For you literary types, the shark I’m referring to isn’t the one you may be thinking of. Instead, I’m talking about mudsharks and 1970s lore.

C’mon, rock and roll fans. You get it.

Yep. Led Zeppelin.

Tomorrow, June 6, is the apparent release date (at least according to this press release I came across) for a new book about the Mighty Zep.

Here’s a cut-and-paste of it:

a September 6 release date for the “Trampled Under Foot: The Power And Excess Of Led Zeppelin” book by British music critic Barney Hoskyns.

The 624-page book is described as follows: “A unique look at the history, adventures, myths and realities of this most legendary and powerful of bands, it is a labor of love based on hours of first-hand and original interviews. What emerges is a compelling portrait of the four musicians themselves, as well as a fresh insight into the close-knit entourage that protected them, from Peter Grant to Richard Cole to Ahmet Ertegun, giant figures from the long-vanished world of 1970s rock. Featuring many rare and never-before-seen photographs, it is also the first book on LED ZEPPELIN to cover such recent events as their triumphant 2007 O2 Arena gig and Robert Plant’s Grammy-winning resurgence of recent years.”

Now THIS? Yeah. Bring it. Rocktober’s getting close, after all. This would make great autumn reading — and yes, there’s a shark reference, at least in the press release, which talks about how the mission of the book is to prove there’s more to Zep than mudsharks.

I sure hope there is… and that the book does.

I’ve known Maria Savva for a couple of years now. She’s really cool, very grounded, and is into the BEST music out there. She’s from the UK, so catching her on Twitter can be tough. She’s got a soft spot for Rock Fiction and connects to more authors than I do, which makes me not like her so much sometimes. And she writes like a dream.

So, of course, when she released her new book, Coincidences, I HAD to ask her what song makes her think of her book.

Maria, take it away:

Searching by Joe Satriani (link is to a fan-made video)

Coincidences is all about Alice’s search for her father, who left home when she was a baby, so the title of the tune ‘Searching’ is very fitting. It’s an instrumental, which I think goes well with them theme of the book because Alice does not really tell anyone about much of the things that lead up to her deciding to search for her father, it all stays in her mind, unspoken. The tune contains some uptempo parts, and also more brooding and melancholic melodies which reflects Alice’s changing moods in the book: sometimes she feels very excited at the prospect of finding her father, but then at times, she is let down and disillusioned. There are also parts of the tune that sound, to me, almost like inner conflict, which is what Alice has to face up to in the course of her search for her father.

Joe Satriani??? I TOLD you Maria’s into the best music ever!

Book blurb:

Secrets, lies and coincidences abound in this story of a young girl looking for her father. Alice, now twenty-one years old, is determined to find her father who left home when she was just a baby, despite a warning from her mother that she should not look for him. Her mother’s secretiveness over the subject is because of the guilt she feels about keeping the truth from Alice. It will take all of Alice’s courage to persevere in her search. There are doubts and uncertainties at every turn. Coincidences is a story about following your dreams and staying on the path no matter how difficult the circumstances may become.

Yes? Yes!

Go pick this one up and connect with Maria via the following links. You won’t be disappointed!

Amazon UK
Amazon.com
Lulu.com

My website
Twitter
Facebook Author Page

So a feed showed up in my feedreader. Sin City Sinners, the Vegas band featuring ex-Faster Pussycat member Brent Muscat (among others who’ve been around the block at least once) had this to say:

SIN CITY SINNERS manager Jason Green is currently in the process of putting together a book to commemorate Sin City Sinners 5 year anniversary in August. It will include tons of rare never before seen pictures and everything you could want or don’t want to know about the band.

Here’s where I found that. Brave Words is quite reputable. They’ve never steered me wrong.

Except…

It’s the end of August. There’s no book title, you’ll notice. And when I go to the Sin City Sinners website, I’m not seeing mention of a book. I do see, under their bio page (odd spot for this) that it’s not uncommon for any sort of celebrity to jump onstage and jam with them. Wonder what they’d do if I showed up?

The bigger mystery, though, is this book. It’s celebrating five years; that’s not a huge amount of time. And … it seems sorta … generic. “Tons of rare never before seen pictures [sic].”

“Everything you could want or don’t want to know about the band.”

While it’s fun to know what sort of skivvies various rocker types wear, if they wear them at all, I’d rather not know how often those things get changed. Ya know?

