Aleksandr Voinov's Blog: Letters from the Front, page 18

Charity collection: Get 40% off Break & Enter from Samhain for "Sandy" relief

Here's a little special today (and next week):

Rachel and I are donating royalties from the sale of Break and Enter (through the Samhain website) to the Red Cross post-Sandy. This is a big thing for us because Rachel's dad lost everything, and three core staff of Riptide were in the storm (though they did much better than Rachel's dad).

I'm donating all royalties from Break and Enter (I can't get my royalties from that paid anyway, because the cheque cashing fees are ridiculous for US cheques), Rachel's donating $1, and Samhain is matching our donation.

So, if you're missing Break and Enter, check it out on Samhain's website. Use the coupon code REDCROSS for 40% off for Friday 2nd to Friday 9th November.

Here's the link:

http://store.samhainpublishing.com/br...

Please spread, and thank you very much!

(Also, we're donating on the other books, too...)

The things that are happening

This is one of those "sorry I haven't been blogging for a week or longer" roundup posts. I first was too tired after GRL (post on that might be forthcoming), then I was busy (getting coverage with my post in USA Today), and then I've had to deal with a big disappointment, and attended some workshops. Actually, I'll be gone again for four days starting tomorrow.

First things first. From 31 October for a whole week, I'll be donating $1 per sold book to the Red Cross involved in disaster relief following Sandy. Because it's very difficult (actually in some cases impossible) to track my sales with some publishers (certainly not by date), and because I don't receive royalties at all from some releases, I'll have to limit this to my recent work published at Riptide - which also guarantees that I'm actually making a dollar (or more) on sales of my books. I'll top up the total amount to a nice, round number. So if you're missing Skybound, Dark Soul #1-5, Incursion, or Gold Digger, this is a good moment to read a book for charity. :)

Other stuff going on threw me for a loop. It's always hard to be disappointed in people, but it's worse if somebody I thought I knew has consistently spread lies and taken advantage of my friends. I tend to assume the best of people, and then I get jolted back to earth. The best thing to do with an emotional vampire and a social predator is to cut them off entirely - no attention, no money, no support, and no tears.

It doesn't help that I feel bad for having been duped and for not believing something that I'd been seeing with my own eyes. Generally speaking, it'll make me more cautious about certain types of behaviour. I'd previously encountered exactly two compulsive liars in my life, and both played that particular game so well that they destroyed lives and people's self-worth, so there's always the possibility that they are actually sociopaths/narcissists.

The good thing is, I spotted this early enough in example number three to stay way clear before any more damage happened, but that doesn't make things any more pleasant to deal with. I hope there's healing/therapy for the person and their victims. Here's me being optimistic again: I do think that even compulsive liars, people celebrating a martyr/victim complex, people lying about their needs and frailties for sympathy and money/gifts, people who take advantage of other people for months and years and then badmouthing them to everybody who will hear/believe, people misrepresenting everybody they've been in contact with - that even those people can change and improve and possibly even see what damage they do and even make amends.

Yeah.

Optimist = me.

Writing hasn't been happening, but right now, I'm pretty much at peace with that. I've done a spot of plotting and a bit of research, but my focus right now is the big piece of work happening in my garden (they've laid three patios and have completed quite a bit of hard landscaping, so I can see the shape of future things), the workshops I'm attending in London (next one: Friday to Monday), and re-thinking and re-evaluating some things in the past and future (never mind the present). Personal growth more than creative growth. Things are piling up all around me, but I'm less anxious about it, which actually makes me more productive.

As I think, the day job is getting seriously old. I do like being part of a team. Here though, there is no team. I don't feel particularly valued, and I don't see anything happening that they promised me at the interview (yeah, newsflash - I did say I was an optimist, but I think we can now upgrade that to "gullible"). However, with all the banks kicking out investment banking staff (one of my ex-colleagues at Previous Place has just been fired), I'm stuck here for at least another year, possibly two. Best I can do is try for a move inside the same company or at least cut the time I spend physically in the office. There aren't really any jobs but maternity cover and temp jobs, and I do like some security, and the benefits here are nice.

Maybe the overall mood will improve once November is gone, and all the thinking I'm doing yields some results. Maybe I should throw myself into some random, NaNoWriMo project, getting too busy to do all that heavy thinking. I *will* have to get back into the birds book to have anything to sell, and after all the work and effort, I'd simply hate to lose it or give up.

If you can spare a dollar (or a pound, or a euro/currency unit of choice)

There's one money collection drive that's currently actually keeping me up at night. In a way, it's too close to home--with a trans person involved, and both these people trapped in a country that can be unmerciful to those in need (economy down, health service free but far from perfect, also under pressure to save money). Add to that homophobia, transphobia and a chivalric guy's desperate wish to take care of his partner.

Yeah, it keeps me up at night. I've donated some, but I have a crapload of expenditures this month, too - which I saved for, so I'm OK, it just leaves me little space for maneuver right now.

I'm thinking to divert time to do either free fiction for people who donate (or have already donated, I know a few of my friends have, and thank you!), or adding a donor's name to a book in the "dedication/thank you" section). I don't know what would work. I could donate proceeds from my next release, only that I don't have one upcoming (the next is planned to be the WWII novel, which isn't done). And ideas?

