Roads – we've been driving on a lot of them. Through major cities, around major cities, and out in the middle of nowhere.
When we started, as I mentioned earlier, we took the 'meet at a designated rest stop' option. Throughout Florida and Mississippi, they tended to be about 30-50 miles apart, which worked out well, giving us frequent opportunities to touch base and make sure everything was going well.When we hit Louisiana, we discovered that the signage didn't always live up to what it advertised. At one point, a sign said there was a stop in one mile, and the next would be about 39 miles farther down the road. I was in the lead at that point and called to see if hubby wanted to stop or wait. We'd decided to stop, even though it hadn't been that long since our lunch break. Glad we did, because that next stop which was supposed to be 39 miles away never materialized. At that point, we decided we'd stop at ALL official rest stops.Keep Reading...
Some highways didn't offer official rest stops, which meant leaving the highway at gas stations or restaurants (like all those Waffle House stops!). This meant a little more coordination, which would have been easier had cell phone reception worked better. Although we were normally not more than half a mile apart, the phones kept dropping calls before we could answer. Sometimes the calls would go straight to voice mail without even ringing.
In Texas, we were on US 287 for a long, long time. Rest stops were about 75-100 miles apart. However, there were picnic areas about every 30 miles. These were simply a couple of picnic tables under cover, with grills. No facilities of any kind. I guess these folks like to stop to eat at frequent intervals.
Other things of note. In some areas, driving in the left lane was not permitted except to pass. Of course, on these roads, the right lane was in miserable condition while the 'illegal' left lane was smooth.
The other day, I mentioned how Lori Wilde talked about giving characters different world views. When hubby and I would meet up, we'd compare what we'd seen, and many times we didn't "see" the same things. Of course, at 70+ mph, it's easy to be looking the other way at the instant something catches the other driver's eye, but there are also things that he'll zero in on that I might not notice.
He's much more likely to notice birds (and to identify them). I see some of them, but since I'm not as well versed in ornithology, I see many of them as generic 'birds'. He also knows that the aggregation of big white things was a wind farm. We both notice trains (hard to miss), but he's much more excited about them. And the John Deere dealerships.
Once we got into central Texas, the roads went on and on. Long, straight, with rolling hills. As expected, there were lots of cows. Lots of horses. What wasn't expected: llamas, which I saw but hubby didn't. He saw coyotes, but I didn't. But the kicker was the field with a herd of camels. Those were definitely unexpected. We also saw pronghorn antelope. And despite the warning signs at rest stops, we didn't see any snakes, poisonous or otherwise.
Lots of roadkill as well. Skunks. Armadillo. Deer. Flat stuff.
Weather was another factor. One day, we started in a gray drizzle. Although the weather wasn't really bad, the spray from the cars ahead (and worse from the semis) made visibility an issue. Then, fog rolled in, and visibility became more of an issue. Instead of 60 mph, in order to see, it was more like 30 mph. We pulled off at a rest stop and when we came out, the rain began in earnest. Thunderstorms. Luckily, we were on the edge of the storm, so we emerged into the sunshine within about half an hour, giving us the best view of the entire trip so far. Bright golden light, the bare, wet trees standing out in dark relief against the clear blue sky.
And then the wind picked up. Hubby noticed his pickup being pushed around, so you can imagine what was going on with my little Fit.
On Monday, our route took us down even smaller roads, where there was nothing but ranch and farm land. No traffic on that road, but if I hadn't had a GPS saying that I was only 45 minutes away from our destination, I might have been concerned that I was totally lost.
We pulled into our last "on the road motel" after a relatively short driving day. This is a small town—population 7237, and judging from the smell, most of them are cows. But it's interesting. The sense of smell is tied to memories, and for hubby, it smelled like where he grew up. I don't find it quite so appealing, although I get the same reaction to birdseed, because my great uncle had an egg ranch, and I remember visiting and being allowed to help feed the chickens. The smell of birdseed always takes me back.
When you're writing, setting is important. And even the same setting won't elicit the same reactions from all your characters. If your story is set in one locale, changing the weather can change the setting. Character viewpoints will make the setting richer as they will have different perceptions of the same thing. And don't forget to use all the senses.
And make sure you come back tomorrow - some fantastic wildlife shots from Jason!
Thanks, Jenny! I was also one of those horse lovers. I enjoyed your post, and thank you for being my guest. 
