S.J. Reisner's Blog, page 105
January 10, 2011
A Love-Hate Relationship
This morning I decided that I have a love-hate relationship with my writing. This coming after a long weekend in editing on one MS and the slow progression of the resolution of another. Thank the Daemons for my editors and betas. They make the process easier, but at the same time I really busted my arse yesterday. Got a lot done though! I'm very pleased with my progress.
I should be back on track with the new OTS novel after this coming weekend, which I'm really excited about. Though not as excited as I am to get TA to beta and get an overall reader impression before the final edits.
In other news, WC is still on Amazon's top 20 list. I'm stunned speechless. I'm hoping TA will be just as well-received. Crazy how NGD was a hit on B&N and on their top 20 list for November, but WC didn't do as well over there. Surprising is all. What's funny is SM is the highest rated of the three and while it sells steadily, it hasn't made any top twenty lists (and it doesn't sell in the UK). Ha! Go figure. The good news is my publisher loves my work and I still have two more contracted pieces to write for him. The brainstorming for MNE is already underway and I have already discovered my pivotal plot point. HDL will be a longer work that I'm saving for down the road.
Enough from me. ::the whip cracks:: Back to work!
I should be back on track with the new OTS novel after this coming weekend, which I'm really excited about. Though not as excited as I am to get TA to beta and get an overall reader impression before the final edits.
In other news, WC is still on Amazon's top 20 list. I'm stunned speechless. I'm hoping TA will be just as well-received. Crazy how NGD was a hit on B&N and on their top 20 list for November, but WC didn't do as well over there. Surprising is all. What's funny is SM is the highest rated of the three and while it sells steadily, it hasn't made any top twenty lists (and it doesn't sell in the UK). Ha! Go figure. The good news is my publisher loves my work and I still have two more contracted pieces to write for him. The brainstorming for MNE is already underway and I have already discovered my pivotal plot point. HDL will be a longer work that I'm saving for down the road.
Enough from me. ::the whip cracks:: Back to work!
January 9, 2011
Super Secret Excitement
There is no one on this planet right now who could rain on my parade. I have been dying to share some really good news with people, but my contract keeps me from it. I can say there are some really exciting developments happening in my writing life right now (on the fiction front) that have me bouncing with glee. I really hate not being able to share but my publisher doesn't want to spoil the surprise. ::sigh::
I can't believe it. I'm really excited. I LOVE my new job writing in my new genre. I love my fans and my life is awesome. A girl couldn't ask for anything more. Now back to work with me. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.
Aghhhh! I SO badly want to spill the beans, you have no idea. I'm so loving life right now. Hail Leviathan. Hail Ptah!
I can't believe it. I'm really excited. I LOVE my new job writing in my new genre. I love my fans and my life is awesome. A girl couldn't ask for anything more. Now back to work with me. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines.
Aghhhh! I SO badly want to spill the beans, you have no idea. I'm so loving life right now. Hail Leviathan. Hail Ptah!
January 7, 2011
Mid-Week Breaks - Off to the Opera
Took a few days off of writing to get some other stuff done around the house. The holidays this past year were tremendously busy with family, which is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately on the domestic front it also leaves a lot of after-clutter that I've been sporadically dealing with since the calendar changed over to the new year. Not to mention the new year always brings a lot of little things to get done that sometimes end up being overlooked until you actually need it. Like getting a new calendar for the fridge. Contacting the trash company for the new recycling schedule and so on.
Also during this transition period the day job is terribly hectic since I work in a bustling accounting office. End of year and end of month. Of course I have managed writing work amongst all of this, including a great deal of work on Amy and Into Darkness (including book trailers). Which brings me to my next topic - opera. How I got from being busy, domestic stuff, writing stuff to opera? Well, I used a beautiful aria piece (license free open content) called Lamento della ninfa on the Into Darkness book trailer. It's performed by a woman named Anna Simboli. So I've spent some time looking for this particular performer and this particular version of the opera and sadly -- it does not exist (out of print now). Now don't get me wrong - I've found other versions of the opera, but the performers were miserable. Opera is either hit or miss with me. I really do love Carl Orf's Carmina Burana, and really, Lamento della ninfa was a wonderful find. But it is true that a performer can make or break a piece.
Anyway - I do have a point to this. I'm actually looking for baroque period operas where there are a great deal of darker pieces with the same feel as Lamento della ninfa and I'm not having any luck. I've been searching and listening and searching some more and while the pieces themselves are lovely - many of the performers don't have that extra something where I can actually *feel* the mood of the piece just through listening. I am welcome to any suggestions (and I really hope someone who loves opera is reading this).
