Q. Kelly's Blog, page 24
October 26, 2011
My Summer in the Clinton White House (Rather, the Clinton Executive Office Building)
A lot of things happened one summer not too long ago, but a few things stand out.
1) John F. Kennedy Jr. died.
2) I had a July 4 celebration that will never be repeated (probably not, anyway).
3) I delivered the president of the United States of America his daily newspaper.
4) My apartment was broken into, and the president consoled me.
So, I was a White House intern! Yay. Except I worked mostly in the Executive Office Building next to the White House, not the White House itself. It was the summer after the Monica scandal exploded. I was an undergraduate student at Gallaudet University, and I was forced to buy business suits for the first time. Major blaaaa ;-) I was placed in the mail analysis department. My job was to read President Clinton's mail and sort letters for responses accordingly. I started in snail mail and later read email too (printed emails). This was before email caught on, like it is today, so I have to wonder how many snail mails there are now. (Tip: to really stand out, send your correspondence snail mail and write on a somewhat obscure issue, or find a fresh angle. All the emails on the Columbine shooting said the same thing.) So, I'd read mail and code each piece of correspondence for the proper form response. For example, if you were writing to praise President Clinton in general, you got a different response than if you were writing to criticize him. Same as if you wrote on a certain issue.
Some letters required follow up, and these were set aside for AGLIAS (agency liaison). For example, one person wrote about the government taking his farms away. AGLIAS followed up. If a letter was especially memorable, it went into a batch. That batch would be further narrowed down and the top one (or several) letters were given to the president to read each week. I'm not sure if he responded to these personally.
I don't know if this system is still in effect today, but something resembling it probably is.
****
I met Buddy, President Clinton's dog, many times. One time I baby sat him, and what I remember most is he liked to knock over trash cans. I can't tell you how sad I was when I heard that Buddy had been hit by a car in New York and died (after Clinton's terms). Apparently, the Clintons did not leash Buddy or have a fence. (I don't know for certain one way or the other, but that is what the newspaper report said.)
****
July 4 was on the White House lawn with the Clintons, lots of other people, and all the free ice cream anyone could want. How cool is that, to watch fireworks on the White House lawn, with the president? Freaking cool, that's how cool ;-) I also remember later that night, Clinton came out and announced Al Gore's first grandchild had been born. It was a true family environment, and I really liked it. People did not talk much about the Monica scandal.
****
State visits and ceremonies were great. The president of Germany visited, and I got to go to that. I also went to some sort of eagle (as in the bird) ceremony. Also a ceremony with the U.S. women's soccer team. Other ceremonies I forget, but there were quite a few. It was also common to pass VIPs in the halls. (Donna Shalala is SHORT, and coming from 5'2 me, that is saying a lot.)
****
I love the Christmas cards from Bill and Hillary. Bill Clinton was, and is, a very flawed man. But I think he was a good president. Hillary would have been, too. Now, let me say one thing. I am an INDEPENDENT. I am not registered Democratic or Republican. I think there is room for both parties, and I agree with both parties on many issues. Like I say a lot, the world is gray, not black and white. No one wanted to talk about the Monica issue while I was an intern, so here's my nuts-and-bolts take on it. A certain breed of man usually becomes a politician. These types, for whatever reason(s), cheat. That's simply how it is. That does not mean they're bad people or bad politicians. When the John Edwards scandal broke, I could see where Edwards was coming from, especially if all the stories about Elizabeth Edwards' temper and control tendencies were true. I felt for them both, John and Elizabeth, and their family.
If you marry a politician, you're in for a world of eyes on you. But the pros will hopefully outweigh the cons. Go into such a marriage with your eyes open.
****
John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and his sister-in-law... wow. Their deaths caused a definite pallor over Washington, and I felt it keenly. At work, we watched TV a lot (searches for bodies, funerals, etc.). Men and women cried.
All of a sudden, I think people (Republicans too) realized Monica did not matter and never should have. John Kennedy Jr. was dead.
1) John F. Kennedy Jr. died.
2) I had a July 4 celebration that will never be repeated (probably not, anyway).
3) I delivered the president of the United States of America his daily newspaper.
4) My apartment was broken into, and the president consoled me.
So, I was a White House intern! Yay. Except I worked mostly in the Executive Office Building next to the White House, not the White House itself. It was the summer after the Monica scandal exploded. I was an undergraduate student at Gallaudet University, and I was forced to buy business suits for the first time. Major blaaaa ;-) I was placed in the mail analysis department. My job was to read President Clinton's mail and sort letters for responses accordingly. I started in snail mail and later read email too (printed emails). This was before email caught on, like it is today, so I have to wonder how many snail mails there are now. (Tip: to really stand out, send your correspondence snail mail and write on a somewhat obscure issue, or find a fresh angle. All the emails on the Columbine shooting said the same thing.) So, I'd read mail and code each piece of correspondence for the proper form response. For example, if you were writing to praise President Clinton in general, you got a different response than if you were writing to criticize him. Same as if you wrote on a certain issue.
Some letters required follow up, and these were set aside for AGLIAS (agency liaison). For example, one person wrote about the government taking his farms away. AGLIAS followed up. If a letter was especially memorable, it went into a batch. That batch would be further narrowed down and the top one (or several) letters were given to the president to read each week. I'm not sure if he responded to these personally.
I don't know if this system is still in effect today, but something resembling it probably is.
****
I met Buddy, President Clinton's dog, many times. One time I baby sat him, and what I remember most is he liked to knock over trash cans. I can't tell you how sad I was when I heard that Buddy had been hit by a car in New York and died (after Clinton's terms). Apparently, the Clintons did not leash Buddy or have a fence. (I don't know for certain one way or the other, but that is what the newspaper report said.)
****
July 4 was on the White House lawn with the Clintons, lots of other people, and all the free ice cream anyone could want. How cool is that, to watch fireworks on the White House lawn, with the president? Freaking cool, that's how cool ;-) I also remember later that night, Clinton came out and announced Al Gore's first grandchild had been born. It was a true family environment, and I really liked it. People did not talk much about the Monica scandal.
