Pat Bertram's Blog, page 321

Happy Bloggiversary To Me!

I started blogging two years ago, back when I didn't even know what a blog was. I'd read about how important blogging was for authors, both as a way of getting known and as a way of connecting with readers. Deciding to "act as if" I were going to be published one day, in the hopes of making it happen, I created this blog. I had nothing to say, no one to say it to, no reason to say anything, but I didn't let that stop me. I started yapping and haven't stopped since. Although I intended to...

Research: When Good Books Go Bad

Many good books go bad when the authors refuse to let go of any of their hard-won research and so dump it all in the novel, making the story drag. I have a tendency to put in a lot of information — though I don't use all my research, not even most of it. In A Spark of Heavenly Fire, I talk (or rather my characters do) about biological weapons, biowarfare, bioengineered organisms because I thought the reality was more frightening than my fiction. For example, The World Health Organization...

Jock Stewart and The Missing Sea of Fire — Part I

I added part one after the title because I know this is not going to be the only time I write about Jock Stewart. What a wonderful character! I hope you get to know him well.

I often talk about how jaded I am when it comes to reading. Apparently I am only jaded when it comes to the homogenized books published by the major publishers — I'm finding that many gems lurk in small independent presses. (Do gems lurk? Well, perhaps I should say gleam.) Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire by...

Do Blog Tours Live Up to The Hype?

Daughter Am I , my latest novel, will soon to be released by Second Wind Pubishing, so I have to start planning a blog tour if I'm going to do one. I hear so much about how great they are — mostly from the major publishers who don't want to spend the money to send their authors on an unvirtual tour — that I wonder if blog tours do anything for an unknown author. I know the most popular book blogs do help get the word out, but if one can't get a guest spot on those blogs, is it still worth...

How to Tell When Your Novel is Finished

I finally turned in what might be the final proof of Daughter Am I . At least I hope it's the final one. People often ask how you know when a book is finished — well, if you're to the point where seeing one more word of the manuscript makes you want to throw it against the wall (or bang your head against the wall, though the first hurts less) then you're finished. And I passed that point months ago. I have a rocky relationship with my books — not exactly love/hate, more of an...

Okay, I Admit It. I'm Jealous.

Jealous of whom? Need you ask? I bet if they were honest, most authors would also admit they were jealous of Dan Brown. Whatever one thinks of the man himself, the man as a story steller, the man as a wordsmith, the fact is, he wrote a book that is dazzling the world.

I only read The DaVinci Code because I was curious as to what captured people's attention when it came to books. Though his prose is supposedly the worst thing since moldy bread, what I noticed were the internal inconsistencies...

Aaaarrrgggghhhh!!!!! Now I Have to Write a Review!

While most of the world is talking about the new Dan Brown bestseller, Second Wind Publishing, LLC has quietly released a thriller of its own – Staccato by Deborah J Ledford. You won't find all the elements that have become Brown's hallmarks: cartoonish characters, amateurish prose, tin-ear for dialogue, internal inconsistencies. What you will find is a well-written, well-constructed story that will keep you enthralled.

The product description on Amazon says it better than I could: Performed...

My Wonderful Surprise!

Among the people coming to my blog for sex with sister tips (it's up to about 60 a day now) are those who actually pay attention to what I write. I've often said I blog for myself, using this space to try to get in contact with the creative within me. Whenever I am stumped at something, whether the direction of my current WIP or my struggles to learn how to become a selling and excelling writer, I come here and let the words flow. Except for that ultimate puzzler — how to promote effectively...

How Do You Choose the Books You Want to Read?

I took an informal poll to find out how people discover new authors. (Hmmmm. Wonder why I'm interested in that!) I posted the following on discussion boards on both Goodreads and Facebook:

It seems as if there are as many ways of discovering books as there are readers, but I'm curious as to how you choose the books you want to read. Do you go by reviews? By recommendations from friends? Because you're familiar with other works by the author? Do you ever read a book because of an ad you saw...

"Now That My Book is Out, What is the First Thing I Should Do?"

A newly published author asked me an interesting question today: "Now that my book is 'out,' what is the first thing I should do?" I ought to know the answer to that since I was in the same position not that long ago and will be again next month when Daughter Am I is released, but I'm still a bit mystified about how to promote effectively online.

So much of book promotion on the internet depends on social networking sites, which means that one's promotion efforts have to start long before the...