By now, you ought to know what a Jennifer Estep fangirl I am. I just finished her newest book, Spider’s Bite, and so… I had to ask.

You guys know the drill, right? I ask ONE question to an author about her (there haven’t been any men yet!) new release. That question is a simple one: What song makes you think of your book?

Jennifer picked Human, by the Pretenders. (Jennifer and I share a taste in music!)

Here’s why:

The song “Human” by The Pretenders makes me think of my main character, Gin Blanco. On the outside, Gin is a tough-as-nails assassin and ready to battle any bad guy who comes her way. But on the inside, she has a lot of inner demons, including her guilt over not being able to save her murdered mentor/foster father as well as all the bad things that happened to her the night that her mother and older sister were killed by a Fire elemental. The line from the song “I’m only human on the inside” just really sums up Gin’s character.

Here’s a link to the song at YouTube. Let me know what you think. And pick up Spider’s Bite! It’s available now. In fact, here’s a buy link, to Powell’s.com (Yes, I’ll earn a commission. No, I won’t spend it on myself. When I have enough moolah, I’ll give a book away to one of YOU.)

I swear, today’s Booking Through Thursday is a retread. I’m even going to begin my answer the same way I did the last time.

But first, the question:

Who’s your favorite author that other people are NOT reading? The one you want to evangelize for, the one you would run popularity campaigns for? The author that, so far as you’re concerned, everyone should be reading–but that nobody seems to have heard of. You know, not JK Rowling, not Jane Austen, not Hemingway–everybody’s heard of them. The author that you think should be that famous and can’t understand why they’re not…

Answer: ME! (especially since until the end of the month, I’m donating at least 50% of my royalties to the Red Cross, in response to the earthquake in Haiti. What a good time to buy my books.)

Want a less ego-centric answer? Jennifer Estep. Anya Bast. Ann Aguirre (although she’s well on her way). Carrie Lofty. India Edghill. Marcia Muller (she’s been around forever but has never really broken out. What a shame. She writes great stuff.). Cody McFadyen. KL Going. Don Bruns. Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Sheesh. Dig around the index here. Go under “Books” or “Susan’s Book Talk.” Find the books I’ve talked about. Ninety percent of them are written by non-best-selling authors. That’s because I prefer the hidden gems, the non-best-sellers-that-shouldn’t-be-non-best-sellers. I’ve started trends before. No reason I can’t do it by championing some of my favorite books.

**UPDATED: Until January 31 (and maybe beyond), royalties earned from book sales will be donated to the Red Cross, to help the people of Haiti.**

Because I feel like it, I’ve dropped the price on both Demo Tapes anthologies over at Smashwords. I’m also offering 10% off the print version of both books at Lulu.com.

AND if that’s not enough, I’m offering a two-fer if you buy through the Kindle store.

Check the Contest page for more details.

So, awhile back, I listed my Best Women-Penned of 2009. This week’s Booking Through Thursday asked what our best books of 2009 were, and since I wasn’t able to make the vague ideas for this week’s Thursday Thirteen gel, here’s a list of 13 of the best books I read in 2009.

**Note. Some links will take you to reviews, others to buy links via Powells.com. Any books you buy with my Powell’s affiliate will earn me money … which will go to buying books to share with you guys. I’m not keeping any profits I make through the Powell’s affiliate, only from the royalties I earn on The Demo Tapes (buy link for THAT below).

1. I started off the year with my first Greg Iles book, 24 Hours. I need to find more of Mr. Isles’ books. This was a great thriller.

2. Then I stepped back in time — with my very next read! — and discovered Michael Simon. I started with his first book, Dirty Sally. Loved the noir going on. My book club? Not so much. I’ll keep reading the series without them.

3. I read a bunch of rock and roll fiction. Rock Bottom by Michael Shilling, The Rock Star’s Homecoming by Linda Gould, Bahama Burnout by Don Bruns, Dark Side of the Morgue by Raymond Benson. Some were great, some weren’t. Later in the year, I got to A&R by Bill Flanagan and Do The Devil’s Work by Rick Florino, as well as Erica Kennedy’s Bling and Cecil Castellucci’s Beige and Dylan Schaffer’s Misdemeanor Man. (Reviews of these last three will appear at Rocks ‘n Reads sooner or later.)

4. Sometimes, I feel like I was one of the last people to be introduced to Lloyd Jones. His Mr. Pip is still making the rounds of my book club, and it’s a book I repeatedly refer to.

5. I really like fantasy and George RR Martin is truly one of the masters of the genre. I read A Clash of Kings this year — it took forever, as it was the book on my nightstand — and found that even though the cast is huge and I’d read the first book in the series years ago, I was brought up to speed seamlessly.

6. I got around to reading a lot of popular books: Audrey Niffeneger’s The Time-Traveler’s Wife, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, Ann Brashare’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. One I loved, three I liked, one didn’t impress.

