S.J. Reisner's Blog, page 109
October 29, 2010
TGIF People!
So I have really been thinking about a lot this week. It's been busier than hell. Not only with my grandmother's burial (finally - long story), but prep for Eury, and an avalanche of writing work. My helpful editor at MFP (the experiment) wants another novella by December. I have a 10K start on one that I wrote this past weekend (NOW). So I'm on it! I wrote the story to its natural conclusion but I need a strong ending and it needs a lot of clean-up and editing. By the time I'm done with it, it will be a 15-20K novella.
But alas - November is NaNoWriMo. Yes, I'm a published author and I'm still doing NaNo DESPITE my contracted work. I am supposed to have first drafts of ID to my editor by February 15, 2010. I am pleased with my progress enough to know that I'll probably have the damn thing finished a month in advance.
I was telling my editor at DWP about my NaNo novel and she was like, "Can I see it when you're done?"
I'm not promising anything though, or counting chickens. Right now it is what it is. An idea. Whether or not it becomes a saleable novel is another story that remains to be seen.
Anyway - with all this going on -- DH is busy scheduling all my vacation time with lunches and dinners and time with his friends when all I really want to do is spend my vacation time doing what I love to do. Since I don't get real vacations to places I've never been, I'd at least like to be able to spend SOME time doing what I want since it's my only time off for the year, too. That one thing is writing. Not all the time, mind you, because I want to spend time with him, too. But at least some of it. I really have no interest in seeing his friends. Don't get me wrong - they're nice people, but people I have nothing in common with except him. I usually just sit there quietly, hands in my lap, bored out of my mind listening to them reminisce. And if females are involved and they have kids, that's ALL they yammer on and on about. And if they have kids - the kids are usually there being obnoxious and annoying. If I brought the laptop that might be considered rude...
Suffice to say I'm starting to get worried I won't have any writing time at all the last half of the month.
Then there's the DB title - HD. That one has a January 30th deadline and I'm close to being done there, too. A lot of that is in the formatting.
This leaves the one project I'm dragging my feet on. Eagle's Talon Gray.
I need to finish writing the story. It's half done. It needs a complete rewrite. I can't get myself into it. It has a June 15 deadline. I really need an attitude adjustment on that book and I'm not sure where to get it. Ideas welcome.
That's enough ranting for the day. Now back to work with me.
But alas - November is NaNoWriMo. Yes, I'm a published author and I'm still doing NaNo DESPITE my contracted work. I am supposed to have first drafts of ID to my editor by February 15, 2010. I am pleased with my progress enough to know that I'll probably have the damn thing finished a month in advance.
I was telling my editor at DWP about my NaNo novel and she was like, "Can I see it when you're done?"
I'm not promising anything though, or counting chickens. Right now it is what it is. An idea. Whether or not it becomes a saleable novel is another story that remains to be seen.
Anyway - with all this going on -- DH is busy scheduling all my vacation time with lunches and dinners and time with his friends when all I really want to do is spend my vacation time doing what I love to do. Since I don't get real vacations to places I've never been, I'd at least like to be able to spend SOME time doing what I want since it's my only time off for the year, too. That one thing is writing. Not all the time, mind you, because I want to spend time with him, too. But at least some of it. I really have no interest in seeing his friends. Don't get me wrong - they're nice people, but people I have nothing in common with except him. I usually just sit there quietly, hands in my lap, bored out of my mind listening to them reminisce. And if females are involved and they have kids, that's ALL they yammer on and on about. And if they have kids - the kids are usually there being obnoxious and annoying. If I brought the laptop that might be considered rude...
Suffice to say I'm starting to get worried I won't have any writing time at all the last half of the month.
Then there's the DB title - HD. That one has a January 30th deadline and I'm close to being done there, too. A lot of that is in the formatting.
This leaves the one project I'm dragging my feet on. Eagle's Talon Gray.
I need to finish writing the story. It's half done. It needs a complete rewrite. I can't get myself into it. It has a June 15 deadline. I really need an attitude adjustment on that book and I'm not sure where to get it. Ideas welcome.
