Anyone who’s hung around these parts for any length of time knows I am a member of Pennwriters, and that I go to the conference in the odd-numbered years, when it is held in Pittsburgh.

This year, I’ll be presenting a workshop — but not on what you may think when you first see that I’m doing it. Susan the editor, Susan the writer … those personas are being shoved aside for a Sunday morning and instead, I’m going to be Susan the Reviewer. I’ll be using my experience as a longtime blogger and a professional book reviewer to run a workshop about reviews. I will have two outlines ready to go, and my audience will select between:

1. How to write a killer review, including how to evaluate the text and sound smart

2. Reviews for authors — how to get them, who to ask, the value of the paid review, the value of the one-star review, and what’s worse than that dreaded one-star review.

Frankly, I want to focus on the second topic. But it’ll be up to my audience.

So. If you’re interested, if you are burning to know if I truly am an Orange S on a Red Background, if you’re around, or if you’re looking for something to do Sunday morning before you hit the road for home, sign on up for the Pennwriters Conference. There’s lots more you’ll find besides just me. Acquiring editors. Agents. Other authors. And some of the friendliest, most supportive people around. This is the fun kind of networking, the kind that doesn’t hurt.

Come on out. And be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the Orange S on the Red Background.

I mentioned before that 2015 has been the year of computer troubles for me again, and … yeah. Nothing’s changed on that front, unless you consider another downward turn to be a change — which I’d rather not do, but let’s be real here. It is.

My work computer blew up. Oh, not literally; that would at least have been fascinating, as my kids and I learned about blast radii and shrapnel scatter and other cool things. (“Look, Mom! Your desk chair is now permanently part of the cathedral ceiling!” or “Why is it that even after you shut your office door, I can still feel the air from the broken windows?” “Because my office door is a screen door, honey.”)

Nope. Nothing that exciting. But I can’t access any of my files (which seem uncorrupted), which means I can’t work. On edits, anyway. Or anything stored on my hard drives.

So… taking care of lots of little stuff and hoping you all hang with me for a few days while I get this mess sorted and hustle to get back on track. Guess I’ll be working through next weekend to make up for not being at my desk today and tomorrow (and hopefully that’s it, but my IT guy will let me know once he works his magic).

Let’s see how much trouble I can get myself into, shall we?

Know how you went and downloaded all those free books as part of Read an E-Book Week over at Smashwords?

We authors appreciate the interest. We really do.

So… why not say thanks? No, not an e-mail to the author. Well, not directly to the author. Make it an open letter. “This is what I liked. This is what I didn’t. But thanks for making your book free so I could read it and tell the world what I thought of it.”

And then post it at Smashwords. Amazon. B&N. GoodReads or Shelfari or Library Thing. Or all of the above.

Your few words can make a big difference.

Go on. You really can do this.

From website and network problems to computer problems, I’m being given a sign. If only I could figure it out.

BUT the best news of all is that the Featured New Book Spotlight returns next week.

Is your book in the queue? Your friend’s? Why not?

Get ’em in now. Here’s the details you need.

Is the ONE question too hard? Need something simpler? Go for a Line (or two) of Distinction. Promo doesn’t get any easier than that.

Whoa. THAT turned into a saga, one that never should have happened.

Know how sometimes, you make what you think is a good decision, but it comes back to bite you? Hard? Like, broken bones hard? And that it wouldn’t have if you’d known to ask the Very Good Questions your business coach told you to, except you never even knew the #1 question to ask involved stuff you’d never heard of, never even imagined was technically possible?

Yeah. Like that.

So… the past is over and done with and I’m setting my sights on bigger and better. I’ve got a couple of Featured New Book Spotlights to post, and even a Line of Distinction or two.

One note: You may catch typos in the form of strange characters on some of the pages and maybe even in the archives. If you’d take a second and let me know what you find, I’d deeply appreciate it. Things didn’t go smoothly… oh, the odd benefits of eight years of archives.

The car saga dragged out for a few days. It was a dead battery, an easy (and thankfully cheap) fix.

But, of course, you can’t disconnect a battery in a car like mine without it affecting the radio. Ever seen me try to drive without the radio on? Yeah, not pretty. And no, I can’t hook my phone into it and play it that way, either. For one, the entire thing wasn’t working, including the clock. For another, those hookups were put into the model year after I bought my car.

