Sinead MacDughlas's Blog

It's About Danged Time!

*Sinead sticks her head into the virtual room*

"Hallloooooo? Anybody around?"
I wouldn't be at all surprised if everyone has abandoned me by now. I haven't exactly been a good blogger, have I? Well, I do have a few excuses handy for that. Summer and Fall of 2014 were rather busy for me, and Winter has been a bit of a scramble so far. With the passing of the year, though, I'm finally getting the breathing space to catch up on some things, including blogging again.

Since the only things I ever claim expertise in are my own experiences, beliefs and opinions, that's what I blog about. It might not be terribly educational, but it can certainly be entertaining, on occasion. So, here come those excuses.
It's the fourth day of January, twenty-fifteen, and I'm still trying to reconcile the fact that twenty-fourteen is already over. It seemed to happen while I was sleeping…and I'm not even trying to be ironic.

Among the eventful things that happened this—I mean LAST—year: My son was assessed by a panel of pediatric specialists. Their conclusion is that he has ASD and ADHD. That's Autism Spectrum Disorder AND Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for those unfamiliar with the acronyms, (ASD is a fairly new one, used to replace all forms of Autism and Aspberger's).

Mr. Monster, as I've called him since birth, is a cuddly, bouncy, rough-and-tumble boy, and a budding dinosaur expert who seems to have a natural affinity for patterns and numbers. He loves to sing, especially happy music, and he loves to hug. Most of his challenges arise from tactile sensitivity. It affects his diet severely, as food textures are all-important to him. He also has trouble holding a pen or scissors for significant lengths of time. Holding his tongue in the correct position for certain letter sounds is also a trial for him.

So, this assessment has sparked a flurry of specialist appointments, parent-teacher meetings and research into various resources and therapies.

My husband was going through his own challenges in 2014. Having switched family doctors, he was finally able to get some logical answers to the pain he's had since back in 2012. He spent that Halloween in hospital, after his liver nearly shut down twice in two weeks. It seems that his reluctance to see a doctor about his pain allowed some gallstones the time to escape. Those escapees were missed in the removal of the gallbladder itself, which is more common than you'd think. They broke down in his system and the resulting "sand" eventually blocked a valve in his liver, requiring emergency procedures to solve the issue.

In all seriousness, we came closer to losing him than I'd like to contemplate. Those emergency measures, while saving his life, damaged his liver. Since then he's dealt with almost daily bouts of agony. Although there's nothing to do but wait while the liver heals itself over time, just having answers to our many questions is a blessing.

My daughter, the future dictator of her own small country, (or maybe a future vet, there's still time for her to decide), made some great progress last year. She was already reading with help, but can now read independently, for the most part. She's made great strides in her swimming and skating, lost her first tooth, and joined the school choir this year. The choir trip to a local senior's facility in December, to sing Christmas carols, had Miss Monkey excited for weeks before the holidays.

My own 2014 milestones included chaperoning a handful of school trips and functions, and becoming more involved in the education of my children. This was the year my parents sold their home and moved three hours away, and the year my in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! On top of that I finished writing and publishing two more books. One is the rather long romantic dramedy, (with a healthy dose of paranormal), Parting Burden . The other is the short, creepy ghost story , A Medium Rare .
I also took part in a few anthologies in 2014: Rise of the Goddess , A Taste of CHBB , and Fractured Fairy Tales .
My greatest achievement this year,  however, was quitting smoking. It happened just the day after Canadian Thanksgiving. I'd had the nasty habit, (off and on, but mostly on), for nearly 30 years.

It was easier to quit than I expected, but still one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Since quitting I've battled frequent, random, involuntary naps; and several other uncomfortable, (and that's putting it mildly), withdrawal symptoms. So part of twenty-fourteen really did pass me by while I was sleeping. I still believe it's worth it, though.

2015 has a lot in store for me. As a mom, I always have a To Do list a mile long. Lessons, therapies, homework, appointments…it's going to be another busy year. If all goes well, I'll get some answers of my own, relating to the chronic back pain that's plagued me for the past decade.

I also have books to polish this year, and more than one or two, (no, I'm not ready to give an exact number, ha-ha). I'm hoping to have at least two more of the Secret Connection Collection books available for my readers before Christmas. Of course, there are always side projects to keep me hopping.

I don't make New Year's Resolutions, but I will endeavor to blog a little more often. I can't guarantee it will be on any kind of regular schedule, and I won't make any promises as to content. I'm sure there will be more rants, personal opinions, and some expounding of my viewpoint. I know there are some people who'll insist that a regular blog is crucial for an author, but I'm not one of them. For me, any time I'm blogging is time taken away from my family,  my writing, or the necessary-evil promotions. I could blog every day, or even once a week, but I'd much rather use that time and effort for my next book-to-be-published.

I'm not knocking anyone who is an steady blogger. Pettiness, jealousy and tearing down others are a far greater waste of creative talent and energy than blogging! Some writers find a blog to be a great sidestep from works in progress. I prefer to write short stories and poems, create book trailers and posters, read, or make some crafts.