****
State visits and ceremonies were great. The president of Germany visited, and I got to go to that. I also went to some sort of eagle (as in the bird) ceremony. Also a ceremony with the U.S. women's soccer team. Other ceremonies I forget, but there were quite a few. It was also common to pass VIPs in the halls. (Donna Shalala is SHORT, and coming from 5'2 me, that is saying a lot.)
****
I love the Christmas cards from Bill and Hillary. Bill Clinton was, and is, a very flawed man. But I think he was a good president. Hillary would have been, too. Now, let me say one thing. I am an INDEPENDENT. I am not registered Democratic or Republican. I think there is room for both parties, and I agree with both parties on many issues. Like I say a lot, the world is gray, not black and white. No one wanted to talk about the Monica issue while I was an intern, so here's my nuts-and-bolts take on it. A certain breed of man usually becomes a politician. These types, for whatever reason(s), cheat. That's simply how it is. That does not mean they're bad people or bad politicians. When the John Edwards scandal broke, I could see where Edwards was coming from, especially if all the stories about Elizabeth Edwards' temper and control tendencies were true. I felt for them both, John and Elizabeth, and their family.
If you marry a politician, you're in for a world of eyes on you. But the pros will hopefully outweigh the cons. Go into such a marriage with your eyes open.
****
John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and his sister-in-law... wow. Their deaths caused a definite pallor over Washington, and I felt it keenly. At work, we watched TV a lot (searches for bodies, funerals, etc.). Men and women cried.
All of a sudden, I think people (Republicans too) realized Monica did not matter and never should have. John Kennedy Jr. was dead.
October 24, 2011
Number One! :-)
I have a little story that ties into how indie publishing (or I should say, indie authors) is thriving, in many ways, in the lesfic community.
Last week, my book "Waiting" hit #1 on the Amazon lesbian list. This means it was the #1-selling lesfic book on Amazon. Needless to say, I was happy. HAPPY! 100,000,000-point-font HAPPY. "Waiting" had hit #3 soon after its release but had not hit #1 yet. That took a couple of weeks after it hit #3. It stayed at #1 for a few days, and since then it has hovered in the top 15.
Here is where matters get interesting. What I noticed when looking at the top 10 (when "Waiting" was #1) is that four of the top ten books were indies.
Would "Waiting" have hit #1 if it was not indie? Possibly, but what I DO know is that it hit #1 as indie. (And that "Strange Bedfellows" hit #1 in Germany with me as indie.)
"Waiting" was rejected by a big-name lesfic publisher. The publisher said "Waiting" was excellently written but simply was not marketable, especially as a romance. ("Waiting" certainly is not a formulaic romance.) I hope I've proved that publisher wrong about sales. Of course, only the long term will say if "Waiting" continues to sell decently. What I do know is that many people have written to me, saying they enjoy seeing romances that are not fluff.
So, back to the #1 thing. I imagine several factors drove sales, such as the strength of "Strange Bedfellows," a review by Salem West over at Rainbow Reader, and just the "Waiting" plot summary. I also think the $6.99 price tag had a lot to do with it. No way I could sell my books at $6.99 with a publisher. So, who knows, your chances of being #1 as an indie may be better than with a regular publisher. This goes without saying, but I will say it anyway-- AS LONG AS your book has at least a decent cover, is properly written, properly edited, all the etcs.
Last week, my book "Waiting" hit #1 on the Amazon lesbian list. This means it was the #1-selling lesfic book on Amazon. Needless to say, I was happy. HAPPY! 100,000,000-point-font HAPPY. "Waiting" had hit #3 soon after its release but had not hit #1 yet. That took a couple of weeks after it hit #3. It stayed at #1 for a few days, and since then it has hovered in the top 15.
Here is where matters get interesting. What I noticed when looking at the top 10 (when "Waiting" was #1) is that four of the top ten books were indies.
Would "Waiting" have hit #1 if it was not indie? Possibly, but what I DO know is that it hit #1 as indie. (And that "Strange Bedfellows" hit #1 in Germany with me as indie.)
"Waiting" was rejected by a big-name lesfic publisher. The publisher said "Waiting" was excellently written but simply was not marketable, especially as a romance. ("Waiting" certainly is not a formulaic romance.) I hope I've proved that publisher wrong about sales. Of course, only the long term will say if "Waiting" continues to sell decently. What I do know is that many people have written to me, saying they enjoy seeing romances that are not fluff.
So, back to the #1 thing. I imagine several factors drove sales, such as the strength of "Strange Bedfellows," a review by Salem West over at Rainbow Reader, and just the "Waiting" plot summary. I also think the $6.99 price tag had a lot to do with it. No way I could sell my books at $6.99 with a publisher. So, who knows, your chances of being #1 as an indie may be better than with a regular publisher. This goes without saying, but I will say it anyway-- AS LONG AS your book has at least a decent cover, is properly written, properly edited, all the etcs.
October 23, 2011
Saying Goodbye (but not really, I hope)
Life really is imitating one of my books, "Waiting." I blogged earlier about a transgender character in "Waiting" and how my child recently came out as transgender. Also in "Waiting," one character gives up her children because she does not feel capable of doing the best by them. Again, I was in that situation a few days ago.
Backing up...
In March, my wife told me she had met a sixteen-year-old she wanted us to adopt. I agreed, and we went through DSS classes, the whole shebang, to get the child. The child had problems, but nothing my wife and I could not handle. Throughout the summer, we went to the group home where the child (I'll call her Celeste from now on) lived. The next step was to have Celeste over to our house for day visits. These turned into overnights, and then weekends. And then Celeste was living with us part time.
Everything was going pretty well. Celeste was a motivated, smart kid who wanted to succeed and do well in life.
A little more than two weeks ago, Celeste moved in full time, and custody was signed over to me and my wife. Things gradually went downhill, but starting about Wednesday last week, they took a sharp turn for the worse. One incident that stands out to me is that my wife was physically ill and had been since Monday from dealing with all of Celeste's crap. Wednesday she was trying to nap, but Celeste would not let her, waking her up three times. When I told Celeste to let my wife sleep, Celeste yelled and screamed and banged and slammed doors. I'm not sure why this one stands out most to me compared with other incidents. Maybe because it, to me, shows a basic lack of decency. Let the woman sleep, for goodness' sake. Everything else can be attributed to, say, being a teenager or to other issues. But not that.
