Chatterday: Do you pay attention to blog reviews

This week's questions are pretty simple: Do you read book reviews on blogs? If so, when do they influence you? If not, why not?

I'm asking because I send out a lot of copies of my books to blogger for review, but I wonder if they are effective.

My Novel's Journey: Neeta Lyffe II: Inspiration Comes from Writing

What comes first, inspiration or writing?

I think most folks believe that you need to be inspired in order to write, but here's the secret writers who produce works quickly know: Sometimes you have to write before you get inspired.

Here's an example from this week's work on Neeta Lyffe II: I Left My Brains in San Francisco: When I started this week's writing, all I knew was that they were at the exterminator's conference in San Francisco, and that they would have to take on some zombies and that Ted and Neeta needed to get their relationship straightened out. Oh, and Marcel Chelemas would be after Neeta's affections (or at least her body.) Neeta and Ted had signed in at the conference, had the embarrassing situation of sharing one very romantic room (where Ted is being so gentlemanly he might as well be celibate.) They met up with Roscoe (from Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator) and met his true love, Cameron (of the indeterminate gender). It was the next day, and Neeta had to go to an interview with SanFranciscoOnline.

I had no idea what she was going to do there. Rather than put it aside, I just delved in writing.

First, I realized while writing the dinner scene with Roscoe and Cam that Neeta never really worked through her feelings about killing Bergie in the first book. I mean, she knew she did the right thing, but how do you get over chopping off a friend's head with a chainsaw? From that realization--which only came about from writing the dinner scene--I decided to start her day with a nightmare she'd only half remember.

And while we're doing a nightmare, let's have Bergie's head deliver an ominous warning? That also came from the dinner conversation and the comedy act they were watching.

So, you know the expression, "Put your character in a tree. Put vicious dogs at the base. Throw rocks."? Neeta's in the tree. I have no idea where the dogs are or what my rocks look like. So I just start with her waking up and let her lead me.

She didn't remember the dream at all, just woke up flustered. Inspiration--Bergie will have to come back, each time, she'll recall just a bit more. Now I have future scenes figured out.

Since she's flustered for no reason, she finds one--Ted. Are they dating or not? Oh, and she doesn't want to do the interview and she's tired of worrying about money... That takes me until she's dressed and waking up Ted so he can get ready for the conference.

By now, the subconscious has taken over. The characters are acting on their own and I just record. As they do, I get new glimpses of how things work:

Ted makes a comment about not being jealous because he's got nothing to be jealous of. He and I know it's because he's confident that Neeta and he are meant to be, but Neeta doesn't know that. He also tells her that they are spending the next morning together on Fisherman's Warf. At this point, I'm at my goal for the day.

The next day, I have to write the interview. I almost decided to skip this scene and wait to see what I need to foreshadow, but I figured I could at least get her to the studio. As I started writing, I realized I didn't want a typical studio for an online show, so I looked up houses for sale in San Francisco and based it on a nice one I found in the $500,000 range. Suddenly, I knew the story behind the studio--the family business of a former TV anchor with a jealous husband who decided to quit TV to stay home with the kids. Her husband suggested they start their own online show and now it's hugely successful.

Jealous husband? What about Ted not being jealous, ever? Inspiration--for Neeta and me. Suddenly, Marcel has weaseled his way onto the show, mostly with the intention of meeting Neeta. Neeta sees the husband's protective reaction to Marcel being around his wife, and thinks maybe she could provoke a reaction from her own man.

End result, she let herself get talked into doing something with Marcel when she's supposed to be at Fisherman's Warf with Ted.

And now I know what I'm writing tomorrow.

The thing is, if I'd let myself wait until all this came to me, it would not have. It took the physical act of writing them through the events to let my characters tell me what comes next.

Writing doesn't need to begin with inspiration, but writing breeds inspiration.

Reviews and other Coolness for ISIG II

What a great tour! Thanks again to everyone who hosted me.

