Kate Collins's Blog, page 224

First Time Fathers

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed



The past few days I've been riveted to the news networks waiting for the royal baby to be born. The tiny prince has arrived, the new family is home, and this photo says a lot about first time dads. Can't you just sense the intense concentration?

New moms seem to naturally know how to care for their babies. But with dads, well, there's a learning curve, from the first feeding to changing those nappies.

Ah, memories. And precious moments.

I'm really looking forward to watching the little guy grow up, just as I did his father.

 

Road Diary

by Maggie Sefton


Off the road after 11 days travel which took me to New York City first for the ThrillerFest conference and then to Atlanta, GA, for several days for the very large RWA conference (Romance Writers of America).  Nearly 3000 attend that conference.   (Photos taken at the Awards Dessert)    
At ThrillerFest I was on a panel with seven other novelists discussing how to Keep the Suspense Going Until the End.  I spoke about DEADLY POLITICS.  With a panel that large, the sizable audience had a chance to hear several different opinions and author strategies.  Of course, I had the chance to re-connect with other mystery and suspense writers, which is always fun.  But what I enjoyed the most during my stay in New York City (thankfully before the horrid heat wave) was getting to spend two great evenings with daughter Melissa.  Good food, good wine, and great sharing conversations.  Moms always treasure times like that with our kids.

I arrived in Atlanta two days before the RWA conference began, so I stayed at a really nice Best Western Plus near the airport which had lots of amenities and restaurants attached, but it also offered peace and quiet.  That was perfect because I was working on a manuscript at the time.  Once Tuesday July 16th arrived, I switched over to the Downtown Atlanta Marriott Marquis (VERY nice indeed) and dove into the High Energy river that is RWA.  (Sail at the Marriott Marquis Pulse Bar which changes colors throughout the evening) 

Hundreds and hundreds (nearly 3000) Readers and writers from all over the country and the world.  RWA writers write ALL---and I do mean ALL---types of fiction:  romance in all forms (contemporary, historical, fantasy, paranormal, futuristic, romantic suspense, and erotica)  as well as mystery, suspense, steampunk, epic fantasy, vampires, werewolf's (or weres), shapeshifters of every description, Elvin fantasy for adults AND almost as many for Young Adults and New Adults.  With all these writers and readers RWA literally starts as early as 7:30 for breakfast then bam!  You're into the workshop sessions.  And there are seven to ten sessions offered each hour!  All day each day.  Whew!  (View into the upper atrium and floors above).

But the chance for brainstorming and exchanging ideas and learning new things and hearing first word on new trends bubbles everywhere.  It's exciting, actually.  Of course, evenings are best spent meeting totally new people and finding out what they're doing and discovering ALL kinds of connections!  That happens all the time at RWA.  It truly is a remarkable conference.  No other conference is like that.  Everytime I would sit down next to a stranger, I made a totally new acquaintance and connection.

There was a HUGE (over 450 authors) Literacy Booksigning on Wednesday evening before sessions began which was open to the public.  All proceeds go to local literacy organizations.  This last photo is of a devoted reader of the Kelly Flynn Mysteries who drove in from Tennessee with her two kids Gabrielle and Ben.   It was such fun to see them there!    Have any of you ever attended a writers or readers conference or convention?

A Pox on Candy Crush

by Kate Collins

I love the game Candy Crush Saga. No, wait. I hate it. I hate that it sucks holes in my day, that it clamps onto my brain and will not let go, that it drains the battery on my iPhone in the blink of an eye. I hate that I love it. I hate that the inventors know how to draw you in, like drug dealers.

At first they make it easy to score a hit. It feels so good that you want to score another hit, and you do. They sweet-talk you along the way, too. "Sweet" the honey-toned voice coos to you. "Divine," he says when you hit a vein of four candies of the same color. "Candy crush!" he shouts gleefully when you hit pay dirt.

And then you're hooked. You can't stop. You have to play just one more game, score just one more win to move to the next level. Slowly, insidiously, the levels become more challenging, the wins harder to achieve. But you press on because you know what a rush it is to reach a new high.

So you keep playing, determined to feel that rush again. And then they pull the rug out from under you, lccking you out, forbidden to play more until you gain more lives.  It might be half an hour, it might be twenty minutes. Whatever it is, it's a blessing in disguise. It releases you from your addiction. It forces you to look around, realize an hour has gone by and you haven't moved.

The worst part is when you've completed a level and are forced to either pay 99 cents to unlock the next level or coerce friends on Facebook to help out. It's the one aspect of the game that really irks me.

