Susan Buffum's Blog: Welcome to My World, page 7

25 Books in 24 months I am NOT Wonder Woman!

This month I'm celebrating a self publishing milestone- I've published 13 novels, 11 story collections, and one young reader book in 24 months. The young reader and one of the novels were published under a pseudonym, Victoria Bell. I probably will only be publishing under my real name from here on out because I'm not going to delve into the file cabinets and weed through all the children's stories and young adult stories I wrote as Kelly was growing up. I'd rather concentrate on new adult and adult fiction since there are no children or teenagers in my family- the youngest person being my best friend's granddaughter who just turned 17 this past April and she's not a reader, she's always on her phone.

I have three novels almost ready to be published. One is being submitted to a publisher, the other two I will self publish. Those two are the first two novels in a series about paranormal investigators based in the Burlington, VT area, a favorite place of ours to vacation. John and I spent part of our honeymoon there many moons ago.

A lot of comments I hear pertain to how I could have published all these books, that I must write all the time. Well, I do write a lot of the time when I get home from my full time real job and on weekends. It's my hobby. However, many of these already published books are comprised of stories written years ago and novels written since 2011 that have been sitting in binders , file cabinets, and file cartons patiently waiting for me to pay further attention to them. Often through the years my family and friends have encouraged me to do something with my writing and I'd brush them off.

In May 2015 the time was right, the impetus being the 2 free copies of your NaNo novel goody from the 2014 NaNoWriMo winner's package. They extended the deadline through the end of May 2015, so when I got that email it made me think- and then finally just go ahead and explore self publishing a little.

I've learned in leaps and bounds since then and have not looked back. I inherited my ability to tell a story from my maternal grandfather who was an amazing oral story teller. He was also funny. There's some humor in many of my books. I also inherited my sentimental side from my parents so there's always some romance in my stories. I also possess my own unique take on things- so sometimes you'll find things that will surprise you, and sometimes delight you, and often make you shake your head. Like the dead kitten in the Ziploc baggie in the refrigerator of Sophie's kitchen in Life, Death, Love & Kittens. Or Jazz, the snarky, talking cat in My Magical Life. Or Amanda's ability to fly in The Archetypes novels. Or Romney's skill at teleporting himself places in Black King Takes White Queen and Black Knight, White Rook.

Writers rock, but no, I didn't write a book a month. I just basically published 25 books in 24 months, a number of them newly written during that time frame, but also a fair amount of material written prior to 2015 that was edited and assembled into collections.

I am not Wonder Woman!

Various Projects Progressing

I have a vampire novel in the final proof stage, and two paranormal investigator novels in a series that I've been working on. They were written in 2011 and 2013, book two before book one in the series, so I need to make sure they flow smoothly from one to two. Have the first book in print proof form-arrived yesterday. Interestingly enough, and this is the importance of obtaining a proof copy you can ruffle the pages of, I found I have two chapter 2s! And different chapter header fonts. Back to the computer file to clean that up. Meanwhile, just finished all the initial edits to the computer manuscript version of book two. Now comes the fun part of designing the cover for the book.

I'm also creating a very casual, loosely constructed writer's group. I don't have the time to be bogged down by it, so I'm designing it to be flexible, blog and maybe social media based with occasional meetings that if you make it to them wonderful, but if you don't you can catch up on the blog and maybe show up next time.

Good Mom that I am, I sold copies of Kelly's first novel to two coworkers this week. She was thrilled. She still has some available at Blue Umbrella Books and on Amazon the book, Parapsychology by Kelly Buffum, can be ordered.

I've also been busy beta reading for several author acquaintances. I like to see what they're working on and provide them feedback. Had positive feedback on my vampire novel from a coworker who took it home to read.

Need to get that vampire novel back into manuscript form to send it to a publisher who only deals with serious vampire fiction, not Buffy the Vampire Slayer stuff.

Two Ghost Hunting Novels Coming Soon

Way back in 2003 I started a novel about a group of ghost hunters based at a college in the parapsychology department. I got a couple of chapters into it...and then stalled because at that point in my life I hadn't written a novel and didn't think I could. I lost confidence in myself, put what I had in a binder and tucked it away on a shelf.