Also during this transition period the day job is terribly hectic since I work in a bustling accounting office. End of year and end of month. Of course I have managed writing work amongst all of this, including a great deal of work on Amy and Into Darkness (including book trailers). Which brings me to my next topic - opera. How I got from being busy, domestic stuff, writing stuff to opera? Well, I used a beautiful aria piece (license free open content) called Lamento della ninfa on the Into Darkness book trailer. It's performed by a woman named Anna Simboli. So I've spent some time looking for this particular performer and this particular version of the opera and sadly -- it does not exist (out of print now). Now don't get me wrong - I've found other versions of the opera, but the performers were miserable. Opera is either hit or miss with me. I really do love Carl Orf's Carmina Burana, and really, Lamento della ninfa was a wonderful find. But it is true that a performer can make or break a piece.
Anyway - I do have a point to this. I'm actually looking for baroque period operas where there are a great deal of darker pieces with the same feel as Lamento della ninfa and I'm not having any luck. I've been searching and listening and searching some more and while the pieces themselves are lovely - many of the performers don't have that extra something where I can actually *feel* the mood of the piece just through listening. I am welcome to any suggestions (and I really hope someone who loves opera is reading this).
January 4, 2011
Odds and Ends
I am currently enjoying Lon Milo DuQuette's Low Magick: It's All In Your Head ... You Just Have No Idea How Big Your Head Is . Good stuff. If you're into DuQuette and you liked My Life With The Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician, you might like this book. I don't always agree with Lon, but I have a great deal of respect for him and sometimes what he says cracks me up. He is truly one of our century's greatest living magicians.
On another note, check out my friend Deana Stanley's latest release For His Wife's Pleasure...Of Course. Yes, it's erotica. Short erotica. Actually, it seems, most erotica is shorter than your standard novel. ::shrug:: I have no idea why that is.
Yes, I realize today's post is a bit short and unrelated, but I'm a busy girl. I've got deadlines, baby! So back to work with me.
On another note, check out my friend Deana Stanley's latest release For His Wife's Pleasure...Of Course. Yes, it's erotica. Short erotica. Actually, it seems, most erotica is shorter than your standard novel. ::shrug:: I have no idea why that is.
Yes, I realize today's post is a bit short and unrelated, but I'm a busy girl. I've got deadlines, baby! So back to work with me.
January 3, 2011
A Good Start
The year started out on a prolific and productive note. I worked on both *Amy* and *Honoring Death* (both of which will be done this month). Then I can get back to work on "Into Darkness" (about 30K already done). After that it's off to see if I can get into and salvage *Eagle's Talon Gray* and then I want to finish *Thirteen Covens*, both of which are already 30K + written already. I don't know what it is with me and having all these manuscripts in various stages closer to finished.
It's a bit chaotic, yes, but it's how I work and it's how I work best. And before the end of the year is out you can bet there will be other manuscripts. After all, I already have general outlines for two more novellas and the third OTS book whose working title is currently Ba'alberith Rising.
Considering some Alex Sumner (sp?) novels. Anyone ever read them? They're also occult-crime thrillers. I love the genre. To be completely honest - I am loving writing occult fiction more than I enjoy writing the fantasy fiction. ::shrug:: You know what they say - write what you know.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...
It's a bit chaotic, yes, but it's how I work and it's how I work best. And before the end of the year is out you can bet there will be other manuscripts. After all, I already have general outlines for two more novellas and the third OTS book whose working title is currently Ba'alberith Rising.
Considering some Alex Sumner (sp?) novels. Anyone ever read them? They're also occult-crime thrillers. I love the genre. To be completely honest - I am loving writing occult fiction more than I enjoy writing the fantasy fiction. ::shrug:: You know what they say - write what you know.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...
December 31, 2010
Yearly Reading
Got a reading from Amy (not the story I'm working on, the person). She's quite an accomplished seeress. I am really excited about 2011! For years I've been being told something big is going to happen to me in 2011 (writing career wise) and she has just confirmed this. Evidently it's going to be the year that really establishes my writing career. I've already seen the beginning of this manifest in small ways here in the last half of 2010, so I'm really looking forward to 2011. I hope all of you have a safe and happy new year's eve and wish you and yours all the best in the coming year!
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll stick with me. If Amy (and so many others) are right - 2011 is going to be a wild ride.
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll stick with me. If Amy (and so many others) are right - 2011 is going to be a wild ride.
December 30, 2010
Some Important Dates
January 1, 2011 at 12:01 AM a copy of my novel Outer Darkness will be given away on the blog A Moment With Mystee.
