Anny Cook's Blog, page 51

Friday Beauty

Awwww. Look what I have! This is the cover for the second Flowers of Camelot print anthology. It will be available April 3, 2013. Daffodil, Magnolia and Larkspur! I love this cover.

In other news, NJ Walters mentioned my book Shadows on Stone on her blog yesterday with a lovely comment. Check it out! That's the sort of wonderful encouragement any writer loves and needs. I spent the day smiling. Thank you, NJ!

Y'all have a gorgeous, wonderful weekend!

anny

Sleep Noises

The hunk has sleep apnea so for many, many years now he's slept with a C-Pap machine. And yeah, it's a weird look. But life vs. heart attack pretty much negates any downside about sleeping with a machine.

In the last two or three years, though, there have been 'issues' with the machine. All this time we've believed it was the mask. I've suffered through a continuous squealing, moaning, groaning collection of sound effects, night after night. Some nights it sounds like a bunch of cats in heat. Other times you'd think a plane was revving up to take off.

Anyway, his current machine does not have a sim card so the doc can check the actual number of apneas he's having per hour. An apnea is when he literally stops breathing. When he first started using the machine he had over sixty apneas per hour. Now he's down to four.

The doctor performs checks regularly and arranged for him to use a different machine--one with the sim card--for a month. Well, now! Turns out the mask was not the problem. Imagine. An entire month without cats squealing and airplanes revving! I've slept better this past month than I have in years.

So, he'll be getting a new machine. We'll have to pay a big chunk for it because insurance won't cover it, but hey! It will be worth it because I'll be able to sleep through the night.

No more sleep noises!

anny

Changing the Story

About six months ago I received my rights back on a short story. It was a story from an anthology where all the back stories were intertwined. As a stand-alone, it doesn't have enough to 'stand'. So I've been sitting on it, wondering what I could/would do with it.

About two weeks ago, it occurred to me I could revise it to fit in one of my series. The thing is--it would take considerable change. I liked the characters. I liked the story premise. But in order to fit in my series, the hero would have to become an angel/shifter. The story would have to change location. And most certainly, it would need to be lengthened and receive a new title.

My question is this--how does the author convey to the potential reader that the new book was loosely (very loosely) based on a previously published short story? I once bought a book by a favorite author, only to discover at least fifty percent of the new book was based on another book by the same author. There was no author's note in the book--nothing to explain why entire chapters were lifted from her first book, word for word.

So. What say you? Is this a no-no? Will readers be annoyed if certain scenes seem familiar? The short story had a VERY limited readership. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing?

All opinions welcome.

anny

Zombie Debt Collectors

Every morning punctually at nine a.m. our telephone rings. After extensive experience, we screen all calls...because we know by now, the early call is a zombie debt collector. Not our debt--we're a cash-only household with no debt.

No, these collectors are looking for people who owe them from years ago. Some of the zombie debt collectors have been calling here over ten years now. Ninety-nine percent of the calls are robo-calls. I recognize all the phone numbers now--even when there's no identifier on the caller ID.

If I could talk to each one of them, here's what I would say:

1) You've had the wrong number for ten years.

2) No, I don't know George Smith, never knew him, don't know where he is, don't want to know where he is.

3) If I knew where he was, I wouldn't tell you because now I'm ticked off from you calling my number multiple times every day.

4) Stop calling here. Take my phone number off your list. GO AWAY! Let me sleep some morning past nine.

5) If you want real answers, use real bodies I can talk to and convey all of the above.

The zombies are here. They're just not where people are really looking for them...

anny

Free Book Myth

This last week I received an e-mail from a woman requesting a print copy of one of my books...since she was such a loyal fan of my work. I will say right now--I don't send out print or e-copies of my books. In rare instances, I offer a print copy as a prize for a contest. In even rarer circumstances, I give free print copies to family and close friends.

There seems to be a false idea about the publishing industry. Some folks believe authors receive a lot of free copies of their books from the publisher. That's just not so. When a new book is released in print, the author may receive a few copies...maybe five. And that's it.

All additional copies are purchased by the author. A very limited number of publishers allow the author to purchase them at a discount. Most publishers offer no discount to the author so they pay FULL PRICE.

So when a reader receives a print book from an author, that author has PAID for that book. There are no free books. Most of my print books cost fifteen dollars per book. If I then pay to mail it to a contest winner, my total investment in that reader is around twenty dollars.

There are no free books. If you receive a print book as a prize, treasure it. The author has invested real money to provide that book. And if you enjoyed the story, make sure you tell all your friends about it!

anny

Knitting Socks--Part 17

I finished! Mailing the socks to my daughter today because her feet are always cold. I learned a lot about knitting--and particularly about knitting with double pointed needles, modern knitting terms, and following a pattern.
Now this is my new project. It's a crocheted lap blanket (a gift) crocheted in one piece. Yes, that means there are lots of strands of yard hanging down as I change color every twenty stitches. And each square is a different stitch. I call this project "Jewels". When finished it will be 4 1/2 feet by 5 feet with all the color swatches enclosed with a black border.

Do you have a crafty project going? If so, what?

anny

Onward...

Every writer hits a few rough spots in the road. Some may be internal (no new writing ideas). Others may be external (family or job issues). And a few may be health issues (medication or illness).

But the time comes when the writer must move forward or give up. Writing is one of those creative crafts that recede the longer you wait between the working stints. Once you stop, it's increasingly harder to start again.

Personally, I'm a putterer between sprints. I research. I mull. I play mental 'what if'. Occasionally, in desperation I write a jump start--a short exercise with new characters, new scenes.