Here are some snippets from the reviews:

"You are probably thinking that Infinite Space, Infinite God II is religious; nothing could be farther from the truth. What you get in Infinite Space, Infinite God II, is science fiction written well by authors who know how to spin a good tale." http://rjmbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/infinite-space-infinite-god-ii.html

"The Ghosts of Kourion by Andrew M. Seddon is outstanding...an exceptionally well-told saga. Antivenin by Karina Fabian, ... rescue nuns in space, a fascinating concept. An Exercise in Logic by Barton Paul Levenson, ...well worth reading. Cathedral by Tamara Wilhite...a thought-provoking, futuristic tale. The Battle of the Narthex by Alex Lobdell...Humor, excitement and futuristic devices will keep you reading to the end." http://summitbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/infinite-space-infinite-god-ii-editors.html

"an entertaining read with twists and turns that will leave you thinking about the possible future of our world. ...One of the most touching stories, at least to me, was “Dyads” by Ken Pick and Alan Loewen." http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com/2011/04/infinite-space-infinite-god-ii.html


"Twelve stories that will take you places that you have never been to discover new things about the human condition from a viewpoint that you may not have considered before. Thank you Karina and Robert Fabian for finding these stories and presenting them for us in this anthology." http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/infinite-space-infinite-god-ii-edited-by-karina-and-robert-fabian/

"Just because the stories have virtuous underpinnings, don’t presume these are soft kiddie tales. These stories are core sci-fi taking the reader emotionally from apocalyptic doubt to Flash Gordon-like adventure. Some are thought provoking and some are just fun. Enjoy the trip!" http://www.litland.com/blog/2011/04/22/12-days-of-sci-fi-infinite-space-infinite-god-ii/

And, for additional coolness, a letter from the Vatican (well, the American Nunciat) thanking us on behalf of the Pope for sending him a copy. (Hope he reads it.)

My Novel's Journey: Neeta Lyffe II: Marcel Chelemas

For me, the real fun of a book is the characters. So, today, I'd like to introduce you to Marcel...!


Isn't he a hottie? He thinks so, too. His good looks, cajun charm and street smarts almost make up for his narcissism and shallowness. He's probably the guy you want to date once--and frankly, that suits him jes' fine, himself. Just like his gold tooth shining from among his perfect pearly whites, he's aware of his character flaw and knows how to work it. Like he says, he's got signature style.

Marcel wins Zombie Death Extreme-Bayou, but rather than putting his million into an extermination business, he puts it into producing and marketing a self-help video, You CAN Survive the Zombie Apocalypse! Of course, he says he was inspired by one of the episodes of Neeta's season of ZDE, but how can you turn down the chance to do good and get rich without having to deal with the undead except perhaps in simulation?

Marcel grew up in the back streets of the French Quarter. Papa was an alcoholic; Mama dabbled in the "arts." The streets raised him, and he raised Cain--actually, Kane, his little brother. Little brother, however, grew up like Papa until the day he disappeared and came back two weeks later as the shambling undead. That was Marcel's first re-kill, at the tender age of twenty. (When he says it, the girls sigh, honest.) The good thing about it was Pa sobered up, but it was too little, too late as far as Marcel was concerned. He knew who he could depend on: his own dam' self. He was going to make the world his oyster, swallow that down, and find a new world to make his.

Now, he's in the new world of celebrities, thanks to ZDE, and he's got his goals. Top of the list is wooing a certain Anaheim exterminator away from her goofy boyfriend.



I got this photo from sxc.hu. It was taken by stylesr1.

New Cover for Infinite Space, Infinite God

We love the cover for the original Infinite Space, Infinite God, but it was not the intended art. Twilight Times had commissioned Damon Bryan Shackelford
to do a Marian procession with aliens. We'd loved the idea, and Damon even wanted to put the contributor's faces in it. How cool is that? Unfortunately, time constraints and some difficulties in details meant it didn't get done in time, and we went with the smashing cover by Kurt Ozinga.

However, Lida, the publisher, really liked the idea, and with ISIG II out, she decided it was time to give ISIG a new look. She went back to Damon, who was able to make the changes. Here's the result, without the title, etc. What do you think? Me, I'm geeking out!

Get ISIG I or II at Amazon. The Kindle versions are on sale for 2.99 through April 23!

Chatterday: Can you cut your manuscript?

Thursday, I talked about cutting manuscripts and gave some tips. Today, I want to know..

How do you cut your manuscript? Can you do it? Is it hard? Share with us a story about your best editing victory or worse editing nightmare.

Write Tight--tips for cutting your prose.

I read a story about Spider Robinson, one of the greats in science fiction, and how he learned to write tight. He used to submit stories to Astounding Magazine and editor John Campbell--a pioneer of the genre--would write him back saying, essentially, "Great story. Cut it by half. "(or a third, I don't remember which.) Spider would then rant and snarl, then get to work, cut the story, and find himself surprised that not only could he do it, but that the story turned out great.

