I forgot to mention...I'm giving away an ebook copy of The Silver Spoon in a contest. If you know the answer to the following question:
"What is unique about the Observers' eye color?"
email me at sklemstein@msn.com with the answer by 10/28 and you'll be entered in a drawing to win the ebook of The Silver Spoon. An ebook, for those who might not know, is basically an electronic version of the book that can be emailed to you. It can be read on your computer, palm pilot or ebook reader.
If you need help answering the question, you can read the excerpt that's posted on my site, www.staceyklemstein.com for help (hint: the answer is actually in the excerpt, so check it out!)
Sorry for the short notice! I posted the info elsewhere but forgot to mention it here : ) Yeah, I'm having one of those weeks...
more later...
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Monday, October 25, 2004
Next year...
Do you ever wonder about where you'll be this time next year? I could never have imagined at this point last year that I'd have a book out there. Kind of makes me wonder what will be going on at this time next year. All good things, I hope! Sometimes I get this huge urge to go and shake things up a bit. And that's actually kind of weird thing for me. As most people who know me will tell you, I like things to stay the same. I used to blame that on moving so much as a kid. But now, I think I would have been like that anyway. I like routine, sameness. It's comforting to me. Heck, I order the same meals at the same restaurants every time we go. But sometimes I do get this almost irresistable urge to change things up.
For example...a few months ago, a family member brought to my husband's attention that a bed and breakfast that the family member had stayed in was for sale. The B&B is in Hawaii. I LOVE Hawaii (though I protested intensely the vacation there last year -- I am so not good with change, even the really wonderful kind that I enjoyed once I let myself). Though we didn't seriously consider it at the time, I've often wondered what that would be like. To pick up and move and start a new life some place where you've always wanted to live, instead of where your job or life demands. I'm sure that running a b&b is a LOT of hard work. But can you imagine? Waking up every morning to tropical birds sqwauking. The sound of the ocean nearby. 75 degrees and sunny all year round. The worst you'd have to do is deal with cranky customers. Couldn't be any worse than some of the other people I've dealt with in the years I've been working. But can you just imagine...trading it all in, not for a perfect life, but a different life? I can see myself sitting in a cabana (spelling?), writing on my AlphaSmart...*sigh*.
But we'll never do it. At least not that way. If we move someplace far away, it will be both a planned and measured move. Which is the best way to to do it. I'd probably hate the change anyway, at least until I got used to it. Real life is never as perfect as fantasy. And moving sucks, no matter how cool the location you're going to. But still...can you imagine? The freedom of doing something just because you want to. And it's not a completely foolish idea, but not an entirely practical one either. Sometimes I think we fill our lives so full with the practical and pragmatic, we slowly edge the fun out of our lives. It's all about being responsible adults. Shoot, I'd rather be a B&B owner in Hawaii, I think. : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
For example...a few months ago, a family member brought to my husband's attention that a bed and breakfast that the family member had stayed in was for sale. The B&B is in Hawaii. I LOVE Hawaii (though I protested intensely the vacation there last year -- I am so not good with change, even the really wonderful kind that I enjoyed once I let myself). Though we didn't seriously consider it at the time, I've often wondered what that would be like. To pick up and move and start a new life some place where you've always wanted to live, instead of where your job or life demands. I'm sure that running a b&b is a LOT of hard work. But can you imagine? Waking up every morning to tropical birds sqwauking. The sound of the ocean nearby. 75 degrees and sunny all year round. The worst you'd have to do is deal with cranky customers. Couldn't be any worse than some of the other people I've dealt with in the years I've been working. But can you just imagine...trading it all in, not for a perfect life, but a different life? I can see myself sitting in a cabana (spelling?), writing on my AlphaSmart...*sigh*.
But we'll never do it. At least not that way. If we move someplace far away, it will be both a planned and measured move. Which is the best way to to do it. I'd probably hate the change anyway, at least until I got used to it. Real life is never as perfect as fantasy. And moving sucks, no matter how cool the location you're going to. But still...can you imagine? The freedom of doing something just because you want to. And it's not a completely foolish idea, but not an entirely practical one either. Sometimes I think we fill our lives so full with the practical and pragmatic, we slowly edge the fun out of our lives. It's all about being responsible adults. Shoot, I'd rather be a B&B owner in Hawaii, I think. : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
Thursday, October 21, 2004
I'm a big giant hypocrite...maybe
Okay, I have to be fair and tell the truth. I'm encouraging everyone to participate in NaNoWriMo (see yesterday's blog). But I'm still trying to make up my mind whether it's something I'm going to do. I'll still write during November, definitely, but whether I'll actually sign up for NaNoWriMo is what I'm wrestling with. See, I'm not sure that I'm one of those people who functions well under pressure. I get writing done, usually, because I've forced myself to sit down every day and do it. Sometimes I get a page, sometimes I get a paragraph, sometimes on a really good Saturday or Sunday I get more like seven pages, yea!!! But part of the reason I can do that is I tell myself that there are no expectations for sitting down in that chair, although I have a goal of at least (!) one page a day on weekdays before work. So, I'm worried that if I put the expectation of 1,500 or so words a day on my shoulders, I'll work myself into a tizzy stressing over it. On other hand, I think I sometimes lose a lot of time because I allow myself to digress or worry about what's already been written instead of moving forward and making progress, which is what NaNoWriMo is all about.
Plus, and I know this sounds stupid, if I get all freaked out and frustrated because I can't meet the deadline (I am so a Type A, if there's a deadline, I MUST meet it. Except when it comes to being anywhere on time. That I can never do as many of you will testify), I won't be able to enjoy writing. Enjoying it, even when it's hard work, is essential for me. I'm thinking of all those college papers that I had to write on deadline and hated them intensely while I was writing them.
So, while I still think NaNoWriMo is an excellent event, especially for those who need a kick in the pants *grin* to start writing or keep writing, I'm not sure I'm going to do it. I'm still thinking about it...
Okay, whew, now that I've got that off my chest...complete and bizarre conversation change. How about that show Lost? Best hour on television in my opinion. Fabulous character development, intriguing backstory. It's one of the few shows where I'm actively wishing for more at the end. I wish they'd put television shows out like they do DVDs, all the episodes at once, so you can watch them all when you have time or want to. This week to week thing is killing me.
Also, Veronica Mars? Close second to Lost for best new show. If you haven't seen it, you are truly missing out. Again, excellent character development. I heard that Veronica was originally developed as a character for a novel, which helps explain some of her depth. If that's the case, then all tv characters should be book characters first!!!
Okay, I'm done now. : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
Plus, and I know this sounds stupid, if I get all freaked out and frustrated because I can't meet the deadline (I am so a Type A, if there's a deadline, I MUST meet it. Except when it comes to being anywhere on time. That I can never do as many of you will testify), I won't be able to enjoy writing. Enjoying it, even when it's hard work, is essential for me. I'm thinking of all those college papers that I had to write on deadline and hated them intensely while I was writing them.
So, while I still think NaNoWriMo is an excellent event, especially for those who need a kick in the pants *grin* to start writing or keep writing, I'm not sure I'm going to do it. I'm still thinking about it...
Okay, whew, now that I've got that off my chest...complete and bizarre conversation change. How about that show Lost? Best hour on television in my opinion. Fabulous character development, intriguing backstory. It's one of the few shows where I'm actively wishing for more at the end. I wish they'd put television shows out like they do DVDs, all the episodes at once, so you can watch them all when you have time or want to. This week to week thing is killing me.
Also, Veronica Mars? Close second to Lost for best new show. If you haven't seen it, you are truly missing out. Again, excellent character development. I heard that Veronica was originally developed as a character for a novel, which helps explain some of her depth. If that's the case, then all tv characters should be book characters first!!!
Okay, I'm done now. : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
NaNoWriMo...and no, that's not gibberish.
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I kid you not, it is an actual celebrated thing. And it's a cool thing on top of it. Basically, the idea behind NaNoWriMo is that a lot of people have the dream of writing a book. But the problem is life interferes. Everyone has jobs, family commitments, school, soccer games, dinners to cook, laundry to wash, etc. (Just as a quick aside -- even once you've written a book, that stuff still pops up. I think before I got published I thought if I could just get my book out there then somehow all this other stuff would fall into place and make writing the next one so much easier. It doesn't. And a good thing too. As Stephen King points out, art should revolve around life, not the other way around. Or he says something like that. I'm wildly paraphrasing again. Basically that writing should be a reflection of life, so life has to come first. And he's right.)
So, the good folks at NaNoWriMo have come up with a solution. You want to write a book? Give yourself thirty days. Starting November 1 at midnight, join thousands of other writers in writing their novels. The goal? 50,000 words by November 30 at midnight.
Frankly, what stops most writers is fear. Fear that it won't be good enough, fear that it's a waste of time or energy because you won't be able to accomplish the goal of an entire book. NaNoWriMo doesn't allow time for fear. You have a deadline to meet!
No assertions of quality are made. You don't have to write a great book in 30 days, just a book. Actually, more likely a draft. I believe that this program ascribes to Anne Lamott's theory of "Write a shitty first draft." Which basically means, don't let fear stop you. Put it all down on the page, revel in the crappiness of it. Because it's only once you've got it all down there that you can see what you have and what's worth keeping and what's not. (Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I love it. It is quite simply the most helpful book on writing that I have ever read.)
And once you have 50,000 words on the page, are you going to put it aside? Heck no, that's a lot of effort. And 50,000 is technically long enough to be a novel and if you find you still have more story to tell when you reach that point, all the better. Participants can register at NaNoWriMo and if they reach their goal, they will be put in some kind of Hall of Fame, I believe. But here's my thought -- even if you don't quite reach 50,000, it's still probably more progress on your novel in a month that you normally would have made, right?
Blogger is adding a new twist this year by encouraging participants to set up novel blogs, where they can post progress on their novels. There's an article about it here. If you can't read it (I'm not sure if it's for registered blog owners only or not), let me know. You don't have to use Blogger to participate in NaNoWriMo. I couldn't because I'm uncomfortable with sharing my writing before it reaches a certain stage. I like being able to wallow in the mess of it until I can figure out what's going on. But with NaNoWriMo, you don't have to show your writing to anyone. Progress is updated on the honor system. And if you reach the goal of 50,000, they have some kind of method to check without reading your stuff.
I think NaNoWriMo is a great program. Sometimes all you need is a reason to start and keep going. Anybody out there who's thinking about or has thought about writing a book, consider NaNoWriMo. It's just one month out of your life to achieve a huge, wonderful goal. Think about it : ) By the way, you are allowed to create notes and outlines ahead of time, just no actual writing on the book until November 1 at midnight, for those who were wondering...
Talk to you tomorrow!
So, the good folks at NaNoWriMo have come up with a solution. You want to write a book? Give yourself thirty days. Starting November 1 at midnight, join thousands of other writers in writing their novels. The goal? 50,000 words by November 30 at midnight.
Frankly, what stops most writers is fear. Fear that it won't be good enough, fear that it's a waste of time or energy because you won't be able to accomplish the goal of an entire book. NaNoWriMo doesn't allow time for fear. You have a deadline to meet!
No assertions of quality are made. You don't have to write a great book in 30 days, just a book. Actually, more likely a draft. I believe that this program ascribes to Anne Lamott's theory of "Write a shitty first draft." Which basically means, don't let fear stop you. Put it all down on the page, revel in the crappiness of it. Because it's only once you've got it all down there that you can see what you have and what's worth keeping and what's not. (Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I love it. It is quite simply the most helpful book on writing that I have ever read.)
And once you have 50,000 words on the page, are you going to put it aside? Heck no, that's a lot of effort. And 50,000 is technically long enough to be a novel and if you find you still have more story to tell when you reach that point, all the better. Participants can register at NaNoWriMo and if they reach their goal, they will be put in some kind of Hall of Fame, I believe. But here's my thought -- even if you don't quite reach 50,000, it's still probably more progress on your novel in a month that you normally would have made, right?
Blogger is adding a new twist this year by encouraging participants to set up novel blogs, where they can post progress on their novels. There's an article about it here. If you can't read it (I'm not sure if it's for registered blog owners only or not), let me know. You don't have to use Blogger to participate in NaNoWriMo. I couldn't because I'm uncomfortable with sharing my writing before it reaches a certain stage. I like being able to wallow in the mess of it until I can figure out what's going on. But with NaNoWriMo, you don't have to show your writing to anyone. Progress is updated on the honor system. And if you reach the goal of 50,000, they have some kind of method to check without reading your stuff.
I think NaNoWriMo is a great program. Sometimes all you need is a reason to start and keep going. Anybody out there who's thinking about or has thought about writing a book, consider NaNoWriMo. It's just one month out of your life to achieve a huge, wonderful goal. Think about it : ) By the way, you are allowed to create notes and outlines ahead of time, just no actual writing on the book until November 1 at midnight, for those who were wondering...
Talk to you tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Classes...
Forgot to mention, my website is now updated (thanks, Ed!). I wanted to point out a new section on my site dedicated to creative writing classes. I have a couple classes that I'd like to teach if enough people are interested. The Fiction Workshop is more of a writing group but online. Creative Writing is more of an overview of the necessary elements for a short story or novel, also online.
If you think you might be interested, please email me, sklemstein@msn.com or feel free to forward the link or information to someone else who might be interested. Also, if you have class ideas for writing or publishing topics that you' d like to learn about, let me know. If I don't know enough about it to teach a class on it, maybe I can refer you to someone who does!
If you think you might be interested, please email me, sklemstein@msn.com or feel free to forward the link or information to someone else who might be interested. Also, if you have class ideas for writing or publishing topics that you' d like to learn about, let me know. If I don't know enough about it to teach a class on it, maybe I can refer you to someone who does!
I bet you didn't know this about me...
I got to do one of my very favorite things at my day job today...fix the copier. I'm probably the only person who likes it when we get paper jams. I just love to take apart all the different sections and search out that little bit of crumpled paper that's gumming up the whole works. It's just that inside a copy machine everything looks complicated but it isn't. There are diagrams and little numbers on all the equipment to tell you how it all comes apart and goes back together again. There's really no subjectivity about it, no right or wrong -- there's paper stuck in there somewhere and to make the machine work again, you have to get it out. Period. I find most people just give up too soon, thinking the machine is just freaking out, that there really isn't paper stuck in there. I like the challenge of trying to find it, taking all the different sections out and then figuring out how it all goes back together again.
Plus, I think there's something close to magic the way that blank paper goes in and pages full of ideas, thoughts, and words come out the other side. The inside of the machine always looks far too complicated for the purpose of it (there's a name for machines like that, Rube Goldberg or something like that? Named, I think, after this guy who would create this huge gigantic machine that took up a whole room just to do something simple, staple two pages together or something. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?) A complicated mass of levers, rollers, twist knobs, pullouts, belts and the smell of overheated paper and metal. The fixing it of it appeals to the logical side of my brain, "try this one. If's not here, then maybe it's over there." Keep trying and you will find the piece of paper, hiding away in some little nook or underneath one of the rollers. Such fun!!! But I honestly haven't a clue why I like it so much and others hate it.
What odd things do you guys like to do that other people probably hate to do? Let me phrase, for all those who might spin this right into the gutter *grin*, what odd tasks do you enjoy doing that other people might not? Doesn't have to be at work, either. Just curious -- I'm pretty sure I'm not the only strange one out there, I probably just have my own brand of strange, that's all!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Plus, I think there's something close to magic the way that blank paper goes in and pages full of ideas, thoughts, and words come out the other side. The inside of the machine always looks far too complicated for the purpose of it (there's a name for machines like that, Rube Goldberg or something like that? Named, I think, after this guy who would create this huge gigantic machine that took up a whole room just to do something simple, staple two pages together or something. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?) A complicated mass of levers, rollers, twist knobs, pullouts, belts and the smell of overheated paper and metal. The fixing it of it appeals to the logical side of my brain, "try this one. If's not here, then maybe it's over there." Keep trying and you will find the piece of paper, hiding away in some little nook or underneath one of the rollers. Such fun!!! But I honestly haven't a clue why I like it so much and others hate it.
What odd things do you guys like to do that other people probably hate to do? Let me phrase, for all those who might spin this right into the gutter *grin*, what odd tasks do you enjoy doing that other people might not? Doesn't have to be at work, either. Just curious -- I'm pretty sure I'm not the only strange one out there, I probably just have my own brand of strange, that's all!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Monday, October 18, 2004
Website update/Weird stuff
Just a quick note...This weekend I updated the files for my website but it wouldn't load properly, so my friend and tech advisor, Ed, is coming over tonight to try to fix it. So, you may see an updated site tomorrow or, with no reflection on Ed's skills but my own, the whole thing may be completely fouled up! So just a warning...
