Dear Susan:

Weather your struggling to find like minded professional individuals, business ideas, career paths, or ways of developing additional income of your own we can help you maximize your results. With a great business system, business team, experienced knowledge, and technology all at your finger tips…

 

Three typos in the first ten words (and that’s being generous with the word count) and more to follow, I closed the invitation. It was ostensibly for a networking group, but let’s face it: who wants to network with people who can’t be bothered with such basics as grammar? Isn’t communication the foundation of networking? And good communication key to understanding each other?

I can’t hammer home the importance for everyone (myself included!) to use a good proofreader whenever you turn out writing that’s meant for public consumption. This person shot him/herself in the foot by sending out an invitation like this. And s/he’s not the only one who’s done this, either.

I see it daily. And I don’t understand why. Yes, you may think you don’t need to spend the money on editing. But guess what? You do. In the long run, you need to make sure every word is as strong as it can be, every comma, every synonym — every everything.

Yes, human editors miss things. Yes, computerized editors (oh, don’t use those!) miss things. Computers can’t pick up the nuances of human speech and communication. Humans are … well, we’re only human. My effectiveness goes down when I get tired (go figure). If we haven’t worked together before, I may struggle a bit as I pick up your voice. Both problems are pretty easy to correct.

So don’t be that person who sent me that invitation to join a business network. I took one look at it and decided that if the sender wasn’t professional enough to make sure s/he didn’t look like a doofus, his/her group wasn’t the sort of people I wanted to be associated with.

Although if I did join, imagine the business I could pick up…

David Sturman dropped by not that long ago to feature his first book, Broken Son, here at West of Mars. He said back then it was the first in the trilogy, and today, to mix things up a bit, he’s back with the next two books!

Let’s just hand things right over to David, shall we?

Book 2, Without A Home
Song: Home Sweet Home, Motley Crue

This song talks about trying to get home…something the main character just can’t seem to do, or even to know where to look for it. It just might not exist at all as he finds himself bounced around the foster care system and even jail. In our hero’s world, home is a four-letter-word.

Ahh, the Crue at their peak… It’s interesting to see how David sees the more ironic, cynical side of this song.

Book 3: Never Again
Song: Blaze of Glory, Jon Bon Jovi
 
The lyrics of this song gel with the main character’s thoughts of being a lone wolf ready to defend himself from the evil that once overpowered him, even if that means going down in a blaze of glory.

Man, that one brings back memories, too!

So. Ready to know what the books are about?

Without a Home is the second novel in a trilogy of books that follow a boy named David, and his experience with abuse—and the ways in which he survives it. Without a Home chronicles David’s teenage years as he navigates the many sides of the foster care system in Cleveland, Ohio.

The first book in the trilogy, The Broken Son, depicts David’s life up to the age of twelve in Detroit, Michigan, where he lives with his abusive parents. He has reason to believe that they are determined to kill him. To make matters worse, David is plagued with hallucinations of an evil clown who makes his journey that much more difficult.

The trilogy concludes with Never Again, the final book in the trilogy. David, now a grown man returning from war, finds himself forced to live with his parents once more. Only this time, it’s David who wants to do the killing.

Interesting, dark stuff, huh? I always wonder what degree of autobiography or metafiction we’re dealing with when the lead character has the same first name as the author. In this case, the books seem to be based on Sturman’s own life.

Pick up your copy.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/David-Allan-Sturman?store=allproducts&keyword=David+Allan+Sturman

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=david+allan+sturman

http://www.wattpad.com/story/21040700-the-broken-son-trilogy-by-david-allan-sturman

http://selfpublishersshowcase.com/david-allan-sturman/

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.

It’s not just new writers I’ve caught doing this, so it’s worth a mention for all of you to keep an eye out for as you revise your work.

If your characters ask a question, use asked in your dialogue tags.

“How are you today?” Shawn asked.

Believe it or not, I often see: “How are you today?” Shawn said.

Awkward, isn’t it?

If you mean for something that’s phrased as a question to be more of a statement, then show it.

“You not feeling well,” Shawn said with a knowing nod.

I spend a lot of time changing said to asked as I edit. Keep an eye out for this. And while you’re at it, consider your tag entirely. Dialogue tags serve a variety of functions. Sometimes, they are merely there for the reader to skim over, so that awareness of who is speaking seeps into their consciousness. Sometimes, tags do more. They set a scene, convey emotion, increase tension, and more.

