B.E. Sanderson's Blog, page 79
April 5, 2015
Monday Stuff and a Series Recommendation
Hey all!
It's Monday and I'm guessing since I didn't put a line in here about who won the contest, I haven't had enough coffee to think properly yet. I'll draw a name shortly and post it at the bottom of this post as an ETA (Edited To Add). Thanks to all y'all who signed up for my newsletter. I expect to have a maiden flight around the first of May - when I'll have a better idea of a release date for Accidental Death. You'll hear it there first, so sign up now.
Speaking of Accidental Death, I'm in edit mode. In fact, I'm taking a break from the laborious, but oh-so necessary task of finding every instance of the word 'just', determining whether it is necessary where it is, and replacing it or deleting it when it isn't. I should've done that before I sent it to the editor, but I forgot. Derp.
Of course, being in edit mode means I'm out of interesting things to say about me, so you get to hear about another series I think deserves some attention.
Way back when, and don't ask me to go look it up now, I won a contest for the first four books in Debra Webb's Faces of Evil series. She sent them to me signed and I loved every one of them. That was about the time that her publisher decided they'd published enough of those, thank you very much, and Ms. Webb was on her own to finish out the series. Well, she did it. And I bought every single one of the rest of the series in paperback. They do look so lovely on my shelves all cuddled up next to each other.
They're about this disgraced FBI profiler who goes back to her hometown and gets embroiled in a serial murder. Meanwhile, the serial killer who made her look like shit with the FBI is still stalking her, and he has evil minions willing to kill for him, and... OMG, the tension over the course of the series is delicious. Add in the fact that her old boyfriend is the chief of police and he still loves her, but there's all this tension, and yes, folks, we have a winner!
Now, I don't know why the publisher decided to stop publishing this series. It irritated the crap out of me as a reader because I wanted... no, I NEEDED to know what happened, dammit. Thank goodness, Ms. Webb decided to help her readers out and find a way to publish the rest. Hallelujah! Now the series is finished and I got the HEA I was after, plus the justice I desire, and some good old-fashioned suspense along the way. Totally yummy.
So, if you're looking for a series with a few ongoing plot lines and story ARCs - like one big long book, only not as heavy - check out The Faces of Evil. I had to wait for each book to come out, but lucky you, they're all out now, so no waiting. (I hate waiting, but this series was worth it.)
ETA: Okay, I'm up and even if the coffee isn't quite enough yet this morning, I drew a name. The winner is Deb Salisbury! Shoot me an email, Deb, and let me know how you want it signed (to you, to someone else, etc.), and give me your address. I'll get that out in the mail sometime this week. Congratulations!
It's Monday and I'm guessing since I didn't put a line in here about who won the contest, I haven't had enough coffee to think properly yet. I'll draw a name shortly and post it at the bottom of this post as an ETA (Edited To Add). Thanks to all y'all who signed up for my newsletter. I expect to have a maiden flight around the first of May - when I'll have a better idea of a release date for Accidental Death. You'll hear it there first, so sign up now.
Speaking of Accidental Death, I'm in edit mode. In fact, I'm taking a break from the laborious, but oh-so necessary task of finding every instance of the word 'just', determining whether it is necessary where it is, and replacing it or deleting it when it isn't. I should've done that before I sent it to the editor, but I forgot. Derp.
Of course, being in edit mode means I'm out of interesting things to say about me, so you get to hear about another series I think deserves some attention.
Way back when, and don't ask me to go look it up now, I won a contest for the first four books in Debra Webb's Faces of Evil series. She sent them to me signed and I loved every one of them. That was about the time that her publisher decided they'd published enough of those, thank you very much, and Ms. Webb was on her own to finish out the series. Well, she did it. And I bought every single one of the rest of the series in paperback. They do look so lovely on my shelves all cuddled up next to each other.
They're about this disgraced FBI profiler who goes back to her hometown and gets embroiled in a serial murder. Meanwhile, the serial killer who made her look like shit with the FBI is still stalking her, and he has evil minions willing to kill for him, and... OMG, the tension over the course of the series is delicious. Add in the fact that her old boyfriend is the chief of police and he still loves her, but there's all this tension, and yes, folks, we have a winner!