You know, other writers talk about characters coming to the front and protesting to have their time in the spotlight. I've never really experienced that phenomenon. Most of mine are bit passive agressive in that if I'm not doing it right, they get annoyed and just refuse to talk further. But someone new has cropped up this time. And she's rather impatient and not above influencing others to get them moving on with things in their story so I'll have time to hear her. I'm not supposed to get to her until after I've finished my current project, something shorter than normal, which may be why she's pushing so hard. I may have to start writing both at the same time, something I've never really done before. I'm kind of worried about doing that because when I'm writing something new, I like to work on it every day. And there's only so much time in the day. So, we'll have to see...but I must confess it's a fun and fascinating phenomenon. I can see why other writers are both delighted and baffled by it. Like right now, I'm listening to music (my IPod!) and thinking about how crazy this sounds and she says something very sarcastic, like, "And here I thought listening to music was supposed make the voices go away." Hee. That probably doesn't make sense without knowing her, which I hope you will soon. And she's pushing for much sooner rather than later!
Talk to you tomorrow!
You know, other writers talk about characters coming to the front and protesting to have their time in the spotlight. I've never really experienced that phenomenon. Most of mine are bit passive agressive in that if I'm not doing it right, they get annoyed and just refuse to talk further. But someone new has cropped up this time. And she's rather impatient and not above influencing others to get them moving on with things in their story so I'll have time to hear her. I'm not supposed to get to her until after I've finished my current project, something shorter than normal, which may be why she's pushing so hard. I may have to start writing both at the same time, something I've never really done before. I'm kind of worried about doing that because when I'm writing something new, I like to work on it every day. And there's only so much time in the day. So, we'll have to see...but I must confess it's a fun and fascinating phenomenon. I can see why other writers are both delighted and baffled by it. Like right now, I'm listening to music (my IPod!) and thinking about how crazy this sounds and she says something very sarcastic, like, "And here I thought listening to music was supposed make the voices go away." Hee. That probably doesn't make sense without knowing her, which I hope you will soon. And she's pushing for much sooner rather than later!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Friday, October 15, 2004
And finally...
Whew, it only took me until Friday this week to catch up. So, here, as I've been promising is the fantastic review that Kathy Samuels of Romance Reviews Today wrote for The Silver Spoon. I love it! I was especially thrilled the reference to "V" as I have begun to suspect that it may have had more influence over me than I realized, watching it obssessively as I did in childhood. Stacy G. just gave me the complete series on DVD for my birthday, so I'm planning to check it out again, perhaps this weekend!
I have permission to reprint the review in full, so here goes...
THE SILVER SPOON - Stacey Klemstein
RuneStone Publishing - www.runestonepublishing.com
ISBN: 1-59648-000-9
September 2004
Science Fiction Romance
Texas and Wisconsin, Present Day
Zara Mitchell hasn't had a good night's sleep since the arrival of the Observers, an alien race of beings who look like humans except for their extraordinary height, silver eyes and hair. From that first night a few years ago to now, Zara's dreams have been filled with nightmares involving these entities. She's sought the expertise of doctors and psychiatrists, but nothing, no drug or therapy, has been able to stop the dreams. Unfortunately, since she usually ends up outside her house screaming on the street after an episode, in the eyes of the townspeople Zara is crazy. When the sheriff brings one of the Observers into her diner just to see what she will do, Zara is unprepared for her reaction and for the aliens.
Caelan has been searching for the human woman who will satisfy the prophecy -- the one who will save his people from a known enemy. An image of her has been running through his mind ever since he was released from his stasis pod. Picked up by the police for loitering while searching the town, Caelan decides to act meek until he sees an opportunity to escape. But while he is devising his plans, the sheriff takes him directly to the woman he has been looking for.
Within minutes of Zara and Caelan's first encounter, someone detonates a bomb in the diner, and only with Caelan's help does Zara survive the blast. But there is no time to spare, for one of the Council, the leading group of Observers, is after Zara, and if she doesn't accompany Caelan, she will die. Unwilling to believe one of the beings who have plagued her dreams for years, Zara decides she wants nothing to do with Caelan and his prophecy. But her life has taken a turn for the adventurous and downright dangerous. Zara soon learns that someone actually is after her, and she makes the instantaneous decision that maybe working with Caelan is the lesser of two evils. Can Zara trust this alien, who, while he pushes all of her heretofore sleeping sexual buttons, has his own agenda? Is Caelan the key to unraveling the mystery of her dreams?
THE SILVER SPOON is one hell of a science fiction ride reminiscent of the 1980s TV miniseries 'V'. Aliens have landed on earth and extended the hand of peace...or have they? Zara is happy with her life, except, of course, for the debilitating nightmares. The introduction of Observers into her personal sphere is daunting at best to her mental health. As for the prophecy, well, that she has to classify as the worst addition to her future. A mouthy heroine with a heart of gold, readers will root for Zara even as they laugh at her witty internal monologues. Caelan is searching for an identity and the means by which to solve the mystery of his origins as well as to save his friends from the Council. He finds the key to all three in Zara, along with an attraction that can't be denied. The secondary characters, including Caelan's Observer team, Zara's brother Scott, and, of course, the villain, Nevan, provide background and initiate the major events in the plot, although the story is definitely Zara's. While the plot threads are tied off at the end of the tale, the author hints strongly of a sequel.
If you're looking for a book with a bit of everything -- action, adventure, and romance -- pick up a copy of THE SILVER SPOON today.
Kathy Samuels
Romance Reviews Today
I have permission to reprint the review in full, so here goes...
THE SILVER SPOON - Stacey Klemstein
RuneStone Publishing - www.runestonepublishing.com
ISBN: 1-59648-000-9
September 2004
Science Fiction Romance
Texas and Wisconsin, Present Day
Zara Mitchell hasn't had a good night's sleep since the arrival of the Observers, an alien race of beings who look like humans except for their extraordinary height, silver eyes and hair. From that first night a few years ago to now, Zara's dreams have been filled with nightmares involving these entities. She's sought the expertise of doctors and psychiatrists, but nothing, no drug or therapy, has been able to stop the dreams. Unfortunately, since she usually ends up outside her house screaming on the street after an episode, in the eyes of the townspeople Zara is crazy. When the sheriff brings one of the Observers into her diner just to see what she will do, Zara is unprepared for her reaction and for the aliens.
Caelan has been searching for the human woman who will satisfy the prophecy -- the one who will save his people from a known enemy. An image of her has been running through his mind ever since he was released from his stasis pod. Picked up by the police for loitering while searching the town, Caelan decides to act meek until he sees an opportunity to escape. But while he is devising his plans, the sheriff takes him directly to the woman he has been looking for.
Within minutes of Zara and Caelan's first encounter, someone detonates a bomb in the diner, and only with Caelan's help does Zara survive the blast. But there is no time to spare, for one of the Council, the leading group of Observers, is after Zara, and if she doesn't accompany Caelan, she will die. Unwilling to believe one of the beings who have plagued her dreams for years, Zara decides she wants nothing to do with Caelan and his prophecy. But her life has taken a turn for the adventurous and downright dangerous. Zara soon learns that someone actually is after her, and she makes the instantaneous decision that maybe working with Caelan is the lesser of two evils. Can Zara trust this alien, who, while he pushes all of her heretofore sleeping sexual buttons, has his own agenda? Is Caelan the key to unraveling the mystery of her dreams?
THE SILVER SPOON is one hell of a science fiction ride reminiscent of the 1980s TV miniseries 'V'. Aliens have landed on earth and extended the hand of peace...or have they? Zara is happy with her life, except, of course, for the debilitating nightmares. The introduction of Observers into her personal sphere is daunting at best to her mental health. As for the prophecy, well, that she has to classify as the worst addition to her future. A mouthy heroine with a heart of gold, readers will root for Zara even as they laugh at her witty internal monologues. Caelan is searching for an identity and the means by which to solve the mystery of his origins as well as to save his friends from the Council. He finds the key to all three in Zara, along with an attraction that can't be denied. The secondary characters, including Caelan's Observer team, Zara's brother Scott, and, of course, the villain, Nevan, provide background and initiate the major events in the plot, although the story is definitely Zara's. While the plot threads are tied off at the end of the tale, the author hints strongly of a sequel.
If you're looking for a book with a bit of everything -- action, adventure, and romance -- pick up a copy of THE SILVER SPOON today.
Kathy Samuels
Romance Reviews Today
Thursday, October 14, 2004
I'm back, part three
Can I just say how much I love bookstores? And I'm saying that as a reader, not a writer (well, okay, both, but I've loved bookstores a lot longer than I've had opportunity to say so and have it miscontrued as major suck uppage, which it isn't). There's just this wonderful feeling when you walk in the door...I imagine it's similar to the start of some big exciting adventure (being a homebody, I actually don't like traveling, so the analogy doesn't really apply to yours truly, but whatever) with old and new friends. The smell of paper, ink, glue and coffee all blending together in this happy mix that never fails to lighten my mood. Bookstores, just like libraries and churches, have a unique smell that I love. Makes me feel safe, happy, anticipatory, all at once. Hee.
Okay, enough of that. The Peoria Borders is a new store (yea, the smell of new construction too, can it get any better?!?), so it was, of course, beautiful on the inside. They'd set up a table right inside the door for me. My mom had come along with me on this one to help me set up (thanks Mom!), but my whole family was to be following shortly. I got all my stuff set up on the table and my mom got me a glass of water from the cafe and then I settled into the huge comfy leather reading chair they'd provided. Wasn't too long before people started approaching. It's interesting how people react to someone behind the table. Some of them aren't sure who you are. Are you a Borders employee? Some random customer who's decided to sit down at the table? A surveyer or some other annoying telemarketer-type personality? An author? People never seem to be quite sure and it shows in the way they either approach or don't approach the table. Some people make quick eye contact and when you try to speak, they look away immediately (they fear I may hand them a survey of some kind). Others in that same situation take it as a cue to approach and say hello. I had some fun learning and experimenting with what approach worked best to get people's attention, but I'll save that for the "lessons learned" part of this blog.
We weren't there very long before a couple approached the table and asked me to sign a book. Cool. But then they threw me for a loop when they told me to sign it for my aunt. I was kind of like, huh? And then I realized that these were people who knew me but I didn't recognize them. Eeesh. I always feel bad in that situation and it happens a lot because of my dad's job (lots of church members, only a few pastor's daughters!). So, in that moment, I'm trying to decide, do I confess that I don't recognize them or do I somehow try to deduce by some mystical means which aunt they're referring to? (I have four, and as it turns out, it was none of them but rather my great-aunt.) Finally, I have to apologize and say that I don't recognize them. They don't seem to be offended, even chuckling a bit. They are friends of my grandparents, used to live next door to them when they wintered in Arizona. And as soon as they said their names, I remembered them -- of course. That's how it always works. : ) (Hi Gene and Hazel, if you're reading this!). Then, another member of my dad's church came by, one of the few that I know by name and face instantly because he was on the call committee that had asked my dad to come to Peoria 11 years ago. I was a senior in high school and used to take phone messages for my dad from him. Feels like so long ago!
But those were the only two I knew. I sold five more after that, bringing it up to a total of 7!!! Woohoo, I beat the average at the Peoria store!!! And it was wonderful having my whole family there, including my husband. I'm so glad they all came.
Okay, so here we go..."Lessons Learned"
1. Even though it feels safer and less vulnerable to be set up in a nook with favored books, it's better for book sales to be near the door or at least, in the main aisle.
2. People do not know that you are the author just because you are sitting at a table of only one book. They think you are a sales person, Borders staff or just some generally weird customer hanging out.
3. If you sit at the table and smile, a few people might approach. If you try to engage them in conversation, more people come over.
4. Based on point above, "Hi" works okay. "Do you like sci-fi?" makes people feel like you're trying to pressure them into a sale. "Do you want to enter to win a t-shirt or mousepad?" works okay, except it doesn't really get them to be interested in your book. "Hi, this is my book, a mix of sci-fi and romance, and I'm here signing today" seems to work the best. Gets across that you are the author (not random weird customer), what your book is about, and why you're telling them about it. Plus it's not a question that they can blow past with a "No." Most people, if they're not interested, just say "Thanks" and keep walking. And those who might not normally be interested in your kind of book might stop to talk just because of the whole writer/author thing.
5. Make sure to have some beverage, water is best for me, available at all times. One, because if you do any talking at all, which you should -- see #4 -- your mouth will get dry. Plus it gives you something to do with your hands if your nervous and it gives you something to do (drink it) when people are reading the back cover or the first couple of pages, so you don't stare at them, trying to gauge their reaction or work too hard at not looking desperate.
6. It helps to have a book signing buddy. Fortunately, I've had great friends and family to come with me and the one time, I didn't, the Borders staff was awesome. But if you're alone, you have no one to watch your stuff (purse, etc.) while you go to the bathroom and no one to help out by grabbing you a water refill if needed. Plus, the whole conversation with someone other than in your head thing is a benefit : )
7. Talking to your book signing buddy is good, but make sure the book signing buddy knows that you can't look too engaged or else people won't stop to talk to you, afraid to interrupt.
8. Write down the names of the staff people who help you so you can write them personalized thank you notes (I'm working on mine still!) It should go without saying but just in case...always be nice to the staff, regardless of how many people stop by or don't stop by your table. They are your best ally in getting people to know about your book.
9. If your book is not stocked, make sure to tell the staff how much the book costs. Otherwise you'll have someone waiting at the cash register while they hunt you down for a price check. (This happened to me repeatedly and I kept forgetting to tell the people at each new Borders -- total duh! on my part)
10. Your mother told you this when you were little and it's still a good piece of advice -- go to the bathroom before your event starts. First, because there's nothing worse than having to cut off a good conversation with someone to dash off to the bathroom. And second, because darn it all, hair gets messed up to resemble bird feathers, food gets stuck in teeth and lipstick ends up halfway to your chin. Not that this happened to me or anything...
Okay, I think I'll save the good review for another entry because this one is already too long. So, stay tuned tomorrow for that bit of excellent news!
Talk to you tomorrow.
Okay, enough of that. The Peoria Borders is a new store (yea, the smell of new construction too, can it get any better?!?), so it was, of course, beautiful on the inside. They'd set up a table right inside the door for me. My mom had come along with me on this one to help me set up (thanks Mom!), but my whole family was to be following shortly. I got all my stuff set up on the table and my mom got me a glass of water from the cafe and then I settled into the huge comfy leather reading chair they'd provided. Wasn't too long before people started approaching. It's interesting how people react to someone behind the table. Some of them aren't sure who you are. Are you a Borders employee? Some random customer who's decided to sit down at the table? A surveyer or some other annoying telemarketer-type personality? An author? People never seem to be quite sure and it shows in the way they either approach or don't approach the table. Some people make quick eye contact and when you try to speak, they look away immediately (they fear I may hand them a survey of some kind). Others in that same situation take it as a cue to approach and say hello. I had some fun learning and experimenting with what approach worked best to get people's attention, but I'll save that for the "lessons learned" part of this blog.
We weren't there very long before a couple approached the table and asked me to sign a book. Cool. But then they threw me for a loop when they told me to sign it for my aunt. I was kind of like, huh? And then I realized that these were people who knew me but I didn't recognize them. Eeesh. I always feel bad in that situation and it happens a lot because of my dad's job (lots of church members, only a few pastor's daughters!). So, in that moment, I'm trying to decide, do I confess that I don't recognize them or do I somehow try to deduce by some mystical means which aunt they're referring to? (I have four, and as it turns out, it was none of them but rather my great-aunt.) Finally, I have to apologize and say that I don't recognize them. They don't seem to be offended, even chuckling a bit. They are friends of my grandparents, used to live next door to them when they wintered in Arizona. And as soon as they said their names, I remembered them -- of course. That's how it always works. : ) (Hi Gene and Hazel, if you're reading this!). Then, another member of my dad's church came by, one of the few that I know by name and face instantly because he was on the call committee that had asked my dad to come to Peoria 11 years ago. I was a senior in high school and used to take phone messages for my dad from him. Feels like so long ago!
But those were the only two I knew. I sold five more after that, bringing it up to a total of 7!!! Woohoo, I beat the average at the Peoria store!!! And it was wonderful having my whole family there, including my husband. I'm so glad they all came.
Okay, so here we go..."Lessons Learned"
1. Even though it feels safer and less vulnerable to be set up in a nook with favored books, it's better for book sales to be near the door or at least, in the main aisle.
2. People do not know that you are the author just because you are sitting at a table of only one book. They think you are a sales person, Borders staff or just some generally weird customer hanging out.
3. If you sit at the table and smile, a few people might approach. If you try to engage them in conversation, more people come over.
4. Based on point above, "Hi" works okay. "Do you like sci-fi?" makes people feel like you're trying to pressure them into a sale. "Do you want to enter to win a t-shirt or mousepad?" works okay, except it doesn't really get them to be interested in your book. "Hi, this is my book, a mix of sci-fi and romance, and I'm here signing today" seems to work the best. Gets across that you are the author (not random weird customer), what your book is about, and why you're telling them about it. Plus it's not a question that they can blow past with a "No." Most people, if they're not interested, just say "Thanks" and keep walking. And those who might not normally be interested in your kind of book might stop to talk just because of the whole writer/author thing.
