Jaye Wells's Blog, page 15

Romantic Times Nominations!

Hey gang! So I got some crazy exciting news this week. The reviewers of Romantic Times magazine announced their picks for best book of 2012 this week.

Oh yes! BLUE-BLOODED VAMP was nominated for the best UF of 2012. It’s extremely exciting to see the final installment of Sabina’s saga be recognized like this. They dont’ announce the winner of the category until the RT Convention in May next year, but I don’t mind about the wait. It’s so cool to share the category with a such a talented crew of writers. Thanks so much to the RT review staff–especially Jill Smith–for their continued support of my work and the genre.

Click here for the rest of this year’s Paranormal and Urban Fantasy nominees. You’ll notice that the League of Reluctant Adults is also heavily represented. Hollah!

And now I can’t get this out of my head

Thanks to follow nominee Jenn Bennett for her technical support in teaching me how to take a screen shot. (hangs head)

Team Awesome!

Over the last year, I’ve been approached by several readers who wanted to know if I had a street team. Honestly, I balked at the idea. The way I see it, my readers and I have a pretty cool deal going. I write books, they read them. A simple, mostly happy relationship.

Traditionally, a street team is a group of avid readers who volunteer to deliver bookmarks and other promotional materials to bookstores, libraries, book clubs, etc, to help support one of their favorite authors. That sounds a lot like readers working for the author, and I wasn’t interested in something like that. My readers don’t owe me anything.

But then I got to thinking. Anyone who likes my books is probably a little twisted. If there’s anything social media has done for us, it’s allow us to connect with people with similar interests–people  who live across the country and the world that maybe we never would have met otherwise. It’s pretty cool.  So I figured, why not use my street team as a sort of social club for my most loyal readers.

Enter Team Awesome.

Here’s how it works. My wonderful Street Team coordinator, Annie, has put together a nifty online form here. Fill it out and we’ll do the rest. If you’re chosen, you will receive a welcome packet in the mail with bookmarks, stickers, buttons and a welcome gifts. You’ll also receive instructions for joining the Team Awesome’s exclusive Facebook page.

As a member of Team Awesome, you’ll have access to exclusive giveaways, events, and news before everyone else. We’re also working on exclusive Team Awesome swag for members, i.e. tshirts, etc. But most importantly, you’ll have a community of other book lovers to hang out with online. I’d also love for Team Awesome to grow so members can meet up in person at conventions and other book events.

Disclaimers:

-Yes, we will be asking Street Team members to spread the word whenever I have some sort of awesome thing to promote, like a new book release. However, reviews, blog posts, tweets, etc. are not required to be a member. We will occasionally suggest ways you can help support my books, but it’s up to you whether you participate.

-No, we will not be able to accept everyone who applies. In order to keep the group manageable, we initially will be limiting the number. Occasionally  we’ll open membership again so if you kiss out on this round, don’t worry. There will be more chances.

-We’re starting out on a Facebook page to communicate with each other. I’m sorry if you don’t have Facebook, but that’s the easiest way to facilitate the most people at this time. Eventually, we may move to another platform, but fair warning that it’s the main way we’ll communicate for now. We will also have an email list for important announcements, but the bulk of the exchanges will happen at FB.

-Fair warning: The point of this group is to have fun. If you hate fun, don’t apply.

-Any questions regarding the team should be sent to TeamAwesome@jayewells.com.

Again, here’s the link to the form. Hope you’ll join us!

EDIT: Some additional questions have been asked.

Caroline asked: Is Team Awesome open for international readers? Yes!

 

Authors Against Bullying

Last week, I was approached by Yasmine Galenorn and Mandy M. Roth about contributing to an event they were putting together. They were tired of hearing more and more stories about kids ending their lives to escape bullying. I am, too. A lot of us are. So as authors, we decided to take a stand the best way we know how–with our words. And so I offer you …

The Sad Tale of Jabusa and the Bullies

It was the last day of sixth grade, and Jabusa was finally on her way to the big times.

Middle school.

She skipped out the door and went to unlock her bike from the bike rack. The note was wedged in right next to the lock, so she wouldn’t miss it. Her overactive imagination immediately came up with variety of scenarios—one of the fairy tale plots she loved. Stories of secret admirers and mysteries to be solved. Nancy Drew receiving a love note from one of the Hardy Boys. Rapunzel getting word from the prince that he would liberate her from the tower.