7. I’ve spent LOTS of time raving about Hank Phillippi Ryan. Why haven’t you joined me yet?

8. Another rock book and another rave: Tommyland, written by the majorly colorful (on many levels) Tommy Lee. I think you guys know I dig these books written by rockers. (See my raves about Tommy’s bandmate Nikki Sixx and his Heroin Diaries.)

9. The brilliantly written Shadow Man introduced me to Cody McFadyen. I’ve heard a lot about McFadyen from a number of you guys. I finally picked this book up and … wow. Okay, I had a FEW quibbles, but overall, this is a great debut. I can’t wait to read the second in the series; it’s sitting here, waiting for me.

10. Although I already raved about it in the women-penned list I linked to above, Song of the Seals by Christy Yorke deserves a second mention. The atmosphere alone made this an incredible read and as we’re passing it around my book club, we’re all talking about how it steered away from cliche.

11. After hearing one of my son’s classmates’ moms tell me she didn’t like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (written by Jeff Kinney), I picked up the first and read it. I like the mom, but it was a reminder of why I don’t fit in with many (most?) of the moms in this area. I can’t even pretend to share her concerns.

12. Series: Gini Hartzmark, Charlaine Harris (Sookie), Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum), Steven Brust, Kathy Reichs, Colleen Gleason (another West of Mars favorite), Rachel Caine, MaryJanice Davidson, Marcia Muller, Linda Fairstein, Alexander McCall Smith.

13. And, of course, there are my own books. If you haven’t joined the Trevolution yet, why not? Drop me a line; I can hook you up with autographed copies.

I know. I don’t often do Mailbox Monday posts. Or an In My Mailbox post. That’s because I’ve significantly slowed down what arrives in my mailbox. I’m trying to move things OUT, not in.

However, just this morning, my trusty PO Box was stuffed to the gills. Okay, maybe one or two more could have been squished in, but four’s a pretty darn good haul!

I got…

Never Mind the Pollacks, written by Neal Pollack. It’s a Rock and Roll Novel, and will be reviewed shortly at Rocks ‘n Reads. ‘Cause, you know, I write rock and roll fiction. I gotta know the genre inside and out. This was a PaperbackSwap.com find.

Another PaperbackSwap.com find was Steven Brust’s Taltos, the next adventure for my bud Vladimir. I totally love this series. I don’t get why more people aren’t reading it. Maybe it’s Vlad’s voice. Dry, acerbic — and yet smart. That doesn’t mean Vlad doesn’t do dumb things, though — and that’s the fun of this series.

A RABCK (that’s a Random Act of BookCrossing Kindness) also showed up. Bangkok Tattoo, written by John Burdett, has been on my wishlist since July of 2005. Only 1930 books left on my wishlist to find…

I saved the best for last. It’s autographed. It’s a great story.

You see, I was keeping an eye on my Twitter stream one day before Christmas and my bud, author TJ Bennett was tweeting about buying Christmas presents. So… I pulled a Trevor. “Oh, but why are you stressing?” I asked (or something to this effect). “All you need to get ME for Christmas is your latest book.”

So guess what showed up today? TJ Bennett‘s The Promise.

Damn. Trevor’s good.

***
Disclaimer shit: the buy links take you to Powells.com. If you should be motivated to use them, I’ll save up my take of the sale and use it to buy something I’ll turn around and give to you. If you’d like to help me financially, you’re better off to buy my books. Links are up on the left-hand side here, so click on through and get busy!

It’s release day for my new friend Christie Craig. Her Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived comes out today, so I asked her the now-familiar question: What song makes you think of your book?

Here’s what she had to say:

Well, at first I almost chose: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

My stories are whimsical/quirky, fast paced, have lots of animals, are about down-home folks, and hopefully make a lot of people smile. Ahh, but then they’re also kind of sexy. And while I’ve often said that my books are hotter than a goat’s butt in pepper patch, let’s face it. A bunch of animals on a farm, or even a pepper patch, are not reflective of my sensual or suspenseful tone. So I had to go back to the drawing board. But I didn’t come away empty handed. I found: Hero, by Enrique Iglesias.

Okay, I know you’ve probably gotten this one before, but I’m a sucker for lyrics. And these words are so perfect for my book. In many ways this song resonates with the whole Divorced & Desperate series, because all my heroines in these three books are afraid to let another man in their life. They are all in desperate situations and all the heroes are determined to win their love, but first they have to keep them alive.

I can be your hero, baby
I can kiss away your pain
I will stand by you forever
You take my breath away

Stan, AKA, Luke, sees Kathy’s pain. He’s been trying to win her over for almost three years. More than anything, he wants to be her hero. She symbolizes everything he longs for in his life. Someone tender, who wants the simple things, someone who could accept him, flaws and all. But she can’t trust in love. While she’s turned him down more than any man should allow, and he should just give up, he can’t turn his back on her—especially when she accidentally gets caught up his past life, one that could get them both killed.