So a fruitless call to the dealer and then a very helpful call to Acura later, the radio was up and working. Of course, none of the presets had saved. But the XM came back on immediately, which I hadn’t expected to be so easy.

The car died on Sunday. Last night, I set the final radio station. Four days later.

I’m not the only one around here who’s prepared. I don’t know if it’s my announcement of an upcoming rate hike or just that time of year or all my clients are hitting the same spot in their writing cycle or what, but January and February are now completely booked. Which means that for the first time in over a year, I’m scheduling 12 weeks out.

Twelve weeks! That’s crazy!

But I am SO not arguing.

After all, I have the costs of the car to pay off. And windows to replace before I turn into a Susan-cicle. (My joke with my contractor: That’s not cool. No, it’s frozen!)

But best of all, I can not stress for a little bit. I’ve got work, and I love to work.

It’s all good, right? Well, temporarily. Until something breaks, or until March arrives. March, historically, is my absolute slowest month, for some reason I haven’t been able to figure out yet. As in: so far behind the other months, I’d have to edit twelve different projects (SO not happening, although with my crack subcontractor corps?) to bring March up to the level of every other month of the year. Really weird.

The upshot of all this? I’ve got the car mess straightened out, and affordably, too. My calendar is full. My rates are still going up for anything booked after January 1. And I get up every day, so damn grateful for the best, most creative, inventive, hardest-working clients out there.

I got an e-mail from a client last week or so. I always ask my clients to keep me updated on how their books are selling, and Stevie was reporting in. Not all my clients keep me updated. Some tell me how things stand when they ask me to reserve a date for them. And some, like Stevie, drop into my inbox every now and then with status reports.

It’s all good.

What made this status report so cool was what Stevie added at the end: It was a report about how one of my other clients was doing. Client #2 had also been charting at Amazon, and Stevie was glad to see the presence of another West of Mars client on the list.

Classy move.

Let me tell you, I’ve been places. I’ve heard authors talk about how we’re all in this together. Heck, *I* talk about how we’re all in this together. That’s why I offer the Monday Featured New Book Spotlight to any author, not only West of Mars clients. I often wish I could do more to help my authors — and by “my,” I mean my clients, my friends, the casual acquaintances I come across.

Yeah, that sounds sorta self-righteous, but I do believe the cream rises to the top, and there’s some damn good fiction out there. There’s a lot of crap, too, and it comes from every single publisher out there. That’s because fiction is a subjective thing. Not everyone’s going to like what the guy beside them likes.

This is what makes life wonderful. Our diversity.

So remember that the next time you don’t want to help a fellow author. Or even if you do. You’re not losing readers by helping someone else. You’re looking for that spot where your audience overlaps with theirs, the people you can share.

Or, in the case of Stevie, you’re just being a class act, keeping an eye on a fellow author you’ve got something in common with. There’s nothing wrong with cheering from the sidelines. In fact, there’s quite a bit right with it.

We’re all in this together. Helping each other is good stuff.

One of the things every business class has taught me is that networking is very important stuff. So in addition to being involved (although not involved enough) with my local Chamber, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for groups that meet over lunch in my area. After all, I work at home, by myself. If I don’t go to the Hoity Toity Health Club, I  may not see another adult at all. Plus, there’s the business-side benefits to raising my profile locally. More jobs for my non-fiction department, for instance.

I thought I’d found a group, a women’s-only group organizing online.

The directions for the first meeting were sketchy. Panera. Table in front. But when I clicked through to RSVP, it said “Table in Back.”

I went to Panera. I got there right on time and walked through. At the front was a group of people who’d pulled a bunch of tables together. They sat in a semi-circle and faced a man who was holding court.

But… it’s a women’s networking group, right? Maybe the “in the back” was what had come to be.

Sure enough, back there sat a group of women in rather conservative business clothes, with very conservative haircuts. Most of them were older than me, which wasn’t what this group I was trying to meet had sounded like. Dirty plates were piled to one side. They’d clearly been there awhile, and they were very involved in their discussion, leaning in toward each other, ignoring everyone around them.

Now, there’s a couple reasons I work at home: I like it. I’m here for my kids. If I want to work at 2AM, I can (and I do. Nothing soothes an emotional upset or bad nightmare like getting lost in words.) I can work in my sweats. And it keeps my business overhead low. Very low.