I dunno. Not the point anyway ;-) So, we had cops over to our house more times than I care to realize.
Thursday night was bad. Celeste overdosed on sleeping medications, and we called police and paramedics. Melanie was about to drop dead from exhaustion. DSS said we had to take Celeste home from the ER. My wife was hoping we could get respite care for the weekend and be able to approach Celeste anew in a few days.
When we got home, my brain was so frazzled, I locked the keys in my still-running car. Argh. We had to wait for a tow truck.
About 1:30 a.m., my wife went into the bathroom and found a knife under the showerhead. She had already said she didn't want either one of us to be alone with Celeste. I had, however, felt safe enough. Until the knife.
[image error] The knife.
Wow. It freaked me out. And it was the last straw for Melanie, my wife. She did not feel capable of dealing with Celeste's problems and did not think she would even after respite care. We made the decision we had to relinquish Celeste.
The next day when Celeste found out, she yelled and cried and screamed and said we overreacted to the knife. But Celeste would never say WHY she put it there. Maybe she does not know, and that kind of scares me more than anything. She put a knife in the bathroom and did not know why.
We had to leave without saying goodbye. But it turns out we can stay in Celeste's life, if she wants us to. That makes me so happy. No more overnights, but we can still do emails, phone calls and day visits with Celeste--only if she wants us to, of course. Celeste turns seventeen years old in a few weeks. I told Melanie I have a feeling that when Celeste turns eighteen (or finishes her senior year in 2013, one of the two), she is going to show up at our door and ask to move back in with us.
Melanie and I are inclined to let her. We know we made mistakes. So did DSS and the group home. We were woefully under-prepared. We will be better prepared this time, and now that Celeste would be an adult, we don't have to be as much "mothers." What killed me most about giving Celeste back was that she would never have a home to go to, so I'm glad her social worker is keeping communications open.
Backing up...
In March, my wife told me she had met a sixteen-year-old she wanted us to adopt. I agreed, and we went through DSS classes, the whole shebang, to get the child. The child had problems, but nothing my wife and I could not handle. Throughout the summer, we went to the group home where the child (I'll call her Celeste from now on) lived. The next step was to have Celeste over to our house for day visits. These turned into overnights, and then weekends. And then Celeste was living with us part time.
Everything was going pretty well. Celeste was a motivated, smart kid who wanted to succeed and do well in life.
A little more than two weeks ago, Celeste moved in full time, and custody was signed over to me and my wife. Things gradually went downhill, but starting about Wednesday last week, they took a sharp turn for the worse. One incident that stands out to me is that my wife was physically ill and had been since Monday from dealing with all of Celeste's crap. Wednesday she was trying to nap, but Celeste would not let her, waking her up three times. When I told Celeste to let my wife sleep, Celeste yelled and screamed and banged and slammed doors. I'm not sure why this one stands out most to me compared with other incidents. Maybe because it, to me, shows a basic lack of decency. Let the woman sleep, for goodness' sake. Everything else can be attributed to, say, being a teenager or to other issues. But not that.
I dunno. Not the point anyway ;-) So, we had cops over to our house more times than I care to realize.
Thursday night was bad. Celeste overdosed on sleeping medications, and we called police and paramedics. Melanie was about to drop dead from exhaustion. DSS said we had to take Celeste home from the ER. My wife was hoping we could get respite care for the weekend and be able to approach Celeste anew in a few days.
When we got home, my brain was so frazzled, I locked the keys in my still-running car. Argh. We had to wait for a tow truck.
About 1:30 a.m., my wife went into the bathroom and found a knife under the showerhead. She had already said she didn't want either one of us to be alone with Celeste. I had, however, felt safe enough. Until the knife.
[image error] The knife.
Wow. It freaked me out. And it was the last straw for Melanie, my wife. She did not feel capable of dealing with Celeste's problems and did not think she would even after respite care. We made the decision we had to relinquish Celeste.
The next day when Celeste found out, she yelled and cried and screamed and said we overreacted to the knife. But Celeste would never say WHY she put it there. Maybe she does not know, and that kind of scares me more than anything. She put a knife in the bathroom and did not know why.
We had to leave without saying goodbye. But it turns out we can stay in Celeste's life, if she wants us to. That makes me so happy. No more overnights, but we can still do emails, phone calls and day visits with Celeste--only if she wants us to, of course. Celeste turns seventeen years old in a few weeks. I told Melanie I have a feeling that when Celeste turns eighteen (or finishes her senior year in 2013, one of the two), she is going to show up at our door and ask to move back in with us.
Melanie and I are inclined to let her. We know we made mistakes. So did DSS and the group home. We were woefully under-prepared. We will be better prepared this time, and now that Celeste would be an adult, we don't have to be as much "mothers." What killed me most about giving Celeste back was that she would never have a home to go to, so I'm glad her social worker is keeping communications open.
October 18, 2011
"Miss Lucy Parker and Other Short Stories"
Hey, everyone. I wanted to let you know I've released a short-story collection. And...wait for it...a favorite four-letter "F" word. No, not that one. The OTHER four-letter "F" word. FREE!
Yep, that is right. This short-story collection is free, at least for a promotional period. Who knows how long that period will be? Probably a week, at least. I will see how things go. When (if) I charge for this collection, I envision a price of $2.99 or thereabouts. So, still affordable.
This collection is called "Miss Lucy Parker and Other Short Stories." This is a general fiction collection, which means that these stories appeal to anyone, whether they be a Sasquatch, an umbrella, or gay or straight. Sexuality is not an issue. However, in a month or so, I am releasing a lesbian short-story collection. The general fiction collection cover was ready first, so it goes out first. I am undecided on whether I will do a free period for the lesbian short-story collection.
Anyway, I do not plan either collection in print. If you want print, then go to Smashwords and choose the .pdf option. You can print a .pdf. This collection is available now on Smashwords and will be up on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook as soon as the sites go through their usual process.
