Kristen Houghton's Blog
December 22, 2016
series savings for Cate Harlow books!
I am so happy to let everyone know that the A Cate Harlow Private Investigation series is a t a special holiday price!
Get all 3 books in A Cate Harlow Private Investigation for just under $6.00!
Nook http://bit.ly/1OvgMDl Kindle http://amzn.to/2he6RWj
Here is one of the series reviews:
"I defy anyone to put thiese books down! Kristen Houghton has once again woven page-turning books, the latest in the series filled with murder, voodoo, and a wonderfully surprising ending. Great reads!"
Greg Archer, Huffington Post
Remember that 5% of all author's royalties go to Shelters With Heart, safe havens for victims of domestic abuse and their pets.
Happy holidays!
Kristen Houghton
Get all 3 books in A Cate Harlow Private Investigation for just under $6.00!
Nook http://bit.ly/1OvgMDl Kindle http://amzn.to/2he6RWj
Here is one of the series reviews:
"I defy anyone to put thiese books down! Kristen Houghton has once again woven page-turning books, the latest in the series filled with murder, voodoo, and a wonderfully surprising ending. Great reads!"
Greg Archer, Huffington Post
Remember that 5% of all author's royalties go to Shelters With Heart, safe havens for victims of domestic abuse and their pets.
Happy holidays!
Kristen Houghton
December 29, 2015
One Last Gift From Santa
One last gift from Santa, read a free chapter of GRAVE MISGIVINGS here http://bit.ly/1JbnagB
June 9, 2015
BooksNJ book fair 2015
Come meet me and 100 other authors at BooksNJ 2015 Book Fair, Sun., June 14, 2015, 1:00 - 5:00 on the grounds of the Paramus Public Library.
I will be signing books and will also be part of the panel discussing:
Creating Strong Female Characters,
Speaking Schedule is from 2:20 - 3:00 pm
http://booksnj2015.sched.org/event/31...
I will be signing books and will also be part of the panel discussing:
Creating Strong Female Characters,
Speaking Schedule is from 2:20 - 3:00 pm
http://booksnj2015.sched.org/event/31...
April 2, 2015
The Savvy Author: What You Really Need to Know to be Successful
"The writing world is a small one, Kristen," said my first agent, "And by that I mean that what you do and say can very quickly become common knowledge." This was my agent's cautionary introduction to a profession that I love and of which I was damn happy to be a part. Her advice was excellent for a young author and her brilliant handling of my first book made my experience in publishing a very pleasant one.
What she said was true 10 years ago and it is doubly true in today's constantly electronically connected world. I was reminded of her comment two years ago when I heard a story about an author who had pitched his book to an agent who had rejected it. Upon receiving the rejection email, the author immediately fired off a nasty-gram to the agent. People talk and his words quickly got around to other agents. The upshot was that he had a helluva time getting other agents to even consider his work.
Now it is easy to be upset when your work is rejected; I mean the word "rejected" has such a negative feeling to it. But what you have to remember is that it isn't you who is being personally rejected. It simply means that a particular agent wasn't interested in what you wrote. As Hemingway once said,
"A writer is a damn fool to give up. Times change, tastes change, publishers change. You will find an audience."
Thank you Papa Hemingway. By the way, Ernest Hemingway self-published his first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems, after a rejection letter and look at his success!
What the author whose work was rejected, (there's that unpleasant word again), should have done is bitch and moan in private and then send a polite letter or email to the agent thanking her for taking time to read his manuscript. Believe me that polite 'Thank you' would have been remembered and appreciated. When I was the head fiction editor of a magazine, one of the things I hated most was sending a letter of rejection. I worded it as kindly as possible and encouraged the writers to please submit other work. One letter I received back thanked me for my kind words and went on to submit two short stories later that year, one of which won an award for best new fiction. Being polite matters very much. The polite message should also go, not only to agents, but to publishers, editors, and anyone who is involved in your book's potential success.
One thing I urge new authors to do is invest in a good copy editor. Bad grammar, unless part of a character's speech, is totally unacceptable as is poor spelling. Any agent or publisher will immediately reject your manuscript. One of the best copy editors I have had the pleasure to edit my books is Courtney Davison. Even the best author can make a mistake and even if you re-read your work ten times over before submitting it, you may not catch an error. A good copy editor polishes your work.
