August 22, 2006

But wait, wait… the next one is going to be GREAT

I am currently experiencing a horrible sickness that I’ve heard is quite common amongst authors. It’s probably contagious, so stay at least a few feet away. It’s called “The Next Book Will Be Fun-itis”.

Symptoms:
1. A sighing sense of ‘are we there yet’ when it comes to the current WIP. — Currently I’m writing the first of a two-book erotic romance contract under my Jess Michaels name (it’s currently called Everything Forbidden). I’m a little less than a third of the way through the book, so solidly in the middle section. And I’m coming along nicely, meeting my daily page goal religiously for the past couple of weeks. But…. ehhhhhhh… is it over yettttt? I love the hero and the heroine and I think they’re smokin’ hot together and I’m about to enter some really interesting emotional stuff. But are we there yetttttt?

2. A nagging pull toward ‘the next thing’. — So as I’m whining and writing and whining a little more, I keep thinking about the NEXT book I’m going to write. It will be my next Jenna Petersen book. A proposal (for me a synopsis now) is due October 1st, so I’ve been fiddling with that once I finish my page goal for Everything Forbidden. Oh, this book (which I’m calling The Promise of Pleasure) is going to be good. So good. And sexy and have this really cool subplot and wait until you meet the hero’s brother… oh, oh, oh it’s going to be gooooood.

3. A gaping blind spot to the fact that we’ve been around this particular block before. — In fact, I just did this about two months ago when I was finishing up the third Lady Spy book and putting together proposals for a potential erotic contract (which I now have and am working and whining about). The Lady Spy book… so over it. But Everything Forbidden? Wow, that was going to be gooooooooood…..

Ah, it’s like hair. We’re never quite perfectly happy with what we have…

August 21, 2006

The Neurosis that is Bookscan, by Julianne MacLean

Quick note from Anne — If you’ve ever met Julianne, you know why we all love her. So we weren’t letting in-laws or galleys take her away from us! So enjoy! And welcome, Julianne!
————-

by Jaunty Julianne MacLean

Hey everyone! I have to apologize for blogging late for Margo. I was supposed to show up last Tuesday, but I ended up traveling to my in-laws the day before, AND my galleys arrived an hour before departure (no joke), which threw a dizzying sense of panic into my week. If only you could have heard the resounding echo of my gasp when I realized what day it was and thought of the Jaunty girls! I almost gave my mother-in-law a coronary.

So here I am, blogging about what I originally intended to blog about, which is: The Societal Implications of Bookscan’s Contribution to the Author’s Delicate Neurosis.

Okay, that sounds very dry and academic, and I’m a romance writer, so I will try to describe this in an emotionally compelling way. (And believe me, I wanted to make it sexy, but I just don’t think it’s going to happen.)

For those of you who don’t know what Bookscan is – it’s sort of a bestseller list, but instead of just seeing your ranking on the list, you see the actual sales numbers reported each week (which is not one hundred percent accurate, because not all sales establishments report to Bookscan. Walmart does not, and we all know how big a chunk of the market Walmart controls. Madeline Hunter (my idol when it comes to understanding numbers) once estimated that Bookscan shows only about 25% of total sales for the top performers on the list, and 50% for the bottom half of the list (roughly). But this at least gives us a ballpark for understanding what the realities are in the marketplace).

So here’s where the author’s neurosis comes into play. If you’re a real psycho nut (not mentioning any names here), you might even go so far as to pull out all the historical titles each month (or romantic suspense, whatever your pleasure) and put them on a spreadsheet listing the author and the publisher and the numbers, so you can see who is selling more than whom, and whose numbers are going up, going down, staying the same, etc., over the course of a year and beyond. And if you’re disturbingly obsessed, you can add a column which shows where those books placed on the USA Today or NYT bestseller lists, which can be enlightening because it gives you a rough idea how many books you have to sell in a week in order to make one of those lists. It also shows how these numbers don’t always mean everything, because sometimes one book might rank higher on Bookscan than another, yet the lower ranking book might hit higher on the USA Today list. That can be either comforting or frustrating, depending on where you are standing in that scenario.

An insane spreadsheet such as this can also reveal which publishers or imprints are selling well for historicals, which can be worthwhile information if you are interested in changing publishers.

It can also give you some perspective about your performance in terms of the market at the time of your release. For instance, if your numbers went down, you might discover that there were 12 historicals hitting Bookscan that month, when the last time you hit the list, there were only 6. I once heard that on average, the most voracious historical readers will buy only 5 books per month, so if the market was glutted when your book came out, everyone’s numbers might have gone down. It can sometimes save you from thinking the world is coming to an end.

