April 30, 2014
If you’re on a feed reader or something that means you’re not here on the blog in person, click through.
Click around.
Yes, the awesome folk at Thought Space Designs have given West of Mars a new look — and some streamlined navigation, as well. All new, built from the ground-up, this was the facelift a small business needs. It may have been official last year that West of Mars is a business, not one woman struggling to survive, but now… well, here’s the visuals to make sure that once you stop in, you’ll stay. Or maybe just keep coming back. Both are good.
If you’re one of those types who likes to click around and look for broken links and such, send me that feedback. My cool, amazing, mind-blowing clients have me swamped for the moment again, and well… I was never one to go bug hunting. Typos, yes. Broken links, no.
And, of course, if you like what you see, go hire Jareth and Rachel to give your blog a makeover. You’ll be glad you did.
April 17, 2014
One in an occasional series
I am one of those editors who likes to support my clients even if what they need help with is beyond the range of editing. Because of this, I’ve now started such services as offering help writing book descriptions, a While You Write service where you cough up cash and I’m available seven days a week for brainstorming plot wrinkles and other problems, and more. I’ve even brought some e-book formatters into the fold, but more about that another day.
The Book Description and While You Write services are available only to my editing clients.
One other thing I like to do is talk about your options for publication. A number of you like to explore your options, and that’s great. I’m totally supportive of that. And… a lot of you have found small presses who’ve been interested in publishing your books. Sometimes, that makes me sad because it means you’re moving on to a new editor (and when that editor’s not as good as me, well, double sad!) — but that sadness is also tempered with excitement for you. I want only the best for my clients.
But sometimes, you find yourself someone who is well intentioned but … maybe isn’t ready for a writer of my clients’ caliber (do I think highly of you guys, or what?). And you ask me about this publisher.
I came across one of these small presses the other day. When I find them, I crawl all over their website, looking for certain criteria:
1. Is the site well written? Seems like a silly thing to look for, but if a publisher’s website is riddled with grammar errors, what will your book look like? (and yes, I do wish I had the cojones to send them a letter, offering my non-fiction department’s services!)
2. What can you offer my author that s/he can’t do by him/herself? The latest was a publisher who said they were working on a relationship that would get them into brick-and-mortar stores. Sounds great, but … they weren’t there yet. What could they offer my client NOW?
3. What do they publish, and how does your book fit into their list? One publisher I came across had both erotic lit and a book about Jesus on their front page. I’d be surprised if people aren’t offended by that one!
There’s a reason niche publishers do well, folks: they break into one market and do it well.
4. What’s the background of the principals involved? Even if it’s not a publishing background, I’m sorry, but someone with an MFA in painting and a partner with a PhD in history just doesn’t make me confident that you know how to run a business — even though I’ve learned that running a business isn’t rocket science. But I want to see that you’ve got a clue what you’re doing before I’ll express confidence in your business.
(Before you ask about my lack of business background, I spent 2013 enrolled in a year-long business class and worked with a fabulous mentor. Like I said, running a business isn’t rocket science.)
5. How excited by your book is this publisher? I thought this was a no-brainer, but when a client forwarded a mail that said, “I skimmed your book and think it’d be a good fit…” I realized that the siren’s song of “it’d be a good fit” drowned out the red flag. This acquiring editor SKIMMED the book? The book he’s worked on for years and years? Sweat, blood, tears, marriage, friends, and an editor are all in that book and this acquiring editor admitted to SKIMMING it?
To paraphrase uber agent Janet Reid: You want someone behind your book who’s as passionate as you are.
Yes, we all want to have a publisher’s name behind us (okay, not all of us anymore!) but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let desire overrule your natural caution. I’ve seen too many small presses go under, heard too many stories about authors who have to go to court to have their rights reversed, seen what happens when expectations are crushed.
Don’t be that author.
But do be the author who is smart enough to reach out to people who can look past the emotional high of the offer and help you weigh your options with a clear mind. This is your business. It’s not rocket science, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be smart in the choices you make.
