Daryl Devore's Blog, page 113

An open letter to Facebook

Knock. Knock. Knock. Facebook.Knock. Knock. Knock. Facebook.Knock. Knock. Knock. Facebook.
Do I have your attention because so far you don't seem to be listening? The Tuebl site is a pirate site. The male who runs it has even admitted that. Pirates are bad. A pirate site is bad. Am I typing too fast for you?
You refuse to shut it down. That implies you like pirating sites. That implies you're bad. 
What has A got to do with B? A book pirating site takes books – illegally – and places them on their site and offers them to the reading public for free. That takes royalty money out of writer's paycheques.  
So what's that got to do with you? 
If your advertisers started to get hundreds and hundreds of letters and emails complaining about your being in bed with an illegal pirate they might get a little skittish with all that lovely advertising revenue they are pouring into your coffers. See where I'm going with this? Okay, in case you don't – which means LESS money in your pocket. Ouch!
Now your latest  comment is that unless you have a copyrighted book on his site then a complaint isn't valid. Well that's about as intelligent as all the witnesses at the theatre shooting in Colorado saying they didn't see anything because they weren't killed.
The funny thing is – all the shouting here is pretty much by us little authors. And we don't mind that. Because we've contacted the big authors and their publishing companies and several have contacted us saying  they're talking to their lawyers because they don't like their royalty cheques being sucked dry by a leech.
I've heard you can limit who sees this. Go for it. There are of more of me out there and there is twitter and our blogs and our yahoo groups and google+ and the press. We will get this message out.
Daryl DevoreVery annoyed author.

