My friend and client Jean 8. Aeglothecca dropped me a line, and I wanted to share the news with you.

She had to make a brand-spanking-new link for her book, The Pale Waters, at Smashwords. Long story why, but there’s a new link.

Here it is again. And yes, it’s still an affiliate link, which means if you use it, I get a couple of pennies. Those pennies add up, so I encourage you to use them!

And as I said before, this is one you don’t want to miss. A dystopia, a bit of a fantasy, some magic, a lot of intrigue, romance, and enough content to make you really think, The Pale Waters (and its upcoming companions) is a book you don’t want to miss.

Yes, I’m biased. But I think that after you read it, you will be, too.

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.

Since I don’t have a Featured New Book for you today, I figured I’d still talk books. Today, it’s a book — well, it’s Rock Fiction — that’s set to be released in the near future.

And I want to read it.

Out of Tune, it’s called. It’s thee story of a daughter of country music stars who (might be the mailman’s kid because) she has no musicality. She has no voice, no rhythm.

And then her parents divorce, she has to move, she meets new people and … she finds it all. Her voice. Happiness. And all that.

Is anyone else concerned that this seems formulaic? There’s only one way to find out, and like always, I’m hoping to have my socks knocked off with this book. First, though, I need to get my hands on it.

Remember, I was cynical as anything about How the Mistakes Were Made, and it wound up being one of my top picks of the year. Brilliant, brilliant book.

Ms. Argyle, bring it on.

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.

So the Teen Girl continues to read voraciously and has discovered a new love: The late Tudor period, extending into the Stewart period, says my good friend Marie Burton at Burton Book Review. Of all the bloggers and readers I know, Marie knows historical fiction the best, so when I told her what The Teen Girl was reading, she helped me hone in on that period.

But … Marie’s an adult and the Teen Girl is… well, she’s not officially a teen yet. She’s still a pre-teen.

That means Marie doesn’t know the YA historical fiction world as well as the Teen Girl would like her to. Meaning: intimately, inside-out, AND completely, all rolled into one ball of knowledge.

Have you read anything from this time period? Got any titles to recommend? Written any?

Bring ’em on.

And yes, I hope to encourage Teen Girl and Teen Boy to get off the Minecraft and get back to blogging. I miss them around these parts. Hope you do, too.

Let’s welcome the lovely Jean 8. Aeglothecca — yes, that’s a pseudonym and no, I don’t know where it comes from. And no, I won’t tell you Jean’s real name. But if you read down to the bottom of this post, you may figure it out for yourself.

I will, however, tell you to read this book. The vision, the characters, the situation… it’s not what you think and it’s one not to miss.

Which leads me to one big question: Jean, what song makes you think of your book?

I think I’ll have to go with Garbage’s “Why Do You Love Me?” from their 2005 Bleed Like Me Album. To me, it’s raw, it’s real, it’s unforgiving. As a reader (and a writer) I want to read stories about flawed characters. I enjoy strong female characters that go against the grain, and against what’s “expected” of them just because they are female. I want to know what makes characters tick–but not necessarily WHY they tick–otherwise it will feel like some sort of lesson. I want to see what characters do when bad things happen to them. In my story, THE PALE WATERS, which is set in a futuristic, alternate-earth like land, my main character Rahda is (internally) flawed to the bone and when she meets Roland, who is physically scarred and deformed, she is unprepared, but it is fun to watch what she does about it, how all of her plans are thrown out the window, and the journey she goes on. The reason why I chose Garbage’s song for this question is because, at the heart of my book (and the series) is that it is an unconventional romance. Why Do You Love Me? Great question. Why do any of us love?

Yeah, I’m still struggling with that question, myself.

Need a blurb? Sure you do!

WHO OWNS YOUR SOUL?

Welcome to The Continent on Earth II, a post-royal revolutionized land filled with robots, beasts, humans, and half-humans, and ruled by the mysteriously absent and secretive Dark Prince Roland Rexus.

The Continent is a place where a dark stain spreads, the sun no longer shines, where the rain is black, icy, and laced with metal shrapnel, and where souls are collected and owned like prized possessions.

Rahda Plesti, a Class Zero citizen and an unorthodoxly trained assassin, descends upon the capitol city of Skyscraper City with one goal in mind: kill the Dark Prince and end the monarchy. But because of a secret she carries, Rahda finds that things do not go as planned as she discovers what Roland keeps hidden.

She’s in the midst of war she doesn’t fully understand with consequences that not only impact Skyscraper City, the Dark Prince, and her own soul, but the entire continent as well.

The Pale Waters is the first installment of a four-book Romance series that fans call a “Futuristic Beauty and the Beast Story with a Seductive, Science Fiction and Fantasy Twist.”

Yes, I’ve read all four of them. And yes, you should, too. Pick up your copy!
Smashwords (affiliate link)
Amazon

More links:
https://smallfiction.com
www.goodreads.com/kellywashington
www.amazon.com/author/kellywashington
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KellyWashington

My radar’s pretty wide and Rock Fiction comes to my notice all the time.

This one comes from powerhouse writer Iris Johansen (a writer I’ve heard a ton about but have yet to crack the spine of. Hmm. Time to fix that?), but … I’m not 100% certain it’s Rock Fiction. I need some of you guys to give me some clues, maybe send me a link to put up on the Rock Fiction page.

