Debbie Bennett's Blog, page 11

Synchronicity

I never know what I’m going to write. Many writers plan their books and stories, meticulously researching and outlining each chapter or scene and making sure that everything is heading in the right direction before they even start to write. Others have a vague idea where they are going to end up but aren’t yet sure of the route they might be taking.

Me – I fly by the seat of my pants. I really do have no clue of where things are heading until they get there. I find things out as and when my characters do. And sometimes I have to think my way around an idea for quite some time, pass it from hand to hand and look for the opening.
So it is with this latest novel. The third of the trilogy that will bring Michael’s story to a conclusion. It wasn't something I was planning to write at all, but people who have read Hamelin's Child and Paying The Piper have said they want to know what happens to Michael and whether he makes any sense out of his life. Well, I don’t do walking-off-into-the-sunset style happy endings, but I do have some Ideas.

So, since this appears to be a crowd-sourced novel, let’s start with a title. Following the theme so far, I was thinking of something along the lines of Calling The Tune. Or A Different Tune. Any other ideas or suggestions would be most welcome…
The funny thing is, I was mulling over the first 8,000 words so far and trying to think who or what Michael is going to be fighting against this time around. I can’t just rehash the same old story – that’s cheating and I don’t write like that. So it has to be something new, something relevant, something that ties in the unanswered questions from the first two books (Who exactly is Jackson working for? Who wants Michael so badly and why?). And then in the opening chapter of this 3rd book, Michael sees Eddie across the courtroom and Eddie smiles at him and I’m wondering what it is exactly that he knows. And I’m remembering a throwaway comment from Hamelin and only now realising its significance. Isn’t the subconscious a wonderful thing?
Here’s a draft snippet from the scene…
And there he was. Eddie. The first time he’d seen him since the day the drug squad had busted through the door in the flat over a year ago, when he’d woken up with Lee to a room full of police. More than a year fell away in seconds and he just couldn’t tear his eyes away. The man looked no different – still the same blond hair and a smug expression on his face as if he knew exactly how all this was going to play out.
Somebody coughed. The spell broke and he glanced around the courtroom. His dad was in the back of the gallery with his sister Kate. Twelve jurors stared at him like he was some kind of museum exhibit and even the judge was watching him.
You can do this, Redford. You can. He was not going to let them win. He looked back at Eddie. The man met his eyes and smiled.

On Review(er)-Bashing...

Stop trashing reviews and reviewers! There – I’ve said it plainly enough. It’s hard enough to get non-writers to review indie books on amazon. Many of my non-writing friends have never written a review in their life and the thought of logging onto amazon (and possibly creating an account – they may not have bought the book there) has never occurred to them. But they do it because they know it’s important for an indie author. And they write their thoughts. Their own thoughts – to which they are entitled.

They think that actually they might read some more indie stuff. And leave a review. They might love the next book or they might not. But they leave a review anyway, because that’s what reviews are for, isn’t it – to give potential customers a heads-up on the book?
And the author, instead of being grateful that somebody bought their book and took the time to voice their opinion, cries “xxx said my book was dull” or “yyy said there was no plot”. And all the authors’ friends rush over to the offending review and vote it down, or worse still leave a comment and criticise the reviewer. And the reviewer shakes his or her head slowly and resolves never again to buy another indie book.
Maybe a bit over the top, but you get the idea? Why do people do this? Readers are our friends – we should cherish them. They are entitled to have any opinion they like. If they think your main character has a stupid name, or the dog is the wrong breed or even that the whole story stinks, it is their prerogative to both think and say so.  Maybe we think that isn’t relevant in a review but that is none of our business! Yes, there is a facility to comment on the review, but it’s not there for people to review the reviewer, really it’s not. Nor is it a good idea to go whinging to amazon. You might think you’re doing the author a favour, but you’re not – you’re just making it harder for anybody else to be brave enough to review his/her book.

If you want to support a writer – particularly one who’s had a bad review – there are some simple answers. Email them privately and commiserate. Get together and drown their sorrows. Or best of all – read the book and write a review yourself.

Coming Out as a Writer ...

As those of you who read my blogs (and facebook posts) know, I've always been a little reluctant to "come out" as a writer, particularly locally, where I suppose I'm something of an active member of the community - school governor, member of various village committees etc. And then my wonderful new neighbours/friends started gently pushing me - and making me drink far too much wine. So I did a paperback as well as an ebook. And then a jewellery party turned into a book-signing...

The trouble with print-on-demand (POD) publishing, is that you don't have stock. Books are printed as and when you need them, or a customer orders them. Which is good as you don't have a huge outlay for books which - let's face it - may never sell. CreateSpace is a US company and while a customer can order a book in the UK from Amazon and have it printed and shipped in the UK, to order stock at "cost", I can only order from the US. And unless I want to wait 6-8 weeks, the postage rates are so high that it becomes almost impractical to do it at all.