The lyrics continues to read:

Would you tremble,
If I touched your lips?
Would you laugh?
Oh please, tell me this.
Now would you die,
For the one you love?
Hold me in your arms tonight.

My books are sexy, my books have a heck of a lot of laughter and they are suspenseful. This song with its beautiful lyrics brings all that into the listener’s mind. Luke and Kathy are on the run, they find themselves laughing their way through stressful situations. Kathy has to defend herself with toilet tank lid, and then they find a dead guy in the Porta-potty. So yup, you’ll laugh, but you’ll never forget that danger is right around the corner. Forced to trust Luke with her life, Kathy learns to trust him with her heart. Falling in love has never been so risky, or so much fun.

Thanks so much asking me to participate, Susan. Here’s hoping my quirky stories offer a few smiles and sighs to your readers.

Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived. Pick it up, if only to find out about the dude in the Porta Potty!

Can’t get to a bookstore?? Well, Christie’s got a copy to share with you guys (US only, though, ’cause she’s paying for the mailing herself). Just leave a comment telling me WHY you want to read this and your e-mail. I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 30th.

No fancy hoops, like over at Rocks ‘n Reads. Just a comment will do!

When challenged by the anonymous (but oh, so smart) editor Moonrat to come up with my list of 2009 Best Books by Women, I realized quickly I had a small problem.

That problem is how few books published in 2009 that I’ve read. Period. Doesn’t matter the gender of the writer; I don’t read nearly as many current releases as I’d like to.

That’s partly because I have books that have been on the TBR Mountain Range since (this is embarrassing) September of 2005. I’m trying to read those first. Many of them were published well before 2005, even. In today’s publishing climate, these are dinosaurs — without the scientific value and the cool factor. Maybe these are corpses best left buried. I don’t know.

Regardless, this list will feature the women authors whose books I’ve read so far this year. Sad to say, the list wasn’t as robust as I’d expected, mostly because this was a big year of multiples for me. I caught up on Charlaine Harris‘ Sookie books, for example. (And I have to say that I found Dead & Gone to be disappointing, so don’t be surprised when it’s not on the list). I read all three of Hank Phillippi Ryan‘s books. Two by Lisa Marie Wilkinson. Two by Kathy Reichs (beware; her website has auto-noise!).

Here’s the list of books by women authors I’d suggest you read.

1. ShapeShifter: The Demo Tapes: Year 2. No author name needed; you ought to know this is my book. Of *course* I’m going to include it in my list! (And a resounding Fuck You from Trevor if you don’t like seeing it here.) And if you’re holding back ’cause you haven’t read Year 1 first, get over that. They stand alone.

2. Song of the Seals — Christy Yorke. I loved this tale of a small fishing town. Loved the thick, foggy atmosphere. Loved the way these characters interacted. And I loved the ending.

3. Hank Phillippi Ryan — Okay, so Hank’s not a book. That’s good thing. But her books were reissued this year by Mira, and I didn’t want to hog three spots on this list for them. Not that they don’t deserve to be listed separately. They do. To be brief, I am loving this series about investigative news reporter Charlotte McNally. I can’t wait for the fourth, Drive Time, to come out. Call me fangirl.

4. Possibly hogging two more spots is author Lisa Marie Wilkinson. DEBUT author Lisa Marie Wilkinson, for a few more months yet. I loved her Fire at Midnight because whenever it could have veered off into cliche, it went in another direction entirely. I’ve read her second book, Stolen Promise, and it’s darker, but there are similar themes — and even more non-cliche fun. I hope it’s huge for her; she deserves it to be.

5. I already did a whole blog about how much I loved Laura Fitzgerald‘s Veil of Roses. Go read it and save me the need to repeat myself.

6. Colleen Gleason — The Bleeding Dusk. I’m behind in the brilliant Gardella series, I know (in fact, Colleen’s ended it). I don’t just love this because Colleen gives me a thanks in the credits. (Yep, another author I’m a fangirl of.) I love it because she doesn’t let her characters off easily. She makes them do reprehensible things. She makes them face the dark side of life — and the dark side often has nothing to do with vampires so much as it does choices of right and wrong. I adore this world Colleen’s created. I may cry when I read the final book.

7. Sara Gruen — Water for Elephants. Yeah, I know. I’m the last person on the planet to have read this book. I’m an idiot, too, because I simply adored it. What struck me most was the plotting, although the characters were stong and the setting and world-building vibrant.

8. Lorelei James — Long Hard Ride. After knowing Lorelei for years online, I finally was in a spot where I could justify buying one of her books. Good choice on my end; I often get tired of the erotic romance that turns out to be sex, sex, and more sex. Oh, and total dominance by the man. Yawn. Lorelei gives us real, fleshed-out characters with worries and desires and ambitions. And really good sex.

9. Donna Lea Simpson — Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark. Okay, this book was totally NOT what I was expecting, which was a humorous romance. What I got was a mystery with a romance. And a cliffhanger ending! Beyond that, while I didn’t love this book the way I loved some of the others on this list, I’ve found myself thinking about it, months after I finished reading it. I’ll be picking up the next in the series, most definitely.