So it’s an occasion when I’m heading out. Even though I’m still on the business clock, I’m not editing, so I structure my day around getting my project work done. That means skipping the Hoity Toity Health Club. It means putting the sweats aside and enjoying the fun of getting a little more dressed up. Dangly earrings! Flats instead of hiking boots! Shirts that button and pants that zip! Woot! We’re living large now!

And because I’m going to all this effort, when I get to where I’m going, I want to feel welcome. I want to feel on an equal footing with people. I want to be able to say I’m an editor because I love what I do and I get out of bed every day excited to see what words I can play with — and not get strange looks for that. After all, I don’t look at accountants funny when they wax poetic about how numbers make sense and it’s all there in black and red. I want to be met as a business owner, which I am. Nothing less, but maybe a lot more (esteemed business owner, welcome presence… you get the drift).

Maybe if I’d been having a better day, I’d have walked up to that group at the front of the store, the one surrounding the man, and asked if they were the people I was supposed to meet. And you know why I ultimately didn’t? Because when I paused inside the doorway and took them in, three of them looked over at me. None of them smiled or acted in any way inviting. In fact, they looked sorta … hostile.

I don’t know. Maybe they were as put out at having a man come in and dominate as I felt. Maybe their favorite food wasn’t on the menu. Maybe they’d wanted to order lunch but had been told to wait.

But still. Those are all crummy excuses to, at the first meeting of a new networking group, not have the welcome mat out. And right then, I needed a welcome mat in the form of a cheery smile and a “Hey, glad you’re here. Come join us.”

So. Moral of the story:

1. If you’re running a new networking group and meeting in a popular public place, bring a balloon or goofy stuffed animal to set on the table so people can find you.

2. If you’re running a new networking group, smile at the people who walk through the door until every last person who RSVPed has arrived. Even if their idea of business attire doesn’t match yours.

3. If you’re the one walking into a new situation, buy the intimidation you’re feeling a brownie and stick it in the corner with the fancy chairs.

Maybe another group will surface. Maybe I’ll hear from this one that they’re sorry they missed me and next time, they’ll bring a goofy stuffed dog so we can find each other.

In the meantime, I’ll be at home, playing with words for an international clientele who continues, on a daily basis, to overwhelm me with their creativity, professionalism, and passion for what they do.

I’ve been blogging for a long time now, and for a long time now, I’ve seen the Blog Blast for Peace every year. And every year, I think, “Man, I should join in, but I can’t do graphics for anything, so I can’t personalize my globe.”

Thankfully, now I don’t have to. (Of course, if someone wants to make my vision for a globe real, holler.)

I’ve made veiled comments here over the past I don’t know how many years that my personal life took a left turn a number of years ago. I like the new direction a lot better than the old one, but you know what I’m missing? Peace. Peace for my kids. Peace for myself, in a certain, specific sector of my world.

So let’s all take a few minutes today and do something to make the world a better place, huh? A more peaceful place.

And please join me in wishing for peace for a tormented soul in my life, that healing can begin for so many of us. Especially that certain, specific sector of my world.

You gotta start somewhere, right?

Last month was both a rush and a killer. I had a couple really intensive edits that demanded a lot of time and energy (and effort). I worked through weekends. Dishes piled up in the sink, I was a week behind in reading the newspaper, and I slept like a baby. Didn’t write a word of my own fiction, either.

So if I owe you mail, you should have gotten it by now. This  month looks to be lighter in terms of intensity, which is always welcome after a period of such time-sucking and exhilarating work.

There are lots of openings at the New Book  Spotlight if you’d like one. Help yourself; tell your friends. Remember, if you’re willing to take what’s next in line, it’s always free. Free promo, people!

As for editing… well, that’s not so open. We’re looking at mid-December for dates, which really, if you think about it, ought to work just fine. Who wants to be thinking about their manuscript during the last part of the holiday rush? Why not send it to your editor and let her deal with it while you finish shopping and face the realization that you just can’t put off buying something for Strange Uncle Jimmy*? Yeah, I know: You don’t want to deal with Strange Uncle Jimmy. Ever. He’s got a … well, a smell and he’s always telling you that a woman’s place is making bread. Fresh bread daily, that’s what Strange Uncle Jimmy wants. And no, there doesn’t seem to be a metaphor involved in any of that. Last year, your brother bought him a sourdough yeast starter, a bread machine, and six different mixes.