But sometimes, they intrude. As they do when said is used instead of asked. Sometimes, they interrupt the flow of dialogue. They detract from what’s being said and switch the reader’s focus in an ooh, shiny sort of way. And more.

I know. You never thought this much about tags, other than why it’s not good to use Shawn emoted. Keep them simple, you learned once you escaped the clutches of Evil High School English Teachers.

And no matter what you do, don’t go for “Shit!” he swore.

Ya think?

I’ve noticed this a lot lately, so it bears  bringing to your attention, writers everywhere:

The color red.

Open a box of Crayola crayons, why don’t you? Grab a book of paint samples.

You’ve got Scarlet, Red, Fire Engine, Candy Apple, Cerise, Flame, Rose, Crimson, Cardinal, Lava, Rust… oh, the list goes on. Fifty shades and more.

So why is it that almost everything in fiction winds up being Cherry?

Think about it. Look over your own work, and take a few minutes, days, weeks to look at the colors all around us. Compare and contrast.

And then write better, stronger fiction.

In a week from today, I’m heading out on my first REAL vacation in three years. Not a week at Scout camp (although that’s always a welcome break). Not a weekend adventure. A real, honest-to-God, airplane-involved vacation.

And like any good Boy Scout, I’m going to mostly be camping. In a national park.

If you are savvy enough, you’ll realize what that means… NO INTERNET.

Which means NO E-MAIL.

If you’re a client or a potential client, next week may not be a good time to reach me. Waiting until I get home on the 20th isn’t wise, either. Jet lag, exhaustion, the need to make up for lost time with my bed (and re-locate what’s come dislocated while sleeping on the ground, usually pelvis, vertebrae, and ribs)… all that’s going to play a role in how long it takes me to catch up. We are talking about someone who gets, according to Google, 1300 mails a month.

Now for the good news: If you’ve got something short — 50k words or less, or an almost-polished proofread — and want to slip it past my editorial senses before I leave, get in touch with me NOW. I’ve purposely left time open in my schedule between today and Wednesday. And I’ve refused to unpack certain things from last week’s camping adventure, making it easier to get ready for this trip. Preparations are under control. No sweat.

I’ll remind you again before I leave, of course. Spread the word. Your editor par excellence is headed out to clear her head, see bison and bear and mountain goats and bighorn sheep and moose and wolves and mountains and streams and geysers and paint pots and canyons and rivers and… Those of you who’ve been here a long time may remember the last time I headed out that way. Sadly, the pictures have been lost, but the posts are still there, buried in my archives.

Do I really need to come home? I could just stay, right? I’d be REALLY West of Mars then. No need to change the business name. I can work in that beauty and grandeur. I can do better work out there. I know it.

Just don’t ask me to do it next week.

Angela Conrad came into my life in a funny way: she was referred by one of my editing clients — but not for editing (sadly. You guys know how I love to edit and wish the world could be my client!). She came to me looking for someone to format her e-book.

Of course, I have someone handy for that! And look: she also used my good friend Carol for her book cover. Geez. If I’m not helping build community here at West of Mars, I am a banana. And I may be wearing a yellow shirt today, but that’s as far as it goes.

Yeah. Two-stop shopping, for all your publishing needs. That’s us at West of Mars.

So. Livy is out at Amazon only (sorry, folks!) and that means Angie has one more thing to do before she can truly say her book is for sale. YES! Answer the Famed One-Question Interview!

Angie, what song makes you think of your book?

Dear Prudence by the Beatles.  The lyrics of the song are simple and innocent and praise the beauty of nature and the  lines.

 

I think I’d have to agree!

Ready for the description from the back cover?

Livy is an 1816 regency historical romance, taking place in London and the countryside of Suffolk and Essex, England.  Livy is the first of a series, Rayburn Park.

 

This book sparkles with witty conversations and heartbreaking romance.

 

Livy, Lady Olivia Rayburn is an artist who has sketched and dreamed of marrying her childhood sweetheart for eleven years.  Sheltered, living on her viscount brother’s palatial estate, Rayburn Park, she hopes for a future with Lord Nathan Wentworth.

 

Now on her twenty first birthday, beautiful and kind Livy overhears Lord Nathan tell her brother Sam that he will never offer for her.  Nathan has other plans.

