Cate Rowan's Blog, page 7
March 6, 2011
Good news and bad news…
First, the bad (I'll save the good for a minute because I always think it helps to have something to look forward to):
The Source of Magic won't be ready by the end of this month.
I know. I'm disappointed, too, and truly sorry I can't fulfill my promise to you.
(Get out your violin right now and let's give it a workout.) I've been dealing with some health issues, including a newly diagnosed tumor. It's non-cancerous, but it's also been around for a long time—and nearly killed me in 2007, as it turns out. Fortunately, I'll be getting it removed by specialists in a few weeks, and that should bring about a full cure.
(Wait, don't pause the violin—I'm still going.) I've been spending too much time at the computer working on Source lately, and my wrists are starting to hurt. I have an ergonomic setup, but still have wrist pain—a bad sign, especially for a writer. Carpal tunnel trouble can wreck an author, and I can't let it get that far.
(Nope, not yet—keep fiddling.) A brilliant critique partner has been suffering for three weeks now with a migraine cluster and one of my beta readers hasn't had a chance to read any part of Source. I'm just not going to publish something that isn't ready, and these ladies make sure my books are. So I'm going to have to pull back for a bit until life returns to something approximating normal for all of us.
Again, I apologize.
Okay, at ease with the violin! Here's the good news:
Kismet's Kiss has been nominated for both Best Fantasy Romance and Best Debut of 2010 by TheRomanceReviews.com. Yes, I'm thrilled! :D I believed in this book from the beginning, and I'm so glad I followed my vision for it, despite the pit stops and detours along its wiggly path to success.
If you enjoyed Kiss, I would greatly appreciate it if you take a few moments to vote for it in its two categories. (You can vote for more than one book in each, by the way.) Thank you!
February 28, 2011
The Romance Reviews Grand Opening (and Q&A answer…)
You're invited!
From March 1 – 31, 2011
at http://www.theromancereviews.com
It's The Romance Reviews' Grand Opening!
Play the games. Explore new books.
Chat with authors. Vote for Best Books of 2010.
Rack up your points!
CAN YOU UNLOCK THE PUZZLE?
Visit everyday to increase your chances to win awesome prizes!
134 participating authors!
Over 200 prizes waiting for you!
PRIZES
Weekly Prizes
$10 Gift Cards – 32 winners!
(8 winners each week)
Over 150 Book Giveaways in total
(paperback, hardback, ebook)
Major Prizes
Grand Prize: $100 Gift Card
2nd Prize: $70 Gift Card
3rd Prize: $50 Gift Card
Pssst… Are you looking for the answer to my author Q&A at The Romance Reviews? Here it is: Washed laundry. Good luck and have fun!
Reminder: last day of Kismet's Kiss giveaway!
Arkali the Awesome (at The Romance Reviews) will be giving away those 5 ebook copies of Kismet's Kiss tomorrow. Today's the last day to enter the giveaway!
February 19, 2011
Free copies of Kismet's Kiss!
The fabulous Arkali at TheRomanceReviews.com is holding a contest to give away five Kindle copies of Kismet's Kiss. Go sign up and get 'em! (Have your copy already? Tell your friends so they can partake in the lush and sensual goodness that is Kismet's Kiss (er, if I may say so, m'self).
Remember that Kindle versions can be read on PCs, Macs, smartphones and iPads as well.
Enjoy!
Coming Soon: The Source of Magic! New Cover & Update
I'm about a week away from finishing up my second-to-last round of edits on The Source of Magic. Hooray! I'm like the hugely pregnant, somewhat cranky woman who cannot WAIT to get this baby born and out. Fortunately, I'm still on target for a publication in the second half of March.
I've been playing with a super-short blurb that can fit on a business card. Thanks to the help of my Ruby Sisters, it's being narrowed down. Here's one of the possibilities:
Abducted from modern Scotland into a magical realm, Jilian discovers her own mystical powers and faces a terrible choice: bind herself to the sexy Prince Alvarr to help him save thousands of people from a great Evil… or escape and cure the dying mother she left behind.
This seems a good time to unveil Source's new cover, too. Hope you like. :)
February 9, 2011
Daily Cheap Reads
Yes, there is such a site, and Kismet's Kiss was featured on it yesterday. :)
Daily Cheap Reads spotlights e-books under $5 from both traditional pubs and indie authors. Handy for those of us who are frugal…
February 8, 2011
Book Reviews: Those Occasionally Crazymaking Things
I've been lucky that Kismet's Kiss has been blessed by excellent reviews, so I found it interesting that today two bloggers weighed in with somewhat inter-conflicting verdicts. That, plus a friend's apparently mixed Romantic Times review for her debut, has me mulling over the amount of angst writers invest in other people's opinions.
Many of us start by revising our novels to please our critique partners. (Fortunately, those CPs are often brilliant people who understand our strengths and weaknesses as storytellers and give us smart advice. ;) )
Then we may go on to refine things based on contests. (I was a Contest Slut, er, Queen, for a very long time. Some judges' comments were truly insightful suggestions. Other comments, however, completely conflicted with one other. Same contest, same entry, and yet what one judge loved another hated. That was my First Major Lesson: the subjective nature of writing.)