This past week, I felt very close to Spider. I did another cutting marathon; this time, taking my novella "Greater Treasures" from 10,000 words to 13,300. It taxed my philosophy that just about any story can be cut by a third, and it took six hours to get to size, but I did it and I like the result.

Cutting can be very hard for writers--every word is important, right? In truth, you can chop and still preserve the story. Here're some hints:

1. Kill the passive voice. Usually, you can find a stronger verb for "was" or "has."
2. Kill progressive voice. This is was/is and a ver ending in -ing. Vern talks in progressive voice a lot, but I've found that when cutting, I can use a simple past tense instead. "I watched" instead of "I was watching." This is not always the case, though, so be careful.
3. Kill the -ly words by using a stronger verb. "I moved quietly" becomes "I stalked."
4. Kill off or combine characters. If you have a lot of side characters, you can make some do double-duty or remove them totally. Do you really need the taxi driver AND the barman to give your protagonist advice, or can one do it--or maybe a different character, like an informant? In another story I cut this week, I had two cops, but one was more decoration. He got removed.
5. Cut asides and side plots. Does your character really need that trip down memory lane? Does the conversation further the plot or is it just interesting? Anything that does not move the plot forward can be cut.
6. Don’t be so clever. This was the hard one for me. Vern has a lot of sarcastic comments to make, but I had to sacrifice some in order to make the word count. Oddly, even though they hurt while cutting, I didn't notice their absence when reading the final version aloud. Your readers will not know the great material that ended up on the cutting room floor, but if you cut intelligently, you will keep the spirit and have enough wit still in the cleaner version to make an impact.

Cutting, once you get into the swing of it, is actually a fun challenge. Seldom now do editors come back like Mr. Campbell asking for cuts, but you might try this exercise on some of your own work. You might get it down to a size that makes it more marketable, or come up with a version that will get you into a different market--like flash. Either way, it's a good way to learn what's really essential and to help you learn to "write tight."

Here's a little before-and-after. Do you miss the 30 words I axed?
Before:

Grace hid the TV by closing the door to the closet in which it stood, then peered out the miniblinds. "She's good with the dogs--friendly, but not gushing over them. Nice outfit--business, but not too out of place. Sensible shoes. Her hair's redder than mine."

The window was partly open, so I used my sniffer. "Out of a bottle. She's got money, too. More than you should carry around in this part of town."

"Good. The mortgage is due and I need some supplies for the workshop. And I've flooded the ‘local’ arcane market with dragon urine."

I shrugged. Every part of a dragon--from fangs to fewmets--has some kind of magical value and is highly prized in the magical market on Faerie. Of course, St. George had taken most of that away from me with his spell, but there was one thing he couldn't mess with, and that was a natural reaction of dragon digestion. I didn't mind filling a few bottles to sell. Too much of our work depended on Grace's magic.

"Here she comes," Grace said and took her place at her desk. She used a cantrip to open the door just before our stranger could.

"Welcome to Dragon Eye Private Investigation Agency," I said over her discomfiture. "I'm Vern and this is Sister Grace. How can we help you?"

After:
Grace sighed with relief as she turned off the TV. The local Geraldo-wannabe had invited a couple of Mundane Neo-Nazis and some Faerie toughs to discuss their differences. One skinhead had just announced that once they had eradicated the "fairy contagion," they'd resume their crusade to purify the "proper" human race. I'd been betting the audience would storm the stage and was looking forward to the ensuing ruckus.

"Awww…"

"The mortgage is due and I need supplies for the workshop," Grace scolded. "And I've flooded the ‘local’ arcane market with dragon urine."

"Okay." Every part of a dragon--from fangs to fewmets--has magical value. Of course, St. George had taken most of that away from me with his spell, but there was one thing he couldn't mess with, and that was a natural reaction of dragon digestion. I didn't mind filling a few bottles to sell. Too much of our work depended on Grace's magic. But you could only sell so much, so I made nice as our customer entered.

"Welcome to Dragon Eye Private Investigation Agency. I'm Vern and this is Sister Grace. How can we help you?"

"My name is Eva, Eva Heidler, and…" She sniffled.