When I began to see the Candy Crush screen on my eyelids when I lay down to sleep at night, I knew I was in trouble. When the print on my emails began to blur, I knew I was ruining my eyesight. So I've limited myself to two rounds per day, and I'm now going through withdrawal.

But yesterday, a friendly librarian told me about a new game called Tiny Towers. I'm going to check it out. Maybe it won't be so addicting or so frustrating.

Are you addicted to any games? What's your poison of choice?

I Am Robert Galbraith ... Or Maybe Just Cuckoo

by Leann

The biggest author joke on social media sites this past week was authors who claimed their pen name was Robert Galbraith. See, that's JK
Rowling's new pseudonym (complete with fake bio). She claimed in the bio to be a soldier. Then some reporter researched this writer named Robert Galbraith and decided he described women's clothing too well. Had to be a woman. And so it all came out. Now, this book that had sold between 500 and 1500 copies since its release, is a mega bestseller.

When this story broke, we also heard about the "embarrassed" publisher who rejected the Galbraith crime novel who offered what so many writers have heard in their rejection letters over and over--the writing is competent but it just didn't stand out in a competitive market. How many times did I hear
that in the decade it took me to get published? I don't remember the number because it was A LOT. It is standard rejection letter verbiage.

I am sure Rowling had her own reasons for taking this path. Does it mean she wrote an average novel at best that will now make a gazillion dollars because of who she is? Some may think so considering the poor sales of the book before people knew who really wrote the book. I don't think so. What it means to my way of thinking is that she is a good writer who had to deal with what we as writers all deal with--a tough playing field where standing out among the crowd is extremely difficult. Hearts are broken every day in this business and not many people realize it.

When I submitted my work to agents and editors over and over and over, I hoped someone, anyone, would see that I could be trusted to write a good book--and write a good book more than once. No matter how much I knew in my heart that I was more than capable, I had to get the right person to believe in me. And believing in strangers is difficult at best. I am grateful I found that one person in the industry (my current editor), but I am still bothered it took so long.

And another thing that bothers me? I won't be making a million dollars anytime soon because I am NOT Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling. I am just a writer who had a dream. Don't get me wrong. She worked hard to get where she is today. But I think all published writers work just as hard.

Any thoughts? Will you be buying this book that you might never have heard of prior to the revelation? And do you think her real identity might have been leaked by someone other than an investigative journalist?

The Geek In Me

By Heather

There are a few things that totally geek me out. And most of them revolve around office supplies. I can spend hours in a supply store. Hours. I never minded school shopping for the kids, and when I need printer paper or ink, I’m more than happy to toddle off to the store to buy some. And ten other things. Ooh, funky paperclips. Notebooks galore. And heaven help me, the pens. Oh, the pens.
But even more than pens (I know this is going to be hard to believe), I geek out over day planners. That’s right. I live and breathe by my planner. I’m still old-school, so I use a paper planner, not an electronic one. It’s the biggest tool that keeps my days organized and therefore keeps me sane (I'm all for sanity these days).
Because I use an academic day planner (July-July), this is the season for me to pick out a new one at my local Staples. Oh, the choices. Sometimes it comes down to eenie meenie miny moe to choose one, but this year I went by the inside pages. They have adorable flowers on them. 
This is the outside. Isn’t it cute (you can't tell by the pic, but the purple flowers are iridescent)?


What do you geek out over?

Made in USA

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

And so this week I ran out of toothpicks.  It had been quite a long time since I'd bought any. Years.  Maybe even 5 years because I bought a box at the Dollar Store.  The box had 1500 toothpicks, and until this year, I didn't use more than one or two a week.

(And where did I start using them?  With "pigs in a blanket."  Wrapping puff pastry around cocktail wieners.  Preferably Zswiegle's cocktail hot dogs, which we only seem to be able to buy at holiday time, and let me tell you, next November and December I will be buying MEGA packages of the little doggies and freezing them.  If you've only tried Vienna cocktail wieners or Hillshire Farm cocktail wieners, then you are not eating the best there is ... but that's another story.)

But after so many years I discovered we were almost out of toothpicks.

I don't know about you, but after all the food disasters in China, I distrust anything edible item that comes out of that country. A couple of years ago we went to Sam's Club and found a great price on frozen Atlantic Cod and bought a package.  Except, when we got home and read the fine print, we found that the ATLANTIC COD came from China.  Excuse me, but even I, who am geographically challenged, know that China is nowhere near the Atlantic Ocean. 

We tossed that fish into the trash.

So the other day when I went in search of toothpicks, I decided I would only settle for Made In The USA picks.  And really, if our economy is ever going to recover, don't we NEED to support products made in the USA?