5. Make sure to have some beverage, water is best for me, available at all times. One, because if you do any talking at all, which you should -- see #4 -- your mouth will get dry. Plus it gives you something to do with your hands if your nervous and it gives you something to do (drink it) when people are reading the back cover or the first couple of pages, so you don't stare at them, trying to gauge their reaction or work too hard at not looking desperate.
6. It helps to have a book signing buddy. Fortunately, I've had great friends and family to come with me and the one time, I didn't, the Borders staff was awesome. But if you're alone, you have no one to watch your stuff (purse, etc.) while you go to the bathroom and no one to help out by grabbing you a water refill if needed. Plus, the whole conversation with someone other than in your head thing is a benefit : )
7. Talking to your book signing buddy is good, but make sure the book signing buddy knows that you can't look too engaged or else people won't stop to talk to you, afraid to interrupt.
8. Write down the names of the staff people who help you so you can write them personalized thank you notes (I'm working on mine still!) It should go without saying but just in case...always be nice to the staff, regardless of how many people stop by or don't stop by your table. They are your best ally in getting people to know about your book.
9. If your book is not stocked, make sure to tell the staff how much the book costs. Otherwise you'll have someone waiting at the cash register while they hunt you down for a price check. (This happened to me repeatedly and I kept forgetting to tell the people at each new Borders -- total duh! on my part)
10. Your mother told you this when you were little and it's still a good piece of advice -- go to the bathroom before your event starts. First, because there's nothing worse than having to cut off a good conversation with someone to dash off to the bathroom. And second, because darn it all, hair gets messed up to resemble bird feathers, food gets stuck in teeth and lipstick ends up halfway to your chin. Not that this happened to me or anything...
Okay, I think I'll save the good review for another entry because this one is already too long. So, stay tuned tomorrow for that bit of excellent news!
Talk to you tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
I'm back, part two
After finishing the event in Champaign, we headed out to dinner (Monical's pizza, which you cannot get here in Chicago, a darn shame too! It's the best pizza, with crust so thin and crispy it could probably hurt you if you didn't chew it properly...) with family friends. After dinner, which was actually probably more like linner or dunch, given that it was between the two meals, (total sidenote: I use dinner and supper interchangeably, but I vaguely recall a conversation in college where this is not the case with everyone -- what do you guys say?), we headed over to Bloomington for my second event. My brother and Mom came to help me set up. This time, I was tucked away in the literary fiction nook, which was kind of cool. I loved being surrounded by books that I've read (their definition of literary fiction is a little looser than most, I'd say, as I'd actually read a number of the books near me and I don't really care for literary fiction usually. But Maeve Binchy, one of my favorite authors, was shelved there. Her books...not her, personally. Though that would be interesting, wouldn't it?). I've told people it was like being surrounded by old friends -- that's usually how I think of books that I've already read and enjoyed. Huge thanks to Josh, one of the managers, who helped make sure I was set up properly, brought me water and gave me chocolate!!!
At this point, having gained a little confidence from my earlier signing, I started trying to talk to people as they walked by. Toward the end of the evening, I saw a young woman with LKH's latest book and nearly knocked my chair over to tell her that LKH's book was excellent and if she liked LKH, perhaps she would like The Silver Spoon, also a strong first-person heroine. I've never been so bold in my whole life. But I'm really glad I was this time. Marissa, the young woman, was superbly nice and we had a great conversation about writing later in the evening (If you're reading this...Hi Marissa!)
I packed everything up and left Borders around 10:15. Another cool thing about Borders? They let me stay however long I wanted. I'm sure that would vary depending on the store and the events scheduled but everywhere I went this weekend, I was so impressed by their flexibilitya and general willingness to help. : )
On Sunday, after church, we opened birthday presents. I think my sister was excited by one of the presents I brought for her. A copy of Incubus Dreams by LKH, signed by her and wishing my sister a happy birthday. I got another season of Stargate, yea!!!, my favorite lotion, BN bookstore gift certificates and a couple of really cute porch decorations. Almost immediately afterward, it was time to get changed and head off to my final stop of my tour, the Borders in Peoria.
But alas, that will have to wait until tomorrow. I've been typing with my eyes closed, no kidding, for about the last five minutes. I used to do this a lot when I was writing at night. I'm not bad at it, but thank goodness for spell check is all I have to say.
Talk to you tomorrow!
At this point, having gained a little confidence from my earlier signing, I started trying to talk to people as they walked by. Toward the end of the evening, I saw a young woman with LKH's latest book and nearly knocked my chair over to tell her that LKH's book was excellent and if she liked LKH, perhaps she would like The Silver Spoon, also a strong first-person heroine. I've never been so bold in my whole life. But I'm really glad I was this time. Marissa, the young woman, was superbly nice and we had a great conversation about writing later in the evening (If you're reading this...Hi Marissa!)
I packed everything up and left Borders around 10:15. Another cool thing about Borders? They let me stay however long I wanted. I'm sure that would vary depending on the store and the events scheduled but everywhere I went this weekend, I was so impressed by their flexibilitya and general willingness to help. : )
On Sunday, after church, we opened birthday presents. I think my sister was excited by one of the presents I brought for her. A copy of Incubus Dreams by LKH, signed by her and wishing my sister a happy birthday. I got another season of Stargate, yea!!!, my favorite lotion, BN bookstore gift certificates and a couple of really cute porch decorations. Almost immediately afterward, it was time to get changed and head off to my final stop of my tour, the Borders in Peoria.
But alas, that will have to wait until tomorrow. I've been typing with my eyes closed, no kidding, for about the last five minutes. I used to do this a lot when I was writing at night. I'm not bad at it, but thank goodness for spell check is all I have to say.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
I'm back!
Okay, a typo in my title originally made it say "I'm gack!" which I find particularly amusing right now. It could be because I'm tired : )
This weekend was fabulous, very busy, but fabulous. I drove down Friday night to stay at my parents' house in Peoria to be able to visit with them between book signings, which was great. Saturday started off bright and early with another road trip to Champaign. Amazing how much more nervous I was this time than with Stacy G. along for the ride : ) But I found the Borders with no trouble. Once inside, I hauled in all my stuff and found that the Borders staff was expecting me, had a table ready and everything! They were so nice to me. Helping me set up, making sure I had everything I needed. It was truly wonderful. I sold three books, which is pretty good, considering the average number of sales during a book signing (by a new, unknown author) is 4! A huge thank you to Daniel, Marci and Linda and all the other great staff members of Borders Champaign.
All right, I feel like I'm trying to race through this, which is not what I want to do. I'm tired and it's been a long day at Corporate America. So, I will finish tomorrow with the details of the other two signings, another good review for The Silver Spoon, and lessons learned from this mini-tour which will help me (and possibly anyone else thinking of doing this same thing) the next time.
I'll talk to you tomorrow!
This weekend was fabulous, very busy, but fabulous. I drove down Friday night to stay at my parents' house in Peoria to be able to visit with them between book signings, which was great. Saturday started off bright and early with another road trip to Champaign. Amazing how much more nervous I was this time than with Stacy G. along for the ride : ) But I found the Borders with no trouble. Once inside, I hauled in all my stuff and found that the Borders staff was expecting me, had a table ready and everything! They were so nice to me. Helping me set up, making sure I had everything I needed. It was truly wonderful. I sold three books, which is pretty good, considering the average number of sales during a book signing (by a new, unknown author) is 4! A huge thank you to Daniel, Marci and Linda and all the other great staff members of Borders Champaign.
All right, I feel like I'm trying to race through this, which is not what I want to do. I'm tired and it's been a long day at Corporate America. So, I will finish tomorrow with the details of the other two signings, another good review for The Silver Spoon, and lessons learned from this mini-tour which will help me (and possibly anyone else thinking of doing this same thing) the next time.
I'll talk to you tomorrow!
Friday, October 08, 2004
On the tour : )
Just a quick reminder...I'm on book tour this weekend (okay, it's tour of my own making, but still a tour, right?) Please stop by for a visit, if you have time. Here's my schedule:
10/9, Borders, Champaign, IL: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
10/9, Borders, Normal, IL: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
10/10, Borders, Peoria, IL: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Look for "tour" updates early next week, most likely Tuesday. Have a great weekend!
Talk to you Tuesday (maybe Monday, but probably Tuesday)!
10/9, Borders, Champaign, IL: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
10/9, Borders, Normal, IL: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
10/10, Borders, Peoria, IL: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Look for "tour" updates early next week, most likely Tuesday. Have a great weekend!
Talk to you Tuesday (maybe Monday, but probably Tuesday)!
Thursday, October 07, 2004
I got an IPod, I got an IPod!!!!!
Today is my birthday -- the last one of this decade for me. Eeek. But my husband, Greg, got me an awesome gift. A brand new IPod!!!! And I'm so glad he got it for me this year...next year I will be too depressed to be excited about anything, I think (I'm actually struggling with it a little bit this year. I know it's a cliche but I've always argued that cliches, like stereotypes, often have some little grain of truth in them, otherwise they wouldn't be cliches. )
Finally, my IPod lust has been sated : ) I'm so excited! I'm actually loading songs on it right now (The Very Best of Sheryl Crow, at the moment). I'm thrilled with the idea of being able to carry all my music with me at once. I'm always in the car thinking, Oh, I wish I'd have remembered to bring that CD. I'm also one of those people who likes one or two songs off an album, but not the whole thing. So this is perfect for me!!!
I also use music to help me with writing. I listen to certain songs or albums to help me get in the right frame of mind for whatever project I'm working on. For example, I listened to the Evanenscence album incessantly when I was working on the last draft of The Silver Spoon. I still love a few of the songs on there, but I've completely burned myself out on most of them, even though it's an excellent disc. So, I'm really excited to be able to create playlists, soundtracks, in effect, for all my projects. I always try to collect songs that remind me of certain characters or settings or ideas. So this is great!
(Thanks, honey : ) I love it!)
Finally, my IPod lust has been sated : ) I'm so excited! I'm actually loading songs on it right now (The Very Best of Sheryl Crow, at the moment). I'm thrilled with the idea of being able to carry all my music with me at once. I'm always in the car thinking, Oh, I wish I'd have remembered to bring that CD. I'm also one of those people who likes one or two songs off an album, but not the whole thing. So this is perfect for me!!!
I also use music to help me with writing. I listen to certain songs or albums to help me get in the right frame of mind for whatever project I'm working on. For example, I listened to the Evanenscence album incessantly when I was working on the last draft of The Silver Spoon. I still love a few of the songs on there, but I've completely burned myself out on most of them, even though it's an excellent disc. So, I'm really excited to be able to create playlists, soundtracks, in effect, for all my projects. I always try to collect songs that remind me of certain characters or settings or ideas. So this is great!
(Thanks, honey : ) I love it!)
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Another review/Way too much good television
Got an email yesterday from Enchanted in Romance. The Silver Spoon is rated 4 unicorns (which, for those of you, who are unfamiliar with this rating system, unicorns are like stars *grin*)!!! Here's an excerpt from Maitresse's review:
"Stacey Klemstein's very interesting, Aliens-on-earth story has some unexpected twists. It's written in crazy Zara's first person, only from the very beginning it is clear that it isn't Zara who is crazy but the whole situation that's out of hand. The question is not only who exactly are the bad guys, but also who is Zara? For readers, Zara is a strong heroine, and Caelan is not your ordinary silver-eyed alien hero. This is a whole new take on world building, with earth as the starter. "
Very cool, right? : ) I'm so excited! Click here to read the rest of the review. I need to update my website to reflect all of this. This is my second review and I still don't have the information on my site about the first one. I'm working on it, though!
_________________________________
Way too much good television...
I tell you guys about good books that I've read (LKH's latest, by the way, Incubus Dreams, was fabulous. I think she's transcending the mystery genre into something else, but I couldn't put the book down and it was close to 1,000 pages!) so I feel obligated *grin* to tell you about other good "stories" in other mediums -- just to be fair : )
I watch too much television. I freely admit it. It's a comfort thing for me, something I put on in the background just to keep me company. But I may also have a slightly addictive personality in that every year I swear I can't take time to watch any more new shows and yet...I always do. Have I mentioned that I love TiVo? TiVo is now my gauge as to how much I like the show. If it's on season pass (records all episodes without being told each time), then it's too late, I'm addicted.
So Season Pass Manager has the following new shows listed for me:
Lost: Seriously, if there's a better, more intriguing show on television right now, I don't know about it. Plane crash in the first episode lands forty some people on a deserted tropical island. But then strange things start to happen, some kind of weird animal/monster thing living on the island or something far more Twilight Zone-y? And every single one of the castaways has a secret. Plenty of clues are planted for you to begin figuring out what their secrets are. It's great fun to try to outwit the other castaways! The writing is smart, the chemistry between the male and female lead is almost palpable, and the character development is intriguing...damn, I wish I'd thought of this idea first : )
Cold Case: Not a new show, but a darn good one, nonetheless, that not many people are watching. The series (the CBS version, not A&E or whatever) follows the detectives on the cold case team as they try to solve cases that have lingered for months or even years. The best part about it, though, are the flashbacks where you get to go back in time to when the murder ocurred (usually the period is identified by music from that age) and you get to see the "victim" interacting with those people in their lives, one of whom is likely the killer. Great, great stories and again, a brain teaser. Can you figure it out before Lily Rush and her team?
Jack and Bobby: A touching show about brothers, one of whom will be president. And it has nothing to do with the Kennedy's. However, I must admit that despite the sharp dialogue and the intriguing role reversal (J&B's mom is an annoying infant of an adult while J is the only one with the maturity to handle any form of a crisis), I have recently taken it off my TiVo list. It's still a good show, but I think the writers are still trying to find their bearings and it's become an "issue" show. Racism, plagiarism, sexism, etc. All pounded into our brains by these fifteen minute soliloquoys by J&B's mom, who can be very grating. But still, worth checking it out. Particularly for the actor playing "Jack" -- what a very nice looking young man (ha! he's playing a 16 year old and he's only five years younger than me. Is it okay then to say that he's hot *grin*?)
Scrubs: Again, not a new show, but I've recently discovered it. I haven't laughed this hard at a television show in I don't know how long. The writing is absolutely phenomenal -- the dialogue is so crisp and witty, the best on television, in my humble opinion : )
Veronica Mars: I've heard it being called the new "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It's not. But it still has the potential to be a good show. Notice that I say "potential." It's an interesting situation/concept. V's best friend is killed. V's father is the "bumbling" sheriff who seems to have screwed up the investigation by accusing the girl's father of murder. V's father is removed from office and V is ostracized from her rich-kid friends, but she still has to live near and go to school with them. V's father becomes a private investigator and V helps out where she can. Turns out though that her father has never given up his suspicion that the girl's father is the one responsible for her death. V no longer knows who is right or wrong.
The writers are also not afraid of making the characters real with real problems. V has no friends (except for one she gains at the beginning of the first ep) because of what her father is done and how she stood by him, so they don't try to sugar coat high school, thank goodness. V also tells us at one point that her first sexual encounter resulted from being date raped while she was drugged. So, they don't shy away from the harsh stuff either. V is a strong character who is sharp and funny, but also clearly wounded and struggling with everything that has happened to her (her mother left after all the scandal and now it looks like V's mom may also somehow be involved in the murder case).
The one problem that the show has is that it doesn't give its viewers enough credit, doesn't believe we're quite smart enough. For example, V does surveillance on a hotel. In her convertible with the top down, right across the street from the hotel, camera hanging out right in the open. Um, I think I could even be more sneaky than that. Another example...she does a favor for the leader of a motorcycle gang and at the same time she busts one of the rich snotty kids. When one of the rich snotty kids comes calling to take it out on her, the motorcycle gang leader and his friends just happen to show up and save her. If the writers start to realize that even though this is a "teen" show, teen doesn't mean stupid, they have the opportunity to make this a really great story!
Okay, I think that's all...ooh, except Joan of Arcadia, which isn't a new show, but a good one nonetheless. I'll save that for another time maybe : )
What other new shows are you watching? What ones should I be watching instead? Which ones of my favorites do you disagree with? Let me know!
Talk to you tomorrow!
"Stacey Klemstein's very interesting, Aliens-on-earth story has some unexpected twists. It's written in crazy Zara's first person, only from the very beginning it is clear that it isn't Zara who is crazy but the whole situation that's out of hand. The question is not only who exactly are the bad guys, but also who is Zara? For readers, Zara is a strong heroine, and Caelan is not your ordinary silver-eyed alien hero. This is a whole new take on world building, with earth as the starter. "
Very cool, right? : ) I'm so excited! Click here to read the rest of the review. I need to update my website to reflect all of this. This is my second review and I still don't have the information on my site about the first one. I'm working on it, though!