The jist is that this millionaire dude discovers a woman with a voice like a lark. She’s world-famous and … somehow easily spirited away to a house in the hills, isolated from her life, her security team, and her career. Can he win her over?

I see elements of The Bodyguard in here, and lots of other Rock Fiction trope. I’d have to read this to be certain, but… I dunno. I am skeptical that this might be one of those books where one character works in the music business but the career could be interchangeable with a million other careers. Kinda like the author goes, “Hey, I haven’t written my rock star book yet. I ought to get on that.”

This is one of those (many) cases where I hope I’m wrong and the book rings with musical authenticity. But I’ve been burned a lot lately by big names who clearly don’t know enough about that special something rockers have. I’m a bit skittish of this one…

What’s your take on it?

I love running the Featured New Book spotlight. I really do. The song choices all the different authors make never fails to make me smile. I’ve encountered a ton of new-to-me music, some of which keeps me company as I edit.

But… one thing I hate doing is chasing after authors and begging them to send me a post. It’s time that I could be spending on other cool things around here. And I certainly talked to enough authors and encouraged them to submit after Rocktober… but they didn’t.

So if you know an author who’s got a book out — and it doesn’t have to be new in the sense of newly released. Just new to me and (possibly) my readers, send them over. I hear over and over again that authors love the one-question interview, they love thinking up a song.

The space is reserved, so take advantage. Otherwise, the dressing room will be open and the time slot booked for someone else.

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.)

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I’m going to take a break from Goddess Girls, and doing some other great books. So here’s Princess of the Midnight Ball.

Rose and her sisters are cursed. All 12 of Westfalin’s princesses’ dancing shoes mysteriously wear out every three nights; even when the girls are all sick. All princes from surrounding kingdoms have come to try to solve the mystery, with a prize of marrying one of the princesses. After princes from all the surrounding kingdoms have failed, King Gregor turns to Galen Werner, a soldier who returned from war and became a gardener at the castle. At this time, the royal governess was accused of teaching the princesses witchcraft, and the state was placed in an Interdict.Under a lot of pressure during the riot for the king to abdicate, Galen spends his nights following the princesses. Join Galen as he tries to solve the mystery of the Midnight Ball.

I liked this book because it took you back in time to when the monarchs would have parties and dinners filled with beautiful clothes, swirling ball gowns, and dainty little dancing slippers. I enjoyed how all the princes failed, yet a commoner from nearby managed to save all 12 princesses.

If you liked my review, read Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George!!

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: ”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!

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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!

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!

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.

Here’s something a little different for you. Leslie Moon, whose blog I drop in on from time to time thanks to Triberr, has written a flash Rock fiction. Go check it out!

Deena at e-Book Builders is at it again! She has exposed me to so much more Rock Fiction than I’d ever expected… why’s everyone hiding from me? I’m really very nice…

She’s featuring author Rick Soper, who writes a Rock Fiction series that sounds intriguing, if a bit overpopulated (By Rick’s own admission, which makes me even more curious to read this series).

Go check him out. Let me know if you’ve read his books, and what you think if you have. I’m curious.

Here I go again with the horsie references… can you tell that a few weeks ago, my dreams of being a jockey (hey, I’m the right height!) came back and smacked me in the face?

Well, I’ve got something better than horses for you today. WAY better.

I have a trio of posts that Deena at e-Book Builders used to feature Rock Fiction author Jill Edmondson.

There’s the interview.

The excerpt.

And a guest blog post.

Wow, huh?

Go check it out. And if you’ve read Jill’s books, be sure to let me know what you think of them.

It’s Rocktober, so that can only mean that the ROCK refers to rock fiction, not geologic features (a question I get asked more often than I’d like to admit).

And today, it also refers to Tommie Vaughn, herself an industry veteran. She has a debut novel out, and it’s titled… ready? This Rock in my Heart.

Tommie was kind enough to send me a copy of This Rock in my Heart to review, and I did that, so go read it. And then go pick up the book and see if you agree with what I had to say.

Remember, if you can leave a few words of your own thoughts on any site — GoodReads, book retailers large or small, a blog, a friend’s blog — it all helps the author. Not as much as handing your copy to a friend or (even better) handing them a brand-new copy, but it’s a help, all the same.

Us authors love it when you do that sort of thing for us. Just a few words…

Not all Rock Fiction lights me up like a good concert does.

Gayle Forman’s If I Stay was one of those that falls short of the mark. I read it awhile ago, and now that I’ve had some time to think, I don’t think this book was ever intended to be Rock Fiction.

You tell me what you think.

Every month, Mary at BookHounds gives away a themed mystery box full of goodies, and this month is no exception (I might even enter, which sort of makes me wonder why I’m telling my competition to go throw their names in the hat).

Now, while the books are all music-themed, I might be a bit premature in saying they are all Rock Fiction. In fact, I’m not sure any of them are. So whoever wins, let me know, okay?

Go check out the first parts of the blurbs and throw your name in the hat. It’s Rocktober, after all. Time to live dangerously, in the rock and roll lifestyle. And besides, the entries aren’t huge. Not yet. Not until you all go enter, if only to save me from the piles of books waiting for me around here…