At one point I'd thought this blog would be filled with instructional material on writing and promotions, but I felt it made me appear supercilious. I may have studied writing for more than three decades, and I've held several positions where writing was a crucial part of my job, but I still wouldn't want to claim the expertise, or qualifications, to instruct others.

I'm happy to share the things I learn, as I learn them. Just understand that I don't claim to know more than anyone else on the subject. After all…
That's it for me, and today's ramble-on. Here's to 2015: Cheers I'll do my best to keep in touch more.
…
Hmmm…I think I said the same thing last year. *Bwa-ha-ha-ha!*

Drop me a comment and let me know what you'll be doing this year, or look me up on one of my social media accounts. *Hint: You'll find me on Facebook more than the others, with Twitter a somewhat distant second.*

Writing by the rules? ...Nah!

I could, with much more time and effort on my part, and that of my editors, be a technically perfect writer. With enough time and editing, anyone could, really. I could comb my manuscript for every rule of writing in The Chicago Manual of Style, or The Oxford Style Manual. I could give up all of my Canadian colloquialisms and spellings. I could narrate every story without contractions and slang. I could have every character speak without accent or inflection. I could study the common tropes and the pet peeves of readers, and break my neck ensuring I've avoided every one. I could refrain from dramatic pauses, repetitive character phrases and behaviours, and redundancies of description.
I could do all of these things at once, thereby avoiding negative reviews of my work based on the technical details of my writing.

But...have you ever read a technically perfect novel? Without being forced to do it as some sort of assignment, that is.

Flawless grammatical writing, in my opinion, ruins a book. It crushes the breath, the colour, the personality out of the characters and the storyline. It makes the narrator sound like an automaton. It renders all characters as uptight paper dolls with sticks up their backsides. It turns a story I'd enjoy reading into a test of endurance. So, to the dismay of critics everywhere, I will continue to write my books as less than technically perfect. You'll still find Canadian spellings and grammar, fifty-cent words, age-old idioms and cliches, contractions, colloquialisms, slangs, tired tropes, and dramatic pauses in my stories. I will keep using the Oxford comma at will, when I feel it fits.

You see, the editor isn't always the last line of defense. They tell the author the rules and point out where they've broken them. Some companies, however, give their authors final say on what changes are made.

Honestly, I tend to listen to my editors most of the time because, as I've said many times, I'm far from perfect. I didn't write this post because someone picked on my editing, though. I wrote it because I've seen a lot of author-bashing reviews on books I've read, based on minor technical details. These reviews are, for the most part, petty and bitter jabs at the author, and many of them totally miss the mark.

See, when someone posts a negative review about editing, it's not the author they're bashing, but the editor. The saddest part of that is many of these reviews are full of technical errors, which speaks to me. It says that these people are either trolling, or they have deluded themselves into believing they're some sort of editing savant. My work is always edited by a professional editor. However, I will continue to take artistic license and break rules to satisfy my inner artist. I write to entertain, for the readers, but I also write for me. I write because I can't not write.

I know this means I'll remain a target for critics and trolls. Maybe I'll never be famous, or rich, but that's not why I write. Anyone who isn't writing for the love of it is either hopelessly optimistic or gloriously delusional. So, I will continue to putter along and write the stories I'd want to read, and hope that a few precious readers will enjoy them too.

That said, I'm off to write. Good reading, everyone!

Sneak Peek ...

Isn't she lovely?

Meet Mel. Those of you who've read Learn To Love Me  will recognize the surname. 

She looks happy for a woman returning home under less than ideal circumstances, doesn't she? Melissa is the main character of my current WIP, and the image you see here is the base of her story's cover. I thought I'd share a little peek into this WIP with my fans, friends and family. 

If you're interested, settle in, and enjoy this rather substantial, unedited sample of my quirky take on romance. haha!
Unedited Excerpt from Chapter 3