Another area where authors need to be savvy is in the area of publicity. Unless you're already a well-known author whose publisher has a team of publicists working for them, you are your own press agent. Even well-known authors are doing a lot of self-promo these days as the publishing industry undergoes major changes and financial belt-tightening. One caveat; be very careful of hiring a publicist. While there are many honest, hard-working publicists, you can get burned in the thousands of dollars by a dishonest slick talker who promises everything, takes your money, and produces nothing. Think of hiring a publicist in the same way as buying a car; the sales pitch will be geared in favor of the person selling the product or service. You need to do your research before making a decision.
Be very careful of places that offer to publish your book for a fee. Scam artists are everywhere. Now that being said, I must also say that there are utterly reputable places, including many name publishing houses and literary agencies, that also offer this service. They do all the publishing work for you for a fee. Just remember: It's a business and they're in it to make money. You might be better off with CreateSpace and IngramSpark. You'll learn a lot and you'll reap all the profits. Once you have a published book, ask anyone and everyone for book reviews that you can post on your website and social media. Agree to all interviews; someone is listening.
Don't discount the power of social media but don't overestimate it either. Join everything that can help sell your book but make good choices. Authors' sites are great and you make some good friends and contacts on them but remember; everyone there is selling their own books and may not necessarily be potential buyers of your book. Your best bets are book clubs and local book stores where there are readers.
Never, never, ever, burn bridges! A colleague once sent me a card saying, "I burned all my bridges so they will light my way to a better future." Cute on a card but so wrong for an author. Remember you are the CEO of your business and the product you are selling is your writing. In business you have to let personal feelings go and focus on getting your work published. Keep all contacts, and I mean, all. Agents and publishers move from one job to another and sometimes start their own publishing houses. Stay on friendly terms. It will be worth it.
Redefine success for yourself. Success means different things to different people and the level and definition of successful varies from one person to another. I have a friend who is successful at doing nothing but ebooks; he doesn't want to do print, yet his ebook novels, coupled with writing for two magazines, have garnered him a very good income. He sees his writing career as successful and by all accounts it is. I have come to know many people who do nothing but ebooks. Then there are other authors like me who do both print and ebooks and see those sales as a measure of success. I like the idea of a print and ebook combo and it has been a successful venture for me. It's all subjective.
Believe in your own worth. Anyone in the arts, (writers, actors, dancers, musicians, painters, etc.), has to have a healthy combination of self-esteem and ego. You should know you're good. Be a savvy writer and author. You owe it to yourself.
Kristen Houghton is the author of 6 top-selling books including the PI series A Cate Harlow Private Investigation. The first in the series FOR I HAVE SINNED is available where all books are sold.
©copyright 2015 Kristen Houghton all rights reserved
© copyright 2015 The Savvy Author Kristen Houghton
What she said was true 10 years ago and it is doubly true in today's constantly electronically connected world. I was reminded of her comment two years ago when I heard a story about an author who had pitched his book to an agent who had rejected it. Upon receiving the rejection email, the author immediately fired off a nasty-gram to the agent. People talk and his words quickly got around to other agents. The upshot was that he had a helluva time getting other agents to even consider his work.
Now it is easy to be upset when your work is rejected; I mean the word "rejected" has such a negative feeling to it. But what you have to remember is that it isn't you who is being personally rejected. It simply means that a particular agent wasn't interested in what you wrote. As Hemingway once said,
"A writer is a damn fool to give up. Times change, tastes change, publishers change. You will find an audience."
Thank you Papa Hemingway. By the way, Ernest Hemingway self-published his first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems, after a rejection letter and look at his success!
What the author whose work was rejected, (there's that unpleasant word again), should have done is bitch and moan in private and then send a polite letter or email to the agent thanking her for taking time to read his manuscript. Believe me that polite 'Thank you' would have been remembered and appreciated. When I was the head fiction editor of a magazine, one of the things I hated most was sending a letter of rejection. I worded it as kindly as possible and encouraged the writers to please submit other work. One letter I received back thanked me for my kind words and went on to submit two short stories later that year, one of which won an award for best new fiction. Being polite matters very much. The polite message should also go, not only to agents, but to publishers, editors, and anyone who is involved in your book's potential success.
One thing I urge new authors to do is invest in a good copy editor. Bad grammar, unless part of a character's speech, is totally unacceptable as is poor spelling. Any agent or publisher will immediately reject your manuscript. One of the best copy editors I have had the pleasure to edit my books is Courtney Davison. Even the best author can make a mistake and even if you re-read your work ten times over before submitting it, you may not catch an error. A good copy editor polishes your work.
