Susan Elizabeth Curnow's Blog, page 10

Emerging from the Mist

After @gioclairval posted this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-henry-sterry/mark-coker_b_2594203.html
on FB, it got me thinking again about all this book marketing nonsense. Which is why the photo is more appropriate than I first realized. Mark Coker is the founder of SmashWords and basically that post tells why he began the service. Because it is a service no matter how you look at it. But because of that service and Amazon's Kindle, the whole book world seems to have gone crazy.

Originally I was going to title this 'what the heck?' Because I felt like that after I'd trolled through some of Twitter and FB, overwhelmed by the number of people pushing their books. It wasn't just that, however, because you have to advertise to get noticed. Going back to the original article and some of the responses to it on FB, it seems the only conclusion people came to is that to sell books you have to put out money. On advertising, on giveaways, on jewellery, for goodness sake. Yes, not only do folk lure others onto their sites with all this, but shinies as well.
Good Lord.
At conventions I have often seen people give away bookmarks, and that is a lovely idea. But socks and jewellery and...
So now, not only do I have to compete against a million other books, I have to start knitting and etsy?
How lovely, you might think as a reader. As a writer I am thinking, if I add up all the man hours it took me to write the book, add in a marketing professional and an editor, travel expenses and jewellery...the time I spend on twitter etc...
No. Just. No.
When do these people have time to write?
Look. Book giveaways I can see. Dropping the price of a book to encourage purchasers while you are finding your feet? Yes. Writers don't expect to make money on the first few books. Blog tours and talking, both locally and at conventions. It *is* a case of getting your name out there, getting noticed, hopefully because people enjoyed the BOOK, not because it came with shinies.
The shiny, surely, are the words you have written for others to enjoy. Is that no longer enough?
Has everybody gone mad? Or am I incredibly innocent?

Today's photo: Tank in a dust storm - Afghanistan - Richard Curnow

Just For Fun

The door opened, the draft making the candles flicker sideways on the table. A man walked into the restaurant. Blond and blue-eyed, Nordic-looking. This was southern Italy, where the men were neat and dark and quick with their gestures. This guy looked like he'd lost his longship somewhere, along with his horned helmet, round shield and battle axe...

Today's picture - Stump Lake B.C.

A Round up of Reviews and Thoughts

I have always striven to be honest about my work. Having a novel published is  a wonderful, yet sometimes frustrating journey. There are the halcyon days when it first comes out to the depressing idea that no one even read it.
No, that isn't true or I wouldn't be writing this post. I am not going to go into the frustrations of getting readers, I've addressed that before. Rather, just to blow my own trumpet over people's thoughts.
I've had very few written reviews, which did at first alarm me, and then I began to get feedback via friends and acquaintances. It has been a slow trickle, but all very worthwhile and uplifting.
"Games" is very much a debut novel, in that it has flaws here and there. The irony here is that now I have stepped away from it, I can see them too, but I couldn't at the time. Even so, I can honestly say I am proud of what I have achieved.
One of the things which has delighted me most of all has been the response to my 'style'. I've always striven to have an indivudual voice, while not letting it overwhelm the story. Yes, I have been known to be a touch purple, but with a good editor's help I've hopefully smoothed that out.
Most readers have found the opening memorable, which pleases me no end. It left a mark and made people wish to read on. They very much enjoyed the characters and wanted more of them.
It has been pointed out to me that I do have to strive for a touch more clarity in places. A real case of the author knowing what is going on and not conveying it clearly enough to her readers. Duly noted, I will definitely work on that, focusing much more on every scene and the importance within it.
That said, the majority have loved the novel and wanted more. W00t! Of course I want to hear that.
But, to quote a couple of reviews - "A refreshing read - Her writing is beautiful. Sparse when it needs to be, and perfectly descriptive when it calls for that. "
"Loved it!" (Liked that one along with "Better than cheese" lol.)
Another one which touched me: "In a way that is deeply sympathetic to prisoners of war and soldiers exposed to terrible hardship everywhere, the author speaks to the heart of the reader with truth as well as compassion."
"I so admire your creative imagination!"
And lastly "When is the next one coming???"

So, yes, I have a huge grin plastered on my face. Flaws and all I've touched some hearts, and that is everything I wished to achieve.

Who Influences You?