Your brother is still paying for the padded room that put poor Strange Uncle Jimmy into. Bread makers seem to violate his sense of how the universe works. Who knew?

Now, here’s the best thing about hiring me to be your editor: I’ll help you come up with a good gift for Strange Uncle Jimmy. It’s all part and parcel of what I do here at West of Mars, and frankly, the brainstorming would be a lot of fun.

Hey, have I mentioned that if I do your content or line editing and you need a proofreader, I’ve got subcontractors for that? Subcontractors who’ll come with a 10% discount because you’re a West of Mars client?

No? Well, there ya go. Learning new stuff daily around here. It’s what I do. No reason you can’t join me, too.

* I once had an Uncle Jimmy. He’s now ex-Uncle Jimmy and the nicest guy you’d ever meet, married to one of the most gracious, caring women I’ve come across in my crazy path across this world. And I have no idea what he thinks a woman’s role in life is. I never asked. Maybe I should have. Maybe it’d be what I expect. Maybe it’d be weirder than fresh bread daily. Who knows? Well, ex-Uncle Jimmy does.

I can’t blame being swamped on Rocktober. Jett’s got a firm control of that over at The Rock of Pages, and if you aren’t following along this  month, you’re missing out. Jett’s been having a great time, although I have to send her a guest post that she needs to get up.

So, yeah. The title says it all, doesn’t it? I’m working on an edit for one of my favorite clients and it turned out to be more extensive than I’d expected. I’m sure Steve (we’ll call him, since my last client was Stevie) is swooning as I read this, so let me take a few seconds and wax poetic.

Like all my clients, Steve is learning and growing. Signs of a newbie writer in the first two books are a lot less visible here. He’s even taking a risk or two with this new one, and I’m glad to see it. He’s pulling it off.

So why is the work more extensive if it’s so good? Well, because now that Steve has  more experience, I can push him into deeper places. Expand here. Give me two words there to polish this sentence. Explore this. Don’t you think the character might feel this? How about this? Just think about it and decide for yourself… it’s YOUR book, after all. I’m just here to … well, do what I’m doing. Give you ideas, stir your creativity, show you options.

I know Steve’s waiting both patiently and impatiently. On the one hand, I’d hoped to have this done last Friday. But he knows I’m taking my time because he’s going to wind up with a better book at the end. I know he doesn’t want to see how bad I think it is (and, like all my clients’ works, I don’t think it’s bad. This guy is a master plotter.), or how many comments I’ve made (lots). But I also know he’s dying to hear what I think (love it, which contradicts the backhanded compliment above of not thinking it’s bad, but if you knew the dynamic between me and Steve, you’d understand that’s not nearly as backhanded as you may think it is) and he’s dying to start to make the changes I’m suggesting or some that I’m demanding (dude, you gotta spell cloud right. You just do. And that’s why I’m demanding that particular change). He’s dying to get this book out into the world, and I don’t blame him.

There’s a certain subset of the reading world that’s going to love this one. Hopefully he’ll stop in and do a Featured New Book about it when it comes out and I can preen about how he did the hard work I asked him to.

But first, I gotta finish up. I have clients in the pipeline waiting for me, a ton of e-mail to answer — including a new Featured New Book, which will run next week (Sorry, Client Named Stevie who’s not the same Client Named Stevie from my last post about a Client Named Stevie) and yes, I’m pushing myself hard. Why do you ask?

The good news is that the editing is keeping me busy. The bad news is that means my writing is taking a hit. And given that a lot of my clients come to me because I am an author and I have my fingers in publishing, I suppose I gotta put up.

This one, I’m glad to put up. It’s my new short story, called Broken. 

My very longtime (I started to say old, but I don’t want either of us to be old) Metallica friend, Carol, did the cover. Go visit her. Tell her I sent you.  You deserve a cover by someone like Carol.

It’s a short story, as the cover makes pretty darn clear, and it’ll be for sale for 99c once it’s up and able to be preordered or out-and-out for sale. (Yes, I’m writing this in advance.)

Ready for the description? Too bad. Here it is.

For T and the rest of Ice Cubes in Hell, it’s a routine night backstage after their set, opening for the notorious Vanessa Kontempt. The party’s in full swing when T walks in, but she’s not in the mood. Not tonight. When she finds groupies raiding her stage clothes and one breaks the heel off one of her favorite boots, things spiral downward. As T confronts the band’s tour manager about the destruction, secrets are revealed. Secrets that might tear the band apart … or bring them closer.