In my opinion, Bookscan is a dose of reality that can tell you where you stand (roughly) compared to everyone else, which can only sometimes be a good thing. It can make you leap for joy when you do well (or depress you when you don’t).

So here’s my question: Is all this helpful to the writer, or is it a hindrance? Shouldn’t we just be concentrating on our characters and our settings and stories? Wouldn’t we be happier not worrying about that stuff, or would we be sticking our heads in the sand? Inquiring minds want to know.

August 20, 2006

Ah-choo, kitty style

When we adopted Derby two weeks ago, the shelter staff warned us he’d probably develop an upper respiratory infection. Apparently URIs spread through shelter cats the way gossip does at the office. To prevent infecting our other kitten, they recommended we keep the two segregated for up to five days. Good suggestion, if somewhat impractical. Did you know the word caterwaul is derived from the words for “angry tomcat wail”? Derby may be only two and a half months old, but there’s nothing underdeveloped about his lungs. We caved after 18 days, er, hours. Okay, it only seemed like 18 days.

By Monday, Derby was fairly certain that Dakarai, who outweighs him by a full pound, really was trying to play and not maim. They got into full contact wrestling, which involves opening the jaw as wide as possible and latching onto the other kitten’s nearest body part. If human toes or other anatomy happens to get in the way, too bad. By Friday, they’d bonded to the point of eating off the same plate, at the same time. Fine by us – one less dirty dish.

However, by Tuesday, the sneezing started.

We took Derby to the vet on Wednesday to get him started on antibiotics that would hopefully keep the kitty cold from becoming pneumonia. By Saturday, he was at the “kill me now” stage, coming out of his hidey-hole only for brief trips to the box and maybe a sip and nibble, and then back to the kitty condo cave. Dakarai was frustrated that his playmate wasn’t all that playful, so we did our best distract him.

By Sunday night, Dakarai was breathing through his mouth. Instead of wheezing and whistling like Derby, Dakarai looked like he was perpetually at the start of a yawn, or the ah-ahh part of a sneeze. And the sneezes were always in multiples. I think the record was seven in a row. So Monday, off we went to the vet again.

Same clinic, different vet on duty. Derby, the red tabby, was on antihistamine tablets and white amoxicillin drops. Dakarai, a white and cream kitty, was put on antihistamine tablets and pink amoxicillin drops. You know, the pink stuff that stains.

The potential danger is that a URI can become an LRI, pneumonia, and all kinds of other not-fun stuff. Very small risk, though. The definite danger was to us, in administering the meds. Any cat owner knows that “pill” is a verb as well as noun, and a dangerous verb at that. I’ve lived with felines since my teens, and have had several occasions to pill a cat.

The first few doses for Derby, when he was feeling so bad, were slam dunks. My husband held him, I pried apart kitty’s jaws, slid the pill in, and then squirted the antibiotic. Done. Then Derby started feeling better. He didn’t have much energy for playing, but suddenly became a jack-in-the-box when it was time for meds, leaping and twisting in a stunning display of acrobatic flexibility. Cats don’t have all those extra vertebrae for nothing. Did I mention the sharp teeth? We tried disguising the pill in a bit of canned food, but it made no difference. And the pills are already split, so they’re really ready to disintegrate.

I remembered the old adage about wrapping the cat in a towel, so enlisted my husband’s aid in doing that part. But wrapping the cat in a towel is only effective, however, if you wrap the front legs within the towel.

Eventually, we got enough of the dose inside Derby to feel confident we’d done some good.

Dakarai, being the gentle, mellow Himalayan, displays none of Derby’s spastic behavior. He sits there calmly, patiently even, until the dropper is lined up with the corner of his mouth and I pry open his jaw. Then, and only then, just as I squeeze the plunger, he suddenly jerks his head, so that most of the pink liquid (which stains) runs down my hand, sprays my shirt and hair, and goes everywhere but inside the cat. He’s had a pink beard for almost a week now.

The easy but weird part of their treatment is steaming the kitties. Gather up Sneezy and Wheezy and shut them in the bathroom while we shower so the steam can open their sinuses. Easy, because we’re not shoving anything down their throat, but weird because they stare when the shower door opens, their heads tilted to the side as though they’ve never seen anything quite so bizarre. Just the ego boost I need.

We’ve almost run the course, though Dakarai is about six days behind in fighting off the virus. We’ve finished the pills, with only three doses lost because they disintegrated, and I only have three puncture marks and five scratches. I’m thankful that we can’t catch the same virus, because I’ve lost count of the times we’ve both been sneezed on. And it’s so good to see them playful again, hear the thundering patter of eight tiny paws as they stampede down the hall. Especially at meal time.

August 19, 2006

Used Books

Another author (Susan Gable) wrote this blog article and requested other authors use it on their blogs this week. It’s a sensitive subject but I think she does a good job with it….so here it is:

Save a Writer, Buy a New Book!