When someone starts writing, the reason often is, because they loved reading. I suppose in some ways it is like fan writing, because you attempt to emulate what you've enjoyed most. The other aspect of this is, you think you can do better.
That's when you realise that the ease with which you read is an artform a writer has perfected. It is why they are many not-so-good novels out there. Because believe me, it ain't easy. It really is blood, sweat, and tears, and maybe a few tantrums.
Even so, it doesn't stop you. Well, it didn't stop me. Now and then I will whinge and whine louder than my wolfhound, but mostly, I keep going.
So I got to thinking who influenced me most.
As a child it was all the Enid Blyton stories and Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby stories. I found Dorothy Dunnett at around eighteen and devoured everything she wrote. But it was also people like Robert Silverberg and Piers Anthony. Later it was CJ Cherryh.
I put a dedication in my novel to just a couple though. It was CJ who really stoked my imagination, followed by Janny Wurts. Very very different styles yet both with depth and characters you really wanted to follow. Then there is Kate Elliott and CS Friedman.
I hadn't realised that all my favourite authors are women. It wasn't intentional, but I guess I just empathize more. There are gentleman writers I like, but when I looked at my bookshelves there are definitely more ladies. But these are the main ones who mistakenly influenced me to write.
How about you?

Today's image is a stock image by Fernando Cortes De Pablo

Life as we know it

Life has a funny way of showing you things


There was me, sitting watching tv over my laptop, as is my norm, when the phone rings. It is the lady where I keep my horse. First thought is, oh my, has he slipped in the slushy snow - because I am a panicker like that. But, no, it isn't that. Her first question was, have you got any more books? Meaning "Games of Adversaries". I do as happens, since the crystal store wanted to do a display but I haven't had time to get out there yet.
Long story short, the local library had heard that I was a local author and wanted one, plus someone else did, plus horse lady's own copy had been 'stolen' already. So for all my mini ranting yesterday, good old word of mouth got me at least six more sales. And even if that is a little weed trying to poke through the forest detritus, it is a beginning. The next question was - would I do a talk at the library?  Oh my. Why didn't I write a kid's book. I could talk to kids...

Today's picture - Merlin and friends at Ghost Lake Ranch.

Angry writer writes angry words

Yep, you get me twice today. Why? I read this for one.  http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/01/22/25-hard-truths-about-writing-and-publishing/ by the amazing Chuck Wendig, and it resonated. And I quote from Mr.Wendig's blog: 





5. About A Billion Books Are Released Every Week
 
As I write this  sentence, 50,000 more books will be released into the world like a herd of  stampeding cats. By now, I think the books are actually writing other books in
some self-replicating biblio-orgy of books begetting books begetting books. All
in a big-ass mash-up of ideas and genres and marketing categories (MIDDLE GRADE
SELF-HELP SCI-FI COOKBOOKS will be all the rage in 2014). Between the publishing industry and self-publishing, I think more books are born into the world than
actual people (and just wait till one day the books become sentient — man,
forget SkyNet, I wanna know what kind of Terminators Amazon is probably already
building). Your book is sapling in a very big, very dense forest.


Which, wonderfully though it is written, is enough to send anyone to drink. Anyone who writes that is. At which point you begin to think, why the heck should I even bother? Well the answer to that is quite simple for me. I would probably write if I had to do it on the used sheets of a loo roll. It is what I do. Not entirely 'who' I am, but a big part of it.

So this brings me to the 'angry' part. When I began the process of having my book published - No, it isn't self-published, and I don't have a problem with people who do - just sayin before anyone gets up in arms - I began with one simple idea. I wanted people to enjoy what I wrote. Innocent, naive little me thought it would do this all by itself. Well, I wasn't quite that innocent, but close. But as Mr. Wendig so cleverly says, mine is just a sapling in a very big, very dense forest. So I started looking at promotion and marketing, since, every one else and their neighbour seemed to be doing it. I listened to what other people had to say. I clicked on how-to tweets. I even *gasp* put out a link or two.

Then I saw what everybody else and their neighbours were doing. Honestly, I *do* understand that need to be read, or else why do we even try? I do understand that that little bit of income makes all the difference between how many hours we can 'afford' to write. But writing a novel doesn't give you some God given right to be read. It doesn't give you the right to constantly spam others or stand in a room and shout 'I am an author'. (While that may explain everything, that isn't the point).

How the heck did we get to this point? This point of constant spamming? There is a link on this website for my novel. You don't have to go there, you don't even have to read my blog posts. I do care whether people do or not. It is lovely when they comment, but you don't have to. It just... arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh if I see one more post about 'how to sell your book' I shall probably throw mine at someone.