That's enough ranting for the day. Now back to work with me.
October 28, 2010
www.SJREISNER.com
Don't forget to visit http://www.sjreisner.com/ to learn more about my books and order a few! Outer Darkness (an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery by me as Audrey Brice) on Kindle and on Nook only $3.99! It's gotten rave reviews and it's perfect cold weather reading. A cup of coffee, tea or cocoa, a blanket and a copy of Outer Darkness and I have no doubt you'll enjoy yourself. Trade paperbacks are currently running about $8 a copy, about the same price as a mass market paperback. Get a copy today.
Mysteries not your thing? Check out my adventure fantasy series (S.J. Reisner) , Sorcerers' Twilight starting with Left Horse Black and moving into Warrior's Blood Red. On Kindle and Nook only $1.99. Trade paperbacks of these book are under $12 a copy!
If you like romantic erotica with some kink and bite, you'd like ebooks by my secret identity/identities. Write me at swordarkeereon@gmail.com for author name(s) and book titles. Not a single one is over $3.00 on Kindle or Nook, with more on the way by additional secret identities (for experimental reasons).
Don't forget that you can get both Kindle and Nook reading software for FREE for a wide variety of devices including iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, PC, Android etc... Yes, having a dedicated e-Reader is ideal, but sometimes you make do with what you've got. Before I got my Kindle I used Kindle for BlackBerry and loved it. You'd think it would be a bitch reading on that small screen, but it honestly didn't bother me that much.
For those of you who don't care for fiction I have non-fiction, too. Some in general spirituality, but most of it in Daemonolatry. The website has more information there, too.
Most of my books (ones with an ISBN) that you can find in papback are orderable through your local independent bookstore or large chain, and definitely available via online booksellers. Clearly Nook and Kindle editions are only available via barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.
Thanks for looking and reading!
Mysteries not your thing? Check out my adventure fantasy series (S.J. Reisner) , Sorcerers' Twilight starting with Left Horse Black and moving into Warrior's Blood Red. On Kindle and Nook only $1.99. Trade paperbacks of these book are under $12 a copy!
If you like romantic erotica with some kink and bite, you'd like ebooks by my secret identity/identities. Write me at swordarkeereon@gmail.com for author name(s) and book titles. Not a single one is over $3.00 on Kindle or Nook, with more on the way by additional secret identities (for experimental reasons).
Don't forget that you can get both Kindle and Nook reading software for FREE for a wide variety of devices including iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, PC, Android etc... Yes, having a dedicated e-Reader is ideal, but sometimes you make do with what you've got. Before I got my Kindle I used Kindle for BlackBerry and loved it. You'd think it would be a bitch reading on that small screen, but it honestly didn't bother me that much.
For those of you who don't care for fiction I have non-fiction, too. Some in general spirituality, but most of it in Daemonolatry. The website has more information there, too.
Most of my books (ones with an ISBN) that you can find in papback are orderable through your local independent bookstore or large chain, and definitely available via online booksellers. Clearly Nook and Kindle editions are only available via barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.
Thanks for looking and reading!
October 27, 2010
I Really Am Going to Read My Backlog!
So I finished Dear Sir, I'm Yours last night. It made me realize I'm at a place where I need to start working on my backlog of books BEFORE I buy more. I still have about 5 brand new books on my Kindle that I haven't read. Actually one I'm right in the middle of. I should finish it. I also have a stash of paperbacks on the headboard of the bed that I should finish, too. Get them out of the bedroom and onto the bookshelves where they belong.
Goes to show you how sidetracked I get. So until everything I have on the Kindle is marked READ, no more books. I know - famous last words. Let's see how much of the backlog I can actually get through. I have a few romance, some urban fantasy, some contemporary magic realism, a paranormal mystery and a bunch of samples for other books I wanted to try.
