Lucienne Diver's Blog: Lucienne Diver's Drivel, page 37

Interviews

Celebrating the release of Fangtastic this month, I'm doing a round of interviews with the great gals of the Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit.  Here are a few to start:

B&N: Cover Stories with Melissa Walker

Elana Johnson's blog (where I take a stand on the all important bacon vs. chocolate issue)

Jessi Kirby's blog (wanna see my writing space?  I promise it's nothing like my etchings)

Also, don't forget to check out my discussion with Anton Strout on his Once & Future Podcast and the new spread the love Kindle giveaway!

Anton Strout's Once & Future Podcast

Pleased to say I'm up on Anton Strout's Once & Future Podcast! (And you can comment on the O&FP Facebook page for a chance to win a signed copy of Fangtastic.)  If you're not following Anton on Twitter and all, you're missing out on one of the funniest people in the industry.

Today at Bitten by Books

Friday is almost here, and with it the final question that needs to be answered for your name to be in the hat to win the huge grand prize basket from our multi-author event at Bitten by Books with $200 in gift certificates, and worth more than that when you add in books and other swag provided by the authors (I hear Di's breaking out her bedazzler)!  Carol Berg is up today with "Five Things a Kind Author Would Never Do to a Fantasy Hero" and giving away autographed copies of her books.  (I'm so tempted to send y'all over saying to tell Carol her agent says she should get on Twitter, but nah, I won't do that.)  RSVP for Diana Pharaoh Francis's event tomorrow, where she'll give you "Five Mistakes To Avoid When Falling Into a Fantasy World."

For all of the questions, don't miss the earlier posts:

Monday: Karen Whiddon with "Top 5 Reasons I Love to Write Paranormal Romances"

Tuesday: Faith Hunter with Five Things to Bring to her City, from both Jane Yellowrock and Beast's perspectives

Wednesday: Lucienne Diver with  "Pluses and Minuses of Dating the Undead"

Talk about new and exciting!

This just in: RAVEN CURSED by the fabulous Faith Hunter has hit:

New York Times
#26 on the print paperback list
#33 on the e-book fiction list
 
USA Today
#75

Whoo hoo!  Awesome when good things happen to great people (and such talented writers)!

More Bitten by Books

Day 3 of the multi-author event at Bitten by Books.  I'm live with my heroine's Pluses and Minuses of Dating the Undead, and Carol Berg is on deck.  RSVP today for her event tomorrow for more chances to win giveaways.  Don't forget to take note of the question of the day Monday through Friday and to send your answers to me on Friday to be entered for a chance to win the huge grand prize basket.

New Bitten by Books blogs and giveaways

Continuing the multi-author event at Bitten By Books, Faith Hunter is live today, giving away prizes and answering some great questions about her bestselling Jane Yellowrock series!  Swing by and check her out.  Enter to win!  While you're at Bitten By Books, RSVP for my event  for extra chances to win.  I'll be there tomorrow with Pluses and Minuses of Dating the Undead.  See you then!  (If you have any trouble getting to the site, you can use the proxy site here to get where you're going, which should clear up the problem.)

So much that's new and exciting

The fabulous Faith Hunter is hosting me for a guest blog on my potential bloodthirstiness as regards my writing.  I hope you'll chime in there for a chance to win a signed copy of my new release, Fangtastic!  While we're on the subject, I announced a new spread the love contest yesterday.  Enter to win a Kindle and carrying case (see details)!

The Knight Agency, specifically our founder, Deidre Knight, is all over the news today for signing and selling debut novelist Kerry Schafer to Ace Books via the author site Book Country.  Check it out in The New York Times or via GalleyCat on Media Bistro.

Bitten by Books is running a big multi-author event all week.  Tune in every day for giveaways and questions that will be answered in the next day's post.  Answer all the questions correctly and turn them in at the end of the week to be entered to win a fabulous grand prize with $200 in gift cards in addition to books and other special swag.  Karen Whiddon, award winning author of the Pack series for Harlequin's Nocturne line, is up today.  You can also RSVP for tomorrow's event with Faith Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy series!

Contests! Kindle! Fangtastic!

Bookklovr22 from Twitter is the winner of the Fangtastic get caught reading contest!  Her B&N gift card is right now winging its way to her.

To celebrate the official release date for Fangtastic (today – yay!), I'm starting a brand new Spread the Love contest, open until Valentine's Day.

There are a ton of ways to win:

-blog, tweet, Facebook or whatever your favorite line from any of the Vamped books

-blog, tweet, Facebook or whatever a slogan or tagline with a link to the series page

-repost the Vamped series music video to help spread the word

-post a new and honest review for any book in the series on your own blog or any bookseller site (B&N, Amazon, Powells, etc.)