Two "warnings":
-- Amazon and BN would not let me set the price as free. My understanding of how "free" works with them -- they have crawlbots that search for lower prices on other sites. If they find lower prices, they match that price. So, once the crawlbots find the free price on Smashwords, then Amazon/BN should lower to free the $0.99 price I had to set.
-- The BN file has an error in the second story. Wait to upload this file until I have posted another go-ahead.
I have posted partial excerpts of two of the stories ("Miss Lucy Parker" and "A Weird Situation") on my website:(http://qkelly.blogspot.com). - "A Weird Situation" excerpt- "Miss Lucy Parker" excerpt
The collection has seven short stories. The lead story is "Miss Lucy Parker."
"Miss Lucy Parker" Miss Lucy Parker is a prim, proper elderly lady. When a Volkswagen Beetle—the new kind, and pink—PINK!—turns onto the winding road that leads to Lucy's farmhouse, Lucy is sure the car's occupants are lost. And that the car contains hippies, because hippies drive Volkswagen Beetles. Lucy plans to tell the hippies to get lost. She has no need for their odd speech, beads and marijuana aroma. Except hippies are not in the car. A woman is, a woman wearing a short, blood-red dress that hugs her body. Thus begins Lucy Parker's great adventure.
"A Weird Situation" Karen does not believe her boyfriend when he tells her that he turns into a woman for seven hours every day.
"The Interview" The person interviewing Debby has a giant booger. Should she tell him and risk not getting the job?
"First Day at Work" A security guard's first day at a bank has repercussions for him and three workers.
"Every Day" A man struggles every day to follow through on a promise to himself.
"The Doctor" A doctor salivates at the prospect of delivering bad news to a twelve-year-old girl and her mother.
"Guardian Angel" Gabriel fancies himself a guardian angel. But is he really?
October 16, 2011
Writing Durn Bad Book Reviews
On my other blog site, I write book reviews, among other things. Some of the reviews are quite a bit longer than others, and a couple have been so well received the books' (mainstream) authors Twitted about the reviews and commented on them.
Anyway, a lot of people wonder what makes a good review, and there's a lot of information on that out there. So I'm going to tweak the focus here a bit and tell y'all how to write a BAD review.
Then do the opposite to write a good review ;-)
To write the baddest, awfulest, crappiest review ever:
1. Do like a Thanksgiving meal and gorge the review on empty adjectives such as good, great, excellent, terrible, awful and so on -- with no follow-up. Say something like: "This book was good" and DO NOT EXPLAIN WHY. Never, never elaborate, especially with specifics. Explaining why and using specifics might move your review into decent territory.
2. Keep the review at one sentence with vague adjectives. Enough said! BUT if you're feeling fearless, write a long, long, long review with nothing but empty, vague, craptastic adjectives. Make your former English teacher cry.
3. Write at least one spoiler. Or better yet, write something completely wrong. Make up characters. Make up plot lines.
4. Be a little trickster and review another book entirely. Tee-hee!
5. Open a window. Gather the rules of the English language. Who needs periods, for example? Not a bad review! Toss everything out.
And there ya have it. Feel free to comment and leave more tips on how to make a BLAH BLAH BLAH review.
Anyway, a lot of people wonder what makes a good review, and there's a lot of information on that out there. So I'm going to tweak the focus here a bit and tell y'all how to write a BAD review.
Then do the opposite to write a good review ;-)
To write the baddest, awfulest, crappiest review ever:
1. Do like a Thanksgiving meal and gorge the review on empty adjectives such as good, great, excellent, terrible, awful and so on -- with no follow-up. Say something like: "This book was good" and DO NOT EXPLAIN WHY. Never, never elaborate, especially with specifics. Explaining why and using specifics might move your review into decent territory.
2. Keep the review at one sentence with vague adjectives. Enough said! BUT if you're feeling fearless, write a long, long, long review with nothing but empty, vague, craptastic adjectives. Make your former English teacher cry.
3. Write at least one spoiler. Or better yet, write something completely wrong. Make up characters. Make up plot lines.
4. Be a little trickster and review another book entirely. Tee-hee!
5. Open a window. Gather the rules of the English language. Who needs periods, for example? Not a bad review! Toss everything out.
And there ya have it. Feel free to comment and leave more tips on how to make a BLAH BLAH BLAH review.
October 14, 2011
Order "Waiting" in print
Order "Waiting" in print here. It should be on Amazon in a few days as well as on the Ride the Rainbow books website.
October 13, 2011
A Rose Is a Rose...Except It Isn't ;-)
OK, ladies, gentle pens and Sasquatches. I love typing Sasquatches. Sasquatches, Sasquatches, Sasquatches. Speaking of Sasquatches, I mentioned to one of my readers I was thinking of doing a lesbian romance with the leads as a Sasquatch and a human woman. My reader was horrified, but I still like the idea. I can pull it off :D
On to the topic of this blog post. "Waiting" was reviewed yesterday. The review was very good, amazing even, but one paragraph threw me because it was vague. I didn't understand what it meant. I followed up with the reviewer, and she explained what she meant. So now that I understand, I'm no longer thrown, but I don't 100 percent agree with her. She does have a point, but I still kinda disagree and want to explain a few things about word count, subplots and writing style.
She basically said "Waiting" had too much going on and that was evidence I need work in my own writing skill and editing skill. Before I go into all that, let me explain how two "Waiting" subplots came to be (well, three, really). I had a nice, spanking, edited copy of "Waiting." One problem: the word count was too short for publishers. Publishers like to see at least 60,000 words for a book. Some publishers will accept 40,000 words, but these books have to be "light." "Waiting" is not "light," so something in the neighborhood of 45,000 words would not do. I tried to see where I could expand in several areas, but I'd adequately covered the main plot. Here's what one of my readers said yesterday: "You have a style that I'm not sure how to describe. The best I can come up with is compact, you pack a lot into your story with minimal words. Personally, I like it and find it refreshing."
So, I'd packed a good deal into 45,000 words and I didn't see where the main plot needed expansion. So, I added a few subplots. After I was done with THEM, I thought: "Yep. "Waiting" is improved, actually." And I still think that. These subplots added more and moved up the first kiss between Caris and Lena, which went off beautifully and upped the tension. A lot of people agree. Some don't, and that's fine.
