Beth Alvarez's Blog, page 31

Real questions to ask when deciding between traditional or self-publishing

Last week, I shared some of my complex feelings on discovering traditional publishing probably wasn’t the best path to publication for me to follow. This week, I’ll be sharing part of why.

When I started researching traditional vs. self-publishing from a new angle, I created a spreadsheet where I could break down some of the points of consideration that came up while I was studying the current market.

The importance of each item is up to you. What is important to me might be no big deal to you. Also, this information may change in coming years. It’s based on my findings in 2017. By the end of this year, it may be out of date and inaccurate, but hopefully it’ll offer a good starting point for your own studies in the future. Furthermore, ruling a path the winner of some subjects are made based on generalizations. A skilled agent may be able to open other possibilities, but don’t count on it. Let’s get started, shall we?

1. Is it a prestigious form of publication?

We might as well start with what’s probably the biggest hang-up for most authors. This is one of my biggest hurdles to overcome. Let’s be real: self-published authors are generally viewed with disdain. We’ve all heard the phrase “Anyone can self-publish” and whether or not it’s true doesn’t matter. If you can’t impress an agent, the assumption is you self-published because you failed. If you get a traditional publishing contract, even with a small press, it means you weren’t the one who decided your work was good enough. That automatically makes it more valid, right? Except that isn’t true. Some of the biggest blockbuster titles of the past five to ten years have started as self-published books, and no one would ever imply they were less because they were first self-published. Good books are good books. The assumption that every book on the shelf at Barnes and Noble is a good book because it landed an agent is clearly false. But prestige is important to a lot of people, so decide up front what this means to you. If the prestige and respect of being signed with a traditional publishing house matters most, there’s no point in having you read further.

Winner: Traditional publishing.

2. Will your books be readily available in bookstores?

If you’ve kept reading to point 2, consider this carefully: Having your book immediately available in traditional bookstores is an issue of vanity. The vast majority of books are sold online–even those that are traditionally published. But traditional publishing with a major publishing house is the only route to your book automatically showing up at B&N or your favorite niche bookshop. We’ll discuss this a little more in the coming points, but this is the only other point where traditional publishing has a clear lead.

Winner: Traditional publishing.

3. Can additional bookstore presence be negotiated?

For both traditional and self-publishing, the answer is a resounding yes. If your book is available in paperback, there’s a chance for you to get it into stores on your own legwork–regardless of the path you’ve taken into publishing. Lots of independent bookstores will fail to keep your book in stock, even if you’re traditionally published. You need to go to them to get it on the shelves. Even Barnes and Noble has forms you can fill out to request your self-published books be stocked. Even if they decline at a corporate level, a good relationship with management of your local store can still get your book on shelves. There’s one little catch: if you’re self-published, bookstores may turn you away if your paperback is printed through CreateSpace. Amazon is the rival of other booksellers, and they don’t offer returns for unsold paperbacks. Consider other distribution venues, such as Ingram Spark, to aid your chances in getting your book stocked.

Winner: Tie.

4. How long are books typically stocked on shelves?

While there is some variance, as independent bookstores set their own time frame, most books are stocked for 3 months. Doesn’t matter who your publisher is or even who you are–if your book isn’t selling, it won’t stick around. After 3 months, unsold books are typically returned to the vendor.

Winner: Tie.

5. Is the length of a print run limited?

If your book is traditionally published, the 3 months your book is first on the shelves is sometimes your only shot at proving yourself. If a print run does not sell out, you don’t get another run. Your book may remain available in digital editions, but it won’t be reprinted. This is the first place independent publishing has a clear advantage. If you’re independent and have paperbacks, you’ve either sponsored your own print run or offer your book through print-on-demand. Your book will stay in print as long as you want it to.

Winner: Indie.

6. Can your book be added to public libraries?

Absolutely. Befriending local librarians can get it there, but a better way to get your book stocked is having readers request it. Traditional publishing will only get you into the library system if there’s obvious demand for your work. If you’re new or even a mid-list author, you may have to petition libraries yourself.

Winner: Tie.

7. Will you have access to professional editors, artists, etc.?

The good news is, everyone has access to these resources. The difference is cost. When you’re indie, you’re responsible for your costs up front. When you’re traditionally published, you make it up to your publisher later. More on this later, though.

Winner: Tie.

8. Can you expect to work with one editor, artist, etc. long-term?

This is one people often fail to consider. When you’re traditionally published, you get to work with your publisher’s editors… but who knows how long they’ll stick around. That editor you click with this week might not be there next week. Same with everyone who touches your book, aside from you and your agent. Publishers are like any other business; they see employees come and go all the time, and it’s outside your control. However, if you publish independently, you’re the boss. If you find an editor who really gets your vision for your book, you can hire them over and over again, providing they have openings in their schedule.

Winner: Indie.