April 16, 2014
Yes, boys and girls, after being full for months on end, right now, there’s no one in the queue for the Featured New Book Spotlight. Why not? I see books being published every day. I see free promotion right here at West of Mars. And I see the e-mails I get from readers, telling me they’ve bought a book they’ve seen in the spotlight and I was right: it’s worth a read.
Tell your friends. Take advantage yourself. Remember, it’s free if you’re willing to take the next open date (and only $5 to reserve the date you want).
Why are you still holding out? Flood my inbox today!
April 3, 2014
One in an occasional series
Today’s post was inspired by my own good intentions, intentions that have come back to haunt me.
One of the things I struggle most with is names, especially names for minor characters. Throwaway people, who I expect to use once and never see again. There have been many in all the Trevolution writings, people who crossed paths with the band for one reason or another. And you can always tell who the characters who intrigue me are: they mostly have intriguing names. Lyric. Boomer. Chelle. And yes, even Pam the exercise instructor who tries to use Trevor to get to Mitchell.
Like I said, those aren’t the problem children. I don’t know any Lyrics or Boomers or Chelles, and as for Pams… well, not many, anyway. Pam Derbish is her own woman. But… she was never meant to be a one-story flash in the pan.
It’s when I’m sitting around, getting desperate because I know the name doesn’t matter. That the character is nothing more than a vehicle, a catalyst for the story to unfold around, so why am I stressing about a name? And so, I turned to real life, figuring it would be a nice way to pay tribute to friends who meant a lot to me. Maybe that way, the characters would elevate themselves and be more than just a name on a page.
So what’s the problem?
Well, I fell out of touch with most of those friends. One did something I know I ought to find forgiveness for, but I’m not there yet. That one’ll be a long time coming, I think.
Which means that every time I look at those characters’ names, I pause with a note of regret. I miss a bunch of them. I am upset about the choices the other made (and continues to make), knowingly or unknowingly.
Now, it’s a sight better than the woman I once knew who published a collection of short stories in the early ’90s. She apparently didn’t merely use her family members’ names. She fictionalized them, and the fiction wasn’t exactly flattering (“pathetic” was how I characterized the lot of them when I read the book) — in their eyes. I still recall the pain in her eyes and etched into her face when she looked at a stack of wedding invitations from those people. They hadn’t even bothered to open the invitations and send back the RSVP card. Nope. They’d all written REFUSED across the front and had it returned to her.
Don’t be me, and don’t be that woman. Step outside your life and give your characters names that don’t mean a darn thing.
April 1, 2014
I got an e-mail out of the blue, inviting me to join in an April Fool’s Blog Exchange. How could I — why would I — say no? The icing on the cake? The City to my Iron? All the bloggers are in my home town of Pittsburgh, a city I’m not nearly visible enough in.
Enough about me. Today’s blog post is brought to us by a fellow April baby and book lover. Could that matchup have been any more heaven-sent?
.
Here’s Tiffany Harkleroad, a woman who has actually laid eyes on me and can vouch to the fact that I’m not an orange S on a red background.
I have been a book reviewer for 4 years now. I have been working at a library for 4 months. I have stacks of books in every room. I papered my living room floor with book pages. I think it is safe to call me a book lover. But how did this love of literature begin? I trace it back to my parents.
My parents are both readers, and even though they had little spare time to read while working full time and raising 3 children, books were always a present in our home. My parents always took the time to read to us, and with us, as our reading skills progressed. As I got older, I would beg my parents to take me to bookstores to spend any allowance or birthday money I had saved up. But the thing that I most strongly remember from childhood was my parents taking me to the library.Trips to the library were not an easy thing for my parents. We lived in a rural, outlying area, so it was about a 20 minute drive to the library, then we could count on being there for at least an hour, plus the drive back. For busy, working parents, this was a sacrifice, yet my parents never complained a bit. As soon as school was out for the summer, my parents would take me to the library, and help me check out a tower of library books. Two weeks later, we would trek back, return them, and get another stack. I firmly believe that my parents’ support of my library adoration set me up to be a reader for life.