Now, I don't know why the publisher decided to stop publishing this series. It irritated the crap out of me as a reader because I wanted... no, I NEEDED to know what happened, dammit. Thank goodness, Ms. Webb decided to help her readers out and find a way to publish the rest. Hallelujah! Now the series is finished and I got the HEA I was after, plus the justice I desire, and some good old-fashioned suspense along the way. Totally yummy.
So, if you're looking for a series with a few ongoing plot lines and story ARCs - like one big long book, only not as heavy - check out The Faces of Evil. I had to wait for each book to come out, but lucky you, they're all out now, so no waiting. (I hate waiting, but this series was worth it.)
ETA: Okay, I'm up and even if the coffee isn't quite enough yet this morning, I drew a name. The winner is Deb Salisbury! Shoot me an email, Deb, and let me know how you want it signed (to you, to someone else, etc.), and give me your address. I'll get that out in the mail sometime this week. Congratulations!
April 2, 2015
Easter Weekend Contest
Hey all! Well, today is the official start of Easter weekend, and I thought I'd run a contest. Everyone who is signed up for my newsletter by Monday when I wake up and check my mail will be entered, and one lucky winner will get a paperback copy of Dying Embers for their very own. I'll even sign it and throw in a signed postcard and signed bookmark.
You can sign up for the newsletter by going to the tab on this blog that says Newsletter Sign Up Form. Easy peasy. I won't spam you. I won't even bother you that much. I'll just send out newsletters when I have a publication date to announce or a cover to reveal or a contest I'd like to run just for newsletter readers. So, figure no more than once a month or every other month. And you get exclusive news and junk.
So, if you're interested, go up there, fill out the form and I'll pick a name Monday morning. I'll announce the winner here, on my FB page, and Twitter (since the page feeds to Twitter anyway). Then you get a book. (Which I'll probably send Priority Mail because it's not that much more and it's way less hassle.)
Sorry, this contest has to be open to US residents only. Due to a control-freak issue at the USPS, the last book I sent to Canada was a pain (seriously, dude, you couldn't tell from the city, state, zip what the freakin' countries were?), and the overseas charges would break this little struggling artist's bank account. It's not that I don't love my readers from abroad, but I'm working on a shoestring budget. Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous, I can have international contests with hardcopy books, too.
Tell you what... I'll do another contest for international readers down the road a piece where you can win an ecopy of the book and I'll mail you a signed postcard or a bookmark. How's that sound?
Anyway, like I said, sign up using the link up there and good luck to you all!
-B.E. Sanderson
You can sign up for the newsletter by going to the tab on this blog that says Newsletter Sign Up Form. Easy peasy. I won't spam you. I won't even bother you that much. I'll just send out newsletters when I have a publication date to announce or a cover to reveal or a contest I'd like to run just for newsletter readers. So, figure no more than once a month or every other month. And you get exclusive news and junk.
So, if you're interested, go up there, fill out the form and I'll pick a name Monday morning. I'll announce the winner here, on my FB page, and Twitter (since the page feeds to Twitter anyway). Then you get a book. (Which I'll probably send Priority Mail because it's not that much more and it's way less hassle.)
Sorry, this contest has to be open to US residents only. Due to a control-freak issue at the USPS, the last book I sent to Canada was a pain (seriously, dude, you couldn't tell from the city, state, zip what the freakin' countries were?), and the overseas charges would break this little struggling artist's bank account. It's not that I don't love my readers from abroad, but I'm working on a shoestring budget. Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous, I can have international contests with hardcopy books, too.
Tell you what... I'll do another contest for international readers down the road a piece where you can win an ecopy of the book and I'll mail you a signed postcard or a bookmark. How's that sound?
Anyway, like I said, sign up using the link up there and good luck to you all!
-B.E. Sanderson
March 31, 2015
Wicked Wednesday - Fred & Rosemary West
The Gloucester House of Horrors...
Once upon a time in England, there was a warped family called the Wests. Little Fred was the second in the line of children, but from the sounds of it, he wasn't the only twisted one. His father and mother sound pretty sick, too. (Then again, maybe Fred made it all up.) Whatever the circumstances of his youth, though, Fred West became a serial killer and eventually found himself the perfect bride to participate in his madness.
