Peg Herring's Blog, page 30
June 20, 2011
Simon & Elizabeth Sleuth Again
I got the ARCs (advance review copies) of POISON, YOUR GRACE recently. The ARC serves several purposes: it gives the author a last chance to check the book over before it goes to publication. It allows reviewers the chance to read the book and write their opinions before it goes on sale. It gives an author the chance to tease audiences a little by giving away a few copies of the as-yet-unfinished product.
And it makes me crazy.
Just kidding, but it seems the ARCs show up just when I'm at my busiest. SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD has not been out for a month yet, so there's lots of promoting to do with that one. The sequel to THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY is supposed to be almost done and it's...not. And the fact that the second Simon and Elizabeth book is almost ready means that I should be well into the third one. I am. Sort of.
I am not complaining. I wrote for about five years without anyone in publishing taking any notice at all except to say "Not for us." I'm thrilled to have people waiting to see what happens to Simon, and I'm intrigued by what is happening in my other books.
Anyway, I do have two ARCs of POISON, YOUR GRACE to give away. Anyone who contacts me this week: blog, Facebook, email, website, whatever, and says he/she would like one will be entered in a drawing on Friday from my famous U of M hat.
And it makes me crazy.
Just kidding, but it seems the ARCs show up just when I'm at my busiest. SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD has not been out for a month yet, so there's lots of promoting to do with that one. The sequel to THE DEAD DETECTIVE AGENCY is supposed to be almost done and it's...not. And the fact that the second Simon and Elizabeth book is almost ready means that I should be well into the third one. I am. Sort of.
I am not complaining. I wrote for about five years without anyone in publishing taking any notice at all except to say "Not for us." I'm thrilled to have people waiting to see what happens to Simon, and I'm intrigued by what is happening in my other books.
Anyway, I do have two ARCs of POISON, YOUR GRACE to give away. Anyone who contacts me this week: blog, Facebook, email, website, whatever, and says he/she would like one will be entered in a drawing on Friday from my famous U of M hat.
June 14, 2011
Interview
Sylvia Ramsey interviewed me for her blog, asking about SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD, my other work, and the way I write. It was a lot of fun, so take a look!
http://wwwthouhtfulreflections.blogsp...
http://wwwthouhtfulreflections.blogsp...
June 13, 2011
Automatic Reading Versus Involved Reading
Sometimes you feel like a rut; sometimes you don't.
There are books that are automatic. You know the characters, know how they're going to react. You know, generally, what situations they will encounter, and you know they will triumph in the end. Books of this type, when well done, are entertaining, and authors like Sue Grafton and Lee Child do well with them.
Non-automatic books take a different type of writing. The reader does not know what to expect, does not know what the characters will encounter or if they will triumph. I've just begun THE SAMURAI'S GARDEN, and it has that feel. Such books tend to be termed "literary fiction" while those above are termed "genre fiction".
I guess that's fair, but there's room for both types of writing in my life. Sometimes I want--maybe even need--to know that the story will end with the ends neatly tied up. (I didn't even mind when it seemed our hero was blown up in an underground explosion a few books back, because I knew he was going to be fine.) Sometimes, I want that edgy feeling of not knowing, of not reading the same old thing, and then I lean more to the literary side of fiction.
What I find I can no longer abide is bad writing on either side. Genre fiction that is so stereotypical or childishly drawn that it's an insult to my intelligence. Literary fiction that dresses nothing up in pretty words and expects everyone to admire it, like the Emperor's new clothes.
Writing, whatever level, whatever genre, whatever subject, has to be good writing. If a writer can entertain me with the same character doing similar things for a dozen books, good for him. If a different writer weaves a spell around me for the duration of a book, if he or she takes me deeper into the human condition, wonderful. There are a few who can do both, and those are the ones whose next book I await with anticipation. But I don't require all things of all authors. Just do what you do well, and I'll find a time when I'm in just the right mood to enjoy it.
There are books that are automatic. You know the characters, know how they're going to react. You know, generally, what situations they will encounter, and you know they will triumph in the end. Books of this type, when well done, are entertaining, and authors like Sue Grafton and Lee Child do well with them.
Non-automatic books take a different type of writing. The reader does not know what to expect, does not know what the characters will encounter or if they will triumph. I've just begun THE SAMURAI'S GARDEN, and it has that feel. Such books tend to be termed "literary fiction" while those above are termed "genre fiction".