Our road trip is technically over by the time you're reading this. We have one more driving day (Tuesday) but will end up at our daughter's house, so this is our last hotel night.As a reader, if you pick up a book by a favorite author, especially one in a series, you're going to have expectations. You expect to see familiar characters, and figure they're going to behave consistently with whatever has been established. Often, readers balk when an author strays from the familiar and writes a stand alone or begins a new series.Perhaps the author is tired of the same characters. Maybe the publisher suggests a new approach. How far to go so readers aren't disappointed.When we planned our trip, I turned over the reservation-making to hubby. I was dealing with enough stress trying to get ready for 2 conferences plus packing. All I suggested was that he look for hotels that we had club memberships in, because they accrue points and often offer perks.His criteria were location (near whatever road we'd be on), price, and wi-fi. We ended up at various members of the Holiday Inn family. We've stayed at a lot of these hotels, so we arrived with some basic expectations, and many of them were met.Keep Reading...
But there were considerable differences as well. Some minor, such as the type of hair dryer and coffee maker. Amenities varied. Some had only shampoo and body lotion; others had shampoo, conditioner, lotion, mouthwash, and bath gel. One had a jar of mints by the bed. Another had cotton balls and Q-tips in the bathroom. And one (gasp) had a scale.
Clocks were different. Some red, some green, some orange LED readouts. Some with pre-set music options. One with an iPod docking station. WiFi was free in all, but how you connected varied. Some required passwords and re-upping every 24 hours. Some were a one shot deal.
As hotel club members, there were different perks. In one, it was a room upgrade (to a room with a jacuzzi, which is beckoning as I type). In one, it was a goodie bag full of snacks. In another, it was a bottle of water. Some had cookies, some didn't.
Some rooms had mini-fridges and microwaves. Some of the hotels had restaurants and bars on the premises. Even though the menus were Holiday Inn "standard" there were different options and different pricing.
The same menu variations held true for Waffle House – which is another story. Hubby loves their chili, and he made sure we stopped for lunch at a WH every day but one—and that day we did stop, but they were jam-packed and we didn't want to wait, so we went next door to a McDonald's (where I found a surprisingly acceptable chipotle bbq chicken snack wrap).
Back to the hotels -- the ones without restaurants have the free breakfast. The ones with restaurants don't. We stayed at 3 of those (one being the conference hotel). All 3 offered complimentary coffee in the lobby. Two didn't charge for coffee with breakfast in the restaurant, which makes sense, because otherwise, why not just pour a cup in the lobby and carry it in? Coffee prices ranged from $1.75 - $2.50.
One of our nights was at an extended stay suite member of the parent chain. Our room was more of an efficiency than a true suite. Brand new, very nice. BUT (you knew there'd be a 'but', right?)
When you enter the room, there's a kitchenette on one side, closet and bathroom on the other. There's a nice bright overhead light that turns on from a switch right inside the door. Beyond the kitchen is the desk space, and an easy chair. TV is in the corner, and the bed is on the other side. So far, so good. Until we decided to turn off that bright overhead light in the entry and read in bed. Nope. When you turn off that light, ALL the room lights go off. So, the reading lamps, which are mounted on the wall above the bed can only be used if the main entry light is on. Likewise the lamp above the chair.
WTF? You can read in bed, but you can't turn off the main room light unless you get out of bed and plod over to the door. And if for some reason you want to turn the light ON in the middle of the night … no can do. And that hotel also had the heat/ac unit behind the room curtains. Whoever designed the room should have had to sleep in it for a week. I know we wouldn't have stayed more than our one night.
With the exception of the last-mentioned option, if these were books, I'd have followed the author through the series, the new series, and the standalone. The poor planning of the last one I mentioned would have been the book I would have started, then said, "let me know when you go back to my "friends" and I'll be back.
Tomorrow, I'll chat a bit more about the actual drive, and how the highways are also "same but different."
Today I'm welcoming Jenny Anderson to Terry's Place. Jenny grew up bouncing between city and farm, hating cities yet spending her whole adult life in them. She's been a wife, mother, geologist, mineral museum curator, soda jerk, materials analyst, antique jewelry dealer, and student. Her master's thesis turned into her first published book.Little girls love horses. Well, most little girls love horses. Why? Let's not even go there. Freud weighed in on this subject...enough said. I don't care if there's some deep sexual meaning to the love of horses, don't care if it's mastery of a big, powerful creature, don't care if it's power or speed or learning responsibility or an arena where girls can outdo boys. I just love horses and always have.
When I sat on a horse for the first time, at the age of three, I'd never been so high off the ground. Doc was a huge old plow horse, about forty hands high if my memory is correct. Being led around the barn yard on this fiery steed–magic. The blurry little black and white photo of the event has long since been lost but I'll never forget the moment.For years after that, in my imagination I rode the range on cowponies attuned to my every need and desire, and in reality plodded around the fields and farm roads on bored plow horses. Note: plow horses are not receptive to learning to jump fences. Keep Reading...
I read every book on horses that ever made it into print. Margaret Cabell Self, Lavinia Davis, and Walter Farley, Marguerite Henry's ponies of Chincoteague and Holling's Book of Cowboys fed my dreams.
