Shiloh Walker's Blog, page 179

Whoa…

The pic is lousy, but still… cool.

This is a book dump… Lora Leigh's, with Styx's Storm.  I think this is the first time I've seen a friend of mine with a book dump… (although man, I wish there was a better name for it)

Saturday Snippets… Getting On

A contemporary I'm working on…side project, dunno what I'm doing with it yet.

The last thing she needed right then was to see David Coltraine.

On top of everything else.

The absolute last thing.

His eyes, darker than the darkest chocolate, stared into hers. His face, not quite as a pretty as he'd been ten years ago, was shadowed with more than five o'clock shadow and she suspected it had been a few days since he'd used a razor.

The shock of seeing him rolled over her and for a few seconds, all she could do was stare.

A smile tugged at his lips as he held her gaze. Slowly, she straightened, and aware of the fact that her hands were trembling, she slid them off the table and into her lap.

There had a been a time when she wouldn't have been able to look at him without blushing, talk to him after what had happened without crying—that had changed. But she couldn't keep her hands from shaking, and she'd be damned if she let him see.

She needed to say something, though. Had to, because if she didn't…

Talking with the Dead…October's Featured Title

Since it's October, and that's Halloween, it seems I should feature a spooky(ier) title.  How about Talking with the Dead?

Surrounded by death, a man with a terrible gift reaches for life.

A horrific tragedy blasted open a door in young Michael O'Rourke's mind—cursing him with the ability to talk with the Dead. Nearly two decades later, Michael has moved from victim to survivor, using his abilities to seek out those who would go unjudged.

With his gift, he talks to those who've died violently and seeks out their killers. Only once he's found the murderer, can the victims be at rest. After his last case, the only thing he wants is peace and he hopes to find it in the small town of Mitchell, Indiana.

But something is horribly wrong—the dead are waiting for him there, as well.

Small town sheriff Daisy Crandall is frustrated. The murder investigation she's leading is going nowhere, the few leads she's had haven't panned out. She needs a break—this case is personal and when a stranger arrives, turning up where he shouldn't be, she's suspicious. Finding out that he is more than what he appears to be, should shock her but doesn't. The fact she's highly attracted to him at the worst possible time is a hindrance.

Unfortunately, teaming up with Michael is the only way.

Now it's a race against time before the killer destroys the life of his next victim…

Daisy had to stifle the urge to snarl in pure frustration as the last possible lead she had on the killer who had killed four women in her town came up empty. Nothing. Yes, Kelsey Morrow told her, she had seen a car that night before she called him. But it was so dark…and she couldn't tell a Trans Am from a Camry, Kelsey relayed mournfully. She thought it was a four door—maybe. And the color was dark. But dark blue, dark green, gray…black…

Damn it. Daisy suspected it could have been a Pinto painted with black and white pinstripes, and Kelsey wouldn't have remembered. It could have been a vintage Mustang convertible in pristine condition, and Kelsey wouldn't have noticed.

Why, on earth, did the one woman who had seen the probable killer have to be Kelsey?

She was a sweet enough girl, and Daisy loved her dearly—after all, they were stepsisters.

But Kelsey was an airhead. Talking to her made Daisy as dizzy as a whirlwind. Daisy tugged on her braid in a gesture born of nervous habit as she muttered to herself, lowering her gaze back to the papers, reports and pictures spread out in front of her.

An hour later, she had poured through the scant file on Tanya Dourant and she came back to the conclusion that she had already reached.

Taken from her home, late at night, no signs of struggle in the house—and on the one night that her husband had been out bowling like he did every Wednesday.

She had known her killer.

Of course, they lived in Mitchell, for crying out loud. The small town in Indiana had less than a thousand who lived inside the city limits. Several hundred more in the county, outside the city limits. Almost everybody knew the other, at least at a glance. And Tanya was a nurse for the town's sole pediatrician. So she knew almost everybody. Damn it all.

Thirty-three, sweet, funny, good with kids…and dead.

Some son of a bitch had bled her like a damned pig.

Rubbing her thumb along one of the pictures, she studied it. That bright, happy grin made her heart hurt. Thinking about those little kids, asking for Mama day after day, and Daddy having to explain she wasn't ever coming home again.