_________________________________
Way too much good television...
I tell you guys about good books that I've read (LKH's latest, by the way, Incubus Dreams, was fabulous. I think she's transcending the mystery genre into something else, but I couldn't put the book down and it was close to 1,000 pages!) so I feel obligated *grin* to tell you about other good "stories" in other mediums -- just to be fair : )
I watch too much television. I freely admit it. It's a comfort thing for me, something I put on in the background just to keep me company. But I may also have a slightly addictive personality in that every year I swear I can't take time to watch any more new shows and yet...I always do. Have I mentioned that I love TiVo? TiVo is now my gauge as to how much I like the show. If it's on season pass (records all episodes without being told each time), then it's too late, I'm addicted.
So Season Pass Manager has the following new shows listed for me:
Lost: Seriously, if there's a better, more intriguing show on television right now, I don't know about it. Plane crash in the first episode lands forty some people on a deserted tropical island. But then strange things start to happen, some kind of weird animal/monster thing living on the island or something far more Twilight Zone-y? And every single one of the castaways has a secret. Plenty of clues are planted for you to begin figuring out what their secrets are. It's great fun to try to outwit the other castaways! The writing is smart, the chemistry between the male and female lead is almost palpable, and the character development is intriguing...damn, I wish I'd thought of this idea first : )
Cold Case: Not a new show, but a darn good one, nonetheless, that not many people are watching. The series (the CBS version, not A&E or whatever) follows the detectives on the cold case team as they try to solve cases that have lingered for months or even years. The best part about it, though, are the flashbacks where you get to go back in time to when the murder ocurred (usually the period is identified by music from that age) and you get to see the "victim" interacting with those people in their lives, one of whom is likely the killer. Great, great stories and again, a brain teaser. Can you figure it out before Lily Rush and her team?
Jack and Bobby: A touching show about brothers, one of whom will be president. And it has nothing to do with the Kennedy's. However, I must admit that despite the sharp dialogue and the intriguing role reversal (J&B's mom is an annoying infant of an adult while J is the only one with the maturity to handle any form of a crisis), I have recently taken it off my TiVo list. It's still a good show, but I think the writers are still trying to find their bearings and it's become an "issue" show. Racism, plagiarism, sexism, etc. All pounded into our brains by these fifteen minute soliloquoys by J&B's mom, who can be very grating. But still, worth checking it out. Particularly for the actor playing "Jack" -- what a very nice looking young man (ha! he's playing a 16 year old and he's only five years younger than me. Is it okay then to say that he's hot *grin*?)
Scrubs: Again, not a new show, but I've recently discovered it. I haven't laughed this hard at a television show in I don't know how long. The writing is absolutely phenomenal -- the dialogue is so crisp and witty, the best on television, in my humble opinion : )
Veronica Mars: I've heard it being called the new "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It's not. But it still has the potential to be a good show. Notice that I say "potential." It's an interesting situation/concept. V's best friend is killed. V's father is the "bumbling" sheriff who seems to have screwed up the investigation by accusing the girl's father of murder. V's father is removed from office and V is ostracized from her rich-kid friends, but she still has to live near and go to school with them. V's father becomes a private investigator and V helps out where she can. Turns out though that her father has never given up his suspicion that the girl's father is the one responsible for her death. V no longer knows who is right or wrong.
The writers are also not afraid of making the characters real with real problems. V has no friends (except for one she gains at the beginning of the first ep) because of what her father is done and how she stood by him, so they don't try to sugar coat high school, thank goodness. V also tells us at one point that her first sexual encounter resulted from being date raped while she was drugged. So, they don't shy away from the harsh stuff either. V is a strong character who is sharp and funny, but also clearly wounded and struggling with everything that has happened to her (her mother left after all the scandal and now it looks like V's mom may also somehow be involved in the murder case).
The one problem that the show has is that it doesn't give its viewers enough credit, doesn't believe we're quite smart enough. For example, V does surveillance on a hotel. In her convertible with the top down, right across the street from the hotel, camera hanging out right in the open. Um, I think I could even be more sneaky than that. Another example...she does a favor for the leader of a motorcycle gang and at the same time she busts one of the rich snotty kids. When one of the rich snotty kids comes calling to take it out on her, the motorcycle gang leader and his friends just happen to show up and save her. If the writers start to realize that even though this is a "teen" show, teen doesn't mean stupid, they have the opportunity to make this a really great story!
Okay, I think that's all...ooh, except Joan of Arcadia, which isn't a new show, but a good one nonetheless. I'll save that for another time maybe : )
What other new shows are you watching? What ones should I be watching instead? Which ones of my favorites do you disagree with? Let me know!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Thank you!
Huge thank you to the Deer Park Barnes and Noble for including me in Local Author Night. There were at least ten authors there and a LOT of people coming in and checking out the books. Thanks so much to Heather and Rob, Ed and Deb (and baby to be), Jeanine and Lauren, my husband and, of course, Stacy G. for stopping by to visit! Everyone who came by was super nice and several people had great compliments for my book cover. Oddly enough though something about it must trigger the idea that it's a mystery because that's usually the first thing people say when they pick it up. "So is this a mystery or...?" *grin*
I also got another good review for The Silver Spoon -- yea!!! I'll post more about that tomorrow. Time for me to head for bed : ) I'm tired. And I still need to watch Veronica Mars, one of my new television obsessions, but more about that another time...
Talk to you tomorrow!
I also got another good review for The Silver Spoon -- yea!!! I'll post more about that tomorrow. Time for me to head for bed : ) I'm tired. And I still need to watch Veronica Mars, one of my new television obsessions, but more about that another time...
Talk to you tomorrow!
The internet ate my blog...
I wrote an entry last night...but as I tried to publish it, something went kaplooey and it didn't save or publish. Oh, well.
Basically all I said was something like this:
A friend referred me to the A9 search engine and told me that she'd found some stuff under my name. So I did the search and found out that the this blog, the one you're reading right now, is listed on a website called: www.authorsblogs.com. I don't know how they found me, but how cool is that?!? So, you can check out the link above to find out authors who are blogging about their writing/publishing experiences. I just think it so weird how everything is connected on the internet. My book is listed on sites that I've never been to, my blog is now on this webpage, etc. It's like the ripple effect...except with computers and the internet instead of...well, rocks and water. You get the idea : )
___________________________________
Also, don't forget...tonight is Local Author Night at the Deerpark Barnes and Noble from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Please stop by if you have time. It's free and open to the public and you don't have to buy any books...unless you want to : )
______________________________________
In the eaten blog, I also talked about writing a teen novel. Some of my favorite books are in that genre, almost all the Meg Cabot books, the Harry Potter series, and one of my favorite books that I reread about once a year, The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle. It actually has nothing to do with aliens, suprising given the title and my interests. But it has a very engaging first-person female narrator and I love the story. Most libraries probably have it or you can order it online if you're interested.
Just something I'm thinking about, I guess...It would be nice to write a book I could share with some of the kids I've talked to in the schools, something age appropriate. But we'll see...
Talk to you tomorrow (or perhaps later today!)
Basically all I said was something like this:
A friend referred me to the A9 search engine and told me that she'd found some stuff under my name. So I did the search and found out that the this blog, the one you're reading right now, is listed on a website called: www.authorsblogs.com. I don't know how they found me, but how cool is that?!? So, you can check out the link above to find out authors who are blogging about their writing/publishing experiences. I just think it so weird how everything is connected on the internet. My book is listed on sites that I've never been to, my blog is now on this webpage, etc. It's like the ripple effect...except with computers and the internet instead of...well, rocks and water. You get the idea : )
___________________________________
Also, don't forget...tonight is Local Author Night at the Deerpark Barnes and Noble from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Please stop by if you have time. It's free and open to the public and you don't have to buy any books...unless you want to : )
______________________________________
In the eaten blog, I also talked about writing a teen novel. Some of my favorite books are in that genre, almost all the Meg Cabot books, the Harry Potter series, and one of my favorite books that I reread about once a year, The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle. It actually has nothing to do with aliens, suprising given the title and my interests. But it has a very engaging first-person female narrator and I love the story. Most libraries probably have it or you can order it online if you're interested.
Just something I'm thinking about, I guess...It would be nice to write a book I could share with some of the kids I've talked to in the schools, something age appropriate. But we'll see...
Talk to you tomorrow (or perhaps later today!)
Friday, October 01, 2004
This has nothing to do with writing, but I wanted to write it and post it anyway
The sad and scary thing about pets is that by having one and loving one, you're pretty much guaranteeing yourself heartbreak at some point. They don't live as long as we do...and that totally sucks. Before anyone who knows me panics, NOTHING is wrong with my babies. I just wanted to take this moment to appreciate one of them in writing...Always try to appreciate what you have while you still have it...that's my motto. : )
Snostorm is my baby. She's my first dog. She's all white with little brown spots on her fur and skin. That's pretty rare for a greyhound. She's getting even more spots now that she's getting older. Here are just a few of the things I love about her:
1) She prefers me to my husband (yep, I know that's selfish, but Joe, our other baby, prefers my husband, so it works out okay)
2) Her fur is the softest I've ever felt on a dog, like a rabbit's fur, ironically (greyhounds chase rabbits, that's their job.)
3) Her fur smells sort of sweet, like old pancake syrup or something.
4) She's smart enough to understand what I'm saying most of the time. I'm not exaggerating. She gets it when I say "upstairs" or "wait" or many of the other words that other dogs (poor Joe!) just don't understand no many how times they're repeated.
5) She's smart enough to know that stepping on my foot hurts me, so she is very careful when she comes to stand next to me. If she accidentally does it, she moves off very quickly before I can even say anything to her about it.
6) When the leash gets tangled around her front foot, she's figured out that lifting her foot from the ground will free her from the loop of leash.
7) She sits in the doorway of the bathroom to watch me getting ready in the morning.
8) Unbidden, she comes and lays down in my office in the big square of sunshine that comes through my windows.
9) Her fur feels like silk when she brushes up against me and I'm wearing shorts and have just shaved my legs (I know, too much information!)
10) If I'm writing and she wants attention, she comes around to the side of my chair and plop her head in my lap.
11) She leans forward when you're standing and she wants to be petted, putting her head between your thighs (but she's not sniffing or anything, that's just how she asks to be petted).
12) She snuggles with me on the big bed when my husband is not there.
13) She can open doors by pushing them open with her snout.
14) She loves people and is very patient with new people, including children.
15) She tilts her head to one side in this very funny "huh" way, when I say something that catches her attention. Once when I was describing the condition of the roads to my mom over the phone, I called them "Snowy," her nickname, which baffled her to no end. She knew I wasn't calling her, but she couldn't figure out why I kept saying her name.
There's lots more than this, but that's all I've got for now. I may add to it in the future...we'll see. Snostorm (whose full name is actually Emerald Snostorm) is the inspiration for Fritzy, the greyhound for my mystery, Bitter Pill, another reason I'd really love to see that book in print. The dedication will be all hers!
Talk to you Monday!
Snostorm is my baby. She's my first dog. She's all white with little brown spots on her fur and skin. That's pretty rare for a greyhound. She's getting even more spots now that she's getting older. Here are just a few of the things I love about her:
1) She prefers me to my husband (yep, I know that's selfish, but Joe, our other baby, prefers my husband, so it works out okay)
2) Her fur is the softest I've ever felt on a dog, like a rabbit's fur, ironically (greyhounds chase rabbits, that's their job.)
3) Her fur smells sort of sweet, like old pancake syrup or something.
4) She's smart enough to understand what I'm saying most of the time. I'm not exaggerating. She gets it when I say "upstairs" or "wait" or many of the other words that other dogs (poor Joe!) just don't understand no many how times they're repeated.
5) She's smart enough to know that stepping on my foot hurts me, so she is very careful when she comes to stand next to me. If she accidentally does it, she moves off very quickly before I can even say anything to her about it.
6) When the leash gets tangled around her front foot, she's figured out that lifting her foot from the ground will free her from the loop of leash.
7) She sits in the doorway of the bathroom to watch me getting ready in the morning.
8) Unbidden, she comes and lays down in my office in the big square of sunshine that comes through my windows.
9) Her fur feels like silk when she brushes up against me and I'm wearing shorts and have just shaved my legs (I know, too much information!)
10) If I'm writing and she wants attention, she comes around to the side of my chair and plop her head in my lap.
11) She leans forward when you're standing and she wants to be petted, putting her head between your thighs (but she's not sniffing or anything, that's just how she asks to be petted).
12) She snuggles with me on the big bed when my husband is not there.
13) She can open doors by pushing them open with her snout.
14) She loves people and is very patient with new people, including children.
15) She tilts her head to one side in this very funny "huh" way, when I say something that catches her attention. Once when I was describing the condition of the roads to my mom over the phone, I called them "Snowy," her nickname, which baffled her to no end. She knew I wasn't calling her, but she couldn't figure out why I kept saying her name.
There's lots more than this, but that's all I've got for now. I may add to it in the future...we'll see. Snostorm (whose full name is actually Emerald Snostorm) is the inspiration for Fritzy, the greyhound for my mystery, Bitter Pill, another reason I'd really love to see that book in print. The dedication will be all hers!
Talk to you Monday!
My late nights are catching up to me...
So I'm fading fast here in the late Friday afternoon. But I have some very good news to share! This very morning I completed the second draft of my current project. Yea!!! That does not mean it's done, by any means, and by crazy Stacey rules, I still can't talk about it, but I'm so glad to have finally reached this point *doing the happy dance* Well, not really, but you get the idea, even if it is a disturbing mental image! ("Numfar, do the dance of joy!" Huge, gigantic bonus points if anyone can tell me what this is from. It may not be an exact quote and my spelling of the name could be off, but it's close enough that you should be able to get it if you're familiar with this television show...)
Next up...clean the draft up (make chapter breaks cleaner, number the chapters, etc.) and print it out. Then I have to put it aside for awhile to give my brain some space to be able to make some rational judgments about it (or so I hope!) So, I'll be starting on something new in the next couple of days. Hee! I love this part!!!! First readers, you're not on deck yet...but you may be in the parking lot of the baseball stadium now, if that metaphor makes sense. We'll have to see when I do the read through in a few weeks : )
Okay, my sinus medicine, which I took to relieve my headache, is making me seriously sleepy. I think it's time to get out of here. : )
Have a great weekend everyone! Talk to you on Monday!
Next up...clean the draft up (make chapter breaks cleaner, number the chapters, etc.) and print it out. Then I have to put it aside for awhile to give my brain some space to be able to make some rational judgments about it (or so I hope!) So, I'll be starting on something new in the next couple of days. Hee! I love this part!!!! First readers, you're not on deck yet...but you may be in the parking lot of the baseball stadium now, if that metaphor makes sense. We'll have to see when I do the read through in a few weeks : )
Okay, my sinus medicine, which I took to relieve my headache, is making me seriously sleepy. I think it's time to get out of here. : )
Have a great weekend everyone! Talk to you on Monday!
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Laurell K. Hamilton signing (otherwise known as "a pinnacle moment for me"
I give you fair warning. I'm very tired right now and my arms are aching from holding a bunch of books tonight, so there will likely be a larger than average number of typos in here and I may stop making sense at some point...I'm not sure any of us would notice the difference *grin*
Okay, so, wow! Tonight was unbelievable. Let me start by once again thanking my usual culprit, Stacy G., for coming along for the ride. This girl can talk to anyone about anything and she's a one woman promoting machine! : ) But more on that later...
We get to the BN in Skokie about 5:00 and buy two copies of LKH's latest book, Incubus Dreams. We check in with customer service about where to get our line numbers and where we should wait. The nice gentlemen behind the counter appears slightly bewildered that we would show up more than two hours in advance, but evidently he is not familiar with the dedication of LKH fans. I knew people would be out in droves. He tells us they wouldn't be handing out numbers until 6:00. So, Stacy G. and I head next door to Johnny Rockets, this fake retro diner, for dinner. We come back at a few minutes before six and find that a line for the line numbers had already formed. We get in line and begin the wait to get our numbers. The interesting thing about waiting in line for something like this is that you know you've already got at least one thing in common with just about everyone around you. So, we chat a little bit with the women in front of us (Hi Kristin, if you're reading this!) It's always fascinating to see the different people who are drawn to LKH's work. Men, women, young and old, goth and soccer mom. Everyone turns out for her events.
Finally, we get our numbers (12 and 13) and we are then free to roam about the store until 7:00 when Laurell is to arrive and we are to get in line again. Stacy G. and I head downstairs to where the signing would actually take place and browse around for a bit, pausing by the Halloween book table. There, a woman strikes up a conversation with us about one of the books and as we're talking, Stacy G. finds out that this woman is a reviewer for one of the major sci-fi sites and Midwest Book Review (Hi Alisa, if you're reading this!). She is going to be reviewing LKH's book. Stacy tells her about my book, which she graciously agrees to read. I run out to the car for my very last copy in the car (nearly didn't bring an extra, boy am I glad I did). Yea!!!!