9. Is there any cost up front?

For indie publishing, yes. No question about it. For traditional publishing… it’s not quite so clear cut, and I’ll expand on the reason for that under the next point. Generally speaking, you don’t pay to have your book traditionally published. You get paid, not the other way around. If any publisher expects money prior to publication, it’s a scam and you should run the other way. But there are expenses associated with publishing–especially indie publishing–that means opening your wallet. If you’re indie, you’ll need a cover, formatting, money to order proofs, the list goes on. Regardless of whether you’re indie or trad, you’ll need to spend money on a professional-looking website, a marketing budget, and most importantly, editing.

Winner: Traditional publishing.

10. Do I always have to pay for editing?

For indie publishing: Yes. Skipping editing should never even cross your mind. For traditional publishing: Also yes. Don’t believe me? Go look up some agents and check out their submission guidelines. See how many of them state they expect a manuscript that is complete and edited. That means professional editing, not you reading it a second time to clean up any obvious mistakes. I was a little hazy on it, so I took the time to actually ask an agent. Agents absolutely expect you to have spent money on professional editing before you even get to the querying process. Sorry, guys. You can’t escape the editor.

Winner: Tie.

11. What should I expect to spend on producing my book?

This is one field where your mileage may vary. Sometimes widely. The good news for those of you pursuing traditional publishing is that you can get away with editing and spending a bit on marketing. Based on quotes I was given for a 95,000-word fantasy novel, you can expect to pay between $900 and $1,250 for extensive editing. Then you’ll want to put away a few hundred for advertising opportunities. $1,500 is a reasonable estimate. If you’re looking at self-publishing, you’re going to be looking at a much higher total. Assuming you can do nothing yourself, you’ll need an editor, a professionally made cover, professional formatting, graphics for advertising, and your ad budget. $2,500 is a realistic budget for producing and promoting a high-quality book on your own. The good news is you can mitigate these costs depending on who you know and whether or not you have skills to do things on your own. As an example, I have a background in art and graphic design, so I do my own book covers and formatting. This also means I can trade covers and formatting for high-quality editing, as it’s not uncommon for editors to be authors, too. My expense for producing Her Midnight Cowboy was especially low–only $30, not counting advertising/marketing funds.

Winner: Varies by your skill set, but usually traditional publishing.

12. What are the average royalty rates?

For traditional publishing, commonly between 8 and 15% of the wholesale price. That’s right–the wholesale price, not the cover price. The cover price is the markup bookstores place on a book. They have to make money, too! It’s not uncommon for a traditionally published author to make a dollar or less off a $30 hardcover book. For digital editions, many traditional publishers give their authors 50% royalties. But keep in mind that’s 50% of what’s left after vendors take their fee, and your agent gets an average of 15% of all your earnings, too. Indie authors get a much better deal. Lots of publishing platforms take a small cut of 10 to 15%. If you publish directly through Amazon, you can expect to receive between 35 and 70% of your eBook’s list price. Paperback profit margins depend on you and what distributor you’re using, but it’s not uncommon to make a dollar or two off every sale.

Winner: Indie.

13. Does it pay an advance?

Indie publishing? Never. Small press? Rarely. Traditional publishing? Usually. But there are two important things to know about advances ahead of time. For one, it’s exactly what it sounds like–an advance loan against future earnings. Sometimes, contracts stipulate it has to be earned back within a certain window of time. And if your book doesn’t earn out its advance, you’re often expected to pay back the difference. This comes out of your earnings, which means that 8 to 15% you’re getting off each sale? Those pennies are going to be absorbed to cover your advance. It could be years before you see another dime. The other important thing to consider is that advances are getting smaller all the time; for mid-list authors, sometimes it’s only enough to cover the bills for a single month. The advance certainly isn’t what it used to be, and you shouldn’t count on it. For new authors, there’s no guarantee you’ll get an advance at all.

Winner: Traditional publishing by default.

14. Are there any hidden costs?

With indie publishing, no. All your expenses are up front. With traditional publishing, you have to remember that all that free stuff you got, edits and book covers and the like? Yeah, you’re paying for that long-term. You aren’t earning 8 to 15% just until your advance is earned out. That’s the range perpetually. Sometimes you’ll go from earning 10% to 15% after your advance is earned out, but after that, that’s your income in perpetuity. If you have an exceptionally successful book, you end up paying more for these services in the long run than if you’d paid for them out of pocket up front!

Winner: Indie.

15. Who is responsible for the brunt of the advertising?

This one’s a sad truth: You. Unless you’re an established author or the lucky winner the publisher has chosen to back, you’re probably going to be responsible for the vast majority of your own advertising. The biggest leg up you get from traditional publishing is having an immediate bookstore presence, but you’re still going to be the one doing the pushing, no matter how you publish. On one hand, traditional publishers are more likely to give you more backup once you’ve picked up steam on your own. But on the other, you’re doing all the leg work anyway–if you’re indie, you get to keep more of the profits. Don’t want to market? Tough luck. No matter what you do, you’re going to have to learn how to do it.