That says it all, doesn’t it? My editor self — yes, sometimes, I DO feel like I’m more than one person: writer, book reviewer, editor, publicist, small business owner, mother, friend, daughter — has taken over. I began this week with one major, book-length project, one novella, and two short stories to complete. Now. Today. Yesterday would be better.

My clients understand that I’d like to get away for the weekend. Or that my kids need me. But that hasn’t stopped them from piling on the work.

Bring it, I say. While I’d still prefer, on some level, that my book royalties equal or exceed the sort of money I’m making via the editing work, I continue to love what I do. While I’d still prefer, on some level, more time to write, the hours I spend on other people’s manuscripts is every bit as energizing as working on a good story of my own.

And I have to admit that in most cases, the manuscripts my clients deliver to me are better than the books I get from the World’s Toughest Book Critics. Those books, I have to weigh in on. I can’t tell you how many times I wish I could reach out to an author and say, “Next time, hire me to edit your next book. It’ll be SO much better.” Of course, I can’t, and not just because the World’s Toughest Book Critics also offer an editing service to authors. I can’t because I’m supposed to be anonymous in all this.

However, it seems that my thoughts have become quite valuable.

I’ll take it.

So… I’m back at it. There are words to work with, stories and novellas and novels to shape. Writing is a craft, people. Remember that.

And remember all these long hours that authors (and their editors) put in. Say thanks by buying books, not grabbing only the freebie offers or using (gasp) piracy sites. Ask your local library to pick up books you like. And take a few minutes and jot down some words. Reviews are the best way to say thanks to an author, although buying a copy for eight of your closest friends comes in a close second.

Believe me. From any side of the writing world — writing, editing, reviewing — a TON of work goes into the creation of a book. Don’t just read. Show your support.

Okay, I’ll come clean. I’m not the world’s biggest AC/DC fan. And… okay, fine. I’ll admit it. I’m not even the world’s littlest AC/DC fan. I simply don’t connect to the band’s music the way I do to so many other bands out there.

Okay! FINE!

When they come on the radio, I turn them off.

There. I said it. Happy now????

Sheesh. You guys are a tough audience.

It stands to reason, then, that my wanting to read Mark Evans’ new book, Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside AC/DC is a bit of a … paradox.

Except… I don’t have to like a band to respect them. And I don’t have to like a band’s music to read a book about them (Hello? Wynonna Judd? That was a great work of Rock Fiction!). Or be curious about them. Heck, I know there have been books that have made me respect a band or musician more, as well as books that proved I’ll never get it, so it’s time to move on.

That’s the fun of books.

This one has gotten some good reviews from important people.

TOTALLY on my wishlist.

There’s been a lot of huff and puff over the revelation that Amazon doesn’t pay out the full 70% royalty they promise on Kindle books. There’s been other talk, as well, about royalties. I know I’d prefer if you all bought my e-books via Smashwords because my royalties are higher.

I mean, I get it. We’ve got bills to pay. I’m not the only one in this boat; a well-known author friend has long talked about how her book sales fuel her mortgage payments. Now that I’m responsible for the mortgage around here — along with everything else — that has taken on a new resonance.

You can probably imagine my shock on Monday, when the Boy Band announced the reason we don’t use Spotify in the house is because a song has to be played on Spotify over 4.51 MILLION times for a major label artist to earn the equivalent of a month’s worth of minimum wage payments — that’s a bit under $1200 a month. (For the record, that’s not the reason I don’t use Spotify. I don’t use it because… well, no reason, actually. I just haven’t signed up.)

The Boy Band had other royalty numbers for one other music source — and iTunes. Since we became an iTunes family in 2009, I’ve wondered what the royalty rate is for a major label artist for a 99c download. It’s a fair comparison, no? I sometimes sell certain books for 99c, and my short stories are ALWAYS 99c.

So… the Boy Band, instead of showing off his math skills, Googled something or other and found this article. It’s not quite a year old, but the terms probably haven’t changed too much. The headline says it all: A Major Label Artist Makes 8 Cents On a 99-Cent iTunes Download…

It’s based on figures from Chuck D, who can’t be confused with an artist I listen to, but I doubt the numbers are much different for my beloved artists in the rock and roll world.

Eight cents.