I guess that's fair, but there's room for both types of writing in my life. Sometimes I want--maybe even need--to know that the story will end with the ends neatly tied up. (I didn't even mind when it seemed our hero was blown up in an underground explosion a few books back, because I knew he was going to be fine.) Sometimes, I want that edgy feeling of not knowing, of not reading the same old thing, and then I lean more to the literary side of fiction.
What I find I can no longer abide is bad writing on either side. Genre fiction that is so stereotypical or childishly drawn that it's an insult to my intelligence. Literary fiction that dresses nothing up in pretty words and expects everyone to admire it, like the Emperor's new clothes.
Writing, whatever level, whatever genre, whatever subject, has to be good writing. If a writer can entertain me with the same character doing similar things for a dozen books, good for him. If a different writer weaves a spell around me for the duration of a book, if he or she takes me deeper into the human condition, wonderful. There are a few who can do both, and those are the ones whose next book I await with anticipation. But I don't require all things of all authors. Just do what you do well, and I'll find a time when I'm in just the right mood to enjoy it.
June 5, 2011
What Exactly Is Printers' Row?
Actually, it's two things: a place and an event. Printers' Row is a section of Chicago (near Grant Park, if that helps) historically known for (surprise!) printers. Annually, there is a book festival here where they shut off the streets to traffic and set up rows of tents where booksellers of all kinds hawk their wares. I'm sure the police hate it, but readers don't. Thousands of people gathered in the HOT sun yesterday to see what's out there in the way of reading material.
And the answer is a lot. Everything from traditional publishers' releases to university press books to religious tracts to self-pubbed works. I am part of the Mystery Writers of America group, and we have a tent marked off with (what else?) crime scene tape. We take turns reading from our books as audiences wax and wane, survey and study, peruse and (hopefully) purchase. Between times, the authors present exchange ideas, complaints, and aspirations with the only people on the planet who really understand--other authors.
For me, Printers Row meant a long car trip, a lot of expense, traffic hassles, and some trepidation, since my "chauffeur" was in Canada fishing and I had to come by myself. Still, it is something to see, this Printers Row. It is gratifying to see so many people excited about a reading event, people who want to meet authors, look at new releases, and (best of all) buy books.
Posted by Peg Herring at 4:35 AM Labels: aspiring authors, book events, book sales, Chicago, events, Printers Row, writing
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And the answer is a lot. Everything from traditional publishers' releases to university press books to religious tracts to self-pubbed works. I am part of the Mystery Writers of America group, and we have a tent marked off with (what else?) crime scene tape. We take turns reading from our books as audiences wax and wane, survey and study, peruse and (hopefully) purchase. Between times, the authors present exchange ideas, complaints, and aspirations with the only people on the planet who really understand--other authors.
For me, Printers Row meant a long car trip, a lot of expense, traffic hassles, and some trepidation, since my "chauffeur" was in Canada fishing and I had to come by myself. Still, it is something to see, this Printers Row. It is gratifying to see so many people excited about a reading event, people who want to meet authors, look at new releases, and (best of all) buy books.
Posted by Peg Herring at 4:35 AM Labels: aspiring authors, book events, book sales, Chicago, events, Printers Row, writing
0 comments:
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Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Peg Herring
June 1, 2011
SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD Is Here!
Waaaaay back in 2007, we were driving in the hills of West Virginia, two innocent tourists, when my phone rang. "Your book, SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD, has been chosen as a finalist in Amazon's Breakout Novel Contest," someone informed me. Well, that changed the tenor of conversation in that car, as you can well imagine.
But nothing happened. The book did not ultimately win Amazon's contest. The agency that took it on was not successful in selling it, although editors who looked at it said nice things. And in the meantime, my historical series took off. I was too busy to deal with Mr. Shakespeare and his blood.
It happens. Authors have stuff that could be published--should be published, but finite limits of time and energy just don't allow them to do everything they would like to do. But opportunity knocked last fall, and suddenly SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD was on the front burner again. (I have to admit, I've got more front burners now than I once had!) June first, 2011 was the target date for e-book publication, and darned if it hasn't come about. Softcover? Maybe soon. It's a matter of all those burners staying operational.
The book is classified as mystery/suspense, and it concerns a tourist in the UK caught up in a search for gold and the truth about an English spy and his connection to William Shakespeare. I had a lot of fun with the whole "Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare?" idea, and it's pretty clear at the end that I believe he did. What I aimed for was an exciting chase story with lots of clever clues and intriguing details for those who like Shakespeare.
SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD is available from Amazon, B&N, and other e-reader sites. You can read more about it on my website: http://pegherring.com
But nothing happened. The book did not ultimately win Amazon's contest. The agency that took it on was not successful in selling it, although editors who looked at it said nice things. And in the meantime, my historical series took off. I was too busy to deal with Mr. Shakespeare and his blood.
It happens. Authors have stuff that could be published--should be published, but finite limits of time and energy just don't allow them to do everything they would like to do. But opportunity knocked last fall, and suddenly SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD was on the front burner again. (I have to admit, I've got more front burners now than I once had!) June first, 2011 was the target date for e-book publication, and darned if it hasn't come about. Softcover? Maybe soon. It's a matter of all those burners staying operational.
The book is classified as mystery/suspense, and it concerns a tourist in the UK caught up in a search for gold and the truth about an English spy and his connection to William Shakespeare. I had a lot of fun with the whole "Did Shakespeare write Shakespeare?" idea, and it's pretty clear at the end that I believe he did. What I aimed for was an exciting chase story with lots of clever clues and intriguing details for those who like Shakespeare.
SHAKESPEARE'S BLOOD is available from Amazon, B&N, and other e-reader sites. You can read more about it on my website: http://pegherring.com
May 30, 2011
Slipping into an Author's Skin
I started a Margaret Atwood book yesterday, and now I am Margaret Atwood. Her storytelling is my storytelling. I feel that I know--or should know--what's coming next, maybe because it's happening to me, or maybe because I'm telling the story or because it just fits so well. In the last month, using talented authors' skins, I've been a tough private eye and a disillusioned lawyer. I've been a black maid working for a white family in the '60s south. I've been a naive rich girl working her first ever job as a secretary. And I've been a woman with MS.
I was not able to be some characters. Lots of books that are perfectly readable are not wearable for me. I can't be that ditzy cozy heroine who muddles her way through improbable adventures. She doesn't fit, and I keep falling out of her story. Neither can I be that non-feeling protagonist who anesthetizes the stink of life with booze. In most cases I can read those books, but I don't wear them. I sit on the margin, looking in.
But when an author's skin fits, it is a golden time. There is no greater thrill for a reader than finding that author who lets you slip into his skin for a few hundred pages, who lets you read yourself a story using his words as if they were your own.
I was not able to be some characters. Lots of books that are perfectly readable are not wearable for me. I can't be that ditzy cozy heroine who muddles her way through improbable adventures. She doesn't fit, and I keep falling out of her story. Neither can I be that non-feeling protagonist who anesthetizes the stink of life with booze. In most cases I can read those books, but I don't wear them. I sit on the margin, looking in.
But when an author's skin fits, it is a golden time. There is no greater thrill for a reader than finding that author who lets you slip into his skin for a few hundred pages, who lets you read yourself a story using his words as if they were your own.
May 23, 2011
Life's Paradox
Here it is:
It's not about you; it's all about you.
And as Forrest Gump would say, that's all I have to say about that.
It's not about you; it's all about you.
And as Forrest Gump would say, that's all I have to say about that.
May 16, 2011
Why Are Self-Published Books Bad?
Trick question. They're not, or at least they don't have to be. Some people I know have self-published, AFTER they thought about it for a long time. They paid an editor to find the errors they missed. They paid an artist to do a classy cover. They even paid a computer geek to make sure the formatting is clean, correct, and friendly to whatever e-reader would be used. Then and only then did they self-publish. Yay for them.
On the other hand, there are people who are too anxious, too egotistical, or too clueless to make their books the best they can be. I heard a (supposed) author say not too long ago, "I never edit. I just put it out there." Yeah, I'll bet that's what it is: out there.
The industry is changing--has changed. Authors can make their work available for sale to the public without waiting for an agent, an editor, or a publisher to deem it suitable. But that's a double-edged sword. Yes, it makes for variety, avoiding the "this is what sold well last time" mentality that many publishers exhibit. But unless a person is open to help and advice, quality suffers. Somebody has to tell an author when it isn't working. Somebody has to correct his or her mistakes in plotting, in syntax, and in spelling.
If you're going to be a self-published author, the responsibility falls on you. You have to do what a "real" publisher would do and submit your work to lots of people for criticism and suggestions. Don't want to put out a bad book? Then don't let your love affair with your own creative genius blind you to the possibility that without help from others, your book might be, indeed, really bad.
