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Showing posts from September, 2011

NOT me

Someone contacted me privately to ask if I was the one who had such a hard time with Ellora's Cave. She'd heard from someone else that I had a major beef with them and she wanted the deets. Huh? No, not me. Maybe she thought I was unhappy because I asked for the rights back on a book ( Thank You, Mrs. M ). I wanted the book back because it wasn't selling there. (and okay, I don't think Blush does that well--that is a rumor. A RUMOR. Which is the sort of thing I'm trying to quash here.) And yo, hey, damn--who knows if that story will ever sell anywhere? The book has no sex and an odd structure. It's not YA and it's not plain old adult. It's probably doomed everywhere. Back to that email. After I read it, I figured I should make a public announcement, and what better place than my blog? I have no problem with EC . I've liked my editors. I like the fast communication. Every email I've gotten from Raelene is clear and professional. They pay e

happy birthday to meee; I'm a hundred and threee

Tomorrow, actually. This is a big birthday--not for me so much as for my kid who was born on my birthday, twenty-one years ago. Here's what I always say about my kid and by god it NEVER GETS OLD** because it never is untrue: He was the best present I ever got and the hardest to unwrap. I remember holding my little dumpling, that tiny wonton, in the hospital thinking, "when he's a grown-up, at 21, I'll be so old." I was wrong about two things: he's not a grown up and I'm not old. Old is about 15 years older than I am at this moment and that has been true since I hit 15 or so and felt like an adult. So this is a big birthday for the kid and the first birthday we're not going to bug him or even see him--I imagine because he plans to get skunked. He requested we not join him for the big day...not in a rude way. Actually he was extremely polite about it, as is proper for a (near) adult. It's a long shot from the days when we used to celebrate

Play Dead, a really late SBD

Harlen Coben should have gone through this book and dealt with the crapola cluttering the pages before selling it to us. He's a fine writer and must see how WTF it is. Cliches mixed with purple telling-not-showing, bizarro POV shifts, yada yada yada. Is he really that blind to his own prose? I hope I'm not that out of it when it come to my own books--I suspect I am but wowwee. We're not talking about me. We're talking about a guy who makes a gazillion bucks on some well-written prose. This does not fit that bill. Who convinced him this was a good idea? A money-hungry agent? The over-the-top plot is kind of a hoot. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Motivation of the main character? Dumb. The constant mentions of (big bosomed) beauty o' the ladies annoyed the hell of me. But mostly what got to me was the language. Ugh. Dude. If I'd gotten this as a self-published freebie I would be indignant. On the other hand, it's fun to see how far Coben has come. I bet the now-com

All weddings should have human gerbil balls

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Sounds obscene, eh? Here's what I mean--walking on water. A niece got married in Greensboro, VT, smart girl. Perfect weather, friendly people (heavy on the Swarthmorians, aka Swatties, but they were reasonably civilized) and a gerbil ball. photo by Aya, who also took a turn inside.  Theme from this wedding is definitely spheres. 

take my advice, please

Maybe later on I will too. First I have to wash the dog, read the paper, stare off into space, research hat designs in the early 1900s, look up the lyrics of a song from the 1970s . . . .  Here's how to kick your own butt into work mode.

Plotting at Barnes and Noble

Current discussion: Can a bandersnatch be non-frumious? Does it really smell like a jackal? Surely that slug-like creature in several illustrations is a misrepresentation. What is funnier, a penguin or orc shapeshifter? Can a werewolf be an animal care-giver, or would the central conflict of constantly craving blood at the full moon mean that zoo-keeping is right out as a profession.

another one of those days

I'm ready to pack it in and call it quits. I have those every few months...I expect every writer does.  According to the rules I set out for myself, I'm supposed to sit down and get to work on a story. But this case is worse than usual. It's beyond self pity (although I suppose that's impossible) and into numb.  I'm going to have a birthday in a few weeks and the goals I set for myself a few years ago? Not even close to met. That's the trouble with goal-setting. You get yourself into trouble and end up standing in front of the boss's desk. She looks at you with grave disappointment and taps on the lists you made. She shakes her head sadly and talks about how you never lived up to your potential. The numbers aren't there for us. I think I'll take the dog for a walk and consider what ought to come next. Maybe I'll eat chocolate pudding and watch old Dr. Who episodes.

THE WINNER!

is Casey Wyatt! (She did have four entries so it's not entirely surprising.) I'm going to be emailing you a gift e-certificate to Amazon. Happy reading.