Actor turned Writer - Charmaine Gordon on Erotic Notions

Hi and welcome – tell us your name and the name of book you're promoting [image error]
Charmaine Gordon here and happy to be with you on this beautiful July evening. My latest release is Sin of Omission, an interracial Romance/Suspense published by Vanilla Heart.Tell us about yourself.  Where were you born? Where do you live now?Violins play in the background as author relates tale of ; born in Chicago into a large family where I, the first girl, adorable who tap danced out of mother at birth, was expected to be the dutiful daughter, good wife, and fine mom-all in order. As tommy guns spit out rat-a-tat-tat from gangsters on running boards of black sedans, I learned to read, write and mind my business.Now, after years of being an Air Force wife and later as an actor in NYC, I live in peaceful Pearl River, NY, the bastion of the Irish.Tommy guns!How long have you been writing? What inspired you to write? Was there a moment when you first thought "I'm a writer."?Writing about three years and only because during the run of an off Broadway play, I had an idea for a story and began to write.A radio broadcast with breaking news about a tragedy on a beach. This stirred my imagination.When Vanilla Heart offered the contract, I knew I was a writer. Yes!Must have felt great.What genre do you write in? Have many books have you written?  Survive and Thrive is the theme and the genre is Contemporary women’s fiction, Romance/Suspense.Six books to my credit and more in my head.Wow.List the names of your books.To Be ContinuedStarting OverNow What?Reconstructing Charlie Sin of Omission. The first book was Once Again, Now published by a house now closed.What is your latest book about? Sin of Omission Blurb:Seems easy enough. Jimmy Costigan will deliver supplies to sister Charlie's project Haven, a respite for the needy, and leave. Simple.
Instead, Shelley Jackson answers the door, says she needs him and soft-hearted Jimmy stays to protect the family seeking refuge from a sociopath. He didn't count on falling in love.
A twist of fate intervenes when Shelley keeps a secret that threatens to break apart the Costigans and her future. A mysterious client, Deanna Rose, enters Haven, victim of a savage beating under strange circumstances. Using Internet resources, Shelley digs in to find Ms. Rose has an unsavory past.
With the reputation and safety of Haven at stake, Shelley is at risk to lose everything ... and everyone she cares about.Favorite moment in book (without giving anything away)Shelley Jackson is talking to her best friend Charlie, roommate from Northwestern U in Evanston, IL, and expresses her feelings. This takes place in front of Jimmy Costigan, Charlie’s brother and Shelley’s lover.“Charlie, you accepted me as a friend and roommate but how would you feel if I were to marry your brother and bring color into the lily white home of your Aunt and Uncle. I’ve been there. So pristine and perfect. I envied your life and all the love they have for you.” She took another deep breath and reached for the twins in Jimmy’s arms. He relinquished them so readily it made her pause and when he again refused to meet her eyes, her mind moved on. Maybe their father didn’t want them after all. “That’s about all except to say I’m sorry. I’ve committed a sin of omission by not coming clean. If you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, we can work it out. Ball’s in your court.”How have you evolved as a writer from your first story until your latest?
OMG! From cave woman writing with a stick in the dirt to moving on. My publisher believes in me. Love her big time.Love that – cave woman writing with a stick…Plotter or a pantster? Why does this work best for you?I’m what you might call a sleep-writer. An idea comes in the night and in the morning, I begin to write. The characters hover around, annoying at times and I laugh and cry as I write.Have any of your characters ever been based on people you knew from real life?In Now What? the main character Carly Evans is a lot like me. Suddenly widowed, she didn’t know how to put one foot in front of the other w/o her husband. A painful journey filled with humor and suspense as Carly learns to live alone.Personally I have trouble coming up with book titles, is this easy for you? How do you do it?Book titles like characters names spring from mind. Maybe years of acting paved the way to improvisational thinking.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?Hopefully alive and writing, maybe a movie contract or television story. Dreamer!If you could meet an author (dead or alive) who would it be and why?William Shakespeare. Come to me Willy boy. Tell me a story or ten.Yes, Shakespeare would a fun author to sit down with.Having just got through a bit of writer's block myself, have you ever hit a writer's wall?  How did you deal with it?No walls here, happy to say. My thought on block is write Remember When on a clean piece of paper. Fun and no pressure. Pick a happening from the past and write about it. Fun is the key.Brilliant idea. Will have to remember that if I ever get writer's block again.What's the name of the book you like to read over and over?  What makes it so special for you?I reread my books when I have time. Love John Sandford, Robert B. Parker, Susan Isaacs, Elmore Leonard all on audio while I’m busy w/stuff.  I’ve raised my 4 and a half grandest grandchild since infancy. Rocked her while writing steamy scenes. What a kick!Wonder if she'll become a writer.Where do you write? Office, kitchen table, computer, laptop?  Where would the perfect location be for you?I write in a crowded office on a laptop. Why crowded? Toys, munchkins stuff, clothes size 3 & 4T. Barely room for my small self to write and think. Short question time.Chocolate ice cream or chocolate gelato? Peppermint Patties, thanks.
Baseball or hockey?  Baseball
Hot red finger nail polish or bare nails? Hot pink polish, oh yes.
Spaghetti or steak? Filet mignon, thanks
Laying on  a beach or skiing down a mountain? Beach, baby. Ocean breezes.
White roses or red roses? Red
Last one – tell us 1 thing about you that's fun.  Still turns heads in my golden years. From your head shot - I'd agree.
So Charmaine is willing to giveaway of an ebook copy of Sin of Omission to a good commenter. That means something more than – thanks for the giveaway! 
Thanks, Daryl. What a pleasure to visit with you. Charmaine.
It was a pleasure having you drop by. Best of luck with Sin of Omission and the other stories rattling around in your head.
Where you can find Charmaine - http://authorCharmaineGordon.wordpress.comhttp://twitter.com/#!/CharJGordon          http://www.facebook.com/charmaine.gordonBuy Links for books.Kindle link
http://www.amazon.com/Sin-of-Omission-ebook/dp/B007XA9V2I

AllRomance link
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinofomission-784842-149.htmlAvailable in print also at http://www.Barnes&Noble.comhttp://www.Amazon.com

Author/Publisher Dee Dawning on Erotic Notions

Hi, everybody. I am Dee Dawning, a long time author (seems long) and a partner in New Dawning Bookfair an ebook and print book publisher. 
I started writing professionally in 2003 and have written around forty stories of varying lengths. Writing and things associated with publishing is all I work on now, so between the two, I probably put in sixty to eighty hours a week.
What publishing things do I do? Good question. When I started, I never imagined I would end up putting more time in the publishing end than the writing end of the business, but I do. New Dawning Bookfair is like a possessive wife—Oh, did I mention that I'm a man?—demanding more and more of my time. Petulant thing!