But Jabusa’s life in elementary school was far from a fairy tale.

She didn’t remember the day the trouble started or the event that set it off. All she know was that for some reason she was that kid. The one who didn’t quite fit.

Maybe it was because she didn’t wear the right clothes. Or because of the large, blue glasses constantly slipping down her nose. Or because she never knew the right things to say.

The secret formula to popularity had always eluded her. She was a kid who spent her summers helping an old woman and her mentally-challenged helper (a man-child who always called her “friend”) clean the houses. She was one of the few kids whose parents were divorced. She had an older sister with emotional problems that monopolized much of her single mother’s time. Hardly a resume that screamed coolness.

In lieu of actual friends, Jabusa spent most of her befriending characters from books. Ramona Quimby, Babysitter’s Club, and the kids from Narnia never made fun of her. Besides, books usually had happy—or at least hopeful– endings and she could pretend she was one of those brave, wise kids who always seemed to know what to do.

Naturally, the attacks at school were led by a boy with whom Jabusa was desperately in love. He repaid her adoration by alternately yelling at, punching and spitting on her. Because he was also very popular, the other kids joined in on the fun, including crafting imaginative nicknames to try to impress him.

Names like “Jabusa.”

See, she’d gotten a perm. That was her first mistake. Trying to change herself to fit in. That doomed hairdo became the “Medusa” part of the nickname.

The other half came from the fact that she was overweight. Not obese, mind you. Just hadn’t grown tall enough for all of her skin. And for this crime, the first half of the nickname was taken from Jabba the Hutt.

Jabba + Medusa = Jabusa.

Before you laugh, imagine being a 10-year-old, insecure girl, and having people whose approval you desperately crave compare you to a snake-headed gorgon and a disgusting, obese criminal from a Sci-Fi movie.

Jabusa didn’t attend elementary school—she endured it. So when she walked out of the building on that last day of sixth grade, she thought she was finally free of her tormentors.

But tormentors don’t like easy escapes.

I’d like to tell you this story is a fiction I created to prove a point. I’d love to brush this off and say, “Oh, no, I made up Jabusa.” But we’re not here to dance around the truth. We’re here today to face the bully thing head on.

So…

My name is Jaye Wells, but my bullies used to call me Jabusa.

All these years later, I don’t recall the exact words of the note they left on my bike. However, the gist of it is seared into the fabric of who I am. Those words and letters are indelible scars that inform my sense of self to this day.

We all hate you. You have no friends. You’re stupid and ugly.

Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially masochistic, I think back on that day in class. While I was happily doing my last-minute work and looking forward to summer, the kids in my class were surreptitiously passing around that piece of paper. Signing their names to that devil’s petition. I imagine at least one of them must have run out of the classroom the instant the bell rang to ensure that note was waiting for me.

Sometimes, I think I would do anything to just go back in time and prevent myself from finding that note. If this were one of my books, that’s the ending I’d write. But this isn’t fiction. It really happened, and so, here I am, an adult haunted by a prank pulled by a group of schoolyard sociopaths.

These days, I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me. All those years of not fitting in made me a keen observer and whittled my tongue into a weapon.

And yet.

Yet.

Deep down, I am still that kid with the bad perm and the tight pants, who just wanted to fit in so desperately.

I’m ashamed and embarrassed that this happened to me. I was terrified to share this story with you. But then I realized that those thoughts were the old victim talking.

Bullies never pull their punches. So neither will I.

Here are some things I know about bullies:

1.  Everyone is in pain. You may deal with your pain by withdrawing into books or computer games. Bullies deal with it by tearing down other people. Their pain is so deep that only inflicting more pain eases it. That’s not an excuse, by the way. It’s just that maybe, understanding that, will make it a little easier to survive it.

2. Ignoring bullies rarely works. When adults tell you that it’s because we don’t understand how to deal with bullies either. Good people don’t understand bad people. A good person would never punch you for touching their soccer ball or spit on you for the crime of existing. Bullies are unreasonable, and we don’t understand how to make them stop through reasonable means.

I’m sorry to tell you that because it shouldn’t be that way. But it’s reality and the sooner you learn to deal with unreasonable people, the easier life will be for you. You’ll deal with them your entire life. It sucks, but there it is.

