Finding Kat Heckenbach

Book Giveaway: "Star of Justice"

2012-05-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I have found myself in possession of TWO copies of Star of Justice, by Robynn Tolbert. Her little twisted Turtle mind somehow sees me as an editor, and she sent me a copy even though I'd already bought one. Truthfully, I'd consider myself a beta-reader, since I did very little "editing" of her manuscript (mainly because it didn't need it!)...but that is neither here nor there.

There are, rather, two other things that are more important here:

One, the book is GOOD. No, not good. Awesome. Freakin' awesome, actually. One of those books that is ridiculously long but makes you scream, "No, it can't be over yet!" when you come to the end.
Two, as I mentioned, I have an extra copy. Lovely as it is, the words are in fact the same in both copies and therefore I need only one.

The task then falls on me to find a home for my extra copy. I didn't want to do something generic. This is no generic book, after all. And truth be told, no generic author. So, I need something clever and unique. I also need an idea that is both fun for ya'll and totally self-serving for me. (Okay, so I don't "need" it to be self-serving, but I want it to be :P.)

Well, as it happens, I have a speaking gig in September at my library, where I intend to talk about fantasy writing. Out of the blue today, I was struck with the idea of doing a giveaway there and needed an idea for how to choose the winner other than a simple random drawing. I thought about the Necronomicon (a sf/f/h con I frequent), which has lots of contests and games, including a few trivia contests.

There! That's it!

No, no....I'm not giving away Star of Justice there. I'm giving away a copy of Finding Angel there. I'm going to use the contest idea to generate my unique giveaway of Star of Justice HERE. Keep up, people.

THIS is where the Star of Justice giveaway ties to the other giveaway. I intend to do a trivia contest at my speaking gig.

So I need trivia. About fantasy novels.

Here is what you do:

Email me at khDOTfindingangelATgmailDOTcom. (change the DOT to a real dot and the AT to an @, of course). Please put "TRIVIA SUBMISSION" in the subject line. Do NOT put your submission in a comment here.

Include in that email a trivia question AND answer about a fantasy novel. Let's not go for obvious, but not terribly obscure either, okay? And give the correct answer. If I have to check the facts and find out you tried to make me look stupid, I'll send you something mean instead of the book :P.

I want at least 50 submissions (so I have a good selection to choose from for my gig, but your entry still counts even if I don't use your submission). I will not pick a winner until I reach that number. NO, you may not enter more than once--that gives a crazy unfair advantage to the uber-nerds out there. And it means you ought to tell your friends about this so we reach the 50 submissions!

I'd actually love to reach an even higher number. So let's sweeten it a bit. If I reach 75 submissions, the winner will also receive a print copy of Aquasynthesis (the anthology put out by my publisher). If I reach 100 submissions, the winner will also--on top of SOJ and Aquasynthesis--receive a copy of Fred Warren's Odd Little Miracles. And if I'm totally slammed with submissions...well, maybe I will throw in a copy of Finding Angel :). I might do that no matter what, actually, if ya'll behave.

Okay...we need a time frame. Partly because I need to have all these in and sorted BEFORE my gig, or it does me no good :P. And partly because I don't want to sit around waiting forever to "see if we can hit" the next goal. Gotta draw a line somewhere, right?

So, let's call the deadline at June 27th, since that's Angel's birthday.

RECAP:

Really? You think I'd do that? Scroll back up, lazy bones.

What Have I Started?

2012-05-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it's happened twice this week. Two comments I made online have spawned blog posts by other authors. Most cool :).

First, I posed a question on Facebook about an author's obligation to sticking to stereotypes in order to meet readers' expectations about characters. Bryan Thomas Schmidt tackled the idea in his blog, The Importance of Reaching Beyond Female Stereotypes. Awesome post, I must say.

And then today I wake up to Mike Duran's post that expands on a previous discussion in the comments of an older blog post. Check out that one first if you'd like, then go read today's post, Should Christians be Obligated to Promote Christian Art? As usual, the discussion has sprung up like wildfire.

Thanks, guys, for making my blog post so easy today! :)

First Time Author Reviews

2012-05-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned on here that I'm a member of Amazon Vine, which means I get some free stuff in exchange for reviews. I do mostly books. Go figure :P. And most of those books, I've realized, are first books. I could turn this into a post about marketing and new authors, but I won't. Just saying it does make sense, since it's the first books that need to get "out there." I know this all too well.

Anyway, my latest pick from Amazon Vine is a YA book called Hemlock, by Kathleen Peacock. It's about werewolves, and a girl whose town is being taken over by Trackers--an organized vigilante group of werewolf hunters. For some reason, this book has made me give serious thought to my reviews of these first books. Am I being too harsh with some? If so, why?

You can see some of my negative reviews for Amazon Vine, first books HERE and HERE and HERE.

I do have positive reviews, of course. Some first books have blown me away. (For example, THIS and THIS and THIS.) But the negative ones are what have made me think. Because as a new author, I wonder if I should be more understanding. That thought has only recently occurred to me in regards to Amazon Vine books. And it's because of Hemlock.

Okay, I know this is feeling wander-y. Bear with me.

As I was reading Hemlock, I noticed some of the same "first time author" issues I've faced. Stating the obvious, over-explaining, focusing on plot to the detriment of characterization. In some ways, those things irritated me. I found myself thinking--and this is where the whole connection thing comes into play--"Why aren't these things being fixed? This book is published by one of the Big Six publishers! They have the big bucks, and hire the best editors!" I realized I was setting the bar higher for first time authors with big presses than first time authors with small presses. Because I'm with small press, and yet my editors have scoured my writing for all these issues! So why are the big press editors not?

I feel like shaking my finger at them. Shame, shame! If we can do it with our little budget, then you surely can!

And yet....I felt a connection to this author because of shared issues. And I actually enjoyed the plot, once things got going. The author reminded me of me, the way she planted clues and revealed things later. Her ideas aren't too far from my own thinking, too--I actually have a short story published that involves a small town with an organized vigilante group of werewolf hunters. I liked that the romance in the book wasn't the main plot line, that it was second to the mystery that evolved. I wanted to root for her, because doing so was like rooting for me.

Honestly, this post isn't meant for anything but me to share this experience. I doubt I'll change the way I review books, whether through Amazon Vine or not. But the idea that ALL first authors have issues to overcome, regardless of who their publishers are, has shifted my view a bit. It's also made me believe even more strongly that I could have found a large press to take me.

What say you? Should first time authors be reviewed differently than veterans?

PS--the cover of the book is gorgeous, isn't it? But it has nothing at all to do with the story. So not getting that trend...

Slacking, Not

2012-05-22T09:23:00.001-07:00

Oh, holy cow, it looks like I'm slacking here. No blogs in how long?