Winner: Tie.

16. Can you re-publish through another company or venue later?

If you’re traditionally published… probably not. Rights reversions are hard to get, especially from larger publishers. And even if you get it, nobody wants to pick up another publisher’s leftovers. You might be able to regain the rights to your book and republish by yourself, but it’s tough going. But if you’re indie, absolutely! You’re in control. In fact, good quality indie work gets picked up by traditional publishers all the time–and when they’re the ones who approach you, you’ve got more leverage, which means you can have your choice of agent or literary lawyer and will have a lot more clout in your publishing contract.

Winner: Indie.

17. Can you escape a bad publishing setup?

This is sort of related to the previous point. If your publisher tanks or they’ve presented your book poorly, you’re probably stuck. You can’t just weasel out of a contract after you’ve signed it; you’ll be in for the long haul. With enough time, effort, and money for legal expenses, you might be able to get out in a few years. But if you’re indie and you don’t like a platform, all you have to do is pull your book and try it somewhere else. You can change venues within a matter of days.

Winner: Indie.

18. Do you get to title your own book?

With traditional publishing, probably not. Does that surprise you? It surprised me too, but I heard it from a lot of agents. They aren’t too worried about the title you’ve given your book as a working title, because it’ll change–sometimes regardless of your opinion. Plenty of authors hate the title their books were assigned. You might get a little input, but don’t get attached. According to multiple agents I’ve heard speak on the matter, only around one book in twenty actually gets published with the name the author chose. This seems exceptionally low to me, but if the agents are saying it, I have to accept that’s the case. But if you’re indie, no one is stopping you. You’re the boss. Just keep in mind that using a name that’s too similar to an existing book might get you in trouble.

Winner: Indie.

19. Do you have any influence on the book’s cover?

With traditional publishing, you may be given a little input, but you’re not in control. More often than not, you’ll be handed a cover they choose for you. With indie, it’s all up to you. You can hire any artist you want–even one that charges ten thousand dollars for a custom oil painting. You can also make your own cover, if you really want to, but you probably shouldn’t.

Winner: Indie.

20. Can the title, cover, etc. ever be changed?

With traditional publishing… not likely. Old romance novels sometimes get re-printed with new titles and covers, but the vast majority of books only ever see one print run. But if you’re indie, you can do whatever you want. Think of a better title two weeks after publishing? Change it. No one’s stopping you. Want to update your cover to match current genre expectations? Hire whatever artist you want. You can even stick special seasonal covers on your books if you really want to. The sky’s the limit.

Winner: Indie.

21. Do you have any control over formatting and presentation?

Like with covers, traditional publishers may tolerate a few suggestions from you, but at the end of the day, you need to sit down and accept that they’re the professionals. As an indie, you have your choice of formatters at your fingertips. If you don’t like the result, you can hire a new one–or learn to format books yourself.

Winner: Indie

22. Are there restrictions on how frequently you can publish?

Traditional publishing is notoriously slow. If your book gets signed tomorrow, it’ll be around two years before it hits shelves. In addition to a slow process, it’s not uncommon for traditional publishers to throttle the speed of releases. They give various reasons for this, but I think speed at which publishers function is the main influencing factor. One book a year is considered a rapid pace for traditional publishing. Indie authors could publish a backlist of eighty-three books in the span of a week if they really wanted to. I don’t know why you would, but hey, why not?

Winner: Indie

23. Will you be expected to surrender property rights?

There was a time where all you signed over was print and maybe some of your sub rights. But according to many agents, modern publishers have become more aggressive and will push for full rights in boilerplate contracts–which is what you get if you’re not already a big seller. So unfortunately, this is probably now pretty much a given with traditional publishing. A particularly skilled agent or a big-name author can probably get this changed pretty easily. For new authors, there’s definitely no guarantee. If you’re indie, you never have to sign away anything–your rights are yours in perpetuity.

Winner: Indie

24. Can you sell some rights (Film, audio, etc.) and retain others?

Indie, yes. With traditional publishing… it depends. Previously, it was normal for publishers to pick and choose from things like foreign rights, audiobooks, eBooks and print, but authors had a little more say in what they were signing. Most modern publishers will not accept books for print-only runs; they want every venue for distribution open to them. Unfortunately, this leads to a lot of authors being underpaid, too. Audiobooks and eBooks both are more popular than they were ten years ago, yet their increasing value has not seemed to have much impact on what authors are offered as far as advances or royalties.

Winner: Indie

25. Can publication require a non-compete clause?

With indie publishing, basically never. But for traditional publishing, this is becoming a more common clause in contracts. Not only can you be barred from working with other publishing houses for a specified amount of time, you can be barred from competing with yourself–which means you can’t self-publish anything while you’re in contract, either, even if it’s a completely different series.