3. Bullies hate confidence. I am not a proponent of violence, but I am a proponent of not being a victim. So take karate to learn self-defense. Learn how to walk with your shoulder back and your chin high in defiance. Learn how to tell a joke. Learn how to deflect aggressive speech. Learn how to avoid danger.

4. You have a right to feel safe. If you do not feel safe, you have a right to stand up for yourself. If someone corners you, threatens you or makes you feel scared, you go find help. Your teachers, your coach, your school counselor, your parents, your siblings, your pastor, rabbi, or some kid in your school who is nice. Find someone, anyone and make them listen to you. If you can’t find anyone to help, then go back to No. 3 and learn how to defend yourself.

5. Bullies thrive on the sheep mentality. If you are not a bully or the one being bullied, you still have a role in the cycle. Kids who stand by while a bully terrorizes their friends are culpable. This is why I have taught my own son to stand up for kids who are smaller or weaker than him. He knows that if I ever find out he stood by doing nothing or—God forbid—joins in during bullying, he will answer to me because in our family we do not abide bullies of any stripe. Complacency and fear are fuel to bullies. As communities, we must teach our children to stand up and do the right thing. Even if it is a scary thing. Even if it is a not-popular thing. Because there is pride and bravery in doing the right thing.

I’d like to tell you that sixth grade was my last brush with bullying. But it wasn’t.

In eighth grade, I was at a new school. A private Catholic one in a nicer neighborhood with “nicer” kids.

The calls began one night and didn’t stop for weeks. Several times every night, a falsetto voice would spit venom through the phone receiver. The same phrase—one I will not repeat here—over and over.

Eventually, I stopped answering the phone, but the incessant ringing was its own form of torture. I was 13, and as insecure as any 13 year old about how I looked. And they exploited that for their amusement.

Unlike the Jabusa incident, I didn’t suffer in silence. I told my mom and stepfather right away. And when their efforts to confront the the caller didn’t work, we went to the school administration.

An assembly was called. That day, the entire middle school learned about my shame.

I didn’t want to be seen as a victim. I figured people who aren’t broken don’t get picked on. But that was a victim talking, and I didn’t want to be victimized any more.

So I stood up and I told the kids in my class what was happening. And then I told them that if the calls continued, we’d go to the police and trace the number and press charges.

The calls stopped.

The calls stopped because I stood up to my bully.

I never tell anyone about this period of my life. But I’m telling you in the hopes that maybe if you’re being bullied, you won’t feel so alone.

Maybe the next time your personal tormentor steps up and calls you that name or spits at you, you’ll find that thin, golden vein of strength in your core. Maybe you’ll remember that you’re not alone. Maybe you’ll remember that I’m rooting for you. Maybe you’ll remember that if I can survive it and grow up to be a reasonably happy person, so can you.

I hope that you will learn to love yourself. I hope that you can be brave. But most of all, I hope that you will never believe the tormentors.

Bullies are broken people. Don’t let them break you, too.

 

Below is a list of all the authors participating in Authors Against Bullies.  Go read their stories. Help spread the word. Take a stand.

Mandy M. Roth
Yasmine Galenorn
Lauren Dane
Michelle M. Pillow
Kate Douglas
Shawntelle Madison
Leah Braemel
Aaron Crocco
NJ Walters
Jax Garren
Shelli Stevens
Melissa Schroeder
Jaycee Clark
Shawna Thomas
Ella Drake
E.J. Stevens
Ashley Shaw
Jeaniene Frost
Rachel Caine




Kate Rothwell
Jackie Morse Kessler
Jaye Wells
Kate Angell
Melissa Cutler
PT Michelle
Patrice Michelle
Julie Leto
Kaz Mahoney
Cynthia D’Alba
Jesse L. Cairns
TJ Michaels
Jess Haines
Phoebe Conn
Jessa Slade
Kate Davies
Lynne Silver
Taryn Blackthorne
Margaret Daley




Alyssa Day
Aaron Dries
Lisa Whitefern
Rhyannon Byrd
Carly Phillips
Leslie Kelly
Janelle Denison
Graylin Fox
Lee McKenzie
Barbara Winkes
Harmony Evans
Mary Eason
Ann Aguirre
Lucy Monroe
Nikki Duncan
Kerry Schafer
Ruth Frances Long
Julie Chicklitasaurus

Sabina is a TV Star

You guys! This is so exciting. One of my books was featured on Good Morning Texas today!