A book signing is scary. I reckoned that people would have a look out of curiosity and maybe think about reading a sample on Amazon later on, so I had a load of postcards printed up (aren't QR codes amazing things?) for them to take away. And I ordered 6 books which was about all I could afford, given that they might be sitting around in my study for quite some time.

The week before, I happened to glance at my invoice and realised that the date I'd paid for delivery by was not the date they were actually delivering. Note to self: screen shot any other orders I make and always check every detail. So - book signing and no books? Help! Back to Amazon and with no time to order from the US, I had to order 6 books from Amazon UK as a customer and pay for priority delivery. Of course, these books cost me more, but I will get a royalty for each sale as if they'd been bought by any other customer.

The books arrived. And I complained. My US proof copy had been awesome, but these just looked - cheaper, somehow. The cover wasn't printed perfectly on the spine and the overall quality was inferior. To be fair to Amazon, they offered me a credit discount which I accepted. Note to self: quality control is everything! If I hadn't needed them urgently, I'd have returned them - but then if I hadn't needed them urgently, I wouldn't have bought them in the first place, would I? As it was, my profit margin dropped sharply as I ended up selling at a lower cost - but I wasn't doing it for profit.

I realised several things at the book signing:
Very few people knew I was a writer - and they were impressed. I mix socially with a lot of writers so had forgotten that most people aren't.People read all sorts of things - and not necessarily what you'd expect. They weren't totally put off either my books or me when I tried to tell them I write dark and nasty stuff and not chick lit...Not everyone has an ereader. And they don't know or care about Amazon samples and "look insides" and other things. They are not even that bothered about quality - of the physical book, I mean, not the content. They just want to read a good book. I hope those who took a postcard away will still look me up online and find out more.My friends who have read my stuff really do like it and aren't just saying so to soothe my fragile ego! I'm getting pestered for the next book to be out in paperback - which will happen as soon as I get some more reviews for the ebook (so I can grab another pull-quote for the cover of the paperback)I sold all 6 of my books. When my CreateSpace stock order finally turns up, two books are already spoken for. I've "come out" as a writer in my little Cheshire village. All in all - a success, I think!

Flashmobbing

Flashmob. Wikipedia says: A flash mob (or flashmob) is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression.

So the modern version of what we all used to do as kids then? Stand in a busy place – a shopping centre (open air, obviously), park, or anywhere that isn’t enclosed – and look up at the sky. Squint a bit and point. If you’re with a friend, exchange a few oohsand aahs. Sooner or later somebody will want to know what you’re looking at, but won’t want to ask so will look up too. It then takes on a life of its own à la Emperor’s New Clothes, as nobody will want to admit they haven’t a clue what’s going on. When you have gathered enough of a crowd, walk away. It works. I’ve done it.
Of course these days with the internet and social media available to everyone everywhere, it’s easy to call up a group of friends instantly if something’s going on. So here’s an idea … take a paperback of your book, or maybe two or three if you can, into your local bookstore. Or any place that sells books, but refuses to stock yourbook because you’re an indie (read sub-species) and Gardners or whoever won’t deal with you. Hide said books on shelf and leave. Can you get into trouble for putting stuff into a shop, as opposed to stealing it? I don’t know.
Call up your mates. One or two initially. Get them to go into shop and rave loudly about your book. Call some more up. Of course there aren’t enough books to go round. And you’re a local author! Why doesn’t the local bookshop have more of your books?
Of course they won’t be able to pay for them as the books aren’t on the shop’s stock system. Which means they don’t exist as far as the shop is concerned. But with any luck the manager will hear all the fuss and come out, and if there’s an ISBN on the book and it looks professional, he just may be tempted to buy some stock to satisfy these fans who have met you recently at some literary event (be creative…) and want to buy your books.
You might have to persuade your “fans” to come back and actually buy the book later, of course. Or even at the time, if the manager is astute enough to facilitate this. But he might order more. And then you’re on the system aren’t you? You officially exist.
Have I ever done this? No. If you try it, let me know how you get on.

Piper is Live!!!

Paying the Piper is the sequel to the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award long-listed thriller Hamelin's Child.

Kindle only right now at amazon.co.uk and amazon.com, but it will be available in other foramts as soon as I can sort it. Check out the Buy Links page which I'll update as other markets arrive.

Paperback will take a few weeks.

Thanks to everyone for their support.

Marmite and Reviews

I write marmite books. For those people unfamiliar with the term, marmite is a yeast-based extract (actually a waste product of the brewing industry) commonly spread on toast. It’s USP has always been “you either love it or hate it”. Personally I can’t stand the stuff.