Fury pulsed through her and she shoved back from the chair, pacing the small office and turning it over in her mind.

"Something. Has to be something," she muttered. Gritting her teeth, she lowered herself back into the chair and grabbed the first thing that came to hand. It was a crime scene photo of the empty field where Tanya's body had been dumped.

"Waste of time, going out there again." Then she shrugged and stood, grabbing her jacket on her way out the door.

Not that staying in the office was terribly productive right now.

The road was paved up until about a mile from the field. Tanya had been found by some hunters, a week after being reported missing. The hunters had known who it was. Daisy had seen the knowledge, the fury, the shock, in their eyes as they led her back out there.

As Daisy had expected, the official cause of death was hypovolemic shock, caused by massive blood loss. There had been thirty-six cuts, all inflicted by the same blade. Most likely the same knife that had been used on the other victims. They had all been cut thirty-six times as well. There was nothing careless or uncontrolled. The victims hadn't been stabbed violently, but cut with a careful precision.

Also like the others, Tanya had been raped. He had also spent some time strangling her. He'd squeezed her throat until she blacked out from the lack of oxygen and then he'd let her go. Let her wake up. And then he'd start all over again.

All of that, and he hadn't left a single sign of himself. Not a hair follicle, not a bit of skin under the fingernails, not a drop of semen or blood. He left nothing and Daisy had come up with nothing.

The instincts that had helped her nab some of the biggest drug runners in Louisville had deserted her. Not even a quiver as she walked the trail back to the field. Her gut had been playing tricks on her for a while, but now it was like she was working blind. No gut urges, no hunches to follow.

Just four dead bodies…and a stranger standing in the meadow where the last body was found.

It was the guy from the diner. He stood there, facing away from her, staring down at the ground. There was a knapsack slung over one big shoulder. It had a worn look to it, like it had been used a lot. Other than the bag, his hands were empty. But his clothes were dusty, like he had been kicking around the field for quite a while.

Twilight was starting to gleam gold on the horizon as Daisy calmly shifted the gun she wore inside her jacket. Hadn't ever gotten used to wearing a holster at her waist the way her predecessor had. Too many years working in narcotics, she supposed.

"You're on private property, pal," she said levelly.

The blue eyes that cut her way were the color of the sky just before sunrise. Deep, dark blue. And cool. Very cool. She hadn't noticed the color of his eyes back at the diner. Neither had she realized just how very…large he was.

Six feet four, easy. Shoulders that would have done a linebacker proud. High cheekbones and a chiseled chin. The only things that saved him from being too pretty were his hard, unsmiling mouth and his eyes. He had the saddest eyes that Daisy had ever seen.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice a low, easy drawl that spoke of the South. "Just out seeing the sights. Saw the road. I wanted to take a look around."

"Look for…what, exactly?" she asked, suspicion in her gut. Sad eyes or not, there was no way he had just happened upon this place. The field was too damn far out for somebody to stumble on to it. The path to it was overgrown and unless somebody knew it was there, it wasn't going to be easy to find.

He lifted the bag at his side and smiled, but it wasn't a real smile. It wasn't reflected in his eyes, or on his face. Just a polite little smile to set people at ease, she suspected. But she wasn't put at ease. Not at all.

"Scenery. I'm an amateur photographer. On vacation, wanted to find someplace quiet." His voice was soothing, the kind of voice that tended to reassure people.

Daisy wasn't looking for reassurance. She was looking for answers and she wanted to know what in the hell he was doing standing in the middle of her crime scene.

For a brief second, she entertained the possibility that this was her guy. It wasn't unusual for killers to revisit crime scenes—could explain why he was at the site where they'd found Tanya. He definitely had the weird, mysterious vibe to him. But it wasn't him. She didn't know why he was here, but it wasn't because he wanted to see if his victim had been found yet.

So instead of calling for back up, she just said, "Mitchell has plenty of nice places. And a lot of them aren't on private property. Maybe you should find of one of them."

That same polite little smile, and he nodded. "Of course. Hope I didn't cause trouble, Sheriff," he said. And then he was gone, moving past her on incredibly silent feet.