Over the years Kelly often took out that binder and reread what I had written. She would give me a wistful glance and heave a deep sigh, then put the binder back.

Eventually I got the message.

In 2011 I used the characters and wrote a novel called The Victoria Wayfarer Investigation. This novel was the SECOND book in the series. Boy, did I open a can of worms by doing that. Kelly was totally miffed that I dared write the second book when I hadn't even written the first one yet!

She had to wait two more years...so, actually, it was a total of ten years because I finally sat down and wrote The Fairlawn Investigation as my NaNo novel in 2013, I wrote it in about 18 days...so, when I recently pulled the binder out of the milk crate where it's sat for 4 more years, it needed a lot of TLC to fix all the rapid writing issues and to make it jibe with The Victoria Wayfarer novel (which needs a little work so it meshes well with Fairlawn).

I have The Fairlawn Investigation ready to the point where I'm ordering a print proof copy tonight for an in my hand read through. I like seeing it, holding it, and reading it in book form when I'm making all my final revisions, edits, changes, tweaks, etc.

My facebook friends have flash giveaway opportunities to win my blue penned proofs by being the first to claim them when I spontaneously put them up for grabs in a facebook post. It's a fun thing to do with copies I'd trash- I hate to throw a book away! Even a scribbled all over copy!

Fairlawn is coming, followed by Victoria. There are two more novels already started in the series...but I don't know how long it will take me to get them written...but, hopefully, it won't take me 10-14 years to get them done!!

Here are two fun facts about this series:

Fact 1 is that I fictionalized two real people in my life in book one, making them guest investigators from a company that does ghost hunting based in the Berkshires, (we live at the gateway to the Berkshires in reality here in western MA). My office manager who has had numerous paranormal experiences herself (we've gone to hear lectures by Agawam Paranormal), and a coworker became characters in Fairlawn. They got a kick out of finding themselves in the book!

Fact 2 is that Kelly wrote her novel Parapsychology which has some similarities to my novels in that they involve ghost hunters/investigators based at colleges. In her novel she gives a nod to Mom by mentioning Dr. Beeler, who is the head of the Amberton Paranormal Investigation Society in my novels! I'll have to return the favor by mentioning her characters in the third novel when I get back to writing it- maybe having her characters as guest investigators, or my characters going to help her characters out with an investigation.

So- two new novels about ghost hunters coming soon!

Before Doing That I Need To Do This

I had an idea earlier this month for a new novel. I was all gung-ho, ready to go... and then I looked over at the milk crates full of binders and spotted two novels that have been sitting there since 2011 and 2103, respectively. I began a series of novels back then based on a book I started writing for Kelly as far back as 2003-4 about ghost hunters based at a college (an idea she borrowed for her novel Parapsychology, but she created her own location and characters and her novel is vastly different from mine, but she does give a nod to my character, Dr. Beeler and his Amberton Paranormal Investigation Society based in Vermont. Her characters talk about my characters.

I began to feel guilty for never doing anything with the two complete novels. I actually wrote the second one first, then went back and finally wrote the first novel two years later as my NANO novel in 2013. Both need some work because a couple characters in the second novel had different ARCs in the first novel- so I'll have to catch all the continuity issues between the two novels during this initial read through and the subsequent revisions to bring them up to snuff before self publishing them.

I also have books three and four in the series started. However, if I get these two books out there I'll take a break and write the werewolf novel- the one my daughter is chomping at the bit and hounding me for now (well- she did gift me the big plush werewolf for Mother's Day to inspire me! I really can't disappoint her!)

So- off to read and edit some more. It shouldn't take me all that long to get this done! It's just something that kept getting pushed aside for new novels...and I'm feeling guilty that they're still sitting there neglected 4 and 6 years later!!

Beta Reading

I have discovered that I enjoy beta reading my fellow author's work. I am often so intent on my own work that I find I have no life, no downtime in which to enjoy doing what else I like to do, which is read.

I suspect my writer friends have realized that the only way to get me to read their work is by sending it to me to be beta read... but that's not entirely true. I have read many of their books, of not most, but I don't think I've managed to read ALL of them yet! But, I will take time to beta read a new work and provide feedback, something every author needs.