They say the killings started in 1967 - I mean, if you don't count the little boy Fred ran over with an ice cream truck in 1965. I tried to follow along in the path of killings, but the bastard's proclivity for violence and his inability to keep it in his pants led me to a great deal of confusion. Let's just say he spent a lot of time raping and murdering, even before he met his wife.
Now, Rosemary (Rose) wasn't one of those women who marry a serial killer and then are all like "I had no idea". Not only did she know, she participated. In fact, she murdered Fred's step-daughter while he was away in jail for another crime. I won't go into great detail about their demented relationship. Suffice it to say, Rose enjoyed a steady income from her prostitution, and Fred enjoyed watching.
When they were finally caught, it was because the police were looking into accusations Fred had raped one of his daughters. That's when the authorities noticed one of his other daughters was missing. According to reports, the other children had been told on numerous occasions that they'd better behave or they'd end up under the patio like Heather. This prompted them to dig up the patio area. Expecting to find only Heather, they discovered several other bodies as well.
After they'd excavated that home and a previous dwelling the family had called home, they had 11 bodies total. Later, they found one more and added that to Fred's charge. Rose was charged with 10 murders.
Fred, the bastard that he was, hung himself while he was awaiting trial. Rose stood alone and was convicted of those ten murders.
The authorities aren't really sure, though, if those are the only ones. They say the Wests committed murder from 1967-1987, but since they weren't apprehended until 1994, I'm betting there are other bodies the police don't know about or that haven't been attributed to this sick couple.
Once upon a time in England, there was a warped family called the Wests. Little Fred was the second in the line of children, but from the sounds of it, he wasn't the only twisted one. His father and mother sound pretty sick, too. (Then again, maybe Fred made it all up.) Whatever the circumstances of his youth, though, Fred West became a serial killer and eventually found himself the perfect bride to participate in his madness.
They say the killings started in 1967 - I mean, if you don't count the little boy Fred ran over with an ice cream truck in 1965. I tried to follow along in the path of killings, but the bastard's proclivity for violence and his inability to keep it in his pants led me to a great deal of confusion. Let's just say he spent a lot of time raping and murdering, even before he met his wife.
Now, Rosemary (Rose) wasn't one of those women who marry a serial killer and then are all like "I had no idea". Not only did she know, she participated. In fact, she murdered Fred's step-daughter while he was away in jail for another crime. I won't go into great detail about their demented relationship. Suffice it to say, Rose enjoyed a steady income from her prostitution, and Fred enjoyed watching.
When they were finally caught, it was because the police were looking into accusations Fred had raped one of his daughters. That's when the authorities noticed one of his other daughters was missing. According to reports, the other children had been told on numerous occasions that they'd better behave or they'd end up under the patio like Heather. This prompted them to dig up the patio area. Expecting to find only Heather, they discovered several other bodies as well.
After they'd excavated that home and a previous dwelling the family had called home, they had 11 bodies total. Later, they found one more and added that to Fred's charge. Rose was charged with 10 murders.
Fred, the bastard that he was, hung himself while he was awaiting trial. Rose stood alone and was convicted of those ten murders.
The authorities aren't really sure, though, if those are the only ones. They say the Wests committed murder from 1967-1987, but since they weren't apprehended until 1994, I'm betting there are other bodies the police don't know about or that haven't been attributed to this sick couple.
March 29, 2015
Trying New Things
In the interest of mixing things up a bit and trying new things, I'd like to devote a post each week to another writer or a book or a series of books I enjoy that maybe might be overlooked or underrated or whatever. I know the following here isn't huge. I'd like to rectify that, but I can only do what I can do. Having said that, though, maybe my little blog will do someone some good someday.
To that end, I'd like to take a moment and plug a series that really hasn't been getting the attention it should be getting. You may all know my friend, JB Lynn, and her awesome Neurotic Hitwoman series, but did you know she also writes a Matchmaker Mystery series. She spun it off the Neurotic Hitwoman universe, but only the character, Armani, is a fixture in the Matchmaker Mystery series, too.
Anyway, her third book in this new series is coming out shortly, and I think you all should give the series a try. It's fun and quirky with romance and mystery and pets! I love the characters and the writing and they're just good books to lose myself in from time to time.