Winner: Indie

26. Can poor sales kill a series or contract?

This happens in traditional publishing all the time. Maybe you signed a two-book deal and the first book didn’t sell according to expectations. They might be stuck publishing a second book, but then they’ll drop you without signing a third. I have also heard of cases where poor sales of a first book–or issues within the publisher, which have nothing to do with an author–led to termination of a contract before the second book in a two-book deal could be published! So yes, it’s totally possible. Worst of all, few if any publishers are willing to pick up a series partway through. You may be freed up to pursue indie publishing for the rest of your series, but only if your contract allows it. If you’re indie from the start, nothing stop your series but you. Even if you never sell a single copy of book two, nothing is stopping you from publishing book three.

Winner: Indie

27. Can issues like piracy, etc. prematurely end your series?

People used to swear this wasn’t an issue, but bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater’s dramatic struggle against this issue earlier this year says otherwise. Her publisher did everything in their power to try to kill her series, despite incredible sales. With indie, again, nothing ends a series but you.

Winner: Indie

28. Can a book flop damage your career?

There’s nothing worse for an author than failure to earn out an advance. This is a black mark on your record, one other publishers won’t ignore. Worst of all, it may not be your fault. Errors are often introduced in editing stages, or maybe a book wasn’t properly advertised. Either way, a failed traditionally published series can be a death knell for getting anything else traditionally published in the future. By contrast, a tanked indie book could set you back in both time and money, but nothing will ever stop you from continuing to publish.

Winner: Indie

In conclusion

If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ve found something valuable in this post that took me two hours to type. It’s a lot of questions, but these are the things that seemed important to me as I was beginning my research into different paths. At the end of the day, I feel like there’s a clear winner: For me, it may well end up being indie publishing. But that’s the conclusion my research has brought me, and you may draw something different. However, there’s one factor that makes all the difference in my decision.

I have to retain my property rights.

Sure, a skilled agent could ensure I keep them even though I’m a nobody, but how do I know I’ll get an agent who can? How do I know, with absolute, 100% certainty, that signing with an agent will ensure all six of my completed fantasy books see publication? How do I know the publisher will want all six? What about the next three using the same characters that I have yet to finish? How do I know they’ll keep the naming convention I have for the whole series? I don’t–and after spending more than fifteen years developing these stories, characters, and their world, I don’t know if I’m willing to risk it. If my books are good, they’re good, and they’ll be successful no matter how I get them into readers’ hands.

But is indie publishing right for you?

Only you can decide.

Learning to quit

How the changing landscape of publishing means abandoning dreams

It was the first time that jagged mountain let me down.

I was a more avid reader in my youth. My childhood librarian led me up and down the aisles and piled fantasy books meant for adult readers in my arms. I took them all home and devoured them; the library’s selection was limited, but I still found my way through Valdemar, traveled through all seven Gates with Haplo, and I still complain about Rhapsody every time fantasy fiction comes up. I grew up with Pern’s dragons and spent several weeks reading Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Avalon, which only took so long because the book was particularly difficult for my young arms to support. I enjoyed Eddings and took regular trips back to Narnia and Middle Earth, which began my love of books. But it had been a while since I read anything new, and I was curious to see the tight prose that today’s standards expected.

At first, I was angry. Then, after I returned the book to my library and picked up something else, I was just disappointed. I’d expected better. I’d expected something similar to the deep, quality stories I’d grown up with. Instead, I found myself sitting and wondering at all the plot holes and unforgivable grammatical errors. Traditional publishing was supposed to be a mark of quality, a sign your work was substantial enough to deserve it. What did it mean if that was no longer true?

I don’t know when the deterioration began. I read less after we moved farther into the country; we were too far away from good libraries and eBooks weren’t really a thing. The fantasy section at the local library was maybe ten books, and I’d already read them. Inter-library loans took months to arrive. Then I began working and started college and free time came at a premium. It seemed better–wiser, even–to spend it developing my own writing. It wasn’t until recently that I felt the call again. You have the time. You have the libraries. You need to read. Not only did I need to revitalize my love for reading, I needed to see what was out there in the genre today so I could determine how to pitch my own completed novels to agents.

I’d never considered any other path. When I was young, there wasn’t one. You submitted books to agents. You got signed. You found a publisher. That was it. The only other option was vanity press, which left you with a garage full of books and no way to market or distribute them. It wasn’t a real option at all. I’d known before I could read on my own that writing was my calling, and my vision was set in stone. Write a book. Query agents. For more than two decades, that traditional order drove my life.

Then came these books, problematic and poorly written. Frustrated and desperate for something else to read, I delved into Amazon instead and grabbed the first free eBook I found. It happened to be a boxed set–the first three books of Lindsay Buroker’s Dragon Blood series. Suddenly, the vision I’d held for my fantasy books since their inception was challenged. I’d spent years reading scathing reports on the low quality of self-published books. It was one thing to independently publish quirky vampire stories; they were niche fiction that traditional publishers wouldn’t touch after the extreme genre fatigue that followed Twilight. But a broad genre like fantasy? Independent publishing wasn’t a viable option. Writer friends whose opinions I valued still said the same thing whenever it came up. One statement in particular has haunted me for years. “Self-publishing is career suicide.”