I could move the Gold Digger sequel forward, but that would definitely mean the WWII novel won't get done on deadline--I have ten weeks to write ~50k words, which in itself is pretty tight already (and I'm currently not writing).

I don't know. I'll think of something. Maybe inspiration will strike.

If you do feel the need to do something good and can spare the cash, follow the link here: http://myprincess.chipin.com/getting-lauren-home

If you do donate, let me know what I can do to say "thank you" for your kindness and generosity to these people.

Thank you!

Get off! 30%, that is!

Since it's really really rare that my books are discounted, I'm posting a note here that DS5 and Gold Digger are 30% off as Riptide celebrates National Coming Out Day.

So, today ONLY, Riptide discounts all "Coming Out"-themed books, which you can see here:

http://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/browse/themes/coming-out

And two of mine are there, too (so if you don't have Gold Digger yet, this is a really good moment for it).

In other news (yes, I'm not just about shilling interviews...), work on my garden has begun. The very sexy silver fox dude showed up with three others on Monday, and since then they've been digging and ripping and cutting and sawing away. My "green hell" has turned into post-battle Passchendaele:



Just without soldiers, and my trees are shorter, though the rest is a spitting image. (Also less corpses, it must be said).

I'll be posting some updates over the next few days. :)

In terms of writing, I'm currently completely empty, mostly withdrawn into myself as I read and research. I do hope the writing comes back soon.

It's a good day

It's a good day - and I stand by it. I woke up this morning not only STILL with a by-line in USA Today, but also awesome comments on the article from readers. I also woke up to one very cool author approaching me and we spent the morning (don't tell my boss!) emailing and chatting about this crazy and awesome little industry/career. That was cool.

And then one of my friends introduced me to yet another author, who's had bad experienced and whose email made my throat tight, I was so touched.

And to top it all off, an author I absolutely admire, because she's amazing (also her voice gives me goosebumbs - I could listen to her forever) and has SUCH a voice (the non-acoustic version) emailed me again after the USA Today article and said she was totally bought in on Riptide's mission statement and really wants to give us a book. It's hard not sending replies that are all OMG OMG YES PLEASE! (I'm such a fan.)

Today I get to sign another well-know, much-loved m/m author (yes, I owe you the contract - it's happening the moment I touch down at home). And I got word from a guy I want to head one of our most ambitious projects - and he's in.

So. Yesterday/today has been a whirlwind. But not just that. Sitting here at work among people who are perfectly nice but not crazy at all and not book people, I realize how lucky I am. "Blessed" sounds so religious, but it's stronger than "lucky". There's this overwhelming sense of warmth and purpose and support all around, from readers, authors, staff. I'm surrounded by talented, positive, extremely hard-working people. I'm lucky and happy and glad and humbled and privileged and just simply amazed. Thanks, guys and gals and everybody in between. I'm having so much fun, and it's a pleasure knowing you and seeing you kick ass. You rock.

Being a smart-ass on USA Today

And just as you were starting to hope I'd shut up, here's my guest blog on USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2012/10/04/riptide-publishing-gay-romance/1612425/

My review of 2012 for the m/m genre

A post is up about my predictions for the genre. I'd say, I'm 50:50 right.

Look here: http://www.rarelydustybooks.com/2012/...

An interview on publishing, Skybound and sundry

My interview with Digital Book Today is now life. You can get it here:

http://digitalbooktoday.com/2012/10/02/author-interview-120-skybound-by-aleksandr-voinov/

Intermission (Gold Digger giveaway)

I'm quickly dropping by to link you to the Gold Digger giveaway (not doing a whole tour this time, mostly because I was on holidays during launch week).

So, take a look at this shiny:



This handmade artisan piece in silver with a tiger eye cabochon is made by Freia Inguz Jewelry. Tiger eye is the stone that really works best for Nikolai - first, there's gold, but there's also hidden depth. Plus, it lends great vision and insight (and Nikolai is pretty perceptive).

This little treasure can be yours if you comment here:

http://www.fictionvixen.com/aleksander-voinov-gold-digger-giveaway/

I'll be dropping in an out all week and chat and answer questions, before I drop off for a while and work on my novel. :)

So, let's celebrate Gold Digger. Good luck on the draw!

Taking a break to write

Work on this book is incredibly intense - I just revisited the 3k I wrote in the retreat, and spared a glance at the pile of research I still need to work through. The project itself is taking the shape of three novels, which are inter-connected and reference each other in themes and development (yeah, because writing just one novel is too easy, right?).

To focus on these three in the next months (one after the other, though), I'll be cutting back on social media and overall "internet". I can't focus to the extent necessary with all the distractions, so I'm taking a leave of absence while I write the remaining 60k in the first book. I'll be on email, I may even "like" the occasional Goodreads review, but every minute I spend on the internet is a minute I'm not focusing on the actual work that must be done. Essentially, it comes down to having "halfway decent novelist" on my gravestone rather than "answered all emails and tweeted a lot". So, yeah, I'll be scarce. Emails will take a while, too, because I'm snowed under with work emails and beta-ing and submission for Riptide, and even I can't subsist for long on four hours of sleep.

I do intend to return from my self-imposed exile with a kick-ass book, though, so there's hope.