I’m crazy proud of this story. Took me a long time to get right, and I had to run it past my editor, too, for help pulling it all together.

Buy links will be arriving as soon as I’ve got ’em. Pick up your copy and help me keep my fingers in the publishing pie.

It seems strange to be here at West of Mars and not be gearing up for Rocktober. And I am, albeit on a smaller scale this year, but over at The Rock of Pages. Jett’s trying to take over some of the load, but she’s been plenty busy this year, too.

Still, not everyone has transitioned over there, and this message will find eyes that may not see The Rock of Pages. So here it is.

If you’re a Rock Fiction author, feel free to stop in with one of the following posts:

An interview

A guest blog about why you Rock Fiction (or anything that ties into Rock Fiction)

A post about someone else’s Rock Fiction that you’d like to read

A review of someone else’s Rock Fiction that you have read.

And if you’re a fan, join in, too! Here’s what I’m looking for:

A post about Rock Fiction that you’d like to read.

A review of someone else’s Rock Fiction that you have read.

But, of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list. If you have ideas that Jett and I haven’t thought of, holler. We’re open to anything. And if you want to join in but not at The Rock of Pages, that’s fine. Send us a link and we’ll get it up.

Rocktober is always fun. Don’t miss out.

One of my clients probably said it best: “We were patiently waiting for you to come home from vacation and now we’re all throwing manuscripts at you.”

It’s a deluge over here, and I love it. As everyone starts to think about pre-Christmas book releases, my inbox is flooded. Best of all, I’ll be able to pay off that vacation. While it wasn’t exorbitant by any means (hello? camping?), it still cost a few bucks.

And yes, I do have space for more edits. Closer to the end of this month, though, or into October. Don’t worry; there’s plenty of time for me to work my magic and then for you to digest it, make the changes I suggest, and get the book to your formatter.

As always, if it’s not coming together right, don’t force it, just to hit an arbitrary date. Sure, it’d be super to have a book your readers can gift at the holidays. We all want that, myself included. But I say it all the time: getting the best book is what is vitally important. You can’t erase bad reviews, and you can’t erase a bad taste left in a reader’s mouth.

Don’t be that person.

One final note, and I hope to have more words of wisdom for you soon: The Featured New Book Spotlight has plenty of space. If you’ve got a book coming out, why isn’t the Famed One Question Interview one of your first, permanent stops?

We rolled into town just a few minutes late on Wednesday, and I’ve been playing catch-up ever since. It’s easy to tell which clients don’t read my blog or Facebook; I heard from all of them while I was gone!

(note to self: work on client-only mailing list)

As always, being in Yellowstone is a spiritual thing for me, and where I left last time desperate to return, this time, I left with the quiet knowledge that I’ll be back — the same goals from all my adult trips still remain to be met — and the surety that I’m where I  belong in life right now. That, as tough as running what is essentially a freelancing service business is, it’s the exact right thing for me to be doing. So all you authors who worry I’ll give up the ship, stop. I’m in it for the long haul.

Wildlife was surprisingly scarce, but the meadows were in full bloom and the mountains were demanding and the campground was quieter than the few nights I spent under a roof. Norris remains my favorite of the geyser areas, and I think Canyon and the Lamar Valley have become my absolute favorite parts of the park.

The Old Faithful area was the most disappointing. Older amenities — we stayed in cabins near the Lodge — way too many people (especially after being the only ones on some trails), and even dinner at the famed Old Faithful Inn wasn’t as good as the dinner we’d had in the Canyon restaurant. Interesting to note that most people only know Yellowstone for Old Faithful, which is a shame. The park is so much more, so much better.

Mammoth Hot Springs seems to be drying up. That was also disappointing, although for a different reason. Yes, still too many people and after six days we’d had enough of the people who insisted on posing in front of features and parking their photographer five feet away — and getting angry when we’d walk right on through. If we waited for all those people to take their snapshots, we’d still be there. But that’s not the part that made me saddest: it was that the springs are drying up. The place has an eerie, haunted feel to it. It’s a relic of a bygone day, and that’s sad. Even the last time I was there, it was more alive than this. I mourn its loss, and you can almost feel that the place is mourning, too.