Except, suddenly, it wasn’t.

I’d researched writing, publishing, agents, the whole shebang for years. But this time I dove back in with new, more focused points of study. What are the real benefits traditional publishing still offers? What benefits does it provide that independent publishing can’t? I made lists of research points and dove in. I listened to podcasts and agent interviews. I read words from publishers and statements from successful authors on every side of the issue. I asked questions. Lots of questions. And then I sat back, looking at my color-coded conclusion spreadsheet, and had to digest everything I’d learned over the course of a year of intensive research. I saw a lot of things that surprised me.

Worst of all, the answer of which was the better choice was clear in the number of red and green boxes that fell into relatively tidy columns. After more than twenty years of believing sending dozens of queries and waiting for an agent was the only way to do this, the marks in favor of traditional publishing were like a slap in the face.

There were only two that independent publishing couldn’t offer, and both of them were matters of vanity.

Will your book be readily available in bookstores?

Is it a prestigious form of publication?

And if I’m being honest with myself, neither should matter. The important factors fell farther down the list. How long are print runs? Will I, as a new author, be expected to surrender my rights? Can poor sales damage my long-term career? Literally every other line was a point in favor of pursuing independent publication of my work. For Pete’s sake, dozens of agents warned not to get attached to your working title, because the publisher would choose the final title for your book. Do I really want to sign a contract that means I may not even get to title my own book?

Yet even with the answer right there, color-coded and accompanied with pages of detailed notes, it’s not an easy pill to swallow. The clear, black-and-white vision I’ve held for more than eighty percent of my life has been challenged, and it’s not comfortable in the least.

Logically, I know it shouldn’t make a difference. If I have a good story and I produce quality writing, I will be successful either way. No matter how my books are published, getting them in front of readers is my responsibility. There are a lot of different paths to success, and it’s becoming overwhelmingly evident that it’s better to approach traditional publishing houses from a point of leverage. Most publishers want you to, in fact; they expect authors to have established readerships before pursuing publication, and how can you build that if you don’t already have work published?

I’ll be sharing my assembled list of pros and cons in the near future, but I still need time to stew. I know I need to change my viewpoint, but after this many years, it’s hard to do. I’ve found the path. I know where it should lead. I’ve been sending queries to agents for a while. I’ve gotten partial requests, so I know it has to be good enough. But if I want to seriously consider independent publishing, I have to learn to quit the dream I’ve carried since I was a child. I might send out a few more of the queries on my list of agents, but I don’t know. Until I sort out the cognitive dissonance between what I believed and what I’ve learned, I’m still just lost in the woods.

Tea review: Tea Forte Black Cherry Noir

It’s been a long time since I did a tea review. A whole year, in fact! I haven’t had much new tea to drink in the past year. After receiving a lot of freebies, I decided I should use up what I had on hand before I experimented with anything new. I made good headway. I’d just started considering getting a few new teas to try when a lovely friend sent me a box of treats along with a book to enjoy–just in time for my recovery from oral surgery.

One of the teas sent along was Tea Forte’s Black Cherry Noir in a single-steep packet, perfect for a quick afternoon pot of tea. Not only did it sound delicious, the packaging was incredibly aesthetically pleasing. Seriously, I wish my house could look like this packaging. Or maybe it kind of does? The desk where I spend most of my day is a sleek black and silver, and I’ve got pink accents and cherry blossoms all over the place. Either way, it looked good.

The first thing that struck me when I opened the package was how intense the fragrance was. It was a really sharp and almost bitter scent, which made me second-guess my choice. I went ahead and brewed it anyway, opting for the heat and brewing time I use for all my other black teas. Then it was time for a taste.

Thankfully, it wasn’t bitter at all! I wasn’t sure what to expect from the flavor, since this was one of the few instances I was going into a tea blind. The packaging didn’t say anything other than the name of the flavor, so I had no clue what was in it. More than anything, the first sip was pleasantly tart with a very smooth black tea taste. I had hoped for something sweeter, though, so I added some rock sugar and a bit of milk to see if that gave me what I wanted. That ended up being perfect for my mood, bringing out some notes of vanilla and some sweeter berry tastes, though there was a hint of sharpness that I couldn’t quite place.

After I looked up the blend on Tea Forte’s site, I determined it was the licorice root I was tasting. Interesting, because if I’d read the ingredients prior, my extreme dislike of licorice probably would have kept me from sampling this tea  at all! The fruit flavors come from strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, and there is just a touch of vanilla, so my guess there was right.

Overall, a very tasty blend with a really rich black base. I’d recommend it straight as a breakfast tea, or with sugar and milk or cream for a sweet dessert tea treat. Despite my distaste for licorice, I’ll be adding a canister of this one to my shopping list. Win one for failing to read the ingredients, huh?