10. Geraldine Brooks — People of the Book. Yet another one that people raved about, only this time, I didn’t reject it out of hand. Instead, I brought it to my book club, only to discover they were as excited about reading it as I was. This wasn’t nearly as good as Year of Wonders, but Year of Wonders might be among the best books I’ve ever read. Members of my book club felt that in parts, it tended toward cliche and okay, maybe it did. But it was a fun imagining, nonetheless, and given the subject matter — a Haggadah, the book we Jews use at our Passover seders — it’s a book I’ll think of for a long time to come.

**
And now for the stupid disclaimer shit: I bought very few of these. Traded for a bunch online. Was sent more from the authors. No one expected me to do anything but read ’em. The raving’s, as always, my own creation.

If you use any of those links to Powells.com, I’ll get a few pennies. Once those pennies add up (by the time I’m 120, it *might* happen), I’ll buy you guys, my readers, something you want.

If you buy the Demo Tapes, I get a royalty. But I bet you figured that part on your own. If not, don’t tell me. I hate being scared so early in the morning.

Yep, more books about music are crossing my radar. Two this time.

First is from Bravewords.com. All Pens Blazing is described this way:

Neil Daniels has interviewed a staggering 65 of the world’s most successful writers of heavy metal and hard rock. Many of these writers are successful biographers, editors and long-standing freelancers who have interviewed some of the genre’s leading artists from KISS to METALLICA and BLACK SABBATH to SLAYER. They’ve travelled the world over, lived in tour buses, got drunk with their idols, attended some of the greatest gigs in history and are still alive to tell the tale. It’s all here; the wild stories, the anecdotes…and the advice!

Second is one from GalleyCat, the industry buzz machine. It’s called Precious Metal:

To celebrate the release of Decibel magazine’s DaCapo anthology, “Precious Metal,” the LA Times has collected some heavy metal memories from rock journalists around the country–an oral history of this strange genre of American rock.

The collection includes the stories behind such classic metal albums as Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell” and Slayer’s “Reign in Blood.” In the article, rock reporters reminisce about heavy metal dinners, drug abuse, and satanism.

Books make great gifts, you know. And since *I* already own multiple copies of The Demo Tapes (Years 1 AND 2), getting them for me for the upcoming December holidays isn’t so smart. Getting them for you, on the other hand, is a brilliant idea. Even better, get copies for ALL members of your family!

But a review copy of these books I’m coveting? Talk about making Hanukkah the holiday of hope! After all, there’s a new change a-brewing here at West of Mars. Stay tuned for it; you’ll dig it. Of course.

And, hey! My friend Carol at Carol’s Notebook had some thoughts about the Demo Tapes: Year 1. Why not stop in and check them out??

And so back to Booking Through Thursday I come. That’s because I have to weigh in on today’s question. Ready?

“What words/phrases in a blurb make a book irresistible? What words/phrases will make you put the book back down immediately?”

There’s no pretty way to say this, so …

I ignore blurbs.

Well, until I loathe what I’m reading and look at the blurbs and think, “What sort of crack is this famous author smoking?”

Or “No wonder I don’t like this. I don’t like YOUR books, either.”

Or “I’ll remember this when I’m tempted to read YOUR book.”

… you get the idea.

And now that I know how important blurbs are said to be, and how some agents/editors want a list of suggested friends and/or contacts who can be approached for blurbs even before a book is contracted… it seems like a racket. In some ways, it’s false advertising at its best — like when I realized that critique partners had blurbed each other’s books.

Blurbs are nothing more than ads that clutter up the front cover of a perfectly good book. And as such, I ignore them. I choose books for a variety of reasons, but “Because so-and-so had a quote on the front cover” isn’t one of them.

(however, for my book blogging friends whose blurbs magically appear, without their notice on a book, that’s a different story. Those weren’t solicited statements. No one said, “Hey, how about a cover blurb?” And thus, they seem more genuine to me.)

As I ramp up to bring you even more bloggish bookishness, it dawns on me that I talk a lot about books, but my characters? Are books important in my fictional world?

Let’s take a look and see.

1. Trevor famously said: “I tried to read the set list once.”

2. The truth is that he might read something short. If it would hold his interest. (Believe it or not, but erotica would NOT. Why read about something you should be doing?)

3. Mitchell loves his guitar magazines.

4. He’ll also collect coffee table books about guitars, musicians he likes, or almost anything having to do with music.

5. He also reads Sports Illustrated and mountain bike magazines.

6. Daniel’s the reader in the band. Particularly current event non-fiction. Or history. (I have an outtake saved up about this last one)

7. Eric will read. He likes science fiction and military novels. Spy. Espionage. What’s often called MAN fiction.

8. Kerri likes art books. (You’ll actually see this book again. Stay tuned.)

9. Kerri will read women’s fiction, but her real love is stuff like Christopher Moore or Brian Wiprud. Comedy. Satire.

10. Sometimes, the band will pass those books around. You gotta fill those empty hours on the bus or at the venue somehow.