The fabulous Gwen Reyes of Fresh Fiction fame featured BLUE-BLOODED VAMP as part of her recommendations for spooky reads for October. Click here to watch!

Craft Thursday: Time Ain’t On Your Side

So there’s this thing that happens when you’re a writer. Say you’re sitting in the dentist’s chair and they see you’re dressed in yoga pants and a t-shirt (your uniform).

“You off work today?” they ask.

“Nope, I work from home.”

“Oh, that must be nice,” they say with an acid tongue. “What do you do?”

You sigh because you’ve had this conversation a million times. Still, you’re not a liar and they’re nice, so you tell the truth. “I’m a writer.”

“LIke magazines or something?”

“No. I write books.”

3 … 2 … 1

“Really? I’ve always said I’d write a book if I had the time.”

You guys, this conversation plays out like this every damned time. When it happened this week, the hygienist had me captive while she scraped my gums and told me about the book she wanted to write. It was that day I decided I’m going to start telling people I am a mortician or an accountant or something.

Anyway, my point is, everyone who says they want to write a book uses lack of time as the excuse for not having written one.

But I bet they …

Watch TV every night.

Sleep in on the weekends.

Drift off on the train and on airplanes.

Spend their lunch hours gossiping about Frank in receivables.

Take 15 minute smoke breaks three times a day.

Play Angry Birds on their phone while they’re sitting on the john.

You dig?

Each of us–well, most of us–have time during the day that we can reclaim. Yeah, RECLAIM.

No one is going to give you time. You family isn’t going to spontaneously say, “Hey, mom, you look like you’d love to write right now. How about we be exceptionally well-behaved for an hour so you can write?”

If you want to write, really want to, you have to make it a priority. Like eating, sleeping, and sex. I’m not going to blow sunshine up your ass like some writing teachers and say shit like, “Fifteen minutes is all you need!” That’s bullshit. If you want to write good fiction, you have to good chunks of time so you can focus and go deep into the world you’re creating. That’s not ALL you need, though. If all you have is fifteen minutes, use them. But you also need to give yourself a good block of time every now and then–maybe Saturday morning from 6-8 or Sunday evening from 9-11. Or maybe you wake up every morning, an hour before you family rises. Or maybe you sit your family down and say, “Look, guys, this is important to me. I need your help so I can make this happen.”

If they balk or tell you you can’t do it, find a new family.

Just kidding.

Kind of.

Even if they don’t support you, you have a major ally. Yourself. Reclaim your time. Write something. Finish something. Read books. Go to conferences and classes. Making learning to write your part-time job. Or most-of-the-time hobby. Whatever. Just do it.

 If you want writing to be your life, you have to make room for it. You have to work for it. That means, you don’t sit around in your PJs on Saturday morning watching reruns of Saved By the Bell. It means, you grab you paper and pen or your laptop and go write some words. It means, maybe, instead of that girls’ weekend to Vegas, you spend that time and money on a writing retreat or convention.

How much more time are you going to waste before you put your pen where your mouth is? Stop talking about wanting to be a writer. Stop wishing and hoping and praying. Put ink to page, fingers to keys, and mind to story.

All those moments you take back are gifts you give yourself. You deserve a gift, don’t you? Of course you do.

So tell your kids to read a book for thirty minutes. Tell your husband you’re not watching So You Think You Can Dance tonight. Skip the fast food lunch today. Bring a sandwich and go write in a park.

No, friends, time isn’t on your side. But if you want to write, you have to be your own ally and take responsibility for the efforts you’re making to turn your dream of someday into today’s reality.

Go. Write. Do.

Writers’ Police Academy

Hey kids! I thought instead of Craft Thursday today, I’d give you a field report on a recent trip I took to Greensboro, NC. As you probably know, I’m working on a new series, DIRTY MAGIC, which centers around a female cop named Kate Prospero. In order to give this speculative crime fiction series the ring of truth, I’ve been doing all sorts of cool things, including a local citizen’s police academy in my home town and, most recently, the Writers’ Police Academy in North Carolina.