Her Midnight Wedding, book 2 of the Keeper’s Kin series, is now available!

It’s been a long road. The past few weeks were full of surprises, not all of them good, but the second book of the Keeper’s Kin series, Her Midnight Wedding, is finally available on Amazon!

Click here to grab your copy now.

Just like the other books in the series, they’re available in Kindle Unlimited–so if you’re a subscriber, you can read for free!

The paperback edition will be available in January. With everything else going on, I couldn’t swing getting it together before then, and I don’t want it to be anything else but polished and beautiful, just like the previous books in the series.

While there will be a few stories for other characters (especially other Keepers!) in the future, Kade and Felicity’s adventure (which veered off the paranormal romance course and wound up in urban fantasy) will be over in the spring, when the last book in their trilogy, Her Midnight Hunter, will be out. Until then, enjoy getting tangled up in the story!

His Name Was

His name was Mystery. From his work to his personal life to his feelings, he kept himself shrouded in secret and surprise. Some mystery was to be expected; he worked as a government contractor through most of our lives and couldn’t share his work. But he rarely let anyone know his plans, either, and you wouldn’t know he meant to travel until you woke up and he was gone.

His name was Stubborn. He lived his life as he desired, refusing to bend, refusing to meet societal norms—but I couldn’t say he danced to his own drum, because I never saw him dance. Instead, it was a steady march, head held high as he made things happen his own way.

His name was Adventure. From world travels to seemingly spur-of-the-moment cross-country trips. We used to see his race car on his trailer, hitched to the same truck he always drove, and never wonder if he’d come back from each expedition. He always did, with new stories and often with tokens from his travels. We’ll never know all the places he visited, but that was part of his Mystery, and I think he liked it that way. At the very end, his truck had carried him more than half a million miles. It’s a wonder it still runs. Although…

His name was Skill. He never met a mechanical object he couldn’t repair. His garage was always littered with projects that might frighten anyone else. From lawn mowers to fighter jets, he could fix it all. But he was Stubborn, and sometimes his repairs were unconventional. When he rewired our Power Wheel to run off a car battery, we were gifted the fastest Power Wheel anyone had ever seen. And when the additional power caused it to tear holes through the plastic tires, he was ready and willing to fix those, too.

His name was Intelligence. He had to be smart, to do what he did, but he also solved unique puzzles and excelled at thinking outside the box. Yet his was a kind of intelligence that never intimidated. He knew how to speak to anyone, to teach and share, to help children understand the complex work at his fingertips.

His name was Patience. Adults might contest it, as he didn’t have much to spare for adults who ought to know better. But children loved him and gravitated to him, everywhere he went. As an adult, I realize it hindered his work to have small people underfoot, but he never complained. When a small hand marred the finish of his freshly detailed show car, or landed in wet paint and forced him to strip and redo entire projects, there was never a reprimand to be heard. “Be careful, now,” was all you’d get as he ushered you away and then repaired your mistakes.

His name was Quiet. Through a good portion of my life, he shared a home with my great-grandmother. When he wasn’t working or traveling, he was often in the garage. You always knew when he was in the house; his was an unimposing presence, instilling a sense of calm peace. He had strength and a fiery temper that could come to the surface when necessary or provoked. But most of his life was quiet, surrounded only by the whirring engines he loved.

His name was Kindness. He was good to everyone he met, but never allowed anyone to take advantage of it. Though he held strong opinions, he didn’t let them sway the way he treated people. He offered respect and appreciation, and did not let the difficulties in his life color the way he behaved toward new people.

His name was Honesty. Sometimes truth hurts, but if you deserved it, he wasn’t one to spare feelings. It struck a unique balance with him as Kindness, but it worked harmoniously. Sometimes the kinder thing was truth, and he gave it freely, like many other things. He never offered sugared words or anything meant just to make you feel better. What he said was how it was, whether or not you liked it.

His name was Generosity. I’ve seldom met someone with such a giving spirit as his. He gave often and freely to those he loved. He gave the best gifts and always seemed to know what a kid might want. Had my mom known he intended to give us a trampoline, she might have protested. So he left her out of the decision-making and just showed up with it in the bed of his truck. But aside from things, what he offered most was the gift of his time and skill. He gave his time as if he’d never run out, even if it meant putting his own projects aside.

His name was Charity. It’s one thing to be generous with a person you love, but his charitable spirit led him to give to many people, especially those in need. If he saw a need in his neighborhood, he often filled it without request, simply because it was the right thing to do. He regularly purchased and delivered groceries to struggling families nearby. Even my mother didn’t know about that, only learning about it when me and my siblings discussed seeing him do it—and in some cases, helping with delivery. When one neighbor lost her leg, he even provided her with a handicap-friendly vehicle, and later, a motorized wheelchair. As with everything else, he never asked anything in return.