I guess we'll see. I read a ton more now that I have a Kindle. I'm realize what kept me from reading more before wasn't lack of money. It was lack of time or want to stop at the bookstore and sift through books. Now - people can recommend books to me, I'll write them down, then, when I'm sitting down at night winding down from my day I can kick back, look up the books that were recommended, click buy, download them and read them right there! No annoying searching shelves for titles (that may not be in stock!). No more annoying lines or sales clerks. It's just more convenient to buy novel to read now.
It's also nice for reading novellas and short stories by authors you like. I never bought short fiction magazines because it always turned out there was only one story per issue I really liked. Sadly this is why print magazines are likely dying. I think more short fiction authors should publish short story collections so we could find writers we like and enjoy their stories in one lump.
Okay - enough of my blabbing. Catch you on the flip side...
Goes to show you how sidetracked I get. So until everything I have on the Kindle is marked READ, no more books. I know - famous last words. Let's see how much of the backlog I can actually get through. I have a few romance, some urban fantasy, some contemporary magic realism, a paranormal mystery and a bunch of samples for other books I wanted to try.
I guess we'll see. I read a ton more now that I have a Kindle. I'm realize what kept me from reading more before wasn't lack of money. It was lack of time or want to stop at the bookstore and sift through books. Now - people can recommend books to me, I'll write them down, then, when I'm sitting down at night winding down from my day I can kick back, look up the books that were recommended, click buy, download them and read them right there! No annoying searching shelves for titles (that may not be in stock!). No more annoying lines or sales clerks. It's just more convenient to buy novel to read now.
It's also nice for reading novellas and short stories by authors you like. I never bought short fiction magazines because it always turned out there was only one story per issue I really liked. Sadly this is why print magazines are likely dying. I think more short fiction authors should publish short story collections so we could find writers we like and enjoy their stories in one lump.
Okay - enough of my blabbing. Catch you on the flip side...
October 26, 2010
Writing Styles
So I'm reading Dear Sir, I'm Yours and I find myself thinking, I have such a different writing style than this.
Some writers are naturally really descriptive. They literally evoke emotions from their readers by mere word choice. A good erotica writer can do this in such a way that you can actually imagine each deliberate step of seduction. Each kiss. Each caress.
My writing is nothing like that. I don't take five pages to describe what my characters are wearing, nor do I draw out seductions (in those few books where I've written romantic interludes). I have a more straight forward, in-the-reader's-face style and always have.
I've often wished I was more the descriptive/literary type. I've tried my hand at it - I really have, but that's not me. To be honest I tend to shy away from reading authors who are overly descriptive (because it's usually really annoying for someone like me). With some authors it can distract from the story enough to make me not care. Especially when you can tell the description was likely just drawn out to meet a word count quota.
Yet other times it can entice me and make me beg for more.
Joely Sue Burkhart (author of Dear Sir, I'm Yours) is one of the writers who can suck me into a story and make me want it bad. Her description is varied enough to not bore me and her writing style has seduced me into her story.
As a result I've found that I really do like descriptive writing when it's done well. I also have to admit I'm a bit envious my own writing style isn't similar to hers. When I grow up I want to be able to write like Joely Sue Burkhart. ::sigh::
Some writers are naturally really descriptive. They literally evoke emotions from their readers by mere word choice. A good erotica writer can do this in such a way that you can actually imagine each deliberate step of seduction. Each kiss. Each caress.
My writing is nothing like that. I don't take five pages to describe what my characters are wearing, nor do I draw out seductions (in those few books where I've written romantic interludes). I have a more straight forward, in-the-reader's-face style and always have.
I've often wished I was more the descriptive/literary type. I've tried my hand at it - I really have, but that's not me. To be honest I tend to shy away from reading authors who are overly descriptive (because it's usually really annoying for someone like me). With some authors it can distract from the story enough to make me not care. Especially when you can tell the description was likely just drawn out to meet a word count quota.
Yet other times it can entice me and make me beg for more.
Joely Sue Burkhart (author of Dear Sir, I'm Yours) is one of the writers who can suck me into a story and make me want it bad. Her description is varied enough to not bore me and her writing style has seduced me into her story.
