When In Doubt...

Hoookay. I've been working on my murder mystery for over a year, now. I'll admit it's really hard to write a genre you've only just admired and enjoyed reading, but haven' a clue (pun intended), as to how to go about it. I think I've been floundering every few steps, and have had to go back and rewrite about every other day. It is that old adage, writing is like driving in the dark with one headlight. Maybe a fog has descended here and there, and you can't even see the road--in my case.

But, I'm making progress. And just to share this with you, when you're reading through a manuscript and come upon something you've written--like dialogue, or a scene you just aren't exactly sure about, you question: "Would he say/do this?", then maybe you should reconsider that scene and pause and look around at other books with such a scene--or go to many places you might have on "How To Write" (I've kept old articles/magazines from Writer's Digest, etc to help me in times like these). I do this, but when I got to a specific thing in my murder mystery, I was stalled because no How-to-write article/blog is going to hit anything specific. Usually they tell you how TO write it. Not what you're doing WRONG. If you don't see that deer in your headlights, how do you know you've gotta stop???

Then, yesterday, I was poking around at a site called Poison Pencil--publisher based out of Scottsdale, AZ. I was actually trying to find out if they were accepting submissions. They weren't, but I happened along a blog by Ellen Larson, editor of Poison Pencil (which has mysteries, and specifically YA mysteries, which is what mine is) and I read portions of this blog. I found out what she finds in manuscripts that cause her to return them to the author, rejected.

Yeah. My history of rejection is, shall we say, not quite as huge as many authors, including JK Rowling, S. King, etc., but it was enough to make me quit submitting to any agent, or publisher long ago. (I have had 2 publishers, and the present has been working out just fine.) Here she tells the reader exactly what she doesn't want to see. And a few things she brought up had me going "Oh, shit. I did that." So, I'm working on rewrites. AGAIN!!!

But there was something else I found at this sight that had me thinking, "This isn't very impressive at all for a publisher's site." You will see if you go to their Young Adult Mystery Books, and click on any book. When you do [I'll wait], you'll find that you can't BUY any of these books from this site. And I thought hummmm... That's really sort of discouraging for anyone who might be interested in one of their books.

Compare Poison Pencil's site, to my publisher Creativia . Their site is so much better, with more places to discover/meet all authors and if you go to the "Meet" section, you can hit on any author, see their books and (as an example, mine), find their books and BUY them! How convenient is that?

So, if there is a lesson to learn here, it might be "the grass isn't any greener elsewhere".

So... I'm working on the rewrites, and especially the Prologue I'd written. Seems I need to push the timing of the Prologue back a bit in where to start it. But this is good. I'm catching stuff that needs to be fixed. There might be another saying applied here: "When in doubt, take it out".

Lorelei Bell@Creativia 

Signed On

At one point I had been with a publisher, and to tell the truth, I did worry about it somewhat. It's hard to put faith in something you know little about. And when he dumped me (or quit, for a better word), it was a blessing, because I could see that he didn't treat the last book he published for me with the same expertise as the first two books.

That was a few years ago. I had to scramble and self-publish. I really wasn't set up for that, but I was able to do it, with help from my friends out there.

Yesterday, I signed on with a publisher called Creativia. Yeah, I had to do the electronic signature with my mouse. Looked terrible, but sort of looks like my signature. Then I spent 3 hours sending them my books and short stories along with synopsis for them. With my slow Internet, that's how long it took, folks!

I must say, when my good friend, Carole Gill, told me about this/her publisher, I thought: Yeah. I think I'll check them out. And was happy to see how friendly & up-front they were. I didn't feel intimidated by their contract. I mean, it was one page. My last publisher sent something that looked like a lawyer wrote (and I'm sure it was), I had to read it over a few times in order to get the gist of it. And it made me nervous. But Cretivia's was about one page long, my contract is for 3 months, not 3 years. If I'm not happy I can go back to doing what I was doing before joining up.

I want to say I have felt nothing but good about doing this. I'm relieved, actually. I also feel that this is not only the right move, but it might be the one that, well, shoots my books up to where they should have been all along. At least I hope so. We'll see.

And, also, this move to go with this publisher has made me relax again, I have gone back to work on the series--doing re-writes for #6 in series--and I feel confident again. Like I can do this. Like I don't have to worry about those little annoying things like book covers, editing (they will edit and do book covers), and placing the book into the market place, and do much of the promotions. Of course as an author, we all have to do some promoting, and looks like I'm with a great team of writers.

That's just it, I'm on the "team", have just been welcomed into the fold this morning on their facebook page by other authors at Creativia. That didn't really happen with the last publisher. I also didn't like having to write up an article and place it on his site. I felt it didn't do much for sales. I'd see that people hit on my article, but the sales weren't happening. Blogging, or hits on your blog doesn't always create sales. You might get one person who checks out your books who actually BUYS.

Oh, and speaking of which, once things begin changing over, I'll have to go and make changes--hopefully the reason we merge our account with Cretivia's account on Amazon, helps the transition and I won't have to do too much in the way of working on changing links and such. At least, I hope so, but I'll wait to see how this works.