I have been busy editing since I got back from my cruise. And then busy with all kinds of other junk that would bore you if I listed it here :P. But I did speak at a local writers group and blogged some stuff about it over at THE CHEESECAKE THICKENS. Go check it out.

What I'm thinking about focusing on next here is my experience with book contests. Anyone interested?

Where I've Been, and an Award or Three

2012-05-14T11:39:00.003-07:00

This is gonna be short and sweet. I've been out of town for the last six days. My in-laws' 50th anniversary was in February and to celebrate we booked a family cruise--which we just got back from today! Yep, five nights on the Disney Magic.

My assessment:

The ship is awesome, and the crew is more awesome. The shows are excellent. The food varies from good to outstanding. We had three stops: Key West, Nassau, and Castaway Cay (Disney's private island). Key West in a word was "meh." Nassau was cool, but there is either rich/exclusive/touristy or dumpy with very little in-between. But the pirate museum was uber-cool and the conch chowder was the best I ever had. Castaway Cay was beautiful, but simply reinforced the fact that I am *not* a beach person.

Oh, and I had a cold the whole time. I still have no voice. It didn't deter me from having a great time, though!

Did I mention I got to see The Avengers and John Carter while on the boat? Epic.

I got two bits of news while I was gone, too:

Finding Angel did not win the YA category of the Grace Awards (although it made finalist a while back).

Finding Angel DID final in the INDIE awards, which I believe means a silver medal.

And as I've already said, Finding Angel made finalist in the Compton Crook Award, too. Finalist in three contests...not terrible, I think ;).

There might be more to tell ya, but I'm tired.

Shaking the Dust

2012-05-03T11:40:00.001-07:00

shake the dust from your feet

I've decided I need to expand upon and give some illustration of what I blogged about yesterday. I won't name the blogger I referenced yesterday, but I will say that the group in question is the ACFW. That stands for American Christian Fiction Writers, and it is a volunteer organization whose purpose is to help Christian fiction writers, readers, and publishers.

I am a member because I am an editor with Splashdown Books, the publisher of Finding Angel, and Splashdown is an "ACFW recognized" publisher. That means Splashdown meets their requirements as a Christian publisher, even though we publish very weird stuff ;).

Their requirements can be pretty stringent, and I don't agree with many of them. For example, they require their recognized publishers to have a separate imprint for Christian fiction if the overall publishing house has secular books as well.

A particular publishing house called Desert Breeze was denied "recognition" by the ACFW despite a clear distinction between their Christian and secular romance novels. They didn't want to restructure their entire house, and I agreed with them. It's ridiculous. There are other publishers with Christian "imprints" whose websites don't distinguish between books from those imprints and the other, secular books. Yet DBP has their site very well organized. This, my friends, is bass-ackwards.

DBP appealed to the leadership via proper channels. They were ultimately denied. But instead of getting on the ACFW loop and squawking, they involved themselves elsewhere, joining groups that were more secular. They've been really successful, with both their secular AND Christian novels. They did what I said we need to do in my other post--they found where they belonged, and or created places for themselves, and it's worked. They essentially ignore the ACFW--because their visions don't jibe.

One particular author with DBP, Shawna Williams, is a good friend of mine. She recently attended the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. Several other DBP authors went as well. From what I gather, they had a blast. And Shawna told me specifically how open the attendees were to Christian romance! Again, instead of moaning about the lack of acceptance by a particular group, these ladies involved themselves in a convention that held the same standards.

I mentioned my own publisher, Splashdown Books, and the fact that we are recognized by the ACFW. We happen to fall in line with them, but it's not because we specifically set out to meet their standards. AND we do branch out, both as a publishing house and as individual authors, into markets for our particular genres. You won't find me at an ACFW conference, but you'll find me at the Necronomicon. We at Splashdown know that we're both Christian and speculative.

My point? Success comes from focusing on what you're trying to accomplish and not spending valuable time berating what others are doing. DBP has my respect because they set out for a certain goal and accomplished it, without looking anywhere but forward.

Matthew 10:14 says, "If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave." Even God's word is not meant to be hammered into people, so what makes us think our opinions should be?

If you disagree with a group, go find another group. No inciting derision, pouting over backlash (that you refuse to address), and posting follow-up blogs about how petty that group is. Shake the dust from your feet and move in the direction you want to go. If the "other" group is wrong, they'll fall of their own accord. If not...well, there's room enough for both groups.

In an email to a friend, I likened things to this. A lot of people don't like the restaurant Hooters because of the girls in short shorts. Some customers have tried to make them change their uniform code. It didn't work--because there were gobs of patrons who love the girls and their (lack of) attire regardless of the food (which some love, and some hate). And because, guess what--Hooters has every right to set whatever dress code they want for their waitresses. (Just as the ACFW has every right to set it's own guidelines, logical or not.)

If customers want different, more modest scenery, they can go to another restaurant. If they're entrepreneurally inclined (can I coin a new phrase?), they can even open a restaurant of their own, specifically for those customers. Here's the catch--they can't stand in the middle of Hooters berating the waitresses and managers, nor drag the customers from their seats. Instead, they need to advertise their restaurant for what it is, rather than what it's not, and if there are customers who want that, they'll come.

DBP did exactly that. Splashdown is doing that.

I'm doing that, too. This is my last post on the topic. I'm shaking the dust.

(PS--I chose that top picture because I was known for my black Chuck Converse in high school. I miss those old, raggy shoes....)

Make Your Own Realm

2012-05-02T09:24:00.001-07:00

I posted nearly a year ago on NAF about the "war" between different factions of the Christian market. Please take a moment to read "Put Down Your Sword and Write" and then come back and find out my current take on this, which has sprung from a battle I witnessed this weekend.

OK, I know some of you (all of you?) did not go read the post I referenced, so let me give a quick summary. I think too many Christian writers focus on trying to change other Christian writers. My opinion: There are different segments of the Christian reader population and there needs to be different kinds of writing to reach each of them. So, put down the swords, pick up your pens (or laptops), and write what you want.

What happened recently though, is a blogger (and writer, and editor) posted a supposed "wake-up call" to Christian writers. She is on a rampage to change the face of Christian writing, to improve it, to raise the bar of quality....

The problem is this: She is totally missing the point. Most Christian novels are written for the Christian market, for a certain demographic that, let's face it, wants that kind of novel. And quality, to a certain degree, is subjective. Yes, there are some absolutes in writing craft. But different types of books are written differently. Contemporary vs. historical, literary vs. commercial, romance vs. military thriller, adult vs. YA/MG. The rules don't all span all genres and styles. The focus is different for each. The target audience is different. The level of literary-ness is different.