Ah, but the choices were not that great.  My local grocery store had about five different Diamond toothpick products, but only ONE was made in the USA.  They were the multicolored Party Picks.   As these toothpicks are multi-colored, I'm not sure just how safe they are, but I feel better knowing they were made in the USA, where quality control is much stricter.

I've gotten to the point in life where cheap is no longer the criteria for the food I put in my body. The older I get, the more I want to cling to life, and eating stuff from China, where the safety standards are low, if not totally nonexistent  (or genetically modified food from Monsanto), just doesn't cut it for me.  Every summer I try to grow at least a tiny portion of my own food because I know it won't have pesticides or any other contaminants in it.  (And what I don't eat, I freeze for the winter.)

I did pay more for the toothpicks.  About a dollar more than I would have paid at the dollar store, but you know what?  My peace of mind is worth a lot more than a buck.  And if my tiny purchase could keep one American worker in a job for even one minute, it was well worth it.

How have you supported our economy by buying American?

Just... cuteness

Sorry, can't help myself. I have to share the cute.


Our back yard has become a haven for wildlife. Over the past couple of months we've seen ducklings, baby robins, and now bunnies. We've also caught sight of coyotes and hawks as well, but -- so far, at least -- all the little ones have been spared.
Today, then, I'm sharing a few shots of the cuties who have been born in our back yard. Hope you enjoy the pics!


We loved watching the robins come feeding their young. This nest was built right outside my kitchen window, so I was able to keep a close eye on the parents' comings and goings and of the chicks growth and progress.

I think those little ones were always hungry.
Hmmm.... a lot like *my* little chickies!


The momma bunny had six little offspring and we've watched her coddle and nurse them, right in the middle of our yard, as though she knew she was safe. That we wouldn't bother her or them.

This little guy in the picture to the right was the bravest of her kids. He/she stared right at us and moved around as though daring us to make a move.

His brother/sister in the photo above (far right) kept his/her ears back and never even twitched, as though silently hoping we wouldn't notice.

They've been frolicking in our yard for the past week or so. I've learned my lesson the hard way, and I've put all my delicious herbs and tasty-to-rabbit plants out of their reach. They seem to be fattening plenty well on grass, so I don't feel guilty.

Do you have any critters living in your back yard?

Serendipity or Karma?

by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed

As a new singleton, I'm pushing myself way past my introverted comfort level, which
is...well...uncomfortable. My apartment complex had it's summer picnic on Saturday. Right up until the last minute, I tried to talk myself out of going.

"You don't know anybody! They will be clustered in tight-knit circles. You'll be on the outside looking in again," said the insecure me.

"You don't have to stay long. Put on your big girl pants and make a showing," reasoned the part of me who had looking forward to this when I first signed up.

"K."

Sure enough, all the tables in the community room were round and jam packed and nobody called out to me to join them. Now what? My mind had another conversation.

"Turn tail and run!"

"Grow up. Figure it out."

I looked up from an imaginary spot on the floor and noticed a door leading to a courtyard where I discovered staff members grilling chicken and hamburgers and corn on the cob.

And four people sitting at a square table. For some strange reason there was a whole side empty. Before my head could offer conflicting advice, I sat down.

The conversation was stilted, awkward, slow to start, but soon I realized none of them knew each other either. Then the person directly across from me said directly to me, "Do you want to learn Spanish? Because I do."

Now, let me tell you that I bought Spanish for Dummies recently and I've been practicing with an online site, and I'd pretty much given up on learning this amazing language on my own.

"YES!" I practically shouted. We went inside where I met the woman who will teach us, and we found two others to join our class, and suddenly these people are in my life. When I questioned the person who started it all, he wasn't sure why he asked me that question. It just popped into his head. Anyway, we'll meet every Thursday to learn conversational Spanish. I'm taking it slow and not going in with a lot of expectations, but suddenly this new life has all kinds of possibilities.

So was it a happy accident or was more going on here? Dumb luck or fate, fluke or meant to be, or an accidental walk under a sprinkling of fairy dust? Whatever occurred, I'll take what has been offered with gratitude.

And it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't put myself out there.

Have you had an experience like this? A time when you really had to shove and push yourself? And you were able to write a happy ending?

Self-Publishing A Wilder Rose

Note from Maggie:  Marvelous mystery author Susan Wittig Albert is guest-posting today.  I loved this post, and I hope you do, too!


Susan Wittig Albert is the author of the China Bayles Mysteries, The Darling Dahlias Garden Club series, The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and the Robin Paige Victorian-Edwardian mysteries, coauthored with Bill Albert. In addition, she has written two memoirs, two books of nonfiction, and over sixty YA novels.