I'm happy that they trust me enough to read and critiqued their work and give them that invaluable feedback and encouragement.

Just this morning I crawled out of bed, having slept in because I had not been feeling well and stayed home from work, to find a new beta story awaiting me in my email. Read it this afternoon and have just finished texting back and forth with the author giving her my thoughts.

Feeling better tonight...back to work tomorrow...and then Ghost Stories LIVE! Saturday evening. Oh, and when refiling some older stories away, I discovered one more older ghost story that takes place in a cemetery on a frosty winter morning! Cool beans!!

Mom Gets a Werewolf

I was inspired by a mechanical clock tower here in town recently. By the time I pulled into my driveway less than fifteen minutes later the beginnings of a new novel were already formatting in my brain.

I like to have something visual nearby when I'm working- something like a picture, an object...it helps me think. So, because the main character is a lycanthrope (similar to a werewolf) I jumped on Amazon looking for a werewolf figurine or something similar. I found a plush werewolf but didn't have the extra money to spend, so I just printed out a black and white picture of him to use to keep me inspired and writing.

This morning there was a large plump white mailer bag on the kitchen counter with a greeting card attached- a Mother's Day gift from Kelly. The card was touching. Inside the package was the werewolf curled up in a fetal position for shipping purposes! He's over 21" in length, has felt fangs and leatherette claws and wears ragged brown pants (through which his tail protrudes in the back). And he's got what I think are either studded leather bands around his ankles, or the remains of shackles he's escaped from. He's pretty cool. He'll be sitting in the chair beside me at the kitchen table where I do all my writing in the evening after work and dinner.

His name is Julian Roth Beresford (he prefers to be called J. Roth Beresford, or just Roth) He is a skilled and much sought after maker of amazingly realistic mechanical clocks/clock towers, having established himself in his early twenties in Germany and central Europe. Now he's been summoned home by his dying father, having been estranged from him for a number of years. He decides to just set up shop on the estate property and continue his work here for the time being, until he decides what he wants to do with the estate and his father's business after his father's death. He can control his lycanthropic urges for the most part, but soon the ravaged bodies of deer and other wildlife is being found in and around the area...and then the bodies of young women begin to turn up, their throats ripped out and other terrible injuries. Mr. Beresford's young personal assistant, and now J. Roth's assistant managing his business affairs, suspects there is something different about the younger Beresford, discovers his shocking secret, and cannot accept that he is to blame for what's happening.

Two chapters in, but taking a pause to write a new ghost story for next Saturday's Ghost Stories LIVE! event here in town at our amazing little indie book shop, Blue Umbrella Books. Kelly will be making her first appearance as a cast member. She wrote a 427 word flash fiction ghost story last night that had me in tears. Every word was perfect and atmospheric. She is astounding me daily with her writing skill!

Happy Mother's Day to all the terrific Mom's out there!

Second Revision Done

I have been working on my vampire novel for about 18 months now, if not longer. I've just finished with all the edits and revisions in the second proof copy of the book. I uploaded the new file and will be ordering a third printed proof- just to make sure that nothing has slipped past this time and that the continuity issues have been remedied.

I love this novel. Even my greatest critic, Kelly, has read through the novel twice and says she'll read the revised version, too, because she really likes the story. High praise from my daughter who can be highly critical of my books- still stings that she doesn't like My Magical Life when I think it's one of my best books. (A Writer's Digest judge also enjoyed the story last year when I entered the book in the Self Published Book Award Contest- he/she just didn't find the cover very exciting- that's been remedied during the two months I spent at the beginning of this year giving my books updated covers and more professionally laid out interiors.)

butterscotch-a collection of stories is available now. I have 25 copies coming to the house- most of them already spoken for, but a few copies will make it to the local author shelf at the local indie book shop.

Although I feel as if I'm not accomplishing much this year, retrospectively from just over 5 months into the year I have one novel and three story collections self published, and all those new covers and interiors in all but the three Christmas story collections done. Plus new ghost stories written, a new novel started, the sequel to Black Knight. White Rook perking away in the back of my mind....so, I guess I haven't just been sitting around after work and on weekends twiddling my thumbs after all!

butterscotch

butterscotch-a collection of stories will be available on Amazon.com sometime this coming week.