What kind of things? Well, for starters, I publish all the new books in various formats, on our site: http://www.newdawningbookfair.com/and all the vendors, making sure that each book is well presented, placed in the proper genres with the maximum amount of applicable tags allowed. Sometimes I write or rewrite the blurbs and sometimes I chose the excerpts that will go on the book page. I also do all of the artwork and I make eighty percent of the book covers. Many people don't realize how important those things are, but the cover, blurb and excerpt are the pitch that is being made to the consumer that says "Buy me!"

Those are the duties that, as a publisher, are incumbent on us. Other publishers, with varying degrees of success, obviously, do the same. But there are things, including book covers, which I choose to do. I do the editing for about a quarter of our authors, including our very talented, Daryl Devore. Nowadays there is so much competition; I spend two or more hours daily trying to keep the books turning over. By following the trends and manipulating our books where possible, I sometimes get higher visibility and visibility leads to sales. I also do about half of the company promotion. Take all those things together and that is why I only spend about forty percent of my productive time writing.

When we first decided to start a publishing company, the website itself, was a challenge. It took from April, 2009 until January, 2010 (about nine months), just under ten thousand dollars, plus numerous phone calls and meetings to get New Dawning from concept, to something presentable, the public could access. And it still doesn't have everything I wanted.


Now, before I go back to my writing, let me address New Dawning Bookfair's submission policy. We publish everything from Young Adult to hard-core erotica and everything in between. Also, fully fifty percent of our authors were unpublished before submitting to us. That doesn't mean you can submit anything to us. Our Editor in Chief is pretty tough on what's acceptable, but if your ms is interesting and not overly problematic, she will work with you. In fact she likes working with authors and teaching them the right way to do things. So if you want to learn the trade, Penny is your ticket. Here are our Submission Guidelines.

We will look at everything, but are mostly interested in the following sub-genres:Erotica Man LoveMénageBDSMErotic RomanceInterracial (bwwm)ParanormalUrban FantasyWesternsHistoricalYoung Adult  I recently finished a novel (no sex) called Girl Power, which I would call Political Chick-lit. It is loosely based on the Republican War on Women. If you don't believe the GOP is currently waging a war on women, you probably should stay away, but if you do, you might find Girl Power interesting. If you read it I hope you enjoy it.




Blurb: Fed-up with politics a group of determined women take matters into their own hands and form an all women's third party.






Excerpt: As you probably know, a certain party has reached new lows when it comes to women—women's health, women's reproductive rights and women's rights in general."All nodded."For the last year, I stood by open-mouthed, as men in the House, who hadn't a clue, passed archaic law after law, about women, as if some omnipotent wizard behind a curtain directed their actions. We know there's a Big Brother out there somewhere. It's as plain as the noses on our faces. This Big Brother is not only directing, but writing bills for Republican State legislators across the spectrum, local, state and federal. Different versions of almost the same bills are being presented and passed in various states, and when we find the source, shit's going to hit the fan."Sally took a drink of water and Kelly said, "I know. I'm boiling mad, but what can we do? It's a man's world."Sally smiled. "That's what the party chairman had the nerve to say to me. Well, that's about to change. Kelly, you said you're mad. Polls show that millions of women across the country are mad, too. Let's face it. The fact that some shadowy group has declared war on us and that a certain party is going along lockstep and barrel means there are men and even some women who don't like us. And we, as a gender, are never going to reach our full potential unless we take matters into our own hands."Jennifer raised her hand. "What're you getting at, Sally?"Before Sally could answer, Lindy touched Sally's wrist. "I'd like to respond to that, if I may."Sally sat. "Please do."Lindy smiled. "Thank you." She glanced at Jennifer. "Jennifer, right?""Yes.""Jennifer, women outnumber men in America by ten million. In two thousand and eight, women cast nine million more votes than men did. Women have political muscle. And with numerical superiority, women have the power to take over the country, literally.Men know this, but in their smug superiority don't worry about women. They have the balls and we don't. Well, they misjudged us. Men might need balls but women don't. In this climate, women are so outraged, we don't need balls. Our strength comes from within, not our sex organs. Up until now, this generation has never had a reason to assert ourselves, but things are changing. With the advent of the Tea Party, right wing legislators are getting more and more radical. Which brings me to the point of this meeting."Lindy paused for effect, "Ladies, Sally and I are proposing that we form a political party for women. Men can join. We know not all men are pigs. There are many empathetic, caring men, who can register as SAFE members. Ladies, women have the numbers and with that, we have the power to, as some politicians are so fond of saying 'Take back our country'."