Then it is time to get in line for the books to be signed. Stacy and I head over in the general direction and spend a while standing on the stairs, chatting with those around us, complaining about the heat and the general condition of our feet : ) Remember, by this point, we've been standing, in heels, for a long time, holding books of more than 1,000 pages in length. I also took the opportunity to hand out more of my bookmarks to those standing near me.
Finally, Laurell and her husband, Jon, are spotted coming through the store. It always surprises me how tiny she is. Very petite, shorter than I am, with a mass of curly dark hair, which only makes her seem even smaller. They smile at the crowd, which by now, stretches all the way up the stairs and around the balcony area. At least two hundred people, maybe more, I'd guess, were there. A BN staff woman gets on the mic and tells us that we can shift around a little bit because Laurell's going to take some questions.
This is my favorite part. LKH is an entertainer. She may not think of herself that way, but I love to hear her speak -- she cracks me up! And you don't have to even read her books to enjoy her speaking or what she says. She has great comic timing, knows exactly when to pause to get this huge laugh from the crowd. Never seems to get exasperated by strange quesitons or ones that she's surely heard over and over again. She and her husband are such a perfect team, with him chiming in on answers with her. It's so sweet : ) If you ever have the chance to go somewhere and hear her speak, do it. Even if you've never read her books. It's a fun hour, well spent. I'm not going to go into what was asked and how she answered because there's no way I'll do it justice. : )
So, once the question session is over, everyone gets back in line, according to number. Stacy G. and I wait our turn patiently. By now, I'm really nervous. Palm-sweating and babbling nervous. But Stacy G. understands and doesn't make fun of me for it : ) Finally, we reach the front of the line. Jon takes our books and says, "It's nice to see you again" to me. It amazes me that he remembers me, after all the people they see. But I think that's such a testament to the effort they make to treat every fan, every reader as a person. That or I made such a bad impression the first time - shaking and nervous! This time, I'm much calmer...well, a little calmer : ) Jon, Stacy G. and I make small talk about blogging and politics for a few minutes while Laurell finishes up the book of the person in front of us.
Then she's ready for us. Here it is, the moment of truth. I wait until she's gotten the books in front of her to sign and then I hand her mine. At first, I think she is confused, not sure what I am doing. And then I tell her, that it's my book. That I want her to have a copy for being such an inspiration to me, for saying "when" instead of "if".
Laurell and Jon are both genuinely excited for me -- it is so awesome! I even get a hug from Jon : ) Laurell stops signing for a moment to read what I wrote in my book for her. Stacy G. said that she seemed really touched by it. I hope so. I hope she realizes how much what she does affects other people in a good way. Sometimes we all go through periods in our lives where we doubt ourselves. I don't know if she's ever felt that way, but if so, I wanted to make sure she understood the wonderful impact that she has made with me.
Stacy G. took a picture of me with Laurell and Jon. And then it was time to move on. But as a closing I thought it might be cool to show you guys what she wrote to me as an inscription on her book to me...
"To Stacey, so proud of you! Congrats! Keep on with your dreams, lots and lots of books. Laurell K. Hamilton 9/30/04"
She said she's proud of me. How cool is that?!? I'm actually getting a little teary over it. I'm such a mush!
And thank you to all of you (especially Stacy) for pushing me to give her my book. I'm really glad I did.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Okay, so, wow! Tonight was unbelievable. Let me start by once again thanking my usual culprit, Stacy G., for coming along for the ride. This girl can talk to anyone about anything and she's a one woman promoting machine! : ) But more on that later...
We get to the BN in Skokie about 5:00 and buy two copies of LKH's latest book, Incubus Dreams. We check in with customer service about where to get our line numbers and where we should wait. The nice gentlemen behind the counter appears slightly bewildered that we would show up more than two hours in advance, but evidently he is not familiar with the dedication of LKH fans. I knew people would be out in droves. He tells us they wouldn't be handing out numbers until 6:00. So, Stacy G. and I head next door to Johnny Rockets, this fake retro diner, for dinner. We come back at a few minutes before six and find that a line for the line numbers had already formed. We get in line and begin the wait to get our numbers. The interesting thing about waiting in line for something like this is that you know you've already got at least one thing in common with just about everyone around you. So, we chat a little bit with the women in front of us (Hi Kristin, if you're reading this!) It's always fascinating to see the different people who are drawn to LKH's work. Men, women, young and old, goth and soccer mom. Everyone turns out for her events.
Finally, we get our numbers (12 and 13) and we are then free to roam about the store until 7:00 when Laurell is to arrive and we are to get in line again. Stacy G. and I head downstairs to where the signing would actually take place and browse around for a bit, pausing by the Halloween book table. There, a woman strikes up a conversation with us about one of the books and as we're talking, Stacy G. finds out that this woman is a reviewer for one of the major sci-fi sites and Midwest Book Review (Hi Alisa, if you're reading this!). She is going to be reviewing LKH's book. Stacy tells her about my book, which she graciously agrees to read. I run out to the car for my very last copy in the car (nearly didn't bring an extra, boy am I glad I did). Yea!!!!
Then it is time to get in line for the books to be signed. Stacy and I head over in the general direction and spend a while standing on the stairs, chatting with those around us, complaining about the heat and the general condition of our feet : ) Remember, by this point, we've been standing, in heels, for a long time, holding books of more than 1,000 pages in length. I also took the opportunity to hand out more of my bookmarks to those standing near me.
Finally, Laurell and her husband, Jon, are spotted coming through the store. It always surprises me how tiny she is. Very petite, shorter than I am, with a mass of curly dark hair, which only makes her seem even smaller. They smile at the crowd, which by now, stretches all the way up the stairs and around the balcony area. At least two hundred people, maybe more, I'd guess, were there. A BN staff woman gets on the mic and tells us that we can shift around a little bit because Laurell's going to take some questions.
This is my favorite part. LKH is an entertainer. She may not think of herself that way, but I love to hear her speak -- she cracks me up! And you don't have to even read her books to enjoy her speaking or what she says. She has great comic timing, knows exactly when to pause to get this huge laugh from the crowd. Never seems to get exasperated by strange quesitons or ones that she's surely heard over and over again. She and her husband are such a perfect team, with him chiming in on answers with her. It's so sweet : ) If you ever have the chance to go somewhere and hear her speak, do it. Even if you've never read her books. It's a fun hour, well spent. I'm not going to go into what was asked and how she answered because there's no way I'll do it justice. : )
So, once the question session is over, everyone gets back in line, according to number. Stacy G. and I wait our turn patiently. By now, I'm really nervous. Palm-sweating and babbling nervous. But Stacy G. understands and doesn't make fun of me for it : ) Finally, we reach the front of the line. Jon takes our books and says, "It's nice to see you again" to me. It amazes me that he remembers me, after all the people they see. But I think that's such a testament to the effort they make to treat every fan, every reader as a person. That or I made such a bad impression the first time - shaking and nervous! This time, I'm much calmer...well, a little calmer : ) Jon, Stacy G. and I make small talk about blogging and politics for a few minutes while Laurell finishes up the book of the person in front of us.
Then she's ready for us. Here it is, the moment of truth. I wait until she's gotten the books in front of her to sign and then I hand her mine. At first, I think she is confused, not sure what I am doing. And then I tell her, that it's my book. That I want her to have a copy for being such an inspiration to me, for saying "when" instead of "if".
Laurell and Jon are both genuinely excited for me -- it is so awesome! I even get a hug from Jon : ) Laurell stops signing for a moment to read what I wrote in my book for her. Stacy G. said that she seemed really touched by it. I hope so. I hope she realizes how much what she does affects other people in a good way. Sometimes we all go through periods in our lives where we doubt ourselves. I don't know if she's ever felt that way, but if so, I wanted to make sure she understood the wonderful impact that she has made with me.
Stacy G. took a picture of me with Laurell and Jon. And then it was time to move on. But as a closing I thought it might be cool to show you guys what she wrote to me as an inscription on her book to me...
"To Stacey, so proud of you! Congrats! Keep on with your dreams, lots and lots of books. Laurell K. Hamilton 9/30/04"
She said she's proud of me. How cool is that?!? I'm actually getting a little teary over it. I'm such a mush!
And thank you to all of you (especially Stacy) for pushing me to give her my book. I'm really glad I did.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Local Author Event in Chicago/Your opinion needed...Inscription for LKH
A quick note...for everyone in the Chicago area, I'm going to be participating in the Local Author Night at the Barnes and Noble in Deer Park on Tuesday, October 5, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. If you have a few minutes that night, please stop by. You don't have to buy my book or anyone else's to be there -- it's a free event, open to the public. Come meet some authors, maybe find a new book or two to read : )
_____________________________________
LKH inscription. So the signing is tomorrow for Laurell's new book. Here's what I'm planning to write in the book I'm giving to her...
To LKH:
Thank you for being an inspiration to me, for creating a first-person heroine who kicks ass instead of taking names. Thank you for saying to me "when you get published" instead of "if." It meant so much to me. Sincerely, Stacey Klemstein
What do you guys think? I know it's short but there's not a whole lot of room there. Anything I should change, add in or leave out. Let me know! Post comments below. I won't be leaving for the signing until late in the afternoon tomorrow.
I have to go to bed. I'm getting loopy. Sorry for the disjointed nature of this entry. I'm more than half asleep : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
_____________________________________
LKH inscription. So the signing is tomorrow for Laurell's new book. Here's what I'm planning to write in the book I'm giving to her...
To LKH:
Thank you for being an inspiration to me, for creating a first-person heroine who kicks ass instead of taking names. Thank you for saying to me "when you get published" instead of "if." It meant so much to me. Sincerely, Stacey Klemstein
What do you guys think? I know it's short but there's not a whole lot of room there. Anything I should change, add in or leave out. Let me know! Post comments below. I won't be leaving for the signing until late in the afternoon tomorrow.
I have to go to bed. I'm getting loopy. Sorry for the disjointed nature of this entry. I'm more than half asleep : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Round Trip to Greece and St. Louis for $43
Okay, this is going to be a short one. It's already Wednesday *sigh*
LKH's new book came out today and I mentioned to Stacy G. that I was stopping to pick it up on the way home. She asked me if I'd have it read by tomorrow. I said no, but that I'd have to be careful because once I started it...it would be a slippery slope. I'd still be awake at 4:00 a.m. trying to finish. It's like 1,000 pages -- no kidding. But I'm going to end up putting off for a little while anyway. Because it occurred to me today as I was watching the girl ring up the books that unread books are like the promise of an adventure, a round trip between covers. And even better than a real vacation, you don't have to worry about getting stuck with a lousy seatmate (like that woman who kept touching my leg for the 8 hour flight to Hawaii last year), losing your luggage or even missing your flight. And even better, on book vacations, you get to be someone else. You get to live their problems for awhile instead of your own.
Books have always been an escape for me. Other people drink or workout or shop when they have bad days, I read a book. It's like this marvelous escape hatch that you can open up at any time and disappear into. My husband still makes fun of me for the time in college when I inadvertently brought a book to the grocery store. I was wearing a big coat with big pockets -- hey it was Indiana in the middle of winter...and earmuffs (and books) need to go somewhere. At the time I did it because I had a million books to read for class and seriously not enough hours in the year to accomplish all of it. So, I learned to read anywhere, anytime to squeeze more in. Now, I still do it, but for different reasons. It's rare to catch me someplace without a book, even a back up one, one that I've read before or one that I'm only sort of interested in reading. Because, hey, a trip to someplace sort of boring is better than reality that definitely is boring (i.e. waiting for an oil change or something). The few times that I do go somewhere without a book, I feel naked, exposed. Like I'll be pinned in the corner and forced to socialize. Writers? Sometimes not so good with the chatty part of life : )
So, those unread books still sitting, oh-so-pristine, in the plastic bag hold unknown secrets and adventures for me to discover. Can't help but feeling a little thrill, just imagining all they could hold. *satisified sigh* Is there anything better than the anticipation of a book by a favored author?
As I was imagining what I would tell my husband when I came home from the book store with two (I also bought Maeve Binchy's latest in hardcover *hanging head* I've been so good trying to wait for paperbacks...but today I caved) new hardcover books, I thought, well, really, it's a vacation without having to worry about packing or traveling or finding a dog sitter or losing vacation days or getting sunburned. Round trip to Greece (Maeve Binchy's book) with a looooong layover in St. Louis (LKH's new book) for $43.31...that's not bad at all : )
(And yes, I actually got up from my chair to check the receipt and that was exactly how much it cost! I'm such a geek!!!)
Talk to you tomorrow!
LKH's new book came out today and I mentioned to Stacy G. that I was stopping to pick it up on the way home. She asked me if I'd have it read by tomorrow. I said no, but that I'd have to be careful because once I started it...it would be a slippery slope. I'd still be awake at 4:00 a.m. trying to finish. It's like 1,000 pages -- no kidding. But I'm going to end up putting off for a little while anyway. Because it occurred to me today as I was watching the girl ring up the books that unread books are like the promise of an adventure, a round trip between covers. And even better than a real vacation, you don't have to worry about getting stuck with a lousy seatmate (like that woman who kept touching my leg for the 8 hour flight to Hawaii last year), losing your luggage or even missing your flight. And even better, on book vacations, you get to be someone else. You get to live their problems for awhile instead of your own.
Books have always been an escape for me. Other people drink or workout or shop when they have bad days, I read a book. It's like this marvelous escape hatch that you can open up at any time and disappear into. My husband still makes fun of me for the time in college when I inadvertently brought a book to the grocery store. I was wearing a big coat with big pockets -- hey it was Indiana in the middle of winter...and earmuffs (and books) need to go somewhere. At the time I did it because I had a million books to read for class and seriously not enough hours in the year to accomplish all of it. So, I learned to read anywhere, anytime to squeeze more in. Now, I still do it, but for different reasons. It's rare to catch me someplace without a book, even a back up one, one that I've read before or one that I'm only sort of interested in reading. Because, hey, a trip to someplace sort of boring is better than reality that definitely is boring (i.e. waiting for an oil change or something). The few times that I do go somewhere without a book, I feel naked, exposed. Like I'll be pinned in the corner and forced to socialize. Writers? Sometimes not so good with the chatty part of life : )
So, those unread books still sitting, oh-so-pristine, in the plastic bag hold unknown secrets and adventures for me to discover. Can't help but feeling a little thrill, just imagining all they could hold. *satisified sigh* Is there anything better than the anticipation of a book by a favored author?
As I was imagining what I would tell my husband when I came home from the book store with two (I also bought Maeve Binchy's latest in hardcover *hanging head* I've been so good trying to wait for paperbacks...but today I caved) new hardcover books, I thought, well, really, it's a vacation without having to worry about packing or traveling or finding a dog sitter or losing vacation days or getting sunburned. Round trip to Greece (Maeve Binchy's book) with a looooong layover in St. Louis (LKH's new book) for $43.31...that's not bad at all : )
(And yes, I actually got up from my chair to check the receipt and that was exactly how much it cost! I'm such a geek!!!)
Talk to you tomorrow!
Thank you...
A quick note to say thanks to Stacy G. who got a postcard in the mail announcing local author night at a local Chicago area Barnes and Noble and called me immediately to suggest that I still might be able to be included. The call is in, we'll have to see!!!
And thanks to Becky D., who, despite owning at least two copies (I know of at least a couple of drafts) of The Silver Spoon, went into Borders in her hometown to try to order it : )
Everything helps--thanks so much you guys!
And thanks to Becky D., who, despite owning at least two copies (I know of at least a couple of drafts) of The Silver Spoon, went into Borders in her hometown to try to order it : )
Everything helps--thanks so much you guys!
Monday, September 27, 2004
My first review!
My publisher emailed me yesterday to let me know that the first official review of The Silver Spoon is out! 4 Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews!!!
Here's a little bit from the review:
"The character of Zara is interesting in that she suspects she might be going crazy, so her perceptions might not be real. This plot device keeps the reader on the edge of her seat. I thought this was a very intriguing science fiction suspense novel, and found it almost impossible to put down. It’s a satisfying read."
Woo-hooo!! It's always excellent when someone "gets" what you were trying to do and likes it. Yea!! Thanks to Jean at FAR for her time and her review.
Here's a little bit from the review:
"The character of Zara is interesting in that she suspects she might be going crazy, so her perceptions might not be real. This plot device keeps the reader on the edge of her seat. I thought this was a very intriguing science fiction suspense novel, and found it almost impossible to put down. It’s a satisfying read."
Woo-hooo!! It's always excellent when someone "gets" what you were trying to do and likes it. Yea!! Thanks to Jean at FAR for her time and her review.