 

Driven by hurt, despair, and compassion, Livy goes into the park and meets another gentleman, the handsome Earl of Essex who needs a wife immediately, that day, and she says yes to his marriage proposal.

 

This starts the story of Lady Winston, the Countess of Essex, her loves, struggles, heartbreaks, and joys. Livy’s love story, her marriage to a rogue and her growth as a woman intermix with the saga of Rayburn Park, a thoroughbred racing park in Newmarket, and its four owners, all dashing, unmarried lords.

I love a good Regency, and this one sounds like fun. To marry a man you only met that day… brave woman!

Pick up your copy at Amazon.

A few nights ago, I popped a Benadryl in the early evening, and followed it up with another before bed. I did it without a care in the world because a few weeks previously, I’d researched Benadryl addiction for a client’s manuscript.

Today, I was researching a place in Ireland that was a home for unwed mothers and their babies.

I’ve discovered brew pubs in Wisconsin. Even found a hidden town in Ohio that I hope to explore.

Now, I make it clear that I don’t fact check when I edit. Carrying errors and omissions insurance is a little out of my price range right now, and even then, research like this does slow down the process and take the focus off the author’s writing. And my specialty is dealing with the author’s writing, in various focus points. I want to be working with your words, not checking out medicines and what model gun you’re talking about. I want to be making sure the characters’ eye color is the same at the start as it is at the end of your manuscript.

It’s just that every now and then, you’ll have a spelling inconsistency that I need to get to the bottom of. Or something piques my interest and it’s off to Google I go. So I put in the time to discover what’s up. After all, you’re worth it. And as someone who is hard-wired to be a writer and creative type, I’m terminally curious. Taking a few minutes out of my day because you’ve piqued my interest is, as far as I’m concerned, a good thing. I learn something I can probably apply in the future. It also means you’re creating a world in which readers will invest themselves — or, at least, you’ve gotten me vested in it. And that means I want to make sure what you are putting out there for a wider readership is as strong as it can be.

I’m sure I get things wrong from time to time. Thus the disclaimer. A few manuscripts back, I had never seen the term of endearment nena and changed them all to nina, complete with the squiggle over the second n. My author dropped me a note. “Nope,” he said. “That’s slang.” And sure enough, once I Googled it as slang, it showed up where it hadn’t in the other searches I’d done (and I’d done multiples on that one, trying to find it, using various dictionaries and online resources — none of which were apparently good enough).

This is truly the icing on the cake of an already awesome job. Learning new things, discovering things I hadn’t known previously.

Keep up the good work, you authors. Share your knowledge with the rest of us. Keep me, your faithful editor, on her toes — it keeps me from getting bored and finding my way into trouble. And it gives me really cool stuff to talk about in polite society or on a date. But mostly, it makes your fiction richer, deeper, and possessing more authority. And at the end of the day, that’s the goal.

But it’s good to have something to talk about in polite society or on a date. I don’t, however, recommend waxing poetic about Benadryl addiction to someone you’ve only just met. Not that I have tried.

This has been a funny week, because I’ve had two authors fighting over the spotlight this week!

Okay, not fighting in the traditional sense, but … oh, it’s a long story. What makes it funny is that the two authors involved have strong ties to West of Mars. I’m feeling very good right now, knowing my plans to build community, not just be an editor, are working. (and yes, there’s room for you to join in. So join us!)

Yes, today’s guest is our good friend M. E. Sutton. You may recognize her. She’s got a new book in her Middle Grade series out today and I’ve read it. Let me tell you: this series is just getting better and better. (Okay, I lied. I haven’t read this one. Yet.)

So, Mary, what song makes you think of Wedding Bliss?

Okay, it is genre inappropriate. It might be age inappropriate, I’m not sure. But I absolutely cannot think of the word “wedding” without thinking of Billy Idol’s WHITE WEDDING. I’m not exactly sure why. The lyrics of the song don’t really relate to the subject matter of the book. But the two are twined in my mind. And maybe that’s not the most horrible thing. When the song hit it’s popularity (1982) I was, um, much younger than I am now. Billy stayed popular while I went through middle school, the same age Jaycee is in the book. So when I went to dances, or hung out with my friends, chances are I would hear WHITE WEDDING. So when I hear it now, on the Sirius/XM 80s channel, it takes me back to eighth grade. Not all of my memories of that time are fantastic, but the song always makes me smile. Here it is on YouTube.