     I inhaled deeply as I walked along the shoulder of the gravel road, repossessing the scents of freshly turned earth, wildflowers and orchards, with the tang of manure wafting in on the occasional breeze. The wild daisies, my favourite flowers, were coming up along the ditches, and patches of buttercups had taken over entire sections of fallow field. I was sorry I'd missed the few days that the lilacs were in bloom. At their peak, the scent of them would carry across the entire county, a natural perfume I adored. The apple and cherry blossoms were a delightful substitute though. I cut through the Littlestar's orchard, as I always had, to get home.
     I should have changed into my runners! I scolded myself, as my heels sank into the dirt for the twentieth time. These pumps will be garbage before I get to the house!
     The Littlestars had a field of Canola planted next to the apple orchard this year. I could barely smell the Canola at all, which I was grateful for. It smelled like musky cabbage to me, and I was never fond of cabbage.
     Before I reached the gravel road that would take me to Daddy's house, I stopped to simply lift my face to the sun and enjoy one, last, soothing lungful of the apple blossom air. It felt so good! I closed my eyes and revelled in it for a minute.
     I nearly jumped out of every layer of my skin, when I heard a click and a whirring sound! Even though my eyes had been closed, the glare of sunlight had me seeing spots when I opened them.
     "Don't move!" The man had a voice, but no face for the moment. He took several more pictures as he talked, crouching down on the edge of the road. "God, you're beautiful! Like you've stepped out of time to visit. The dress, the hat, the suitcase, you could be a ghost from the past, or an angel! Just one or two more shots, please?"
     "You never asked if you could take the first twelve. Why ask now?"
     "Ah! The vision speaks!"  The clicking stopped and he chuckled. "You're right, though, I should have asked. I'll delete every picture if you tell me to, but please don't!"
     His face was finally coming into focus. There was something familiar about the arch of his brow and crooked smile, but I couldn't place it. His hair shone golden in the sun, and his grey eyes were dancing with mischief. He hopped over the shallow ditch, took a few steps closer, and flopped on the ground, looking up at me. Setting down my suitcase with a sigh, I sat on it to keep my dress from getting grass-stained.
     "Do I know you?"
     "I doubt it. I wouldn't forget meeting an angel."
     I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, barely.
     "Name's Travis. I grew up around here and somehow I keep getting sucked back." He nodded at my suitcase-seat. "It's a nice enough place to visit, though, if you don't get duped into staying."
     "Well, Travis, I grew up here too, and I've never been so happy to see it again. You can have the rest of the world. I'm just happy to be home."
     "Awe crap, there I go sticking my foot in it again!" He had the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't mean nothin' by it, I'm just feeling the wanderlust again. Used to be I could just take off whenever I wanted, now I have obligations." The way he said it made obligations sound like an incurable disease, but I couldn't help snickering at his boyish pout.
     So, why don't I remember you?" I asked. "We must have gone to school together at some point. I mean, there was only one public school and one high school in my day." He looked to be between twenty and thirty years old.
     "Ha ha! In your day! You sound like an old woman. What are you, just twenty?"
     "Twenty five, actually, but I'll take that as a compliment."
     "Well, Miss ... what is your name anyway?"
     "Mel. Melissa Shuler."
    He scrunched up his face and stared up into the apple tree above him, as though it would tell him more about me. Then he shook his head. "I've heard the name Shuler, but I don't remember a Mel. I was never good with names, though. Well, Miss Shuler, I'd have ditched Joseph Littlestar before you graduated from Yellowhead Public, so it stands to reason we wouldn't remember each other."
     "Mel, please. I suppose we wouldn't."
     "What brings you back to Arzinacky, Mel? Come back for the reunion?"
     Ugh! I forgot about the reunion! Daddy had passed along the invitation months ago, but I'd never responded. The last thing I wanted to do was go to a party where I wouldn't remember anyone, and everyone would be judging me. It did make another good excuse to come home for a bit, though. A much better motive that running away from another failed relationship.
     "That's one reason. Nana had a nasty fall last week, and Daddy needed some extra hands to take care of her. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying. Are you back for the reunion, too?"
      "Awe hell no! He rolled his eyes and his face scrunched up again as if he'd smelled something foul. "I dropped out, senior year, so I don't really count as one of the alumni."
     I glanced at the sun. It was getting lower in the sky. I was going to be too late for a descent dinner if I didn't hurry.
     "Well, Mr. ... Travis. I'd better get going. It was ... interesting, meeting you." I stood and picked up the suitcase again. He was on his feet and snatching it out of my hand before I could stop him.
     "Here. Least I can do is walk you home. It can't be far, or you'd be wearing better shoes for walking." When I flushed, he chuckled at me. "Besides, I want to talk to you about the pictures. I want to paint you."
     "You what?"
     "With your permission, of course! I haven't done a real canvas portrait in a while, and I think a series based on these pictures could be gallery quality stuff, if I do it right." He spread his hands out to display an imaginary marquee, 'A Hitch in Time'.
     If I could have run away, I would have. The few steps I took to cover my confusion and embarrassment weren't enough to make a proper escape. They were just enough to bring me to the edge of the ditch, where one heel sank into the damp earth and sent me tumbling forward. If he hadn't thrown an arm around my waist and pulled me back into him, I'd have landed head first in the mucky bottom.
     "Oh, no you don't! Can't have your triumphant homecoming covered in mud and algae."
     I would have laughed at the perception of running home with my tail between my legs as triumphant, if I wasn't trying to swallow my heart back down from where it was lodged in my throat. Gaining my balance, I pulled myself out of his arms as quickly as I could. It was impossible to tell if he was flirting with me, or just being friendly.
      "You smell just as pretty and old-fashioned as you look. What is that perfume?
     This time I did laugh. I cackled so loudly that a flock of starlings startled and flew away. A grey squirrel chattered at me from a maple on the roadside. I laughed until my eyes began to water, and more when I rubbed away the blurred vision with the heels of my hands, to see Travis standing with his hands on his hips. He had exactly the annoyed expression and body position Nana always got when I started one of my hysterical giggling sessions for no obvious reason. If I squinted really hard, I could picture him in a housedress and apron, which only served to make me laugh even harder.
     "Are you on drugs?" He didn't sound at all amused.
     "No?" I finally managed to squeak out. "My p—." I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself together. "My p—pft! Oh, Lordy! My perfume is-is crowded bus, rye and coke and Mr. Cl-clean!"
     He blinked twice in rapid succession and calmly asked, "Original or lemon?"
     He added his own laughter to mine, and helped me over the ditch.