11. Val loves a good romance, or any tear-jerker.

12. Chelle LaFleur doesn’t have much of a life beyond her local music scene and the Trumpet newspaper she writes for. She’s well known at her local library branch.

13. The Deadly Metal Hatchet guys? They’re another Thirteen all their own…

Last night, I finished The Real Minerva, written by Mary Sharratt. It had been on my wishlist for awhile, and then it sat here for an embarrassing long period of time after someone at BookCrossing sent it to me.

It was okay. In a way, it was similar to Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, in that you had a young teenager who runs away, meets a woman who upsets the order of society and is branded an outcast, and learns important things but comes out okay in the end.

Of course, the similarities end there.

This was an interesting book. I think I could have lived without delving into the point of view of a truly despicable character, although I see why Ms. Sharratt wrote it that way. It’s not the choice I would have made.

I’m glad I read it. Yeah, I’d recommend it, but not over some other books I’ve read.

Next up for me: Hank Phillippi Ryan’s Air Time. I’m overdue to start this, in fact — but that’s nothing new.

Your turn. Talk to me about what you’re reading.

Bunnygirl‘s reading The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon.

Alice Audrey just finished the first three books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, JR Ward’s series. But she doesn’t say what’s next…

Patricia is reading The Ghosts of Belfast, written by Stuart Neville.

Robin is gloriously reading nothing!

Well, so far it hasn’t been a great reading year for me. Between Win a Book, my own books, this place, and life in general, reading has taken a back seat. Bummer.

1. In 2005, I read 147 books. I did not finish 54 of them.

2. In 2006, I read exactly the same number of books. Holy smoke. I did not finish 48 of them.

3. No wonder my TBR mountain range numbers hover around the 550 mark (counting what’s on my nightstand and held aside for my book club to read). I brought a LOT of books into my house during those two years. I’m still trying to read most of them, too.

4. In 2007, I snapped out of my writing funk and sprang into motion. That was the year the agent offered representation on Trevor’s Song — and vanished. I read 97 books — and considered myself a slacker.

5. In 2008, with the first Demo Tapes book published in November, I read 87 books by others. A full 21 of them did not get finished.

6. Yes, it’s true. If a book doesn’t grab me, I don’t force myself to finish it. I had a writing professor in college who encouraged me to follow this practice. Reg was awesome. I listened to more than those words of wisdom.

7. This year, 2009, I have two books in print. Two books to promote. I’m getting ready to start Demo Tapes 3, and I’ve promised myself that when I finish writing the first draft of the follow-up to Trevor’s Song, I’ll make you guys happy. Plus I’m working on another manuscript, too.

8. So far in 2009, I’ve read 68 books, 18 of which I haven’t finished.

9. I see a trend here. Do you?

10. However, I continue to lust for books written by others. My wish list (which doesn’t include most of the list I kept in graduate school and for the first few years right after) has over 1900 books on it.

11. 1,921, to be precise.

12. Nope, I don’t expect to read them all. I figure at this point, it’s serendipity. The books I’m meant to read will find me.

13. I hope my books find you.

I’ve got a confession to make. While reading my book club’s latest selection, Laura Fitzgerald’s Veil of Roses, I got SO crazy with what was going on that …

I skipped to the end of the book to see what happened.

Yep. I peeked. I cheated. I couldn’t take being left to dangle in the story. I couldn’t trust the author to take me — and her characters — in the direction I really wanted them to go.

I haven’t done this in years.

Oh, sometimes I’ll look at the last sentence, or the last page — usually if I’m bored for some reason. Sometimes, I’ll keep referring to that last page to get the final number of pages in the book, and sometimes, I’ll catch a sentence here or there. I try to avoid anything that’ll give the ending away.

Not this time. I HAD to know. So… I peeked. Knowing the outcome took the edge away; you know that edge, the one where you can’t stand not knowing if the Happily Ever After is going to come or not. The one that actually hurts and keeps you from reading. Instead, you skim and, in this case, miss out on some incredibly poignant writing. I couldn’t let myself do that. I had to absorb all of this book.

I’ve spent a lot of time the past few days trying to figure out why I had to do this. Why the temptation to look was so absolutely overriding. And this is what I came up with:

Fitzgerald’s protagonist, Tami, comes from Iran. She’s been repressed and she knows it. Coming to America is her chance to escape all that, to reconnect with the fuzzy memories of the time her family spent here when she was young. She comes seeking the answers of who her mother had been back then, a woman who wore a pink bikini. The mother Tami knows… she can’t wear things like pink bikinis. And if she could, Tami’s not sure she would. Who is this mother in the picture? Tami needs to know.

Tami feels the pain of her repression. She says things like “Freedom means not even being aware you’re free” (p. 62). and “Feeling the sun on one’s body should be a basic human right afforded to all” (p. 185).

