Denise K. Rago's Blog, page 18

Seven Years Ago

Seven years ago on October 10, 2005 I had an experience that changed my life and so began my first novel Immortal Obsession.  I celebrate and honor this experience that has changed everything and allude to it here on my website.

Two years ago today I launched my website and my novel.

Thank you for sharing in this experience and as I write book two I appreciate your patience.

Josette’s World

PROLOGUE

PARIS FRANCE  ~ 1785

Josette waited patiently while the heavy set woman shuffled the cards.  One did not have to be psychic to know that her

question would surely concern her love life.

They always did.

She glanced up at the ornate clock on the mantle, trying to stay focused.  It was only mid-May, the Parisian social season had not even officially begun and already her mother was parading her about, using her young daughter’s talents to secure favor and more importantly, a husband.

It had been only two years since her father; Gérard Maraine had unexpectedly passed away, leaving the eleven year old Josette and her beautiful, young mother, Beatrice

alone.  His small fortune had sustained them, yet Beatrice was ready to end her self-imposed exile and marry again. This would be the first of her coming out parties.

Oh papa, how could you leave us?

She watched her mother float through the luxurious parlor, moving from man to man, urging them to sit at the card table and let her “gifted” daughter read their future.  Her mother was beautiful, wealthy and an excellent hostess attributes which Josette thought should easily win her mother a husband, never mind the parlor tricks.

She took the deck of cards from the woman, spread them out face down and asked her to pick ten of them.  Josette watched the fat fingers hovered over the worn set of cards that had belonged to her grandmother, Ernestine.  Hesitantly the woman chose each card while Josette scanned the room. She noticed the man just as her mother did and watched as Beatrice made her way towards him, her dark blue dress rolling like waves around her as she nodded and smiled and curtsied before the young man. He was of medium height and build, not much taller than her mother.  His trouser and frock coat were a deep purple, almost black, an odd color Josette thought, and the fabric appeared to be silk.  His sandy brown hair fell to his shoulders, pulled back by a dark ribbon.

Something about him seemed familiar to her yet she shook the thought as she laid each card before her in a pattern she learned from her grandmother.

“She has the gift.’”

How many times had she heard her grandmother tell her mother?  Beatrice would shake her head and wave her hand like she was swatting flies, but Ernestine insisted that her grand daughter learn to read the cards and so the lessons began in secret, usually when her parents were already in bed.  During the winter months there was little to do after their usual 3pm meal and so after her parents retired for the evening, Josette and Ernestine would sit at this very same card table, in front of a roaring fire and Josette would do reading after reading, memorizing the meaning of each card.

“You need to channel all that power,” she would remind her granddaughter.  “Feel the energy from each card.  Study the symbols and images yet make their meaning your own, child.”

How she missed her grandmother, with her sharp wit and kind smile.

She quickly returned to the present as she slowly turned over each card and laid them out in the familiar pattern.

If she’s looking for love I don’t see it here.

The woman leaned forward as Josette studied the cards.

Wheel of Fortune, the Fool, Death….

“And this is my daughter, Josette Maraine.”

Josette glanced up from the cards to find her mother and the handsome stranger standing beside her.

“And this is Madame Reynard.” Beatrice gestured with a smile.

“Madame Reynard,” the stranger smiled and as Madame Reynard seemed to melt into the Louis XVI chair as he stared down at her.

“Mademoiselle,” he nodded and smiled as Josette fell into his dark eyes.

He took her hand and brushed it with cold lips and she felt herself blush, grateful she was sitting down.  She felt a flush of warmth rush through her tiny body and settle  between her legs. The noise of the crowd had vanished leaving only the two of them, gazing at one another in silence.

Fall is my Favorite

Though I spend as much time as I possibly can on the beach during the summer months, my favorite season has always been the fall.  Already I have noticed changes in the light, not to mention it is getting darker much earlier these days.  Several of my backyard trees already have patches of red leaves mixed among the green leaves!  The tops of several trees have yellow leaves as well.

Can’t wait for sweaters, carving pumpkins, candles…a fire in my fireplace……

Living in the Past

I have two friends who I have know most of my life.   I always swore I would not become one of those folks who dwells in the past, remembering the “good old days” while losing sight of the present moment.  I find that when I am with these women there is a deep understanding that stems from decades of a shared history.  We know each other families, spouses and mutual friends.  We are the same age so we have lived through the death of parents, health issues, the incredible balancing act we perform as we juggle work, creativity, husbands, dogs and children.

There’s something else these women give to me.

Memories and a witness to my own life.

Through each other we are a mirror which reflects who we were and who we are now as we age.  We remember how we were as kids as we all grew up in the same neighborhood. We all went to the same highschool as well and had similar crushes on our fellow classmates.  We had years when we drifted from one another and when I look back on the separation, I see how it happened but also how it has made our reunions so much sweeter.