I'm listening to Lisa Gardner (SBD short edition) plus last pimpage

D.D.Warren annoyed me at first but now I love that D.D. Stubborn, humorless, determined, smart, but the last to figure it out sometimes--yup, that's my girl. I. LOVE . HER. Bobby is okay, but D.D.'s the fun one. Lisa Gardner is my newest glom. As  for the plots, I'm not real sure I adore the over-the-top plots as much as I love the characters, but that's fine.The first person followed by third person structure of the books is odd. I've only read a couple so I wonder if it's consistent in the series. I have to get back to work editing the latest m/m Bonnie and I wrote. Also I have to get ready to deal with my contest as in assemble the entries. Listen, you get busy too.   You have an hour or two to enter. Let me know if you enter so I can add you to my list. 

I SET HER FREE

Listen! I've taken their advice and Seducing Miss Dunaway (a Victorian Romance) is available at no cost -- BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME! You can get it at Smashwords -- add coupon AM66Z and get a 100 % discount. It's free, with no coupon, over at All Romance Ebook. And I'm still waiting for Amazon to catch up. I'll let you know when it does .

Promo Whine

I think I wouldn't mind doing promo if I thought it made any difference. Most of the time I feel as if I'm yelling into a crowd of people who are also yelling. A huge group of costermongers extolling the virtues of their cabbages. You get hoarse with all that shouting and you still have a wagon full of cabbages. Several people have suggested I make my latest book free for a few days. I have a horrible feeling that if I did that, it still wouldn't become popular. There's nothing more discouraging than offering something for free and getting no takers. Maybe I should ply everyone with beer first. Maybe if I put on the spike heels and the red dress . . .Okay, no way, I think I'll stick with the costermonger imagery. Anyway, SOMEONE is going to get a coupon from Amazon in a couple of days . I hope it's you. And do not forget -- if you enter the contest, you have to let me know. Really. 

The cover of a book out in December

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Eye-catching! So what do you think is the mood of this book? Slightly comical? A guy who's been battered by conditions beyond his control? Yes, that's right. ( Not a guy with itchy balls, dammit.)

The OFFICIAL CONTEST POST

Okay, smart people are emailing me saying whu? huh? about this contest, so it's time to have a post with no bells and whistles, telling you the basic facts. No big, colorful fonts and no whining. It'll hurt, but I'll manage. THE CONTEST runs today through next Monday, Sept 12. A winner will be picked about 6 pm eastern time.  WHAT YOU WILL WIN Everyone is a winner! You will get any Summer Devon or Kate Rothwell ebook title (I can't send you Somebody to Love, Somebody Wonderful or Claws on Silk. Still, that's a fair sized lot of books to pick from.) You will also be entered to win a twenty-five dollar gift e-certificate from Amazon. Winner picked next Monday. Your chances of winning depend on how many people enter and how many entries you have (up to three possible). HOW TO ENTER JUST tweet, facebook o r blog about one of my two new books ( Claws on Silk and Protecting Miss Dunaway ), using a link that goes directly to that book.   Okay,

HEY! Summer Devon has a new book out!

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So turns out I've got TWO releases I'm jumping around yelling about! Here's the deal. You can now enter the contest THREE TIMES. . One entry for each book and one for the contest itself.  Find out details here .  If you lose all your followers because they are sick of hearing about Kate Rothwell and Summer Devon ** at least: You'll be in good company (me)  You'll be the proud owner of an ebook  You may be able to buy more books with your shiny new e-certificate for twenty five dollars. Especially if you enter multiple times. So go on, read the directions at the link above or the blog entry below and enter the contest. And here's a link to the new ebook. http://www.loose-id.com/Claws-on-Silk.aspx You can write your coolio tweet/facebook/blog third entry using that link. Sample Facebook contest entry: Summer Devon (who's also Kate Rothwell) has another book out. I know, not my fault. I just want to enter her contest again, okay? Go read all about C

Listen, I'm not above bribery

I got a great fan letter the other day. She loved my book and it was so nice to read that kind of enthusiasm, makes my day--it always does. I should be content. Naturally I want more. I want reviews. I didn't beg her to write one over at Amazon, and I can't demand you do that either*. But I crave attention for my books. Here's the sweet, sweet deal: Want a free book? Sure! I'll send you a copy of any of my Kate Rothwell OR Summer Devon ebooks (exceptions: not Somebody to Love or Somebody Wonderful. I can't figure out how to do that) . BUT Stay tuned for an even more stunning offer, just for you . . .  TO RECEIVE YOUR BOOK and TO GET YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A GREAT GIFT . . .  ** All you have to do is blog or post or tweet something about my new book. Here's some text for you that'll fit that twitter feed just copy and paste (or feel free to make your own.) Kate Rothwell has a new cheap ebook out! Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005J0