Is it really a matter of needing to improve writing and editing vs. a matter of reading taste and perception? I think it's more a matter of reading taste and perception, but sure, maybe a little is writing. People have written to me saying they love how I tackle all these issues and how I go places other writers are not willing to go. The "Waiting" subplots were definitely added to help it get published with a regular publisher. If I'd been indie already when I wrote "Waiting," I probably would have been content to let "Waiting" go at 45,000 words. But it didn't go at 45,000 words. And I really do think "Waiting" is the better for the subplot additions. I've been through a great deal in my life. And life keeps throwing me more issues. I'm still ticking, and so are my characters ;-) This is not to say I think my writing is perfect and needs no improvement. No one's perfect, and I hope to improve with each book. I take reader feedback seriously. Now that I am true-blood indie, I don't have to worry about publisher word count guidelines, and I can add (or do without) as many subplots as I like.
On to the topic of this blog post. "Waiting" was reviewed yesterday. The review was very good, amazing even, but one paragraph threw me because it was vague. I didn't understand what it meant. I followed up with the reviewer, and she explained what she meant. So now that I understand, I'm no longer thrown, but I don't 100 percent agree with her. She does have a point, but I still kinda disagree and want to explain a few things about word count, subplots and writing style.
She basically said "Waiting" had too much going on and that was evidence I need work in my own writing skill and editing skill. Before I go into all that, let me explain how two "Waiting" subplots came to be (well, three, really). I had a nice, spanking, edited copy of "Waiting." One problem: the word count was too short for publishers. Publishers like to see at least 60,000 words for a book. Some publishers will accept 40,000 words, but these books have to be "light." "Waiting" is not "light," so something in the neighborhood of 45,000 words would not do. I tried to see where I could expand in several areas, but I'd adequately covered the main plot. Here's what one of my readers said yesterday: "You have a style that I'm not sure how to describe. The best I can come up with is compact, you pack a lot into your story with minimal words. Personally, I like it and find it refreshing."
So, I'd packed a good deal into 45,000 words and I didn't see where the main plot needed expansion. So, I added a few subplots. After I was done with THEM, I thought: "Yep. "Waiting" is improved, actually." And I still think that. These subplots added more and moved up the first kiss between Caris and Lena, which went off beautifully and upped the tension. A lot of people agree. Some don't, and that's fine.
Is it really a matter of needing to improve writing and editing vs. a matter of reading taste and perception? I think it's more a matter of reading taste and perception, but sure, maybe a little is writing. People have written to me saying they love how I tackle all these issues and how I go places other writers are not willing to go. The "Waiting" subplots were definitely added to help it get published with a regular publisher. If I'd been indie already when I wrote "Waiting," I probably would have been content to let "Waiting" go at 45,000 words. But it didn't go at 45,000 words. And I really do think "Waiting" is the better for the subplot additions. I've been through a great deal in my life. And life keeps throwing me more issues. I'm still ticking, and so are my characters ;-) This is not to say I think my writing is perfect and needs no improvement. No one's perfect, and I hope to improve with each book. I take reader feedback seriously. Now that I am true-blood indie, I don't have to worry about publisher word count guidelines, and I can add (or do without) as many subplots as I like.
October 12, 2011
"Waiting" and being transgender
I'm extremely proud of "Waiting," a book of mine that came out a few days ago. One of the characters, Dale, is transgender (female to male) but told only a couple of people. One of the people Dale could NOT tell was his wife. I am not quite sure where the idea for "Waiting" came from. (It's about a lot more than transgender stuff, by the way.) I do know that I was shocked when one of my exes told me that she (he) had had hormones and surgery and was a guy now. And that he'd known he was a guy while he was with me. Before, actually. We were together for three years in college. Did I feel betrayed, even though by the time he told me, we had been off for about ten years and I had been in several other relationships?
Yes, oddly (or perhaps not oddly) I did feel betrayed. I wish he'd told me. I could have used these three years for something else. But, what is done is done. This person was able to admit to others who he really was in his mid-twenties. Dale, my character, is fifty-six when the book opens.
I recently read an article about a child, SEVEN YEARS OLD, who knows he is transgender. SEVEN! Wow. I was shocked, but then I imagine if you know something's off, you're going to know it from a very early age. I am glad that society is opening up more and becoming more accepting of transgenders and of queers.
A couple of weeks ago, my sixteen-year-old child told my wife that he was transgender, that he felt like a woman (a straight woman) in a man's body. I'll call my child Celeste (don't want to use real names, because we are adopting her and DSS doesn't allow real names/pictures to be used in such a public place as this). This blog post is for my child, who asked me to do this. I think more than anything, she wants me to do this to make public my approval for her and that my feelings for her have not changed.
I am extremely proud of my child and glad I am able to provide a safe place for her to be herself. She used to live at a group home (all boys). She was afraid to come out then, to wear makeup and nail polish and such. Now she wears makeup and nail polish. She has a YouTube video blog documenting her self-discoveries and her transition process. She is very open about all this, and I can't help but think of all the people like Dale in my story who, unfortunately, were not able to be true to themselves, for whatever reason. Dale grew up in a different time, but I know that many transgenders today still hide.
And sometimes I wonder why MORE don't hide when stuff like what has happened to my child happens. For example, one of the counselors at her school told her a few days ago: "You won't make a pretty girl." And this is a COUNSELOR! At a school that is supposed to provide a therapeutic environment. Come on folks. Get over yourselves and get a life. It's because of people like the counselor that many people are scared to be true to themselves.
What was my child's response? An assertive: "It's a good thing I don't need your approval" or something like: "You would know about ugly, because you're so ugly yourself?" I'm not sure what she said actually (I need to nail that down later today), but I think her response was the same as what she told me after school that day.
My child agreed. She said: "You're right. I won't make a pretty girl."
The road is long. Very long.
Yes, oddly (or perhaps not oddly) I did feel betrayed. I wish he'd told me. I could have used these three years for something else. But, what is done is done. This person was able to admit to others who he really was in his mid-twenties. Dale, my character, is fifty-six when the book opens.