Another area where authors need to be savvy is in the area of publicity. Unless you're already a well-known author whose publisher has a team of publicists working for them, you are your own press agent. Even well-known authors are doing a lot of self-promo these days as the publishing industry undergoes major changes and financial belt-tightening. One caveat; be very careful of hiring a publicist. While there are many honest, hard-working publicists, you can get burned in the thousands of dollars by a dishonest slick talker who promises everything, takes your money, and produces nothing. Think of hiring a publicist in the same way as buying a car; the sales pitch will be geared in favor of the person selling the product or service. You need to do your research before making a decision.
Be very careful of places that offer to publish your book for a fee. Scam artists are everywhere. Now that being said, I must also say that there are utterly reputable places, including many name publishing houses and literary agencies, that also offer this service. They do all the publishing work for you for a fee. Just remember: It's a business and they're in it to make money. You might be better off with CreateSpace and IngramSpark. You'll learn a lot and you'll reap all the profits. Once you have a published book, ask anyone and everyone for book reviews that you can post on your website and social media. Agree to all interviews; someone is listening.
Don't discount the power of social media but don't overestimate it either. Join everything that can help sell your book but make good choices. Authors' sites are great and you make some good friends and contacts on them but remember; everyone there is selling their own books and may not necessarily be potential buyers of your book. Your best bets are book clubs and local book stores where there are readers.
Never, never, ever, burn bridges! A colleague once sent me a card saying, "I burned all my bridges so they will light my way to a better future." Cute on a card but so wrong for an author. Remember you are the CEO of your business and the product you are selling is your writing. In business you have to let personal feelings go and focus on getting your work published. Keep all contacts, and I mean, all. Agents and publishers move from one job to another and sometimes start their own publishing houses. Stay on friendly terms. It will be worth it.
Redefine success for yourself. Success means different things to different people and the level and definition of successful varies from one person to another. I have a friend who is successful at doing nothing but ebooks; he doesn't want to do print, yet his ebook novels, coupled with writing for two magazines, have garnered him a very good income. He sees his writing career as successful and by all accounts it is. I have come to know many people who do nothing but ebooks. Then there are other authors like me who do both print and ebooks and see those sales as a measure of success. I like the idea of a print and ebook combo and it has been a successful venture for me. It's all subjective.
Believe in your own worth. Anyone in the arts, (writers, actors, dancers, musicians, painters, etc.), has to have a healthy combination of self-esteem and ego. You should know you're good. Be a savvy writer and author. You owe it to yourself.
Kristen Houghton is the author of 6 top-selling books including the PI series A Cate Harlow Private Investigation. The first in the series FOR I HAVE SINNED is available where all books are sold.
©copyright 2015 Kristen Houghton all rights reserved
© copyright 2015 The Savvy Author Kristen Houghton
March 12, 2015
What I Learned From Writing Cate Harlow
March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements of women who have made our lives better. It's also a good time to remember the strong women in fiction who have inspired us and made an impact in our real lives. Female characters from Jane Eyre to Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird to V.I. Warshawski, , to Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, all are written as females of strength and savvy. They get the job done and are a tremendous asset to those in their lives. I should also mention Lisbeth Salander, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, strong woman who knew how to survive and "take care of business."
You can learn a lot from women in fiction, and you can learn a lot from writing your own strong female character. By creating a strong woman in the Cate Harlow Private Investigation series, I found myself becoming stronger.
When I began to write For I Have Sinned, I had a very definite idea of who my lead character would be and how she would act. Many writers will tell readers that they base their characters on themselves and, in a sense, this is true. However, in many ways, Cate Harlow was as different from me as a hummingbird is from a hawk. Except for some physical characteristics, a passion for tennis, and being pet-friendly, I made Cate Harlow into someone I admired and aspired to be. She would be savvy, strong and very independent in all aspects of her life. Literally, she would take no crap from anyone.
I did give my character some human vulnerability; she has an aversion to dead bodies and death itself. In her business she is very well aware that she's sure to come across death and a corpse or two but she still has an unremitting fear of it. As she says in For I Have Sinned:
Personally, I never get over seeing a dead body. You would think that after a while in my profession you'd become immune to it but that's not true in my case. There's always the very brief startle factor for me. No matter how badly damaged the body may be, it still seems as if it will come back to life again, like some modern Frankenstein. Stupid I know, but that's always my momentary reaction. After that I get down to business and look for evidence.
I also injected humor and compassion into my character to even out the often seedy, dirty parts of her life as a private investigator and gave her a healthy sex life as well. More on that later.