So here’s the gist: For three days, a bunch of writers get together and learn from actual cops, Sheriff’s department personnel, ATF agents, DEA task force specialists, firemen, EMS, nurses, etc. In other words, it’s several years of experience packed into three short days, and it’s a freaking blast. Each day, we took about four or five workshops of our choice, plus a special speaker at the end of the day that everyone went to. They even had more speakers at night back at the hotel.

Below, I’ve recounted everything I did as briefly as possible to give you an idea of the scope:

Friday morning:

7:30 am We all load onto buses to go to Guilford Technical Community College, where they train EMS< Fire and police personnel.

8:00 Listent o a talk about how the jaws of life are used next to a car they’ve brought in specifically for the purposes of cutting it open.

9:00 Human Trafficking Workshop. This one was an eye-opener. I had no idea how widespread human trafficking had grown. This was probably the hardest one to sit through because the officer also touched on internet sex crimes and crimes against children. I wasmost surprised to hear that the government doesn’t have a central agency focused on stopping human trafficking. Seems they’d be smart to do so since human trafficking connects to drugs, guns, sex crimes and a dozen other major violent crimes. We definitely need more resources aimed at this problem.

10:30 Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Workshop. Sons of Anarchy is a sexed up version of these gangs. We learned how to read the patches on the gangs’s jackets, how they’re organized and the types of crimes they’re involved with–most of them.

Noon: Lunch provided by local EMS students

1:00 Interrogations and Interviews Workshops, including a visit to a mock interrogation room set up on campus. Learned a lot about the psychology and the importance of communication for cops.

2:30 Fingerprinting Workshop–we got to use real tool to find fingerprints on objects.

4:00 Dr. Elizabeth Murray spoke on Cold Cases and her job as a forensic anthropologist, including an explanation of the NamUs web site that combines a missing persons and unidentified dead database for use by the public to identify lost loved ones.

5:30 Get back on buses to hotel

6:30 Bar opens at hotel

7:00 Reception. Lee Child showed up to hang out, which caused quite a stir.

8:30 Katherine Ramsland spoke about how to think like Sherlock Holmes and to learn how to have more Aha moments in your writing.

10pm Pass out because tomorrow’s another early morning

Saturday:

7:30 Buses



8:00 They have us line up in a parking lot under the pretense of listening to a sharp shooter discuss his job. He gets as far as unveiling his huge weapon when all the sudden a high speed chase involving a suburban and three police cars zooms through the lot. They stage a mock-stand off that ends in a shooting. It’s quite a way to start the day.

9:00 Drug Interdiction Workshop. This was a really cool talk about how important of a tool traffic stops can be for police. It covered ways to read suspects and also where they hide contraband in their vehicles.

10:30 Handcuffing. This was a hands-on workshop where we got to cuff our friends. We also learned about cuffing techniques, types of cuffs and the most dangerous parts of the process (pretty much all of it). Here’s a pic of me handcuffed. It was really only a matter of time.

Noon: Lunch donated to the group. We ate with a group of bicyclists who were on campus racing to earn money for a charity named after a colleague who died a few years ago from cancer. These people don’t just work together; they’re a family.

1:00 Women in Law Enforcement. A great overview of the particular challenges female officers face in the field. The speaker was a detention officer, so she had great insights into the psychology involved between male inmates and female officers.

2:30 Police Gunfighting. This was taught by an ATF agent who spoke about the physiology of cops in gun fights, as well as procedures and tactics. He also explained the importance of training to create muscle memory so cops don’t waste valuable seconds when their lives in danger. We got to hold his Sig Sauer and Glock and practice the proper shooting stance.

4:00 Marcia Clark spoke about how District Attorneys aid in investigations and build cases, and opportunities in the process writers can use for great drama. She was my favorite speaker of the weekend. Very warm and witty and great at distilling complex processes into layman’s terms.

5:30 Back on bus

6:30 BAR IS OPEN

7:00 Banquet begins. We eat and listen to talks by the sponsors and workshop presenters. Aiding in the presentations is a Deputy Barney Fife impersonator, who did an amazing job.



8:00ish Lee Child speaks on how suspense writers are awesome. I think Lee Child is awesome.

10:00 Retire to the bar with Jeanne Stein, who is basking in the glow of getting her picture taken with Mr. Child.

Sunday:

Sleep in because I can. Wake up at 8:30, pack my things, store them with the hotel.