Please, feel free to send me feedback on the excerpt. I love to hear from readers and fellow writers. Don't be shy! There's a contact form just a click away. 

THE BRAKES ARE ON THE LEFT!

That's the left side of your brain, the one that does all the logical and analytic thinking? Please engage those brakes. Okay, now everyone off the Panic Bus. Single file please, so nobody gets hurt.

And you people over there, standing on that platform! That's the Troll Train you're about to climb onto. Nasty, dangerous thing, that. Step away from the edge of the platform, slowly, and come on over here with the rest of us. I'm just going to take a nice seat here on the tailgate of the Blogging Bandwagon, and tell you my thoughts on the 2013 Book Ban by the Great and Powerful Zon.

Okay, okay, pipe down! Everyone take a deeeeeeep breath and slowly, but steadily, engage the left side of your brain. Let's look at this with a little less mob-mentality panic, and a little more logic, alright?

Now maybe I'm seeing this from a different perspective, just because I was in internet purgatory when the whole thing started, but since I've been back I've seen more haphazard shouting in text than I'm used to on social networking. That's saying a lot, since Facebook is more often a minefield of drama and trolls than a cozy home away from home, lately.

However, it seems to me that a little logical thinking could go a long way here. Here are my thoughts, all neatly ordered in numbered points.

1. This article from back in April estimates that around 60% of the Amazon market is self-published books.
(http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/self-publishing-grabs-huge-market-share-from-traditional-publishers/)
That's a modest estimate, and doesn't even include small press and Indie groups, but it's still a huge part of their stock. Nook and Kobo? Not so much. So, really, it wouldn't do much damage to Nook and Kobo to pull all the Indie books out there, altogether, but Amazon? Amazon would be cutting their financial throats if they pulled all of the Indie books, because of a few dozen authors who flout the rules.

2. Because it really is a few authors behaving badly who started this whole snowballing disaster. If they'd simply tagged their books appropriately for content, (because honestly, who the hell wants to have an erotica pop up while searching children's books for their toddler?), and stayed within the rules and standards, none of this would be an issue. I'm not putting the blame totally on the authors, either. If the Great and Powerful Zon would just deign to make the limitations clear, it might be easier to spot those who are brazenly flouting the rules. However, their claims to publish nothing with "pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts" sound pretty lame, when 50 Shades is still raking in the money for them.

3. And that's another thing. Erotica is a huge seller right now, and Amazon knows it. You don't honestly think that in the grab for the almighty dollar, they're going to cut off lard-filled feeding tube that is the erotica market, do you? Well do you? That'd be a mighty stupid business move on their part! Aside from obviously illegal content, when it comes to sex, one reader's vanilla is another's OMFG! So, some clarification may be in the offing, but I highly doubt a complete sweeping ban is.

4. The books that are being pulled on Amazon, are being pulled for review. Nowhere have I seen anything saying that those books which pass the review won't go right back up on Amazon, afterward. HOWEVER, if everyone starts re-titling and re-uploading their books, it's an excellent way to force the company into a corner where it IS forced to pull all Indie books until a full review can be done. So how's about, (yes, I realize that isn't a phrase recognized by the dictionary), we keep the brakes on the Panic Bus, and try not to throw a knee-jerk wrench into an already complicated situation?

5. Boycotting Amazon, or returning books, in protest? Sure, the Great and Powerful Zon will feel a bite, but who's going to get hurt? The authors, that's who. Amazon is a multi-million, maybe even multi-billion, dollar company, that sells far more than just books. They can take the financial hit in the short-term. Those authors who count on the royalties to feed their families or keep their heads above water? Yeah, they're not going to do so well if everyone starts returning their books. Not to mention that it would just gum up the works even more, and slow down the review process.

My concerns? Yes, I do have them.

I worry that the Troll Train will take off in its usual overloaded, half-cocked, malicious way, and people will start "reporting" every book they lay eyes on.

I worry that the slippery slope of censorship will create an avalanche of widespread book banning.

I worry that books which contain instances of abuse, incest, rape and other very real issues will be banned offhand, without care or consideration of the context, (as in books meant to address the wrongness of the issues), and hundreds of authors will get unnecessarily slapped down.

At the moment, however, my greatest worry is that the mob mentality itself will cause such massive confusion and delay, that the existing issue will become a full-on disaster and implode the entire indie book industry.

Just think about that a minute, before you climb back on the Panic Bus. Please?

Time to Talk Turkey!

Photo by Peter Griffin. Click the photo to go to the original. It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. Just like our Southern neighbours, that means turkey, gravy, mashed 'taters', stuffing (or dressing depending on whether it's cooked in or out of the bird, I'm told), a veritable buffet of fattening desserts and treats, and a few moments to contemplate the things we are thankful for.