Daisy fought not to scowl as he headed for the trees, that black bag slung over his shoulders, his hands tucked into his pockets, broad shoulders straining at the seams of his worn denim shirt.

Nice ass.

Then she mentally slapped herself across the head, turning back to study the field with narrowed eyes.

She slid her gaze back in the direction where that sexy stranger had disappeared. Blowing a breath out, she started to jog across the field, catching sight of that faded blue denim. "Hey…hold up a minute."

It's in ebook & print and you can read another excerpt here.

A writer's urban legend?

No WAY!

Over at Read, React, Review last week, I read this:

Now, here's a story I heard that made me so mad I'll have to say my mantra a few times after I type it. I wasn't there, so I can't verify its validity, but the woman who told me about it attended this author's speech and I think she's a trustworthy source.

She said the author she was listening to was a well-known NY Times best seller. What she said was "If you don't cut your competition down with rotten anonymous reviews, you don't care about your career."

Jessica, the blogger, had posted this from another blog.

Now this isn't the first time I've heard something like this.  I've actually heard variations of this several times over.

I'd posted in comments that unless I actually here a writer's name, I basically consider it a writer's urban legend.  I mentioned:

Everybody who has repeated it to me it's always been like those things well, my sister knew this ONE guy who had this happen but naturally, the one guy has no name. But in this case, the one guy is an author…with no name.

I just think that if there really was an author out there saying that, we'd hear a name. Unless they made the workshop attendees sign their names in blood or something… ;o)

Then I also called it BS advice-because really, do you see Nora Roberts out there scrawling negative, anonymous reviews for her 'competition'?  I don't.  But I also can't really see that she doesn't 'care for her career'.

Am I saying this 'advice' was actually never handed out by an author?  I dunno.  I guess it's possible.  But every time I've ever heard this little story, there's never an author's name given.  It's like those emails or twitter alerts that rotate thru:  this child has been kidnapped…she was last seen in a green car, please forward!  If it was YOUR child, you'd want everybody to help, too! But there's no name attached, no specifics, no car details, no physical details of the child…etc, etc, etc.  Just enough details to make it feel 'personal'.  If it was "YOUR" child…

In this case?  It's *YOUR* career.  And some *NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR* with no name is telling you it's okay to post anonymous negative reviews, and not only is it okay, if you really care about your career, you must do this.

I have two things to say…

If there are authors who believe this?  Who do this?  Bullshit… If you care about your career, you bust your ass to push it forward-you don't worry about the careers of others. If your career starts to tank and flounder?  Well… there's this little thing called karma.  Negativity comes back on you.  Crap like this usually gets found out and these are the types of authors who then 'whine about how mean everybody is'…ummm… bite me.  Actually, grow up.  Get a clue.  Then, bite me.
Frankly, if there is a NYT bestselling author out there saying this?  I think we would know more details because this right here is a controversy…and there's nothing the internet loves as much as a controversy.  If this had been said in a workshop, especially in the past two years, somebody would have been posting it on twitter or facebook and we'd have a name.

Since we don't?  I'm still considering it nothing more than a writer's urban legend. Although, if I'm wrong and somebody can prove it?  Please, please, please email me… I'm nosier than hell.

Crazed Hearts… Free At Borders… LIMITED TIME ONLY…

FYI, US Readers can get Crazed Hearts for free at Borders Ebookstore… just for a few days, though!

It's here… (Yeah, no cover, my name isn't there, but it's my book.)

Control… just what control do I have…

So it's been a while since I've talked about piracy.  Yes, it's still a major problem.  I spent six hours this weekend working takedown notices.  Six hours.  FYI, that is six hours that could have been spent either finishing the next Grimm book, finishing my romantic suspense, or getting closer to done on two of the contemporaries I'm working on.  But because I had to deal with piracy crap, well, those six hours were spent on piracy issues.  Not writing.  Time I spend dealing with piracy is time I spend not writing, which means… less time spent working on books… for readers.

Something that a few readers have mentioned-they wished they could do  more to help and it's dawned on me… you know what?  You can.  This isn't just an author/publisher problem.  It's one that can/will/does affect you.