Somehow, 35c on a 99c book seems better than it did before — and I was firmly in the camp that 35c was pretty darn good. (To be clear, that’s the percentage I get from Amazon’s Kindle platform. I get higher royalties from Smashwords and their affiliates, who I use rather than dealing directly with the various retailers, such as B&N. And yes, I’d get even more from those other retailers, but I’m willingly and knowingly giving up that higher royalty — and faster sales reporting — in exchange for the convenience of not stressing that I won’t get a payout from this retailer or that one or the other one. It’s cut down my stress level quite a bit, especially when I look at those mortgage coupons and my royalty statements and … ouch!)

I’m still not a fan of this new culture of the free book that Amazon’s been championing. Because when I look at it… even 8c is better than 0.

Like I said, I’ve got a mortgage to pay.

I’m not sure how Laurie Koozer and I met. Was it our Pittsburgh connection? Twitter? Something else that’s shared?

I don’t know. I DO know that I’ve been a guest on her blog, Yinz R Readin’, and now that she’s got a book of her own out, it’s only fair to return the favor.

Plus, Laurie’s cool people. I can’t wait until she and I begin taking Pittsburgh by storm.

Which means you KNOW she’s got a cool song to accompany her new book, What Happens on Sunday. I was lucky enough to do a proofread on this book, and let me tell you: it totally captures the Pittsburgh essence. Look out, world: Laurie’s here.

Without further ado, here’s what Laurie has to say about music and What Happens on Sunday:

I always think of my book when I hear the song “Hell’s Bells” by AC/DC. Every time I hear this song, particularly the long introduction with the bells tolling, I imagine a very cinematic vision of my characters getting ready for a Steelers game – Megan slutting up a vintage Steelers shirt and listening to pregame coverage in her Bloomfield apartment, Patty in the kitchen making game time snacks in the suburbs, Desiree putting on Steelers jewelry and a pullover fleece in preparation for a tailgate, Shannon alone in her apartment picking out a jersey to wear and ignoring calls from her sister, Jen tucking her Terrible Towel into her pocket as her and Dave argue about which wide receiver is going to have a better day, and Angela, very intentionally not wearing Steelers gear and avoiding anything on TV about the game.

I think the juxtaposition of a hard rock song to describe a book about six women is pretty fitting too given this book and the world in which they live – while softer elements such as romance and family relationships ultimately drive this novel there are parts of each character’s arc that get somewhat gritty, dare I say as bleak as a Steelers losing streak in a Pittsburgh winter? These are women who love and cry and yearn yet there is also a certain kind of grit and steel to them that is reminiscent not only of their Steel City heritage, but the gridiron game that they love.

Wow, huh?

Here’s the blurb:

In Pittsburgh, what happens on football Sundays is more than just a game and for six women during the 2005 Steelers season, their complicated relationships with the team provide solace, distraction and occasionally frustration.

Jen is a very young and very pregnant newlywed who worries that getting married on the same day as a Steelers loss will doom her marriage.

Megan never met a tailgate or a man she couldn’t conquer but is scared of losing her best friend to a relationship.

Desiree is a brash professional struggling to deal with her husband’s ex-wife and children and beginning to wonder if it’s the right time to start a family of her own.

Angela is a high school senior long ago branded bad luck for the Steelers and all she wants to do is get the hell out of Pittsburgh even if it means leaving behind her best friend Robbie.

Patty, a mom who sends a pair of sexy panties to a different player every week, hasn’t been on a date since her divorce five years ago.

And then there’s Shannon, she’s thirty-four and single. She spends the majority of her days navigating Pittsburgh traffic and her evenings tending bar and pining after her sister’s boyfriend.

As the Steelers make what seems to be an impossible run to the Super Bowl, their lives will intersect, each of them finding connections in the most unexpected places.

You guys will have to tell me if this resonates with you the way it resonated with me. This is one that’s haunted me since I worked on it, and given how many projects I see every month, and how many books I read as a reviewer, and how many books I read for pleasure, that’s saying something, wouldn’t you think?

So. Go buy. It went live on Amazon on August 13, which was just last week.

My favorite of all the e-book retailers is Smashwords. They offer us authors the highest royalties while giving you readers your choice of formats. Pick up Laurie’s book there, why don’tcha?

Connect with Laurie, too. Like I said, she’s cool people. Like attracts like, after all!

Good Reads

Blog

Twitter

Back on July 18 came a headline in my music feeds: there’s a new clothing line. It’s called TatCo and it’s got the power of the guitarist from Saving Abel behind it.