January 7, 2011 - you can read Mystee's interview with me at A Moment with Mystee!
February 5, 2011 - I'll be guest blogger on A Moment with Mystee.
Just CLICK HERE to visit her blog!
On that note -- I'd like to offer guest blog spots on "Malkuth of Me", too. So if you're an author and you're doing a book tour, write me at swordarkeereon at gmail dot com (remove spaces and put in appropriate symbols). I don't care what genre you write in as I read and review everything and write just about everything, too.
January 7, 2011 - you can read Mystee's interview with me at A Moment with Mystee!
February 5, 2011 - I'll be guest blogger on A Moment with Mystee.
Just CLICK HERE to visit her blog!
On that note -- I'd like to offer guest blog spots on "Malkuth of Me", too. So if you're an author and you're doing a book tour, write me at swordarkeereon at gmail dot com (remove spaces and put in appropriate symbols). I don't care what genre you write in as I read and review everything and write just about everything, too.
December 29, 2010
Mailbag!
I've noticed you use "ly" adverbs in your writing. As a writer myself I was always told this was not allowed because "ly" verbs are weak.
Yeah, and I start sentences with "and" sometimes, too. Certainly I try to stay away from words ending in ly, but it doesn't always work that way. As a writer, I fight the urge to use them, but as a reader (as long as they're not used in excess) I rarely notice them. So there you go. It's okay to break the rules sometimes so long as you know you're breaking them.
I'm thinking of moving into the erotica genre because I hear you can make a living as a writer by writing it.
I was actually under this impression myself a few short months ago, but judging by the experiments of friends it's not necessarily true. It's true that erotica and romance (as far as genre fiction goes) are the better sellers, however there's no guarantee you're going to make money writing erotica. I've had friends who ventured into the erotica genre after my success only to discover it's not easy to write and it's also not guaranteed to sell. Erotica readers can be discriminating and believe it or not, not all the people who read my erotica like it. It's true that some of my erotica novellas actually made it onto Amazon and Barnes and Noble's bestseller top 20 lists, but none of my friends' have (yet). And it may never go there. Like any genre - if you make decent sales it's because you write stories people want to read. Not to mention we're pretty sure my erotica is being recommended word-of-mouth in certain circles (to which I don't belong, but I know people who do), which would account for my thousands of readers.
What made you switch from fantasy to mystery? That's a huge leap.
Well, technically my mystery novels could also be (and have been by some readers) classified as urban fantasy. Having been a lifelong avid reader I've always read across genres. My favorite genres have always been fantasy, supernatural, mystery, and horror. But I also read romance, erotica, westerns, etc... So for my readers it may seem like a huge leap, but for me, not so much.
Don't you ever get confused with all the different pen names?
Nope. I use them because I do write in so many different genres and I don't want someone to accidentally pick up a book about demonolatry or an erotica or NC 17 mystery novel for their 11-year-old who only wanted a fantasy novel. Likewise, I don't want mystery readers to accidentally get books about fantasy or demonolatry or an erotic story if they were expecting a mystery, etc... A lot of prolific writers have more than one pseudonym they write under. They just try to keep them separate and don't tell anyone. So I'm not the only one doing this. I'm just very open about being who I am. Not to mention I don't feel like keeping four separate blogs and websites. This is why so many writers end up with abandoned blogs and websites - they're using more than one pen name and they can't keep up.
I'd just as soon make my online presence easy on myself and be able to keep up with the websites and blogs. The only thing my pseudonyms all have is their own facebook fan pages. Feel free to join each of them or just your favorite(s)!
How do you find the time to write so much?
I am constantly writing. I write during breaks at the day job (which I only keep because I like the stability of a regular paycheck). I write while I watch TV at night. I sacrifice sleep. I am constantly thinking about what I'm working on. I didn't really ask to become a prolific writer, I've just always been one. Some weeks I only put out a few thousand words a day. Others I produce 30K or so. It's just how I am. And yes - I do take down time. Sometimes for a few weeks at a time. On rare occasions - a month of down time. But then in 2010 I had four books and three novella's published, too, and I started three more books and two more novellas.
Do you ever have friends who try to compete with the fact that you're a writer? Or do they treat you differently because you're famous?
LOL! Well I don't know how "famous" I am. My opinion is you're not famous unless you're a household name. I'm not a household name. ::grin:: Actually most of my friends were my friends before I was published, so they treat me like they always have. On rare occasions they introduce me as their "prolific writer friend who's published". But that's about it. As far as friends who competed with the fact that I'm a writer - only one and that was back in high school/college. Needless to say our friendship didn't survive past the mid-nineties because we really had nothing in common other than our desire to compete with one another in everything (including writing).