I’m killing  a few minutes this morning, looking over the headlines at Brave Words and Blabbermouth (and, of course, my guilty pleasure, Metal Sucks) when one headline caught my eye: Five Finger Death Punch and Volbeat are teaming up for a tour. In autumn. Dates have been released for September and October.

What does this have to do with writing?

Well, other than giving everyone a few bands to explore before stepping into Featured New Book Spotlight, it makes an important point: It is early May as I’m writing this. The shows that were announced are for four months in the future.

Frequently, in Rock Fiction, I see authors who will have a band schedule a show with a few days’ notice. It’s convenient for the story so boom, there it is.

Every time I see it, I cringe. And I wonder if the author knows his or her stuff. If I’m reviewing the book, I’ll mention it, too.

Because while that four months’ notice the public is being given seems long, let me tell you, these dates were in the works weeks if not months before that, too. Scheduling routes, venue availability, media accessibility, press releases, and other factors go into the equation and the dance that scheduling a tour entails. And don’t forget that the band’s fans need time to save up for tickets; it’s not $15 to see a band in an arena anymore, you know!

The concert-going public may not get word of a show until last minute. But believe me, the wheels were in  motion long before that announcement was made.

If you’re writing Rock Fiction, keep that in mind.

Let’s welcome a new friend to West of Mars. Sean Kinsley popped into my inbox, said hello, and told me about the song that makes him think of his book, Wicked Tides.

Soulcrusher, by Xandria

 

Short and sweet, huh? And this is some good Susan music, too. Crunchy but with an ethereal vocalist. Why haven’t I heard more of this band? This is good stuff!

Here’s the book description:

A dark fantasy, hardcore action novel…

After intercepting a convoy containing crucial intelligence and decrypting the data, the Kionic Pirates now know their time of plundering the seas may come to an end. An alliance has been formed between the various factions they prey on. With little time to spare the Kionic Pirates begin their own defensive preparations which include sending out various special forces teams to perform recon and sabotage missions.

An area of the world that has not seen major conflict is about to erupt. Run by powerful politicians, kings, warriors, spherists, assassins and underground networks, chances for personal gain are rife. Spherists, people who are able to draw upon and control the energy of ethereal realms, are utilized in everything from encrypting information, communicating long distance, spying and contract killing.

Everything is about to go down and the Kionics are right in the middle of it.

One Kionic spec ops team, lead by Exphasia, a spherist, is sent to the city where she grew up. Followed by her brother Merritt and her hard-headed friend, Rezen, they soon learn that there is far more going on than initially perceived. Aided by an assassin, who partly shares in the Kionic’s own goals, they must recover as much intel as possible and destroy what they can before the Alliance fleet leaves dock.

And there’s something else…

Communication and other spherical activities are being scrambled and hampered by an unknown storm brewing over the mountains to the east. Something is wrong.

And Rezen’s nightmares are getting worse…

Complex, like the song. I can see how it fits, already.

Pick up your own copy today!

US

UK

Google ebooks

What? No B&N or Apple? Oh, I hope that changes…

Connect with Sean:

Facebook 

Twitter

Google Plus 

Website 

I know I’ve harped on this before, but it came up the other week, so I thought I’d harp some more. You see, I was chatting with an author friend of mine. She’d gotten SEVENTY (yes, you read that right) copies of one of her new releases from her publisher. They were promo copies, and the idea was that my friend, the author, would send all SEVENTY out and get some early reviews for her new book.

She’s got quite the publishing history, my friend. Sixty-three books under one name and another thirty under another.

Do the math, folks. That’s 93 books.

You’d think that after 93 books, her following would be devoted, large, and willing to write a few words of review that’ll help spread the word about how awesome a writer she is (and she is, whether or not she’s my friend).

Know how many reviews those SEVENTY books spawned?

Do you?

Any guesses?

Bueller?

Okay, I’ll quit teasing you. She got SEVEN.

That’s really sad. It was a free book! She sent it to YOU, reader. And you couldn’t be bothered to write a few simple sentences. Even, “Author X did it again! This is her best yet!” or “Woo, this was so hot, I haven’t cooled off and it’s been three days!” or even “I liked [title z] better because the main character there wore jeans and this guy wore business suits and I’m a jeans sorta girl. Jeans are comfortable. Business suits are stuffy, and so was the guy in this one.”