His name was Independence. He traveled alone. Unless absolutely necessary, he fixed things alone. Aside from his cat, he lived alone, and never expressed loneliness at all. He enjoyed his independence, and he remained that way until the last of his days. If he could not live alone, follow his own passions and pursue his own dreams, he figured his life was over. Though mostly paralyzed, he refused life support, determined to hold himself with dignity and independence to the very end. At the end of all things, it was quiet, peaceful, and just the way he wanted his brilliant flame to flicker out.

His name was Gerald, really, but no one knew him that way.

In loving memory of Uncle Jerry.

June 26, 1939 – November 23, 2017.

You are terribly missed.

Cover Reveal: Her Midnight Wedding, coming in December!

It seems like I only just shared the beginning of this series, but here we are, already looking at the next installment in the Keeper’s Kin universe. Her Midnight Wedding, the second book in the core trilogy, will hit Amazon and Kindle Unlimited next month. I have more to share about the future of this series and what to expect in coming days, but for now, behold!

Keep scrolling to see the cover and find out what this book is all about…

Though Kade Colton swore his hunting days were over, it’s impossible to refuse the call when a werewolf turns up in Holly Hill. With vital steps in the contract missing, the unjustified hunt could spell death for an innocent. Fighting to stop a rival hunter is hard enough, but when a feeding gone wrong puts the sheriff’s son on his heels, Kade must choose between having his secret revealed or defying the enigmatic Keepers—either of which could cost his life.

Felicity Hammond is determined to marry her cowboy, but happily ever after doesn’t come easy when your intended sports spurs and fangs. Planning a midnight wedding should have been the hard part. Instead, she’s stuck racing the sunrise to save her beloved. If Felicity can’t end the hunt and untangle the sea of red tape that keeps Kade’s hands tied, they can kiss their happy ending goodbye.

Her Midnight Wedding is the second book in the Keeper’s Kin series and will be released in December.

The release date isn’t yet set in stone, so I won’t give an exact date, but I’ll be announcing it everywhere as soon as the book is ready to roll.

More series news coming soon!

The powerful properties of vampire blood

Though I read and enjoy a lot of vampire fiction, one trope that has become common enough to be accepted as fact managed to elude me for several weeks…  and that was vampire blood as having special properties.

That drinking a vampire’s blood could turn a person into a vampire was grounded in stories at least several hundred years old, but this was something different–the most common trait was that if a human consumed a vampire’s blood, it could transfer power, enhance senses, or heal someone.

Of all the topics on my list of things to cover, the supernatural properties of vampire blood in media also ended up being the most difficult to research. Part of the difficulty appeared to be that no matter where I looked, there was no clear historical foundation for it.  And yet virtually every vampire book I picked up that was published in the past five years relies on this as a story element. So where did it originate?

Historically speaking, there is merit for the idea that blood contains power. In ancient times, consuming organs the conquered was believed to allow one to absorb additional strength or traits from the consumed; in some cases, it was thought to apply to animals, as well. The belief eventually spread to include blood, as well, and the practice was long-lived. As recently as the 17th century, English women believed they could increase their fertility by drinking the blood of defeated enemies.

Yet despite its historical significance, it didn’t overlap vampire lore until much more recently. In fact, it’s the most recent addition to vampire myth I’ve encountered in my research–younger than me, even. The earliest indicator there might be something more to the power of vampire blood that I discovered was in 1988, in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, where Daniel is given a vial of Armand’s blood; if Daniel were to break the vial, other vampires would sense Armand’s power within the blood.

But that still only applies the additional power to the vampires themselves, giving humans no benefit from it. This now-common trope implies vampire blood is beneficial, offering properties such as healing, which is a little younger still.

The earliest appearance of this feat belongs to The Vampire Diaries in 1991, and that appears to have been the breaking point. From that moment forward, it became a common theme in vampire media, appearing in a number of bestselling vampire books, both novel and television versions of True Blood, and on and on.

If it appeared in literature prior to that, it wasn’t enough to make waves. But only ten years after that appearance in The Vampire Diaries, it had become a commonplace addition. Today, it might as well be a vampire staple, as I rarely see books that don’t include a nod to it in some form.

Alas, I prefer my vampires to be slightly more traditional. Accepting a lot of standards set forth by Dracula and eschewing much of what’s newer, this is one that doesn’t quite permeate my writing. While the vampires in the Keeper’s Kin universe can gain power from consuming the blood of other vampires, that choice was birthed out of the old concept of consuming rivals to receive a portion of their strength.

Next time, though, we’ll discuss the history of vampire blood as a reagent for creating new vampires–and other methods of turning, as well.

Keeper’s Finder and Her Midnight Cowboy are now available!

Happy release day, everyone!

After months of hard work, I’ve got several new books to share with you: as of today, Keeper’s Finder and Her Midnight Cowboy are available in both paperback and Kindle editions!