You all know me. You know I don't write typical Christian fiction. I don't read it, because in general I don't like it. There ARE some brilliant Christian novels out there. And many of them are published by specifically Christian publishers. But overall, I tend to read secular novels, or Christian novels on the "fringe"--fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc, which aren't taken too well by the bulk of the Christan readership.

However, you won't find me fussing at the readers and writers who don't accept me or my weird stuff, or who write the stuff I'm not fond of--or even write poorly (imo). Instead, I look for my fellows. I hang with those who want the same things out of fiction that I want. Instead of pointing fingers and telling Others they need to be like Us, I focus on improving in the area I, and my peeps, write in. If you like what you see, you are welcome to join us. If not, you may continue on your merry way with not an ill word from me.

The reason for this is that we aren't going to move in the direction we want to move if we're dragging along people who don't want to go. Who don't, if you really think about it, need to go. They are happy, and they have an audience that they love and who loves them. Leave them be.

The whole thing reminds me of high school and cliques and social clubs. I was never one who looked for popularity. I knew that to be popular, to hang with the in crowd, I'd have to change who I was. The in crowd looked down on me, but it didn't matter--I didn't need their approval. I didn't like what they were doing.

The key, though, is I never tried to be a part of Their Club, or try to get them to change Their Parameters to accept me. Instead I ignored them, and I focused on Me. By finding my Own Crowd, I found a place I could grow through real friendships. Eventually, some of the populars began treating me with more respect--but because they saw me being who I was and not being affected by them.

Christian writers who don't like the CBA, who don't like the in crowd, can always find--or form--their Own Groups. Ignore the CBA, and ignore the populars you think are full of fluff, and forge in the direction you choose. Let them have their successes in Their Realm, and you go MAKE successes in Your Realm.

(And if you don't get the photo reference, it's from the movie Heathers, which has this message: You can't change or kill off the populars. If you want to be part of them, you have to change. If you don't want to change, make your own way.)

Slowing Down to Speed Up

2012-05-01T06:20:00.001-07:00

I have two awesome authors/editors going through Seeking Unseen right now. They're marking up my baby with lots of red ink, nit-picking, looking for ways to perfect her. Which means that very, very soon I'll be slowing down online so I can spend time working on getting rid of all that red ink and putting on a final polish!

I've also had to slow down on the internet a bit lately because I've been stepping up at church and getting involved in things there. It's one reason we left our old church--we felt like we couldn't "plug in." Well, no problems with that at the new one! So far I've joined the rotation of ladies who teach Beastie 2's early Sunday School class, Jeff and I have taken on teaching the current lesson in our own Sunday School class for the next couple of months, and I've been somehow handed a huge chunk of an artistic project to celebrate our church's ten year anniversary (my part being the representation of the "future" of our church).

Homeschooling is getting more complicated, too, as the Beasties are getting older. Not a complaint--I love watching them grown and learn. But man, oh, man, the jumps they're taking. Which means, you guessed it, more slowing down on internet time as I focus on the Beasties.

Oh, yes, and then there is writing. Once Seeking Unseen is out the door, it will be time to move on to the next project. I actually have three major ones that all need attention! The third book in the Finding Angel series, of course. Then a novella length story that goes with the series, a prequel of sorts. The third project is a novel, completely unrelated to Finding Angel--it's an adult paranormal that's about 3/4 written, but needs finishing and editing. Not to mention the fact that it's been ages since I worked on short stories.

So, as you see, things will likely be slowing down Here a bit, but it's only because they are speeding up Everywhere Else. I am both Tortoise and Hare these days!

The Unraveling of Wentwater

2012-04-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Unraveling of Wentwater is the latest (fourth) book in the Gates of Heaven Series by C.S. Lakin. I've immensely enjoyed this series so far, including this new addition (although my favorite remains The Map Across Time). Based loosely on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, it is the story of the power of words.

It begins with the birth of a baby girl, and a visit from the marsh witch...who foresees the destruction of the town (the unraveling of Wentwater). Her prophecy, like Sleeping Beauty, involves a spinning wheel, but that is where the similarities end.

This isn't the tale of a princess hiding away until her sixteenth birthday with multicolored fairy godmothers, nor is there a prince who falls in love and saves her with a kiss. It's a love triangle between a girl with pale hair and two brothers--one who steals her heart with music and the other who tries to steal her heart through a curse--that takes the town apart word by word.

What I love about Lakin's writing is her complexity of story. Yes, the characters are strong and distinct--and the villains are wickedly villainous. But what makes the books for me are the twists and turns, and Lakin's love for words creates layer upon layer in intricacy.

I also adore that this series isn't a "series" in the true sense. Rather, the stories all take place in the same realm, and are tied together, but the books can be read out of order. The series is more tapestry than time line. Which means you could actually start with this book and not find yourself lost at all. The books reference story elements in the other books, but not enough to spoil the plot if you haven't read them yet.

Oh, and the cover art is lovely on them all!

*Note--this book hasn't released yet. I reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy.

Brave Little Beastie

2012-04-25T08:13:00.001-07:00

So can't wait for this! :D

For those of you who may be new to my blog, "Beastie 2" is what I affectionately call my daughter, my younger child, in public forums. And last year, my little Beastie was diagnosed with scoliosis. Fortunately for her, Mommy (that's me, of course) went through the same thing. The big difference: I was twelve when I was diagnosed, not a mere 8 years old. Beastie is now 9 1/2, and the curve has progressed to the point where she has been put in a back brace--just like I was put in one when I was 13.

We picked up her brace yesterday. Unlike the monstrosity I was forced to endure, hers is lightweight foam reinforced with a layer of plastic (mine was heavy plastic with metal bars), has pretty little butterflies all over it (mine was orthopedic white), and she only has to wear hers when she's sleeping (I had to wear mine all. day. long.).

Even with all the improvements, it's still a scary and uncomfortable thing at first.

But my Beastie was so brave!

She dealt with the brace for a little over six hours last night, waking up about every two hours and asking to take it off for a few minutes to stretch. Finally, the tears came around 4:30 am (she'd been in bed since a little after 10 pm) and I let her sleep the rest of the night without it. It's something that has to be built up to--not just my opinion--the doc says so, too. I'd say six-plus hours is very good for a first night, when you have something pushing against your back all night. The brace has to be worn tight, too, and it takes a while for your body to realize it can move around while it's sleeping in that thing.

Anyway, I'm just so proud of her!

On a completely-different-but-not-so-different note, it's my day at The Cheesecake Thickens, and I've posted about me being brave...and being not so brave....

The Kid Inside Me

2012-04-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Based on The Secret Garden

I was sitting outside in the amazingly cool weather yesterday (it's been really hot lately and a storm brought in a much appreciated cold front) as I read The Humming Room by Ellen Potter. I'm a little more than halfway through, so this is not a review or anything, although so far I'm enjoying it. Not nearly as much as her other book, The Kneebone Boy, which I highly recommend. I also recommend that if you read The Kneebone Boy you do not do so with a drink, as you will inevitably spew it across the pages--the book is freakin' hilarious.