Read the full review here.
______________________
In other news...
-check out Meg Cabot's Q&A blog for her ratings of television shows. What she says about Extreme Home Makeover made me laugh out loud!
-LKH also had a good one that made me laugh this morning. She says, "With the construction we almost never park in our own driveway anymore, so I was walking across the yard in high heels in the dark. More adventure than I want before six in the morning." Check out the whole entry by clicking on the quote. Her new book, Incubus Dreams, comes out tomorrow. I'm so stopping by the BN on my way to work! Also, I believe all of you have convinced me to give her one of my books when I see her this week. I'll still be nervous, but whatever. Hopefully, putting her quote in this entry doesn't break like a hundred copyright laws. Oh well, if someone out there thinks that it does, let me know and I'll take the quote out and replace it with just a plain link.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Peoria Adventure -- Part Three
Friday morning came around very early. I had trouble sleeping Thursday night, all keyed up still from the excitement of the signing, I think. That plus I tried reading a book that my sister loaned me and it was scary enough to keep me jumping at every unfamiliar noise. I haven't stayed alone in a room at my parents' house for years, so it was very strange!
After a quick reinvigorating stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee (Stacy G.), milk (me) and doughnuts (both of us!), we were on our way to the first school. Side note: it was so cool to be out and moving around with purpose on a work day, but still have time to stop for doughnuts. Some of that's Peoria, a slightly slower pace of life, which is a relief sometimes compared to up here. Some of that, I imagine, is the cool part about being a full-time author, or so I imagine!
At the first school, we were going in to talk to the second graders in my mom's music class. But first we had to stop by the office and register ourselves as visitors. Okay, here's the kooky part. When the very nice secretary greeted us and showed us briefly into the principal's office, I was nervous! I've been out of college for seven years, out of high school for 11 and I was nervous about meeting the principal. But she was very nice. Much younger and hipper than I remember any of my principals being. Some of that is probably that she is younger, some of it is that I am older : )
After meeting the principal, we headed off to my mom's music class. She had two groups of second graders in there, some of them who'd just finished music but wanted to stay and others who were just starting their class. The funny part about this was this visit was triggered by just one little boy. My mom had mentioned to them that I would be visiting the fifth graders and one little boy asked why I couldn't visit them too. He wanted me to read the author's page to them (something my mom had already done), which is, of course, the only page guaranteed to be appropriate for this audience! So I did that, which only took a few seconds and that left us plenty of time for questions. Such imagination and good questions! How old were you when you started writing? How long did it take you? Where do you get your ideas? I was really impressed by their questions and their patience with listening. It was a great deal of fun!
When all was said and done, I got complimented on my shoes by one little girl and a dandelion as a flower from another. We witnessed the "Freeze Dance" which was hysterical (they all dance around and then freeze in place when the music stops) and the singing of a scary witch song, which I remembered vaguely from my own childhood. It was also kind of fun/strange to see my mom in this role. She was firm with them, very professional, but you could tell that she really loves teaching, wants the kids to learn. I'd never seen my mom teach before and it was worth it to see her in her element!
Then it was off to the second school. These were the older kids, fifth graders. When we got to the school, my mom told me that the teacher had kept it as a surprise for them. When I walked into the library, there was a banner welcoming me and my very tall chair to sit in. It was so cool! Again, so many good questions. What was my favorite book that I'd written? How many pages was my book? What was my favorite book I'd read? Did I know any famous authors? If so, how many and who were they? Kind of funny because I have met at least one famous author, but of course, they're not the right age for LKH! But I did cause a stir when I told them that I was going to a convention in the spring and would likely meet Meg Cabot there. The girls were very excited by this -- who wouldn't be? The author of the Princess Diaries. I can't wait to meet her myself!
One thing I learned from this experience, kids don't have the same sense of humor as adults. I always try to joke in my presentations, little things here and there, mainly self-deprecating. Humor helps warm people up, make them more receptive and likely to listen. Unfortunately, the little things that I said which would have gotten a chuckle out of adults got me blank stares mostly. I'm not sure they're used to hearing adults poke fun at themselves andthat is my particular brand of humor, particularly when I'm speaking in front of others. So, if I'm ever to speak to school children again in a formal setting like this, I'm going to have to do a little more research on their kind of funny! : )
After the q&a was over, a couple of the kids hung around to ask a few questions. One girl asked about how long it would take to write a book. I told her my standard answer, which is, if you write a page a day for a year, then you'll have a book that's 365 pages long, more than long enough to be published. I tried to answer their questions as I would an adults and not patronize them. I hope I didn't scare any of them off. Because really the point for me wanting to do this was to talk to the kids, to tell them that this was something they could do, if they really want to. So, if even just one of those kids hears something that I said and feels encouraged to chase after whatever dream they may have, then I've done something good, right? Given back to the world in the form of encouragement that was given to me, if that makes sense.
One of the fifth grade classes also made me a card (they all signed it!) and the teacher gave me a Willow Tree angel, a beautiful gesture!
Anyway, after the kids went to lunch, Stacy G. and I headed to the teacher's lounge for lunch with my mom and her fellow teachers. Again, so strange to be in this, a forbidden area for students. I even joked about it because it felt so odd. I've only ever been a student in school, never anything else. And another interesting thing, a few of the teachers were younger than Stacy and I. Which was excellent, but disconcerting. Did that mean that teachers were getting younger or we were getting older? I suspect it's both.
After lunch, we hugged my mom good bye and got back on the road. On our way north again, Stacy mentioned how cool it would be if this was what we did all the time. Being a writer, traveling to speaking engagements, etc. I couldn't agree more! But I have to say that it wouldn't have been nearly the fun trip that it was without the company I got to keep. A HUGE thank you to Stacy G. for road-tripping it with me this week -- I had so much fun! Thanks also to my mom and her fellow teachers for setting this up and allowing me to come in and talk to the kids. Honestly, it felt great to be able to do something that might help someone else in a small way to some day achieve a dream.
Okay, I'm exhausted! Talk to you tomorrow!
After a quick reinvigorating stop at Dunkin Donuts for coffee (Stacy G.), milk (me) and doughnuts (both of us!), we were on our way to the first school. Side note: it was so cool to be out and moving around with purpose on a work day, but still have time to stop for doughnuts. Some of that's Peoria, a slightly slower pace of life, which is a relief sometimes compared to up here. Some of that, I imagine, is the cool part about being a full-time author, or so I imagine!
At the first school, we were going in to talk to the second graders in my mom's music class. But first we had to stop by the office and register ourselves as visitors. Okay, here's the kooky part. When the very nice secretary greeted us and showed us briefly into the principal's office, I was nervous! I've been out of college for seven years, out of high school for 11 and I was nervous about meeting the principal. But she was very nice. Much younger and hipper than I remember any of my principals being. Some of that is probably that she is younger, some of it is that I am older : )
After meeting the principal, we headed off to my mom's music class. She had two groups of second graders in there, some of them who'd just finished music but wanted to stay and others who were just starting their class. The funny part about this was this visit was triggered by just one little boy. My mom had mentioned to them that I would be visiting the fifth graders and one little boy asked why I couldn't visit them too. He wanted me to read the author's page to them (something my mom had already done), which is, of course, the only page guaranteed to be appropriate for this audience! So I did that, which only took a few seconds and that left us plenty of time for questions. Such imagination and good questions! How old were you when you started writing? How long did it take you? Where do you get your ideas? I was really impressed by their questions and their patience with listening. It was a great deal of fun!
When all was said and done, I got complimented on my shoes by one little girl and a dandelion as a flower from another. We witnessed the "Freeze Dance" which was hysterical (they all dance around and then freeze in place when the music stops) and the singing of a scary witch song, which I remembered vaguely from my own childhood. It was also kind of fun/strange to see my mom in this role. She was firm with them, very professional, but you could tell that she really loves teaching, wants the kids to learn. I'd never seen my mom teach before and it was worth it to see her in her element!
Then it was off to the second school. These were the older kids, fifth graders. When we got to the school, my mom told me that the teacher had kept it as a surprise for them. When I walked into the library, there was a banner welcoming me and my very tall chair to sit in. It was so cool! Again, so many good questions. What was my favorite book that I'd written? How many pages was my book? What was my favorite book I'd read? Did I know any famous authors? If so, how many and who were they? Kind of funny because I have met at least one famous author, but of course, they're not the right age for LKH! But I did cause a stir when I told them that I was going to a convention in the spring and would likely meet Meg Cabot there. The girls were very excited by this -- who wouldn't be? The author of the Princess Diaries. I can't wait to meet her myself!
One thing I learned from this experience, kids don't have the same sense of humor as adults. I always try to joke in my presentations, little things here and there, mainly self-deprecating. Humor helps warm people up, make them more receptive and likely to listen. Unfortunately, the little things that I said which would have gotten a chuckle out of adults got me blank stares mostly. I'm not sure they're used to hearing adults poke fun at themselves andthat is my particular brand of humor, particularly when I'm speaking in front of others. So, if I'm ever to speak to school children again in a formal setting like this, I'm going to have to do a little more research on their kind of funny! : )
After the q&a was over, a couple of the kids hung around to ask a few questions. One girl asked about how long it would take to write a book. I told her my standard answer, which is, if you write a page a day for a year, then you'll have a book that's 365 pages long, more than long enough to be published. I tried to answer their questions as I would an adults and not patronize them. I hope I didn't scare any of them off. Because really the point for me wanting to do this was to talk to the kids, to tell them that this was something they could do, if they really want to. So, if even just one of those kids hears something that I said and feels encouraged to chase after whatever dream they may have, then I've done something good, right? Given back to the world in the form of encouragement that was given to me, if that makes sense.
One of the fifth grade classes also made me a card (they all signed it!) and the teacher gave me a Willow Tree angel, a beautiful gesture!
Anyway, after the kids went to lunch, Stacy G. and I headed to the teacher's lounge for lunch with my mom and her fellow teachers. Again, so strange to be in this, a forbidden area for students. I even joked about it because it felt so odd. I've only ever been a student in school, never anything else. And another interesting thing, a few of the teachers were younger than Stacy and I. Which was excellent, but disconcerting. Did that mean that teachers were getting younger or we were getting older? I suspect it's both.
After lunch, we hugged my mom good bye and got back on the road. On our way north again, Stacy mentioned how cool it would be if this was what we did all the time. Being a writer, traveling to speaking engagements, etc. I couldn't agree more! But I have to say that it wouldn't have been nearly the fun trip that it was without the company I got to keep. A HUGE thank you to Stacy G. for road-tripping it with me this week -- I had so much fun! Thanks also to my mom and her fellow teachers for setting this up and allowing me to come in and talk to the kids. Honestly, it felt great to be able to do something that might help someone else in a small way to some day achieve a dream.
Okay, I'm exhausted! Talk to you tomorrow!
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Peoria Adventure -- Part Two
So, Thursday was looking to be a busy day. I had a corporate outing in the afternoon, from which I needed to leave early to get to Peoria on time. Side note: The outing was a really cool visit to Color Me Mine, this shop where you can paint your own pottery. I painted a coffee mug and put the words "Write a sh*tty first draft" on it. Actually, my friend Karen painted them on there for me (thanks, Karen!) since I had to leave, but it's a quote from Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird, which has always been so helpful to me.
So, anyway, I left Color Me Mine a little late, was having too good of a time, but I made it to Corporate America in time to pick up Stacy G. We headed down Interstate 55 singing our little hearts out to "Once More with Feeling," the Buffy Musical Soundtrack (you have to love any musical that has the lyric "his penis got diseases from the Chumash tribe" or at least admire it for the ability to rhyme to that). Stacy G. had never been this far south in Illinois before so I pointed out the important things to notice along the way. Corn fields, bean fields, more cornfields, more bean fields, a really cool old one-room school house like on Little House on the Prairie, an old falling down farmhouse with one glass pane still in place, the five foot tall replica of a spine on the chiropractor's office in Roanoke, the invigorating aroma of cow poop... : )
We arrived in Peoria about 5:30, about an hour and fifteen minutes before we were due at Barnes and Noble. Stopped by my parents' house for a yummy meal of barbecued pork sandwiches (my mom knows how to cook!) and a bit of fun confusion when my mom or sister would start a sentence or question with "Stacy" or "Stacey." Spelled differently, sounds the same. So we landed on my family referring to me as "my Stacey," which was nice : ) After dinner, my mom took my sister to piano lessons, and Stacy and I got ready for the signing.
At this point, my nerves really kicked in. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, if everything would come together. I didn't know if I'd brought everything I would need and how the evening was going to work. With 20 plus authors in one Barnes and Noble, organization would have to be key. Would people buy the book from me? Would they buy the book from Barnes and Noble? Would they have to buy the book and double back to have me sign it or could I sign it for them and then they could check out? I'm a worrier by nature so all of these questions had my stomach a bit twisted up.
After some outfit angst, I decided to wear the Ann Taylor outfit that I bought when my brother and my brother's girlfriend went shopping with us a few weeks ago. I also had what Stacy G. calls my bohemian artist outfit, a ribbed black sweater and cuffed pants -- all I'm missing is the little black beret. But it was still pretty hot outside, so I went for the lighter weight outfit (after taking votes from my mom, sister and Stacy G., of course.)
We were on the road again, this time to the store, by about 6:35. I told Stacy that I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up. She pointed out that vomiting would probably be a big turn-off to any potential book buyers. I agreed and tried to calm down.
As soon as we pulled in, we noticed that the place really seemed to be jumping. Very full, though parking spaces were still available. Stacy G. helped me lug in a few boxes of books and materials.
Inside, immediately to the right of the door was a long table (actually a bunch of tables all pushed together) with all the authors, right around 20 of them. My spot was toward the far end. I set about pulling books, bookmarks and postcards out. Stacy G. searched out a chair for me. My palms were totally sweating by this point. The event organizer came by and asked me how many books I'd brought in. I had to crawl under to the table to count them all : ) It hadn't occurred to me to count them before coming in! We had 27 in the store and another box in the car. I, of course, also forgot my favorite signing pens in the car, but I had a pretty good one in my purse and I didn't feel like running back outside and Stacy G. was already doing plenty enough for me!
I have no idea when things officially started. There were people already browsing and buying while I was setting up. The authors to my left were twin girls who'd written a book of poetry. The older gentleman to my right, Corky, had written a book about his experiences hitchhiking in the 30's and 40's. Corky was really nice and talked with me occasionally throughout the night. He'd written the book so his children and grandchildren could read about his experiences. He was also working on a book about his naval experiences. He'd been to all 50 states and seven continents. I would have liked to hear him do a reading, but things weren't set up like that, unfortunately. He sold only two books that night, which was a bummer. But as he said, his goal wasn't selling them as much as it was having the stories on paper for future generations of his family. I should have bought one. I thought about it, but I wanted to wait until the end (I needed to pay with credit card and that would have involved leaving my seat at the table.) But by then, he had already turned in his total to the BN staff. I should have done it earlier. If I ever bump into him again, I'll definitely buy one right away : )
All kinds of people started coming in then to see me! People from my dad's church, teachers from my mom's school, even friends of my sister (who brought their parents with them because most of the kids can't drive just yet, so thank you to those moms and dads). I tried to make sure that everyone understood that you don't have to buy my book. Don't get me wrong, we want sales. But if you just stop by the store during the event to say hello, that's really all BN is interested in. Foot traffic, you know? Even still, we sold 21 books on Thursday evening!!!! And the Barnes and Noble kept one signed copy for their shelves : )
So, a huge thank you to everyone who came by!!! You made the night a big success for me and for all the other local authors. I think the Barnes and Noble staff was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people! I have to admit, now I'm a little worried about the Borders signing on October 10 in Peoria. So many people came to this one! : )
I think this blog entry is long enough...tomorrow, Peoria Adventure -- Part Three, my trip to the schools!!!
Talk to you tomorrow!
So, anyway, I left Color Me Mine a little late, was having too good of a time, but I made it to Corporate America in time to pick up Stacy G. We headed down Interstate 55 singing our little hearts out to "Once More with Feeling," the Buffy Musical Soundtrack (you have to love any musical that has the lyric "his penis got diseases from the Chumash tribe" or at least admire it for the ability to rhyme to that). Stacy G. had never been this far south in Illinois before so I pointed out the important things to notice along the way. Corn fields, bean fields, more cornfields, more bean fields, a really cool old one-room school house like on Little House on the Prairie, an old falling down farmhouse with one glass pane still in place, the five foot tall replica of a spine on the chiropractor's office in Roanoke, the invigorating aroma of cow poop... : )
We arrived in Peoria about 5:30, about an hour and fifteen minutes before we were due at Barnes and Noble. Stopped by my parents' house for a yummy meal of barbecued pork sandwiches (my mom knows how to cook!) and a bit of fun confusion when my mom or sister would start a sentence or question with "Stacy" or "Stacey." Spelled differently, sounds the same. So we landed on my family referring to me as "my Stacey," which was nice : ) After dinner, my mom took my sister to piano lessons, and Stacy and I got ready for the signing.