It's kind of sad, really, that most people's lives have become so chaotic that we only take a few minutes on special days, to remember the things we are grateful for. I try to make time every day to think about how lucky I am in my life, no matter how crazy things get.

My great failing comes in the form of not expressing that gratitude to others as often as I'd like.
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm going to list a few here off the top of my head.

I am thankful for:

Parents who taught me that dreams are wonderful things to have, but hard work is what makes them come true.

A sister who, though we don't call each other nearly often enough, knows that I love her just the same, and always will, and who loves me back.

Family and friends who know I'm a strange chick, with a twisted sense of humour, an odd perspective on life, and a loud mouth that never seems to stop flapping, but love me anyway. ♥

A husband who mostly "gets" me, works two jobs so I can work from home and chase my dreams, and still makes time for family.

In-laws who don't just put up with me, but embrace me even in my craziness. lol

Two adorable little monsters, who drive me crazy, and remind me what the world looks like from innocent eyes.

Our little home that, while it's small and cluttered, is also cozy and full of love.

The means to provide our children all of the necessities of life, and plenty of "extras".

A homeland that provides us with freedom, health care, education and safety beyond the dreams of many of the world's population.

And as an author - I am grateful for:

Readers who give my words a chance to speak to them.

Reviewers who give honest feedback.

Fans who cheer me on.

Fellow wordsmiths who encourage and support me.

Editors with seemingly endless patience. Lol

Two brilliant cover artists who can apparently read my mind.

A publisher who not only has my back, but my front and both sides, too. ;)

Two bosses who are among the coolest, most generous, and most talented women I've had the pleasure to meet, in this lifetime.

Oh sure, I can gripe and moan with the best of them. I'm far from rich, far from famous, and I have my share of troubles. Beneath all the petty bitching and moaning, though, I'm well aware that I'm one very lucky woman.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

It's Okay to be a NOOB

There are about a hundred things I should be doing right now, but I'm not. Nope. Instead, I'm here, writing this post. Why? Because, if I don't my mouth, (or fingers), are going to take off ahead of my brain, just before that brain explodes.  There are a few things I've witnessed this week that are making me a little crazier than usual.

I've done a few interviews over the past two years. Some when I was an aspiring author, more after I became an author. Nearly every one included some version of this question: "What is your advice to aspiring authors?" In most of those interviews, I answered with something about never giving up or letting anyone drag you down. I still believe in that, but a couple of years of watching people make a ton of gaffs, and making more than a few of my own, have given me a whole menu of things I could add to that answer.
I'm the first person who'll tell you I'm no expert at the author game. I'm not on any bestseller lists, and nobody's lining up to get my signature, listen to me read, or hear me speak. What I do have going for me, I hope, is an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a keen sense of observation.  So, if you'd like to hear my take on things, strap in, grab your holy-crap handles, and pay attention. I'm going to tell you what I think an aspiring author needs to know.
It's okay to be new, just don't be ignorant.
And I don't just mean ignorant as in rude, though that should be an obvious no-no. I mean don't be stupid. Don't think you can just write, self-edit, slap together your own cover, hit publish on some site and become the next big thing in Indie Publishing. It's not going to happen. If you jump into publishing on a whim, with no idea of what you are doing, you're only going to become one more wretched bit of flotsam in the great sea of online books.

Don't be a twat-waffle.
One of the worst pieces of advice I ever got was, "if you act like you know what you're doing, you'll get more respect." Bullshit! If you act like you know what you're doing, and you don't, all you'll get is a reputation for being an twat-waffle. Seriously, who doesn't get annoyed at the person who tries to bullshit everyone around them? If you're going to learn anything about becoming an author, you need to admit you don't know shit about becoming an author, and then do something about it.

Find a writers' group and join it.
Find five or six. Creep the threads. Read other people's posts. You don't have to jump in there with all your newbie enthusiasm right away or anything. Watch the group interact. Read the advice they give each other. Learn some things. When you feel comfortable you can jump in and ask some questions, but the first thing you do is tell them that you're new at this. You'll get more answers and a better reception. Trust me.

Find a mentor.
That was better advice, but not every author out there is going to have the time, energy or, (let's be honest), inclination to hold your hand all the way to publication. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's technically impossible for a single author to know every secret of becoming a successful author. Get several mentors. You don't even have to ask them to be your mentors. If you pay attention to enough authors who post about writing, editing and promoting on their social networks and blogs, you'll learn so much more. You'll also avoid the possibility that your single mentor might turn out to be a twat-waffle in disguise.

Get some critics.
No, I don't mean a couple of friends who'll read your stuff and gush about how brilliant you are, (though having a few of those can keep you from giving up, sometimes). I mean wild-eyed, ravenous readers who get migraines from a misplaced comma. I mean someone who will take a red pen to your work with an evil cackle of joy, and tell you when something is crap. Again, get a few. What one person doesn't like, another might think is absolute brilliance. You just want to make sure they'll tell it to you straight. Go ahead and have a quiet tantrum about what they said. Cry a little if it helps. Just DO NOT post about it on a public profile. When you're done, suck it up and get to work on fixing it.