Yes, you need to advertise, but, boy, there must be a better way than this?

End Rant

Photo of Toots because it seemed appropriate.

Snippet - "Vicadia"

Sarain feels the pull from the mountain. Feels it deep inside, not just in bone
but muscle and blood. Why does the place call? What does it want? Ancient rock holds a signature of time. Of the feet which have walked its paths, of the eons which have passed and shaped it. If the land of Sele is magic then Sarain might tap into its powers. He can change, within limits of body and mind. Tori cannot. 

If Sarain can escape he would not leave her. He does not know why except that they are joined somehow, by fate or a god’s will, and while she is human, there is a connection he cannot deny. And the mountain wants them both.

 A name arrives in Sarain’s mind. Vicadia. The name means nothing but he sees a
castle. He walks across a drawbridge, touches the rough stone of the outer walls
and then the marble lining the walls within. He sees a great fireplace and climbs the spiral stairs of towers. Arched stone ribs of ceiling soar overhead, carved friezes dance above corbelled doorways and flowers grow wild between the cracks of an octagonal courtyard.

 In the center of the courtyard stands a sundial; against the walls herbs and flowers spill over stone troughs and vine creeps up crevices between blocks of pink granite. Shadows skulk across the paving, yet when he looks up no clouds mar the sky.

 Evil shivers in Sarain’s bones—a fetid sludge that steals forward, watching, waiting its moment to attack. Like a shadow over the sun it darkens everything it meets, crossing mountains, fields and dales. The charred bones of trees remain in its path as is consumes all life. When it reaches the sparkling sea it smothers waves until
rotting fish bob to the turgid surface and the great carcasses of whales beach
on blackened shores…

Interesting Things

Author Cat Hellisen had a list on her blog this morning, which intrigued me. Basically you take all that interests you and write it down, and then see how much of that goes into the novels you write. Or, as she suggested, use the words as prompts for writing short stories or even novels.
When you think about it, it is is an obvious kind of thing, but as a writer, I didn't do it consciously. So, here is my list.

Fae myths and legends - yes, all my kelpie stories and House of Faegrim
Horses/cats/dogs - they appear in many of my novels.
Crystals - One novel written around amethyst geodes, but I've used crystals many times in short stories and novels.
Bats - yes, well, I 'invented' a whole species around those, which ended up as the Warriors trilogy.
Mountains - yep, Lines of Betrayal (was Crystal Gate)
Shape-shifting - House of faegrim
Clones -  Voice of the Land - it intrigues me that people even want to clone anything.
The arrogance of humanity - used frequently.
Forests - there is just something about the light in forests. An atmosphere...
Spiritualism - anything from psychics to reiki, because it is interesting what others believe and what we believe ourselves and the evidence of such.
Hawks - the sheer majesty of their flight.
There is more, which I have to think about. Not the obvious ones, I guess, but for now, that is what I came up with, without thinking.


Yep, there is a big one I forgot, which also often appears in my stories - Soldiers.

Today's picture is of Makoiyi who had just had a haircut and was so not impressed.

Interview with Elizabeth Hull

Elizabeth Hull writes under the pseudonym of CN Lesley simply because someone with that name was already a published fantasy
writer.


 No novelist (unless they are lucky) writes a novel and is an instant success. Often, writing takes years of honing and learning. As stated before, the focus behind these interviews has been the changing industry. And one of the
things most important to new authors is the quality of their work. Even more so than before. Simply put, it is because anyone with a pc/laptop/tablet can press a few keys, ‘write a novel,’ and get it published. So how do you stand out?


On March 30th Elizabeth is publishing Darkspire Reaches with Kristell Ink, a small press. Can you tell us how your persistence paid off? Why do you think your novel stood out from the crowd?



There are any number of well-written, wonderful books waiting to be discovered. When a first book gets accepted, it really is a matter of luck and personal taste. As a magazine Editor of many years standing, I know this to be very true. Sometimes, good stories don’t get bought because they just don’t catch Acquisition’s eyes, or they aren’t quite right for the imprint, or they are too long, or too short; any number of
reasons. A person has to love a story to acquire it for publication. The trick
is to find that person.