At this point, my nerves really kicked in. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, if everything would come together. I didn't know if I'd brought everything I would need and how the evening was going to work. With 20 plus authors in one Barnes and Noble, organization would have to be key. Would people buy the book from me? Would they buy the book from Barnes and Noble? Would they have to buy the book and double back to have me sign it or could I sign it for them and then they could check out? I'm a worrier by nature so all of these questions had my stomach a bit twisted up.
After some outfit angst, I decided to wear the Ann Taylor outfit that I bought when my brother and my brother's girlfriend went shopping with us a few weeks ago. I also had what Stacy G. calls my bohemian artist outfit, a ribbed black sweater and cuffed pants -- all I'm missing is the little black beret. But it was still pretty hot outside, so I went for the lighter weight outfit (after taking votes from my mom, sister and Stacy G., of course.)
We were on the road again, this time to the store, by about 6:35. I told Stacy that I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up. She pointed out that vomiting would probably be a big turn-off to any potential book buyers. I agreed and tried to calm down.
As soon as we pulled in, we noticed that the place really seemed to be jumping. Very full, though parking spaces were still available. Stacy G. helped me lug in a few boxes of books and materials.
Inside, immediately to the right of the door was a long table (actually a bunch of tables all pushed together) with all the authors, right around 20 of them. My spot was toward the far end. I set about pulling books, bookmarks and postcards out. Stacy G. searched out a chair for me. My palms were totally sweating by this point. The event organizer came by and asked me how many books I'd brought in. I had to crawl under to the table to count them all : ) It hadn't occurred to me to count them before coming in! We had 27 in the store and another box in the car. I, of course, also forgot my favorite signing pens in the car, but I had a pretty good one in my purse and I didn't feel like running back outside and Stacy G. was already doing plenty enough for me!
I have no idea when things officially started. There were people already browsing and buying while I was setting up. The authors to my left were twin girls who'd written a book of poetry. The older gentleman to my right, Corky, had written a book about his experiences hitchhiking in the 30's and 40's. Corky was really nice and talked with me occasionally throughout the night. He'd written the book so his children and grandchildren could read about his experiences. He was also working on a book about his naval experiences. He'd been to all 50 states and seven continents. I would have liked to hear him do a reading, but things weren't set up like that, unfortunately. He sold only two books that night, which was a bummer. But as he said, his goal wasn't selling them as much as it was having the stories on paper for future generations of his family. I should have bought one. I thought about it, but I wanted to wait until the end (I needed to pay with credit card and that would have involved leaving my seat at the table.) But by then, he had already turned in his total to the BN staff. I should have done it earlier. If I ever bump into him again, I'll definitely buy one right away : )
All kinds of people started coming in then to see me! People from my dad's church, teachers from my mom's school, even friends of my sister (who brought their parents with them because most of the kids can't drive just yet, so thank you to those moms and dads). I tried to make sure that everyone understood that you don't have to buy my book. Don't get me wrong, we want sales. But if you just stop by the store during the event to say hello, that's really all BN is interested in. Foot traffic, you know? Even still, we sold 21 books on Thursday evening!!!! And the Barnes and Noble kept one signed copy for their shelves : )
So, a huge thank you to everyone who came by!!! You made the night a big success for me and for all the other local authors. I think the Barnes and Noble staff was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people! I have to admit, now I'm a little worried about the Borders signing on October 10 in Peoria. So many people came to this one! : )
I think this blog entry is long enough...tomorrow, Peoria Adventure -- Part Three, my trip to the schools!!!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Friday, September 24, 2004
Peoria Adventure -- Part One
Just wanted to let you know that everything went great last night and today. I'm planning to write a full entry either tonight or tomorrow while it's still fresh in my head. But I have to run now....spending time with the family (lonely husband and two doggies who missed me too!)
Talk to you later!
Talk to you later!
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
On the run...
I am running around tonight, as expected, trying to get everything in order for tomorrow. I'm doing laundry, packing and, of course, trying to watch television at the same time. I know, I know, television is not a priority. But that show, Lost, looked so darn good I couldn't stay away from it.
I'm leaving Corporate America tomorrow at 2:00, swinging by to pick up Stacy G. and then we're off! I just trying to remember everything. The most important being the books, of course!
A couple of other things...
-the most helpful thing for The Silver Spoon (at least so far) has been having that short little tag line. You know..."Everybody has bad days. But for Zara Mitchell that means someone's trying to kill her and she's lusting after an alien. And that's just Friday..." It's so nice to be able to summarize the book in a couple of sentences, getting across the scifi, the romance and the humor all at once. Right now, I'm struggling with to come up with one for Bitter Pill. I technically don't need it yet, but how cool would it be to have that to put in query letter? Such a snappy opening might really help. So, since I did the first one for a class assignment, I'm probably going to go back and review the assignment to see exactly how I got there. Once I get a few options, I'll post them here and see what you guys think : )
-newsletter. I haven't forgotten about it!!! For all of you who've joined but haven't gotten one yet, I promise I'm working on it : ) I'm struggling a bit with what the newsletter is about. I'd envisioned being able to share all these great recommendations of movies, books, television, etc with strong heroines. But unfortunately, I'm not finding enough time to read or watch these things to provide recommendations. So, it may change a little bit in the future. But we'll still be offering great guest columns, writing tips, inside information behind The Silver Spoon, hints of what's to come and much more. So, stay tuned!
Okay, I have to go. The laundry needs to go in the dryer. If I don't get a chance to blog tomorrow, please think of me tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. and wish me luck. I feel the ice weasels slithering in... : )
Talk to you tomorrow (I hope!)
I'm leaving Corporate America tomorrow at 2:00, swinging by to pick up Stacy G. and then we're off! I just trying to remember everything. The most important being the books, of course!
A couple of other things...
-the most helpful thing for The Silver Spoon (at least so far) has been having that short little tag line. You know..."Everybody has bad days. But for Zara Mitchell that means someone's trying to kill her and she's lusting after an alien. And that's just Friday..." It's so nice to be able to summarize the book in a couple of sentences, getting across the scifi, the romance and the humor all at once. Right now, I'm struggling with to come up with one for Bitter Pill. I technically don't need it yet, but how cool would it be to have that to put in query letter? Such a snappy opening might really help. So, since I did the first one for a class assignment, I'm probably going to go back and review the assignment to see exactly how I got there. Once I get a few options, I'll post them here and see what you guys think : )
-newsletter. I haven't forgotten about it!!! For all of you who've joined but haven't gotten one yet, I promise I'm working on it : ) I'm struggling a bit with what the newsletter is about. I'd envisioned being able to share all these great recommendations of movies, books, television, etc with strong heroines. But unfortunately, I'm not finding enough time to read or watch these things to provide recommendations. So, it may change a little bit in the future. But we'll still be offering great guest columns, writing tips, inside information behind The Silver Spoon, hints of what's to come and much more. So, stay tuned!
Okay, I have to go. The laundry needs to go in the dryer. If I don't get a chance to blog tomorrow, please think of me tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. and wish me luck. I feel the ice weasels slithering in... : )
Talk to you tomorrow (I hope!)
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
I forgot to mention...
A huge thank you to Stacy G. for sitting in a booth with me for most of the day on Saturday, helping me sell The Silver Spoon. Writers, by nature, are not always the most outgoing people, and that is definitely true for me. So, having Stacy there to keep me company, greet people and push me into opening my mouth was invaluable! Thanks, Stacy! And thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth to buy the book or just to say hello!
Also, I wanted to tell you guys that I'm working on updating my website. I should be done with it by this weekend at the latest and I may debut a new look. I've been thinking about changing the look to something a little darker that complements the book cover for The Silver Spoon. But we'll see...if I do this, I'll be asking you guys which look you like better.
In other news...just a reminder, I'll probably miss an entry on Thursday unless I can squeeze one in quickly in the morning as I'll be traveling to Peoria on Thursday afternoon for the signing. Again, if you're in the Peoria-area on Thursday evening, please stop by the Barnes and Noble there from 7:00 to 9:00. This is my first official signing. Though, because it's local author night, there'll be about 25 other authors there! I'm feeling a little unsettled because I'm not sure how everything will come together (how 25 authors are going to discuss their books, answer questions, etc. all at the same time) and as much as I thrive on adventure and not knowing what happens next when I'm writing, I'm not so good with dealing with the unknown in real life. But I'm sure it will all work out fine.
Then, on Friday, I'll be at two schools in the East Peoria school district, talking to kids about writing. My mom teaches at these schools, so she got me set up to come in. I'm actually really excited about this. Kids, I think, sometimes just need encouragement to know that reaching your dream, whatever it may be, is possible. Think about all the things people could do if they'd just heard from someone, anyone, that they could be the person they wanted to be. I know that for years I never thought I could write a book, let alone get one published. Authors were these magical creatures, inhabiting a higher plane of existence that the rest of us couldn't touch. Even now when I communicate with my favorite authors, I have hard time remembering that they're people just like everyone else! But my teachers, friends and family encouraged my writing, supported me, even when it wasn't in anyway certain that I would make it this far. I'm proof that you can have a dream and reach it. Writing makes me happy, makes me feel whole, and if I can help encourage someone else to find that same thing in their life, whether it's writing or not, how cool is that?
Sorry, didn't mean to get all sermon-esque on you, though I come by it naturally enough! (Some of you will get that joke *grin*) I have to go now and try to find what I'm going to wear for Thursday and Friday so I can get it washed and packed.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Also, I wanted to tell you guys that I'm working on updating my website. I should be done with it by this weekend at the latest and I may debut a new look. I've been thinking about changing the look to something a little darker that complements the book cover for The Silver Spoon. But we'll see...if I do this, I'll be asking you guys which look you like better.
In other news...just a reminder, I'll probably miss an entry on Thursday unless I can squeeze one in quickly in the morning as I'll be traveling to Peoria on Thursday afternoon for the signing. Again, if you're in the Peoria-area on Thursday evening, please stop by the Barnes and Noble there from 7:00 to 9:00. This is my first official signing. Though, because it's local author night, there'll be about 25 other authors there! I'm feeling a little unsettled because I'm not sure how everything will come together (how 25 authors are going to discuss their books, answer questions, etc. all at the same time) and as much as I thrive on adventure and not knowing what happens next when I'm writing, I'm not so good with dealing with the unknown in real life. But I'm sure it will all work out fine.
Then, on Friday, I'll be at two schools in the East Peoria school district, talking to kids about writing. My mom teaches at these schools, so she got me set up to come in. I'm actually really excited about this. Kids, I think, sometimes just need encouragement to know that reaching your dream, whatever it may be, is possible. Think about all the things people could do if they'd just heard from someone, anyone, that they could be the person they wanted to be. I know that for years I never thought I could write a book, let alone get one published. Authors were these magical creatures, inhabiting a higher plane of existence that the rest of us couldn't touch. Even now when I communicate with my favorite authors, I have hard time remembering that they're people just like everyone else! But my teachers, friends and family encouraged my writing, supported me, even when it wasn't in anyway certain that I would make it this far. I'm proof that you can have a dream and reach it. Writing makes me happy, makes me feel whole, and if I can help encourage someone else to find that same thing in their life, whether it's writing or not, how cool is that?
Sorry, didn't mean to get all sermon-esque on you, though I come by it naturally enough! (Some of you will get that joke *grin*) I have to go now and try to find what I'm going to wear for Thursday and Friday so I can get it washed and packed.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Monday, September 20, 2004
Homesick...
Over the last few days, I've realized something...I'm homesick for Morrisville. Not so strange until you consider that Morrisville is the fictional small town setting in the Rennie Harlow series. It's such a fun quirky little town. People keep dying all the time, but it's such a cozy atmosphere filled with eccentric and lovable (at least in my opinion) characters. Morrisville is fictional but its geography is, to some extent, based on a real small town I lived in when I was a kid, Hillsboro, IL.
I think some of it's in reaction to getting close to finishing my current project. The end of this project is rather violent, scary and stressful, for me and the characters. So, I think the desire to go back to Morrisville is more of a desire for a different kind of life for the moment, something a little less tense and hectic, which is sort of surprising given, if things keep going the way they are, Morrisville will be the murder capital of the state. That's something no one ever thinks about when writing cozy mysteries all set in the same town! So, now I'm actually contemplating returning to the Rennie series for another project, but something a little different than the two books I've written in that series already. I'll keep you posted if I decide to go forward with it...
But here's what I'm wondering...have any of you ever been homesick for a fictional location? When I was younger, I used to long to be on the starship Enterprise NCC-1701 D because yes, they kept almost getting blown up or taken over, but everyone belonged and had a place and it felt safer than high school. If I were a kid now, I'd probably be homesick, longing to be at Hogwarts (love those books!)
So, where have you wished that you lived? Tattoine. The Millenium Falcon. Genovia. Sunnydale. The O.C. Stargate Command. Perhaps, the attic above Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies? Whose palace/house/moisture farm/ship's quarters/etc, have you ever wished you live in? Post comments below...I'd love to hear your answers!!!
BTW, major bonus points for the person/people who can identify all the movies/television shows/books that the locations named above come from. Ed, are you up to the challenge? : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
I think some of it's in reaction to getting close to finishing my current project. The end of this project is rather violent, scary and stressful, for me and the characters. So, I think the desire to go back to Morrisville is more of a desire for a different kind of life for the moment, something a little less tense and hectic, which is sort of surprising given, if things keep going the way they are, Morrisville will be the murder capital of the state. That's something no one ever thinks about when writing cozy mysteries all set in the same town! So, now I'm actually contemplating returning to the Rennie series for another project, but something a little different than the two books I've written in that series already. I'll keep you posted if I decide to go forward with it...
But here's what I'm wondering...have any of you ever been homesick for a fictional location? When I was younger, I used to long to be on the starship Enterprise NCC-1701 D because yes, they kept almost getting blown up or taken over, but everyone belonged and had a place and it felt safer than high school. If I were a kid now, I'd probably be homesick, longing to be at Hogwarts (love those books!)
So, where have you wished that you lived? Tattoine. The Millenium Falcon. Genovia. Sunnydale. The O.C. Stargate Command. Perhaps, the attic above Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies? Whose palace/house/moisture farm/ship's quarters/etc, have you ever wished you live in? Post comments below...I'd love to hear your answers!!!
BTW, major bonus points for the person/people who can identify all the movies/television shows/books that the locations named above come from. Ed, are you up to the challenge? : )
Talk to you tomorrow!
More good news...
Gottawritenetwork.com posted my interview on Friday. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. Dee did such a great job of asking fun questions. Some of them were really hard for me to answer. Like, "Which of your characters is your favorite and why?" I felt like no matter how I answered that question I'd be hurting somebody's feelings (of course, some of them wouldn't care anyway). But I love all of them, even the stubborn and difficult ones, so choosing (and I did choose) was difficult. So, check out the interview if you want to find out who I chose and how I answered the always tricky question of "Where do you get your ideas?"
Also, I've just received confirmation of a few more book signings. Yea!!!
Also, I've just received confirmation of a few more book signings. Yea!!!
- September 23, 7:00 p.m.: I'll be at Local Author Night at the Peoria, IL Barnes and Noble.
- October 9, 1:00 p.m.: Signing/event at the Champaign, IL, Borders store.
- October 9, 7:00 p.m.: Signing/event at the Normal, IL, Borders store.
- October 10, 3:00 p.m.: Signing/event at the Peoria, IL, Borders store.
If you're going to be near any of these stores, please stop by to say hello!
Talk to you tomorrow!
A fleeting moment...check this out today!
We've broken 100,000!!!! Not book sales (though that would be awesome *grin*), but in the sales rank on barnesandnoble.com. Last week, you may recall that I mentioned my book had finally gotten to about 142,000 on the sales rank listed on my entry at barnesandnoble.com. I mentioned how I thought it would be cool to break 100,000 (especially considering it was in the 500,000 area at one point).
Well, today...The Silver Spoon is listed at 77,111. Woohooooooo!!! Again, this number doesn't even take into account the sales taking place through other retailers and the publisher. This is excellent! So please, stop by my entry at barnesandnoble.com and see the number for yourself -- witness this wonderful moment that has happened only because of all of you out there. Thank you so much!!! For spreading the word, posting reviews, and, yes, buying the book. None of this would be happening without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Now...is it greedy to think about breaking 50,000? : )
Well, today...The Silver Spoon is listed at 77,111. Woohooooooo!!! Again, this number doesn't even take into account the sales taking place through other retailers and the publisher. This is excellent! So please, stop by my entry at barnesandnoble.com and see the number for yourself -- witness this wonderful moment that has happened only because of all of you out there. Thank you so much!!! For spreading the word, posting reviews, and, yes, buying the book. None of this would be happening without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Now...is it greedy to think about breaking 50,000? : )
Thursday, September 16, 2004
The Best Convention Ever
You know how when you were about thirteen you suffered these horrible/wonderful fantasies about how Kirk Cameron, if he were to meet you, would love you and want to "go out" with you? Okay, well, hopefully that wasn't just me. Though I realize that some of you were far more likely to fantasize about Alyssa Milano or some other eighties hot chick than Kirk Cameron. But you get the idea.