The first book is The Mutt and the Matchmaker. The second is A Match Made in Mystery. And the soon-to-be-published book is Catnapped! Good stuff all the way through.
So, if you're in the market for a fun read, give JB's Matchmaker series a try.
Oh, and before I forget, speaking of new things, if you scroll back up to the top there, you'll see a new tab. Click it and it takes you to the sign-up form for my newsletter. I promise not to mailbomb you or be annoying. Just news and updates and contests and junk.
To that end, I'd like to take a moment and plug a series that really hasn't been getting the attention it should be getting. You may all know my friend, JB Lynn, and her awesome Neurotic Hitwoman series, but did you know she also writes a Matchmaker Mystery series. She spun it off the Neurotic Hitwoman universe, but only the character, Armani, is a fixture in the Matchmaker Mystery series, too.
Anyway, her third book in this new series is coming out shortly, and I think you all should give the series a try. It's fun and quirky with romance and mystery and pets! I love the characters and the writing and they're just good books to lose myself in from time to time.
The first book is The Mutt and the Matchmaker. The second is A Match Made in Mystery. And the soon-to-be-published book is Catnapped! Good stuff all the way through.
So, if you're in the market for a fun read, give JB's Matchmaker series a try.
Oh, and before I forget, speaking of new things, if you scroll back up to the top there, you'll see a new tab. Click it and it takes you to the sign-up form for my newsletter. I promise not to mailbomb you or be annoying. Just news and updates and contests and junk.
March 26, 2015
Making a Few Things Clear
I got into an interesting discussion with a reader the other day that showed I should probably make a few things clear for the reading public.
1) Dying Embers is entirely a work of fiction. I made all this shit up in my head and while I may have borrowed a few minor character traits from people I've met in my life-travels, they're scattered throughout and no one character has any resemblance as a whole to anyone I've ever met.
2) I have never been cheated on. I've only been married once, and my husband is so totally faithful that even when some ass started a rumor, I laughed my ass off. The only cheating I ever encountered was that one dude in college who slept with a chick at a party when he was supposed to be my boyfriend. I dropped him like the sack of dirt he was, but I never cared enough about him to even wish him dead.
3) I have never killed anyone. Not that I haven't thought about it, and my imagination does run wild, but I do know right from wrong, and no matter how much some people may deserve a little payback, I would never follow through. Hell, people, I swerve to avoid running over frogs. The only thing I kill with any amount of glee are brown recluse spiders. Those suckers deserve to die. And venomous snakes.
4) Neither Jace nor Emma is modeled after me, or anyone else I know.
If the story you read makes it seem like I've been there, then thank you. That means I've done my job as a writer. And yes, while the common mantra in the writing community is 'Write what you know', it isn't the case here. I make shit up and write it down.
I hope you all enjoy the shit I've made up. I'm having a blast letting my imagination run wild and then sharing the stories with you.
Oh, and I almost totally forgot! Deb Salisbury and DL Hammons need to email me (besanderson at gmail dot com) your snail mail addresses so I can send you both bookmarks - just cuz. =o)
1) Dying Embers is entirely a work of fiction. I made all this shit up in my head and while I may have borrowed a few minor character traits from people I've met in my life-travels, they're scattered throughout and no one character has any resemblance as a whole to anyone I've ever met.
2) I have never been cheated on. I've only been married once, and my husband is so totally faithful that even when some ass started a rumor, I laughed my ass off. The only cheating I ever encountered was that one dude in college who slept with a chick at a party when he was supposed to be my boyfriend. I dropped him like the sack of dirt he was, but I never cared enough about him to even wish him dead.
3) I have never killed anyone. Not that I haven't thought about it, and my imagination does run wild, but I do know right from wrong, and no matter how much some people may deserve a little payback, I would never follow through. Hell, people, I swerve to avoid running over frogs. The only thing I kill with any amount of glee are brown recluse spiders. Those suckers deserve to die. And venomous snakes.
4) Neither Jace nor Emma is modeled after me, or anyone else I know.
If the story you read makes it seem like I've been there, then thank you. That means I've done my job as a writer. And yes, while the common mantra in the writing community is 'Write what you know', it isn't the case here. I make shit up and write it down.
I hope you all enjoy the shit I've made up. I'm having a blast letting my imagination run wild and then sharing the stories with you.
