Book Swag

If you're not a writer, most likely you don't know how important book reviews are to writers. Obviously, it makes a difference to people deciding whether to read your book or not. But reviews affect whether Amazon will suggest a novel to readers, and some book advertisers won't consider a novel that doesn't have enough reviews.

Of course, authors know how hard it is to write reviews. That's why we appreciate the reviews so much--that someone took the time to thoughtfully share their feelings about our books means a lot to us.

I've been thinking of ways to encourage more people to write reviews and give all my readers a chance to have fun. So I came up with the idea of giving away book swag. I currently have 23 reviews of Screwing Up Time on Amazon. If I get five more reviews, I'm going to do a Rafflecopter giveaway that anyone can enter. And I'm going to do the same with Screwing Up Babylon. I have eight reviews on Amazon. Whenever I get five more reviews, I'm going to do another giveaway.

The two items up for the first giveaways are coffee mugs. Here's a photo of what they look like.

Giveaways for mugs are limited to the US.

Here's link for Screwing Up Time if you'd like to write a review. 

And here's a link for Screwing Up Babylon.

Victor Hugo and Me

I got just back from Paris! My husband and I had a wonderful time. While we were there Cal and I went to a restaurant called Le Grand Vefour to celebrate our anniversary. The food was fantastic, and the ambiance was amazing--gilt decorations, mirrors, plush velvet, etc. Interestingly, LGV has been a restaurant since 1784. And it has been a hot spot for writers, politicians, and those spreading sedition (not mutually exclusive categories). Napoleon, Sarte, et al. had their own tables. We ate at Victor Hugo's table!

Here are some photos. If you want to read more about our Paris trip, click "Really, I'm Not French."

Paris Vacation

I'm sorry I didn't get a post up on Tuesday. But I'm in Paris!!

My husband and I are celebrating our anniversary.

Here's a photo to enjoy.

The Shakespeare and Company bookstore is just around the corner from the apartment we're staying in.

Sandstorm!

If you’ve read Screwing Up Babylon, you know that a sandstorm figures in the plot. I loved writing it, but it was a stretch because I’ve never been in a sandstorm. I did a lot of research, Googling sandstorms and watching them online. I watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol—amazing movie which features a sandstorm (though that type of sandstorm is highly unlikely in Dubai due to the climate and geography).

My dad watched the movie with me. He used to live in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. (My dad has been everywhere. His travel advice is “don’t ask what you’re being served—it’s hard to eat sheep eyes in sauce when you know that’s what they are.”) In any case, when we saw the movie together, my dad pointed out various spots and gave me all the gossip about them. And the discussion morphed into his experience with sandstorms in other areas. There’s nothing like getting the details from someone who knows what a sandstorm smells like, sounds like, and even tastes like. Even more fun, he didn’t know I was asking him questions for my novel. Then, when he read it later, he found out how much he helped me—it’s like a gift I can give to him. And it’s a gift he gives to my readers.

  

BTW, the other day, I was reading an article that suggested that readers like to read about the personal lives of the authors they enjoy. To that end, if you’re interested, check out my blog, A Merry Heart, where I talk about the craziness that is everyday life. (For some reason that only the imps who run blogger know, my post on the wolf beater purse got posted here last week as well as on A Merry Heart. So, I guess that’s a sample for you.)

 Here’s a sandstorm.

Purse Buying

The other day, I realized that I had to buy a new black purse. My old one is coming apart at the seams. Bits of stiff wire are sticking out. But this is a problem because I hate shopping.

But, hey, that’s why Amazon exists. So people like me can purse shop from home. I pulled up Amazon and typed in “purses” and hit enter. Then, I discovered that Amazon carries 76,802 different purses. Really.

I don’t have time to look at 100 purses left alone 760 times that number. So I tossed in limiters like black, zippered, women’s, etc. (I had no idea you could buy “man purses.”) Then, I began looking through pages. And pages. And pages. Boy, there are a lot of ugly purses in the world. Rooster purses with heads and tail feathers. Purses with faces of saints. There was even a “wolf beater” purse, which had a picture of a snarling wolf with blood stain teeth and red leather bows on it. Though it may be appropriate for a Goth party, it’s not what I wanted. Not something I’d even dreamt was possible, even in a nightmare.

Eventually, I found regular purses. Except some didn’t have a shoulder strap. Others were the size of carry-on suitcases. Still others had reviews that said, “Don’t buy this—it’s a piece of junk.”

