Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 74

Are You Brave Enough To Be One Of My Thirteen?

When I released The Queen of Crows, many readers said I was fearless. Now, I am opening up my author’s door for you to do the same. I am asking thirteen brave souls to be hands-on participants in my journey as an author.

What does this mean?

If you’ve read my work and know my reputation, you understand that I strive to be professional at all times. With that desire, coupled with many years in business, comes certain limitations. For example, this group will not include any media/tie-in or any contract work I do for professional reasons.

This experience will be more intimate than what I can offer online or in person. Here, you will get an inside look at my writing and research process similar to what you saw in The Queen of Crows. Your voice will be heard. You will be able to provide comments and feedback on my original un-submitted work. And I will talk to you about my manuscripts in a way that I do not do with anyone else. You will not only see my joy, my passion for writing, and my disappointments — you will experience them first-hand.

In exchange for your support, comments, and feedback, you will be rewarded in the following ways:

You’ll be notified first of any upcoming publications, whether you’ve read that particular story or not.
You’ll receive an annual Thank You present that’ll include some of my stories and other niceties.
You’ll be acknowledged, whenever possible, for your feedback. That means if you comment on one of my novels or novellas, you’ll get publicly thanked in the book.

Space is limited to a maximum of thirteen souls. Other perks may be announced as the group comes together and identities are revealed.

Interested? Please contact me and give me a few sentences about yourself including what you like to read and a website if you have one. If you are a writer, please mark that in your description.

My requirements are:

You have a real name
You have a valid mailing address
You’re able to connect to the internet connection
You like helping authors
You’re not afraid to be honest
You’re willing to connect with other readers

Have questions? Please post them in the comments below so I can follow up with a FAQ sometime next week.

An IndieGoGo for Sacred Lands

My research for The Queen of Crows took me into strange places and taught me that things you or I may take for granted are hallowed to others. As a result, one of the driving forces behind the main character, was the idea of ultimate self-sacrifice. Inspired by a true story, the main character goes to terrible supernatural lengths to help his tribe, but the reality is that there’s typically only one resource that can help. Money.

Someone shared this IndieGoGo fundraiser with me today, and now I’m sharing it with you. For some, this may look like a huge price tag or may not be important enough to bother with. But for the Lakota? It’s not just land or money. it’s their soul, their “church.”

Link to the IndieGoGo fundraiser is here.

Link to the press release is here.

Five Lessons from Clarion Write-a-Thon

The first rule of Fight Club…

Oh wait, sorry about that! The first lesson (and most important one I feel) I have to share with you from emerging successfully on the other side of the Clarion Write-a-Thon is this:

The Clarion Write-a-Thon reaffirmed that I need to budget for promotional time and keep that separate from hours spent writing.

The second lesson I have to share is that the Clarion Write-a-Thon was a way for me to reset my writing versus real life model. This was on purpose, I wanted to do this year-round as opposed to just during this time frame. Discipline is needed year-round, not just for writing workshops.

The third? What, besides being realistic about what I can and can’t accomplish? The third lesson surprised me a bit. This was all about the “not care.” That’s right. I am planted firmly in the “I don’t have time to care about the latest internet drama.” camp, because I am at full capacity on what I can and should care about. I would much rather celebrate a book or an author than gossip or talk about all the other b.s. that goes along with this industry. I know it’s easy to engage in industry-facing discussions (The stars only know I’ve been guilt of this in the past) but I have to spend my time writing and innovating – not commenting on a thread somewhere. I’m not saying other authors are wrong for doing this, either. It just doesn’t work for me.

However, there has got to be a better way to engage within the science fiction and fantasy communities than dive into drama, share inside jokes, or comment on the state of the industry. I’m still searching for ways to do that. For a while there I was discouraged, but I’m not the type to “stay down” as it were, so I’ve been putting myself out there making as many friends as possible. I’m really hoping the support network I’m building will help me discover the proverbial “light side” of this community, because I really want to see it, experience it, and extol its virtues.

Here’s number four. Be flexible, but remain focused. The heat and pollen count this summer really sucked for a lot of people – myself included. I was a lot crabbier than I can remember in past weeks, so I had to make a lot of adjustments and not beat myself up when I didn’t write that day. Thankfully, the weather has cooled off some, and I’m practicing my cliché side at the coffee shop.

