everything.

This afternoon, I received the signed contract for the print edition of  "The Dreamer Gambit". More details as they become available.

I also received an e-mail response from the organizers of the Love Is Murder 2012 Mystery Conference. I am going to have an ad for my book appear in the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang newsletter for the next few months. I still need to get more details about how I can market my book while at the conference. This'll be so much more fun than pitching to agents (although their Pitch-A-Palooza is a great way to get the ear of literary agents who are usually swamped with submissions).

Now, the question becomes will I sell enough copies of "The Dreamer Gambit" to disqualify myself from the contest? Or will I get free PR from any sort of standing in the contest to help sell more books?

Or am I getting a little too big for my britches here? To paraphrase a famous quote, gotta remember to keep both feet on the ground when events get your head in the clouds.

And Now For Something a Little Different

Back in 2009, the Chicago Tribune held a contest to find Chicago's Scariest Ghost Stories. Entries were required to be 700 words or less and had to reference a Chicago-area landmark or historical event.

I entered three stories, and one of them was selected for posting on the Tribune's website. While it did not win the contest, the selection of it by Tribune columnist Julia Keller marked my first writing success.

I have combined all three of my entries into one document and posted them on Authors Den. Enjoy.

Short Story - Tourist Season

Just added another short story to my Authors Den page. It received an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest last year.

Follow the link at the left to Authors Den and you can probably find it either by searching on my name or its title.

Happy reading.

Short Story - Second Coming

Please visit Authors Den to read my short story that just won semifinalist standing the the L.. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest.

Here is a link. Authors Den Stories.

Should this link fail, click on the link to the left on this page for Authors Den, change the category to Science Fiction, and then click on the Stories tab. You should be able to find it by my name or by its title.