Do you belong to any writers groups online? If so, which ones do you recommend and why?
I do. Sadly I don't always have time to get involved or hang out in writer's groups. Try FM Writers just because they're all about writers building professional careers. Just look it up in a search engine. My only caveat with FM is they do tend to think there's only one way to have a writing career and indie-publishing is frowned on there. Even if you are making $80K a year selling your fiction (directly to readers) and you have droves of readers, if you're independently published, they won't consider you legitimate or professional. ::shrug:: I don't really care for that line of thinking since I'm a successful Indie and I hang out with a lot of successful self-published folks who do have professional (which is defined as being paid for something) careers who are making at least $10K+ every quarter from their writing (that's a $40K a year salary folks!). But the people there are very nice, helpful, and they have challenge and goal boards that make the site worthwhile to me.
Do you still belong to a critique group now that you're published? If so, which one?
I do. All writers need feedback - even published ones. The group I belong to is private. We're five published novelists who get together monthly to rip apart each others work, drink coffee, and gossip.
Do you ever need beta readers and can I volunteer to be one?
I do utilize beta-readers. Sometimes I'll put out a call for a beta-reader on my FB pages. For the most part I have a small, loyal band of beta-readers whose talents I gratefully utilize as the need arises.
How do you come up with your stories?
I have an overactive imagination. Always have. I can't remember a time where there weren't characters running around in my head with stories to tell. Sometimes I'll just see something, like an acorn on the ground, and an entire scene will spring from it.
More next time. I'm off to get some other stuff done.
Yeah, and I start sentences with "and" sometimes, too. Certainly I try to stay away from words ending in ly, but it doesn't always work that way. As a writer, I fight the urge to use them, but as a reader (as long as they're not used in excess) I rarely notice them. So there you go. It's okay to break the rules sometimes so long as you know you're breaking them.
I'm thinking of moving into the erotica genre because I hear you can make a living as a writer by writing it.
I was actually under this impression myself a few short months ago, but judging by the experiments of friends it's not necessarily true. It's true that erotica and romance (as far as genre fiction goes) are the better sellers, however there's no guarantee you're going to make money writing erotica. I've had friends who ventured into the erotica genre after my success only to discover it's not easy to write and it's also not guaranteed to sell. Erotica readers can be discriminating and believe it or not, not all the people who read my erotica like it. It's true that some of my erotica novellas actually made it onto Amazon and Barnes and Noble's bestseller top 20 lists, but none of my friends' have (yet). And it may never go there. Like any genre - if you make decent sales it's because you write stories people want to read. Not to mention we're pretty sure my erotica is being recommended word-of-mouth in certain circles (to which I don't belong, but I know people who do), which would account for my thousands of readers.
What made you switch from fantasy to mystery? That's a huge leap.
Well, technically my mystery novels could also be (and have been by some readers) classified as urban fantasy. Having been a lifelong avid reader I've always read across genres. My favorite genres have always been fantasy, supernatural, mystery, and horror. But I also read romance, erotica, westerns, etc... So for my readers it may seem like a huge leap, but for me, not so much.
Don't you ever get confused with all the different pen names?
Nope. I use them because I do write in so many different genres and I don't want someone to accidentally pick up a book about demonolatry or an erotica or NC 17 mystery novel for their 11-year-old who only wanted a fantasy novel. Likewise, I don't want mystery readers to accidentally get books about fantasy or demonolatry or an erotic story if they were expecting a mystery, etc... A lot of prolific writers have more than one pseudonym they write under. They just try to keep them separate and don't tell anyone. So I'm not the only one doing this. I'm just very open about being who I am. Not to mention I don't feel like keeping four separate blogs and websites. This is why so many writers end up with abandoned blogs and websites - they're using more than one pen name and they can't keep up.
I'd just as soon make my online presence easy on myself and be able to keep up with the websites and blogs. The only thing my pseudonyms all have is their own facebook fan pages. Feel free to join each of them or just your favorite(s)!
How do you find the time to write so much?
I am constantly writing. I write during breaks at the day job (which I only keep because I like the stability of a regular paycheck). I write while I watch TV at night. I sacrifice sleep. I am constantly thinking about what I'm working on. I didn't really ask to become a prolific writer, I've just always been one. Some weeks I only put out a few thousand words a day. Others I produce 30K or so. It's just how I am. And yes - I do take down time. Sometimes for a few weeks at a time. On rare occasions - a month of down time. But then in 2010 I had four books and three novella's published, too, and I started three more books and two more novellas.