Now, as a grown-up, these little day dream type things have changed. It's no longer about meeting television or movie stars...at least, not as much : ) (Yes, I am addicted to the entire cast of the SG-1 *hanging head in shame*) But now it's about writers. Actually for a long time, it's been about writers. It's just that I think it took me awhile to realize that authors were people too, out and about in the world and capable of being met, if that makes sense. Ever since the moment that I realized this, I've longed to meet the authors of my favorite books. Writing is such a personal and powerful form of communication. When you read something that someone has written, you feel like you know them or at least some part of who they are.
Laura Ingalls Wilder, my favorite childhood author, died in 1957. I remember this because my mom (sorry, Mom, if I'm revealing something you didn't want known) was born before that year. I always asked her, if LIW was still alive then, why didn't you go meet her? To me, this would have been the coolest thing ever. I remember my mom explaining that no one knew who LIW was then, or at least my mom as a very young child did not.
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite authors. And let me preface this story by saying it's a darn good thing that I don't live in CA because I suck at meeting famous people. Laurell K. Hamilton was at a sci-fi convention near my house and I went, hoping perhaps the crowds would part long enough to maybe allow me to see her close up for a few seconds. She's an awesome writer and a huge inspiration to me. Turns out, writer conventions are not like rock concerts. The famous writers actually walk around among you. I did not know this at first, so when I got there and saw that I'd have an opportunity to speak to LKH in person, I did so. Immediately. Not realizing that there would be multiple chances all weekend. And I sounded like a big idiot, tripping all over myself and shaking, sick with nerves. She and her husband were really cool about it. She told me that for her writers were like rock stars and that she'd behaved (not that she said exactly this way) pretty much the way I did at her first convention. I pretty much grinned like a doofus the whole time and said a few incoherent things. But I've seen her a few times since then at various signings (hers, obviously, not mine!) and she and her husband both have usually remembered me, which is the coolest feeling in the whole world : ) (They've said it's because I have a unique hair color -- I think that could be part of it and the fact that I made a memorable idiot of myself that first time probably doesn't hurt!)
And yes, I am getting to my point...Next spring is the annual (I think?) Romantic Times Convention in St. Louis, Missouri. Not only does it look like a really cool convention, but almost every single one of my favorite authors will be there!!! Kelley Armstrong, Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Meg Cabot (whose blog I refer you to frequently), and Linnea Sinclair. And I get to be there too!!! Hopefully all my interactions with them will have a little more dignity this time : ) But here's the best part: I'm participating in a book fair while I'm there, which is basically like a big book sale, I think. So, they've listed all the authors participating on the convention page. Check it out here, click on the "Book Fair" link on the left hand side of the page and scroll down to the "K's."
I'm there! I'm listed on the same page as Kelley Armstrong, Meg Cabot, Laurell Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Linnea Sinclair, and a whole bunch of fantastic authors. Wooohoooo!!!!!
I just had to share : ) Stay tuned tomorrow for "Obssessing over the Other Shoe."
Talk to you tomorrow!
P.S. Laurell Hamilton is going to be at a book store in the area in the next couple of weeks for a signing. I'm going to be attending, of course. Stacy G. thinks I should give her one of my books as she has been a huge inspiration to me. Which is true, she has. However, Stacy G. is a lot braver than I am and even contemplating this makes me feel all squeamy (my own made-up word) inside. Laurell does know about the book (I doubt she remembers with all the people she meets, but that's okay) and she's offered me some good advice in the quick casual conversations we've had. Not to mention that she once said "when" you get published, instead of "if" to me, right when I was first starting out. That was huge for me. What do you guys think? Should I bring a book for Laurell or not? Let me know!
Now, as a grown-up, these little day dream type things have changed. It's no longer about meeting television or movie stars...at least, not as much : ) (Yes, I am addicted to the entire cast of the SG-1 *hanging head in shame*) But now it's about writers. Actually for a long time, it's been about writers. It's just that I think it took me awhile to realize that authors were people too, out and about in the world and capable of being met, if that makes sense. Ever since the moment that I realized this, I've longed to meet the authors of my favorite books. Writing is such a personal and powerful form of communication. When you read something that someone has written, you feel like you know them or at least some part of who they are.
Laura Ingalls Wilder, my favorite childhood author, died in 1957. I remember this because my mom (sorry, Mom, if I'm revealing something you didn't want known) was born before that year. I always asked her, if LIW was still alive then, why didn't you go meet her? To me, this would have been the coolest thing ever. I remember my mom explaining that no one knew who LIW was then, or at least my mom as a very young child did not.
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite authors. And let me preface this story by saying it's a darn good thing that I don't live in CA because I suck at meeting famous people. Laurell K. Hamilton was at a sci-fi convention near my house and I went, hoping perhaps the crowds would part long enough to maybe allow me to see her close up for a few seconds. She's an awesome writer and a huge inspiration to me. Turns out, writer conventions are not like rock concerts. The famous writers actually walk around among you. I did not know this at first, so when I got there and saw that I'd have an opportunity to speak to LKH in person, I did so. Immediately. Not realizing that there would be multiple chances all weekend. And I sounded like a big idiot, tripping all over myself and shaking, sick with nerves. She and her husband were really cool about it. She told me that for her writers were like rock stars and that she'd behaved (not that she said exactly this way) pretty much the way I did at her first convention. I pretty much grinned like a doofus the whole time and said a few incoherent things. But I've seen her a few times since then at various signings (hers, obviously, not mine!) and she and her husband both have usually remembered me, which is the coolest feeling in the whole world : ) (They've said it's because I have a unique hair color -- I think that could be part of it and the fact that I made a memorable idiot of myself that first time probably doesn't hurt!)
And yes, I am getting to my point...Next spring is the annual (I think?) Romantic Times Convention in St. Louis, Missouri. Not only does it look like a really cool convention, but almost every single one of my favorite authors will be there!!! Kelley Armstrong, Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Meg Cabot (whose blog I refer you to frequently), and Linnea Sinclair. And I get to be there too!!! Hopefully all my interactions with them will have a little more dignity this time : ) But here's the best part: I'm participating in a book fair while I'm there, which is basically like a big book sale, I think. So, they've listed all the authors participating on the convention page. Check it out here, click on the "Book Fair" link on the left hand side of the page and scroll down to the "K's."
I'm there! I'm listed on the same page as Kelley Armstrong, Meg Cabot, Laurell Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Linnea Sinclair, and a whole bunch of fantastic authors. Wooohoooo!!!!!
I just had to share : ) Stay tuned tomorrow for "Obssessing over the Other Shoe."
Talk to you tomorrow!
P.S. Laurell Hamilton is going to be at a book store in the area in the next couple of weeks for a signing. I'm going to be attending, of course. Stacy G. thinks I should give her one of my books as she has been a huge inspiration to me. Which is true, she has. However, Stacy G. is a lot braver than I am and even contemplating this makes me feel all squeamy (my own made-up word) inside. Laurell does know about the book (I doubt she remembers with all the people she meets, but that's okay) and she's offered me some good advice in the quick casual conversations we've had. Not to mention that she once said "when" you get published, instead of "if" to me, right when I was first starting out. That was huge for me. What do you guys think? Should I bring a book for Laurell or not? Let me know!
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
A quick note of thanks...
The chat at Writer's Red Room was great tonight -- thank you to everyone who stopped by to ask questions or just hung out to hear the answers : ) I had a lot of fun. Ingrl did a great job of organizing everything and keeping things moving. I'll definitely be going back to chat, both as a writer and a reader. It's such a good deal. In addition to great "conversation," you can win a copy of the books being discussed, and you can enter in a contest to win a book from all the authors featured through the year!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Chat Tonight!
Don't forget...stop by the chat at Writer's Red Room tonight. I'll be there from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Bring all your questions/comments/random thoughts! To quote one of my favorite writers, Laurell K. Hamilton, "Questions answered, mysteries solved." Course, she could have been quoting from someone else...I'm not sure : )
Tomorrow (or possibly later tonight)...look for blog entries here on "The Best Convention Ever!" and "Obssessing over the Other Shoe." I'd write them now, but I have to run home in time to be there for the start of the chat. Well, not "run" but you get the idea!
Talk to you tomorrow (or later tonight!)
Tomorrow (or possibly later tonight)...look for blog entries here on "The Best Convention Ever!" and "Obssessing over the Other Shoe." I'd write them now, but I have to run home in time to be there for the start of the chat. Well, not "run" but you get the idea!
Talk to you tomorrow (or later tonight!)
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Chatting tomorrow!
Forgot to mention...I will be chatting tomorrow at Writer's Red Room at yahoo groups from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Fellow RuneStone author, Shannon Devlyn, will be there as well. It's an email chat, which I've never done before, but I'm looking forward to. Basically, instead of chatting live, we'll be exchanging emails during the set period of time. This is great for me, someone who always forgets to get a drink or go to the bathroom BEFORE the chat starts. And you know how it is in a chat room, you're gone for five minutes and you miss a whole bunch!
If you want to come chat with me (oh, please do!!!), it's easy. Just join Writer's Red Room, a yahoo group, by sending a blank email to Writersredroom-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit their site. They have weekly chats and books are given away for free to a couple of lucky chat participants every time. (Unsubscribing is easy too, if you should feel the need to, though this looks like a great deal of fun! For details, see their site at yahoo groups.)
Hope to see you there!
Talk to you tomorrow : )
If you want to come chat with me (oh, please do!!!), it's easy. Just join Writer's Red Room, a yahoo group, by sending a blank email to Writersredroom-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit their site. They have weekly chats and books are given away for free to a couple of lucky chat participants every time. (Unsubscribing is easy too, if you should feel the need to, though this looks like a great deal of fun! For details, see their site at yahoo groups.)
Hope to see you there!
Talk to you tomorrow : )
From the department of utterly random thoughts...
Is "hello" the new "duh"? I'm thinking this as I drove home yesterday listening to the Buffy musical soundtrack (an absolute must-have for all Buffy addicts like myself). In the duet with Anya and Xander, she cuts in on him singing and he says, "This is my verse, hello?" And with that I started trying to remember when I started saying stuff like that. You know, to express outrage--"This guy totally cut right in front me, like I wasn't even there. I was like, hello?" Or disbelief, when somebody does something utterly imbecilic. "He told his boss that he was looking for another job. I mean, hello? How stupid is that?"
I never really thought about it until yesterday. And it is generational, I believe. I don't hear people of my parents' generation talking like this...though that would be really funny -- "Hello? Did we not tell you that you're grounded?" Is it something that started with Buffy? Buffy has had a definite effect on the English language. There's a book about it and everything. I don't have the book. I haven't read the book. But I know it exists. Stacy G. has it, I think. Pretty much you can take noun and "age" at the end of it for a Buffy effect. "Major fun-age ahead." Or add "-y" to a noun. "Don't get all slayer-y on me."
Does anyone else recall the beginning of the "hello" phenomenon? I realize now that I hardly ever say "duh" anymore -- not a huge loss, I know. But I'm truly curious. The English language is this wonderful, ever-changing thing. I mean, where else do you have verbs cropping up based on product names? How many of you "Swiffer" your floors or "Tivo" your favorite shows? I do. Now, we just have to wait for Webster's to catch up with us. : )
Okay, the URT Deparment is now closed. I'm tired and my headache has returned. #$%**$@ barometric pressure!
Talk to you tomorrow!
I never really thought about it until yesterday. And it is generational, I believe. I don't hear people of my parents' generation talking like this...though that would be really funny -- "Hello? Did we not tell you that you're grounded?" Is it something that started with Buffy? Buffy has had a definite effect on the English language. There's a book about it and everything. I don't have the book. I haven't read the book. But I know it exists. Stacy G. has it, I think. Pretty much you can take noun and "age" at the end of it for a Buffy effect. "Major fun-age ahead." Or add "-y" to a noun. "Don't get all slayer-y on me."
Does anyone else recall the beginning of the "hello" phenomenon? I realize now that I hardly ever say "duh" anymore -- not a huge loss, I know. But I'm truly curious. The English language is this wonderful, ever-changing thing. I mean, where else do you have verbs cropping up based on product names? How many of you "Swiffer" your floors or "Tivo" your favorite shows? I do. Now, we just have to wait for Webster's to catch up with us. : )
Okay, the URT Deparment is now closed. I'm tired and my headache has returned. #$%**$@ barometric pressure!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Monday, September 13, 2004
I forgot to mention...
I've been trying very hard not to pay attention the sales rank on barnesandnoble.com because it doesn't accurately reflect my sales at all because there are so many places where people can buy the book. But I noticed something very cool today (and no, I don't check it every day...okay, I do, but I don't obssess over it...oh, who am I kidding?!?). Today my sales rank was 142,664. Not too bad, considering it was more than twice that a week ago -- woohooo!!!! It would be freaking awesome to break 100,000, but one step at a time. Small victories, folks, it's all about small victories and you guys are making it happen -- thank you! : ) And the reviews that you guys are posting are awesome -- thank you so much : )
(Incidentally, RuneStone [www.runestonepublishing.com] is still your best bet for ordering the book. It's faster and a little cheaper. But if you're more comfortable with barnesandnoble.com, go for it : ) )
Talk to you tomorrow!
(Incidentally, RuneStone [www.runestonepublishing.com] is still your best bet for ordering the book. It's faster and a little cheaper. But if you're more comfortable with barnesandnoble.com, go for it : ) )
Talk to you tomorrow!
Book Signing(s)!
Okay, it's now confirmed. I'll be taking part in Local Author Night at the Peoria Barnes and Noble on Thursday, September 23rd!!!! Yea! Thanks to my mom and dad and everyone else in Peoria who helped make this a possibility.
I'll be there starting at 7:00 on the 23rd. If you're going to be in the Peoria area at all (or you don't mind a drive!), please stop by. Because that's my next fear...I finally get in and no one shows up!
Stacy G. will be coming with me too -- so nice of her. So those faithful readers who've been hearing about her for so long will finally get to meet her : ) My husband will be working, unfortunately, and not able to attend.
I'm also working right now with the Borders in Peoria, with the possibility of signings in Champaign and Normal as well. I'm hoping that success in some of these locations will make it easier to get signings in the Chicago area as well!
Talk to you tomorrow!
I'll be there starting at 7:00 on the 23rd. If you're going to be in the Peoria area at all (or you don't mind a drive!), please stop by. Because that's my next fear...I finally get in and no one shows up!
Stacy G. will be coming with me too -- so nice of her. So those faithful readers who've been hearing about her for so long will finally get to meet her : ) My husband will be working, unfortunately, and not able to attend.
I'm also working right now with the Borders in Peoria, with the possibility of signings in Champaign and Normal as well. I'm hoping that success in some of these locations will make it easier to get signings in the Chicago area as well!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Friday, September 10, 2004
It's out in the open.../The best part
Wow, an email was sent out at my work, announcing the debut of my book. Thanks to everyone who wrote me or stopped by to say congratulations!
The best part...
I was thinking yesterday that the best part of writing is not actually the writing at all. At least not for me. For me, the best part is the anticipation. The vision in your head, the scenes playing out before you ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Once you actually start writing, it's then always a struggle (albeit a wonderful one!) to convey what's in your head to the page -- making it as beautiful or tragic or funny as what you see in your head. I have to remember not to rush this part of it. The eagerness to get started, to delve into the new world of a new project is almost overwhelming at times. In fact, it does usually overwhelm me, which is when I start on something new. So, maybe I don't need to be in such a hurry to start things. Then again, maybe that's part of the fun. Rushing in, headlong into the unknown...yeah, I'm not sure I can give that up for a more measured approach!
Have a great weekend. Talk to you tomorrow!
The best part...
I was thinking yesterday that the best part of writing is not actually the writing at all. At least not for me. For me, the best part is the anticipation. The vision in your head, the scenes playing out before you ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Once you actually start writing, it's then always a struggle (albeit a wonderful one!) to convey what's in your head to the page -- making it as beautiful or tragic or funny as what you see in your head. I have to remember not to rush this part of it. The eagerness to get started, to delve into the new world of a new project is almost overwhelming at times. In fact, it does usually overwhelm me, which is when I start on something new. So, maybe I don't need to be in such a hurry to start things. Then again, maybe that's part of the fun. Rushing in, headlong into the unknown...yeah, I'm not sure I can give that up for a more measured approach!
Have a great weekend. Talk to you tomorrow!
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