Number five was to burn a number of older tales and partial drafts to the ground. They are dead, dead, and not zombified. They aren’t even mostly dead. They are desiccated corpses. They are not “fixable” because I’ve evolved as a writer, and I will continue to do so. Realizing this saves me the pain and trouble of salvaging the past. It also helps me re-focus my work into a structural vein, too. So… Erm… Don’t be afraid to “fire” a story that isn’t working.

What about you? Did you take part in a write-a-thon? What did you learn?

Mood: The dragon. She is awake.

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Enough to bzzzzzzzzzz.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Up down and all around.

In My Ears: There’s a guy. At the coffee shop. And he’s whistling.

Game Last Played: Star Wars Battlefront.

Movie Last Viewed: Drawing a complete and total blank.

Latest Artistic Project: I posted some photos here.

Latest Release: Extreme Zombies from Prime Books.

The Sky IS Falling. Falling Scales Part II Now Available!

Falling Scales Part II, penned by yours truly as the sequel to Falling Scales Part I, is now available. This is the final installment in a two-part adventure for the World of Darkness. Fans have started a discussion on the White Wolf forums, you can join us here.

For centuries, terrors have existed just outside our understanding. The public may know or even suspect creatures of the night exist, but millions have managed to go on with their lives, focusing on the mundane, the safe. We’ve passed off the truth as a child’s fairy tale or the ramblings of crazed lunatics. We’ve ignored the reality in order to survive.

Thanks to the actions of the passionate few, we can no longer pretend the supernatural does not exist.

If you’re a Storyteller who is hunting for a good conspiracy, regardless of what players you have at your table, I hope you’ll dive into this adventure and explore yet another corner in the World of Darkness.

Thar Be Shinies, Matey. (New Jewelry Designs.)

Thought I’d share some new photos with you of the jewelry I’ve finished making. I’ve been working on advancing my skill set from intermediate to more advanced techniques. I feel like I have a looooonnnng way to go yet. There’s the Russian Spiral and peyote stitch with size 15 beads and a lot of other geometric patterns to dive into. Working on these was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Jewelry-making has turned out to be such a great hobby and I’ve made some awesome friends, too.

So, for those of you who know me… I have a “thing” for skulls. I’m very particular about them, because it’s more the image than the materials, so I tend to rely on compositions of stone or metal like what you see below. This pair of earrings is an original design. Nothing fancy, mind you, but the texture really moves with the light.

Click on any of the pictures below to see a full-size image.

This one is a variation on the crystal cluster bracelets I make for gifts. The idea here is to use different glass pearls on the bottom, but the same color on the top. It really adds a subtle variation without being too obnoxious or checkerboard-y.

I learned this one through a class at Fat Cat Beads. I chose black for my base and, instead of a rainbow, primary and secondary colors for the main palette.

The one pictured below is the detail on a bracelet I learned from a Bead and Button pattern. The original pattern called for metallic beads around the fringe, but I like the texture on this one better. Plus, using lighter seed beads allows some forgiveness if you make a mistake. From a distance, it’s more three-dimensional and you can’t even see any stitching.

Mood: Optimistic with a Slice of Lemon

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I’M NOT TELLING!

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: I moved. Quite a bit, actually.

In My Ears: Some goth crap. No, really. I’m not even sure why I have this on.

Game Last Played: Star Wars Battlefront.

Movie Last Viewed: Um… Darn. I don’t remember!

Latest Artistic Project: Erm… Captain Obvious says: See Above!

Latest Release: A heck of a lot of games. Check out this page: http://www.mlvwrites.com/games-published

New Release! Rimward is Out of This Wooooooorrrrlllldddddd

I am pleased to announce that Rimward, a new supplement for the Eclipse Phase RPG is available now. As one of the many contributors to this project, I can tell you that this is FULL of information for this ever-expansive game about transhumanism.

Here’s what the new supplement is about:

Rimward brings you to the edge of the solar system, including: The Main Belt, Jovian Republic, Jovian Trojans,  Saturn, The Titanian Commonwealth, Uranus and the Ultimates, Neptune, The Kuiper Belt, The Autonomist Alliance, New Morphs and Gear.