As a result I've found that I really do like descriptive writing when it's done well. I also have to admit I'm a bit envious my own writing style isn't similar to hers. When I grow up I want to be able to write like Joely Sue Burkhart. ::sigh::
Trends
Book buying is down this month. It seems that paperback book sales seem to peak in spring, then again at mid-summer, but then drop the last quarter of the year. All the while my e-book sales are up, but most of that is due to the experiment.
I find this somewhat disconcerting. It's put me at a barrier I can't seem to jump over. Without experimental titles I'm down this month. It's all in the numbers as they say.
Of course I really shouldn't be bitching at all as I've sold over 250 books this month which is a record for me. I was hoping the added distribution with Barnes and Noble would increase e-book sales and it has, just not as much as I'd hoped. Some books are doing better on Nook, but then Kindle is kicking Nook's ass - especially in Fantasy and Mystery fiction. These trends could change. I'd almost need about 2 years of data to effectively chart the highs and lows and how well a book is doing. Like at this point I'm pretty sure LHB has sold upwards of 400 copies (hardcover/paperback/eBook combined). WBR - maybe around 100 at this point, but then it's only been out for a little over a year now with no marketing whatsoever. LHB has three years on WBR. Not to mention fantasy novel sales are slowly increasing bit by bit. It's like taking the long way round to get to your audience.
On Sunday I'll post a complete First Month Report on the experiment. Writer friends are welcome to then contact me to discuss specifics if they're interested in conducting their own experiments.
I find this somewhat disconcerting. It's put me at a barrier I can't seem to jump over. Without experimental titles I'm down this month. It's all in the numbers as they say.
Of course I really shouldn't be bitching at all as I've sold over 250 books this month which is a record for me. I was hoping the added distribution with Barnes and Noble would increase e-book sales and it has, just not as much as I'd hoped. Some books are doing better on Nook, but then Kindle is kicking Nook's ass - especially in Fantasy and Mystery fiction. These trends could change. I'd almost need about 2 years of data to effectively chart the highs and lows and how well a book is doing. Like at this point I'm pretty sure LHB has sold upwards of 400 copies (hardcover/paperback/eBook combined). WBR - maybe around 100 at this point, but then it's only been out for a little over a year now with no marketing whatsoever. LHB has three years on WBR. Not to mention fantasy novel sales are slowly increasing bit by bit. It's like taking the long way round to get to your audience.
On Sunday I'll post a complete First Month Report on the experiment. Writer friends are welcome to then contact me to discuss specifics if they're interested in conducting their own experiments.
October 25, 2010
An Interesting Development
One thing I dislike about e-book distribution through certain distributors is they put your content on hold and port it slowly into their databases. Right now my experiment is showing great progress on B&N Pubit, but I've hit a snag with phase two. It seems B&N is holding "experiment part 2" captive and not making it live on the site. Then I got a strange little message from the B&N folks when we wrote to inquire about the status of experiment part 2.
"Please allow at least 72 hours for your titles to complete the upload process. If your wait is longer, please check your emails for an Account Review notice."
First - why would we be getting an account "review notice" unless the book violates their terms of service? This could be the case because one man's literature could be another's pornography and vice versa. However - I worked hard on these stories. They went through a real editing process and everything. They have real cover art, none of it lurid or sick. There is a genuine story there. It's not pornographic for the sake of being pornographic. Just sayin'. Not to mention the one prior to it didn't even raise a red flag and IMHO, the one they're holding is far tamer than its predecessor.
So that said - my little experiment may just cause me to loose my entire PubIt account. We'll see. If it does I'll be heralding their censorship policies all over the web. Especially if they refuse to remove ALL stories that have similar content (not just mine).
"Please allow at least 72 hours for your titles to complete the upload process. If your wait is longer, please check your emails for an Account Review notice."
First - why would we be getting an account "review notice" unless the book violates their terms of service? This could be the case because one man's literature could be another's pornography and vice versa. However - I worked hard on these stories. They went through a real editing process and everything. They have real cover art, none of it lurid or sick. There is a genuine story there. It's not pornographic for the sake of being pornographic. Just sayin'. Not to mention the one prior to it didn't even raise a red flag and IMHO, the one they're holding is far tamer than its predecessor.