Do you ever have friends who try to compete with the fact that you're a writer? Or do they treat you differently because you're famous?
LOL! Well I don't know how "famous" I am. My opinion is you're not famous unless you're a household name. I'm not a household name. ::grin:: Actually most of my friends were my friends before I was published, so they treat me like they always have. On rare occasions they introduce me as their "prolific writer friend who's published". But that's about it. As far as friends who competed with the fact that I'm a writer - only one and that was back in high school/college. Needless to say our friendship didn't survive past the mid-nineties because we really had nothing in common other than our desire to compete with one another in everything (including writing).
Do you belong to any writers groups online? If so, which ones do you recommend and why?
I do. Sadly I don't always have time to get involved or hang out in writer's groups. Try FM Writers just because they're all about writers building professional careers. Just look it up in a search engine. My only caveat with FM is they do tend to think there's only one way to have a writing career and indie-publishing is frowned on there. Even if you are making $80K a year selling your fiction (directly to readers) and you have droves of readers, if you're independently published, they won't consider you legitimate or professional. ::shrug:: I don't really care for that line of thinking since I'm a successful Indie and I hang out with a lot of successful self-published folks who do have professional (which is defined as being paid for something) careers who are making at least $10K+ every quarter from their writing (that's a $40K a year salary folks!). But the people there are very nice, helpful, and they have challenge and goal boards that make the site worthwhile to me.
Do you still belong to a critique group now that you're published? If so, which one?
I do. All writers need feedback - even published ones. The group I belong to is private. We're five published novelists who get together monthly to rip apart each others work, drink coffee, and gossip.
Do you ever need beta readers and can I volunteer to be one?
I do utilize beta-readers. Sometimes I'll put out a call for a beta-reader on my FB pages. For the most part I have a small, loyal band of beta-readers whose talents I gratefully utilize as the need arises.
How do you come up with your stories?
I have an overactive imagination. Always have. I can't remember a time where there weren't characters running around in my head with stories to tell. Sometimes I'll just see something, like an acorn on the ground, and an entire scene will spring from it.
More next time. I'm off to get some other stuff done.
December 27, 2010
New Year Goals
I don't call them resolutions simply because a resolution is merely an intention. Intentions can be good, but aren't always followed through on. And I feel like such a jerk when I don't follow through with an intention. However - goals are more concrete and they're something I can work toward knowing they're just goals. So if I don't complete all of them I'm not nearly as rough on myself when I don't complete them fully.
So this year's goals include:
3 Novella's
3 Novels
2 NF titles
I suspect of the five books, only three will make it to publication this year. The other two will be held for 2012, but they will get started. Of the five books only one hasn't been started at all. The rest are in different stages of completion. Two of the novellas haven't been started either.
Lofty goals, I know, but I'm usually really good about meeting writing goals.
Now for "other" goals. I still haven't quite reached my exercise goals from last year. I have been consistent with my inconsistency and that's about it. So what I really need to do is continue working on this goal. More than an hour a week exercise (which is all I ever managed with any honesty in 2010) is what I'm shooting for. Being active when all I really want to do with my free time is write books, sucks.
I don't have any family or friend related goals this year because I'm comfortable with where I'm at there. I'm also comfortable with myself (minus my lack of exercise) so there's nothing there. Spiritually I'm still on PoP (and working to make it a permanent thing) and have no intentions of rushing my LoKIR. It will happen when I'm ready. Right now I'm not.
That's about it for the coming year. I'm sure those goals are subject to change based on contracts, whim, and general interest.
So this year's goals include:
3 Novella's
3 Novels
2 NF titles
I suspect of the five books, only three will make it to publication this year. The other two will be held for 2012, but they will get started. Of the five books only one hasn't been started at all. The rest are in different stages of completion. Two of the novellas haven't been started either.
Lofty goals, I know, but I'm usually really good about meeting writing goals.
Now for "other" goals. I still haven't quite reached my exercise goals from last year. I have been consistent with my inconsistency and that's about it. So what I really need to do is continue working on this goal. More than an hour a week exercise (which is all I ever managed with any honesty in 2010) is what I'm shooting for. Being active when all I really want to do with my free time is write books, sucks.
I don't have any family or friend related goals this year because I'm comfortable with where I'm at there. I'm also comfortable with myself (minus my lack of exercise) so there's nothing there. Spiritually I'm still on PoP (and working to make it a permanent thing) and have no intentions of rushing my LoKIR. It will happen when I'm ready. Right now I'm not.
That's about it for the coming year. I'm sure those goals are subject to change based on contracts, whim, and general interest.