So here we are, 30 years later. I still love books, I still love libraries, and I want to share that love with others, the way my parents shared it with me. Since I have no children of my own, the best way for me to accomplish this is to encourage the children in my community to love books the way I love books. But how?
April is my birthday month, and I like to use that as an opportunity to celebrate the things I love best. Seems like the perfect opportunity to celebrate reading, and encourage reading in my community’s children. So here is what I am doing: I am asking folks to help me build a Children’s Literacy Activity Center for the Ford City Public Library (where I work). I have created an Amazon Wish List of items needed to create the center. I am asking friends, family, and fellow book lovers to purchase items from this list in honor of my birthday. The items will be shipped directly to the library. You can find the wish list here.
It is my birthday wish that I can share my love of reading with the children in my community. I hope you will help make my wish come true.
You can visit my personal blog at talltalesfromasmalltown.blogspot.com, or my book review blog at tiffanysbookshelf.blogspot.com
I think Tiffany might have topped me on this one… I usually release a book on my birthday, figuring I’ll get the gift of royalties and you can keep the goods. But this? Takes it to an entirely new level. Wow.
You go, Tiffany!
You can read my post over at Oh, Honestly, Erin.
March 20, 2014
<a href=”http://quietfurybooks.com/bestsellerboundrecommends/guest-post-the-value-of-an-editor-by-susan-helene-gottfried/”>The awesome folk at Bestseller Bound Recommends asked me to write a guest post about why every writer needs an editor.</a> So… of course I did!
Stop in and see what I had to say. It’s not nearly as incendiary as <a href=”http://westofmars.com/saystheeditor-royalty-based/”>yesterday’s</a> post!
March 20, 2014
It’s Thursday, right? So where’s the Rock Fiction Coveting??? Susan runs a Rock Fiction Coveting every Thursday, unless Jett has time to post.
What’s going on?
Well, with West of Mars, the author services company, growing by leaps and bounds, things were getting crowded over there. It was time to give Rock Fiction its own spot in the world.
And <a href=”http://therockofpages.com”>The Rock of Pages</a> was born.
There’s not much up there yet. Yet. But have no fear, all the book reviews, the book coveting posts that are scheduled that you haven’t seen yet, the Rocktober fun… it’s all moving over to The Rock of Pages.
It’ll eventually have its own custom design, created by the same awesome team who’s giving West of Mars a new look. (This is a plug. You want Jareth and Rachel on your team. You do.) It’ll also be ad-supported, and will have the space to give every author of Rock Fiction, if they so choose, their own page devoted to their own Rock Fiction.
But for now, it’s pretty basic.
March 19, 2014
One in an occasional series
When I came out of retirement a few years ago, my mentor told me to avoid working for publishers who paid royalties. It was the equivalent of doing the work and then tossing dice when it came time to be paid. As someone who needed to support myself, working for a royalty-paying publisher wasn’t the best idea. I’d be fine if a book sold a million copies (but really, how many do that?) but … well, most don’t. And since most publishers pay freelance editors scant amounts even compared to my posted rates (which are only a third of what my mentor charges!), I was basically looking at giving a lot of work away for free.
She, of course, was right on the money. This is why she’s my mentor, after all.
One thing she didn’t mention to me — maybe it wasn’t an issue then — was a new practice that is struggling (thankfully) to take hold: independent authors who offer to pay their editors a royalty.
Maybe she was silent because from where I sit, surrounded by red pens, this is a no-brainer. There’s no way I could ever consent to do this.
Here’s why:
1. Finances. Everyone knows how rough it is out there for authors or all ilk. I have edited some outstanding books, books that deserve to be in everyone’s libraries, yet my authors struggle. I don’t know their exact numbers — I tend to ask, “How’re sales?” and get an equally vague response — but I do know that it’s the rare author these days who can break through the chatter and sell hundreds of books a month. And those who sell thousands? They are charmed.