C’mon… really? Ninety-three (coincidentally one for each of my friend’s published books) readers grabbed a free  book and ran with it. *

I hope those 93 have to buy their own copies from now on.

Which brings me to my soapbox. Although do I really need to get on it? Word of mouth is the  best way to sell books. Writing a review helps sell books. You love an author or a book, taking a few minutes to write a review is the best, simplest, most appreciated way to say thanks. (Okay, other than buying 100 copies and spreading the love, yourself, but how many of you really do that? I’ve bought multiples, but never 100.)

No one said you HAVE to include the plot in your review. Or that it be long or insightful. Just that it be readable. Enthusiasm is super, especially if it’s a book you loved. Pointing out flaws is perfectly acceptable but if you can’t think of any, that’s okay, too.

Just… take the plunge. Authors will be glad you did. And you can be one of those seven who not only got a free book, but showed your thanks in a very meaningful way.

Help an author out. If you  love his or her works, taking those ten minutes to write a few thoughts down will help him or her get more books on the market. It might even let them quit the day job and stay home and write.

That’s the effect YOU can have. Seize it.

(and, of course, if you aren’t confident in what you wrote, we at West of Mars are more than willing to help you polish it up. But really, be confident without us. Your opinion is valid, it matters, and we’ll forgive spelling errors if your words are heartfelt.)

*And here, Susan proves why she’s a wordsmith and not a mathematician.

I have known Jaime McDougall for … wow. Forever, in Internet terms. She offered me my first-ever guest blog post, so long ago now that I don’t even have a dead link to it in my archives, let alone a live one.

Yeah, that’s some history.

So I’m super glad to host Jaime today. It always feels like paying her back for taking a chance on someone new to the blogging community. And besides, I like the way this girl thinks. I’m pretty confident you will, too.

So, Jaime, what song makes you think of your book?

In many ways, Dark Echoes was my most difficult novel to write. The problem? My main character didn’t want to talk to me.

I knew from the start that Lily Peterson was stubborn and cranky – quite unlike her sister Charlotte and ‘aunt’ Phoebe (the main characters from the first two books). She wanted to do things her own way throughout the book. That certainly made for an interesting character, but it made it slow going for the author trying to get to know her.

In an attempt to ‘unlock’ her from a different angle, I went YouTube \\\’urfing’. I clicked on a music video and then continued to \\\’urf’ from video to video via the recommended videos in the sidebar. Though it took me a while, I finally found ‘Stand in the Rain’ by Superchick and thus found Lily’s anthem.

From then on, I could always listen to ‘Stand in the Rain’ when I felt like I wasn’t quite doing Lily justice. It’s not always easy to write a character who is stronger than you, so listening to this song helped me to find Lily when I was feeling lost.

I especially love this last paragraph. The romantic life of an author… yes, I see that as a romantic statement! Not romantic love. Sheesh. More like the romance and the beauty of writing.

Let’s just move on to the book description, shall we?

Lily Peterson is a wolf who hunts alone. Haunted by the attack that left her best friend permanently human, she will do whatever it takes to catch her prey.

FATE

Jason North is one of the Neuri, a pack of werewolves with special abilities. He knows he’s never met Lily before, but his instincts tell him he has. He’ll keep her close until he figures out why.

EVERYBODY LIES

A war that has played out across lifetimes threatens to consume Echo Falls. Friends become enemies, and old enemies become allies. Lily fights against memories that aren’t hers, forced toward a fate she doesn’t believe in.

Fate is about to learn that Lily doesn’t like being told what to do.

Proof that weres aren’t dead in today’s fiction. Jaime’s got it covered.

Pick up your copy at Amazon (only, unfortunately for those of us who don’t shop there).

Get to know Jaime. You’ll be glad you did.

Website

Facebook

Probably the most commonly asked question is if clients have ever refused to pay me for editing work. Since I won’t start work until payment’s in hand, the answer is no, but… There was this one time that hardly even counts.  The author sent a longer manuscript after billing was taken care of and refused to pay that small difference when she didn’t like the evaluation I gave her, but otherwise, the answer’s no. I’m pretty inflexible on this point; I do have a mortgage to pay and a business to run.

But something else has a tendency to happen, and that’s clients who go through a sample piece of work, decide to use me, book time on my calendar and then … vanish into thin air.