So that said - my little experiment may just cause me to loose my entire PubIt account. We'll see. If it does I'll be heralding their censorship policies all over the web. Especially if they refuse to remove ALL stories that have similar content (not just mine).
October 24, 2010
Book Review: Nice Girls Don't
Another erotica short...
Nice Girls Don't (BDSM Erotica)
: Pretty good. I like the "introduction to BDSM" type novels and this one was pretty interesting. It's also a love/romance story so that's a plus. I like the turmoil of the main character. She's interesting and you can see the struggle she has with her religious upbringing and her want to submit to the man she loves. There's also some hot dungeon M/F/M action, some M/M flogging and a bit of dubious consent. I don't think you can really go wrong with this novella if you're a fan of bdsm erotica. Of course by this author my favorite is still SINcerely, Megan. Probably because I liked the whole seduction of a priest theme. It was hot.
October 22, 2010
The Kindest Beast
"I'm setting twenty-two tables for the funeral feast, Satan is by far the kindest beast..." Spiritual Cramp; Christian Death
Funerals. The ritual of death we all partake in at which time we say farewell to our dearly departed loved ones. Let's face it, they're just depressing as hell. Even worse is when you're not a religious person and the funeral is at a church. Also uncomfortable if you're not of the same faith of the person who passed.
And no - it's not about religion, but I'm pretty sure the fact that my family didn't know when to stand or sit during grandma's funeral gave us away as the heathens we are. The religious rituals of death are fascinating. I suppose for many they offer comfort and closure. My personal experience is that the ritual itself did nothing for me. Pretending she's gone to some city in the sky does not comfort me and make my grandmother's death any less painful or any less a loss. She's gone back to all that is. Period. Now I have, in the past, seen evidence that the consciousness of the dead live on long after the shell ceases to function. But none of it suggests to me "heaven" per se. Merely returning to the source. I have yet to really see grandma off on her journey.
I saw Joe and my aunt Karen after they passed (in dreams mind you). I've even seen dead pets pass over. I have yet to see grandma pass. She was the type who would have wanted to make sure everyone was okay before she went for good. She would want to make sure her final wishes were carried out. My guess is that by this time next week I'll have had the dream. I told her, a few weeks before she passed, that she was welcome to visit me anytime she wanted after she passed and I'd be expecting it. She kind of laughed at me. I kind of wonder just how "religious" she really was at the end. Just some private conversations we shared about life and death and the afterlife.
I regret nothing. I spent a great deal of time with my grandmother. I visited her religiously every Wednesday night (unless I was sick or the weather was horrible). And I took her to get her hair done every other Saturday (unless she was sick, I had a prior engagement, or the weather was bad). The last thing I ever said to her was, "I love you." So I don't have that "Should have..." "Could have..." "Would have..." running through my mind at all. I had closure. I'd seen her only three days before she passed and talked to her the afternoon before she passed and she was in a lot of pain. I remember both times praying to Eury to take her soon so she wouldn't be in pain anymore. It was an answered prayer.
We still have to go to the cremation/burial later next week (long story). So R.I.P. Grandma and I suppose I'll talk to you one last time before you go.
Funerals. The ritual of death we all partake in at which time we say farewell to our dearly departed loved ones. Let's face it, they're just depressing as hell. Even worse is when you're not a religious person and the funeral is at a church. Also uncomfortable if you're not of the same faith of the person who passed.
And no - it's not about religion, but I'm pretty sure the fact that my family didn't know when to stand or sit during grandma's funeral gave us away as the heathens we are. The religious rituals of death are fascinating. I suppose for many they offer comfort and closure. My personal experience is that the ritual itself did nothing for me. Pretending she's gone to some city in the sky does not comfort me and make my grandmother's death any less painful or any less a loss. She's gone back to all that is. Period. Now I have, in the past, seen evidence that the consciousness of the dead live on long after the shell ceases to function. But none of it suggests to me "heaven" per se. Merely returning to the source. I have yet to really see grandma off on her journey.