Is this cover not awesome?

Anyway, this post isn't about The Kneebone Boy either. But, as I was reading yesterday, it dawned on me why I love MG and YA books so much.

I've never officially posted my reasoning on here, although I've commented on other people's blog here and there. Somehow, it's never completely gelled for me before. I've talked about how kids' books tend to be more creative, more imaginative. They are also cleaner--no reading past sex scenes to get to the story. And I've likely listed other little things as well that I can't remember right now.

But I think it boils down to this--I get to be a kid again. I get to look at the world through younger eyes and experience things with true wonder. I get to see and do things "for the first time." And every adventure in every book is a first time for something when you read in the juvenile/MG/YA/teen genres. Narrow it down to speculative (fantasy, sci-fi, horror, paranormal) within that set and it's doubly new. Even the darkest of books are wondrous--battling evil and/or challenging the world with a passion only found in the young. No cynicism from years of experience--just going out there and doing it.

In short, reading younger books brings out the kid in me. I'm not sure I need any more justification than that.

Weekend Observations

2012-04-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

I have been all over the place, both physically and mentally, the last few days. If you follow me on Facebook at all, you possibly noticed that I barely posted there. For some reason, I ended up with nonstop plans all weekend.

While I was running around, though, I noticed so many things I've given thought to blogging about:

1) At a party the other night, we played "Catch Phrase"--girls against guys. The guys guessed the correct answer of "chrome" with my husband's nebulous hint of "the opposite of black." I could only come to the conclusion that Men are Borg, because how else would they all go *there* with that hint????

2) At my writers meeting the next morning, I took the prologue and first chapter of a manuscript I've had in the works for a while. No, it is not at all related to the Finding Angel series. (Actually, it's not even fantasy or YA.) One of the women there--a very talented writer, whose work I've read so far has impressed me immensely--said after reading my excerpt that it made her feel like "deleting everything (she's) ever written." This hit like a train for me, as that is exactly what I have said in the past about books that have blown me away, and hearing it about *my* writing nearly knocked me over. My Writing Did What?

3) I came home from the meeting and found that an email telling me that Finding Angel is a Finalist in the Compton Crook Award. Now, I was rather honored when they contacted me the first time, saying they had bought a copy for consideration in the contest. Yes, the Compton Crook is an award that is not just given to those who enter themselves or are nominated by others, and there is no entry fee (so I'd assume there are a lot of entrants), and the prize for winning is pretty dang spiffy, and I was so taken aback initially I wrote to the contest coordinator to make sure someone hadn't used her name to prank me! But yes, they *found* Finding Angel on their own. And now she's a finalist. I wish I knew how many finalists there are, and out of how many entrants. My research hasn't proven terribly helpful, although the few places I've found that list finalists from past years show only a handful. This leads me to believe I need to feel crazy honored to have made it this far!!!

4) I went to a party for a friend who has adopted a little boy. She already has two adopted sons, and they have a beautiful family :). I met another adoptive family there--one with nine kids! The parents are white, but the kids are of all different races. I was so incredibly impressed with them. Having nine kids alone is something that would present challenges. Having nine kids who are of different races and from all sorts of backgrounds that may or may not have involved abuse and who-knows-what takes something special. And these people have it! Those kids are SO loving--to each other, to everyone--and well-behaved. And I found out the mom could never have kids of her own due to a rare cancer she'd had as a child. I firmly believe that God does NOT bring bad things onto people--like giving little kids cancer--but He DOES turn bad things to good all the time. And He used her unique situation to lead her to adoption, where she obviously belongs. All I can say is "Wow."

This book has a story I wrote about Kalek .
Click HERE to buy on Amazon.

5) My devotional this morning centered around the beginning of Psalm 19, which reads:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

This is a really special verse for me because it is where the inspiration for one of my Finding Angel characters came from. Kalek is Elven, but you won't always notice his pointed ears through the mass of long, curly hair. Not too many Elven have tattoos like he does either, or wear leather, or play an electric guitar (without electricity). But even more unique, his music gives voice to the stars' declarations referenced in this verse. He is My Favorite Character in Finding Angel, even though he doesn't get a tremendous amount of screen time. He gets a bit more in the upcoming Seeking Unseen, and will have even more spotlight time in the third book (which at this point is only at the very beginning stages of being plotted out).

All right, that last isn't really part of the "weekend" but it still struck me so I included it. And obviously I'm not going to blog about these things individually now. That's okay. My days should be slowing down over the next couple of weeks, so I should be able to come up with more topics. Even though I'll be deep in the editing mire...

Mentor Me Not

2012-04-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

Couldn't find a pic for this topic, so I just went with Snoopy :).

A dear friend-slash-fellow spec-fic author posed a question recently. She wanted to know if there are any author “mentors” out there. Veteran authors who have gone from newbie nobody to multi-published and successful , and would be willing to guide a new newbie nobody through the waters.

I answered her that I would not answer in a public forum. But I do have answers to that question, at least from my own personal experience as a spec-fic author—which basically says, Nope, sorry, yer on yer own, kid.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There ARE authors out there who are willing to help. Who WANT to help. Who bend over backwards for newbies and give advice at every turn and who are genuine and wonderful people. Which is the real reason I said I didn’t want to answer this question in a public forum. I don’t want to dis a bunch of people who have truly been there for me.

Ah, but my peeps have pleaded. And I’m tellin’ ya, there is nothing more heart-wrenching than pleading peeps.

So, here we go. My random observations about why what works for them doesn’t always translate to us.

Genre matters. Target audience matters. If you write sci-fi or fantasy, the marketing techniques of romance writers, chick-lit writers, historical writers, nonfiction writers, etc., will not necessarily work for you. There may be some overlap, but as a YA fantasy writer, I’m not going to find readers the same way a romance writer will, or a women’s humor writer. My audience doesn’t shop the same places. They don’t follow blogs the same way. We run in different circles and have different priorities. And when you factor in the Christian card—the whole system blows up. Speculative fiction is seen as truly weird and often unacceptable in the Christian market, so we’re generally not allowed in the bookstores where more mainstream books are easily found. Which brings up my next point.

Press size matters. I am published through a small press. Because of that, regardless of genre, I can’t get into bookstores. So, when a veteran author with a big press talks about doing signings at the local Barnes & Noble or whatever, the advice doesn’t apply to me. Those places want nothing to do with me. So, I have to be more creative when it comes to marketing. I can’t rely on someone stumbling across my book as they are browsing bookstore shelves. And even during online marketing, many readers who will purchase through Amazon because they’re cheaper still take the presence of a book in a bookstore as some sort of badge of validation.