10:00 Everyone who’s still there, gathers in a ballroom for what they call the “Debriefing Panel.” Many of the presenters are presents, and mostly they take turns telling war stories. YOu’d be amazed how many “and then the suspect got naked” stories they had. They were also kind enough to address questions by specific writers about stories they were working, as well as share general tips about mistakes lots of writers make.

Noon: The place clears out. My flight isn’t until 6 that evening, so I have lots of time sit around and think about all the things I need to change in my revisions and new storyline ideas I’ve gained. I’m also kind of perversly excited that I now have the cell phone numbers and email addresses of people who can get me out of a ticket help me research my books.

If you’re a writer and your work involves any kind of police work, I highly recommend this event. This year, Sister’s in Crime paid for a large portion of the workshop fee for anyone who joined their group. I don’t know if they’ll repeat this for next year, but I hope so. I’ll definitely be going back because even though I did a ton, I had to miss a lot of the demonstrations and workshops because there were just so many.

This last shot is from the citizen’s police academy I took earlier this year, but I think it pretty much sums up how I feel about all this cool cop-y stuff I’ve been doing. Also, I hope it serves as a warning to any potential stalkers.

Craft Thursday: Revisions

Welcome back to Craft Thursday. This week, we’ll be tackling revisions. Mostly because I’m … in the middle of revisions and it’s all I’m thinking about right now.

Some people’s think revision begins and ends at spellcheck. Those are ridiculous people. But you are not a ridiculous person because you read my blog, which makes you awesome.

Because you are awesome, I’ll assume you know that revision is a very polite word for a very messy process. Think about gutting a house and rebuilding it. Think about dismantling a human body and using some of its part to build a kick-ass monster a la Dr. Frankenstein. The application of lightning may or may not be necessary.

Are you getting the picture?

A full post on revision would tak eme forever because there’s so much involved, but I will share some of my tricks with you today.

TEN THINGS ABOUT REVISION

1. Ice, Ice, Baby.  After you finish the first draft, walk away. A couple days is okay. A couple weeks is better. You need distance so you can read it with cold, critical eyes. Sit down, read your story like a reader might. Don’t worry about typos or commas. Make notes that occur to you about things that need fixing, but don’t get too anal about it. This read is about seeing the big picture of your story as it stands.

2. Arm yourself for battle. For me, this means redoing my story board to reflect scenes that need rewriting, shifting around or deleting altogether. I go chapter by chapter and figure out what needs to be done, so once I’m in the thick of the swamp, I won’t lose my way. I can hear the pantsers out there bitching, but revision is about taming that wild beast of a draft into a readable story. A plan will go a long way to making your vision come through for the reader.

3. RED PEN OF DOOM. Revision is not a time for the muse. It’s not that liminal spot where you’re  floating through fluffy creative cloud of drafting. Send the muse to the basement with some Yoohoo and reruns of Buffy. Then rip the duct tape off your internal editor’s mouth. Chuckle when she bitches about the pain. She’ll be torturing you soon enough. Pick up your red pen and let that bitch go. Encourage her to be merciless. By the time she’s done with the pages, it needs to look like a murder scene–the blood of your pen everywhere.

4. Get Naked. There are few experiences for writers–especially new ones–more terrifying than asking for critique. It feels a little like stripping down in front of a group of catty sorority girls and asking them to circle all your fat in Sharpie. Obviously, being an awesome person, you’re too smart to ask for critique from malicious people. No, you’ve got someone you know is tough but fair. When you asked them for help, you told them exactly what sort of feedback you need. Even with my published author CPs, I still tell them exactly what I need. “Don’t worry about sentence level stuff. I just need a bird’s eye.” “Hey, can you read this and tell me if the subplot is working?” If you do it right, they’ll pay you back for your nudity not with sweaty ones, but with brilliant suggestions that will improve your story.

5. Every chapter, every scene, every sentence. Nothing goes unanalyzed. A book is a complex system with lots of moving parts. You need to make sure they’re all working together or face a massive malfunction. While we’re at it, every character must have a purpose, every plot twist must build upon the last, and every subplot must braid into the main plot to highlight your themes and conflicts. Sounds like a lot, right? Welcome to the big leagues, son.