As piracy and online digital theft is becoming more and more of an issue, governments are starting to focus on the problem.  Readers outnumber authors, and the legit readers also outnumber the pirates.  This is good-because there is actually a 'political party' over in Europe that wants to run for office and make 'pirating legal'.  You know how you can help authors and other creators out?  Speak out.  Talk to your reps and make your voices heard.  Make them aware of the fact that we need to make sure copyright laws are strong, that creators need the support of their government.

For the US readers who hit my blog, I can even make it very easy for you:

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

This is a quick way to find your state reps & senators.  Send them an email.  Urge them to continue to support and protect the copyright protection of creative works.   That protection is what keeps us writing. If we lose that, you might well find out that some of us, possibly many of us, maybe even the majority of us will stop providing those creative works.   That protection is what allows us to earn a living from our creative works.  We need it.  Take it away, then why should we continue to do it?

If you don't live in the US, we still need your help.  Can you contact your representatives?  Email them?  Ask them to support copyright protection in your country?

Those of you who do support us and understand our right to earn a living, those who don't steal from us, you have no idea how much you're appreciated.  Thank you. From the very bottom of my heart, thank you.

Now.  About control.  What control do I have?  Can I control how pirates think?  No.

Can I control the excuses they use to rationalize their actions?  No.  Although many of those rationalizations just make me laugh when they don't depress the hell out of me.  I'm particularly fond of the ones like… "Writers are rich-it's not like it hurts them."

Rich.  Oh, if only.  Although, ya know what…the writers who are rich?  They busted their butts to get that way-they earned it.  But I need to introduce some reality into this little tale.  I'm not rich.  I can count on one hand how many writers I've actually met who could be called rich.  And I've met a lot of writers.  A select few are rich.  Some are pretty well off.   Others, though?  The majority of them still work day jobs in addition to writing.  They still work day jobs because they can't live on what they make from their writing income.  Period.  So the pirates who think they aren't hurting writers through their thefts?  Big. Fat. Wrong.

I'm actually lucky that I can write as my job and the only reason I can do so is because of my husband-he's got a decent, steady job with decent insurance.  If something happens there?  I go back to work-we've got three kids and I've got health issues that require decent insurance.

Let me shed some more reality-our home is 1500 square feet.   It's not huge.  It's a nice home.  But's it's not big.  We don't have enough room.   Three bedrooms.  Single level dwelling.  My two daughters share a bedroom.  My office is the dining room.  Our two cars are in the driveway because we have to use the two car garage for storage-no room in our house.  Both of our cars were bought used and have over 100,000 miles on them now.  Mine is over 5 years old.  My husband's is close to ten years old.  My kids go to public schools, not private.  The majority of our clothes come from Old Navy or Target, and on occasion, Walmart and sometimes, I'll hit Kohls when there are good sales.  Yes… I'm really living the high life.  We're still paying on our home, we have the same bills anybody else has.

Again…we're not rich.

My story isn't unusual for writers, and I actually probably do a little better than some-again, a lot of that is because of my husband's job and his insurance.  Because of him, I don't have to pay $500 or so out of pocket a month for insurance, why is about what it would cost me.

Here's another shocker-since writers are self-employed, a nasty chunk of our income goes to Uncle Sam.  Taxes aren't already deducted, so we have to turn around and pay that.   Ever been self-employed? You know that tax refund a lot of Americans look forward to come April?  Not the typical writer-you see, being self-employed generally means we'll end up owing.  And it doesn't have jack to do with making a lot of money.  It's that self-employment thing.

We're not rich.  Stop deluding yourself with that little fantasy.

Then there's the 'writing is fun so why should they make us pay?' fantasy. Well, aside from the stuff I listed up above… ya know, things like taxes and crap-I mean how in the world can we pay that if we're not getting paid?  And not paying your taxes leads to things like, oh…say… jail.

But seriously.  You think 'writing is fun' and that means 'they shouldn't get paid'.  Seriously?  Are these mature adults thinking this crap up?   No… writing is a job and for me, it's more stressful than the job I used to have-but there are people out there who think I should do it for nothing?  Choke.  Um.  No.  Not going to happen.

Like most jobs, it has it's moments.  But I spent generally about 10 or so hours a day working-not just writing, because writing is actually only half of my job.  And even that isn't what I can call fun.  Yes, I'm driven to do it-but an alcoholic is driven to drink.  Doesn't mean it's fun for the alcoholic.