Say what you will about Saving Abel, but Addicted never fails to crack me up. They’re a fun band. Not destined to be my favorite, but you guys know me. I have discriminating tastes.

Word of this new clothing line came with a list of stars who are helping launch it: Members of Buckcherry (okay) and Shinedown. Shinedown!

So. Rock-inspired clothes… yeah. You guys know where I like to spend my book royalties. Before I can, though, I need to go take a look.

Guess what? I’ve been trying ever since I read about TatCo to get in and take a look at the site and … no go.

I am very sad.

Let me know if you manage to connect, and if this is stuff you can see me wearing. Until then, hope springs eternal here at West of Mars… So eternal, we won’t talk about what a publicity gaffe this is…

I have always loved to bake. Hobby? Maybe. Definitely something I’m proud of.

Over the past year, I’ve ramped up the baking again, having taken a too-long hiatus while the kids were little.

And… maybe I’m a bit overeager ’cause I found a recipe for peanut butter and honey cookies on Pinterest, picked up cheap honey instead of the expensive, local stuff I prefer to use, and … wondered if the recipe should have flour in it.

After making it, I’m convinced that yes, that recipe wasn’t complete. After all, peanut butter, honey, baking soda, and an egg… what’s there to bind it together? What’s there to absorb some of the moisture?

Well… nothing.

It was too wet to put into a cookie sheet, so it went into an 8×8 baking pan. One of my All-Clads, in fact. I baked and baked and it rose and rose, and when the edges started to smell burned, I threw in the towel.

It’s soup.

Yeah, I hear you guys. “Stick to writing, Susan!”

I shall.

And when you see a character who makes a flourless peanut butter and honey cookie, you’ll know EXACTLY what inspired it.

In fact, I know just the character!

I’ve known Jaleta Clegg for a number of years now. We have a bunch of stuff in common, so it’s nice to host her here today with her new release, Priestess of the Eggstone. It just released last Friday, the 10th, so you’re really getting this news fresh!

Alan Parsons Project “Don’t Answer Me.”

The song captures the essence of a scene near the end of the book, plus it’s a cool song from a cool group. I love Alan Parsons Project. Priestess of the Eggstone is one long chase scene with lots of fighting, shooting, cake throwing, and explosions. But near the end, Dace (the main character) has to make a choice. She can’t trust the man she loves because he works for the Patrol. Has everything he’s said and done been an act to win her trust so he can recruit her?

Want the blurb? Sure you do!

Pursued by the Targon Crime Syndicate bent on revenge, the Patrol intent on recruitment, and the Sessimoniss who want their god back, the last thing Captain Dace needs is a handsome copilot with romance on his mind. But that’s exactly what she’s got.

She didn’t realize she was smuggling when she accepted the courier job. Now Targon wants her for stealing the shipment and the Patrol wants to arrest her. The Sessimoniss want their god returned. And Jerimon’s aunt is planning their wedding.

She doesn’t know which scares her most.

Buy link! journal-store.com/bookstore/priestess-of-the-eggstone

Go visit Jaleta:
https://www.jaletac.com
https://altairanempire.com
https://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3291041.Jaleta_Clegg

That’s a pretty major judgment for me, who doesn’t like to make such judgments on this blog.

If you don’t know the story, I was following it on a time delay; days behind in my feed reader (I still am, in fact!), I hadn’t wanted to comment or say anything, and yes, the situation is on my list to spend some time letting Chelle rant about. I probably will still let her.

Here’s the story: Randy Blythe is the frontman for Lamb of God. He was arrested in Prague because at a LoG show, a fan died. The authorities are, rightly or wrongly, holding Blythe accountable.

After his arrest, Blythe was thrown in jail. Bail was set. Bail was posted. Blythe wasn’t released. He spent a month in the slammer, in a foreign country. It must have sucked.

But… Wednesday, as I was trying to get ahead in the stupid feed reader (didn’t happen!), I came across this statement Blythe has made. Thanks to Blabbermouth for printing it and for letting me link to it.

What a classy, classy dude he is. My hat’s off to you, Randy. And gosh darn it, would you come spend some time teaching my kid to be as awesome as you are?

Miss Pamela — Pamela Des Barres, famed groupie of the 1960s and 1970s… and beyond … — may have only been the first to pen exploits of her tales.

Then came Roxana Shirazi, whose The Last Living Slut is a memoir I keep meaning to blog about. It’s sitting on my desk and yes, I finished reading it. I know. What’s taking me so long?