Those who know me well, know I am obsessed with time.

I write about vampires.  Those beings who have cheated time.  I think about Christian and Michel, two of my fictional vampires who were mortal friends, living next to one another in the French countryside in the 1700′s who became vampires and travel through time together, having very few separations.  It is their friendship, their shared history which saves them, so perhaps they do live in the past and perhaps living both in the past and the present keeps us sane and whole despite our pain, anger and regret.

Lots to think about here.

Time travel

I have a spend much time this summer doing what I love best….reading books.  Although I am writing, working diligently on Book Two my soul yearns to sit in the shade iof my backyard and read novels. I have traveled from the Ozarks, to Ohio, to the Shetland Islands and China then back in time to World War II and the French Revolution.

Not bad, huh?

 

Time traveling

I have a spend much time this summer doing what I love best….reading books.  I am writing, working diligently on Book Two, however, my soul yearns to sit in the shade in my backyard and read novels and so this has captivated me this summer.  I have traveled from the Ozarks, to Ohio, to the Shetland Islands, then back in time to World War II and the French Revolution.

Not bad, huh?

 

A Hot, hot summer

I have been diligently working on book two in my series, working title: Blood Kiss.   I just completed  Part Two, leaving Christian in quite a mess and Amanda and Michel alone together in New York to sort things out.

Like I said, it’s a hot, hot summer……

So you want a book review?

I read so much on the Internet about authors trying to find book reviewers.  As a self-published author, I have the sole responsibility of finding book reviewers. Initially I visited various websites and basically sent them a proposition. Most agreed and so I gingerly shipped off copy after copy of Immortal Obsession.

With the help of my marketing/PR company I set up a huge Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my submissions.  I have set up a file for every guest post, every book review, every copy of Immortal Obsession I have ever donated, to whom, how many copies, etc.  I like to keep records.

I felt fairly prepared that all I had to do was sit back and wait for the review. This worked for the most part, however this is not a post about how many reviews I have received and the quality of each of them.

This is about about what to ask a book reviewer.

I have been relatively fortunate in that most reviewers did just that…they reviewed my novel.  There are a few that still have a copy of my novel and have not followed through on their promise to review it.  How does that make me feel?  Taken advantage of and cheated.

Like I said, I am 95% satisfied that my blood, sweat and tears has made it into the hands of someone who actually read and reviewed Immortal Obsession and posted their review!  It is that 5%  I am writing about here and if I can save you some grief, or at the least, disappointment, here goes.

1) The Time Frame:  Before you go mailing off a copy of your precious novel to a complete stranger, get a sense from them of the time frame for their review.  Six months, a year?  Hopefully this information is on their website, but if not, ask for a time frame and once you have it, ask when would they like your novel mailed to them? Enclose a letter asking them to contact you when they receive your novel so you know it got to them in one piece.

2)  What circumstances might warrant a later date for your book’s review?   Under “normal” circumstances a reviewer assures you your novel will be read and reviewed in two months.  You agree, but you may want to ask them “under what circumstances might you need more time to complete my review?” Sounds reasonable right?

3)  Where will your review be posted? I may be stating the obvious but this ties into #4-

4)  Promotion of the review?  Once your review is up on their website, then what? Will they tweet it?  If so, how often?  Will they mention it on their face book page?  How much promotion can you expect from them, which leads to #5-

5)  Will the reviewer post their review on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads or any other site that you request?  Readers and writers know that reviews are important and posting them in the right places are key.  What is their policy on posting book reviews?

6)  Request your novel be returned to you.  At the moment, I have one reviewer who promised to have my book read “by the end of the month.” This was February of 2011!  (I actually just e-mailed her and asked her to mail my novel back to me and I still have not heard from her.  What do you think my odds are that I will ever get my novel back or a review?  Shame on you!

7) Honesty is always the best policy.  I had one reviewer tell me that she reviews YA literature and when she began to read my novel she found it was not.  She offered to finish reading it and write her review.  I really appreciated her honesty and I told her that I did not want to waste her time so please either mail it back to me or pass it onto someone who might enjoy it.  I assume that is what she did as I did not get it back.

8) Let me know when the review is posted.  Make sure you ask that you are notified when your review goes live.  Most reviewers will send you an e-mail with a link to the review.

9)  Thank them.  No matter the quality of the review be gracious.  Thank them for their time.  I have reviewers who have become friends, dropping by here to check in.  Respect their judgement, even if it means they did not like your novel.

10) Do the same.  If you are asked to write a review, do it in a timely manner or decline.

If there is anything you would like to add to my list just send a reply.

The Vampire book Realm

Please drop by The Vampire Book Realm.  Along with several other writers, I have a Spotlight this month.

Please drop by my Spotlight at The Vampire Book Realm to ...

Please drop by my Spotlight at The Vampire Book Realm to learn more about my vampire, Christian Du Maure.