Such sweet sentences. Poignant. Piercing. Holding a weight of truth beyond much of anything I’ve read of late.

This is a woman who is fully aware of the horrors of the life she lives. When she doesn’t understand a free sample at Starbucks and coincidentally a pair of cops show up to feed their addiction, she panics, convinced she’s going to be arrested. Time and again, she compares the ease of life in America with the repression in Iran.

Her scars from this lifestyle, if one can call it that, are palpable. And Tami is so very likeable, we want to see her rise above this repression she came from. We need her to. This isn’t merely a story of a woman coming to America to find a husband. (In fact, when the idea of mail-order brides is raised, it’s quickly dropped.)

No, this is a story of good versus evil. Of the freedoms of democracy versus the evil oppressors of the world.

No wonder I had to peek.

(Stupid FTC shit since I suppose this is a review: I got this book through Paperbackswap.com so my book club can read it. I had no intentions of doing anything other than discussing it with those great ladies and adding it to the list of books we’ve read on the HBC page here. But the book demanded some exposure here on the Meet and Greet, and I’m all too glad to provide it. Oh, yeah. The buy links here and elsewhere on West of Mars? They all go to Powells.com so I can hopefully make a few bucks and buy books to give away. To you guys. My readers, not the FTC, who ought to read this book.)

(Another side note: I usually agree with Publisher’s Weekly reviews. That’s why I read them. However, I don’t agree that this book has a disposable plot — because for me, the plot becomes secondary to what’s really going on. I’m disappointed the reviewer couldn’t see that.)

Maybe you’ve caught my Twitters about it. Or seen me talk about it on Facebook.

This is one of the top reasons I’m glad I’m not bound to the rules of a publisher. Yeah, okay, so I’m giving my books away. But you know what? They’re going to people who badly need the diversion that reading gives them. And it doesn’t cost me a dime.

For someone who started building her audience by giving her fiction away for free right here at the Meet and Greet, it’s fitting, isn’t it?

I’m talking about Operation e-Book Drive, of course, Ed Patterson’s baby that’s providing free e-books to deployed troops.

I can’t give Ed ALL the credit, although huge amounts are due to him. Smashwords founder Mark Coker grabbed onto the program and opened it up to all of us who have books available via the Smashwords service. (And can I rave a minute about Smashwords? Wow. Not only do I get a great royalty rate from anything purchased there, they’ve made good on a number of their promises, including listings with Barnes and Noble and the Sony store.)

And today comes word of something new: A private company that’s trying to buy Kindles to give to the Troops. And yep, they’ll be loaded with Operation e-Book Drop books. Hopefully The Demo Tapes (both of them) will be included.

I don’t know how many authors have signed on to participate in Operation e-Book Drop by now. Last I heard, there were forty of us. It doesn’t really matter; every single one of us is doing something precious. Nor does it matter that I’m not getting actual money for this.

Like I said, you guys all fell in love with Trevor and Mitchell and the gang by coming by and reading. No money involved. It’s because of you guys that The Demo Tapes even exist.

This has never been about money for me (for which I’m thankful for), although it’d be nice to be enough in the black to give the extras to charity. This has always been about sharing my world with others. If I had to become a bottom-feeding self-publisher to do it, so be it. (and yes, I’ve been told I’m a bottom-feeder. And a fool. Idiot. Stupid. And all sorts of other things. Why can’t people understand I LIKE the choices I’ve made???)

But being a bottom-feeding self-publisher has allowed me to give my books to the men and women serving our country. It’s a small way to say thanks for doing a job I frankly don’t have the guts for.

If you know someone whose troop has been deployed, why not get them in touch with Ed? If you’ve got the ability to lean on your publisher, or to open a Smashwords account yourself to get your books to our troops, please do.

This isn’t about whether or not you agree with where these people are deployed, or your thoughts on the jobs they’re sent to do. I know you regulars around here won’t turn this post into a discussion of that.

This is about BOOKS. It’s about giving back.

And yeah, it’s about hearing “Another serviceman was killed in the line of duty” and hoping it’s not someone who you met, even if only long enough to offer a coupon code to.

Maybe it IS about more than books.

It doesn’t change things, though. I’m grateful to be in a position where I can make the decision to participate in Operation e-Book Drop. To spread the Trevolution around and let it expand and grow…

Now, pardon me for a bit. I hear rumbles from you guys about how The Demo Tapes have been nothing more than a tease and you want the whole thing.

Greedy groupies.

I’m on it for ya.

(and don’t forget: Demo Tapes on sale 10% off this month!)

Need Demo Tapes: Year 1? Loving the Trevolution so much that you need Year 2?

I can help. Oh, can I help!

During the month of October, if you buy either (or both) of the Demo Tapes Twins, as I’ve taken to calling them (they’re fraternal, obviously!), use this nice little coupon and get 10% off your purchase.

Here’s the code: FALLREAD

Here’s the link. And remember, books make great Christmas presents!