2. I am a hired gun. That’s right: You hire me to do a job. I do my job and while I develop a relationship with my favorite clients that often has me going above and beyond the strict rules of being an editor, at the end of the day, I walk away and leave your book in your hands. YOUR book. YOUR hands. Not our. Your.
3. Your book is your baby. No one is more vested in your book than you are. This ties into the above reason, absolutely. Even if you hire me to hold your hand while you write and help brainstorm as words hit the page, it’s still YOUR book, not mine. I’m here to help make it the best ever, but when I’m done with your book, I’m moving on to the next. I’m not helping market it or trying to find reviewers. I’m editing the next book in the queue. Sometimes, a client will come back to me a few weeks or even months after I’ve worked on their book and I’ll have to reopen the file and refresh my brain. About YOUR baby.
3. Honesty. While I don’t walk into relationships with my authors expecting them to take advantage of me, if I am going to walk into a royalty-based situation, I need to be 100% sure that there won’t be any funny math happening. If a Hollywood movie can gross millions and net nothing, what’s to say this accounting won’t trickle down to an author or two? Or ten.
4. More work for me: I would have to carefully monitor every statement that comes in to make sure I’m being paid. Or better yet, I’d have to hire someone to do that because, hey, I don’t run an accounting business over here. I run an editing and author services company. Authors want me to edit for them, and they are willing to pay me to do the job. They don’t want to hear I’m unavailable a certain week of the month because I have to double-check royalty statements for books I didn’t write. (And, hey, where’s MY income for that week?)
5. Plenty of other authors want me. Why should I take work on spec when I have a stable full of writers who have no issues with my Pay Up Front policy? And believe me when I say the fear of having to face an unhappy client who wants his or her money back is in the back of my mind, spurring me on to be an ever-better editor.
I get it. Believe me, I do. Editing is expensive, and when I run my own work past a professional editor, it’s my mentor I turn to. Go back to the start of this post, where I mention her rates are triple what mine are. Think about the ramifications of that statement for a minute.
I know it’s tempting. Your success is my success. Accepting a royalty structure makes me more motivated to help you sell books. And you don’t have to shell out money up front.
But from where I sit… it’s a gamble. I have a roof to keep over our heads over here, bills to pay. I can’t risk that in the hopes that you are the next author to break out of the mainstream, even if when you do, I’ll make millions, too. Because what happens, then, when the publisher wants you to pull your book from the market, break our contract, and then reissues it themselves? What happens to my vested interest in YOUR book then?
I can’t be left out in the cold. Literally or figuratively.
No royalty-based finances here, thank you.
March 5, 2014
One in an occasional series
A lot of my authors seem to prefer to send me their manuscripts in two halves.
Maybe they do it so they don’t have to pay my fees upfront. But… using PayPal’s Bill Me Later feature is now an option when you pay us at West of Mars. Using that will let you defer payments, although there are service charges and interest that need to be considered. I get how that would be a deterrent. I do.
Maybe some of my two-parter clients have set an editing date that they then scramble to meet, so by sending half the manuscript, they are buying themselves extra time to work on the back half. In that case, I’d rather shuffle your project to a later date. I’m starting to move to a “send it now” schedule — meaning that you send it when ready and I’ll get to it in order of arrival. I’m trying to get better about billing not before I start the project ahead of yours. You shouldn’t have to pay and then wait for a month. That’s a crazy long time.
(Of course, asI move to “send it now,” authors will always be able to reserve dates. There will start to be a deposit to save, and that deposit will be waived if the date isn’t met. Reserving dates means I am not letting anyone else have that time, and if you bail, it’s not fair to them. Or me.)
Whatever the reason, I do a better job as your editor when I have one file for the whole manuscript. That’s because there has yet to be a manuscript I haven’t had to search through. Did I remember to remove the hyphen in tiptoe? Makeup? And don’t forget the -wards siblings. Toward. Backward. No S on the end, folks. That’s a common search.