I'll bring you up-dates as they come my way. Check Cretivia out, if you want. See what they offer and don't be shy. I find that Miika seems like a genuine person.

Now, let's see, we've just had 6" of snow down over night, and it's still coming down, my husband is out there with the plow trying to clear it all out of the park and our driveway...

I've just crocheted a new pair of leg warmers, and may try them out soon!

UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hello, my pretties.

I do have some news, but we'll get to some updates first.

I'm still working on the seventh book, and I'm not rushing this one, folks, because I realized last year I'd written 2 (#'s 5 &6) in the Sabrina Strong Series. I'm still working on the edits of #4, and do need to get back to them this weekend.

Kittens are growing and my husband built a little fenced-in play area, but the bolder ones are determined to break out of jail, and they need a constant watch, they are only about 5-6 weeks old. Too darling. Two steel grays one black-as-coal, and one dark tiger.

We're getting the rain/storms for now. It's very wet out. Wish I could send some rain (not the lightning, though), out to the western states. There's fires all over. I fear Colorado is going up in smoke. A whole town, South Fork, Colorado, is burning to the ground. This isn't an unknown town to movie makers. One of the Vacation movies was filmed here, and "The Lone Ranger" was also filmed in the area.

My next work, I hope to get done quickly, is my memoir about the cats--which began with one and we wound up with 6 in total, and now we've got the next generation. I won't spoil the story, and promise that "The Cat Whisperer" is not just about cats, it's also about my husband who has a tender heart, and has always tended to feed strays that came into the yard, even as a child, and took care of them above and beyond what most people would do.

But, I won't go any further with that, as I don't want to spoil the story for you.

Now to my announcement: I'M GOING COMPLETELY INDIE.

The other day I sent off something to my publisher for his blog to post--I'm required to post something at least once a month. He got back to me telling me he is quitting publishing fiction with all his authors, reverting all our works back to us. Plus his blog site crashed. He seemed to think this was grim news to me. But it was not. I was wanting to strike out on my own, anyway. I didn't want to try and pull away from him by saying I wanted to take these works back. Something told me that things were about to change and change in a good way for me.

He will be helping all of us take our work back and publish into Amazon, etc. I asked if I could use the covers. He said yes. And that was a relief, because I really didn't think I could scramble to find 3 covers that would be as good as the originals.

So, by June 30 these three books, Vampire Ascending, Vampire's Trill, and Vampire Nocturne will no longer be under Copperhill Media, but under my own publishing brand Dark Castle Publications. My hope is at some point in July I will take total control of all three of these works. I'm only going to have ebooks, and I don't know that I'll have them elsewhere, but they will definitely be available through Amazon. I hope to adjust prices to my own needs. The newest work, Vampire Nocturne, will be reduced in price. But this is a few weeks away. I'm trying to come up with some sort of launch. If anyone is interested in hosting me in this indeavor (like welcoming me to the fold of the Indie World, or some such), and I'll try and figure out how to do a giveaway of all three eBooks to one person on each blog I'm on. This would be great for anyone who may have won one and want the rest. How cool is that?

Well, there's my news, my pretties. Do have a wonderful weekend. Again, if anyone wants to host my going Indie and the giveaway, whenever it's convenient, of course, in mid-July, say. Let me know in the comments here.

Lorelei has been crafting stories all her adult years
(yes, too many to count!) Author of the Sabrina Strong series,
"Spell of the Black Unicorn", poems, articles and short stories, and about to go Indie.

American Male Prostitute ~ A Review

I was recently given an ARC, and I really want to tell you about it. Oh, and don't let the title throw you. Or, maybe you should? Maybe it does titillate the consumer exactly as intended.

American Male Prostitute by Wilfried F. Voss is a work of fiction—I emphasize this because that's really important. The story, I must say, is a subject near and dear to my heart: The trials and tribulations of trying to get published with a “traditional” publisher.

In American Male Prostitute happily married man, Stuart Martin Berry, is given 3 months to find a publisher for his book. His wife gives him full and free rein “to do whatever it would take to get a book deal. Her only request was not to share any details of how I got there.”

This story is for anyone who has tried in vain, again and again, to hook an agent, even though you have bought every writing magazine, every book on “how to hook an agent,” or “how to write the perfect query letter,” etc. We've got someone in Stuart Berry to root for. It may be a work of fiction, but to a point it is all very much true-to-life in this respect.

We realize early on that Berry will have to stoop to by using sex, lies and deceit, as he attempts getting audience with his target publisher. Many of you out there might say, “No. This would never happen.” Well, it does, and not just huge cities where this story takes place. Believe me, the subject was breached with yours truly, once, a very long time ago. I wasn't for it, and let that person know it. Would I have been published by now? I guess I'll never know.

But here, in American Male Prostitute, the fantasy of using people who are just as deceitful takes shape and unfolds as our aspiring author, Berry, goes on the hunt for that book deal, moves to New York, and goes to work on shamelessly promoting his book. He does have an agent, but she's rather unproductive, and he learns is really disliked by the publisher he is really after. He realizes soon enough that nothing short of BS-ing his way into the arms of secretaries will get him audience. But the story woven is intriguing, with the expected titillating situations required. It's woven with realistic places, parties, money, and people in power, and publishing moguls—all believable characters and situations woven throughout.