I recently read an article about a child, SEVEN YEARS OLD, who knows he is transgender. SEVEN! Wow. I was shocked, but then I imagine if you know something's off, you're going to know it from a very early age. I am glad that society is opening up more and becoming more accepting of transgenders and of queers.
A couple of weeks ago, my sixteen-year-old child told my wife that he was transgender, that he felt like a woman (a straight woman) in a man's body. I'll call my child Celeste (don't want to use real names, because we are adopting her and DSS doesn't allow real names/pictures to be used in such a public place as this). This blog post is for my child, who asked me to do this. I think more than anything, she wants me to do this to make public my approval for her and that my feelings for her have not changed.
I am extremely proud of my child and glad I am able to provide a safe place for her to be herself. She used to live at a group home (all boys). She was afraid to come out then, to wear makeup and nail polish and such. Now she wears makeup and nail polish. She has a YouTube video blog documenting her self-discoveries and her transition process. She is very open about all this, and I can't help but think of all the people like Dale in my story who, unfortunately, were not able to be true to themselves, for whatever reason. Dale grew up in a different time, but I know that many transgenders today still hide.
And sometimes I wonder why MORE don't hide when stuff like what has happened to my child happens. For example, one of the counselors at her school told her a few days ago: "You won't make a pretty girl." And this is a COUNSELOR! At a school that is supposed to provide a therapeutic environment. Come on folks. Get over yourselves and get a life. It's because of people like the counselor that many people are scared to be true to themselves.
What was my child's response? An assertive: "It's a good thing I don't need your approval" or something like: "You would know about ugly, because you're so ugly yourself?" I'm not sure what she said actually (I need to nail that down later today), but I think her response was the same as what she told me after school that day.
My child agreed. She said: "You're right. I won't make a pretty girl."
The road is long. Very long.
October 11, 2011
Groupies and Frappies and Workdays
I have a groupie! A true, honest-to-God groupie. Maybe two, actually. Yay. Go me! So, my groupie was telling me: "I kinda wish you would do a little blog entry on your website that goes something like: 'A day in the life of the independent author Q. Kelly.' I've seen a few similar blogs and they are always quite interesting."
My response was something along the lines of: "Good idea, but each of my days are so different, especially when I am in publishing and cover design mode." For example, I have not had a true writing day in what seems like forever. Oh, sure, I've written here and there for an hour or two, but that's it. And it's still going to be a while before I do any pure, fresh writing, because my next project is revising and editing two short-story collections, and tracking down cover stuff. No fresh writing there, either. My schedule varies dramatically from day to day and also depends on what is going on with my freelance writing and editing gigs -- and lately, my new kid and being her chauffeur.
So, I told my groupie, no can do. My schedule's too unpredictable for a "day in the life of..." But guess what? While I was getting my daily treat today, I realized that no matter what I'm doing on a particular day, each day has some common acts.
My number one thing every day:
FRAPPY! I usually get this from Barnes and Noble (cheaper with my membership card). I always get a grande mocha nonfat, no whipped cream, please add chocolate drizzle, NOT a lite. I go soon after I wake up. WHEN I wake up varies. Could be as early as 7 a.m. or as late as 10:30 a.m. There are two Barnes and Nobles in my town. I'll go to either one. Sometimes I stay and read a book or read magazines. It just depends.
I used to work at a newspaper doing copy editing and front-page design. I generally worked from 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. My routine then still included FRAPPY! I'd get maybe three hours of writing in a day.
Other things I do every day:
**Chat on Facebook and G+. Procrastinate ;-)
** Play a new game. It's called Kindle sales stock market. It's like watching election results. "Oooo! My book sold three copies in the past hour. Let's see how much it goes up in the rankings. It went into the top 10! Oooo YAY YAY YAY WOOO *Kindlegasm* " that kind of stuff ;-) OR, "None of my books have sold in three days. I'm done. I'm so depressed. Whhhhhhhhy aren't people buying? What can I do to spur sales? Damn it, I can't accept this. I've got to do something!" ;-)
** Wish I could have a second frappy. I don't, because of the money and well, do I really need a second frappy? No. But dayum, these frappies are GOOD. So, yep, I wish for a second one every day. And, shh, don't tell me this, but sometimes I doooo get a second ;-) Last time I did was at 9 p.m., and I was up all night. Durn you, caffeine.
What I do some days:
** Exercise. Could be a greenway walk, or a hike, a neighborhood walk or Wiicise (Wii exercise). Looks like I'll be getting a gym membership soon because of a 16-year-old addition to my family, so there's that.
Well, so there ya go. A day in the life of Q. Kelly. :-D
My response was something along the lines of: "Good idea, but each of my days are so different, especially when I am in publishing and cover design mode." For example, I have not had a true writing day in what seems like forever. Oh, sure, I've written here and there for an hour or two, but that's it. And it's still going to be a while before I do any pure, fresh writing, because my next project is revising and editing two short-story collections, and tracking down cover stuff. No fresh writing there, either. My schedule varies dramatically from day to day and also depends on what is going on with my freelance writing and editing gigs -- and lately, my new kid and being her chauffeur.
So, I told my groupie, no can do. My schedule's too unpredictable for a "day in the life of..." But guess what? While I was getting my daily treat today, I realized that no matter what I'm doing on a particular day, each day has some common acts.
My number one thing every day:
FRAPPY! I usually get this from Barnes and Noble (cheaper with my membership card). I always get a grande mocha nonfat, no whipped cream, please add chocolate drizzle, NOT a lite. I go soon after I wake up. WHEN I wake up varies. Could be as early as 7 a.m. or as late as 10:30 a.m. There are two Barnes and Nobles in my town. I'll go to either one. Sometimes I stay and read a book or read magazines. It just depends.
I used to work at a newspaper doing copy editing and front-page design. I generally worked from 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. My routine then still included FRAPPY! I'd get maybe three hours of writing in a day.