One file for your manuscript means if I want to reference something earlier — a character’s eye color, a point on the timeline — it’s easier to find. The file is already open and waiting. I don’t have to search fruitlessly through one only to get frustrated when I have to break my rhythm and search for that second file.
Of course, this is always an issue when working on series. I make extensive notes when working on a series. And… I do my best to refer to them, too.
One file. One payment. Makes life so much better for your editor, and a better life means a better job done for you, as well. I’m only human. I make mistakes. I challenge you to find the person — or these horrible new computerized editors — who doesn’t make a mistake.
So even if you have to send your file in two parts, be sure to let you editor know if she can cut and paste the second part into the first. For consistency. For a better editing job.
Aren’t you worth that? Aren’t your readers?
February 14, 2014
Triberr buddy Carmen Amato asked me for my opinion on the future of bookstores. After reading what everyone else had to say, I think my ideas are simple and maybe belonging to another era in time. I don’t know.
Go take a look and tell me what you think. I know I certainly WANT this vision of the future of bookstores to come true. But with really really good parking.
January 31, 2014
Regulars around here know that Mary at BookHounds and I are both Rock Fiction lovers. We’re also friends, which isn’t much of a surprise when you think about it. We’ve got books and music to bond over, after all.
So when this Share the Love hop came about, with the idea being that the participating bloggers would give away copies of undercelebrated books, Mary decided there was only one thing to do: Feature me and Trevor.
She’s offering a print copy of Trevor’s Song and three digital copies of it, as well — but I’ll sweeten the deal. If you’ve got Trevor’s Song and want one of the other books in the Trevolution series, ask Mary if you can swap it out. You may even want to get one of the retired copies of Demo Tapes 1 or 2 — the new covers are in the works!
Go on over and enter! Last I checked, your chances were pretty good, but that was ten minutes after the post went live. Who knows how it’s doing now?
Enter before February 14.
And those of you who remember the old Win a Book blog I used to run, yes, I DO miss writing these posts!
January 22, 2014
Even before the last book arrived from PaperBackSwap with water damage, I’d been considering withdrawing from the two online book trading sites I belong to. I’m reading less these days, with the demands of a small business mixed with the demands of being a full-time single mother. Even my book club has suffered; we might be over, after 13 great years.
I’d love to continue to send books out, but even that, I’ve slowed down with. A request from BookMooch has been sitting here for over a week. I’m just not motivated anymore.
So it didn’t really surprise me when I looked up this morning and realized it was time. Time to delist my books and find some other way of getting them out of my house. I probably moved 200 books out of here and into boxes in the front hall and living room.
Now, the question becomes: what to do with them?
Option one: Take them to a library. Maybe not my library, which doesn’t struggle financially (much). There’s a library near-ish me that was closed due to a flood and is finally finding its footing once again. I could donate the books to them. Maybe some would find their way into circulation (some are in really good shape).
Option two: Let my kids sell them on eBay or the neighborhood garage sale and keep a percentage of the earnings. The rest could go either to charity or help seed my dream West of Mars Foundation.
Option three: Take the books to Half-Price Books. Let the kids trade them for credit and get something new to read (now, mind you, I’m already going to let them use up my credits at the book trading sites — over 170 books, right there!). Or take the cash and keep it for a rainy day, give it to charity, or let it seed the West of Mars Foundation.
Lots of options… What’s your suggestion?
December 5, 2013
Over two years ago, I’d added a Rock Fiction title to my wishlist over at one of the Book Trading sites I frequently use. If you look over the Rock Fiction reviews, or many of my posts about books in general, you’ll see that I am able to feed my reading addiction quite well, thanks to this site.
So I was really pleased when I got a note that one of the books I’d added two years ago was finally available. Yes, I said happily as I clicked on the button, I still want the book.
Now, on this particular site, the person requesting the book can include a list of issues they may have. Particulars. Peculiarities. I’ve seen requests that books not come from a smoking household (no problem there), or from a home with pets (sorry!).