But I write marmite books. People either love them or hate them – my thrillers anyway. That’s OK. But then friends and neighbours – family, even – want to read them, and inwardly I cringe. I’m not worried about whether they’ll like them or not; everything is subjective and we all have different tastes in reading material. But that in itself is the key. I want people to read my books because that’s the kind of thing they read, not because they know me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the support – more than you or they will ever know – but if people don’t normally read the kind of stuff I write, then they’re not going to like it. It’s dark. It’s nasty. And they’ll be reading the book, looking at me and thinking … well, I don’t really want to know what they’re thinking. I have no excuses. It’s what I write – my characters want me to tell their story and I do, to the best of my ability. The bad bits as well as the good bits. Because without the dark, the light has no real meaning, does it?
I sent Hamelin’s Child off to a big US review blog site about a year ago or more. Now when I send books off for review, I forget about them. I don’t hassle reviewers. If it’s not their cup of tea, that’s fine. I’ve already moved on. In retrospect, sending a marmite book to a general book reviewer is probably not the smartest of moves, but there you go. So I’d totally forgotten about this review until it appeared, and it rather threw me. 3* is fine – and in fact, given the review itself, I’m surprised it got that high. I was a bit down-hearted, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I have no issues. Comment on the review? Never. Maintaining a dignified silence is the only way to go. Brush it under the carpet and forget about it – I’ve had worse and I’m sure I will again.
And then I had a 5* review on amazon – both the US and the UK sites. Somebody had read this blog site review and was intrigued enough to download a sample which they liked so much, they bought the book. They enjoyed the book so much, I not only got a glowing review but a further comment to say they’d read it twice more in the week afterwards.
So what does this prove? That opinions differ, certainly. But that all “advertising” works too. Remember those truly awful television adverts? The ones that are so bad you swear you’d never buy the product on principle? But you remember them. And when you see the product when you’re out and about, you might just be tempted to see what it’s like, if it's really as bad as you thought it might be. It’s the same with a not-so-good review – it’s still exposure. Even on a big site, where lots of book-buyers are going to read how badly-written the reviewer thinks your book is, there will still be people who want to see for themselves – and who turn out to be pleasantly surprised.
The worst thing for the independent writer is obscurity. You’ll never get a good or a bad review if nobody ever sees your product.

Paperbacks & Planning Applications

So Hamelin's Child is now available as a paperback via amazon (all sites - just replace the .co.uk with .whatever in the url). Costs a bit more than the ebook, but that's down to the printing process; physical paper and book-binding costs money unfortunately and then there's the postage. But it does look good and I'm very pleased with the result.

And Paying the Piper is (finally) on a last read-through on my kindle. I think I've dealt with all the feedback from my wonderful beta-readers (Marj & Laura - you are so much appreciated!). So if I can put aside real life at some point, I will try to get it uploaded shortly. As I've said before, if you haven't already, then do let me know if you want me to email you when it's available.

Real life? I'm currently embroiled with our local action group Moulton Matters , trying to oppose a planning application to build almost 150 houses on the edge of our lovely small Cheshire village on two fields that are used by dog-walkers and nature-lovers. Feel free to add your voice at the Cheshire West & Chester's website if you'd like to object to dumping a huge housing estate onto an infrastructure that is already creaking (primary school is full with a waiting list, narrow roads often gridlocked at peak times, Victorian drainage system full-to-literally-bursting, no jobs nearby, one small village shop with no car park). There are plenty of brownfield sites nearby perfect for re-development - but they make less profit, so they'd rather grab our greenbelt instead. Feel free to support us - you don't have to live here.

Moving on ...

I was hoping to have my new thriller Paying the Piper out for Christmas. Sadly that's not going to be the case - way too much editing work required, but I want it to be the best it can possibly be, so I'm not rushing; it will be out just as soon as it's ready and I can move on. I'm living in a weird literary limbo right now and I can't quite bring myself to drop this particular ball - I'm not a good enough juggler to manage several projects at once.

But it's given me time to reflect on other stuff. After over 17 years in our lovely Cheshire cottage, we're thinking of selling up next year and moving on. I've never lived this long in one place before and I'll be sad to leave, but it's the right time to downsize, especially if we want to fund daughter's continued stage career! I'm open to anything property-wise and the internet is an amazing tool - where would we be without rightmove.com? Last time we did all this, it was paper-based, getting sent house details in the post and buying property newspapers. I think we'll stay local but whether it will be old house or new build, estate or not, project or ready-to-live-in, I have no idea. Exciting times! So long as I have a study of sorts, I'll be fine.

Heart and Soul

As I've said before - on this blog and others - it's not write what you know but know what you write. And to do that, you have to live your story, engage with your characters, become the people in whose lives you are interfering when you drop crises on them like bombs and expect them to deal with it. So don't you owe it to your characters to suffer with them?