Buy this book: 
http://www.amazon.ca/Chicago-Manual-Style-16th-Edition/dp/0226104206

It's the one most of the industry relies on for editing. Use it when you self-edit. Don't trust that critique partner to know it. Not everyone is an editor. You won't be either, but you will have some clue about how to fix what that critique partner pointed out.

I am a terrible self-editor, and doing it makes my teeth itch. But, I know I have to make my submissions as clean as possible. So I have several people proof-read for me, and then I pay an editor to fix what they may have missed.

Hire an editor.
This is important. Even editors hire editors for their writing. That's how important it is. Not everyone can afford an editor, I know, but if you're serious about becoming an author, an editor is a key factor in your success and an investment you need to make. It doesn't matter if you're self-publishing or submitting to a publisher. It doesn't! Either way, you need that debut to be in the best possible shape before it goes anywhere.

Pay someone to make your cover.
PLEASE! If you write a brilliant book, and slap a cover on it that looks like someone Photoshopped vomit onto paper, and then coloured it in with Sharpies, you will fail. If you take a standard stock picture and slap some text on it, you will fail. People will judge your book by its cover. Unless you are a graphic artist, you don't know covers. Believe me. I did graphic design for five years, for newspapers and other print mediums. I hire a cover artist. Why? Because I know ads, but I don't know shit about book covers. I tried to make my own. They were awful. If you aren't going with a publisher, (who should be providing you with a cover), hire a cover artist.

This is a big one, ready? Listen up now: NEVER RESPOND TO LOW-STAR REVIEWS.
Period. Unless you know how to thank a person for giving you a one-star review without a backhanded, "Thanks for your opinion", just don't. I don't care if they never read the book. I don't care if their review wasn't even about the book. Even if they said you have herpes, crooked teeth, a bad weave, and a twisted relationship with your brother-in-law's housecat, just don't do it! Reviewers like that are asshats. It's pretty easy to see that asshattery is afoot when a single sentence review, with a single star, shows up on your book. Responding to it will only make you look like a petulant diva who doesn't give their readers credit for having half of a brain cell. I'm not saying all one-star reviews are done by asshats, either. It could simply be that someone *gasp* didn't like your book! Not everyone is going to love what you write. I'm sure that woman who wrote that vampire series is too busy counting her millions to care about reviews, at all. Don't question the reviewer, don't comment on the review, and NEVER call the reviewer out. I saw this happen just this week, and it escalated into a major drama no one needed.

Note: I ignored my own advice on this one. Yup. I sure did. I had a reviewer who gave me low-star review based on shoddy editing and I emailed that reviewer privately. Why? To thank them for trying, and to offer them the re-edited re-release of the book, (long story, feel free to ask me about it, sometime), if they wanted to give it another chance. They turned the offer down, but they did commend me on my professional handling of the situation. Did they remove the review? No. Should they? Hell, no! Reviews are the opinion of the reader. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and no one can say that opinion is wrong.

Do NOT succumb to the mob mentality.
I saw this happen this week, too. If someone posts about a pirate site, check it out and make sure it's actually a pirate site, and not just one that links to Amazon, or some other legitimate sale site. If someone posts about an author being bullied, don't jump into the fray with blazing swords and flying, verbal fists. Check it out for yourself. Make sure that you've got all of the information, before you join the battle or choose a side.

I had this fantastic history teacher in my first high-school. His name was Mr. Winter. I'll never forget one of the things I learned in his class. It was about perspective. I don't think he told us this outright. If I remember correctly, he set us on the path to figuring it out for ourselves. It was a lesson on propaganda. Until that day, in my seventeenth year, it had never once occurred to me that the German soldiers in WWII thought we were the aggressors and oppressors!  It's what they were told by those they trusted.

With social media, we've gained a lot of perspective on events around the world, but we've lost a lot of perspective as well. I've mourned the demise of journalistic integrity and detachment for a few years, now. When I was younger I wanted to be a journalist. Now I can't even bring myself to check the news most days. Not because I don't want to be informed, but because the reporting is so tainted by the perspectives of the media, I don't know what to believe any more.

When someone we trusts tells us about an injustice, we tend to choose the same side as our friends, without seeking further information. Just remember, there are three sides to every story, the only way to get to the third, the truth, is to investigate both of the others.

That's it from me, for now. Hopefully someone found this helpful or, at the very least, entertaining. Ciao for now!

~Sin

And the winner is...

There were 151 entries in the First Birthday Giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I put all of the entry numbers through Random.org and #129 was selected, which makes KJ Partridge the winner of the swag pack and eBook!

I do love to give away prizes, so keep watching my Facebook Fan page, https://www.facebook.com/SinMacD.Writer
for more giveaways in the future.