Oh, and I almost totally forgot! Deb Salisbury and DL Hammons need to email me (besanderson at gmail dot com) your snail mail addresses so I can send you both bookmarks - just cuz. =o)
March 24, 2015
Pavlov's Writer
Taking a break from Wicked Wednesday today to discuss something else...
Long long ago in another life, I was a psychology major in college. (Yeah, yeah... let the jokes commence - later.) And something struck me the other day.
Ever heard of classical conditioning? You know, Pavlov and his whole drooling dog shtick? That. Anyway, part of it has to do with intermittent reward or punishment and, if I remember correctly, how when the reward or punishment isn't consistent it can actually increase the behavior. (After a certain time of being consistent, that is.) Think of it as a child wants a candy bar at the store, and you say no, so he screams and you give it to him. The next time maybe you say no three times but still give in and give him the candy bar. The next time he will scream his fool head off until you give in. If you stay strong through, you can decrease the behavior until it becomes intermittent. But the one time you give in, that behavior comes back stronger than before.
That's a simplification, but you get the gist. And I have a point. Here it is...
When I first launched Dying Embers for sale, I checked my sales data constantly and I was rewarded consistently. Soon, the rewards (sales) became inconsistent, but I still checked the data constantly. Over this last week, the rewards dropped off entirely and thus, my checking the data dropped off to once a day. (Cuz really who needs that depressing data staring at you throughout the day?) Then I checked my data yesterday morning, and I had a sale! And the constant checking behavior swooped right back. :eyeroll:
Like Pavlov's dog, there I was drooling away, waiting for my next reward.
Does any of this ring a bell? :smirk:
Seriously, though, ever experience this? What's ringing your bell?
Long long ago in another life, I was a psychology major in college. (Yeah, yeah... let the jokes commence - later.) And something struck me the other day.
Ever heard of classical conditioning? You know, Pavlov and his whole drooling dog shtick? That. Anyway, part of it has to do with intermittent reward or punishment and, if I remember correctly, how when the reward or punishment isn't consistent it can actually increase the behavior. (After a certain time of being consistent, that is.) Think of it as a child wants a candy bar at the store, and you say no, so he screams and you give it to him. The next time maybe you say no three times but still give in and give him the candy bar. The next time he will scream his fool head off until you give in. If you stay strong through, you can decrease the behavior until it becomes intermittent. But the one time you give in, that behavior comes back stronger than before.
That's a simplification, but you get the gist. And I have a point. Here it is...
When I first launched Dying Embers for sale, I checked my sales data constantly and I was rewarded consistently. Soon, the rewards (sales) became inconsistent, but I still checked the data constantly. Over this last week, the rewards dropped off entirely and thus, my checking the data dropped off to once a day. (Cuz really who needs that depressing data staring at you throughout the day?) Then I checked my data yesterday morning, and I had a sale! And the constant checking behavior swooped right back. :eyeroll:
Like Pavlov's dog, there I was drooling away, waiting for my next reward.
Does any of this ring a bell? :smirk:
Seriously, though, ever experience this? What's ringing your bell?
March 23, 2015
Decisions and Changes and Ignoring Advice
Hey all. I had some epiphanies over the weekend that I said I'd share today.
The first epiphany was the big one. But I'll get to that in a minute.
First off, even though I have loved the title 'Wrongful Termination' since I thought of it way back when, something about it has been bothering me. It doesn't quite fit with the story. That title implies events not in evidence in the story. So, despite the fact that I have been working with that title forever, have covers with the title, my editor already has the book, and I've talked about that title ad nauseum, I tossed it out. The book will now be known as Accidental Death.
Another epiphany came when I was trying to take a nap and the premise for that book's sequel slapped me upside the head. And it makes more sense for it to be called Wrongful Termination. Tada!
Then as I was trying yet again to get into this rewrite for Fertile Ground, I realized the problem. I was trying to fit a oddly-shaped peg into a square hole. Frank does not belong in this book. I love Frank. I think he's an awesome secondary character. But I never meant for him to be a hero. So, despite the advice of several dear friends, and maybe the expectation of some readers, Frank will not be getting his own book. Or at least not this one. Rick Jensen will remain the hero. I'll just have to make him less of a douche. And having decided that, last night's rerere-write went really well. I was actually excited about working on this book again.