My request reads that I won’t accept a book with any sort of water stains or damage. To please check the books and, if the person who’d like to send the book out has any doubts, to please drop me a note.
You can guess where this is going… Yesterday, I picked up a book from my Post Office box. I got it home, opened the package, cracked the front cover and … almost half the book shows signs of water damage. The entire front matter — that stuff on the pages before the book actually begins — bears a stain that goes from the top of the page to the bottom.
At first, I was going to let it slide. But as the morning progressed, I got angry. The rules of this particular trading site state that water damaged books are not welcome. I’d written a note that specifically asked the sender to double-check. In my mind, failing to do so is pretty darn disrespectful.
I can’t send this book back out, and the site works on a point basis: you spend a credit to get a book and you receive a credit when you mail something out.
So I’ve wasted a point. Which, in this day and age of e-books isn’t the big deal it had been a few years ago.
But what if I love this book and wind up coming back here and shouting from the rafters about it? I can’t even find out… books with water damage often grow mold, and mold spores simply aren’t good for one’s lungs.
So I have to let this book join my garage door opener in a burial by landfill.
What a horrible ending for a noble book.
November 28, 2013
I know. You’re deluged by the posts and Tweets and Facebook status updates that are all about Thanksgiving.
But for the first time since life officially fell apart on Thanksgiving 2009, I’m sitting here on Thanksgiving day 2013 and I’m able to see that the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t a freight train. It’s the sun, and man, it feels good.
I’ve got a flourishing business. The best editing clients ever, who push me to be a better editor as they push themselves to be better writers. But they also help me shape my vision for what West of Mars can (ought?) to be, and by seeking my help and advice, they enable me to take those scary steps that make it all happen.
I’ve got two fantastic attorneys and I’m always glad to share them with anyone in need. One turned a vague dream of one day owning a business into something real. Something with the letters LLC after its name.
My business mentor has been a boon and a balm. She pushes me when I need it and holds my hand and promises me it’ll all be okay when I freak out. So far, she’s been dead-on right. Next time you ask me what I do for a living and I reply, “I play with words. Your words, to be exact,” you can thank her.
All of this has come together for me just since August, when I poked my head out of the tunnel and found the world on the other side isn’t so scary after all. And it’s only the start. An exhilarating, whirlwind of a start.
Did you know I have a non-fiction department? Here’s one I bet you didn’t know about… the non-fiction department now has an intern, too.
And there’s more. A new While Writing service and the existing Back Cover Copy (or query letter) service, both which are available only to my current clients. More subcontractors, so that I can help my clients with all their needs. More relationships with other author service providers. And more to come.
For those of you who’ve been here for a long time and have watched the transformation, thanks for being along this crazy journey. I know you haven’t understood about 95% of it, but thanks for sticking by me as it’s evolved. Five years ago, I’d have laughed if you’d told me I’d be here now.
But as I look back, I know life is so much richer, sweeter, and rewarding than I ever could have imagined.
Never fear what lies ahead, I’ve learned. Sometimes, you’re standing in the worst. And then you wake up and realize the worst is behind you.
I may never stop fearing the worst will come back for another attempt at swallowing me whole. But I survived the last time. I’ll survive it again.
After all, if this fails, there’s always real estate.
November 22, 2013
Head over to the Animal Friends blog for the latest and greatest installment of my tales as a Foster Mom. The kitten was an adorable little girl named Nikki, and I was sorry to see her go… mostly.
November 6, 2013
Whew. It’s been six days since November 1 hit and Rocktober ended and I’m still hungover as anything. What a month! What great books!
I hope you guys found some; there sure were enough of them.
I’m busy downloading Rock Fiction that many authors and friends were kind enough to send me. So kind, I don’t know how I’m going to get it all read — let alone which order to read it all in. Right now, I’m grateful for my Nook, which will save me from lugging all the books around and deciding which to read by using that old method of throwing them down the steps and reading whichever lands near the top ’cause I’m lazy.