Happy reading, everyone! xo
~Sin

P.S. Okay, now that I've proved how technically inept I am... *sheesh!*
Since this is the first time I've used Rafflecopter, I failed to understand that the program picks a winner for me. So I've done that and Tina Connor Myers also wins the swag pack and eBook. Sorry for the mix-up, Tina!

First Birthday Giveaway!

Learn To Love Me celebrated its first birthday, yesterday. I was away most of the day, and it just didn't feel like a birthday without presents, so I'm going to give some away now. 

I've set up a Rafflecopter to make it super easy. You have until midnight tomorrow to enter. Have at it! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spamming Spammy Spamerson

We authors are all guilty of it. Come on, you know you've done it at least once! I openly admit I have. I know, I know, you were in a hurry; on your way out the door; trying to do fifty things at once; your finger slipped; your mouse went crazy; you forgot; the dog/cat/rabbit/hamster startled you etc. ~Man, that felt good! All those semi-colons I've had to edit out of my work in one sentence! Bah-ha-ha!~

Spamming is so easy to commit, and sometimes it's hard to see the extremely fine line between spam and promotion. In fact, I've seen authors tagged for spam who scrupulously avoid it, just because they do so much promotion that people begin to tune them out, or get annoyed.
So, my purpose here is to help you see that fine line. With any luck, some of the people who are so quick with the spam button will relax a little, as well.

What is spam?

Well, it's different things to different people, really, but are some universally agreed upon rules I can share with confidence.
The main rule is to establish a relationship. You do that by making the posts personal. Direct them at the audience. Talk TO them, not AT them. How do you do that? Ask them a question. Make them laugh. Share a tidbit about you. Don't just slap up a link to your book and pray that people will buy it.

Also, try to avoid sounding like a Pompous Pete or a Wilting Wilma.  You know Wilting Wilma.  She's the one who starts all of her posts with, "Look, I really hate to do this self-promo thing, but ..."

Listen up, Wilma! Nobody enjoys doing promo. No one likes having to toot their own horn just to gain a few readers, but if you're new at the writing game, it's an evil necessity. If you don't promote, no one is ever going to read your book. But knock it off with stating the painfully obvious, okay?

And Pompous Pete? Nobody likes a braggart. Take a moment away from admiring your three G's, (Grace, Gorgeousness and Genius), in the virtual mirror. Now,  remind yourself that unless you're Stephen King, ~no, the other  Stephen King , teehee~ J.K. Rowling, Anne Rice, Piers Anthony, Neil Gaimon, or some other instantly recognized celebrity, you're just as lowly as the Newbie Author to a reader who's never heard of you. ~Wow, that was a long sentence!~ *heaves*  
Now, remember that readers are, for the most part, intelligent, educated people who can smell bullshit a mile away. They aren't buying your "I'm the greatest author you've never heard of!" crap.

Here's the tricky, time-consuming part. After you've posted, people might "like" retweet, +1, comment, pin or repin, and so on. Now you can do a little happy dance sans video, ~heehee Catherine~, and bask in the glow of the acknowledgement, but, when you're done celebrating, you'll want get your backside back online and acknowledge the acknowledgement! Thank the people who comment, or at the very least, "like", +1 or whatever.

And PLEASE, by all that is good and right in the world, STOP sending your book purchase link in the first private message to anyone who's just friended, followed, circled or pinned you!  ~Thanks for the reminder on this point, Joseph.~ Do you go to house parties and ask people you've just met for money? Do you shake their hand, and say, "Hi, I'm Pushy Primadonna, the author. Wanna buy my book?" NO! Just NO! Nobody does that, at least not seriously!

Treat your social networks like a giant house party. You meet someone, you chat a little, find some common ground, and then you tell them what you do. You don't shove your book into their hands and try to pick their damned pocket!

Amuse the readers; intrigue the readers; hell, romance the readers. Just stop slapping them upside the head with your latest literary masterpiece and expect them to thank you for it!

And while we're in the house party analogy, please stop posting your book link or that of your author-friends on other authors' fan pages! Does anyone remember this little asshat move?

 
Sure, we laughed about it, after, but who wasn't mortified when it happened? Don't do it! Even if you have the owner of the page's permission, you come off looking like Mr. Pompous Pete! You might also want to actually check the Facebook groups you post your promos in, once in a while. Some of them really don't like promo posts, and they tend to put that in their "About" file. Maybe, when you join those groups, you can make yourself a little list in Word or Notepad of which ones are going to virtually spank you if you promo there. Or if you're not sure, just don't post!  There is no faster ticket to Facebook jail than posting in a "no promo" group.   You have been warned!
My last bit of advice: change it up a little. Listen, I'm one of the most supportive, patient people you're likely to meet online, but even I want to reach through the monitor and throttle that guy who posts the same promo post to a hundred pages, day after day! Change the wording a little bit, dammit! Not only will you stop annoying everyone on the internet, but Facebook's screening system might miss the fact that you're sending the same link to all and sundry.