And speaking of small presses, there are budget constraints. Bigger authors have review copies covered by their publishing house. Often hundreds of review copies. Small press authors can’t afford to send out hundreds. Most of the time we only sell hundreds! Yes, these days even authors at big presses are required to invest in the marketing, but when you’re with a larger press there’s more of a guarantee of a return on that investment, partially because of the reasons listed above this. With us small press authors, the stakes are much higher.

Also, as far as investment goes—one piece of advice I’ve received is to hire a promotion service. These services can cost into the thousands of dollars. You may read this as a cop-out, but here goes. I have already imposed upon my family by taking gobs of time to write. And to attend critique groups (which also require membership fees), and a couple of conference days (which also require registration fees). I can’t justify taking money from our savings to invest in a service that may or may not pay off. Writing is a dream of mine, but it is not a necessity. I will do what I can, when I can, to promote. But I will not infringe upon the generosity of my husband and children. Also, because of the things I’ve mentioned above, about bookstores and genre, that investment becomes a huge risk. It’s fine to say “only $3k” when you know it will likely come back to you in the form of thousands of book sales. But when you’re talking hundreds, and know you likely won’t break even…

One of the things I’ve heard about promotion services is that they get mailing lists and send out newsletters, and constantly remind readers to remember you, remember you, remember you. This, I think, ties in with the genre/target audience issue. These kinds of newsletters may work for romance and chick-lit, but I’ve found that spec-fic readers, myself included, aren’t big on newsletters. I have subscribed to a few, and subsequently cancelled those subscriptions. I’ve also noted that I don’t need someone constantly sticking their name in my face for me to remember them. If I love a book—and we spec-fic readers love our books passionately—I will find a way to keep up with the author’s newest releases. A way that does NOT involve having my inbox slammed with useless newsletters. Maybe I’m wrong to generalize like that, but I tend to think if I find something annoying I’m not going to subject my prospective readers to it.

Okay, I’ve just realized everything I’ve said so far has to do with marketing. But there’s a lot more to it than that. We’re talking about trying to go from small press to big press. It’s a catch-22, though. The KEY to going from small press to big press is selling lots of books. If you sell a lot, you can get noticed by a bigger press. And selling means marketing….sigh….

Case in point. I follow a particular NYT bestselling author on her blog. She gets a lot of questions from aspiring authors, including requests to see her query letter that landed her a publishing contract. She obliged, and I was soooooo thrilled I’d get to see the letter—until I saw it. It wasn’t the letter that got her first contract—that one was with a small press. It was the letter that took her from small to large, and while written with style and personality, if stripped of those attributes it boiled down to this (in other words, this is NOT a quote from the letter, it is my dried-out paraphrase):

“Dear Agent, I’ve got two books published with a small press. They are selling so well the owner is kicking himself for not contracting that he gets first rights of refusal on everything I write. I now have a book I’d like to shop around. It’s about werewolves. Let me know if you’re interested.”

There was literally only one or two sentences about the actual project, and they were pretty vague. There was NONE of the “hook” we are told to put in ours regarding the manuscript in question—it all came from her style—and more importantly, she’d proven herself with sales.

I think going from small press to large press has to do with sales, period. And what works for one author doesn’t always work for another. We’re kind of destined for our own paths. As small press authors, much of that travel is us putting one foot in front of the other. We don’t have a huge team working to help us along.

Which brings me to:

Big names in some ways *can’t* help us.

I met a fairly big name author at a writers group last year. His path to publication involved having a connection that took him straight to a large publishing house. In other words—his path was nothing like mine. I hope this doesn’t sound bitter or jealous-y. He was one of the *sweetest* people I have ever met. I am truly happy for him. But he went straight to the goal. And it’s another place where genre matters—his writing is purely mainstream.

We had a great conversation while at that meeting, too, where he mentioned he nearly never blogs, nor does a lot of those things we up-and-comings *must* do regularly. Authors with major publishers have “people”—people to schedule their speaking events and signings—and those people have pull. Which puts us back to my original point when I said that we newbies with small presses can’t get signings. That is partially why. We’re not taken as seriously, I think, when we don’t have a publishing house setting our stuff up for us. “What, you’re in here trying to sell yourself? Then you must not be very important…”

I guess what I’m saying with all that is, some authors simply don’t have the answers because their path was sooooo different, and their genre is different, and maybe things just timed right for them. Or whatever. Or maybe they did go the “long way” but it was years ago and they’ve gotten somewhat disconnected from their roots.

(Again, let me say, this has been MY experience. If it hasn’t been yours, and you were a small press author in the spec-fic genre, especially in the YA range, and you moved on to a large press, feel free to comment below and tell me HOW you did it. Maybe you can start a service for the rest of us who are struggling along.)

My last point is something I’ve wanted to blog about for a while, but haven’t really figured out how to dig in. Well, here’s my chance.

I said above, it’s about navigating waters. But by that, I don’t mean a river. Instead, think surfing. (Now, I’m not a surfer, but I think I have a grasp on this idea.) Each “generation” of writers is like a group of surfers catching a wave. Imagine a huge, long wave that a whole bunch of surfers could line up and all ride together. The next wave that comes along is going to be grabbed by a different group-but it’s a slightly different wave. The previous group can give some advice, but much of it has to do with the unique variances of the wave you are on. It’s my understanding that the really good surfers go by “feel”-and we have to, too.

Publishing is publishing and is *basically* the same as it was twenty years ago. But a LOT of the details have changed. I’m not going to itemize them all—if you aren’t keeping up with that stuff, you may have no business reading this post in the first place. My point is, the pack in front of us had slightly different challenges to face. Their wave had slightly different properties. They can give us some advice, about publishing (surfing) in general, but it truly is up to US to catch this wave—to read its subtleties and go by “feel” based on the knowledge we’ve attained.

The key is perseverance. Studying the waves, looking at the variances, reading them, feeling them out, then jumping on. Eventually, others will get tired. Or get sucked under. The ones who keep going, getting stronger, learning, will make it the farthest. But we can’t do that by copying the group in front of us. They are on shore already. We have to find *each other* and work together to get on this wave, just like the ones in front of us did.

Have you ever wondered how so many authors know each other? Did you think it was some social club they all got to enter once they hit a certain level? What I’m discovering is that they were all working on the same wave, and got to know each other along the way. Most of them didn’t have someone from the wave in front of them holding their hand and pulling them along. Some did, yes, but not most. They turned to each other. And now that they’re successful, it’s not about them not wanting to help us, it’s about them knowing they can’t necessarily. They can stand on shore and holler advice—“watch out for that shark!”—but they know that ultimately it’s about us learning to feel the waves on our own and catch the one that’s right for us.