I’m sure there have been others between Miss Pamela and Roxana.

Now there’s a third.

“Once Upon A Rock Star” is author Rita Rae Roxx’s ’80s sex-and-tell book about all the heavy metal rock icons she met who toured through Omaha, Nebraska back in the day and whom she followed to L.A., even while attending Omaha’s Central High School.

I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t. After all, this wasn’t even my scene; back in those days, I was already into the heavier stuff. I was the DJ. I was too cool to be a groupie, and we all thought I’d go work at a record label. One of the cool labels, that only hired the cool people, who looked down their noses at the groupies.

But… somehow… it’s like a train wreck… I can’t stay away…

Check out more info, including a photo album filled with really fucked-up men. How they did that much partying and still survived could be part of the alluring mystery of it all…

I was sloughing off recently, something I haven’t been doing nearly enough of (have you SEEN my editing calendar? You wouldn’t slough off, either!) and caught a Tweet from Dave Owens, who I was already following even though I had no clue until now who he really was.

In short: an author of Rock Fiction.

I tried to coerce him into throwing a review copy my way, but he didn’t bite. Probably a good thing ’cause he’s one of those authors (and you know who they, and you, are) who’ve only made their books available on the Kindle. Hello? Some of us prefer to get our nookie however we can, sad to say. TMI? Okay, how’s this: we like the idea of competition, so we own Nooks. Which means we can’t read books that are available for Kindle only.

Why are you teasing your potential audience like this, folks?

Okay. We’re not here to talk about exclusives (which suck). We’re here to talk about Dave’s book. Music or Death.

Sounds like the battle cry of my life.

Here’s the blurb, shamelessly stolen from Amazon.uk’s page:

London in the near future. Music has been outlawed in all its forms as part of anti-terrorism measures. The people have been emptied of emotion and are kept in line by The Anthem, a soulless mockery of music that hooks society like a drug. The people are addicted to government control.

Cain is accidentally recruited into the terrorist cell Music or Death when he is caught up in a bomb attack. It’s dedication to bringing down the government and returning music to the people draws Cain deeper into their world of violence. As MOD’s actions spiral out of control, culminating in a chemical attack on the London Underground, Cain’s dedication to the cause is confused by a budding romance with Sarah, girlfriend to MOD’s leader and believer that violence doesn’t have to be the only way.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Xementhis, head of elite police division Soundcrime, exercises all his powers to find and destroy the terrorist cell. As his actions become increasingly violent, it becomes apparent that his anti-terrorist fervour may be more personal than professional, culminating in a fatal clash deep in the tunnels beneath the city.

Does that kinda remind you of a dystopian Footloose, or WHAT? (That’s a compliment, by the way. I always liked the premise of Footloose.)

So. If you own a Kindle, go pick it up. If you don’t, join me in clamoring for other sales outlets. ‘Cause it really sucks when you find a book you want to read, but are a victim of elitism. Yes, I said it. I went there.

THAT’s how bad I want to read this book. Yes, the editor said BAD.

Don’t go all Beavis on me, here…

Mid-month, I took a look at how the Smashwords Summer/Winter July sale was going for me. The results were interesting, so if you missed it, head on over and see how the month was shaping up.

Now that the month is over, I have even more fascinating facts to report.

First is that even though I have one new title out since last year’s sale, I sold eight fewer books. This is despite having two books for free that had never been free before, including Trevor’s Song.

Demo Tapes 1 and 3 tied for top seller. If you recall, mid-month, Trevor’s Song was tops. It actually came in fourth of my six books, trailed only by the standalone short story, Mannequin, and my non-free title, King Trevor.

Conventional wisdom holds that novels sell better than short stories, especially short story anthologies, and the Demo Tapes are, I think, marked pretty clearly that they are short stories. Not only are they short stories, they all appeared on The Meet and Greet in a less-edited fashion.

I don’t know. I don’t get it. Maybe the opening of Trevor’s Song is too rough for people; he’s too hard to like. Maybe you really do need that intro of the Demo Tapes to come back for the novel. I’m not sure. Maybe it’s that The Demo Tapes were more visible, since more people write novels than short stories. Maybe it was the phase of the moon, the severity of the sunspots, the colors of the Northern Lights…

In short, who knows? Only the people who bought the books know for sure what they were thinking, and even if they leave reviews, we may still never know what led them to their purchasing choices. We’ll only know what they thought of their reading experience — and so long as that experience is good, that’s ultimately all that matters. It’s those reviews that help power sales. We all know this.