Then comes feedback from agents and/or editors. Since these people are higher up the publishing food chain, writers tend to put more stock in that feedback. The problem is that it can be just as subjective as anyone else's. Yes, those employed in the industry have often read a ton of books and have a good sense of what will work and what won't in the traditional marketplace. But not always. That's why a book can be rejected by twelve editors and yet bought and adored by the thirteenth.
Next come the reviews, whether from Romantic Times and Publisher's Weekly, blogger sites like Dear Author and SmartBitchesTrashyBooks, or from readers themselves at Amazon, Goodreads, etc. Of course, everyone has their own likes and tastes. And just as with the contest judges, reviewers may disagree. That's what happened with Kismet's Kiss today.
Exhibit A, from the new Pink Owl Reviews:
"Like many of the reviewers out there who spoke of Kismet's Kiss, we were wary once we got the whole picture. A man with six wives? Falling for a beautiful healer who believes in monogamy? Now how on (their) Earth would this work out? And would we even be rooting for it to?
Well, it does. And we did. And it was beautiful."
Final rating: 9 out of 10.
Exhibit B, from Lovin' Me Some Romance:
This was a nice review (3.5/5) that took issue with the basic premise of Kismet's Kiss–the same premise the above reviewer at Pink Owl ended up loving. (The LMSR review is wonderfully detailed, though, and worth a read even if I–perhaps not surprisingly–happen to disagree with the reviewer's inferences about the storyline. :)
Anyway, getting these two reviews on the same day underscores that it's not possible to please everyone. What one editor or reviewer or reader loves may really bug another.
The funny thing is that as authors, we usually hope–deep down inside–that we can please everyone. We know it's impossible, but hey, our stories are our babies. Of course we want the whole world to love them.
Don't you find it funny that the Universe has a way of nudging us in timely ways? This morning before I knew about either of the above reviews, I read a blog post by Zoe Winters that preemptively reminded me of the First Major Lesson. Zoe's post definitely made me think, although I should warn you that she…um…does not tend to mince words. Here it is: "Readers Aren't Co-Authors."
I understand where Zoe is coming from. I can't change my vision or the multi-novel arc of my story world to suit other people. Some readers (or reviewers) may disagree with my choices, but that's to be expected, considering the breadth of human tastes and opinions. No writer can run a poll for every decision (or the soup/novel will be spoiled because there are too many cooks in the kitchen).
But I feel just a little bit differently than Zoe does. I certainly write for myself…but I also write for my readers. If I didn't write for them, I would never have bothered to publish my work ('cause what would be the point?). Readers' enjoyment of my stories keeps me going.
The world of Alaia is no longer simply mine–it exists in some real way because other people have now spent time with it. I'm incredibly grateful for their investment and imagination. Those are precious things. Readers' questions and excitement about Alaia remind me why I do what I do–even if some of them disagree with my choices.
I now realize that's the Second Major Lesson. :)
Countdown on The Source of Magic
I know, long time no hear from. I've had my head down and buried in revisions for The Source of Magic, which will be out in March. I passed the "I hate this freaking book" stage (a common one during revisions) and made it into "hmm, maybe I kind of like it now," so that's a good sign.
I may have a cover to share soon, too. W00T!
December 22, 2010
Another fab review & Top 22 of 2010 + laugh your butt off
Digigirl posted a great little review of Kismet's Kiss today. My fave parts: "Incorporating magic, espionage, betrayal, love and family, Kismet's Kiss is a keeper" as well as "settle in for a delicious romantic fantasy!" She posted the five-star review at Amazon, too.
And then Mandi and Tori of Smexy Books posted their top books of 2010. (They both tried to get their lists down to 20, but couldn't quite do it. Heh, I know how they feel.) Tori reviewed Kismet's Kiss in October and has now put it in her Top 22 of 2010. Here's the fab quote: "A provocative and lush fantasy that calls to all romance lovers." That's a terrific "pull quote" for sure.
I've run out of room for all the review snippets at Amazon, where they're limited to five. I might need to start a page on my website to corral them all.
What a nice problem to have. :D
Oh, and here's a bonus link full of hysterical laughter for you, I promise: Hyperbole and a Half's latest post, "The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas." You're welcome.
December 21, 2010
It's here at long, long last ;)
Wheeeeeeeee! Kismet's Kiss is now available in a gorgeous trade paperback at Amazon for $7.99. The Kindle version is just 99 cents!
Both prices are for a limited time during my Winter Sale, so, um, you might want to grab them now. :)
I priced them low for this sale, but the drawback of the $7.99 price is that it's too low to qualify for Expanded Distribution, which means Kiss can *only* be purchased at Amazon (or its subsidiary, CreateSpace) for the duration of the sale. Sorry about that. :(
However, that's a fantastic price for a 6″ x 9″ trade paperback (which are larger than mass-market paperbacks, and usually much pricier).
Anyway, I'm absolutely thrilled with the way the paperback turned out. Getting Kiss approved and up at Amazon ended up taking quite a bit longer than I'd hoped (gee, that'll teach me to use "standard" shipping instead of express), but in the end all is well.
It's been quite a learning experience, but I'm looking forward to the next opportunity with The Source of Magic a few months from now.
Oh, and Kiss now has 15 reviews at Amazon (all 5 or 4 stars, averaging 4.8), too. W00T!