Stop the Remakes!

2012-04-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

I went to see The Hunger Games on Friday night, but this is not going to be a review. If you want to know what I thought of the movie, check out this review by another blogger who totally nailed exactly the way I felt (note--she also describes her theater experience since she--lucky!--went to the midnight/first showing, and that, of course, was not at all what I experienced, but it's a neat thing to check out).

The reason I'm telling you I went is that while I was there I saw the preview for the new Spiderman movie.

I. Am. So. Irritated.

I had heard they were remaking it. I knew the new one starred someone other than Tobey Maguire, who in my opinion made an awesome Spiderman. I loved him in all three. I do not like the replacement--for both Peter Parker and Mary Jane--and will NOT be seeing the new movie. What makes me mad, though, is not so much that they got a new actor (how many Batmans have there been?) but that they are starting over.

Why does the first Spiderman have to be remade????

It has become this ridiculous trend. Another preview I saw while at The Hunger Games was for a Three Stooges movie. So, basically, two movies that were previewed were rehashes of old stuff. Rehashes of rehashes, really, when you think about it.

And then yesterday someone posted on Facebook that Total Recall is being remade.

Seriously? Why?

Again, Total Recall is a movie I loved. I am, I admit, a huge Arnold fan. Always have been. And there is. Just. No. Reason. the movie needs to be remade.

I can deal with the constant retelling of fairy tales and such. There are several versions of Snow White either out or coming out. It's kind of cool seeing the variety of dark versions and spoofs and such. But those are different. It's sort of like how it's okay to have a different take on Santa in the multitude of Christmas movies each year.

But when it comes to blockbuster films, what is happening? WHY is Hollywood investing in remakes instead of new stories? I'm so tired of it. I'm ready to start my own protest group.

I'll tell you right now--if they ever remake the first Highlander movie, you will hear my scream echo around the world.

Quick Little List

2012-04-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

My last post was a quick little list, with adorable pics of our new dog K'rysy, offered as an excuse for my not blogging lately. This post is a quick little list, sans dog photos, of why I'm still not blogging.

I have been:

Finally working on the climax chapters of Seeking Unseen, now that I've figured out why the way I was going with it wasn't working.

Thinking about the pros and cons of Twitter, as well as all the other networks and forums to which I belong. I deleted a few of those accounts, btw. Still debating about Twitter.

Mopping my floor every 15 minutes because my old dog Dax is drooling all over the place and everyone keeps walking through it with dirty feet.

Celebrating Easter a week early with my husband's family because he's got relatives in town.

Shopping for and planning Beastie 1's birthday. He's turning 12. This can not be happening.

Experiencing Disney Quest for the first time. Me + video games = not the funnest of days. But the Pirates of the Caribbean game was cool.

Reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which so far is completely and totally a can't-put-it-down novel.

Lying about not posting more dog photos:

Here is Why

2012-03-29T11:00:00.001-07:00

I have not blogged in like ten days.

Here is why:

Our newest family member, K'rysy.

And here is why:

Campground at Disney's Fort Wilderness.

And, after coming home again, here is why:

MY LATEST POST AT THE CHEESECAKE THICKENS

Now you know.

Bursting Bubbles

2012-03-20T15:35:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to blog about a particular topic for some time now. It's been weighing heavily on me, but I haven't, to be honest, been able to figure out how to approach it without sounding like a whiner.

The topic is the Book Blogger Bubble.

I knew from the very beginning that small press publishing meant not having my book in bookstores. So I'm not in Barnes & Noble--I can live with that. Most people shop for books on Amazon these days anyway, and with ebook sales on the constant rise, I know my book doesn't suffer from lack of availability.

What it suffers from is lack of exposure.

So I tried finding book bloggers. People who review gobs and gobs of books on blogs with gobs and gobs of followers. Sounds like a great idea, huh? Except guess what? I'm discovering that a lot of those bloggers are all following each other. And their reason for that is they've banded together to make it look like they have a big audience so they can get free books from the big publishers. Highly sought titles to stock their personal shelves, with no cost but a quick post.

I know this is true because I joined a book blogger network in order to hopefully get some reviews of Finding Angel. What is posted all over that network are links to review blogs with, "Follow me and I'll follow you!" and discussions about how to gain followers so you can get the hottest titles.

I'm not saying all the bloggers are hooked up, but enough to make it frustrating. Too many are only shouting out to each other. Granted, a lot of those reviews also get posted on Amazon...

Haven't you noticed how the books by big presses often have a slew of reviews on Amazon before the book even releases? It's because of the book bloggers and Amazon vine and other such programs. Big presses send out hundreds of free copies all the time in order to build buzz and rack up online reviews.

Yes, you heard me right. Big presses send out hundreds of copies, at no cost to the author. How do small presses compete with that, especially when the big publisher freebies being offered are titles the bloggers are drooling over? We don't have a chance.

Besides, most small press authors must send books out that we pay for ourselves. Yep, that's right. Even if we could get into that bubble, we have to foot the bill ourselves.

I have been lucky to have had a good number of readers review Finding Angel of their own accord--by both blogging and posting on Amazon, and many of them bought the book themselves. And right now, the lovely Linda Yezak, author of Give the Lady a Ride, is stocking Finding Angel in her mobile bookstore. And Kristine Pratt, owner of The Written World bookstore is also stocking copies. These awesome people are helping to burst Finding Angel and other books by small presses out of the bubble we get stuck in.

But it's still a battle. Unless you are a writer yourself, you likely don't understand the need for reviews. Authors honestly carry little weight when it comes to the sales of their own books, unless it's a situation where we're meeting readers in person. But when a book is reviewed over and over again, in a bunch of different places, readers notice. Why? Because it's not the author saying how great the book is--it's another reader.

Readers have the key to bursting the bubbles.

Beasts and Burdens

2012-03-16T05:34:00.002-07:00

Today is just links, folks, but they are important ones.
.
The first is my post on The Cheesecake Thickens, which is about my little Beastie who has a long road ahead of her right now. Prayers are much appreciated. Click HERE for the whole story.

The others are links regarding a dear and awesome writer who was a big part of Splashdown Books and our online zine Avenir Eclectia. Walt Staples passed away this week. You likely have never heard of him unless you are a fellow Lost Genre Guild Member or you follow Avenir Eclectia. But he's been published in quite the array of magazines, and deservedly so! He also wrote the tie-together story in Splashdown's Aquasynthesis anthology.

More importantly, Walt was simply a great guy. His quirky sense of humor had me nearly spewing coffee on my laptop more times than I can remember. He worked hard at his craft, was true to his fellow writers and friends, and left behind a family he dearly loved.