(Need a different digital format? Check out my Smashwords store. Since you asked nicely, I made you a 10% off coupon. And yes, you Kindle users can get your copy at Smashwords, too! Ready? Year 1’s code: VY94U and Year 2’s code: FL86N)

ETA: You guys seem to want autographed copies. I’m not arguing, so the 10% discount will apply to copies you buy directly from me. ‘Cause I love my groupies!

Happy Jewish New Year to all of us, even if you’re not Jewish. (You just might follow a religion based on Judaism, and that means that new year wishes ought to extend to you, at least in my book.)

I have a TON (almost literally) of books to gush about. I’ve been reading up a storm over here, and I need to do more than read. I need to talk about them and share the word.

I’m picking April Halprin Wayland’s New Year at the Pier to talk about first because it’s a book about a special tradition — one so special that I never knew about it until the Tour Manager spirited me out of the city and up here, to West of Mars.

I fell in love with the special Tashlich service from the get-go. During Tashlich, Jews symbolically cast their sins into a body of water. It’s usually done with bread, but our congregation usually uses corn. The Canada Geese love us.

Think about it. To take something physical and toss it into the water, to be (in theory) swept away, out to sea. And you’re left with this empty room that you’re presumably trying to fill with goodness…

I love it.

April’s book, New Year at the Pier, takes it a step further. Yes, this is a children’s book! It’s a picture book! And darn it, it’s a moving story of a little boy, Izzy, who feels the need to apologize to the people around him for the wrongs he’s committed throughout the year.

This is really what the holiday is about. If you’re not Jewish, maybe all you know of the Jewish High Holy Days is that Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur is some holy day when people fast. As a Jew, for a long time, that was about all I got out of the holidays. I’ll admit it.

However, I’ve since learned that it’s more than that. There’s a spirit that’s supposed to imbue us during these 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It’s about introspection, it’s about apologizing for what we’ve done wrong and forgiving others for hurting us.

Man, that last sentence… apologizing and forgiving. It’s hard work. In April’s book, Izzy manages to.

I only wish I could.

The problem with being a writer is that there is NOT enough time to sit and read. I’ve talked until I’m blue in the face about how many books are here, waiting to be read — a number that never seems to shrink, either.

So what am I doing? Adding to my wishlist yet again. Now, mind you, I’ve got over 1800 books on my wishlist. I know I’ll never get my hands on them all, let alone read them all, even if live to the ripe old age of eight hundred. When I add things to my wishlist, it’s a crapshoot, a roll of the dice. Will I get this book I want to read, or not?

I’ve come across another one — thanks to the very neat Joanne Rendell — that I absolutely must read at some point in my lifetime (the sooner the better!): This Little Mommy Stayed Home, written by Samantha Wilde.

Here’s the blurb:

Joy McGuire has gone from being skinny and able to speak in complete sentences to someone who hasn’t changed her sweatpants in weeks. But now with a new baby to care for, she feels like a woman on the brink and as she scrambles to recapture the person she used to be she takes another look at the woman she is: a stay-at-home mom in love with her son, if a bit addled about everything else.

C’mon, all you moms out there! You TOTALLY get this. This was you. Admit it. And while I was able to shower AND change my sweats, this blurb really describes me back then.

One of these days, I’ll get my hands on a copy and see just how closely it parallels my life. I’ll even review it if I can get a copy sooner rather than later.

Just right now… excuse me while I go hug my kids. Now school-aged, I’m darn glad they’re not babies anymore. I don’t miss those addled days of parenting an infant.

And if you’re looking for the usual fiction, stay tuned. I’m all tied up in another piece that might make some rounds as a short story. Or not. We’ll see. In the meantime, don’t forget … Demo Tapes: Year 2 on September 12! Preorder through me ONLY.

This week’s Booking Through Thursday question asks what our recent best read was. They were a bit more eloquent in the wording, however.

I was thinking last night, before I saw this question, that it’s been awhile since I mentioned some really good reads. Let me fix that now:

I think Bound by Honor, Colette Gale’s latest, is her best yet. The emotions run deeper here; more’s at stake. And from my limited knowledge and innocence, I’d say this sort of scenario isn’t that out of the question.

The Pleasure of My Company proved that Steve Martin isn’t a fluke as a writer. He has a knack for picking up really odd characters — the exact kind I can’t stand — but infusing them with a warmth and emotion that can’t be denied. I wound up loving Daniel. There’s nothing pathetic about this guy, as it seems at first glance.

I’ve raved about Hank Philippi Ryan’s Prime Time before. I’m gonna do it again. As others have said, it’s totally refreshing to see a character in her mid forties be so … normal and contemporary. It gives me hope I won’t have to turn into a fuddy-duddy as I age.

That’s it for now. I haven’t been reading as much of late — there are books of my own to promote, and books of my own to write. And the past few weeks, I’ve been giving up on more than I have thus far this year. Maybe because I’m trying to read more. Maybe I’m just on a streak.