If nothing else you do come away with better knowledge of the “disturbingly dysfunctional world of writing and publishing”, as Berry pulls off the blinds—or sheets as it were—of the publishing world and what actually may entice them better than just a well written query letter.

Author Wilfried F. Voss has done an exceptional job, if only to have the guts to tell such a story. He gives us aspiring writers something to think about as we wonder why the hell a query letter, or a pitch isn't working. You wonder about it. You really do.

Re-e-e Jected!

Author's foreword: This post is not meant to discourage anyone. This is merely to give those of you who come to my blog and are part of the writing community, a look into a portion—just a portion—of what I have gone through (like every writer out there), trying to get a publisher, or an agent.

After so many years after, and now after having self-publishing my first book, Spell of the Black Unicorn, then having now published with a micro publisher, Vampire Ascending (2010), and Vampire's Trill (2011), I can look back remember and it doesn't hurt any more. Plus, I can now poke fun at them. Come along and laugh with me!


RE-E-E JECTED

Please Note: All queries/rejections were for my first fantasy book in the new millennium: Spell of the Black Unicorn I have no idea how many books I have written over the 30+ years to this point, but I still have boxes of mss., and have destroyed countless others from my very first years of trying to write.
All comments in italics are mine, and I take complete and total responsibility of them, and had a damned good time in doing it too.

#1 Rejection—Dated January of 2006
“Dear Ms. Bell,

“I very much appreciate your thinking of my agency with your recent query. Alas, however, my current plate is completely overflowing and I'm not able to take on any new clients at the present time.

“I'm very sorry and wish you all the best.” Susan Herner Rights Agency Inc. {I hate being passed up for gravy and mashed potatoes}

#2 Rejection—2/11/06: Stamped on the bottom of my query letter:
“I'm afraid your material doesn't suit our current needs and/or interests. STERNIG & BYRNE LITERARY AGENCY Written in ink: Sorry. My client list is currently quiet full JB” {I wondered how much they paid someone to stamp this on query letters and wondered if they had openings}

#3 Rejection—2-11-06:form letter“I was delighted to receive your query, and I have given it my most careful attention.

“Alas – and much as I hate to relay the news thru {yes, this is how it was spelled, if I had misspelled something on my letter, it would have been thrown away} this form response – the query was not quite intriguing enough to inspire me to offer representation or further consideration of your project.

“I am grateful that you have afforded me this opportunity to find out about you and your work, and I wish you the best of success with your current and future writing endeavors.”

Sincerely,
Joshua Bilmes, Proprietor {Nicely done. I smiled after, but was disappointed}

#4 Rejection—February of 2007: Scribbled across my query letter in blue ink: Not for me—thanks anyway from Paul S. Levine Lit. Agency {And you're definitely not for me, either, thanks for nothing}

#5 Rejection—February 9, 2006: very short letter I was surprised they used a whole sheet of paper!“Thank you for your query, but we are not interested.” Scribe Agency
{That's it pull it off quickly so as not to hurt sooo much}

#6 Rejection—Dated March 2006: form letter

"Dear Author,
We apologize for this form letter. We have been busy reading and evaluating numerous queries and manuscripts and we have no choice but to reply in this manner. We have received and read your query, and we have concluded that your material is simply not suited to our needs at this time. {when would be a better time? Tell me and I'll resend!!}

“Please, do not let this discourage you from your chosen art.” {as if it could. Please!}
“We wish you luck with your writing career. {What career? I need to make money before I can have one!}
Sincerely, Sedgeband Literary Associates, Inc.

#7 Rejection 5-4-06 form letter:
“Thank you for submitting your work to the Gislason Agency. I apologize for this form letter, which we adopted due to the volume of submissions we receive. After careful consideration, we have decided not to pursue this project. As I am sure you are aware, we receive many more submissions than we can possibly take on, and our process of selecting work is subject to the personal taste of our editors, and their subjective estimation of the commercial viability of the work. Since we did not receive a SASE with adequate postage for the return of your work, it was destroyed.

I appreciate having the opportunity to consider this, and wish you all the best in securing representation for your work.

Very truly yours,

Barbara J. Gislason
Literary Agent

{I liked #5 better. I didn't need a dictionary for it. Got to the point. Not painless but, I'm just saying . . .}

This is only a cross section of the queries I sent out for Spell of the Black Unicorn beginning in 2006. I had actually made queries in 03, 04, took 05 off to re-evaluate and rewrite the mss.

(Rejections from Daw Books, Roc, Imajinn Books, Forge forced me to concentrate on agents.)

During this time the rejections made me look simultaneously into POD. Author House sounded a bit shaky, from things I'd seen on-line at warning sites. Xlibris sent me a full-color magazine designed to confuse and befuddle with all the “extras” you could get. I did not like the fact that I potentially could spent $1,000 or more on having them basically print a book for me. I did not get back to them; they still call me leaving messages about 3-4 times a year.

So, there you have it in all it's glory, my own rejections for a book which I have had 4 book signings for. I have no regrets. None at all.