So, I kept looking. I did find some that I liked. But they were too small, only a lipstick tube or a credit card would fit inside. I need space for a wallet, cell phone, migraine medicine (just in case), two red pens and small notebook (you never know when a great idea might hit), and space for a Kindle. (Not completely necessary, but nice if possible. Having a Kindle available helps when I’m at the grocery store and a cashier and customer decide to “visit.” I’m a transplant to the South, so “visiting” seems like a huge waste of time to me. But here it’s done, and having a Kindle keeps me from saying, “Uh, excuse me, let’s move it along.”) Oops, digression. Sorry.

 And because of all those purse needs, I don’t really want a grocery sack of a purse. Purses should have organization compartments. I shouldn’t have to paw through my purse looking for the cellphone. There should be a pocket for it. And for my pens, notebook, migraine meds, etc. No doubt, you see my problem. I’m way too picky.

Eventually, I found a purse. It’s perfect in every way. Lots of pockets, proper size, shoulder strap, black, good reviews. Except it’s kind of ugly. But not as ugly as the wolf beater purse. So I guess I can live with it.

Here's a photo of the wolf beater purse. Okay, it's actually kind of cute in a weird sort of way.

  

Iron Fist tote bag (see more iron fists)

Using Your Jeweler's Loupe

One of the great pleasures I’ve discovered in writing time travel is that the past can be every bit as exotic as science fiction, that building the world of the past, though not a flight of fancy, can be just as creative.

When I wrote Screwing Up Time, I got to explore Bodiam Castle. I memorized the entire map of the castle, and I could probably find my way around blindfolded. I learned all about Medieval cuisine (cockentrice, wines, and spices), heraldry, and religious observances. In Screwing Up Babylon, I researched city maps, food, the Hanging Gardens, etc. I know all about palm wine, cuneiform, harems, and Archimedean screws. And for book three (here’s a hint), I learned about ostriches, anti-psychotics, tasers, and cone mosaics. I could write a dissertation on dumb waiters or draw an engineering schematic.

But all this information is the bane of an author too. Sometimes you come across a fact so amazing you want to share it with your readers, but it doesn’t fit into the plot. You try to make it work, but it doesn’t. And if something doesn’t advance the plot, you have to cut it—Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch called it “murdering your darlings.” And it’s so painful. I actually have documents where I store my murdered darlings because I just can’t quite snuff them out. When I put my little beauties there, I tell myself, I can always add them back in if I need them. I never have. I’ve never actually re-read them. They weren’t part of the story. They were just sparkly bits, and I was an enthralled magpie. But once I fitted my jeweler’s loupe, I can tell zircon from diamond. And zircon never belongs in a story.

Loupe photo by Adamantios, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

 BTW, Book Three in the Screwing Up Time series is currently with a beta reader. And she’s got her jeweler’s loupe firmly in place.

Hearing Voices

I’ve started a new book. (Don’t worry, I’m still working on book three of the Screwing Up Time series.) I’m only working on the new book at times when I wouldn’t be editing. And though this new book isn’t part of the SUT series, I do have plans for book four of the series, which has a setting that I’m very excited about.

This new book is different than the other books I’ve published. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I write more than young adult fiction. I also write what might be called literary fiction-historical fiction-upmarket women’s fiction. Yeah, kind of a hybrid. But what it’s called mostly depends on who’s describing it.

In any case, I started a new book and it’s made me think about how I write. When I write the SUT books, I know the main characters very well and their stories flow easily. But it’s different with a new cast of characters. I know the plot of the new book—not the details, but the highlights of the action and where the story is going to end up. In spite of that, I haven’t gotten beyond the first two thousand words. Every day, I keep coming back to those same words. I play with them. I alter them. I flesh them out, and then I cut them back.

I’m discovering the characters, three strangers at this point. (Though there will be more characters later.) And I’ve begun to tell their stories. But every day when I come back to the narrative and dialogue, something strikes me as “off.” So, I work with the words. Over and over again. I’m waiting for one thing. The voices. At some point, I’ll hear the characters’ voices instead of my own. And then, the novel will plunge forward because the characters will propel the story. Their desires, fears, and secrets will set everything in motion. And I’ll become the observer, the amanuensis recording their story.

In the meantime, I’ll keep editing those couple thousand words and editing book three.

Don't forget, Screwing Up Babylon is on sale at Amazon for 99 cents through Friday, April 26