Anny Cook's Blog, page 64

Alien Slugs and Rainy Days

So. We went out for the hunk's doctor appointment yesterday. It was raining. Naturally. Not the wimpy little sprinkles the weather people call rain, but actual big rain drops pounding the car, killing visibility, and settling in ponds on the street.

You would think in that case everyone would slow down. And you would be wrong. No, no, no. In a demonstration of insanity, everyone decided the traffic was really an unannounced street race. With predictable results.

Added to the misery was the chaos committed in the name of security when the President of the United States decides to visit someplace obscure. In this case, it was the village where I live. Streets were closed. Traffic backed up.

Why? Does he really think it endears him to voters? Really? I think not.

After all of that, we actually arrived at the doctor's office on time. He had his exam. The report was good. He's cancer free and isn't scheduled for another appointment for three months. The alien slug we all call cancer was defeated.

Good show.

anny

Likely Stories

In the last few weeks, I've read a lot of stories. A LOT of stories. (Not all of them were in books. Some were news items.) Is it just me? Or are the heroes getting dumber? I know men have the reputation for thinking mostly with their penises, but I'm wondering if maybe that's all wrong. That would be giving some of these heroes too much credit. I would say they employ their little toe.

Of course, after watching some of the hi-jinks the men in the entertainment industry, banking industry, and the politicians commit, maybe, just maybe the authors are giving their heroes more smarts than they should.

Every man cannot be as stupid as the ones I've read about. Every woman cannot be as conniving as portrayed by the author. When did we change from having decent characters to the dregs?

I don't want to read about men and women who make immoral decisions without a qualm. (And I'm not talking about sex here.) I've read about heroes or heroines who cheated, lied, stole, set up an innocent to take the fall for their own criminal behavior, abandoned a child, and used drugs.

There are decent men and women all around us. Those are the characters I want to read about. So authors, listen up! Cut it out. If you don't know any one who could be a real-life hero or heroine, then you're hanging out with the wrong people! Time to find some new friends so you have some experience to base your characters on. Real people with real lives. The good guys.

anny

Lines

When we went shopping today, we traveled a back road that had recently been repaved. It had freshly painted yellow lines down the center and white lines along the edges. The last time we were on this particular road, I noticed the hunk tended to shy away from the edge, but today he centered the car squarely in our lane.

I suspect we are more comfortable when we have clearly marked lines to denote our place. Of course, we've all encountered the rogues who insists on taking their space from the center of the road rather that sticking to their lane. But as a matter of safety, most people stay in their designated spot.

We use lines to designate more than place. We use them as a sign of normalcy. "He doesn't color in the lines..." My philosophy was simple. Once you have learned the skills required to color in the lines, then you can make informed choices about coloring outside the lines--or indeed, drawing your own lines in life.

In this day and age, few people create their own lines. Even those who believe they are traveling on the unbeaten path rarely understand they are merely moving along a different set of pre-set lines. It requires courage, meticulous planning, and determination to careen off the road, flying over meadow and mountain to an unknown destination. Few of us have the perseverance and fortitude to forge ahead, regardless of obstacles in our way.

It would no doubt be safer if everyone stayed within the lines. But few new discoveries would be made, few new accomplishments would occur if we were all content to travel the same roads. Too bad we don't celebrate the few who dare to explore, the men and women with the courage to stand for the ones who are too broken to stand, and the adventurers who seek out new avenues to achieve old goals.

Of course, for every explorer there must be a tried and true support group who are content to travel within the lines. It's a fortunate circumstance that every individual has a place, a vocation, a role that's exactly right for them. The secret is to find it.

anny

Digging In

Writing is just about the most solitary occupation in the world. The author spends ninety percent of their time inside their head working out dialogue, plotting the demise of the bad guys, engineering the happy ending for the hero and heroine and devising an interesting world where all that happens.

The trouble with working alone is...you're alone.

There's no input from a team. No brainstorming with a partner. No response from a reader. The author just slogs along, typing words into the computer with minimal feedback or encouragement.

Inevitably, you reach a point where you're convinced you suck. Yes, you do. If you didn't suck hairy eyeballs, readers would be clamoring for more of your fabulous prose. Your books would be selling like Harry Potter. Oprah would invite you to appear on her show.

That's exactly the point when it's the hardest to dig your heels in and keep writing. It's easy to write when everything is going well--when you have a string of five star reviews and a royalty check that makes your eyes pop. But when that check wouldn't buy a candy bar and the reviews are pitiful, it's tougher to keep on plugging.

There are scads of stories about authors who wrote for years before their first book was published. There are also stories about authors who made a million dollars by self-publishing when they couldn't break into the closed publishing world. Most of us actually end up in the middle.

Breakout stars are few and far between, just as in any other creative field. For every famous actor, there are thousands who never make it past waitressing at the local diner. And even more who spend their entire careers in bit parts.

Why do they continue? Because...they might get their break one day. Because they love what they're doing. Because they're convinced they're the one who's going to be a star. That is the nature of creativity.

In the end, all of them will fade away, moving on to other endeavors--except the one who does it simply because they love it. Writers who are there for the money will find some other way to earn the bucks. Writers who write with the hope that they will be a big star will settle on another way to shine. But writers who love to write, well those writers will write if they never sell another piece.

There's a vast chasm between writing and receiving a big royalty check. Some (likely even most) will never bridge that span. Most of us will remain on the mid-to-low list, pathetically happy when we receive a good review or a lovely fan letter. It's not necessarily fair. I've read books that should have been bestsellers yet languished in obscurity. And I've read bestsellers that were horrible wallbangers. Unfortunately, it's that way in all walks of life.

