Or as I like to call it, Poo Storm 2009!
There's been a lot of drama in the publishing world this week surrounding Harlequin's announcement that they are opening their own vanity press, called Harlequin Horizons, and offering it to rejectees from their slush pile.
There was helpful info posted on the Writer Beware blog summing up the announcement and potential controversy, then the agents began posting fervently, keeping us in the loop!
Agent Kristen Nelson first asked if this was "Exploitation or Empowerment", then clued us in yesterday that the RWA had laid down some smack, letting everyone know that Harlequin was no longer recognized as a real publishing house because of this recent move. Yesterday, she filled us in on a letter from Donna Hayes, the Harlequin CEO, announcing that they were removing the Harlequin name from the vanity press due to all the hoopla from their authors (no kidding,) and that they thought the RWA were being jerks.
Janet Reid, the Query Shark herself, was also in the middle of the action, announcing the first signs of the approaching poo storm, revealing how pissed off she is that Harlequin seems to be preying on newbie authors, and then further endearing herself to authors everywhere by telling Donna Hayes to stop blowing smoke and basically either fix it or go take a long walk off a short pier.
Rachelle Gardner chimed in today with a rant on the quality of literature (which I totally agree with), and asking her readers their thoughts on vanity publishing as the wave of the future.
Even sci fi author John Scalzi threw his hat in the ring, discussing RWA, the MWA and SFWA all stepping in to chastise Harlequin.
Needless to say, this whole thing has made me feel like I'm taking crazy pills. I mean, seriously, Harlequin? I don't even want to know what their poor authors must be thinking.
So, my question for you is: What do you think of all this?
Exploitative or smart business move?
You'll never guess what I got you :D.
Okay, guess! You'll never get it.
It's... A SWEATER!
Okay, just kidding. It's a book.
How'd you know??
_________
Mysterious editor Moonrat is on a mission! She's on a mission to get everyone to buy books as Christmas gifts, and save the publishing industry. I'm all for it!
She has helpful book-buying lists on her blog to help you with your shopping endeavors.
My questions for you are threefold:
1) Are you going to jump on the bandwagon and buy books for the family?
2) What kind of book do you get a non-reading family member? Palin's memoir ;)? *rim shot*
3) What recommendations do you have for various age groups/genres? What books do you LOVE and think would make great gifts?
And since I'm asking you, I might as well start things off with a list of good books:
For Kids:
--Bruce Coville's JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER, THE MONSTER'S RING, and GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE. These are some of my all time favorite books, and I'll still pick them up from time to time and read them :). You can't go wrong w/ Bruce Coville!
For Young Adults:
--Cindy Pon's SILVER PHOENIX (My Review Here), Kristin Cashore's GRACELING (one of my new all-time favorite books!)
For Adult Fantasy readers:
--Barry Hughart's BRIDGE OF BIRDS (a tale of ancient China that never was), Raymond E. Feist's MAGICIAN (awesome sword & sorcery), and Susanna Clarke's JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL (one of the oddest, most delightful things I've ever read.)
For Adult Sci-Fi readers:
--Orson Scott Card's ENDERS GAME (one of my favorite books ever), Dan Simmons' HYPERION (gorgeous writing/fascinating plot), and Joan Slonczewski's A DOOR INTO OCEAN (My Review Here).
For Adult Paranormal Romance readers:
--Kerry A. Jones' CAST IN STONE (My Review Here), and Lori Handeland's BLUE MOON (it's got sexy Native Americans and werewolves!)
Now it's your turn: I'd love to hear what you'd recommend :)!
It's that time again, folks! Time to Tell the Truth Lisa & Laura style, and 'fess up.
My weekly confession:
1) I do lunges in the bathroom at work. And sometimes countertop pushups. And sometimes dance a little. Too embarrassed to squeeze a little exercise in at my desk, I will try to bust something out in between washing my hands and leaving.
2) Bruno from Dancing With the Stars terrifies me. He's like the show's pervy uncle, only he's not just showing up drunk and handsy at Christmas time, he's there all season, making every celebrity uncomfortable in turns. When Len says a dance was "delicious" I say "awww" because it does it in an adorable old man way. When Bruno says it, I shudder automatically. It's all in the delivery.
3) I read trashy romance novels on my iPhone because no one can tell what they are :). If someone asks I might just lie and say Proust. Mwahahahahaha!
4) I love surprises to a ridiculous degree. My husband knows this and will tell me to close my eyes before showing me a) cool TV shows he's recorded, b) yummy snacks, c) funny stuff he found on the Internet. It makes me squee with joy every time, because surprises are the best!
5) I look forward to "Lunch Weekly" all week long. If you don't get Publishers Lunch yet (the free industry newsletter you can subscribe to here), go sign up immediately! You'll get publishing news all week, and once a week (like today), they send an update showing new book deals for the week, including debut authors :). GO DEBS!