Small or indie presses are a relatively new phenomenon in publishing. At lease their explosion onto the publishing world is. They differ from mainstream in that the majority do not place books in big box stores but rely on the Internet to spread the word and use POD - print on demand - to sell hard and paperback books. Very often, this is beginning to happen in mainstream too. It is placed upon an author to self-promote. How do you feel about this?


I have no problem with this, and it was an expectation, however my book was published. Having a website is imperative, as well as using the thing to draw readers in. I am releasing some of my shorts on my site to generate interest and will be posting snippets soon. I have increased my presence at the online media platform and will continue to  do this.
As for the small presses not placing books in the big retail outlets, some do. If the sales of a book are strong enough on other platforms, then approaches will be made. There are all manner of e-readers now available and some of these are related to the big stores. Also, if a book’s sales warrant it, then the book will be brought in a print version. Where the small presses will differ from the traditional publisher is that they have not got the resources to purchase prime space in the stores. This is why a reader will never see any book published by small presses on those very special front-of-store tables. Well, that is unless the store is one of the fast disappearing Indy
stores and places books they personally like in a good position.

Do you think the glut of novels right now will only increase, or do you see it settling
down soon?



Nearly everyone owns some form of word processor at this time. I imagine this will increase the glut exponentially. Only yesterday, I was at our local drugstore buying a card, when the cashiers were having a conversation of how they should each write a book about their family life. Go back about ten, or fifteen years and this conversation wouldn’t have been happening. Until Amazon opened up Kindle and its sister, Create Space, there was no real way for ordinary people to self-publish unless they went to a
vanity press. Most people wouldn’t pay that sort of money to get published, so  wouldn’t bother. Now, anyone can stick up a book with ease. Of course, for a  good self-published book to rise to the top, it must be given the same sort of attention and love that any publisher would have given to it. The difference is  so easy to spot from the cover, the tightness of the plot, the quality of the  writing …



How do you see the future of publishing and your role within it?



I think less new people will be published traditionally and the amount of agents will decrease. There is more of a tendency from them not to stray from popular trends, or to take a chance on an unknown author. The good small presses will continue to thrive and the good self-published books will compete. As for my role, I will continue to work  within the industry and to write.


Are you excited by the changes to the  industry? Should we be excited or daunted?



I suppose it is somewhat bitter/sweet. It is like watching to end play of the last days of the dinosaurs. They will always be around in some lesser form, but the great majesty of the beasts has already been diminished. I am sad, as I can see what the changes, especially the  e-readers, are doing to the bookstores. There was nothing quite like browsing in  one of the Indy Stores, where one could get all sorts of interesting books not  available from the big retailers. On the flip side, new generations are discovering reading all over again as it can be done on a handy tablet. ‘If it can come on a gadget, it must be good’, seems to be the motto.


Please tell us all about Darkspire Reaches and what project you intend to follow it
with.


Darkspire Reaches is a character-driven book that is billed as a dark romantic fantasy. Giving the blurb is going to be less wordy than if I describe it another way.

Her birth mother left her as a sacrifice to the Wyvern, believing a secondborn twin had no soul. Her foster mother thought Raven possessed the magic of the First born. She
  believed she raised a slave.The emperor of all the lands believed she knew the secret of his birth andthat he must silence her.
Her tribe thought they could trade her for safe passage out of the emperor’s lands.
The Wyvern knows better. He is coming for her. His fury has no limits.

My next publications will be a Science Fiction book and a Science Fantasy book, which is the first book in a trilogy. Next year, I hope book 2 of the trilogy will be released and I also have two wildly different  Urban Fantasies. Once those are done, I have plans for a new fantasy book and a sequel to Darkspire Reaches.


Elizabeth can be found at: http://cnlesley.wordpress.com/
and
http://www.kristell-ink.com/future-releases/darkspire-reaches/


 

Interview with Giacomo Giammatteo

Today we feature the debonair Jim (Giacomo) Giammatteo, author of  two murder mystery thrillers – Murder Takes Time and A Bullet For Carlos. Thank  you for talking to us, Jim!
 
 I was a bit worried when Jim’s bio
said he was a ‘headhunter’ especially given what he writes, but not to worry, it  wasn’t that kind of headhunter. Jim lives with his wife in Texas, where they run  an animal sanctuary. Check out the wonderful picture on Face Book of Jim’s  buddy, a huge wild boar called Dennis.
 
Since the purpose of these interviews has  been to focus on the publishing industry, can you tell readers why you chose to ‘go it alone’ and not take the traditional route?