Other things I do every day:
**Chat on Facebook and G+. Procrastinate ;-)
** Play a new game. It's called Kindle sales stock market. It's like watching election results. "Oooo! My book sold three copies in the past hour. Let's see how much it goes up in the rankings. It went into the top 10! Oooo YAY YAY YAY WOOO *Kindlegasm* " that kind of stuff ;-) OR, "None of my books have sold in three days. I'm done. I'm so depressed. Whhhhhhhhy aren't people buying? What can I do to spur sales? Damn it, I can't accept this. I've got to do something!" ;-)
** Wish I could have a second frappy. I don't, because of the money and well, do I really need a second frappy? No. But dayum, these frappies are GOOD. So, yep, I wish for a second one every day. And, shh, don't tell me this, but sometimes I doooo get a second ;-) Last time I did was at 9 p.m., and I was up all night. Durn you, caffeine.
What I do some days:
** Exercise. Could be a greenway walk, or a hike, a neighborhood walk or Wiicise (Wii exercise). Looks like I'll be getting a gym membership soon because of a 16-year-old addition to my family, so there's that.
Well, so there ya go. A day in the life of Q. Kelly. :-D
October 9, 2011
How Is the Indie Experience Shaking?
In August, I decided to forgo a publishing contract in favor of trying independent (indie) publishing (blog entry explaining this decision here). So, how have I fared? Am I sobbing into wagonfuls of ice cream every night or am I crowning myself the new, glorious triumphant head of Rome?
Neither, really. Going indie has had its ups and downs, but in general I'm THRILLED I went indie. Without a doubt, I made the right decision. I'll talk about the cons first.
Cons:
** The formatting can be a pain in the arse, especially with Kindle. The Kindle preview device is not too good. In theory, what you see on it is what you're supposed to get on the actual Kindle, but in reality, there doesn't seem to be much of a relationship. For example, take the formatting of "Waiting." The book uploaded fine to Smashwords and to Barnes & Noble. No funny formatting, etc. The same file uploaded so-so to Kindle. Some lines (paragraph indents) did not line up with others, and some paragraphs were wholly indented. Bizarre. Plus the table of contents had one out-of-align chapter and chapter number. I simply couldn't figure out the issue. "Waiting" was my third book for upload, so I wondered if I should just go ahead and approve it. I knew from previous experience that the Kindle preview would show nonexistent problems. I didn't want to take that risk, though. What I ended up doing was uploading an .epub file (from BN) to Kindle. That returned much less errors, and I clicked approve. Once "Waiting" showed up for sale on Kindle, I downloaded a sample. The remaining so-called errors in preview were not there. So... who knows what's going on with that Kindle preview.
** Cover design has been a scramble. Joy Argento did a lovely cover for "Strange Bedfellows." However, she'd be busy and wouldn't have much time for "The Odd Couple" and "Waiting." I was going to do both myself, and then a friend volunteered to do "Waiting." and I took it upon myself to do "The Odd Couple." Now, I used to be a newspaper designer. I designed front pages for a daily midsize newspaper, and I even won a first-place award for Virginia newspaper design. Despite all that, I don't own a good design program such as Photoshop or InDesign. And the truth is, I'd rather not to have to worry about the covers. I like handing them off to someone, giving a few ideas, and generally letting people work their magic. I like to be surprised. So, with "The Odd Couple," I searched a good few hours for a photo that would capture the essence of the story. I found the photo. That experience went pretty well, but again, I'd rather not do the design myself if possible. A few days before "Waiting" was supposed to come out, the designer dropped out, saying she didn't feel skilled enough to do it. I was shocked. She'd had more than a month and had a great working design that only needed a few tweaks. I was disappointed, I won't lie. But, ya know, it was what it was. She didn't feel comfortable, and I was not going to try to force something.
This did put me back at square one. Because I'd just done "The Odd Couple" cover, I decided on the same approach for "Waiting": find a picture that captures the story. At last, I found something, but it would be somewhat of a risk. This picture showed a face, and that's something many readers don't want. They want to imagine the characters for themselves. The photo really was perfect, though, so I proceeded. A friend helped with the typography, and we were all set. I think this cover worked out great, and I am very happy with it. Okay, maybe the photo wasn't 100 percent perfect. The woman on the photo (who would be Lena, because her appearance generally matches Lena's) wore a green skirt. Lena wears jeans and T-shirts. Why would she be wearing a green skirt on the cover? I went back into the manuscript and adjusted for that in several spots. Turns out Lena has a favorite green skirt she wears a lot, as if it were a pair of jeans. The skirt does look comfy ;-)
For future projects, I might fork over the $100 and hire a cover designer. Who knows. The key here, I think, is to get someone to do a cover as soon as say, the first draft is done. Or maybe the second draft. The book will have a lot of editing left, but the concept is there. The cover elements are there. The lesson here is to start early on the cover.
** The stigma that lingers for self-publishers. Funny story here. Someone contacted me wanting to buy "Strange Bedfellows." She had a Sony Reader and wanted to know if I was going to make it available through Smashwords or some place friendly to Sony Readers. I said yes, but I wasn't sure when. (Now, Smashwords is the first place I upload to and the easiest. I LOVE Smashwords.) She said she wanted to go ahead and buy a copy from me. She said she read lots of fan fic so she didn't mind reading something self-published. Oh boooooy. Equating my book to fan fic...nope ;-) I referred her to my first post on this blog (explaining why I went indie) and reassured her that her money would be well spent. Guess what? She loved "Strange Bedfellows." Gave it five-star reviews and has become a very close friend of mine. She was one of the last-glance readers for "Waiting." I don't fault her original assumption because I know there are plenty of self-published books that leave much to be desired. The stigma is there, but I hope as I build my brand, it will go away, at least for my books.
Pros!! And they DO outweigh the cons.
The people. People. People. Readers, in other words. Independent may mean alone, not dependent, and begin with "I," but I'll be the first to say my work has not been a sole effort. Yes I did the writing and the rewriting and self-editing, as all authors should do. I also had to market myself alone (I would've had to do this with a regular publisher, however), but I found open arms. I found reviewers, podcast and radio hosts, and many people who were happy to give this relative unknown some exposure. The readers who contacted me about how "Strange Bedfellows" impacted them have been great. I've become close with several, and a few served as last-glance, fresh-eyes readers for "Waiting." Plus, as mentioned above, one stepped in to help me after the "Waiting" cover debacle.
The freedom. The flexibility. I love having this. I can set my own prices and write the stories that need to be told.