By Susan Gable

The recent demise of yet another Harlequin line, this time the kick-butt heroine line Bombshell, got me to thinking, which, as anyone who knows me
will tell you is always a dangerous thing. I heard from a number of readers who were surprised by the closing, because they had friends who just “loved that line!”

I’ve also heard things like this: “I can’t believe they closed that line.
I loved that line. I read those books every month at my library.”

Before I go any farther with this discussion, I have to offer up a
disclaimer. I love libraries. Especially as a child with a voracious
appetite for story, I borrowed armloads of books from my local library. I
love bargains, too. I shop like men hunt or play sports. It’s a victory
when I score a bargain. (New black cocktail dress, originally $79, marked
down to only $16. SCORE!) Used books are great bargains. Swapping books, another great bargain. The new websites on-line, where you can “rent” a book, in a system similar to NetFlix, are also an interesting bargain. Good grief, even the airports these days have a program where you can buy a book, read it, then sell it back to them. What a bargain!

But did you realize that those bargains could be putting your favorite line
or your favorite author out of business?

It’s a difficult, touchy subject for authors to discuss. We don’t want to
appear anti-used books (’cause we’re not — not entirely, anyway), or make
readers think we’re money-grubbers, always harping on them to buy our books. We all know (believe me, we KNOW - most writers don’t make anywhere close to as much money as people think we do) how tight money can be sometimes, especially with the rising costs of gas and heating fuel, and food, and taxes, and.well, you know. Everything.

We’ve been known ourselves to sometimes borrow and trade books, or buy used. Or go to the library.

But publishing these days is a strictly-by-the-numbers business, which means if the numbers don’t live up to the publisher’s expectations, a writer can kiss her slot/line/future contracts good-bye.

“Where’s SoAndSo’s latest book? How come she hasn’t published another story in that series that I love so much?” If you find yourself asking that
question, it could be that your favorite, SoAndSo, got cut loose because the numbers of that last book in the series didn’t do as well as the one before that. How did you get your hands on that last book? Did you buy it new, contributing to the continuation of the series, or did you bargain read it? Bargain reads don’t count towards our numbers.

Writers, especially those of us at the “lower echelons” of the publishing
world, need our readers more than ever. Without you, there would be no
point in what we do. (Well, okay, there’s a certain satisfaction in telling
yourself a story, but it’s the audience that makes it truly special. It’s a
shared dream.) But now, because of the numbers, we need your support even more.

Our careers, our lines, even our publishers, live and die by the numbers.

So please, where and when you can, save a writer. Buy a new book. We’ll
all thank you for it. And that way, you’ll have more choices of books in
the future.

August 18, 2006

So Boring

Have you ever had one of those weeks, months, years that is just so boring you have nothing to talk about? That’s how things have been for me lately. Friends call to chat, and I have nothing new to say. I dread the inevitable, “What’s up?” because my answer lately is “Nothing.”

I’m even having trouble writing emails to friends and family. It doesn’t take long to say, “I’ve been sitting in front on my computer everyday writing.”

The worst part is that I have things on the horizon. I know that in the next few weeks or months things are going to happen. I don’t know if the outcome will be good or bad, but either way, I’ll finally have news.

But I don’t have news yet, so when friends ask me about the future, I have only the boring, “No news yet” to give. Next week I’ll probably blog about my next release, NO MAN’S BRIDE, which comes out August 29.

Until then, does anyone else have something fun or exciting or not boring going on in their life? Maybe I can live vicariously through you.

August 17, 2006

Superstition

I have never been a superstitious sort. I don’t avoid black cats or the number 13. (Though I don’t walk underneath ladders, for obvious reasons!) However, I do know people who are superstitious. Maybe it comes from hanging out with a bunch of theatre people throughout my high school and college years. The drama crowd does tend to be a rather superstitious lot. Why else would we wish each other to break a leg?

Several of my friends will never utter a comment that tempts fate without following it up with “Knock on wood.” And more than one of them has been known to toss a few grains of salt over their shoulders. Or what about lucky rituals? I know a fellow writer who never fails to blow a kiss to her poster of Ernest Hemingway before sitting down in front of her computer. (True story, I swear!) And whenever my dad’s favorite sports team plays an important game, he always wears his lucky jersey while watching. Does it work? Apparently so, because he’s donned it every game day for years, though it’s a bit worse for wear.

Do you have any superstitions or any rituals for luck? Right now, I could probably use a few lucky rituals with my deadline fast approaching.

And in just a quick aside, next Thursday the JQ’s will be welcoming a new guest blogger. Avon Red author Toni Blake will be visiting, and I hope you all will stop by to chat with her and learn more about her upcoming September book, Swept Away!