Announcing the ISIG II book tour

Check out the Blog Tour--lots of reviews!

Fabianspace www.fabianspace.com 11-Apr info Susanne Drazic http://susannedrazic.blogspot.com/ 11-Apr gen info Grace Bridges reviews.splashdownbooks.com 12-Apr review John Konecsni Apiusman.blogspot.com 11,12-Apr Interview, guest blog Lisa Hendey CatholicMom.com 13-Apr guest post Confessions of a Cooperator raeblog.blogspot.com 13-Apr interview Teri Harmon www.teribelle.wordpress.com 13-Apr guest post Penny Ehrenkranz http://tinyurl.com/pleisig 14-Apr guest post Beverly Mcclure http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com 15-Apr review The Baptized Imagination baptizedimagination.com 16-Apr commentary Chelle Cordero http://cce613.xanga.com/ 17-Apr info Katie Hines http://katiehines.blogspot.com 17-Apr guest post Fabianspace www.fabianspace.com 18-Apr blog Rebecca Russell http://rryalsrussell.com/blog/ 19-Apr interview Julie Davis http://happycatholic.blogspot.com/ 19-Apr review Naomi Clark http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/ 20-Apr guest post Homeschool Blogger www.homeschoolblogger.com/ohiosarah 20-Apr review Character Education Criteria Reviews http://www.litland.com/reviews.html 21-Apr Review, guest post Chelle Cordero http://cce613.xanga.com/ 22-Apr guest post First Wild Card Tours http://firstwildcardtours.blogspot.com/ 22-Apr review So What Do We Think http://www.litland.com/blog/ 22-Apr Review, guest post Laura O'Neill http://daybydayinourworld.blogspot.com/ 22-Apr review Victor Gentile vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com 22-Apr Review Summit Book Reviews http://summitbookreviews.blogspot.com/ 22-Apr review You Gotta Read Book Reviews http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com 22-Apr interview Marian Allen http://MarianAllen.com 23-Apr interview Frank Creed http://blog.frankcreed.com/ 23-Apr review Fabianspace www.fabianspace.com 25-Apr reviews

Kindle:

Chatterday: How do you market?

I've been marketing books for years now, and while I'm pretty good at getting the word out, I'm not so good at "closing the sale." I'm thinking that my approach is too shallow, and that I need to #1 reach the people who are really interested in my books and #2 give them enough information to make them want to buy the book or recommend it to someone who will buy. Let's face it: much as we want to say online sales are the wave of the future, it's still the brick-and-mortar books that sell better, easier.

Of course, the more books I have out and the more genres I write in, the more difficult it gets to research and reach a target audience.

So, I'm starting a newsletter, as most of you know. (If you missed that, scroll down, please). But I'd love to hear your ideas as well.

What do you do to really get the word out about your books? How do you handle multiple genres?

Would you join my book news list?

This week, I forewent writing in order to work on marketing. I'm trying something new by making a mailing list to let folks know about new books coming out. Why?

Have you seen that funny video about Twitter where the guys says, "You're all just shouting in the dark!" Well, when it comes to my books, I feel a lot like that. Despite all my social networking and such, I wonder if I'm actually reaching folks who are interested. I feel in the dark.

I'm looking for the people with the torches--the ones who have an interest in learning more about my books or who know someone who might be interested and are glad to pass the information along. Will you be a torchbearer for me?

Here's how you can help: I'd like to have you in a core list of folks who like my work or (to be brutally honest) like me enough to give me the benefit of a doubt once in a while. When I have a book to promote--one that's come out or one that is getting a boost--I'd like to e-mail you to see if it interests you. If so, let me know and I'll put you on a list to send you a couple more e-mails with more information: a video of the book, a little about how I came to make it, a sample chapter... I'll even try to get it on sale for folks on this list. And if you have a friend who might be interested, I hope you'll pass the info on.

What's in it for you: Each time you opt-in to get more info about a book, I will put your name in a raffle for a copy of one of my books, a t-shirt or tuition for one of my writing classes at SavvyWriters--your choice. And if you recommend me to a friend who then gets on my list--I will put your name in the raffle again.

Click here to respond by April 9, and I will send you a copy of my newly revised short story, "Fern Gullible" from my DragonEye, PI universe. Plus, I'll put you in a raffle for a copy of one of my books, a t-shirt, or tuition for one of my classes at SavvyWriters. I will announce the winner April 11.