Now, for the big epiphany... As much as I love having input from family and friends on my writing, I ultimately have to decide what my books are all about. This is one of the great things about self-publishing. I can write my books my way. I kinda forgot that. It doesn't mean I don't still need your help and that I won't ask for advice. I just have to choose to do what's right for me and my stories.
Speaking of help, maybe all y'all can do a gal a solid. I'm having trouble coming up with a zippy tagline. I want something that jumps off the cover like 'Revenge is better hot' (which also looks awesome on a bookmark). What I've come up with so far is...
Murder is never incidental.
Random acts of homicide.
Something to go on the cover underneath the title. Here's a quick blurb I threw together that might help you think of something...
Detective Dennis Haggarty doesn’t want to go to Serenity, Colorado and help mourn a brother-in-law he never met. He sure as hell doesn’t want to face his baby sister after years apart. Finding a corpse outside the memorial service certainly won’t make matters better. Even worse considering the local authorities believe the death was accidental.
Too bad Dennis doesn’t believe them.
Now he has to follow a string of unlikely deaths to find the person behind them. All the clues point to the city manager’s widow. If only Dennis didn’t feel like he was falling in love with his main suspect.
(Yeah, it's lame, but I'll make it better. Right now, it's just to give everyone an idea of what this book is about.)
And I'll pick one commenter - whether I choose the idea or not - to win a signed 'Revenge is better hot' bookmark from Dying Embers.
Oh, and here's the cover I'm currently tweaking:
The first epiphany was the big one. But I'll get to that in a minute.
First off, even though I have loved the title 'Wrongful Termination' since I thought of it way back when, something about it has been bothering me. It doesn't quite fit with the story. That title implies events not in evidence in the story. So, despite the fact that I have been working with that title forever, have covers with the title, my editor already has the book, and I've talked about that title ad nauseum, I tossed it out. The book will now be known as Accidental Death.
Another epiphany came when I was trying to take a nap and the premise for that book's sequel slapped me upside the head. And it makes more sense for it to be called Wrongful Termination. Tada!
Then as I was trying yet again to get into this rewrite for Fertile Ground, I realized the problem. I was trying to fit a oddly-shaped peg into a square hole. Frank does not belong in this book. I love Frank. I think he's an awesome secondary character. But I never meant for him to be a hero. So, despite the advice of several dear friends, and maybe the expectation of some readers, Frank will not be getting his own book. Or at least not this one. Rick Jensen will remain the hero. I'll just have to make him less of a douche. And having decided that, last night's rerere-write went really well. I was actually excited about working on this book again.
Now, for the big epiphany... As much as I love having input from family and friends on my writing, I ultimately have to decide what my books are all about. This is one of the great things about self-publishing. I can write my books my way. I kinda forgot that. It doesn't mean I don't still need your help and that I won't ask for advice. I just have to choose to do what's right for me and my stories.
Speaking of help, maybe all y'all can do a gal a solid. I'm having trouble coming up with a zippy tagline. I want something that jumps off the cover like 'Revenge is better hot' (which also looks awesome on a bookmark). What I've come up with so far is...
Murder is never incidental.
Random acts of homicide.
Something to go on the cover underneath the title. Here's a quick blurb I threw together that might help you think of something...
Detective Dennis Haggarty doesn’t want to go to Serenity, Colorado and help mourn a brother-in-law he never met. He sure as hell doesn’t want to face his baby sister after years apart. Finding a corpse outside the memorial service certainly won’t make matters better. Even worse considering the local authorities believe the death was accidental.
Too bad Dennis doesn’t believe them.
Now he has to follow a string of unlikely deaths to find the person behind them. All the clues point to the city manager’s widow. If only Dennis didn’t feel like he was falling in love with his main suspect.
(Yeah, it's lame, but I'll make it better. Right now, it's just to give everyone an idea of what this book is about.)
And I'll pick one commenter - whether I choose the idea or not - to win a signed 'Revenge is better hot' bookmark from Dying Embers.
Oh, and here's the cover I'm currently tweaking:
March 20, 2015
Crime Fighter Friday - Yolanda McClary
I don't know if any of you watch Cold Justice on TNT, but I've got a girl crush on these two women who go around the country trying close cold cases and bring murderers to justice. This week, I'll focus on one and next week, I'll focus on the other. I love them both equally, but someone had to come first.