The differences and similarities between Cate and me are interesting. A psychiatrist might have a field day analyzing them. Cate is a woman who walked away from a nice, steady paycheck as a law interpreter to open her own business as a private investigator. I was a high school teacher who began writing every spare second I had while I was still teaching, terrified of not being able to depend on that secure paycheck every two weeks. Unlike Cate Harlow, I needed job security. She handles a gun when needed, I'm terrified of them.
Cate doesn't cook, depending on take-out, microwaveable foods, and a great restaurant named Enzo's, to sustain her. Although I'm not a gourmet chef by any means I do cook almost every day. As far as drinking goes, she does enjoy a good bottle of Merlot which is something Cate Harlow shares with her creator, although she drinks more wine in a week than I do.
Cate is fit, I need to be. Cate juggles two men in her life, I am married to my college love. Cate loves food, and I am always dieting. The more I wrote about Cate Harlow, the more I wanted to be like her. Maybe I was writing the "me I was meant to be." Whatever it was, I began learning some good life lessons from my fictional character, Cate Harlow, Private Investigator.
I began to think like Cate Harlow, analyzing situations completely and thoroughly before making decisions. And I began to play tennis again, a game I loved but had always felt I was "too busy" to play. If Cate can manage to do it with her crazy schedule, so could I. I stopped dieting; I didn't splurge and go food crazy, but I began to do the Cate thing and to enjoy the food I was eating, rather than obsessing about gaining weight.
One very important "Cate change" was taking action against injustice. Like Cate Harlow, I saw the social problems around me, but where she was an active fighter, I was more of a pacifist who avoided conflict. As I began to write more about Cate Harlow and her need to bring those who harm others to justice, I began to see that conflict isn't always bad; it can produce healthy change.
I found myself changing and becoming an advocate for specific causes, such as supporting Shelters with Heart, a place where victims of domestic abuse and their family pets can go to be safe and start new lives. Many women won't leave an abusive relationship because they fear their abuser will harm or kill their dog, cat or other family pet. To support the shelters I donate five percent of sales from all my books to them and willingly speak at fundraisers.
I wrote Cate Harlow as a woman who knows what she wants in all aspects of her life, including sex. She is the one in charge of when, where and who -- a very ready, willing, sensual and equal partner to her man. Let's say that she, like her author, enjoys her erotic encounters as much as she enjoys that excellent bottle of Merlot.
Writing the Cate Harlow Private Investigations series has changed my outlook on being strong and capable. I no longer fear changing careers, I have a healthy attitude for making the most of living, and I use my strong voice and actions to benefit those in need. And, as with my character Cate, my sense of humor has gotten me through some tough times.
Perhaps writers project more of themselves onto their characters than anyone knows. Or maybe writing the character allows the author to become someone she has long wanted to be. Either way, strong fictional female characters can inspire us to be our best even if we're the ones creating them.
Follow Kristen Houghton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kristenhoughton
You can learn a lot from women in fiction, and you can learn a lot from writing your own strong female character. By creating a strong woman in the Cate Harlow Private Investigation series, I found myself becoming stronger.
When I began to write For I Have Sinned, I had a very definite idea of who my lead character would be and how she would act. Many writers will tell readers that they base their characters on themselves and, in a sense, this is true. However, in many ways, Cate Harlow was as different from me as a hummingbird is from a hawk. Except for some physical characteristics, a passion for tennis, and being pet-friendly, I made Cate Harlow into someone I admired and aspired to be. She would be savvy, strong and very independent in all aspects of her life. Literally, she would take no crap from anyone.
I did give my character some human vulnerability; she has an aversion to dead bodies and death itself. In her business she is very well aware that she's sure to come across death and a corpse or two but she still has an unremitting fear of it. As she says in For I Have Sinned:
Personally, I never get over seeing a dead body. You would think that after a while in my profession you'd become immune to it but that's not true in my case. There's always the very brief startle factor for me. No matter how badly damaged the body may be, it still seems as if it will come back to life again, like some modern Frankenstein. Stupid I know, but that's always my momentary reaction. After that I get down to business and look for evidence.
I also injected humor and compassion into my character to even out the often seedy, dirty parts of her life as a private investigator and gave her a healthy sex life as well. More on that later.
The differences and similarities between Cate and me are interesting. A psychiatrist might have a field day analyzing them. Cate is a woman who walked away from a nice, steady paycheck as a law interpreter to open her own business as a private investigator. I was a high school teacher who began writing every spare second I had while I was still teaching, terrified of not being able to depend on that secure paycheck every two weeks. Unlike Cate Harlow, I needed job security. She handles a gun when needed, I'm terrified of them.