Here's hoping you'll be a torchbearer!

(Many of you got this request via e-mail. Thanks for those who responded by joining the list and especially to those who sent personal notes of support, advice and offers of help. I know so many terrific people!)

New program makes it easy to edit backwards

I love the cool stuff that happens at the Catholic Writers Conference Online!

During the conference, some of us were chatting about editing, and a couple of us mentioned the value of reading your manuscript backwards. I've told you this before: Start with your last sentence; read, evaluate and edit; then move to the next sentence; and so on until you reach the first sentence of your manuscript. It separates the words from the context and lets you consider each sentence on its own merit.

Bill Powell said, "There ought to be an easy program for re-arranging the manuscript for you." People loved the idea. Most of us thought it'd be some kind of programming nightmare, but he said he could do it.

And he did!

Check out Proofread backwards. It's a free program online that will re-arrange your manuscript. It's super-easy, too. I plugged in a plain text version of Fern Gullible, and got this:

========================================================================

PROOFREADBACKWARDS.WINESKINMEDIA.COM

Original file: Fern_Gullible_by_Karina_Fabianpt.txt

Reversed for free at http://proofreadbackwards.wineskinmedia.com

Email to leave comments and feedback.

========================================================================

[Original End of Manuscript]

Fabian--Fern Gullible--7

----

I tilted my head toward the third-story apartment, where with my keen senses, I could hear Willow and Maden laughing as Fern told her all about her "dream."

----

Like I said, it's on my Territory."

----

"Nah.

----

Are you charging to department for this one, Vern?"

----

I'll think about it.

----

"All right!

----

Santry sighed.

----

The shut the window, but not before we heard the laughter.

----

"Rumplestiltskin!"

----

We looked to where Willow, Maden and Fern leaned out the window, Fern's head on the gnome's.

----

"Captain Santry!"

----

He grumbled.

----

"Yeah, I'll consider it."

All I can say is, "Bill! You da MAN!"

Review: Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

Mini Review:

What I enjoyed about it were the stories themselves--three new mysteries, lots of comraderie and excitement and an interesting peek at international politics and religion of that age. Ann Lewis has a wonderful feel for the characters; you can tell she's a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Holmes pastiches--and to the casual mystery reader who enjoys Holmes' & Watson's adventures.

One note: Do not expect to see these guys modernized. Lewis stays as close to the era as possible. I'll leave it to others to speak to it's "authenticity." Still, to my inexpert eye, it's very close to the tone and approach of the Great Detective. That just makes the book that much more fun.

Purchase Murder in the Vatican

Amazon purchase link: http://amzn.to/hT2gK5

Purchase from the publisher: http://www.wessexpress.com/

Want to know more? Visit these stops on the Murder in the Vatican virtual book tour.

Tribute Books Reviews	http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com	2-Apr		interview
Fabianspace	www.fabianspace.com	2-Apr		review
Susanne Drazic	http://susannedrazic.blogspot.com/	2-Apr		gen info
Time With Tannia	http://timewithtannia.tripod.com/	2-Apr		interview
Marian Allen	http://MarianAllen.com	3-Apr		interview
John Konecsni	http://apiusman.blogspot.com	4-Apr		Interview +guest post
Baker Street Blog	http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/	5-Apr		guest post
Penny Ehrenkranz	http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com	6-Apr		interview
Julie Davis	http://happycatholic.blogspot.com/	7-Apr		review
Lisa Hendey	http://CatholicMom.com	7-Apr		guest post
Impact Reviews	http://www.chadlavender.com/impact	8-Apr		review
The Writing Life for	http://thewritinglifeforme.blogspot.com/	8-Apr		interview
Naomi Clark	http://naomi-jay.livejournal.com/	9-Apr		guest post
Character Education Criteria Reviews	http://www.litland.com/reviews.html	11-Apr		review + guest post
So What Do We Think	http://www.litland.com/blog/	12-Apr		review + guest post
Katie Hines	http://katiehines.blogspot.com	14-Apr		guest post
The Detective Eye	http://tinyurl.com/mitvwiki	15-Apr		Review + interview
Teri Harmon	www.teribelle.wordpress.com	16-Apr		guest post
Cheryl Malandrinos	http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com	18-Apr		Review + guest post
Author Caprice Hokstad	http://caprice.splashdownbooks.com/	20-Apr		review