Back to those other tourists for a moment. To be honest, I don’t understand the need to take pictures of yourself in front of a feature. Oh, sure, there’s the whole “Look where I was!” bit that’s a lot of fun. No argument there. The part I don’t get is the part where your back is turned to whatever it is you’re posing in front of. That means you’re not looking at it. You’re not seeing what’s going on. Sure, you may see it when you get home and look over your pictures, but you’re not experiencing it, and if you’re not there for the experience, why are you there?

I’ve been to Yellowstone four times now. Each time, I leave with memories and spots seared into my memory. The mailbox near the outhouse at what turns out to be the entrance to the Slough Creek campground. Fountain Paint Pots. The tree at Mammoth that I have taken pictures of three times now. I don’t need pictures of me posing for me to know I’ve been there. Part of me never leaves. But just in case, here’s me. Experiencing the view. Conquering something private — and resolving to come back and finish what we started.

This is something I’ve run across … oh, probably as long as I’ve been blogging. And if you look carefully, you’ll see I’ve been blogging here at West of Mars since 2006. That’s a long time for this trend to continue, especially because it’s not a particularly flattering one: authors who write blog posts, either as a guest or at their own home, that are full of typos and grammatical errors. (and I  mean FULL. A few obvious typos are one thing. I’m talking about squinting and wondering if this person knows the language at all.)

Sometimes, as in the case of the post I read this  morning, it’s clear the author doesn’t understand the rules. This distresses me. How can someone expect to write a book if they don’t know basic grammar rules?

The answer to that is pretty obvious, right? I’m not the only great (and patient) editor out there.

So, okay. Fine. Authors use great editors for their fiction. Good. That’s how it should be. We editors love to work behind the scenes and  make our authors’ words all shiny and pretty. And even when we’re not the editors, we still appreciate that you, the author, used a colleague to make sure your words are the best representation of you that they can be.

If you’re an author who does any sort of written promo, don’t hesitate to ask your editor to work on it for you! From your newsletter to any guest blog posts or even interviews. If it’s written and you know you’re not the best at remembering your/you’re or the like, speak up. Yes, it may cost you more than the promo will earn you, but on the other hand, it’s an expense worth it, from where I sit. Even if you have to find another editor who’ll handle only your promo work — and  yes, we do that at West of Mars. Keep your fiction editor and use us for your promo. No worries there; no pressure to change if you love your fiction editor.

The reason I do this  isn’t to pad my own bottom line. I offer these services cheap, after all.

Nope. That’s not why I am pushing it, and it’s not why I offer it.

It’s because people form impressions about you based on your written words. Don’t put yourself in the situation where a reader adores your book, thinks you’re the best writer since Truman Capote … and then gets turned off when they read a sloppy guest post.

Always, always, always put your best written self forward. Find the people you need to make this happen, if it’s me or if it’s someone else.

It’s your career. Make it represent you at your written best.

I gotta tell you what’s going on over at e-Book Builders.

If you don’t follow along at home, you may not know that Deena and I are buds, fellow lovers of Rock Fiction. Deena’s also done some e-book formatting for me, and from time to time works with West of Mars clients as one of my formatting subcontractors.

In short: Deena is good people, and I’m proud to support what she’s up to. In this case, it’s extra-exciting stuff, in the form of a number of box sets that fit all sorts of genre conventions.

Here’s the list of what those genres will be (be sure to note Rocktober’s theme!):

• July 2014 – American Historical Fiction – Taking submissions – Tentative Release July 6^th
• August 2014 – YA – Taking Submissions – Tentative Release August 18^th
• September 2014 – Mystery/Thriller/Suspense – Taking Submissions – Tentative Release September 4^th
• October 2014 – Rock Fiction – Taking Submissions – Tentative Release October 20^th
• November 2014 – International Historical Romance – Taking Submissions – Tentative Release November 10^th
• December 2014 – Non-Fiction ( Author Help) – Taking Submissions – Tentative Release December 6^th

So… if you write in one of those genres, speak up and get yourself in consideration. If you’ve seen this call for submissions around already but been put off because there were requirements such as a number of posted reviews, rest easy. Deena’s changed the formats … there may be multiple sets, of authors of similar visibility. The more submissions — and, ultimately, the more overall success — the more likely it is that other genres will be included.