Most often, some author who’s dropped me an e-mail to check my availability gets lucky and they fill that gap in my schedule. Or a client who sent a manuscript in advance (something I encourage doing) gets a bump up on the schedule. If a project was supposed to only take a day, maybe I’ll take the day and do the administrative stuff I always want more time for.

Sometimes, I get a mea culpa from the author. Life happens. I get that. Inherent Writerly Insecurity can paralyze you. I get that, too. Money becomes an issue. Yep, I get that. In fact, I’ve had all three happen to me. That first one can be a killer and if you don’t believe me, walk a mile in my shoes.

When you get down to it, I’m a softie, always willing to believe the best in people. So I’ll give second chances. Sometimes, I’ll even give a third chance.

But I don’t forget. In fact, I make notes. Some notes say to anticipate the edit taking longer. Some notes reflect an author’s preferences. Some remind me to check the style sheets from previous manuscripts. And some notes say the client vanished with no advance warning.

I will always do my best for my clients, even when they make decisions I don’t personally agree with, or when they show up later, full of chagrin. I will always do my best for my clients, even when it means I have to sacrifice a few hours with my kids. But I expect something in return, and that’s my client’s best, too. Their best-to-that-point manuscript. Prompt arrival in my inbox. And communication if you’re going to keep me waiting while others want my time and attention.

It seems hard to get your brain around sometimes. I get that. But authors, you’re running a business, too. Don’t alienate your contacts. Be professional. And keep your dates with your editor.

If you’re a Nook owner like myself, you’ll be happy happy happy to hear that Sydney Logan’s book, the one featured yesterday, is now LIVE at Barnes and Noble. No, that doesn’t mean it’s living and breathing (although I bet the characters seem like they do.)

Go buy it!

Ahh, the magic of Triberr. It’s not just good for sharing your blog posts, which is what it was built to do, but it’s also created a community. A bit distant sort of community, but a community nonetheless. Every time I hear from a fellow author from Triberr, I’m glad to strengthen that connection.

Today’s guest is author Sydney Logan, who is a fantastic Tribe mate. I’m glad to host her and have the chance to get to know her better.

Her new release is called Soldier On, and here’s what she’s got to say about the song that makes her think of her book:

This question is so hard to answer, mainly because I’m a music lover and have compiled a YouTube playlist which includes the book trailer plus songs that inspired my new novel, Soldier On. However, the one song that really fits for so many different reasons is “See You Again” by Carrie Underwood. The song can have many interpretations, and that’s perfect for Soldier On. Steph lost her father in Desert Storm and never had the chance to know him, so she will “see him again” someday. Also, because she loves a soldier, she could be faced with long separations, so the line “I will carry you with me” really fits their situation. I love when songs can mean different things to different people, and that is certainly the case with “See You Again.”

Sydney goes on to offer us bonus music. I knew I liked this woman!

Ready for the book description? I sure am. That’s a heck of a teaser she gave us!

Losing her father in Desert Storm has left Stephanie James with a bitter soul when it comes to the military. As a college senior juggling a full course load, Steph’s only goal is to graduate with honors at the end of the semester. She’s focused, determined, and a firm believer in all work and no play. Then she meets Brandon Walker at a New Year’s Eve costume party. Despite his disguise, Steph finds herself attracted to the camouflaged soldier who curls her toes with a scorching midnight kiss.

Brandon is an engineering major and ROTC student from the hills of Kentucky. Growing up as the son of a major general has given Brandon firsthand knowledge of the struggles military families sometimes face. Now that his father’s memory is fading, Brandon is even more determined to make his dad proud and graduate as an officer in the United States Army. Then he meets Stephanie, and suddenly, his focus is less on his military service and more on the pretty brunette who has stolen his heart. When he becomes aware of Steph’s resentment toward the military, he worries their relationship is doomed.

When faced with the realization that she’s fallen in love with a soldier, can Steph’s wounds from the past be healed with love in her present . . . and in her future?

Military romances are HOT right now, so if they’re your cup of tea, be sure to pick up Soldier On. I’ve never read any of Sydney’s books, but I can tell you she’s got a heck of a reputation and is successful. Which means she’s got to be doing a lot of things right!

Get your copy at Amazon.

ETA: Look! It’s now available at B&N, too, for you fellow Nook users! Woot!

And take the time to get to know Sydney, why don’tcha? I bet you’ll like her.