August 16, 2006

My Favorite Things…(or product placement with Robyn DeHart)

There are things we use on a regular basis that add convenience to our lives. Some of these things the precise brand might not matter, but there are those items, you know the ones, the ones you must use, the ones with no substitute. Here are a few of mine as well as some other favorites.

The Intuition Razor. Have you tried this thing? No more worries of shaving cream dripping off your leg while you try to lean over in the shower. Oh, no, this little baby just glides across your skin with it’s on built-in soap so you get a nice soft shave. Brilliant idea!

Okay, I admit it, I’m a hair snob. When it comes to my hair, nothing from the store will do. I’m an Aveda girl, all the way. And my hair always smells delicious. I hear that from people all the time. Even people in stores, standing in line behind me, who don’t know me. They all smell my hair. It’s how I caught The Professor. Okay, just kidding, I think that was actually my sugar cookies.

I always have my fingernails painted. In fact my nail technician refused to put color on me for my wedding, since she said that was inappropriate. To me, it’s just me. And I like flashy polish. Bright pinks, deep red, purples, all the SPARKLE! I must have the shiny stuff. So OPI has this new polish called Diamond Dust that actually has real flecks of diamonds in it so when you get into the sun, WOW does it shine. I guess I’m like a fish in that regard, I’m totally attracted to shiny, sparkly stuff.

Being a writer, there are certain tools that are necessities. Most of the time it’s just my laptop. But when it comes time for revisions there are certain tools I must have. The red pen, for example. And not just any red pen. A Pilot roller-gel pen, medium tip. None of this fine tip for me, thank you very much. I like a nice thick line. Oh and we mustn’t forget the Post-It notes. Brightly colored, if you don’t mind. And then I love, love, love Sharpies. Not for revisions, or anything in particular, but they’re the perfect marker and now they come in such pretty colors.

Some people buy whatever detergent is on sale, or whichever brand they have a coupon. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this. But at our house, it’s always Surf. I just think it smells the best.
Don’t you just love the smell of freshly washed clothes?

Okay, I admit it, I’m a bit of a germ-a-phobe. So I keep Lysol wipes handy for whenever I’m feeling the need to wipe down a surface. They smell nice and they kill germs. What more can you ask for?

What are some of your favorite products?

August 14, 2006

Perseids - take two

Did anyone go out to see the Perseid meteor shower? You still have a chance, if you fancy a gander. We saw scads of them Saturday night, and you should still be able to see a few for the next week or so.

Oh, and does anyone else hear Jiminy Cricket singing when you are looking for shooting stars? Just checking…

August 13, 2006

Community

Saturday was the meeting of my local RWA chapter. Our speaker had to cancel, so we spent more time getting to know one another, sharing in each other’s ups and downs, and relaying what we’d learned at recent national and local writers’ conferences. A room full of people who make stuff up, just like I do. Who dream of snagging a top spot on the bestseller lists, like I do. All of us sharing information, helping each other, because we all understand that one person’s success doesn’t mean there’s less chance for someone else, and know that you fail only if you stop trying.

That’s far too rare in life.

As usual, several of us went out to lunch afterward. There’s different people at the table each month after the official meeting ends, but all are eager for a chance to continue networking. Okay, gabbing. Whatever. Topics ranged all over the map, from nuggets learned at the Margaret Mitchell Museum, suggestions for increasing the conflict in a story idea, to hilarious war stories about raising chickens that will nonetheless have me eating vegetarian indefinitely. All in convivial company of women ranging from a college student to a retired grandmother, who have nothing in common other than our mutual love of the written word, and the need to write.

I had to take a moment to bask, revel in the pleasure of their company, and the meeting before it, and realized I gather with other people who hear voices in their head, who understand no medical intervention is required for our condition, more than just once a month. Or once or twice a year at conferences. Thanks to the internet, I can connect with a huge community of like-minded people from all over the country –- heck, all over the world — on a daily, even hourly, basis. Yes, sometimes there’s a brief flare of our baser natures, like when that one got a better contract, or why was she sent on the booksigning tour instead of someone else, or what was the editor smokin’ when she bought that manuscript, but for the most part, it’s a positive, uplifting community.

The chicken-and-egg debate can be applied to us: writing romance is about emotions and overcoming challenges to grow and become a better person, which attracts writers who have already grown and are better people – or do we become better, more evolved people, because we write romance?

Either way, I’m glad to be part of this community.

August 12, 2006

Perseids

Just a quick note for any of you stargazers out there…the Perseid meteor shower is in full effect. We saw 14+ between 10 and 11pm last night. Tonight is the high point, so if you like shooting stars, get thee some bug spray, a blanket and a pillow, and get out there.