Happy gaming!

Alchemy. Otherwise Known As “A Life.”

I’m alive. Or (rather) I’m focused and am very productive. I feel like I’ve neglected to mention that there’s a bevy of intangible things every writer needs in order to have a foundation to stand on. Confidence in yourself and your work is only a small part of the equation, because it’s not an all or nothing scenario. What you need is something much grander than that — boundaries. Those invisible lines in the sand where you say: “I’m not going to waste time on that.” Or, sometimes more importantly: “I’m not going to bother spending the emotional energy on ‘X’” whatever “X” happens to be.

To get to that point, to not be desperate for every publisher’s/editor’s whim, we need support in some shape or form. Or, to be more blunt, a life. There, I said it. And, I’ll say it again. We need to have a life. Spending all your vested interest in an online persona or book sales or mentions or bad mojo or whatever is not healthy for you or your work. I’ve heard *all* the excuses before. I can’t. I have to. I can’t. Years ago, I was that way. And you know what I did? Dealt with my own b.s. to get here, and here is exactly where I want to be. I have relapses. I had one not too long ago, but I’m out of it now. And I never, ever plan on ever being “there” again.

Now, normally I’m of the “to each his own” mind. Sure, I’ll buy that for a dollar, but I also believe in something else – moderation. Balance. Being healthy. Not pouring all your efforts into “x” and forgetting that you’re human. Yet, are we really doing that? Try going offline unannounced for a couple of weeks. Find out how many people think something’s wrong just because you weren’t on Facebook. It might surprise you.

For writers, I think being an alchemist for your own life is crucial because of our need to relate to characters and unravel plots. By alchemist, I mean that I feel you choose what you want in it, what you’ll mix together, and how you’ll react to those things. I know I need to be happy and excited to create. By “happy” I don’t mean that’s the only time I create, but I know that being an emotional wreck dealing with drama is so time-consuming and dramatic it negatively effects my work. I deal with problems when they come up for that reason. If there’s something I can’t resolve and it’s damaging to me and mine? I let it go. Not always easy, and I’m not perfect in that regard, but that’s where a support group comes into play.

You can’t get an immersive experience (e.g. sight, sound, touch, feel, smell) from the internet. You can get some visuals and sound from a movie, sure, but even then it’s not the same as walking down the street and just observing life. That little old lady next door. Your neighbor’s dog. The crotchety guy down the street. Talk to strangers. (Yes, even the dog counts.) Get to know these people. Listen to their stories. Study their faces. Learn how to be a good friend. Be inspired by their humanity and buffer yourself against a couple of windbags dying to get your attention for advertising dollars.

Out in the brick-and-mortar world, this is where stories are born — even genre ones. I’m talking about real people, real emotions, and real events. That concert you’ve been dying to go to. That volunteer gig you’ve been thinking about but can’t seem to find the time. That hobby you’ve been putting off that all your friends are asking you to do.

Do these things. Do them, because no amount of opinions or friends or cat pictures online will ever make you happy. You can think that it will, and no doubt there’s some people that feel this way, but here’s what this comes down to (and why I’m sooooooooo opinionated about this): you are not just a writer. You, my friend and fellow author, are an effing GOD. You create; others consume. Gambling on what shoulda/coulda/woulda isn’t going to pay the bills, help you achieve your goals, or make your dreams come true. If you’re happy with that? Then good on you. I’m not. Good on me.

I learned this many years ago: you cannot create if you are always consuming. The internet isn’t just a distraction tool, it requires your attention, but there are other tools that do the same thing. I write. Well and badly. Revise and toss. Submit and table. I don’t read, I study the books I pick up. While I can enjoy a film, I think about it’s structure and what I can do to apply that first physically, then internally, to my own work. I make jewelry now, sometimes I cook, and I’m definitely making Art. I have a few consumption things that I do (video games) but I have to do those in moderation. I’ve ingrained these habits into my lifestyle because I want to make things other people will enjoy. To do that, I have to study the form, and there’s no better way to do that then to see what’s already out there.