I saw Joe and my aunt Karen after they passed (in dreams mind you). I've even seen dead pets pass over. I have yet to see grandma pass. She was the type who would have wanted to make sure everyone was okay before she went for good. She would want to make sure her final wishes were carried out. My guess is that by this time next week I'll have had the dream. I told her, a few weeks before she passed, that she was welcome to visit me anytime she wanted after she passed and I'd be expecting it. She kind of laughed at me. I kind of wonder just how "religious" she really was at the end. Just some private conversations we shared about life and death and the afterlife.
I regret nothing. I spent a great deal of time with my grandmother. I visited her religiously every Wednesday night (unless I was sick or the weather was horrible). And I took her to get her hair done every other Saturday (unless she was sick, I had a prior engagement, or the weather was bad). The last thing I ever said to her was, "I love you." So I don't have that "Should have..." "Could have..." "Would have..." running through my mind at all. I had closure. I'd seen her only three days before she passed and talked to her the afternoon before she passed and she was in a lot of pain. I remember both times praying to Eury to take her soon so she wouldn't be in pain anymore. It was an answered prayer.
We still have to go to the cremation/burial later next week (long story). So R.I.P. Grandma and I suppose I'll talk to you one last time before you go.
October 21, 2010
Thursday's Thoughts
I'm really excited today because I have a fix for NGD. For my AOC fans (I know a few of you know who I am), I think you'll like this one. BTW and for the record - it's really bizarre having a really secret identity and it's even more bizarre having people rate the work of the secret identity highly. Especially considering what it is. Complete strangers gave SM five stars over on Barnes and Noble. On that front (the experiment front), I'll fill you all in with my first month results on the 31st.
What's on my reading list? Dear Sir, I'm Yours. I'm in the Kindle Smut book club over on Goodreads and I'm proud of it. LOL! I'll probably read it while on vacation.
On that note - vacation is next month and quite frankly I need one.
Not much else going on. My grandmother's funeral is tomorrow so don't expect my daily post until late. Perhaps I'll talk about funerals and that heathen-O-licious occasional church-going experience. I haven't been to a full Catholic mass since my dad's cousin got married in Wisconsin back in 1989. Now mind you I do attend temple regularly. Just not a church/temple of the Abrahamic variety. ::wink::
What's on my reading list? Dear Sir, I'm Yours. I'm in the Kindle Smut book club over on Goodreads and I'm proud of it. LOL! I'll probably read it while on vacation.
On that note - vacation is next month and quite frankly I need one.
Not much else going on. My grandmother's funeral is tomorrow so don't expect my daily post until late. Perhaps I'll talk about funerals and that heathen-O-licious occasional church-going experience. I haven't been to a full Catholic mass since my dad's cousin got married in Wisconsin back in 1989. Now mind you I do attend temple regularly. Just not a church/temple of the Abrahamic variety. ::wink::
October 20, 2010
No Stereotypes Here
I'm not your average woman. I hate clothes shopping and try to get away with only doing it once every three years or so. This is not always a good thing. First, I'm short. Finding anything to fit the bottom half of me is a colossal pain in the arse. I have to take up almost everything I buy. I've had this problem since the dawn of time.
Second - women's clothing is a freaky thing. In one designer's label I'm up to 4 sizes smaller than another designers. And I have to wear different sizes on the top and bottom since the top is a bit, umm, large. By genetics - not surgery I assure you.
Not to mention the only place I can reasonably shop to find what I'm looking for (especially in formal wear), has the smallest selection. Whatever. I'm pretty sure I'm destined to HATE clothes shopping no matter what. It always makes me feel miserable about myself.
Second - women's clothing is a freaky thing. In one designer's label I'm up to 4 sizes smaller than another designers. And I have to wear different sizes on the top and bottom since the top is a bit, umm, large. By genetics - not surgery I assure you.
Not to mention the only place I can reasonably shop to find what I'm looking for (especially in formal wear), has the smallest selection. Whatever. I'm pretty sure I'm destined to HATE clothes shopping no matter what. It always makes me feel miserable about myself.