The money. In one month, I made about three times more than I had in three years with "The Odd Couple" through a regular publisher. Granted, that publisher never put "TOC" out in e-book, and e-books really have changed the landscape. But it was my gain to put "TOC" out in e-book myself, right? I get a much larger payout doing indie than through a publisher.
Is independent publishing for everyone? Of course not. It works for me at this time because of several reasons. The main one is that I'm a freelance writer and editor. I work from home. I have the time and motivation to do this. If I'm teaching next year, who knows.
So anyway that's my first brush with indie publishing! :-)
Neither, really. Going indie has had its ups and downs, but in general I'm THRILLED I went indie. Without a doubt, I made the right decision. I'll talk about the cons first.
Cons:
** The formatting can be a pain in the arse, especially with Kindle. The Kindle preview device is not too good. In theory, what you see on it is what you're supposed to get on the actual Kindle, but in reality, there doesn't seem to be much of a relationship. For example, take the formatting of "Waiting." The book uploaded fine to Smashwords and to Barnes & Noble. No funny formatting, etc. The same file uploaded so-so to Kindle. Some lines (paragraph indents) did not line up with others, and some paragraphs were wholly indented. Bizarre. Plus the table of contents had one out-of-align chapter and chapter number. I simply couldn't figure out the issue. "Waiting" was my third book for upload, so I wondered if I should just go ahead and approve it. I knew from previous experience that the Kindle preview would show nonexistent problems. I didn't want to take that risk, though. What I ended up doing was uploading an .epub file (from BN) to Kindle. That returned much less errors, and I clicked approve. Once "Waiting" showed up for sale on Kindle, I downloaded a sample. The remaining so-called errors in preview were not there. So... who knows what's going on with that Kindle preview.
** Cover design has been a scramble. Joy Argento did a lovely cover for "Strange Bedfellows." However, she'd be busy and wouldn't have much time for "The Odd Couple" and "Waiting." I was going to do both myself, and then a friend volunteered to do "Waiting." and I took it upon myself to do "The Odd Couple." Now, I used to be a newspaper designer. I designed front pages for a daily midsize newspaper, and I even won a first-place award for Virginia newspaper design. Despite all that, I don't own a good design program such as Photoshop or InDesign. And the truth is, I'd rather not to have to worry about the covers. I like handing them off to someone, giving a few ideas, and generally letting people work their magic. I like to be surprised. So, with "The Odd Couple," I searched a good few hours for a photo that would capture the essence of the story. I found the photo. That experience went pretty well, but again, I'd rather not do the design myself if possible. A few days before "Waiting" was supposed to come out, the designer dropped out, saying she didn't feel skilled enough to do it. I was shocked. She'd had more than a month and had a great working design that only needed a few tweaks. I was disappointed, I won't lie. But, ya know, it was what it was. She didn't feel comfortable, and I was not going to try to force something.
This did put me back at square one. Because I'd just done "The Odd Couple" cover, I decided on the same approach for "Waiting": find a picture that captures the story. At last, I found something, but it would be somewhat of a risk. This picture showed a face, and that's something many readers don't want. They want to imagine the characters for themselves. The photo really was perfect, though, so I proceeded. A friend helped with the typography, and we were all set. I think this cover worked out great, and I am very happy with it. Okay, maybe the photo wasn't 100 percent perfect. The woman on the photo (who would be Lena, because her appearance generally matches Lena's) wore a green skirt. Lena wears jeans and T-shirts. Why would she be wearing a green skirt on the cover? I went back into the manuscript and adjusted for that in several spots. Turns out Lena has a favorite green skirt she wears a lot, as if it were a pair of jeans. The skirt does look comfy ;-)
For future projects, I might fork over the $100 and hire a cover designer. Who knows. The key here, I think, is to get someone to do a cover as soon as say, the first draft is done. Or maybe the second draft. The book will have a lot of editing left, but the concept is there. The cover elements are there. The lesson here is to start early on the cover.
** The stigma that lingers for self-publishers. Funny story here. Someone contacted me wanting to buy "Strange Bedfellows." She had a Sony Reader and wanted to know if I was going to make it available through Smashwords or some place friendly to Sony Readers. I said yes, but I wasn't sure when. (Now, Smashwords is the first place I upload to and the easiest. I LOVE Smashwords.) She said she wanted to go ahead and buy a copy from me. She said she read lots of fan fic so she didn't mind reading something self-published. Oh boooooy. Equating my book to fan fic...nope ;-) I referred her to my first post on this blog (explaining why I went indie) and reassured her that her money would be well spent. Guess what? She loved "Strange Bedfellows." Gave it five-star reviews and has become a very close friend of mine. She was one of the last-glance readers for "Waiting." I don't fault her original assumption because I know there are plenty of self-published books that leave much to be desired. The stigma is there, but I hope as I build my brand, it will go away, at least for my books.
Pros!! And they DO outweigh the cons.
The people. People. People. Readers, in other words. Independent may mean alone, not dependent, and begin with "I," but I'll be the first to say my work has not been a sole effort. Yes I did the writing and the rewriting and self-editing, as all authors should do. I also had to market myself alone (I would've had to do this with a regular publisher, however), but I found open arms. I found reviewers, podcast and radio hosts, and many people who were happy to give this relative unknown some exposure. The readers who contacted me about how "Strange Bedfellows" impacted them have been great. I've become close with several, and a few served as last-glance, fresh-eyes readers for "Waiting." Plus, as mentioned above, one stepped in to help me after the "Waiting" cover debacle.
The freedom. The flexibility. I love having this. I can set my own prices and write the stories that need to be told.
The money. In one month, I made about three times more than I had in three years with "The Odd Couple" through a regular publisher. Granted, that publisher never put "TOC" out in e-book, and e-books really have changed the landscape. But it was my gain to put "TOC" out in e-book myself, right? I get a much larger payout doing indie than through a publisher.
Is independent publishing for everyone? Of course not. It works for me at this time because of several reasons. The main one is that I'm a freelance writer and editor. I work from home. I have the time and motivation to do this. If I'm teaching next year, who knows.
So anyway that's my first brush with indie publishing! :-)
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