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm no expert at this stuff, and I'm just as guilty of doing some of these things as anyone else. How do you think I figured out what not to do? That's right, I learn most things the hard way. So, take it from someone who's had her spankings: proceed with caution when it comes to promotion. Remember: the easily offended and annoyed shall inherit the "report" button.

If anyone would like to add what I've missed, or their own definition of spam, please do. I love getting your comments and advice!

**One last note: Yes, I know I used a lot of italics and exclamation marks. I do that when I'm excited or annoyed, and as I wrote this I became increasingly annoyed.

OMFG! A ONE STAR REVIEW?!?

Everyone handles criticism differently, I suppose. The various reactions depend on the topic of the criticism, the method in which it's delivered, and the personality of the recipient. Like all most sensitive artists, my initial reaction to criticism isn't pretty. I hold my breath for a second, and my face gets red while I fight off a tear or two. Moments later, denial pops around for a minute. After that, of course, self-righteous anger invites itself over for a hot cuppa.
I won't deny that my gut reflex is to take criticism badly. I'm only human, after all. Well, at least I pass as human. Ha ha!

After my five or ten minutes of emotional Twister, however, I settle down and take another look. Now that I've got my little tantrum out of the way, I can approach the situation with more logic and professionalism. What does the review actually say? What kind of review is it? Who wrote it?


I'd guess that a lot of you answered my second question, if not out loud, at least mentally. I also expect the answer was something like, "It's a one star review, dummy! It's a negative review!"
Now, you're all entitled to your opinion here, but I'm going to disagree with slapping the word 'negative' on one, two and three star reviews. Before you all go getting your gotchies in a bunch,  give me a chance to explain.

I believe there are six types of book review.

1. Fake Negative (1-3 Stars):

Yes, I know they exist. In fact, I read one not long ago. The reviewer panned a book and gave all kinds of reasons why they didn't like it, but I'd also read the book and knew the characters and plot. That review was so chock full of misinformation that I could only assume it had been written based on the blurb, or the first five pages. No, it wasn't my book. It was, to be honest, a book I didn't care for, either. It wasn't that the book was poorly written, I just couldn't get emotionally invested in it. I can only assume the review was written by someone with a personal grudge against the author, or by someone who was jealous of the author's success with that book.

2. Negative (1-3 Stars):

These exist, too. In my mind, a negative review is one with a low rating and there is no explanation of why a low rating was given. Either that, or the reasoning is feeble and vague.

3. Critical - (1-4) Stars:

Not every writer or author will agree with me, but I love the critical review! Let's face it, not everyone is going to like my writing. Some people are going to downright hate my writing. Taste is subjective, and that's good! Wouldn't the world be a horribly dull place if everyone liked the same things? What takes a review from negative to critical is how it's written. A reviewer who gives me one star and tells me why they didn't like the story is just as appreciated as the reader who gives me five stars. In some cases the critic is more appreciated. Why? Because the critic gives me direction. Without criticism, how would I know where I can improve? Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to rush out and rewrite my books every time someone tells me what they didn't like about them. I will consider their opinion and decide if they have validity, though, before I write my next project.

I've never claimed to be brilliant and I'm certainly not perfect. I'm simply a lifelong student of the craft. Every day, I learn something new about writing. Some of those lessons become incorporated into my work; some do not. To disregard all criticism offhand, however, would be the height of arrogance.

4. Positive Critical (3-4 Stars)

In retail management, I learned a review method fondly referred to as the shit sandwich. That's where the manager tells an employee where they're screwing up, between giving them positive feedback on two or more things they're doing well. So it's postive-critical-positive. I'm a big fan of this technique. It helps the writer improve their craft, while still making them feel good about their work. The key to a good positive-critical review is keeping the criticism constructive.

Watch for the shit sandwich the next time you're reading book reviews, and try not to snicker when you see them. I dare you. Ha ha!

5. Positive (4-5 Stars)

Don't we writers love this one? Of course we do! Positive reviews are why we get out of bed on any given day. They're what keep us going back to the laptop, desktop, typewriter, (yes, some writers still use those), or notebook, to work on a new manuscript. An excellent positive review, just like a solid critical review, tells us why. I keep a document of my positive reviews on my laptop. On days when I feel the frustration of being a virtual unknown in the writing world, I read those reviews over again and I find the drive to keep going. Positive reviews feed the muses.

6. The Courtesy Review (4-5 Stars)

Hell, we'll take them! No author, in their right mind, is going to complain about a 4 or 5 star review! This reviewer gave us the nod, but they didn't tell us why. Maybe they just felt sorry for us, or maybe they felt some kind of obligation to be generous. Maybe they're a friend on social media, or in real life. Maybe they loved the last book and felt like it would be cruel to tell us they didn't love the next one. Deep down, some of us will wonder whether we deserved that high rating. Sometimes, it's everything a writer can do not to pester that reviewer for more, more more!

So if you're a reader who reviews, please think about what kind of review you're going to give before you begin. If you're an author, try not to let the criticism get you down, but if you can't do that, at least try to avoid calling any 3 star or less rating negative, until you've determined whether it really is.

Happy reading and writing, everyone!