The volume of ten adult stories and one children's story (included because it is a real story, unpublished, that I wrote for Kelly in the mid-1990's when she was very sick and having trouble sleeping.) I use the story in the fiction story The First Publicity Tour, so decided to tack it on at the end because it's one of Kelly's favorite stories first told orally as the humidifier puffed vapor in the nightlight lit den where we were sharing the double bed so I could keep an ear on her breathing- she used to get bronchitis really bad. Thankfully, she outgrew that!)

The title came about this way- I couldn't think of a title for this collection and was getting desperate and frustrated. My eyes chanced to fall on a glass jar of butterscotch buttons (hard candy) that sits on the kitchen table. When Kelly and I write we sometimes have a candy while we tap away on the keyboards of our computers. Butterscotch is a favorite of mine, so I decided to name the book butterscotch. Also, yellow was my Dad's favorite color. Since the book is coming out around what would have been his 88th birthday (he's been gone for 6 years now), I chose it as a tribute to him.

The butterscotch buttons pictured on the cover came from Richardson's Candy Kitchen, 500 Greenfield Road, Deerfield, MA- a favorite candy shop since I was a child. My parents used to go out to dinner in Greenfield and sometimes Keene, NH when we were kids, and they'd always stop for candy on the way home in Deerfield. I had a little excelsior stuffed giraffe from the store for years, and later a plush beaver-and he smelled like chocolate for YEARS! 50 years later, Richardson's is still a favorite stop, and my exclusive source of butterscotch buttons. Kelly and I ran up there two weekends ago to buy the butterscotch candies (4 bags) and some root beer barrels, another favorite. I dumped the butterscotches out on the kitchen table and took some pictures. One of those pictures graces the cover of the book.

Keeping it local...butterscotch will be available in a few weeks at Blue Umbrella Books, my local indie bookseller. It will also, as previously stated, be available on Amazon.

Moving on to the next project- the vampire novel that's been "in the works" for nearly two years now! Just finished the second big edit and revision.

Ghost Stories Giveaway Begins Today!

A giveaway for 6 signed first edition copies of Miss Peculiar's Ghost Stories, Volume I begins today! 8 of the 16 stories in this volume are previously unpublished and were written exclusively for Ghost Stories LIVE!, a recurrent event held at our local indie book shop here in Westfield, MA where I live. Ghost Stories LIVE! revives the tradition of telling ghost stories, popular back in Victorian times. We have a regular cast and invite local authors and dignitaries to come and read a new or classic ghost story, and then give audience members an opportunity to relate their own true ghost stories during open mic time at the end of the event. Our next event is May 20th at 6PM-7PM at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA. Look for past events on You Tube. Occasionally Ghost Stories LIVE! is broadcast live on facebook. 7 of the remaining stories have been gleaned from already published Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales, Volumes I-III, and my book titled 13. The 8th story is both a Christmas story and a ghost story and has not been published elsewhere.
GOOD LUCK!!!

Ghost Story From A Friend

Kelly's friend Mike from the Connecticut Trolley Museum, who moved back to Minnesota a couple of years ago, is always dropping us story ideas on facebook. I finally suggested that he buckle down and write a story himself.

Lo and behold, this afternoon I received a message from him through facebook asking me for my email address so he could send me a story. I gave it to him, then checked my email a short time later-and there it was The Final Ride!

I printed out a copy. Kelly came home from the museum where she had been a motorman today (my friend Patty who is moving to FL soon and I visited the museum today so she could say goodbye to Kelly, and we could have a ride from her), and we ate dinner.

I sat down and read Mike's story- and was amazed by how much trolley history he crammed into what is essentially a ghost story. It made me laugh in one place, gave me goose bumps in a number of places...and ultimately reduced mew to tears at the end.

I reviewed Mike's story this evening on my author blog susanbuffum.blogspot.com

I hope he'll allow me to publish the story on my blog in the near future. It's that good.

Thanks, Mike B! It was a joy to discover a new writer in my circle of friends today!