Lots of Rock Fiction surprises await during the upcoming year, so stay tuned. The goal is to use the Rock Fiction genre as a lynchpin for some really cool changes and opportunities. After all, no one knows Rock Fiction or champions the genre more than yours truly (although Deena at e-Book Builders? Wow.)
October 31, 2013
Even though my buddy Deena at e-Book Builders beat me to featuring Anne-Marie Klein and her awesome (but still unread over here) books, Anne-Marie gave me a doozy of a way to end Rocktober.
She’s written us a guest blog post of two of Toronto’s classic Rock and Roll landmarks.
This photo was taken by Keith Seatman and is used here with his kind permission. You can see Keith’s work at: https://testtransmissionarchive.blogspot.ca/ — at Sam the Record Man, iconic Toronto landmark, sadly no longer there.
Los Angeles had Tower Records and Toronto had Sam The Record Man: not only were these iconic record stores, but much like the long yellow banner with its bright red lettering evoked Sunset Boulevard, the twin neon records of Sam’s storefront epitomised the Yonge Street strip as the destination for music fans in the Toronto of the 1970s. The three floors had it all: rock, pop, folk, jazz, blues, reggae, punk, classical, and all sorts of smaller niche markets like children’s albums, foreign language bands, and comedy. You could get lost searching the endless rack of its multiple levels, and I often did.
The chain was started by Sam and Sidney Sniderman in 1937, and the flagship store was established on Yonge Street in 1961. While the double-discs of neon surely helped draw shoppers and make Sam’s a Toronto landmark, it was the wealth of records that kept music fans coming back. I remember my first purchase there—it was Let It Be by the Beatles, for slightly less than $4, and I know that I bought most of my 45s there too through the mid to late parts of the 1970s. I can still see the yellow and red discs of Styx’s Equinox and The Who’s Who Are You dangling on strings from the ceiling as promotional displays of the new “coloured vinyl†phase. It must have worked as a marketing ploy because I still have both copies in my collection.
The linoleum floor was often dirty and tiles curled up under your feet or cracked as you walked by, and the albums snaked up far above my 13-year-old body’s maximum reach, but I loved every corner of the place. I always stole a glance or two at the good-looking sales assistants between finger flips of the alphabetical racks: the young men always wore some kind of cool, faded concert tee-shirt and a nice fitting pair of Levi’s or Lee’s. I admit that on more than one occasion I asked questions to the ones I had a crush on in my teenager years despite already knowing the answers.
The beauty of the Yonge Street strip in the late 70s and early 80s was the proliferation of record stores within two blocks of its Dundas intersection—A&A’s, Music World, and Sunrise Records were all a few steps away from Sam’s, and jumping between them to hunt down bargains kept prices low and allowed me to rapidly expand my collection in a few short years. My favourite aventure was always heading down on Boxing Day, which coincided with my birthday and allowed me to spend gifted money from that and from Christmas and get many popular releases at door crasher prices.
The ultimate tribute I chose to give Sam’s was to let it grace the opening pages of the first book in my series, Behind Blue Eyes. It was a downtown destination for all Toronto music lovers, and so it seemed quite natural that one of my main characters would take her birthday money and spend it there. In those first few pages, she is my mirrored self, with the same Pink Floyd shirt and jeans, imitating me in every fashion except one—I never did meet my first love between those endless record racks. I did, however, just like her, walk out of Sam’s and find Eddie Money next door at A&A’s because on that day, the price was irrestible next door.