Since I announced that I’m publishing my new standalone historical/biographical novel through my own press, I’ve been fielding questions. Why? Couldn’t you find a publisher who wanted the book? Are you leaving your mystery publisher? Are you giving up your mysteries? What’s going on here?  Thanks to my friends at Cozy Chicks for giving me a few moments to answer some of these questions.
A Wilder Rose. This biographical novel (coming in September) is about two women: Rose Wilder Lane and her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder. If you’ve read and enjoyed the Little House books—written in the depths of the Depression—you’ve read their work. What you probably didn’t know was that the books would not have been written if it hadn’t been for Rose, who was a much-published writer of magazine fiction and nonfiction, newspaper feature stories, travelogues, novels, biographies, and ghostwritten books. Rose took her mother’s stories about her childhood (judged by agents and editors to be unpublishable) and fashioned them into the books we love. They were published under her mother’s name, for reasons the novel explores. Over the eight decades since their publication, Laura has been regarded as an untutored literary genius who—suddenly, in her sixties—bloomed into an accomplished children’s author, the heroine of her own myth, the Laura myth.

A Wilder Rose tells a different story—the real story. Here’s why I decided to publish it myself.
Telling the story—my way
The project began in the usual way: I wrote a proposal and three sample chapters and my agent (Kerry Sparks at Levine/Greenberg) sent the package to two dozen editors. Some of them liked it, some of them loved it, and we got an offer and a couple of strong bites. But every editor had a different idea about how the novel should be shaped—and all of their suggestions moved the story farther away from its true-life base. Mostly, they were concerned that the story would alienate lovers of the Laura myth. They wanted me to preserve the myth or tell another Laura story (as if we didn't already have lots of them!)
But biographical fiction (think The Paris Wife, Loving Frank, The Aviator’s Wife) has to be rooted in reality. To write A Wilder Rose, I relied on Rose’s unpublished diaries and Laura’s letters to set the record straight. That was the true story I wanted to tell, not the story the editors wanted me to write.
Telling the story—now
I've been in the writing business for nearly three decades. I know how it works. If I had sold the book to the first legacy publisher who expressed an interest, it would be another 18 months before it saw print—six months to a year longer, if the editor asked for large-scale changes. I had been working on this project off and on since the late 1980s, and steadily for the past two years. I was feeling urgent about it, and impatient. I wanted to get Rose's story out there—now, not in 2015 or 2016!
Selling the story—myself
It's no deep, dark secret that legacy publishers do scant marketing of most books. Bottom line: if A Wilder Rose went to one of the Big Five publishers, the novel would get a marketing blitz so small it would barely register on anybody's radar. I'd be out there selling the story myself. If I'm going to do that, why not go the whole way? And if I'm going to do all that extra marketing work (it is work, believe me), I'm more than happy to pocket the rewards: a higher royalty rate and a payout measured in weeks, not years. Rose, who carefully managed her own writing career, would appreciate that.
So I requested (and got) endorsements from leading Wilder/Lane researchers.  And I’ve been working to get the book noticed by reviewers and book bloggers by sending out ARCs and posting the e-galley to NetGalley. I’ll also be mailing postcards to libraries and bookstores. And of course I’m using Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. And hey—it’s turning out to be fun!
Learning new stuff
Authors now have many more options than we had when I sold my first YA novel in 1984. In fact, there's so much going on in publishing these days that it's hard to keep up with it. Print-on-demand has revolutionized production; online bookselling has revolutionized marketing; digital books have revolutionized distribution. Knowledge empowers, and I always get a huge kick—a psychological boost--out of learning new ways to do things. What's more, I have the feeling that things are moving so fast that if I don't jump in and start learning now, I'll be in way over my head when I finally get around to it.
Doing it both ways
Here in Texas, we have a saying: "Dance with the one that brung ya.” I'll continue with my two mystery series for Berkley's Prime Crime, while I self-publish historical fiction and republish some of my earlier work. So look for more of the same from me, if that comforts your soul—and more of something different, if that lights your fire.
Meanwhile . . .
While you're waiting for September and A Wilder Rose, check out the book’s website,which offers biographical material, photos, and more about the story behind the Little House books. And if you have questions, please comment and I’ll try to respond.

The July 2013 Report

Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report: July 2013. This month we introduce three new series. * * * * *
Final Sentence by Daryl Wood Gerber is the first book in the new "Cookbook Nook" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, July 2013

In need of a change, Jenna Hart leaves the high-pressure world of advertising to help her aunt Vera open a culinary bookshop and café. Back with her family in Crystal Cove, California, Jenna seems to have all the right ingredients for a fresh start--until someone adds a dash of murder.