So, in honor of Walt, please visit the following links:

His stories on Avenir Eclectia.

Grace Bridge's blog tribute to Walt.

Fred Warren's blog tribute to Walt.

His stories in Residential Aliens.

Walt's very own site with links to more stories.

Name Nerdiness

2012-03-15T09:56:00.001-07:00

I've given a lot of thought to names the last couple of days. You see, we are getting another dog. My beloved Boxer, Rocky, died last November and we have an opportunity to rescue another Boxer. This one is female.

Like Rocky, she is already named. I would never have named a Boxer "Rocky" but it did, in the end, fit him quite well and I grew to love the name because it was part of him. I hope to someday learn to love the new girl's name, too, but right now I'm having a little trouble with it.

It's "Chrissy."

I'm not entirely sure that's how it's spelled, but I assume it is the traditional spelling or some common derivative like Krissy or Chrissi. No offense to any Chrissies out there, but the name conjures images for me that I don't want associated with my dog: a bleach blonde beach bimbo, thanks to the show "Three's Company" and the character Chrissy Snow...

That simply does not jibe with:

No, that's not actually the dog--it's an image I found on Google, but you get the idea. The dog obviously has more brains than Chrissy Snow, and more class, thank you very much.

However, the dog is now almost two years old, is very used to her name, and the woman/foster dog parent we are getting her from is the one who named her. She is terribly sweet and loves the dog very much, giving her up only because they have their hands full with three other Boxers. I do not want to make this experience even more difficult for either of them, and have therefore decided to find some way of living with this name.

One idea I had was finding another mental connection. Could Chrissy be the shortened version of the name of a character from one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy books or movies? We already have one dog named Dax--after Jadzia Dax from Star Trek DS9--and I love naming pets that way. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

The other idea I have is to change the spelling. As a writer, I often choose character names for the way they look on the page. For example, my one character Siophra. No one ever pronounces it the way I do, and I have no idea if I'm even pronouncing it "right." But it just looks lovely. The shape of the word, the lay of the letters. So, maybe if I change the spelling to Krysy...or one step further to give it a real fantasy feel by adding an apostrophe: K'rysy. :D

Anyway, it is my dilemma. But...

It inspired me to share a few tidbits about names in Finding Angel:

The name Angel was never intended to stay in my book. I picked it because my daughter was going through a phase of naming every-freaking-thing Angel (dolls, stuffed animals, etc.) and it was quite literally the first thing that popped into my head. BUT, it worked out for the story, as its letters became plot elements....

I already told you how much I love the name Siophra for how it looks on the page. But according to Behind the Name it actually comes from the Irish name Siofra which means "elf, sprite" and Siophra is Elven.

Several of the names come from famous scientists. Gregor comes from Gregor Mendel, who is given credit for being the founder of the science of genetics. Sir Benjamin's last name is Punnet, which is taken from Reginald Punnett (yes, I changed the spelling) who is most well-known for the Punnett square. And there are two minor characters with the last names of Watson and Crick, taken from the pair of scientists who discovered the DNA double helix.

And lastly, my favorite, Kalek. He's an Elven rocker and I based him originally on a singer/musician named Caleb who attended my old church. Of course, I changed a lot of details about him, including giving him pointy ears, onyx eyes, and tattoos. Since I didn't actually know the guy personally, I couldn't (and wouldn't have most likely) base anything about Kalek's personality on him, but I chose him in honor of his wicked talent.

So how do you go about choosing names? For characters? For pets? For children?

Got Horror? You Must Be Glorifying It...Right?

2012-03-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sigh...

I woke up this morning to find an email in my inbox--a post on a fiction writers loop of which I am a member--that contained a nifty little diatribe against The Hunger Games, touting it as horror and as a book that promotes teen gang violence.

Oh. My. God.

Seriously???

A story in which teens must hunt to survive, and are FORCED by a corrupt GOVERNMENT to participate in a brutal game in order to not have their district starve. Teens who are not violent by nature, and who want nothing more than to not have to participate. Sure, some are raised as warriors, but they have it drilled into them their whole lives--it is not a choice they make.

The biggest issue I had with this person's take is that she's judging the whole series based on the first book. If she continued, she'd see that the story turns to one of rebellion against this government that has oppressed the people for so long. It's about abolishing the violence of the Hunger Games, not encouraging it!

I recently posted on THE CHEESECAKE THICKENS about this very thing--people taking certain things, like violence and horror, out of context. Not reading the whole story, not listening to the whole song, not watching the movie through to the end--and then making the judgement that the book/song/movie is glorifying those things. Go check it out and tell us what your take is on the topic.

The Tooth Fairy is Tired

2012-03-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

Some people believe we shouldn't play Santa or the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny for our kids. They believe it is "lying" to our children, it commercializes sacred holidays and takes the focus off Jesus (for Christmas and Easter, not tooth losing, of course).

I happen to not agree that it's "lying" (I'm a fantasy writer, after all), and I believe if we put Jesus first we can still do Santa, etc, as secondary. And technically, my family never did the Easter Bunny because we had three sets of grandparents who bought the kids Easter baskets, so we saw no reason to add a fourth. Plus, despite the fact that both kids believed in Santa (he's a person, albeit magic) and the Tooth Fairy (because fairies *must* exist), they both thought the idea of a giant rabbit leaving colored eggs filled with candy was ludicrous.

This quick post is not to start a debate about any of that though.

What's my point then?

To say this: If you are going to refuse to do these holidays characters do it because it is so STUPID to have to get up in the middle of the night and sneak around.

I was up pulling a tooth for Beastie 2 last night at 2:30 am, because it was bothering her and she couldn't sleep. This meant staying up past 3:00 am to leave her money under the pillow. Which means that this Saturday morning, the Tooth Fairy is TIRED.

Seeking Teasers

2012-03-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

It has been pointed out to me that I've not posted anything much about the sequel to Finding Angel. When does it come out? What's it called? What's it about???

Why it hasn't occurred to me to blast this info all over the place is beyond me. I guess I'm too focused on getting the dang thing finished, and the other bazillion things going on. Also, trying to come up with teasers that don't end up spoilers for Finding Angel takes thought. And my brain feels like it's at maximum capacity....

But here goes:

The title is... Seeking Unseen. Like the title Finding Angel, it has layers of meaning, which reveal themselves throughout the story. I also like the idea that "Seeking" and "Finding" are related terms. The third book (yes, I have a third planned!) will likely be "Hiding" something. No idea yet what the "something" will be, though :P.

Seeking Unseen is due to release the first part of August. I say that because if I say "August 1st" which is the planned date, it will inevitably release late. So, early August for now.

As for what it's about, well....