Goodreads 

It seems that lately, my inbox has been filled with good news. I am so not complaining, as good news is a precious commodity, meant to be handled with kid gloves lest it dissolve into ephemera. And it’s pretty. Full of warm fuzzies and all those other good things that we need to balance out the bad.

Yeah, you know where this is leading. To an e-mail I got the other night while waiting for my kids (what? You don’t work when you’re waiting for your kids?). One of my authors had gotten twenty-eight reviews on her newest release, which I’d proofed for her. Twenty-eight five star reviews. Not one was solicited. And before you pooh-pooh the paltry number, let me add this: they’d all happened within three weeks of release.

Now, this was the seventh book in a series. I came onto the team with book six, so she’s had plenty of time to build a readership and garner success before this seventh book came out. And she’s also had plenty of time to grow as a writer, as well.

But her e-mail made it pretty clear: Look what we did. Yay, us.

See those possessives here?

I’ve said before that I don’t work for royalties because it’s a project and when I finish it, I move on to the next. That’s true. No matter how proud of my authors I become and how many times they use plural possessives, the simple fact is that I have less at stake in this than my authors do.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t burst with pride with every success. With every story that a novella trilogy I edited went from earning $10 a month before the edit to earning $6000 this year alone. With every story of authors who are starting to win awards. Okay, the last person only won an honorable mention, but before we’d started working together, honorable mention was a far-off dream. And with every story of authors whose latest book hit a best-seller list or two.

This one, this seventh in the series, also hit a best-seller list, according to Amazon. So did one of my fantasy authors. And a thriller author before that.

It’s not all due to me, of course not. These men and women have a fantastic vision and a dedication to putting in the hard work required of best-selling authors.

But I’d like to think I played a role in the ultimate success. In helping them put their best word forward. That, my friends, is what a really good independent editor does.

And yes, I’m taking new clients.

It’s a two-fer! Something we don’t see her often is an author with two back-to-back weeks in the spotlight. That’s probably because most of you don’t have such close release dates. But my buddy Faith Cotter does, and I’m eager to tell you about this one. It’s an essay, a work of non-fiction, and it’s called Paper Dragons.

Before I tell you much more about it, let’s pique all our interests — mine included — with the important stuff: What song makes Faith think of her essay?

“Blue,” by Mai Yamane for the Cowboy Bebop OST

You’re gonna carry that weight. The Beatles lyric appears in the bottom of the television screen. Blue has just hit its final note, and the story has ended. John turns to me and says, “Did you like it?”

There are tears in his eyes. It is one of the only times I have seen him cry. Yes, I tell him. I loved it.

Blue marked the end of a show that built its story around exploring how we carry the past and make sense of a chaotic world. In a scene that eloquently speaks to why people create narrative, cartographers race against time and nature to map out rapidly changing land, all in a futile effort to creature structure and logic.

You’re gonna carry that weight. It’s why I wrote Paper Dragons. It’s why John and I share stories, and why he will write someday, too: to make sense of it all. To carry the past as best we can.

Wow. Powerful stuff, huh? So… need to know more? I do.

What would you do with time that you didn’t think you’d have? In the wake of an illness that rocked the lives of their family for nearly a decade, Faith and her brother John don’t speak to each other that much anymore. He no longer needs her to help take care of him, and he’s too old for their favorite book, The Velveteen Rabbit. With John staring down the sudden possibility of time, Faith tries to pick up pieces of the past in an attempt to make life whole for both of them again–but she can’t find these relics, pictures of dragons drawn by John’s hands in the early days of his childhood. Paper Dragons examines the kind of grief that is created by lost years, and the stories that break relationships apart–and puts them back together.

Sounds like powerful stuff, huh? (And can I repeat myself any more??? Sheesh. But really. What other word would you use?)

Pick up your copy. Since it’s not available at the wider retailers yet, remember that Smashwords can give you any format you need, and the author (in this case, Faith) gets the highest royalties around. Win-win for everyone, so it’s always worth opening an account and keeping your eyes peeled for the periodic promotions.

Smashwords 

I was reading a book review a few weeks back, and at the end, the reviewer had included the author’s bio.

“My kids reek havoc on my house,” it said.

REEK HAVOC???