6. Sing it, sister. At a minimum, you need to read your dialogue out loud. Yes, all of it. Does it sound natural? Is the rhythm authentic? If not, fix it. If you’re really ambitious–and you should be–you should read the entire book out loud, too. Not in the middle of revisions, mind you, but at the end. Once you’re sure you’ve dotted and crossed everything, pace around your house, reading your story to the dust bunnies. You will be amazed how many mistakes you missed and poor turns of phrase you discover. You’ll feel like an idiot, but do it anyway.

7. Seven Layer Dip. In addition to fixing plot holes, revisions also allow you to add complexity to your characters and world. You’ll be amazed how much of a difference a well-placed sentence or line of dialogue can deepen characterization. Finding opportunities to add these little gems should be on your Must Do list.

8. Get Thematic. By the time you’re ready to do your cold read, your themes should start coalescing. Maybe you set out with certain ones in mind, but ones your didn’t consider have a way of sneaking in when you’re not paying attention. If you’re writing genre fiction, you need to use a deft hand when it comes to theme. No one wants to be conked over the head with meaning. One way to subtly buttress them, though, is to instill your sentences with theme words. Come up with a list of words that help infuse your story with the right mood and thematic symbols. For a great overview of this, read Alexandra Sokoloff’s SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS.

9. Don’t Panic. Bi-polar Writer’s Syndrome is a real thing. One minute, you’re all, I’M A GENIUS! THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER! Then it hits you that there is a distinct possibility you could die before you’re able to share this work of amazement with the world. Luckily, you listened to me and left a detailed revision plan. You email it to your baffled spouse, “No matter what happens, don’t let my literary nemesis finish this novel. It’s my LEGACY!” Five minutes later, you’re slumped over your keyboard, howling, MY EDITOR’S GOING TO TAKE A CONTRACT OUT ON MY LIFE. REVIEWERS ARE GOING TO CHASE ME WITH PITCHFORKS AND FIRE! You might daydream about quitting writing altogether or getting into an accident so you don’t have to finish the book. My advice? Learn to be patient with yourself. Try to enjoy the ride. Also, have a friend on speed dial who will bring you chocolate/bourbon/chocolatey bourbon.

10. The Fat Lady. There is such a thing as too much revision. Someone once said that novels are never done, just abandoned. I think this is true. At some point, you’re going to realize you’ve just spent four hours deleting and reinserting the same comma. This is a signal, friend. It’s time to let go. If you’re not under deadline, you have the luxury of revising as long as you want. But the wise writer won’t waste years of his or her life trying to turn a dog into a show pony. Set it in a drawer, send it out for critique, or submit it. Then move on to something new. A lot of wannabes have wasted good years using revisions as an excuse to not start something new. Don’t let that be you. Listen to the fat lady. She’s telling you it’s over. Move on. You’ve got new worlds to create.

Questions?

Craft Thursday: You Inc.

OMG YOU GOT THE CALL!! AN AGENT WANTS TO REP YOU. Your heart won’t stop galloping. After all your hard work you’re a REAL WRITER!!

Woah there, Nelly. Pull back on those reigns a minute.

You researched this agent before you sent your query, right? You stalked them on the internet and know everything everyone has ever said about them in a blog post or discussion board topic, right? You know what genres they rep and which houses they’ve sold to in the last year? You know who their clients are, right?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you’re putting your teeny, tiny party cart before you’re extremely premature celebration horse.

Here’s the truth: The instant you start sending your work out for representation by an agent or purchase by an editor, you go from being a dreamer to an entrepreneur. Dreamers dance and sing and pray and hope that the publishing gods will bless them with their favor. Entrepreneurs educate themselves, they ask questions and seek out resources that arm them with the knowledge and skills necessary to make good decisions. They surround themselves with experts to fill in their knowledge gaps, but they’re also smart enough to know where these gaps exist. In short, they know when to push the dreamer aside and switch into You Inc. mode.

You Inc. is the time when you remember that business isn’t personal. Sometimes you have to make decisions that people aren’t going to like. You’re going to have to tell people you respect and like that you can’t work with them anymore. You’re going to have to put your foot down and demand that promises are kept. You’re going to have to stand up for yourself, and it’s so much easier if you can separate your dreamer from your business side. That’s why when I have a tough business phone call to make or I need to do something out of my comfort zone to benefit my career, I put a huge yellow Post-it in front of me that says “Jaye Inc.” It’s goofy, but it helps me remember that this isn’t time for the dreamer. It’s business time.

Not to be confused with this kind of business time.