Yolanda McClary. She's the law enforcement side of the duo. (Kelly Siegler is the prosecutorial side.) She's a former crime scene investigator from Las Vegas. Yes, she is the real CSI - and is the basis for the red-headed gal on that show. She totally rocks the red hair. And she investigated over 7000 crimes in her 26 years with LVPD.
She's gritty and tough - the way a cop ought to be - but she's sensitive to the victims' families and while she does have a heart of gold, it's clad in steel. And she's smart as a whip. Naturally.
Heaven forbid anything should ever happen to me or mine, but if it did, I know I'd want her investigating the crime.
She kicks ass.
If you're interested in more about Yolanda, follow her on Facebook. I do, and I love her posts. She kinda makes me feel better about all the crime in the world because I know she's out there trying to solve it.
Yolanda McClary. She's the law enforcement side of the duo. (Kelly Siegler is the prosecutorial side.) She's a former crime scene investigator from Las Vegas. Yes, she is the real CSI - and is the basis for the red-headed gal on that show. She totally rocks the red hair. And she investigated over 7000 crimes in her 26 years with LVPD.
She's gritty and tough - the way a cop ought to be - but she's sensitive to the victims' families and while she does have a heart of gold, it's clad in steel. And she's smart as a whip. Naturally.
Heaven forbid anything should ever happen to me or mine, but if it did, I know I'd want her investigating the crime.
She kicks ass.
If you're interested in more about Yolanda, follow her on Facebook. I do, and I love her posts. She kinda makes me feel better about all the crime in the world because I know she's out there trying to solve it.
March 18, 2015
Wicked Wednesday - Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow... What to say about them that hasn't already been said a million different ways. Simple. They were crooks.
Yeah, pretty obvious, I guess, but when I say crooks, I mean crooks. They weren't movie stars or folk heroes or anything one should probably aspire to. They weren't Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty cutting a dashing figure through the early 20th century. Hell, they weren't even people you might, maybe, be able to kinda elevate to a Robin Hood status if you squinted and tilted your head sideways. The majority of the people they robbed were small shop owners and the majority of the people they killed were officers of the law - men trying to protect the citizens who later romanticized their killers. Bonnie and Clyde were crooks. And scum.
And romanticizing scum doesn't sit well with me. (Don't even get me started.)
Anyway, let's look at the facts. Bonnie Parker was a smart girl who went as bad as a rancid peach. Maybe it was because her father died when she was little. Maybe her mother didn't love her enough. Whatever it was that sent her down the path of criminal behavior, it stuck and it stuck good. Perhaps she was just a sucker and got pulled down a bad path by a manipulative sociopath...
Like any good sociopath, Clyde Barrow seemed to enjoy the criminal lifestyle. One might even say he was pretty damn proud of himself. Until the law caught up with him. Then he cried his way out of it, lied about being part of it, and generally made a whiny ass of himself. So basically, he was only proud around his gang, and only a leader when his feet weren't to the fire.
Some hero.
So when you look back at this duo and their gang of thugs, don't do it through the Hollywood lens. These two weren't anything worth celebrating. They were just wicked.
Yeah, pretty obvious, I guess, but when I say crooks, I mean crooks. They weren't movie stars or folk heroes or anything one should probably aspire to. They weren't Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty cutting a dashing figure through the early 20th century. Hell, they weren't even people you might, maybe, be able to kinda elevate to a Robin Hood status if you squinted and tilted your head sideways. The majority of the people they robbed were small shop owners and the majority of the people they killed were officers of the law - men trying to protect the citizens who later romanticized their killers. Bonnie and Clyde were crooks. And scum.
And romanticizing scum doesn't sit well with me. (Don't even get me started.)
Anyway, let's look at the facts. Bonnie Parker was a smart girl who went as bad as a rancid peach. Maybe it was because her father died when she was little. Maybe her mother didn't love her enough. Whatever it was that sent her down the path of criminal behavior, it stuck and it stuck good. Perhaps she was just a sucker and got pulled down a bad path by a manipulative sociopath...