The sad thing is, even when I'm not working?  I am.  Writing is a job that we never turn off.  Even when we're out with our families, trying to focus on them, the stories are crowding our head and pushing in, trying to intrude and take over and we have to try and block them out.  Writing isn't like a faucet you turn off and on.  It's just there.  It's not like the nursing job I had, where I could leave it at the office, either.  It's always on.  Can you imagine how mentally exhausting that gets?

So again… that writing is fun justification…it's just another delusion.  It's a job, and it's a damn hard one.

Back to control… there are some pirates out there who think they are part of some big 'revolution' where they will force 'content to be free' as part of a big political change.  A little tangential side note-the content isn't free for me to provide.  I spend money doing it.  Guess what-it shouldn't cost me money if I can't get paid.

We also have a whole hell of a lot of freeloaders in our society.  Writers/creators actively contribute-we provide a service, we work, we aren't asking for a handout.  We're doing a job.  We're earning a living.  This is how we earn a living.  Surely even pirates understand that to earn a living you must be paid, correct?  Surely even pirates understand that in order to make it in society, one must be able to pay for things like food, your home, food, and if you have kids, you need to be able to provide for them.  (unless of course these pirates are going to produce some marvelous system where creators are provided for by society….)

How is a writer to earn a living if they aren't paid?  Do you want to add to the burden of society and take away our paying jobs?

So back to this 'so-called revolution'.  This idea that they can force content to be free-again, content that isn't free for us to provide to begin with.   I disagree that you'll be able to force this revolution.

Wanna know why? The majority of governments, the majority of people understand the value of creative works.  Even the pirates seem to get that there is value.  If there wasn't any value, they wouldn't want the creative works.  They just feel entitled to take whatever they want.

Governments, the majority of people do understand that the creators need to have the right to protect their work-that protection is what lets them earn a living, what enables them to NOT BE A BURDEN ON SOCIETY…because they have a job, ya know?

You take that protection away?  Well, here's a question for the pirates….

If we can't protect our works, why should we give it to you?

I tell you now…a lot of us will stop.   And you can't make us continue-that is out of your control.  We decide if we're going to provide it.  That is what we control.

Would you like read an disturbing statistic?  From BBC News, in regards to the music industry in Spain, a country that has no laws preventing illegal downloads-nothing to help those creators protect their work:

The sales of albums by local artists there have fallen by 65% in five years.

Sixty five percent.

Another quote from that article:

"Spain runs the risk of turning into a cultural desert," commented Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, at Universal Music Group.

A cultural wasteland.  That sounds pretty disturbing.  Sixty-five percent.

You want to push for laws to strip away copyright protection-well, like I said, I don't see it happening.  All the governments need to do is look at a country like Spain and see what happens when there is little to no protection given to creative users.   Why should any artist pursue a big career in Spain when they realize their own government isn't going to back them?  I sure as hell wouldn't.

I'm a realist.  As much as the stories in my head drive me, I've got kids who need to be fed, clothed, cared for and I'll put their needs above all, before all, and if you take away the laws that enable me to earn a living-therefore making it possible to provide for them?

You can't force me to write.  You can't force any writer to write.  Take away the protection that enables us to earn a living from the books we provide?  You might not like what happens down the road.  You could find yourself in a reader's wasteland.  Yes, there will be those who write to be read…but not all of them will be books from professional writers.

Before you roll your eyes and think, yeah, right… ask yourself, imagine, just imagine, you're one of those local musicians in Spain, and your income has dropped 65% over the past five years.  Do you really, honestly see yourself still doing that job or are you looking to alternatives?  Me?  I'd be looking to alternatives, and thank God, I've got a steady reliable career to fall back on–quite a few writers do.  Most of us didn't come into this biz fresh out of high school.

If you wouldn't continue to work at a job where your income was cut by more than half, why would you expect anybody else to?  If you can't see yourself doing it,  don't expect anybody else to do it, either.  Don't make the assumption that writers, artists, whatever will stick it out in the 'hopes of being read' or 'they have to do this because they need to heard/read/whatever'.

Because that only defines some artists, only defines some writers.  Some are in it for the glory.