Do all or any of the above.  Each thing gets you one entry, so you can enter as many times as you'd like, just let me know so that I can keep track or send me the tally by Valentine's Day.  Winner will be chosen February 15th.  Prize: the lightweight 6" Kindle with case for one lucky winner, chosen at random.  Open to US entrants only (sorry!).

Wondering about slogans?  For Vamped I had: Vamped…eternity needs an entourage.

For Revamped…undead or undercover, fangs are always in fashion.

For Fangtastic, I've been playing with a few, but nothing's really struck me yet, so please feel free to come up with your own!  Here's what I have so far:

Doomsday dresses, disappearances and…death?  Get Fangtastic in 2012!

Secret missions, minions and murder…absolutely Fangtastic!

Most importantly, the series is all about fangs and fun.  I wish you both in 2012!  I hope you enjoy and enter as often as you like.  Let me know about it via the contact form on my website or directly at LucienneDiver @ gmail.com (removing the spaces before and after the @).

What an agent does – a snapshot

Because I'm always asked what an agent does, I've pulled together some quick stats for this week to give you an idea.  Note: this week was a short one; the office was closed Monday and here it is only Thursday afternoon. 
 
-notes sent to 2 clients on their new proposals to spiff them up for submission; 3rd set of proposals on the slate for tomorrow
-notes sent to 2 clients on their full manuscripts
-15 rejection letters written
(note: full disclosure – some of the above reading was done over the holidays, along with an Agatha Christie mystery and the third novel of a new client about whom I'm very excited!)
-2 new subrights deals done
-2 final contracts reviewed and routed for signature
-1 new set of contracts commented upon, revised contracts received and approved, now awaiting signature copies
-countless questions fielded (on anything from client speaking engagements and tours to copyrights to pricing)
-even more questions lobbed, mostly at editors, many regarding print runs and other info on new releases
-1 kick-butt cover concept seen and approved by me and the author.  (I so wish it was ready to share!)
-1 set of tax forms sent to author
-1 new submission…submitted
-3 new blogs posted…4, including this one!
 

On the slate for tomorrow, in addition to that other set of proposals and any new notes the reading generates:

-going over some contested royalty statements with a fine-toothed comb
-nags to editors on outstanding submissions
-2012 foreign certification form paperwork to get out to authors

 

…and a partridge in a pear tree.

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Interview with Eileen Cook

I'm very excited to have Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit sister Eileen Cook here with me today, talking about the writing process and her new book UNRAVELING ISOBEL.  I might also be a teensy, weensy bit jealous about this incredible quote for it from Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the Wake trilogy, calling it "Thrilling and creepy, super sexy, and so very hilarious."  Kirkus Reviews likes it as well, saying,"This blend of paranormal romance, murder mystery and quirky, coming-of-age narrative offers tasty moments….Cook gives readers a fast-paced plot, a likable narrator, and interesting characters."

BLURB:

Isobel's life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn't only her life that's unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she's seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel's fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

INTERVIEW with Eileen Cook:

What is your writing process like?  Are you a plotter or a pantser?  Do you schedule time to write each day or are you a spree writer?

My writing process has changed. I used to lean more towards being a pantser, but I find I do more and more plotting. I still need to leave some holes in the plot to be discovered as I write, but I find it easier now to head off with a clear direction of where I'm going. I've become a big fan of film writing books like Save the Cat and use their techniques to help me plot out where I'm going.

I want to have a writing schedule, but my life seems to involve too much chaos.  I try and write a bit each day. If I go more than a day or two without writing I find I lose track of the story, especially if it is early in the book.  The initial relationship with the characters feels fragile to me at that point, if I don't check in regularly I feel I could lose them.  I like to set weekly word count goals rather than daily. This gives me the option to write only a few words one day and on another write for hours.

What is the hardest part about the publishing process for you and how do you get through it? (For me, it's copyediting and barbecue chips.)

The most difficult part of the publishing process for me is accepting the things that are outside of my control. There are times when I catch myself focusing on things like sales, or timelines, and have to remind myself that I can't do anything about it.  I try very hard to keep my focus on the writing, which is very much in my control.  The best way to cope is liberal consumption of chocolate and spending time on the sofa with my dogs and a good book.  It's hard to stress when rubbing a dog belly.

We drop your hero or heroine on a deserted island.  Quick, what are the three things he or she can't live without?

Isobel couldn't live without her sketchpad, pencils, and a book.

If your story were a film, who would you cast?

I am terrible at casting because I want to cast Colin Firth. Not because there is a role for him in the film, but because I'd love to meet him.  I would be tempted to cast unknown actors. I like when you can lose yourself in a movie without comparing how the actors were in a different movie.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com.  Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.