Then, the day arrives when I sit at my computer and write. That is not to say it isn't a struggle. As I get older, the words sometimes elude me. I KNOW the correct word, but can't dig it out from my memory. When I'm rolling, every halt to pin down the right word is another road block.

Why do I do it? Because nothing gives me that sense of accomplishment and fulfillment like writing does. The creative process is hard. But when I go back, when I reread my work, I'm amazed that I wrote that. I don't recall putting exactly those words and those ideas together and the very notion that I'm a published writer serves to lift me and encourage me.

I spent some time this last two weeks rereading the stories that precede my current works in progress. Part of that is simply because we forget what we wrote. Oh, not the main sense of the story, but the details. Actually, we forget a LOT of the details. For instance, I've used Shadrach as a secondary character's name in three different series! I didn't remember that.

I was also rereading them to assess how difficult it would be to revise two short stories I have the rights for so they would fit in other series of mine. I think I can do it. And I liked those characters enough I want them to have a wider exposure than they received the first time around. I believe they just weren't in the right place at the right time.

So the time has come. Now I have to 'put up or shut up'. And I find I'm not ready to shut up.

anny

I'm Reading!

Oooooh, don't interrupt me. I'm reading!

My children probably heard that a zillion times when they were growing up. Or something similar. Dinner burned while I stirred the pot with on hand and held a book in the other. Family impatiently knocked on the bathroom door while I finished "another chapter".

I've always carried a book--or two--in my purse or diaper bag every time I left the house. And vacation? That required an entire bag of books.

Then the e-book revolution came along, making the availability of books even easier. Now I can take a library along with me when I leave my home. I enjoy that convenience, but I also love reading the print books on my library shelves at home.

I grew up with books in my home. My parents had a real reverence for books and I was taught to treat all books with respect. I look at the current generation of youth and wonder if they are growing up with that same respect for books...or if the electronic book is something viewed as less valuable and worthy.

What do you think?

anny

Butt-high Day

Whoa... my joints hurt this morning! High pressure can kill you first thing in the a.m. What's the solution? Move, move, move.

I have a list of "stuff" to do today before I go to the pool. From comments I've had in the past, I know people don't quite understand about the pool. It's not a standard pool--it's a therapy pool. Ninety-two degrees. Four feet deep. And designed for folks who aren't quite up to swimming laps in a cooler pool. It has grab bars all the way around it for the less steady.

When I go there, soaking in the warm water is one of the benefits. If a particular joint is so stubborn the therapy pool doesn't work, I can spend a few moments in the spa (ninety-six degrees with bubbling jets) and that helps loosen the joints...or something.

The other part of the pool experience is socialization. You know...stimulating conversation.

"How's it going today?"

"Pretty good."

"Sure is cold/hot/raining/snowing out there!"

"I slept in/got up early/stayed up all night..."

"My bursitis/diverticulitis/diabetes/arthritis is acting up today."

"I saw that cute little blonde chick/big mondo-muscle guy out in the gym."

See? Stimulating conversation all conducted as you walk to and fro in the pool. You meet going one way and say something. Then the other fella says something when you pass on the way back.

Anyway, besides the pool today, I have a visit to the post office on my agenda. That's always interesting. Every time I go, something new has been instituted and I'm never prepared, even though I do try. But today's the day for the hauling stuff in to be mailed to all the folks I promised stuff to. We'll see how that goes. Surely, there will be more stimulating conversation in the process.

Then, we'll likely stop at Aldi's for any last-minute grocery needs. I might step into Office Depot. I've been looking for a LARGE post-it pad (the size you would use on a easel). I don't have spare wall space in my office for a plot planner so I was going to use the door. The thing is I don't want to put nail holes in the door...

Ah, well. The hunk is calling. Breakfast is done. Time to get rolling. Just another exciting day in the life of an author.

anny

Brain Fuzzles

For a while now, I've suffered from the brain fuzzles. This is a common syndrome known to most writers, though often misdiagnosed as writer's blox. What's the difference?

Well, now. I have plenty of ideas in my head. I know exactly where I want the story to go. My characters are chattering away, so much so I wish they would shut up so I could get some sleep. Everything is rolling along up until the moment I sit down in front of the computer. And then everything screeches to a halt.

In the first fourteen months after I contracted my first book, I wrote eleven books. In this last year, I completed one. One. Over the last few days, I've pondered what possibly is different between that first year and the years since. And I think I've figured it out.

Many authors write in a solitary, almost hermit-like environment. They zealously guard their writing up to the moment they submit it to a publisher or beta reader.

I cannot function that way. Without the input of other writers around me, my creativity dries up and withers. I've noticed my best writing is accomplished the week after I have a chat and share excerpts from my books.

So how does this information relate? When I sold my first book, I was assigned an editor who had a forum for her group of writers where any of them could engage in daily conversation with the rest of the group. Several of us posted bits and pieces we were working on. Brainstorming was a frequent activity. We could share queries about real experience in various jobs or events. In short--it was exactly the type of atmosphere that I thrived in.

Near the end of the second year I was with that publisher, I was assigned a different editor. There was no such forum available and though some of my former cohorts and I tried to keep in touch, the end result was not successful.

Now, I find myself in a dead swamp.

I have a wonderful critique partner. But the creativity part is not her responsibility. And frankly, it takes more than two people to generate the ENERGY needed for creative brainstorming. This long-term brainstorming is not accomplished at conferences or critique groups or writers retreats because those are all limited in scope. All of those energize in the short-term.

So. Now that I know 'what' and 'why', I'll have to think about 'how' to fix my problem. Because a good brainstorm doesn't come along very often.

anny