GG: “going it alone” wasn’t my initial plan. For two years I submitted to agents and publishers, and was rejected 103 times. Finally I decided to publish the books myself. 
 
I’ve read rave reviews for your work. Why  do you think you’ve been so successful where other authors haven’t?


GG: I think any author who puts together a book is successful. As you know it takes a lot to do that. As to why readers seem to like my books, it’s always a combination of factors, but I think the character depth is one of those factors.
 
In this changing industry, why are numbers so important?  Both Good Reads and Amazon seem to focus on the number of reviews, the ‘stats’  if you like, to gauge an author’s success. How do you feel about this trend?


GG: In some ways I don’t like where the business is heading re: reviews, and in other ways, I see it as perhaps one of the only ways for independent authors to compete with large advertising budgets of the big publishing companies and authors who are established already. One thing that irks me is how Goodreads allows reviewers to simply apply a ‘rating’ without an explanation of why it was rated that way. It tells a reader absolutely nothing. I could go on for days about the problems with the review systems, but for now it’s all we have. 

 
Many authors seem to come screaming and kicking to the whole idea of social media and the interaction. They would far rather just be writing. How much does promotion and marketing take up your time when you’d rather be writing the next novel? Do you resent that time or do you really enjoy the interaction?


GG: I was/am one of those authors you’re talking about. When I launched MTT last April, I had no Twitter account and maybe a dozen friends on Facebook. That was the extent of my social media. I still don’t care for it. I would much rather be writing, and the social media takes up too many hours per week.

 
Could you give us some of your own thoughts on the industry today and how it led you to your own particular path through it?


GG: I see the publishing industry today much like the dotcom industry was 20 years ago—filled with opportunity and pitfalls. The two biggest challenges, though, are still the same: write books that readers will love, and find a way  to gain visibility.
 
I’ve just finished A Bullet For Carlos. One of  the things I noticed was how error-free the story was, not only the format but  in grammar and punctuation. Typos were clearly absent, the plot tight, and the story flowing. Writers understand the importance of this so that a reader never has a chance to jump out of the story in disgust. Do you think this is a failing with many published stories today?


GG: I’m a little obsessive about mistakes, but yes, I think it is a huge problem. And not just with independent authors. I recently finished a book by one of the big six/five publishers and it had 7 major errors in it. (yes, I did count them)There is no excuse for that.
 
Jim, tell us a bit about your novels. A Bullet For Carlos contains mobsters, violence, a serial killer,  good cops, bad cops and not to mention three adorable dogs. Do you find it takes  you out of your box to write about murders? And if that is so, do you think that makes you a stronger writer?


GG: I don’t think it takes me out of my box. It’s no different than if a  SciFi or Fantasy writer is describing a new world or some magic power. I base all writing on characters and story. The characters and the way they would respond to situations are the same regardless of the story; the story only  dictates the situations.
 
I see on your website that you plan more novels in the same world. Is this something you’ve been planning for a long time?


GG: When I decided to write mysteries/thrillers, I knew I didn’t want to get ‘stuck’ in a series. I have seen too many writers start off a series and then have a difficult time branching out from that. I decided to create three different series. So my first novel, Murder Takes Time, is the first book in the Friendship & Honor series, and, as the name suggests, the theme is friendship and honor, but it is presented in a very different light. The sequel to MTT, Murder Has Consequences, will be launched in late February or early March.


A Bullet For Carlos is the first book in the Blood Flows South series, featuring two different detectives and a completely different theme. The theme relates to family but again from a completely different perspective.


My third series is the Redemption series and the first book is Old Wounds. It is based in Houston, TX, and features yet another detective and yet another theme.
 
Care to tell us about your next project?


GG: I always have numerous projects going on, but the next release is scheduled for late February or early March. It is the sequel to MTT, and is titled, Murder Has Consequences. I’m also putting the finishing touches on a novella that depicts the early life of Dominic Mangini, a secondary character from A Bullet For Carlos. 
 
 
Giacomo Giammatteo can be found at:
http://giacomogiammatteo.com/
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Jim’s novels can be found at:
 



Have a great day, Giacomo


Giacomo (Jim) Giammatteo
Murder Takes Time
A Bullet For Carlos
Book
Trailer
Website: Giacomo Giammatteo
email: jim@giacomogiammatteo.com


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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”   Mahatma Gandhi