Either way, it’s making Mt. TBR shrink, and that’s a good thing. It’s a bit daunting, my TBR mountains.

Yes, boys and girls, you can’t get enough of Trevor, Mitchell, and the rest of the gang. By popular demand…

1. On September 12, you’ll be able to buy The Demo Tapes: Year 2.

2. I’ll be debuting it at the Bridgewater Book Fest outside of Pittsburgh. That’ll be your first chance to hold it in your hands.

3. You can preorder it now from me. I take PayPal. It’s $13.98 (shipping included) if you’re in the States. I’ll mail out your preordered copies on September 14.

4. Need Years 1 and 2 for some reason? Until September 12, you can get them for $23.96 — a $2 savings on the books themselves.

5. Autographs are up to you. If you want ’em, I’ll give ’em.

6. Electronic versions are in the works. You can get Demo Tapes 1 at the Kindle store now, however.

7. If you’re outside the US, contact me for shipping charges.

8. Now that we’ve gotten THAT out of the way… what ARE the Demo Tapes and why do you need them???

9. If you’ve met the fictional band ShapeShifter here on the Meet and Greet, you know how much fun they can be. And how frustrating it can be to read their adventures out of order.

10. The Demo Tapes collections take one year’s worth of fiction that I posted here at the blog and puts it onto a timeline. This lets you follow the band’s growth.

11. You also get to revisit some old favorites, like the story of how Mitchell got his pierced ear. Part of that story made up a Thirteen, if you recall.

12. There’s even a bonus piece, that never appeared on the Meet and Greet. Pretty cool…

13. So c’mon. Join the Trevolution. Pick up either version of the Demo Tapes and have some fun for yourself.

When I first heard of Do the Devil’s Work For Him: How to Make it in the Music Industry (and stay in it!), I knew I had to get my hands on this book. After all, I’d been in the music industry. I was set to make it my life. It was that staying in it part that turned out to be impossible. It wasn’t that I wasn’t good. It was that I had another calling.

I think you guys know what that calling is.

Anyway, Devil’s Work co-author Rick Florino got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to hook up and talk about the book. How could I refuse?

Q: Let’s switch to the book. Why did you and Amy decide it was necessary?

I wanted to create a collective of different perspectives that provided kids with insight on how to get their foot in the door of the entertainment industry at large. Most books about this subject have simply one perspective. Our book has over 20. There are my and Amy’s perspectives. Then all my friends…Chino Moreno of Deftones/Team Sleep, Munky of KoRn, Matt Sorum of Velvet Revolver, Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down/Achozen, Dez Fafara of Devildriver, Troy Sanders of Mastodon and then industry folk that have really inspired me—such as Mitch Schneider of MSO PR and many many more. This book gives kids numerous perspectives on how to break in. There isn’t one right way or correct answer. It’s not simply black and white. I wanted to prove that with the book. So we got all of these amazing people to contribute and it’s now an entire tome of knowledge-not just mine and Amy’s either! Plus, I wanted to write something that was fun, fresh and easy. It catalogs my experience in the business, and there’s an element of fun for me in that. I’ve had an awesome ride and I’ve learned so much. I wanted to share that with readers. I want to show kids if they have passion and they believe in something—anything whether it’s music, movies, fashion, basket weaving, wine making ,cooking, sports, whatever—that they can be a part of it no matter how far away it seems. In Boston, there was no opportunity to be a part of this world. I feel blessed every day that my mom encouraged me to move to L.A. and pursue my dream of being in the entertainment business and being a writer. I had no clue that half of the jobs in the biz even existed. Now, I’m thankful to have a full-time career doing something creative that I love. Anybody else can do this too, they just need to make the jump. I wanted to share that with people. That’s why this book was necessary.

Q: You published it with a small press. Why? How’s the experience been? Are you able to hit your target audience with it, and if so, what are you doing to reach these wanna-bes?

The experience has been great, and I’m glad that the book is out and doing so well! We have been able to reach our target audience. I have an amazing publicist named Mike that’s gotten us some incredible interviews. Also, it’s really about people like you that take the time to interview us. You’re the reason I’m reaching people, thank you.

Q: What sort of reaction are you getting from others in the industry? Yep, you’ve gotten a lot of input in the appendix, but beyond that? Are they hoping this will help weed out some of the duds and bring back some of the true characters of the business? (I can name names, but I don’t think you need me to)

The support has been overwhelming! People have been incredibly positive and it inspires me every day that everyone has reacted so favorably to the book. Most importantly it paves the way for my next book –Lila. Lila is incredible. You are going to trip out on it. It will give you nightmares, and I’m psyched about that. It’s the first in a series of ten illustrated novels in a larger saga called Dolor. One of my best friends, Tony Caso, drew the art, and it is haunting. It’s a supernatural thriller, and that’s all I’m going to say. It’ll be available online for free on October 20th here www.bookofdolor.com and you can find more info on www.rickflorino.com. Be ready…We’ll have to do another interview about it.