Recently, though, I’ve been reminded of something else and that “something” is motivating me. A concept that’s so very important, incredibly simple, and so hard to remember: Creativity is limitless. It doesn’t judge, it’s always there, and it’s accessible. Our humanity, however, is finite.

So no, I don’t respond to every flame war and I’ve stopped sharing inflammatory posts or buying into political commentary, too. I’m limiting my connectivity and tested out my productivity using two versus one monitor. I’ve stopped gambling on what I can’t control, ditched the paraphernalia, and am focusing on what I can – getting back to fundamentals, establishing boundaries, and paying attention to what matters to me so I can have a great life in addition to my work.

All the rest? All the things I don’t know about and have no idea exist? That’s part of your story. And, if so, I want to hear about it next time we meet face-to-face.

Mood: Gold

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Mercury

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Air

In My Ears: Water

Game Last Played: Brimstone

Movie Last Viewed: Silver

Latest Artistic Project: Copper

Latest Release: Fire

Reader’s Preference, Author’s…Loss? Win? What?

Been a while since I’ve commented on different responses to reviews, but the recent initiative to stalk bad reviewers is worth noting for a few reasons. (You can read a reviewer’s first-hand experience here, by the way.)

I find the website created to “give reviewers a dose of their own medicine” to be abhorrent, so I won’t link to it here. I feel that reviews now are a reflection of the accessibility to content and the ability to reach a broader market. This means, that it’s easier and more likely in today’s market that someone may buy a book, not like it for whatever reason, and post a bad review. There’s a difference, perhaps not so obvious to all, between a critique and a review. Critiques are what I strive to do because I’m not assessing any work for the reasons “I” might be drawn to it, but what the value of that work is for someone “else” who will. Reviews are more personal in nature and, for many professional reasons, I stray from that as much as possible.

The more popular a book becomes, the greater the chance for negative reviews, simply because you’re looking at the law of averages. That does not translate to best-selling. It just means that that book is being talked about.

Reviews are opinions. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are opinions that influence what people might buy. There are popular books with loads of crappy reviews; there are impressive tomes with the same. Reviews can influence someone’s purchase decision but trust me, there are a lot of other reasons why a reader buys (or doesn’t buy) a book. Reviews is just one piece of a larger puzzle.

Because reviews are opinions, when anyone attacks the reviewer, the knee-jerk reaction is (and rightly so) for that reader to get defensive. They’ve bought (or downloaded) the Work. They took the time to review it. They have a right to their opinion and authors have a right to either ignore those views or address them. The difference here, though, is that the author is the Creator of the Work and the reader is the Consumer. Two wholly unique points-of-views that don’t always match up. One person can create Art for thousands, but only hundreds may react positively. Yes, that’s a lot of pressure for any human being to handle, but it goes with the territory. There is no possibly way for anyone to control what anyone else says or does. It just isn’t logical.

Now, here’s the thing that really grates on me. When you bully reviewers to make them feel embarrassed or nervous or scared, you are basically saying: “Well, my book can’t possibly have bad reviews because I wrote it.” There are some fan communities that operate this way as well primarily because they love a property/author so much they can’t fathom anyone else not liking it. Again, all of that has very little to do with the story. That has to do with emotion.

I am fully and wholly against bullying anyone. Period. I am also not a fan of making fun of reviewers because they didn’t like your stories, either. Didn’t enjoy “X”? Well, hope you keep reading. Thanks and have a nice day.

But the question here is: “Why bother?” Why bully reviewers? Well, this goes back to something I’ve said time and time again. Authors not well-versed in marketing books hang their hats on specific avenues they either believe is the end all/be all or because group think said they should focus on “X” so they do. Reviews are part of marketing, yes, but it’s not the only path to take. There are a million different ways to market a book and a million more ways to research your audience and make sure you’re reaching the people who want to read your book. You want to really learn marketing? Then do so, because by the time you’ve caught up to the proverbial leader something (or someone) else will blow right past you. Yes, the field is changing that fast and yes, there’s a *lot* to learn.

Focusing on bad reviews translates to two unintended, negative messages. One: “My readers are too stupid to tell the difference between a good review and a bad one.” I don’t believe that for a second, by the way. And two: “I am so insecure about my books that I will attack anyone who doesn’t like them.”