Books of mine I think are pretty good, if I do say so myself:1.     French Kiss2.     Love & Seduction in Las Vegas3.     Thanks a Million4.     Sister Laurel & the Atheist5.     Playing with the Band6.     Getting Naked at the Hilton7.     Dumped!8.     Forbidden Passion9.     Naked Research10.  The Bastard Preacher11.  April Showers (Straight Erotica)12.  Obsession


That's all folks. I want to thank Daryl for allowing me to be here. I enjoyed it and hope you did to. If you have any questions, I will monitor the comment section or you can email me @ deedawning@yahoo.com

Writer vs Software on Erotic Notions

So,I'm into the swing of writing and edits and I get a phone call from my  daughter who needs her mother - now. Crap!
The pressures of life had built up on her at the moment and she needs a calmer presence. I always wonder who she's talking about when she says things like that. Calmer presence??? Me??  I'm the one who goes over and touches the paint to see if it's really wet. I've been known to push the button that says – in big bold capitals – DO NOT PUSH BUTTON.


Now I want to stay home and write but motherly guilt calls me. There must be a solution. Brilliant computer IT guy - A.K.A. hubby - suggests voice to text software. That night he downloads it and then shows me how to teach my laptop to understand me.  I followed the directions and read the texts and the software said everything was fine.
Note - I grew up in southwestern Ontario (that's near Detroit, Michigan). I have a slight regional accent, not a heavy one. No Scottish brogue or Texas drawl.
I'm set for a several hour drive to my daughter's. I drive to the border, clear customs and pull over at the nearest big parking area and set up my lap top and mic. The software put up its little icon and it says – Sleeping. How cute.I say the most intelligent thing that comes to mind – Uh- wake up.SleepingWake upSleepingF******g WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Sleeping(beginning to think I hate software.) 

Then I do what most rational people do – I start randomly banging keys on the laptop. Icon changes to "What was that?"
 oooh, there's life.
Just as I'm about to speak – it flashes across the screen – say "start talking".I swear I looked at the keyboard and yelled – "What the hell do you think I've been doing for the past five minutes?"
Silence from computer screen. (I think I insulted it.)In blood pressure rising frustration I yell – TYPE. 
It types – tight. Yes! F*****ing close enough. 
I put on my turn signal, check for traffic, pull back onto the totally empty highway and proceed to talk and drive for 30 minutes.  Below are the first few lines of my chapter – I hope you enjoy.
Tight captain eight the war listen to what is sank a ota is out if we work on a can this way. thank you for a lot of college after this is not a tight visits to eight at brain apparatus cash sheep are high and orange this is to eight bits as Monday the hot pepper 80 finds out about whether or not she
Some more delightful tidbits from the brain of my computer and three pages of brilliant gibberish – 
Dalles name is long odds of lack of paper president
men's all is the wrong on about things that green are mindless menus
reality residents living near is waning between the two S king malls over which increase size and and minds as lack the means to sign the moment is fingered those rights and C is
With brilliant prose like that – I feel a Pulitzer Prize in my future.
This is what I remembered saying – it is the unedited beginning of Chapter Eight – otherwise known as captain eight by my laptop.  This is in Thal's – the hero's - POV.
Only gone a moment, his mother, Lachesis, still stood next to the tree. The root looked more wrinkled and the cover gray. Thal's mood darkened as he stepped closer. "But Nathan threw the gun away. Is he still in danger?"Lachesis shimmered. "This root I hold is not of the life of Nathan B Millar but of the one in your domain called Capri."Thal spread his mist along the root, trying to shield it from whatever was causing it such pain. "Her life string cannot be this short.""No. It was much longer but she suffers a broken heart. The pain makes her life-force look like this as she grieves for a lost lover."His mist turned a rich shade of green. "Lover? She has had no one in her life for many years. Not since she pushed that low-life, two-timing leech of a husband out of her house."The twinkle in Lachesis' voice matched the sparkling glitter in her mist. "Tell me what you have observed about this human.""Telling you would take hours. Let me show you."


We have downloaded new text to voice software and happily daughter has had  no crisises, so I haven't tried it yet. But if there is another blog about writer vs software you may assume the worst!
What's your funniest/favourite/most annoying run in with technology or software?