Which means I’ll wrap up with a big thank you to the people who’ve joined the Trevolution for the first time; a lot of gratitude for the repeat offenders, so to speak; and a reminder to leave even a few words in a review. “I liked this because… but I didn’t like…” Fill in the blanks, folks. That’s all it takes, and us authors will be your fans for life.

I was editing, of course, the other day — well, yesterday, in fact — when I caught the Tweet: Machine Head had released the video they’d finally made for The Darkness Within. (Here’s the site that was linked to. That’s some enthusiastic fan writing their copy. Umm…wow.)

I’ve gone on record before about my love for guitarist Phil Demmel. Love? Okay, fine. Crush. And about the song, about what it evokes from my own musical past. It wasn’t that long ago; surely, you remember. I’m not the only one who seems to have loved the song. After all, the band’s CD containing the song came out in 2011. And here we are, in 2012, and there’s finally a video. Dare I say this song could break Machine Head out and bring them a whole new audience?

A LOT could be hinging on this video.

So I dropped the work I was doing — who needs to get paid when there’s Machine Head videos? — and went to watch.

Utter disappointment.

It’s not that it’s not a good video. Well, maybe it’s not. It’s full of images of religion and darkness and maggots and girls cutting themselves and torture and kinky nuns and … yeah. I had to yawn. Some of those images and ideas are OLD and TIRED.

Not to mention there wasn’t a single image in the entire video that meshed with my interpretation of the song. It’s a long song!

Oh, I know. I’m hardly the be-all, end-all guru whose wise words are listened to and who sets fashion trends and all that — although, of course, I should be. But this seems like … a cop-out. All those cliched images and not one tie-in of music and religion.

Did the director not get a copy of the lyrics? Did he (or she, but I’m pro-woman enough to hope a woman wasn’t behind something so lacking in vision and innovation) miss the part that goes, “Music my savior/Save me” over and over again? Or “Mystery’s forgotten chords/I strum in vain to please the Lord”? Or “Music, it will set you free”?

HOW???

The worst part is that the band did the heavy work for the director. They did the innovating, with the music-as-religion theme. All the director had to do was follow along. It shouldn’t have been that hard. The climax, the epiphany… it’s all right there, in the music. That song — and one of the reasons I love it — has a serious denouement in it. Not many these days do.

Missed opportunity.

And I ain’t talking about the lack of Phil Demmel in the video, either.

Here’s one from another new friend! Michele Drier has just released the third book in the Kandesky Vampire trilogy, Plague: A Love Story.

Plague and love in the same book title? Really? This, I gotta see!

Michele didn’t say much about why she chose The Girl Can’t Help It as the song that makes her think of her book. In fact, she didn’t say ANYthing about it — feel free to ask in the comments, or to find another way to reach her to ask. I’m curious. Are you? Adding a bit of mystery to the topic of the day, there are a couple of versions of The Girl Can’t Help It. There’s the Journey version and the Little Richard version.

Which do you think she means?

Here’s the blurb:

The third book of the Kandesky Vampire Chronicles begins the saga of the family’s start during the chaos of 14th century Hungary. When Stefan’s wife and infant son die in a minor plague outbreak, he has nothing to live for, so Theron’s turning him to a vampire is just a way out of his anguish.
Until he takes over the estate of a merchant, recruits Jean-Louis to teach him business and meets Lady Penelope Kandesky.
Plague returns to Budapest and this time paves the way for Stefan to become Baron Stefan Kandesky, a businessman who builds a trading empire with the help of Jean-Louis and Pen.

This is another one you can only get at Amazon. Guess us non-Kindle users are SOL. Bummer!

I’ve been liberated, in more ways than one.

Over at Amwriting.org, I’ve posted a new piece of fiction, called Liberation Day.

This is NOT a story of the Trevolution. At least, right now, it’s not.

Instead, it features a character I’ve been trying to work with for a long time now. I never saw this particular story coming, but sometimes, I guess, a character needs to sit and think and grow before you can unleash him or her (or both) onto the world.

I daresay you’ll be seeing more of these two, although probably not soon.

Stay tuned, and be sure to stop in at Amwriting today. Leave a comment, why don’t you?