A big 6 editor once told me that my street-kid Lee sounded way too educated. In reality, she said, he'd be at best poorly-educated with a limited vocabulary and wouldn't necessarily have the words or emotional maturity to deal with situations the way I'd written. She had a point. When I stepped back, I realised that Lee was speaking with my voice and while I'd tried to dumb his dialogue down a bit, it clearly wasn't working. It took me a long time to get inside his head and put his own words into his mouth rather than mine. And once you step inside somebody else's skin, even in fiction, you become that person.

As a reader or a writer, to get that emotional connection requires some effort on your own part. It makes you vulnerable when you walk in someone else's shoes, feel what they feel - the good and the bad. It can make for an amazing experience. But you leave something of yourself behind every time.

Guest Post: MA McRae

Not a Man is the first of my books that I considered good enough to be published. But there are so few agents and publishers in Australia, and of those there are, there are even fewer who admit to looking at unsolicited manuscripts.  While I tried them, one by one, each taking months to reply, I wrote a second book in the series, and then a third. Three full-length books – big books.
My family were never interested in my writing, so it was only after I joined the writers’ site run by Harper Collins, Authonomy, that other people read what I had written. To begin with, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, comments such as‘Elegant and touchingly surreal,’  ‘Absolutely fabulous writing and story,’  ‘writing of the finest quality,’  and  ‘Absolutely compelling, utterly original.’
But then it was attacked, viciously, as pornography. The comment had me feeling ill and considering taking it down, never to see the light of day again. There were more like that in the next days.  There was even one person who reported it to Harper Collins as ‘abuse.’ 
My story is set in a slum city of a Arabia. It is about a child of the slums, taken to be a bed-boy, and castrated in order that he would ‘stay beautiful.’ Shuki leaves that life at the age of fifteen, but for the early part of the book, sex with his master is a part of his life, the inevitable background to his life.  I only found out about that complaint by accident, as Harper Collins looked at it and dismissed it. 
But there were also those readers who enjoyed Not a Man sufficient that they read it through,  then the second and the third story. People fall in love with Shuki. He is an unusual hero - a person courageous, intelligent and compassionate.
In due course, ‘Not a Man’ gained its position on the Editor’s Desk, winning itself a review. By that time, there were nearly 400 comments. While the Harper Collins review made suggestions for improvement, it was more positive than not. This is an excerpt:
Not a Man is an ambitious and insightful novel; it tells the story of Shuki, a young boy from the slums of Elbarada, a fictional area of Arabia, who is castrated against his will at the age of 10. Shuki’s journey is one of great trial but also incredible strength, courage, and determination, and as a hero, he is fantastic, evoking not only sympathy, but aspiration and reverence. I loved the fact that the operation which is supposed to prevent him from reaching manhood is the very thing that makes him strong and mature. The novel is written in a pared down manner; the narrative reminded me of the prose styling of Paulo Coelho: unaffected and matter-of-fact.
The whole review can still be seen on Authonomy.
By the time of the Harper Collins review, I had an offer from a UK publisher, which I was happy to accept.  Not a Man was published late last year. The sequel, The King’s Favourite followed in June, 2012, and I hope that the third in the series will be ready for publication by June 2013.
The Shuki books have not so far been big sellers, yet, each week, there seem to be a few more sales. So far, the reviews have been overwhelmingly 5-stars, with comments such as this: ‘Outstanding for its originality and depth, M.A. McRae’s Not a Man is an amazing work that will transport you to a foreign world. It will let you experience a lifestyle and culture that is most likely vastly different from any with which you are familiar’ and ‘Shuki's story and the stories of the characters whose lives touch his are still clear in my mind a year later. That's quite a book!’
Does it contain too much sex? Sex is a part of life, and sometimes, for whatever reason, it is needed as a part of the story. Not a Man is not close to pornography – the Harper Collins editor reviewed it as Literary Fiction, but all the same, when I started a different book, I put the sex firmly off-screen.
The Penwinnard Stories: Two of my Penwinnard stories have been published so far – Angel No More   and You Gotta Have Manners .  These stories are set in a Boys’ Home, one that its manager claims to be the best institution of its type in the UK and possibly the world. Its residents are welfare kids, orphans or victims of poor parenting, but the stories are not of faceless victims - they are of Jay and Bob and Sid and Gerry – lively boys full of personality, sometimes of mischief. The stories are much lighter in nature than the Shuki series, shorter, each less than 100,000 words, and the sex is firmly placed behind a veil. 
Which is my best book?  Not a Man is my best book, without question. I made no compromise with Not a Man. It is an emotional journey, not easy to forget.   http://mamcrae-author.blogspot.com.au/