So, what about you? Anything to confess this week? ;)
Today, I embarked on an adventure. I let a stranger touch my naked body. WHAT?! you say? Okay, it's nothing seedy. I got my first massage!
Now, I mention this because I'm a shy person. I don't get "naked." I get nervous in a bathing suit, people. But today, I said "What the hell" and stripped down in the name of relaxation.
It was awesome.
As I was lying there, getting more and more comfortable in a situation that terrified me not long ago, I started thinking about our writing lives.
Aren't we daring to get naked when we put our work out there? Doesn't it feel like putting it all out there and waiting nervously to see if anyone will laugh? Or point? Or ooh and ahh ;)?
It's a leap of faith that leaves us at our most exposed. After all, once the book is out there, there's no getting it back. It's out there for good. Hangin' in the wind.
As I was lying under the sheet tonight, I realized I was strangely comfortable, and glad I took the leap of faith. The massage was a great experience--and would have been VERY different if I'd chickened out and kept my pants on.
So, what do you guys think? Are you ready to get naked? Book-wise, I mean? ;)
Are you ready to take that leap of faith and leave yourself exposed?
As a couple of you know, I've been at home from work healing up from an illness for the past week, and have been taking some to relax (Feeling much better now, btw!)
Over the course of this relaxation, I learned a few things:
1) Netflix is the best invention ever. Sanitation? Not that important. The wheel? PAH! Let's see "the wheel" get me instantly streaming dating reality tv shows. Yeah, that's what I thought. I love you, Netflix.
2) Taking an icy beverage with you into the shower is fun! Seriously, try it. It feels so wrong, yet so right. Pure home alone awesomeness.
3) GRACELING, by Kristin Gashore, is one of my new favorite novels! It's fresh traditional fantasy, if that makes any sense, and I LOVED this book. It's been awhile since a novel made me as happy as Hunger Games, and this one did it :). If you love Fantasy, I highly recommend it.
4) My internet friends are the best. I mean, okay, I already pretty much knew this. But I love you guys! I got a couple of emails from my writing buddies just checking in, and it completely made my week.
5) Agents are hilarious. I tentatively got back online today and almost fainted when I saw how behind I am on reading blogs, but came across a few gems as I was surfing. This post from Janet Reid (the Query Shark) made me laugh out loud. I missed this stuff, man.
6) The odds of getting published are awesome if you are an awesome writer! Yes, if you don't totally suck, the odds go from 1/100,000 to something much more manageable. Just take Lisa & Laura (ooh, and go enter their Kindle contest before it's too late!) and Christine Fonseca who got publishing contracts (YAAAY!), and Elana Johnson, who just got an agent! WOOT!
Just like the picture of the afro duck above, this week has been a very pleasant surprise.
How are you guys doing? Anything you've learned? ;)
This past week I actually took some time off both from blogging and writing to recharge my batteries :).
It felt great, and now I feel like I'm ready to really nail my edits and finish Legacy of the Empress once and for all.
At this point, it's a lot of minor word adjustments, killing the last bits of passive voice, and fixing places where I repeat words. So, wish me luck this week, and good luck to you!
How have your week's been so far? Any progress?
Okay, so this blog chain is actually a wee bit FUBAR because of me this time around. Heh. Oops! I apologize that this chain is a little loopified.
This time around, Christine chose the topic:
How do you create a wonderfully dramatic story? Are there any questions you ask yourself, or specific things you keep in mind to ensure that you have the level of tension necessary to propell the story forward?
Fantastic topic!
One question that never fails me is "What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?" Usually we ask this to reassure ourselves that we're okay, but when I ask it, my characters cringe inside my head. They know I'm gunning for them.
The question is really "What's the worst thing that could possibly happen to my characters right now?" followed by "and will it work?"
Sometimes you can't do the worst thing. You can't kill everyone off in the first chapter, for example, because then your story would be very short. And boring. And sort of pointless. However, you can put the characters into an impossible situation where they might be killed at any moment! The conflict in your story rises automatically.
Show no mercy. Life isn't merciful after all. But I also can't forget that I'm trying to tell a good story which means it has to be satisfying. "Satisfying" can mean different things to different people, but nothing can be senseless or without purpose in your story. Every bad or crazy thing must happen for a reason. Even unpleasant or cliffhanger endings were purposefully crafted.
So, in summary I suppose I ask myself three things while writing:
1) What's the worst thing that could happen?
2) Does it work?
3) Is it satisfying or purposeful?
Also, if you're in a jam, I've heard people swear that all you need to do when you're stuck is shoot a character. It doesn't work for me, but it might for you! :) Let the bodies hit the floor, and have fun.
So, what say you? How do you create drama in your stories?
Please check out Amanda before me, and Sandra tomorrow!
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