Cate doesn't cook, depending on take-out, microwaveable foods, and a great restaurant named Enzo's, to sustain her. Although I'm not a gourmet chef by any means I do cook almost every day. As far as drinking goes, she does enjoy a good bottle of Merlot which is something Cate Harlow shares with her creator, although she drinks more wine in a week than I do.
Cate is fit, I need to be. Cate juggles two men in her life, I am married to my college love. Cate loves food, and I am always dieting. The more I wrote about Cate Harlow, the more I wanted to be like her. Maybe I was writing the "me I was meant to be." Whatever it was, I began learning some good life lessons from my fictional character, Cate Harlow, Private Investigator.
I began to think like Cate Harlow, analyzing situations completely and thoroughly before making decisions. And I began to play tennis again, a game I loved but had always felt I was "too busy" to play. If Cate can manage to do it with her crazy schedule, so could I. I stopped dieting; I didn't splurge and go food crazy, but I began to do the Cate thing and to enjoy the food I was eating, rather than obsessing about gaining weight.
One very important "Cate change" was taking action against injustice. Like Cate Harlow, I saw the social problems around me, but where she was an active fighter, I was more of a pacifist who avoided conflict. As I began to write more about Cate Harlow and her need to bring those who harm others to justice, I began to see that conflict isn't always bad; it can produce healthy change.
I found myself changing and becoming an advocate for specific causes, such as supporting Shelters with Heart, a place where victims of domestic abuse and their family pets can go to be safe and start new lives. Many women won't leave an abusive relationship because they fear their abuser will harm or kill their dog, cat or other family pet. To support the shelters I donate five percent of sales from all my books to them and willingly speak at fundraisers.
I wrote Cate Harlow as a woman who knows what she wants in all aspects of her life, including sex. She is the one in charge of when, where and who -- a very ready, willing, sensual and equal partner to her man. Let's say that she, like her author, enjoys her erotic encounters as much as she enjoys that excellent bottle of Merlot.
Writing the Cate Harlow Private Investigations series has changed my outlook on being strong and capable. I no longer fear changing careers, I have a healthy attitude for making the most of living, and I use my strong voice and actions to benefit those in need. And, as with my character Cate, my sense of humor has gotten me through some tough times.
Perhaps writers project more of themselves onto their characters than anyone knows. Or maybe writing the character allows the author to become someone she has long wanted to be. Either way, strong fictional female characters can inspire us to be our best even if we're the ones creating them.
Follow Kristen Houghton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kristenhoughton
January 13, 2015
Missing boy, cold case
What really happened to Joshua McElroy? Find out in FOR I HAVE SINNED #coldcase For I Have Sinned
November 4, 2014
LitLovers Book Club Loves Cate Harlow
FOR I HAVE SINNED now has a reading guide at LitLovers Book Club. Discuss characters, storyline, and interesting new info about Cate Harlow with other readers! Come check it out!http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guid...
October 27, 2014
Victims of Domestic Abuse and their Pets
From the book launch date of November 1, 2014 to December 31st, 5% of all sales for FOR I HAVE SINNED will be donated to Shelters With Heart, a New York City organization that gives shelter to victims of domestic violence and their pets. Many victims are reluctant to leave their pets behind when they make the decision to escape from domestic violence. Even at the risk of their own lives, they may stay behind to protect a beloved pet. As my character Cate Harlow in FOR I HAVE SINNED is a strong role model for women, I felt it only right to use proceeds from my book to help support Shelters With Heart. All those who purchase my book will be helping victims and their pets to start new lives and that is a precious gift. Thank you to all who help.
October 20, 2014
Cate Harlow My Alter-ego
FOR I HAVE SINNED A Cate Harlow Private Investigation will officially launch on November 1, 2014. Both the print book and now the ebook are available.
I am certainly excited and happy that sales are going through the roof, so to speak. I love doing signings and meeting readers. It is a dream come true.
http://www.amazon.com/Have-Sinned-Har...
I am certainly excited and happy that sales are going through the roof, so to speak. I love doing signings and meeting readers. It is a dream come true.
http://www.amazon.com/Have-Sinned-Har...
October 19, 2014
Cate Harlow Series is On a Roll
FOR I HAVE SINNED is the first book in the A Cate Harlow Private Investigation series. The second one is 95% done and ideas and titles for the third one are keeping me up at night! I love writing about Cate Harlow, ex-husband and sometime lover, Detective Will Benigni, Giles Barrett, the city's ME and still very much involved in Cate's life, and Cate's practical "part-time" secretary, Myrtle and her pastry baking husband, Harry. My alternate universe!