Timing, connections, being in the right spot at the right time all play a part in success. None of those have anything to do with our end product. Quality rests on our individual shoulders. All else is a crap shoot.

Our chance of success is nil if we don't keep writing.

anny

Spelling Challenge...

At one time, you seldom found misspelled words in published work. Everyone knew how to spell and those who didn't owned a dictionary and knew how to use it.

The bad thing about having a misspelled word in a print work is...it's a done deal. There's no way to go back and fix it until the next edition (if there is one). Unlike digital works, the author, the readers, the publishers have to live with the mistake. Today author Jayne Ann Krentz pointed out and apologized for an error in her newest print book--and promised it would be rectified in the paperback edition.

Now with digital, it's a different story. That same book was also released in digital form with the same error. And that can be corrected immediately. So any reader who buys that book in say...the next week or so, should have the corrected copy.

But what about digital errors on the Internet? Who do you tell? One of the headlines on the Weather Channel was "Tender, Dry Conditions Keep West Fires Burning". No, I don't think so. That would be "Tinder". That's the stuff that burns.

While I'll be the first person to say that everyone makes a mistake now and then, it seems to me the number of spelling mistakes is escalating. And calling them typos isn't addressing the real problem. Part of it is carelessness. But a bigger part is ignorance.

You read that correctly. The days when spelling correctly was a matter of pride are gone. The day with an author checked word usage and spelling in a dictionary is gone. Sadly, many simply shrug and move on.

Some even ask, "What's the big deal?"

For a reader like me, it's a matter of tossing me right out of the story. Too many tosses and I toss your book. Once I do that, I'll never buy another. Remember, competition is stiff. There are millions of books out there for me to read. And my time is limited. Why should I spend time and money on your book if you don't care enough to make sure you're using the correct word? It's a two way street.

I think that's probably why I re-read my older books rather than buying new. Yeah, I think so. Authors, publishers, editors took pride in their work and delivered a quality product. As for Ms. Krentz? She's promised to make good on the error. I'm proud to read her books.

anny

Luminaria

The luminaria were all lit by many, many, many people at the event including us and once the sun went down they said a prayer and the bag pipes played in the front of the procession. By candlelight we all walked as one in memory of those that have lost their battle and in honor of those that continue to survive it...it was awe inspiring and breathtaking...the sound of the bag pipes and all of us together it is hard to put into words what it was like.~~Jennifer Stella at Relay for Life


Thank you to each and every person who sponsored me!!!  

Amarinda Jones, Dollar General Ladies, Helen Woodall, lla G., Vania Czumak [Jade Artistry], Kristin Kislowski, Lisa DeStefano Garcia, Mary Koch, Jane North, Berengaria Brown

Passing on the message for my daughter...

anny

Truth about selling books...

Recently a reader wrote to me, complaining because she couldn't locate a certain book of mine. At that time, she also commented that it would be much easier for my readers if I had "buy" links for the books on my website.

In response to her remarks, I dealt with the missing book and added buy links to the covers of all my posted books on my website. A couple days later, another reader indicated some disappointment because my buy links were all for the original publishers of the books rather than third party sites such as Amazon, Barns and Noble, and All Romance e-books.

So here's the truth about purchasing e-books from third party sites. You're going to pay more for that privilege. Needlessly. Because almost all publishers' sites sell their books in all the formats you could possibly need.

That's right. You don't have to buy from a particular third party site to purchase your books in your chosen format. AND you pay more on the third party site. In most cases, you pay considerably more for exactly the same book.

By going to my website, you save time and money. The links take you directly to the page for each individual book. That page has the blurb, and excerpt, and all the information to buy the book. And in about ninety percent of the cases, the book is less expensive.

This is not only true for my books, but most books at established digital publishers. So the next time someone recommends that you buy their book through their publisher's page...think long and hard about it. You could save a bit of dough--maybe even enough to buy a second book!

anny

www.annycook.com
Check out my webpage!

This is my daughter...

Jennifer Stella


At age 32 I was diagnosed with cancer…wow how my outlook on life instantly changed…you only live once so I want to get it right this time.
The Relay for Life Rhinebeck event is two days away and I really need each and every one of you to help me reach my goal of raising $500 [currently at $150.00]! This is very important to me and those of you who are my friends and family will open your wallet/purse and donate even if it’s $5.00, what you give in charity always comes back to you.
I walk for survivors and those that are not. You can walk with me, and/or show your support by sponsoring me in the walk at the below link.
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=28238357&pg=personal&fr_id=36799She also walks for the house hunk...anny

Things I Know

Some things I know...

Empty rooms echo. Empty bathrooms echo louder.

Finishing a great book is both satisfying and sad.

An unexpected smile from a stranger can lift your mood for the entire day.

A new stove is a thing of beauty and can even inspire you to cook.

The scent of coffee in the morning is like ambrosia. They should bottle that scent.

There's nothing like falling asleep to the sound and scent of rain.

A sunny morning is a beautiful start to the day.

anny

By the Map

I've been invaded by maintenance workers, painters, and assorted other workers. Writing under the circumstances is impossible so I settled for map-making so I can update my website.

Some readers don't pay attention to maps when they're reading. Others (the real map people) love having a map to refer to when reading. I belong to that latter category. I collect maps. I have reference books about maps and cartography. I love maps.

Given my love of maps, it's natural for me to draw maps when I'm writing. Even a rough map helps me orient myself and make sure my characters aren't going north when they should be going south. A map also provides a physical documentation for the future if I decide to write more than one story in the same world.

Since I'm a creative type, it's a given that I have to color or paint or otherwise fancy up the maps. Who can resist coloring something when they have a fistful of crayons or markers or colored pencils?

All the new maps are up on the website so check them out by going to the series page or just click on the map!

anny