Let's just say this. Angel has a wish. If you read Finding Angel you know what that wish is. And we want that wish to come true, right? But do wishes ever come true the way we think they will? Or when we think they will? Seeking Unseen takes place two years after the timeline of Finding Angel. And Angel has put off making her wish official until she sees something disturbing. Something that lets her know her beloved brother Zack is in need of her.

And when she goes to him, she discovers the consequences of her leaving--family members affected in ways she never would have imagined. She also reunites with an old friend, who has issues of her own. And in a way, the story becomes hers instead of Angel's....

Oh, yes. And there are glowing butterflies.

Passion Post: Music

2012-03-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

Music was not on my original list of "passions" to blog about--but with the topic raised in my recent tag post, where I said I passionately *hate* Rush, I thought I'd share some music I passionately love.

Duran Duran. Yes, I was one of those screaming, swooning young teen girls in the early Eighties. I still am, I must say. I got to go to my very first Duran Duran concert at the age of 34. I screamed. I swooned. I love all their older stuff, and much of their newer music. My favorite video by Duran Duran has ever been and ever will be: The Wild Boys.

Scream...swoon....

Sinead O'Connor. Yes, it's limited to her first two albums. But I adored, and still adore, her voice. And was ridiculously impressed by how gorgeous she was bald. I had my hair buzzed very short back in those days, but not bald! :P Her music is passionate and deep. And if anyone doubts her vocal ability, watch this:

These days so many female pop stars rely on skimpy costumes and punchy dance beats and whatever. Sinead clung fiercely to her individuality and relied on pure talent. I will say there are some with pipes like her today, but they are too few and far between for me.

The Offspring. (I seem to be doing this chronologically. I didn't intend to, but we'll go with it.) I often refer to myself as an ex-punk rocker. It's because I spent a lot of time listening to bands like The Ramones and The Misfits. I still throw The Ramones in now and then, but I abandoned The Misfits because of Danzig's self-proclamation of his satan-worshiping, which I simply can't get past. But over the years, my love for The Offspring has grown. That is partly because so has their music. My current favorite of theirs:

What do I say? The song simply rocks.

More currently, I have found few artists to love passionately. Pop today is far too dance/hip-hop/whatever for me. I am not into emo or screamo. Or country. And I don't have time to search through indie artists as much as I'd like. I do passionately love a few of Adele's songs, and the video for Rolling in the Deep is masterful. And my daughter constantly listening to Selena Gomez has led me to an appreciation for her talent. Yes, odd combo those. Jeremy Camp is another favorite of mine, and just a few months ago I discovered Fireflight, but can't say I've developed a true passion for them yet.

But I've posted a few times about Logan Lind, and I can say I love his music passionately. My favorite song by him is one called Shimmer and he hasn't made a video of it yet. Logan, are you listening???? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.....

I'll leave you with the video of one song I listened to obsessively a few months ago. An indie band called Middle Class Rut with their song New Low:

And please, if based on anything you see in this post, if you have band/song suggestions for me leave them in the comments. I've love to check them out!

News: Good, Good, and We'll See

2012-03-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

Good news #1:

Finding Angel is a finalist in the Grace Awards YA category! That means that I've made it through the first round. Now, a panel of judges will read and, well, judge (duh) the finalists (there are three) and pick a winner. The cool part is that regardless of whether I "win" or not, I can still say: Finding Angel is a finalist in the Grace Awards YA category! (See how sneakily I got that in *twice* in one paragraph :).

Good news #2:

I've mentioned on here that I battled cancer a few years ago. Seven years to be exact. And I now have my latest verification that the cancer is still gone. Seven years cancer free. Nifty :).

News #3 (the "good" part as yet to be determined):

I'm now on Twitter. Honestly, not sure what has made me jump off that particular cliff. I have resisted for a long, long time. But you can find me by clicking on the little button over there in the sidebar on the right if you scroll down a little. The one under the Facebook button, which you ought to click, too.

So. There you go.

Versatile Blogger, Am I?

2012-02-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

I've actually been wondering what my blogging style would be labeled as. I seem to have found out: It's apparently "versatile."

Special thanks to Fred Warren for tagging me with the "Versatile Blogger Award" (see over there -->) and putting my mind at ease :).

The "award" comes with "rules" and they are thus:

1. In a post on your blog, nominate 15 fellow bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
(Like Fred, I don't think I can do 15, but I'm game for more than the 3 he chose, so we'll do the average, 9.)

2. In the same post, add the Versatile Blogger Award.
(Done, as I have already pointed out...)

3. In the same post, thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog.
(Also done, and with "special" even.)

4. In the same post, share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself.
(That will be next.)

5. In the same post, include this set of rules.
(Er, yeah, you're reading them.)

6. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs. (That will be last, I suppose.)

So, with no further ado...my Seven Random Facts:

1--I played hand bells at church when I was in middle school.

2--When I was in elementary school, there were exactly two kids who were taller than me: my friend Sharon and a guy named David (who are both still taller than me). I'm now 5' 9 1/2" and I have always resented that I couldn't have at least been an even 5' 10"--or better yet, a full 6'.

3--Height reminded me of this: In Pretty Woman the main character Vivian says, "My leg is 44 inches from hip to toe." Of course that made me curious and I took my own measurement. Guess what? 44 inches.Yep, I share the leg length of a fictional hooker.

4--I hate the band Rush. I mean, with a passion. And I cannot understand how every guy I have ever met adores them when the lead singer sounds like his boys are being squeezed in a vice.

5--I love my lips. (Yes, I stole the Veggie Tales song idea from Fred. But it's because....)

6--When I was around 20, everyone told me I looked like Molly Ringwald. Much of it had to do with my red hair, but the other feature often noted was my lips. (I don't so much look like her these days, btw.) (And bonus fact, inspired by the picture there--I had a major crush on Judd Nelson back then.)

7--I still remember Simon LeBon's birthday every year. NO, I don't celebrate it, but it never fails to pop into my head on Oct. 27th.

OK....more than you ever wanted to know, eh?

And now....my 9 tags:

Robynn Tolbert, because I enjoy giving her annoying things to do.

Caprice Hokstad, because she's always in search of blog topics.

Grace Bridges, because Space Kiwis always have unusual things to say.

Diane Graham, because she is Diane! 'Nuff said.

Becky Minor, because she is a fellow author/artist with a "versatile" blog like mine and a really cool new book out, which will very soon be in print.

Kessie, because she's another author/artist with a penchant for "versatile" blogging and shares my love for dragons.

Heather Titus, because she writes steampunk, and she voted Finding Angel "Book of the Year" for 2011. She's also a new Featured Author on NAF. (Oh, and she loves my book.) She's going to have a baby, too. (And did I mention, she loves my book?)

Christian Miles, because his last post was one of these, too :P.

Keven Newsome, again, because I like to be annoying :).