The ElMocambo Tavern:
The El Mocambo is another one of those Toronto landmarks that is partly famous for its iconic sign: much like Sam the Record Man’s double neon discs, the coconut palm of the tavern make it instantly recognizable. It hosted bands like U2, Elvis Costello, Blondie, and MeatLoaf in its heyday as a live venue for major rock acts. And there is that small matter of the infamous Rolling Stones gig there in 1977 involving some escapades with the band by Margaret Trudeau, then-wife of our Prime Minister…
I must confess that I have never stepped inside the El Mocambo. I was not old enough to see all the great bands that played there in the 70s, although I have fond memories of listening to the live Q107 presentations late on Friday or Saturday nights. It was through those shows that I developed a fondness for punk bands like the TRB (Tom Robinson Band). My connection to the tavern and nightclub is much more personal and goes back to the late 50s, when The German club rented some dance floor space. There, on a blind date in 1959, my smooth-stepping father met my mother and the rest, as they say, is history. It didn’t matter to me as a teenager that Jimi Hendrix or the Stones had played there as much as the idea that I could say to my classmates: â€Oh, yeah, my parents met at the El Mo.†Instant cool.
The El Mocambo was recently purchased with the intention of returning it to its former rock and roll glory. When the club is finally reopened, it will be time, I think, for me to finally do a pilgrimage.
Hey, lady, when it does, I am SO THERE with you!
Pick up Anne-Marie’s books!
October 30, 2013
Well, just in time for the end of Rocktober, I finished Jessica Topper’s Louder Than Love.
Have you? What are your thoughts on it? You can read mine here, but here’s a preview: A West of Mars Recommended Read. You’ll have to click through to read exactly why, though.
Edited to add from Elizabeth at HEAS are us:
Jessica Topper is giving me an exclusive interview with Adrian from Louder Than Love on my blog on 11/8! I am collecting interview questions from any and all fans who want to know more about the British rocker that stole our hearts! If you have any burning questions for Adrian, please email them to heasrus at yahoo dot com by Friday, November 1!
October 29, 2013
Ahh, it’s been a fabulous month of Rocktober goodies, has it not? Found something awesome to read this month?
And don’t forget to pick up your copies of Trevor’s Song and Demo Tapes 4 while they’re still on sale for 99c.
Already got ’em? Given them to friends? Then check out these titles, once again featured by the lovely Deena at e-Book Builders:
Rockin’ Across the Galaxy by David Kimmel. On the surface (very on the surface!), this reminds me of Rob Reid’s awesome Year Zero: science fiction, music, aliens attracted by rock and roll… But that seems to be where the similarities end. Year Zero, after all, was satire. Brilliant satire. This? Seems to take itself more seriously. I’d like to read it.
Another Rock Star by Paula Coots looks interesting. An openly gay man on the road? Well, history’s provided us with one — a man who managed to insert the gay culture into the heavy metal culture without most people knowing or even suspecting. (Anyone? Bueller?) Looking at the description of this one, I am most curious to read it, and not just because of the gay angle. Check out the excerpt on e-Book Builders.
And finally, author Sophie Monroe brings her Battlescars series to e-Book Builders. Deena is featuring the second book, but the third looks like it came out next month. I’m not sure what the overall arc of the series is; I need to investigate more. If you know, hit up the comments!
October 28, 2013
With Rocktober winding down, it’s time to catch up on some books I’ve come across in other areas.
Deena at e-Book Builders has been an amazing Rock Fiction proponent and a huge Rocktober participant this year. Let’s be sure to give her props, shall we?
Here’s what she’s blogged about this month that I have simply run out of time to tell you about:
Sanguinary, by Emma L Edwards. A reporter is asked to investigate why there are rumors of a band that’s linked to blood sucking.
She introduced us all to author Lisa Gillis and her Silver Strings series, which is about a couple trying to make it work. Currently there are two books… might there be a third?
Geoffrey West is featured with an excerpt of Rock and Roll Suicide (a title that sounds like it belongs to RJ McDonnell!
And then there’s the highly regarded Jill Edmondson. She stopped in at e-Book Builders with an excerpt of her third entry in the Sasha Jackson mystery series.
Confessions from Romaholics had the cover reveal for Eden Summers’ Passionate Addiction. This won’t be released until after Rocktober ends… maybe next year, Eden will release a Rock Fiction novel during Rocktober. I’d be glad to host the hoopla for that bit of fun.