Here’s the link to the post. Read it over carefully, and if you’re so inclined, fill out the form. If you can think of an author this would be a golden opportunity for, there’s a spot where you can suggest an author. And, of course, spread the word. This is one of those “the success of one is the success of all” sorts of things, and I’d love to see a lot of authors benefit from it.

Yep, summer’s approaching. Clients are starting to pepper my inbox on a daily basis. I’m surprised I still have dates left for June, July, and August, so if you’re thinking you need an edit, better jump. I know I’ve said this before, but June’s around the corner. What are you waiting for?

This week, I am working on a fabulous literary-leaning (but not quite literary) proofread for an author whose last novel I worked on (actually, the first of our relationship) was great until I got to the end… and then it knocked my socks off. I’m having a ball with this new one, even if parts of it hit close to home. Friends and family have remarked that I’m a bit down this week, a bit edgy. Blame the power of the written word for that one!

But something else interesting happened last weekend. A client contacted me and asked if I could do a rush job for her. Even if she wasn’t one of the few I know in real life, I’d have said of course. I even figured out Dropbox and Word on my iPad so I can work in a more portable setting and get extra time in and yet not be trapped in my office for days on end. (I do like it in here, although I’ve decided it needs a paint job ’cause the stark white walls I am currently facing give off too much glare.)

The question I’m playing with, though, is this: because I’m putting an awful lot on hold for this rush job — I’m a single mom, remember, so a lot of what’s getting put on hold is time with my kids — do I start charging a separate fee for a client in a rush? I don’t want to charge for everything including the sneeze while writing the book, and I do what I do because I simply adore it, not because it’s going to make me a millionaire. Sadly. I have no objections to being the one who pays child support. Yeah, I know: I’m a long ways from testing that theory. Check in when faced with that reality!

Tell me what you guys think. Do you favor a Rush Job Fee? Why or why not? I’m truly debating this one…

Author GG Vandagriff is in need of some help. Her newest Regency Romance, Lord Grenville’s Choice, was released last week.

Talking about books has been proven to be the best way to draw attention to the good ones (and, sadly, the really bad ones; I have heard over and over from authors whose sales spike after a bad review). And one of the best ways to get people talking about a book is to start the conversation yourself.

So…

Anyone who’d like to read and leave a review of Lord Grenville’s Choice, GG wants you. Amazon, GoodReads, heck, even Paperbackswap.com or any other outlet you can think of. Reviews help foster conversation about books, and conversation is what it’s about.

Unsure if you are reviewer-caliber? Well, I’ll make you a deal. Drop GG a line via her website. Work out the details of getting yourself a review copy. Then come back to me once you’ve written the review and my team and I will help you polish it up.

Not want to be that intense? That’s fine. Even a review that says, “Loved this. Felicity and Elizabeth make life difficult for our poor hero!” or “Wow, this book shows why men are stupid.” … Yes, ten words can make a difference! (However, please pick ten words that aren’t the exact words I used above.)

C’mon. Be that difference for an author. Drop GG a line and pay the kindness back with a review. You’ll be glad you did!

Awhile back, I got a friend request via GoodReads. This happens a couple times a week, and I never say no.

In fact, after I accept, I always click on “compare books.” Have you ever done this? It’s fun to see what others are reading, and how full their shelves are (people: full shelves are GOOD things!).

This person’s books surprised me. Two were anthologies I’ve got pieces in — With Love — Indie Authors United, and 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror, a compilation of guest blog posts to accompany Stacy Juba’s novel, 25 Years Ago.

And the third book on the list? Something I’d edited. I’m still sad that client moved on. Her work was so fresh, so haunting… but you can’t please ‘em all, I guess.

So what’s the point here for the writer to take home? Simple.

Get yourself out there. Interact with the community. Jump into an anthology or three if you can. The Indie Authors Unite anthology wasn’t juried; it was a group of us who wanted to put out a book and direct the royalties to Doctors without Borders. We wanted to make a difference in the world.

25 Years in the Rearview Mirror originally began as a series of blog posts. Stacy took them and turned them into a book. I believe it’s a free download; the Amazon page says “Pricing not available.”

Sometimes, it’s that easy to get your name out there. There may not be payment involved, but let me tell you: the thrill of seeing something you helped create show up on someone else’s GoodReads list is worth it.

Go on. Get yourself out there. See where you wind up.