Keeper’s Finder is a standalone novella of 30,000 words. It tells a whole story on its own, but is set in the same universe as Her Midnight Cowboy, which is the “official” book one in the Keeper’s Kin universe–and 80,000 words long.

 

Either book can be read independently, and both are available in Kindle Unlimited.

Ready to read? Click the covers above to view the books on Amazon.

Or, click here to view Keeper’s Finder,

and click here to view Her Midnight Cowboy.

But there’s more! I said several books, if you noticed–not two books.

The First Hunt, a Keeper’s Kin novella of 29,000 words, is also now available!

But there is a catch. Since The First Hunt is a prequel to Her Midnight Cowboy, I’d hate for people to stumble upon it and give themselves spoilers. So instead, join my newsletter by following the link in the back of Her Midnight Cowboy‘s eBook, and you’ll receive instructions on how to download your free copy of The First Hunt.

This book is only available as an eBook edition, but if you read Her Midnight Cowboy as a paperback edition and wanted to give the eBook edition of The First Hunt a try, just join my newsletter by following this link instead, then reply to the welcome message to let me know–I’ll make sure you get a copy.

The next book in the series is currently scheduled to release in December.

Happy reading!

The Search for Castle Dracula

Despite Castle Dracula being a fictional place, the question of which castle inspired Castle Dracula holds a surprising amount of contention.

Bran Castle – Photo by Daniel Tellman Timisoara

While Bran Castle claims to be the inspiration for the site and markets itself as such, it’s hard to say which castle is the closest contender for the title. Though located within Transylvania–a region inside modern-day Romania–the castle also stands more than 200 miles away from the only real directions offered within Bram Stoker’s novel, meaning that while it may have served visual inspiration, it couldn’t possibly bear anything more.

Borgo Pass is the clearest clue provided in the actual text of the book. The place refers to Tihuța Pass, located in the Eastern Carpathian mountains. There were two castles in the region, but Bistrita castle was in ruins long before Dracula was a twinkle in Stoker’s eye. Aside from location, there’s little to tie the castle to the Dracula myth; it was built and occupied by John Hunyadi–a contemporary of Vlad the Impaler, who is well known as a source of inspiration for Dracula–but that connection is weak and tangential at best.

Though Poenari Castle is often held as a contender for the “real” Castle Dracula, it’s even farther from Tihuța Pass than Bran Castle, and its only claim to Dracula fame is that it was home to Vlad III. Weaker still is the claim that Corvin Castle served as the inspiration, latching on to the story of Vlad III’s imprisonment as a way to somehow connect the castle to the Dracula tale.

And of course, we can’t forget Orava Castle, which isn’t even in Romania, but Slovakia. Regardless of where Castle Dracula was supposed to be, Orava Castle was the site of filming for Nosferatu, creating a visual that sticks with vampires to this day.

It is possible to delve deeper, however, and discover that Stoker’s own hand-penned research notes indicated the castle was meant to be situated in the Călimani Mountains, on a very particular mountaintop. Considering that Tihuța Pass was mentioned at all indicates that the placement of the castle was what was most important, meaning the best claim to Castle Dracula is simply looking at the peak of Izvorul Calimanului and imagining what could be.

The short history of the sleeping dead

Though vampires are commonly linked to coffins, that wasn’t always the case.  The association of vampires and coffins is actually a more recent addition to folklore; simply put, it was born out of the fact that vampires are dead, and by the time vampires became a media staple and not just a folk story, most people were buried in coffins.

Prior to the 18th century, most dead were simply wrapped in burial shrouds, if they were covered at all. Though a casket for burial was in use in Europe as far back as 700 A.D., only the wealthy could afford them, and most were stone–not the wood we typically associate with vampires today. Unsurprisingly, some of the burial practices prior to the common use of coffins likely gave rise to other vampire superstitions, such as killing them with a stake through the heart.

The biggest change occurred between the late 1600s and early 1700s, when vampire panic famously swept Europe. By this point, the dead were commonly buried in coffins, and it wasn’t unusual for the dead to have their clothing–or even their limbs–nailed to the wooden interiors in order to restrain them, should they rise from the dead.

Tombs in Père Lachaise Cemetery

Despite this initial link, early literary vampires did not come with coffins. Geraldine and Lord Ruthven had no casket mentioned; Carmilla lacked a coffin, but was found resting in her crypt. Crypts, tombs, and other methods of interment were mentioned alongside the living dead. Even Dracula and his brides had their resting places described only as tombs, and the importance was placed on a vampire needing to rest on native soil, not a coffin.

That shift occurred with the advent of Dracula in film. The 1931 rendition of Dracula replaced the concept of plain stone tombs with coffins, and later films merged Dracula’s boxes of native soil with a coffin partially filled with earth. As vampire lore gradually lost the attachment to native soil, the coffin remained alone, providing a dark sanctuary for a vampire to sleep, safely hidden away from sunlight. But, really, any dark place will do.