Like any good sociopath, Clyde Barrow seemed to enjoy the criminal lifestyle. One might even say he was pretty damn proud of himself. Until the law caught up with him. Then he cried his way out of it, lied about being part of it, and generally made a whiny ass of himself. So basically, he was only proud around his gang, and only a leader when his feet weren't to the fire.
Some hero.
So when you look back at this duo and their gang of thugs, don't do it through the Hollywood lens. These two weren't anything worth celebrating. They were just wicked.
March 15, 2015
A Meeting at Corporate Headquarters
The other day, the CFO (Hubs) and the CEO (Moi) of B.E. Sanderson Publications (again, not a real company name, nor the one I would pick for an LLC if I ever went that way) sat down for an impromptu meeting. The CFO called the meeting at approximately 7am - as he is usually way more awake than the CEO. Since the CEO hadn't had nearly enough coffee and the secretary (also Me) wasn't inclined to take notes, there will not be a blow by blow of the deets.
Sales were discussed. For a breakdown of that report, go here. Marketing strategies were on the floor briefly. A production schedule was outlined as follows:
Expectations are that we will put out four books this year - at or near the quarters (i.e. March, June, September and December). Book one is already out - Dying Embers. Book two is at the editor - Wrongful Termination. Book three is in production. Book four will be contingent on whether Wish in One Hand gets picked up by Baen. If it does, then the fourth book will be another suspense. If it doesn't, then book four will be the first in my urban fantasy series - with the second and third books in that series coming out next year.
Then we sidebarred and talked about the potential of losing readers because of the genre switch from suspense to urban fantasy. It was decided in order to prevent that, we will leapfrog the genres - putting out the UF in December, and then another suspense in March, UF in June, etc.
It was at that point the CFO pulled the COO (also me) aside to ponder how exactly new books would fit into the schedule when the production team (also me) would be busy with getting the already-written books ready for publication. The COO provided assurances and talked about production schedules and pointed out ways to make the production floor more efficient. The CFO was not convinced, but agreed to hold off naysaying until he could see how this year went.
Then a discussion of finances ensued. The budget for this year looks good. The expectation is to have the first three books funding the next book at least by the time it's ready to go into production. If that isn't feasible, the financing issue will be revisited at that time.
The meeting then adjourned, and the CEO made the CFO breakfast. ;o)
I hope you enjoyed that peek into the business aspect of self-publishing. I wrote it that way to be funny, but also to underscore the fact that this is a business. At least, if I hope to be successful, I need to approach it that way. Money going out, money coming in and customers I have to think about to keep that money coming in - so I can continue to provide the product they want.
Any questions?
Sales were discussed. For a breakdown of that report, go here. Marketing strategies were on the floor briefly. A production schedule was outlined as follows:
Expectations are that we will put out four books this year - at or near the quarters (i.e. March, June, September and December). Book one is already out - Dying Embers. Book two is at the editor - Wrongful Termination. Book three is in production. Book four will be contingent on whether Wish in One Hand gets picked up by Baen. If it does, then the fourth book will be another suspense. If it doesn't, then book four will be the first in my urban fantasy series - with the second and third books in that series coming out next year.
Then we sidebarred and talked about the potential of losing readers because of the genre switch from suspense to urban fantasy. It was decided in order to prevent that, we will leapfrog the genres - putting out the UF in December, and then another suspense in March, UF in June, etc.
It was at that point the CFO pulled the COO (also me) aside to ponder how exactly new books would fit into the schedule when the production team (also me) would be busy with getting the already-written books ready for publication. The COO provided assurances and talked about production schedules and pointed out ways to make the production floor more efficient. The CFO was not convinced, but agreed to hold off naysaying until he could see how this year went.
Then a discussion of finances ensued. The budget for this year looks good. The expectation is to have the first three books funding the next book at least by the time it's ready to go into production. If that isn't feasible, the financing issue will be revisited at that time.
The meeting then adjourned, and the CEO made the CFO breakfast. ;o)
I hope you enjoyed that peek into the business aspect of self-publishing. I wrote it that way to be funny, but also to underscore the fact that this is a business. At least, if I hope to be successful, I need to approach it that way. Money going out, money coming in and customers I have to think about to keep that money coming in - so I can continue to provide the product they want.
Any questions?