If you’re that insecure about your work, then I strongly suggest that you hire someone else to do your marketing for you. Focusing on bad opinions is a lose-lose situation. After all, it’s not the vocal (e.g. I LOVE YOU or I HATE YOU) readers you have to worry about. You already know what they think about your work. The ones you should concentrate on? Are the ones who aren’t talking.

I don’t think my post is going to change anyone’s mind about how they treat bad reviews, but I do feel that having to write this seems fairly ironic to me. We’ve all written stories for editors before. Now, the same exact story one editor loves could turn around and be the same exact story another one hates. If we know that, even on a subconscious level, then why waste time on people who aren’t fully vested in your Work? Why bother getting upset over the readers you can’t win over?

Mood: Zen with a Side of Lemon

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Enough iced tea to float in a small pool

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Walkin’, walking’

In My Ears: ambient noise

strong>Game Last Played: Battle Nations

Movie Last Viewed: Sherlock Holmes a Game of Shadows

Latest Artistic Project: Beaded lace in soft peach

Latest Release: “Don’t Ignore Your Dead” included in Don’t Read This Book for the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG

At The Heart

Phew! It has been a whirlwind of a summer. I’ve got multiple conventions coming up. GenCon: Indy. WorldCon in Chicago. Geek*Kon here in town. A trade show in September, and more after that. Convention planning is a lot of work. So much, in fact, that that particular phrase has been stuck in my mind. I even mentioned it in a recent interview with Jennisodes.

I prefer podcasting to written interviews sometimes because I can nerd it up. I understand why people have things like personas and images they hide behind online, but I’ve never been a very good liar. I yam who I yam who I yam. (Yes, that was a Popeye quote. And yes, the randomness is also completely me.)

Being genuine has its advantages and disadvantages like anything else. While I have to be “on” at a show, there are places where I can relax. That place this year was CONvergence, for sure.

I think the hardest thing to express is how much I love what I do. All I have are my words, and sometimes those fail me. I’m taking creative risks this year and we’ll see how those pan out. It’s a weird place to be for any author I suppose. You’re writing like mad, you don’t know who else cares about your work (besides yourself) unless they speak up, and you’re shooting for some way to crack a proverbial ceiling you don’t *think* is there but everyone else seems to believe exists. (It doesn’t, by the way. Luck and timing are nothing without the Work (or the ability to create the Work) itself. You always need that to stand on first, in my opinion, because this is where confidence comes from.)

I know that many of you have told me in person how much you appreciate me “sharing the ride” so to speak. I hope, regardless of what happens, I’ll always be able to do that. I think it’s important to know that every author rises and falls regardless of where they are.

I’m not afraid to talk about the rollercoaster. Can’t always be up. And won’t, definitely, be down all the time, either. But that, for me, is not what being an author is all about. To be able to live and love and write and make all kinds of art is a dream unto itself. To make a career out of this (even part-time) is wonderful, sure, but even that is not my rock. The ability to do what I do and feel such joy every time I’m in that zone? That’s what grounds me.

I suppose, before I get too philosophical and teary-eyed, I’ll leave you now. I’m in love with my Work. How ’bout you?

Mood: Creative

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: I had this thing called “green coffee.” Not sure how I feel about that.

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Some, but the heat is making me crappy.

In My Ears: Nuts and Honey

Game Last Played: Star Wars Battlefront

Movie Last Viewed: Sherlock Holmes a Game of Shadows

Latest Artistic Project: A grey and aqua bracelet

Latest Release: “Don’t Ignore Your Dead” included in Don’t Read This Book for the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG

The Minis Fantastic

Just wanted to let you know that my very *first* miniature game is now up on Kickstarter. I worked on the setting development for War Echoes and got to do a ton of world building for different scenarios in action, mystery, and conspiratorial themes.

One of the coolest things I’ve seen here are the miniatures. It’s a very strange (if not wonderful) feeling to see the signature character you wrote about in a physical form.

If you want to jump in on this one, the Kickstarter for War Echoes by Battle Bunker Games just launched last night.