 

For those of you ready to query, that means before you send out one letter, you need to come up with a list of potential agents that you believe will be a good fit for your business goals. You know their genres, their reputations, their sales record, their methodology for working with clients, and the materials they require for query. All of this information is available online for almost every reputable agent on the planet.

But before you even come up with this list, you need to read every blog post (Google Miss Snark and Nathan Brandsford), article and books you can find about how to work with agents. You need to know what the standard commission rate is (15% usually, unless it’s a foreign or subsidiary deal in which case it’s 20%). You need to understand the list of functions agents provide. You need to understand why agents are necessary in the first place (hint: it’s not for bail money until you’ve sold a LOT of books).

My point is you need to ask yourself whether you write because it’s a fun hobby (totally legitimate reason to write BTW) or whether you’re not going to rest until you’ve made writing your career. If your answer is the latter, you need to treat it like you would any profession. Get educated, network, pay your dues, work your ass off, and maybe you’ll carve out a nice little career for yourself.

But one thing is for certain: If you stumble into being published without a clue how this business works, you are handicapping yourself. Notice I didn’t say you are ruining your career before you start. Many career mistakes can be fixed or recovered from, but things will be a lot easier if you at least have a working knowledge before you even send out that first query. Your agent will become your career advisor, writing coach, contracts ninja and maybe even your friend, but you have to go into that relationship armed with enough knowledge to know what questions to ask, where to put your foot down and what behavior is or is not acceptable.

So by all means, be excited that your career is progressing. This industry is stingy with praise and acknowledgements so revel in the excitement for a moment. But then put on your entrepreneur hat and let You Inc. do the work to make sure that the dreamer’s dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

 

 

More Big News

Just when you thought you’d heard the last of me this week, I have some more news. This morning while I was getting ready to head out to take some readers on a tour of the Garden District in New Orleans, I found out that RED-HEADED STEPCHILD made the USA Today Bestsellers List.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for your support of the Sabina Kane series. This is seriously a dream come true.

Big News!

The final Sabina Kane book, BLUE-BLOODED VAMP came out a couple of months ago, and since then there has been a lot of speculation by readers about what’s next for me. I’ve actually known what’s next for several months, but haven’t been able to talk much about it … until now.

I am proud and thrilled to announce that I have signed a new three-book deal with Orbit for a brand new series. The PROSPERO’S WAR series focuses on an ambitious cop, named Kate Prospero, whose goal is to rid the streets of the covens that sell addictive dirty magic. I pitched it to Orbit as “The Wire with wizards.” The first book will be titled DIRTY MAGIC.

Here’s the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement:

Author of the Sabina Kane series, Jaye Wells’s DIRTY MAGIC, pitched as The Wire with wizards, again to Devi Pillai at Orbit, in a three-book deal, by Rebecca Strauss at McIntosh & Otis (world English).

But that’s not all …

As part of the new deal, I have also agreed to write at least two Sabina Kane e-novellas. That’s right, my friends, I’m diving back into those familiar waters soon with two new stories about Team Awesome. At this point, I can’t tell you much about the plots of these novellas since they aren’t written, but I look forward to the chance to tell some other stories in that world. I am also planning on writing an e-novella set in the new Prospero universe at some point.

To pre-answer some inevitable questions:

1. The anticipated release date for Dirty Magic is Fall ’13. I know that’s a long time to wait, but I’m hoping to get at least one novella out before then.

2. Right now I have agreed to three books in the new series, but the stories will be episodic in nature (think TV cop show with each book revolving around a specific case), so there is the potential for many more books in the future.

3. While there will be many odd and freaky things (I am writing is after all), this is not a traditional UF world where a cast of various monsters and supernatural creatures come together. All the characters are human. Any freakishness is the result of magical mutations caused by addiction to potions.

I am totally psyched about this world and characters. Like I said, the deal was made several months ago, but I’ve been waiting for all the contract stuff to be sorted out. In the meantime, I’ve been researching alchemy, taking part in police academies and ride-alongs, and writing the first draft of the book. There’s a lot I want to talk to you guys about the inspirations and sources of this idea, but that will all come later. For now, I’m just relieved to finally be able to talk about this since so many people have been asking what the future holds for me ever since the release of BLUE-BLOODED VAMP.

I’d be happy to answer any questions you have in comments.