Many of us are in it because it's our job.  Those of us who are in it because it's our job?  You take the job part away?  The part where we're able to benefit?  That part goes hand in hand with copyright protection? Take it away and you'll be surprised, because you will end up losing out, too, when you realize many of us are done.

In the end… I don't write to be read… I write because it's my job… I choose to put the books out there.  That is what I control.  I've got another career I can turn to, and it's one I've kept up with-I can go back to nursing.  There is a reason I kept my license active, a reason I still help out at my old day job.  It's so I can return to it, should I ever need it.  Take away the laws that protect my work?  I'll pick up that stethoscope again real fast.

That, right there, is the control I do have.  You can't force me to write.  You can't force any writer to write.  If our right to protect our works is stripped away?  Well, in the end, one right we do still have?

The right to decide if we're going to give you, give anybody another story.

This right here is why readers everywhere need to care about piracy and copyright protection.   Don't let pirates be the ones who decide about some so-called digital revolution.  Since copyright protection and digital theft is a hot topic right now with a number of law makers, now is the ideal time for readers to make their voices heard.  Contact your representatives.  Speak up.  Make your voice heard.  Please.  Help us protect our work, help us protect the stories that we love to give you.

Countdown to The First Book of Grimm… Contesty Fun & Giveaway

First thing-if you don't already get my newsletter/enter my monthly contest, I finally got things straightened out and you can sign up/enter.  It's through Access Romance and standard prize is a book from me.  You can enter here…

Next up.

The First Book of Grimm releases in two weeks!  Yay! This book has the first two Grimm stories, Candy Houses & No Prince Charming.

There is cool news with this… Barnes & Noble is featuring it on their new release tables-you know the tables up front where the trade paperbacks are?  Well, my Grimm are going to be up there!  To celebrate, I'm giving away a Nook.  Details on how to enter can be found here… upfront disclosure-this is a promotional thing for the print release-previous ebook purchases of the two novellas (Candy Houses and No Prince Charming) do not count.

There is a no purchase option available, but yes, the best odds are through purchasing the book.  If you've already bought the ebooks…well, hey… books make wonderful gifts… 

Also, for US residents, those who buy the book in store the first week of release can send me their receipt in exchange for a free gift…(supplies are limited) Details found here.  A note to my readers outside the States, I hope you can understand-I rarely have any geographical restrictions on contests/giveaways, but for reasons of practicality, I am doing so with this one.

Yet more Grimm fun~from 10/4 to 10/11, Borders is giving Crazed Hearts away for free at their ebook store.  I don't believe you need a reader to read their formats (PDF should be one of them). **Okay, something is up with the giveaway because I can't find Crazed Hearts listed.  Once I figure out what's up, I'll update.  Sorry!

Annnndddd… one last thing.  The next Grimm book releases late this month-Tarnished Knight.  If I can ever get caught up, I'll post another excerpt.

The Iron Duke

So I suck at reviews.  Big time.  I know what I like, though, and I like this.  It rocked.  Give me more, please.

Folks… if you like science fiction type romance?  You'll probably dig this.  If you like paranormal romance?  You'll probably dig this.  If you like historical romance?  You'll probably dig this.

Read an Excerpt

Due out tomorrow!

Jennifer Estep's Winner…

I've drawn the winner for Jennifer's guest blog, with some help from randomizer.org

The winner gets a copy of VENOM~and that winner is Brandi, email starting with un_easy@, who commented,

I love all books…well…yup all books. The books I enjoy the most though are the ones where there is a little bit of everything. Because isn't that how real life goes (I know, I know we're reading fiction, but in my mind the story comes alive like a movie) so I find it the story flow easier to digest…

Favorite series…

Kate Daniels-magic series

Jeaniene Frost-night huntress series

Vickie Pettersson- Zodiac series

Patricia Briggs-mercy series

kim harrison-the hollows series

kelley armstrong-the otherworld series

karen chance-both of her series

and so many more…

Brandi, I need you to email me @ shilohwalker(at)gmail.com.  As per my blog rules, winners have two weeks to claim their prize, otherwise, it's forfeited.

Raven Scavenger Hunt…

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Prizes…books…authors…did I mention prizes?

Details @ The Raven Blog…