Pardon me, but I didn’t realize havoc had a scent. I suppose it can, depending on what’s going on, but take a look at what Webster’s says about the definition of havoc:

Full Definition of HAVOC

1

:  wide and general destruction :  devastation

2

:  great confusion and disorder <the blackout caused havoc in the city>

Okay… so …

Depending on the destruction, confusion, or disorder, yeah, I can see something in there reeking. Remember, Webster’s defines reek as

Definition of REEK

1

chiefly dialect :  smoke

2

:  vapor, fog

3

:  a strong or disagreeable fume or odor

Somehow, I don’t think this is what the author meant. In fact, I’d wager money that she meant wreak, which is defined as

Full Definition of WREAK

transitive verb

1

a archaic :  avenge b :  to cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment)

2

:  to give free play or course to (malevolent feeling)

3

:  bring about, cause <wreak havoc>

This is a common error, I’ve come to realize. A lot of my authors confuse reek and wreak, so many that I no longer believe it’s a typo. It’s a confusion.

The way I see it, confusions aren’t acceptable. They show a lack of command over language, and as an author, that’s a weakness you can’t be showing. This sort of thing makes you look like an idiot, an illiterate, lazy, or sloppy — none of which are traits most authors want the general (not to mention the book-buying) public to see.

But, as I’ve said in the past: it’s worth hiring a proofreader for your bios, your newsletters, your blog posts … anything you write…  It’s worth the money to make sure your words shine. Telling me your kids have reeked havoc in your house isn’t only TMI (do you want to know what someone else’s house smells like?), it’s bad craft, and bad craft signals a poor writer.

As the market grows increasingly crowded, you want to stand out for your ability to not only craft a great story, but to communicate in a way that invokes authority and trust from your writers.

(Naturally, we at West of Mars can save you this embarrassment, and we can and will do it without pressuring you to use us exclusively.)

What was it? Last week that I put out a call for reviewers for my buddy Faith Cotter’s new short works. As I said then, Faith is a buddy from the Boy Scouts, a woman I bonded with over writing, archery, and the difficulties of being a female Boy Scout.  She’s good people, and I’m proud to know her.

And as I said, I’m pleased as anything that she’s joining us in the publishing world. Be good to her. Buy her stuff. Read it, leave a few words of review. Or contact her for a review copy.

Remember, reviews help sell books.

So… off the soapbox and onto the important stuff.

Faith, what song makes you think of your story?

Blinding by Florence and the Machine

I first heard Blinding three years ago and the minute I heard it and really dug into the lyrics, I knew that there was something about this song that was very strongly connected to what I write about—the ghost that haunts all my stories, if you will.

Though Clara is a fictional, it is inspired by the first elementary school I attended, with its dark hallways and ornate staircases and nuns in old-fashioned habits. Writing this story was the first time I realized that my memory, as tangible as those years are even now, could play tricks on me. (I was utterly convinced we had a series of taxidermied animals on the way to the principal’s office and I was fascinated by them: a bit of decay amongst people with so much time ahead of them. Old classmates, now grown up, say otherwise.)

As for the story itself, and how it connects with this song: Yes, this is a story about two young girls. But I know that if I am going to write a story that centers around children, there needs to be something else there, something that children can see and something that old folk like me (aka adults) can see as well. I wrote Clara as a story heavy with familiar and unfamiliar motifs and themes in the hope that different readers will interpret those themes differently, based on their lived experiences. For some, it will be political; for others, maybe they will feel nostalgic. For me, this story is really about waking up. It’s about shaking off sleep and standing up and taking off. And through the use of the song’s motifs and archetypes as familiar to us as our childhood school days, Blinding encapsulates Clara so well. And that’s all I want to say about it.

The rest, reader, is up to you.

So… if Faith is old, what does that make me? Decrepit?

Ahh… well, on to the book description:

Catholic school kid Clara Cooper wants to go home. She has some unfinished business to attend to, and really needs God to give her attempt at truancy a bit of heavenly aid. When she fails to convince the nurses, the principal, and her mama that she is sick enough to leave school, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Over the course of her small adventure, she makes friends with an old bear and fellow truant Nhi Nguyen, and discovers that there are lessons that can never be taught within the confines of the towering school that makes up her world.

It reminds me of my own Mannequin… a young girl, learning lessons of life. Pick both stories up and see what you think. Do they compare?

Here’s the buy links:

Smashwords

Amazon

(more retailers to follow!)

Personal Links:

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