As a marketing expert, Jenna wants to make sure the grand opening of the Cookbook Nook draws a crowd, and no one is better at getting attention than her old college roommate, celebrity chef Desiree Divine. But when Desiree arrives in quiet Crystal Cove to do a cookbook signing, the diva stirs up more trouble than business...especially when she turns up dead.

Known for stealing husbands and burning bridges, Desiree left behind plenty of suspects--including Jenna. Though the celebrity's life always appeared to be an open book, Jenna will have to read between the lines in order to clear her name, and catch a killer before another body is served cold.

This is a great beginning to a delightfully charming series set in Crystal Cove. We meet Jenna whose return home is marred when her college roommate is murdered and she becomes the primary suspect. With an antagonist on the loose, Jenna will have to find a killer before her goose is cooked; and she doesn’t even cook.

Having read Daryl’s alter ego, Avery’s “Cheese Shop” series, I had high hopes for this new series and Daryl succeeded in writing a wonderfully crafted whodunit that quickly became a page turner thanks to a great setting, a feel-good atmosphere, engaging dialogue and an eclectically quirky cast of characters. This was a good mystery with plenty of suspects that had me guessing throughout most of this exciting drama. Bonus for me was the mention of other book titles or authors that I enjoy reading; puts me right in the middle of the story. This is a great read and a welcome addition to the cozy genre and I look forward to the next book in this exciting new series.

You can visit Daryl at www.darylwoodgerber.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book, in hopes I would review it. Yarn to Go by Betty Hechtman is the first book in the new "Yarn Retreat" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, July 2013

When Casey finds out that her late aunt’s business, Yarn2Go, has one more yarn retreat scheduled, she decides to go ahead and host the event, despite her complete lack of experience as a knitter. At least the retreat is on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula.

But the idyllic setting is soured when a retreat regular is found murdered in her hotel room. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Casey begins to weave the clues together and detects a pattern which may shed light on her aunt’s suspicious death. Despite the danger, the last thing Casey plans to do is retreat. She’ll catch this killer...or dye trying.

This is one of those books with a comfortable tone that flows evenly and the more I read in this lighthearted whodunit, the more the suspense kept me turning the pages as I need to know how it was all going to end. Was Casey going to repeat her lot? Did she have it in her to continue? Could she solve this crime?

This book was a delightful read and the author did a good job in delivery a nicely knitted yarn where the setting was idyllic, the dialogue entertaining and the cast that included Casey, Lucinda and hunky Dane was fun to watch as they interacted with the secondary cast which made this murder mystery pleasantly appealing and a good start to this debut series.

You can visit Betty at www.bettyhechtman.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book, in hopes I would review it. Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan is the first book in the new "Call of the Wilde" mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, July 2013

Grace Wilde’s job is anything but normal. When she’s not helping out at the zoo by comforting agitated lemurs, she’s listening to the woes of annoyed house pets. Grace’s life gets even more complicated, though, when the cops summon her to a crime scene to help deal with the murder victim’s terrified Doberman.

The pooch turns out to be the only one who saw what happened the night of the shooting—and only Grace can get the information out of him. The problem is, how will Grace tell the distractingly gorgeous Sergeant Kai Duncan that it’s the dog who’s giving her the intel without spilling her big secret or sounding crazy? Left on her own, Grace will have to follow the pup’s lead to track down the killer. But she’ll have to be careful—or curiosity may end up killing the cat whisperer.

If you could talk to the animal, you would learn so much about their humans. That is what happens to Grace Wilde, animal behaviorist, when she is called in to calm Jax, a Doberman, who witness the death of his master and as he gets closer to opening up his mind to the killer’s identity, the closer it puts Grace in a killer’s sight.

This was a wonderful read that captured my attention immediately as this quickly became a page turner as I wanted to know more about Grace and her ability to commune with animals. This was a good nail-biting mystery as I had to know who was behind the murders, and boy was I surprised when the killer was revealed. The author did a good job in keeping me in suspense with plenty of suspects and several twists, that I didn’t see coming. I like Grace who is a strong heroine, yet vulnerable who along with Moss, her half-wolf dog, her sister Emma, best friend Sonja and potential love interest Kai Duncan, rounded out this superb cast of characters which also provided engaging conversations and non-stop action. I look forward to spending more time with Grace and her friends in this terrifically likable new debut series.

You can visit Laura at www.lauramorrigan.com

FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book, in hopes I would review it. And check out these other July releases