The lovely — and for once, I mean that and am not sneering as I type — folks at Amazon have decided to include The Demo Tapes triplets in their 4-for-3 promotion.

That means you can buy all three Demo Tapes anthologies in print (instead of the Kindle format) and get something thrown in for free!

Go on. What are you waiting for?

Oh, you already have Demo Tapes 1, 2, or 3?

Well, go browse around! Check out my list of other Rock Fiction you may have missed. See if any of THEM are on the sale. Maybe it’s Demo Tapes 3 that you’ll get for free…

Go find some new reads while supporting your favorite author.

Hey! What do you mean? *I* am your favorite author.

Right??

Right.

One of my clients, Kenya Wright, has been posting a series of Q&As with editors — me and two others who she has worked with.

Stop in and check it out. She’s giving away a 20-page edit, but not from me.

If you want to work with me as your editor, you’d better hustle. My rates go up to new clients as of August 1, and I’m currently booking dates in late October, November, and December. Better get a move on!

My friend JC Cassels is one cool lady. I adore her, and not just because she originally posted this over at her blog and is graciously allowing me to repost it here. It’s a long post, so we’ll wax poetic about JC another day, and you can see for yourself how truly awesome she is.

While involved in a writer’s discussion several weeks ago, the topic turned to music as inspiration for our writing. I was relieved to find out that I wasn’t alone in listening to music to help me get in the mood to write certain scenes. What I found fascinating was the wide range of musical tastes and genres preferred by the different writers. Some of their choices surprised me, but knowing their books, I could see the influence the songs brought into play.

I started writing BARRON’S LAST STAND first to the soundtrack of artists like Great Big Sea, Dropkick Murphys, and Flogging Molly. SOVRAN’S PAWN was originally part of my backstory notes for what I’d planned as a stand alone novel ~ a last desperate bid at publication. From the first moments Bo Barron and Blade Devon strolled across my imagination, I’d always planned to tell their story as a series. After nearly 30 years, delays caused by personal crises and multiple rejections from agents and publishers, I was almost ready to give up. BARRON’S LAST STAND was in actuality what the title suggests.

A submission call from an editor I admire and wanted to work with came out last October. BARRON’S LAST STAND was nowhere near completion, but I had enough of the backstory written to cobble together a novella. I toyed with the idea for weeks while continuing work on BARRON’S LAST STAND. It wasn’t until a spate of family tragedies hit that I turned to the goal of completing and submitting a novella to escape my own emotional turmoil. I needed a realistic challenge to regain a sense of control over my life and my situation.

With apologies to BARRON’S LAST STAND, I set it aside and threw myself headlong into SOVRAN’S PAWN.

It was about that same time that my husband took me to St. Augustine to see one of my favorite bands in concert supporting their new CD, released six months prior. The band is Duran Duran and the CD they were supporting is ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. As the band who provided much of the soundtrack for my misspent youth, I’ve always found a measure of inspiration in their often obscure lyrics and their haunting melodies. That night was no exception. I came away from the concert as inspired as I had been the night I drove home from their STRANGE BEHAVIOUR tour back in the late 80’s.

The title track touched a responsive chord in my soul and with this CD as my soundtrack, I attacked SOVRAN’S PAWN with an optimism I hadn’t expected to find. One track on my playlist kept returning to haunt me ~ LEAVE A LIGHT ON. The song captured for me the very essence of theme of the book as well as the relationship between Bo and Blade; and I played the hell out of it. Before I knew it, my novella became a full-length novel and I completed it in record time.

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ALL YOU NEED IS NOW started out without a record label as a labor of love and a leap of faith by Duran Duran. I’d followed their progress on social media and was impressed with the grassroots way they rallied their fan base. By the time the tracks hit iTunes in December 2010, they had generated enough buzz to warrant a CD release, a music video and now a concert tour they’ve been on for more than a year.

Inspired by their faith in their own project, and the fact they recorded, released and now support it on their own terms, I decided not to submit SOVRAN’S PAWN to a publisher who wouldn’t have as much at stake, nor be as emotionally invested in the project as I would be. I followed the example Duran Duran set and I’ve published independently, on my own terms. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to do so without witnessing the painstaking progress of ALL YOU NEED IS NOW.

I didn’t set out to link my book to this CD, or to Duran Duran. It just happened that way. I’m so very glad it did.

Thanks guys!

As always, apologies for not getting the graphics in… anyone want to teach me and answer some REALLY dumb questions?

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