On the other hand, there are people who are too anxious, too egotistical, or too clueless to make their books the best they can be. I heard a (supposed) author say not too long ago, "I never edit. I just put it out there." Yeah, I'll bet that's what it is: out there.
The industry is changing--has changed. Authors can make their work available for sale to the public without waiting for an agent, an editor, or a publisher to deem it suitable. But that's a double-edged sword. Yes, it makes for variety, avoiding the "this is what sold well last time" mentality that many publishers exhibit. But unless a person is open to help and advice, quality suffers. Somebody has to tell an author when it isn't working. Somebody has to correct his or her mistakes in plotting, in syntax, and in spelling.
If you're going to be a self-published author, the responsibility falls on you. You have to do what a "real" publisher would do and submit your work to lots of people for criticism and suggestions. Don't want to put out a bad book? Then don't let your love affair with your own creative genius blind you to the possibility that without help from others, your book might be, indeed, really bad.
May 9, 2011
The Limits of Teasing a Reader
Okay, Author, you've got a big secret in your book, something that happened to the main character in the past that has a bearing on how he/she acts today. Here are Peg's rules for dealing with it:
First, refer to it sparingly. I get tired of being reminded that there's something you know that I don't.
Second, make the clues progressive, so I have a chance of figuring it out, at least partly, before the end.
Third, the secret had better be good enough when I get there to justify the hints and clues. I want to feel what the character felt and decide I might have had the same reaction.
I guess it's pretty obvious that I just finished a book with such a secret. I got tired of the vague hints that kept coming up but never added to my understanding of the character. And in the end, I thought the author hurried through the explanation so that I never got the sense of experiencing the terrible event with the protagonist. He was so well drawn in the rest of the book that I felt cheated by being left out of his life-defining moment. I'd been teased all along, and then the author just walked away. Authors shouldn't do that.
First, refer to it sparingly. I get tired of being reminded that there's something you know that I don't.
Second, make the clues progressive, so I have a chance of figuring it out, at least partly, before the end.
Third, the secret had better be good enough when I get there to justify the hints and clues. I want to feel what the character felt and decide I might have had the same reaction.
I guess it's pretty obvious that I just finished a book with such a secret. I got tired of the vague hints that kept coming up but never added to my understanding of the character. And in the end, I thought the author hurried through the explanation so that I never got the sense of experiencing the terrible event with the protagonist. He was so well drawn in the rest of the book that I felt cheated by being left out of his life-defining moment. I'd been teased all along, and then the author just walked away. Authors shouldn't do that.
May 2, 2011
Reading Reviews
As a writer, I cringe when I hear of a new review of my books. I feel like J. Alfred Prufrock--Do I dare...?
As a reader, I probably should cringe as well, because it's going to cost me. A good review makes me want to read a book, and by "good", I don't necessarily mean positive. A good review is like a teaser: it gives enough info to entice me onward, which generally means onward to a purchase. Even if the reviewer doesn't like the book, or if he/she criticizes bits of it, it might still sound appealing enough for me to buy it.
Bookstore owners are great "reviewers". They hand-sell books they enjoy, recommending them to readers they see as similar in reading tastes. Professional reviewers are helpful, too, although you need to get a feel for the individual and what he or she chooses to read and review.
I just read a review on THE KILLING SONG by P.J. Parrish on MysterEbooks.blogspot.com from my friend P.J. Coldren. Now I'll have to buy the book, because it sounds great. Add a frisson of anticipation to that cringe as the "cha-ching" hits my credit card!
As a reader, I probably should cringe as well, because it's going to cost me. A good review makes me want to read a book, and by "good", I don't necessarily mean positive. A good review is like a teaser: it gives enough info to entice me onward, which generally means onward to a purchase. Even if the reviewer doesn't like the book, or if he/she criticizes bits of it, it might still sound appealing enough for me to buy it.
Bookstore owners are great "reviewers". They hand-sell books they enjoy, recommending them to readers they see as similar in reading tastes. Professional reviewers are helpful, too, although you need to get a feel for the individual and what he or she chooses to read and review.
I just read a review on THE KILLING SONG by P.J. Parrish on MysterEbooks.blogspot.com from my friend P.J. Coldren. Now I'll have to buy the book, because it sounds great. Add a frisson of anticipation to that cringe as the "cha-ching" hits my credit card!