I dreamed of my own horse. I lusted after my own horse. Eventually my parents gave in and supplied—not a horse, but riding lessons. Cool! I should have been devastated that the instructor did not feel I was the most talented rider ever to grace his class. It didn’t matter. I was riding!
Eventually we left the constraints of Chicago and moved WEST. New Mexico! Land not covered with houses! Mesas! Sagebrush! I still didn't get a horse, but I did get to ride. Plow horses were replaced by rental horses, borrowed horses, and yes, even a stuffed horse [just once, honest].
And then it happened. I was sixteen. I was employable. I got a job and they paid me real money. Real money that went into a savings account until there was enough to....BUY A HORSE!
I did it. I answered ads. I looked at teeth and pretended I knew what I saw. I test drove broken-down bays and aged chestnuts and a rough-gaited paint. Finally there was Lucky. It was love at first sight. For me. Ill-tempered, palomino, and in no way returning my adoration, Lucky soaked up my time and my allowance and I loved him. He reciprocated by not throwing me more than once a week. Mostly.
Lucky had a Mexican brand, so I decided he'd been a cowpony in his younger days. To live up to him, I would learn to rope. I bought a rope. I practiced. I roped the patio chairs. I roped the dog. I roped my mother. [Once.] Finally I was ready.
I saddled Lucky and headed for a field with a long, straight line of fence. Lucky sighed and loped along. I shook out a loop. I twirled. I aimed. I fired. And watched with satisfaction as the loop settled over the wily fence post.
True to his training, Lucky slammed on the brakes. I didn't. When the stars cleared, I looked up at my dear, devoted horse and my dream had come true. After years of yearning for magical, two-minds-in-tune communication, I knew exactly what he was thinking: disgust. Absolute, utter disgust.
Oh well. One must accept reality. My reality today is borrowed horses and writing about horses. . This is The General, whose owner is amused by the Jen & Gen thing and is always willing to lend her when I need a horse fix.
All those years of loving horses and reading and dreaming about them have proved to be far more useful than my puzzled parents could ever have imagined.
Only one horse in Loving Luke stands out as a character, but he sprang from those golden days with Lucky.
I guess some girls never grow up. I still love horses.
Jenny's website is www.jennysfiction.com, and people can email her at jenny@jennysfiction.com. She loves to correspond with readers! Her book, Loving Luke, is available from The Wild Rose Press.
What I'm reading: Inside Out by Barry EislerDespite the hectic schedule and stress of a conference, the three-day break from driving was welcome. I met with two agents and an editor, and all requested pages. Considering I hadn't thought about my romantic suspense in some time, I'm pleased that I sounded coherent enough so they were willing to ask for a peek, not only of the romance, but also of my mystery. Once I get to a place where I can unpack my computer and printer (one agent wants hard copies) I can make sure I have the right files to send. The only "problem" having the appointments created was cutting into workshop time, but I did manage to glean some useful information.Robyn DeHart began her talk with a quote from Stephanie Bond: "Good writing is not accidental." From there, she went on to speak about revisions, making clear the difference between revising and editing. She compared the first revisions to a heart transplant, where entire scenes might be cut, added, and moved around. The next pass would be the tummy tuck, where you can address things like setting, subplots and continuity, and make sure you're incorporating the five senses. The final step would be the Botox – where you polish things like character voice and pacing, and do the copy editing.Lori Wilde's workshop was also informative, although it was scary for a non-plotter. Her topic was layering scenes for maximum impact. Unlike Robyn, who says the theme can take a while to appear, Lori urges writers to know the theme of the book from the very beginning (scary point #1) and make sure it appears in every scene, although it doesn't need to be blatant. Finding ways to address theme will make the story deeper and resonate more strongly with the reader.Keep Reading...
Wilde read a passage from one of her books where she showed a man being released from prison and getting his civilian clothes. She showed how he strapped on the band of his watch, and tied his shoes. The theme for that book was "The Ties that Bind" and those two items subtly introduced the theme. She also spoke of concrete symbols like these as ways to show rather than tell. These can be props, symbols, or motifs (scary point #2). In the example she gave, the watch became a symbol, important through the book, while the shoelaces were merely props, never to be mentioned again.
She went on to speak about the character's world view (scary point #3) and how one should know how your character filters his sensory input. Is he a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic person? And by making the heroine the opposite, you can add more conflict. If one's an artist and one's a musician, they'll have different world views. Or maybe the visual character wants the lights on during sex, and the kinesthetic character wants them off to concentrate on the sense of touch.
Then she recommended using archetypes to build characters (scary point #4). From there it was deciding what events in the character's life form his world view, which will also create flaws in his thinking. And the character will have to let go of those flaws before he can be saved. She suggests knowing what defining events will have colored the character's world view at five points in his life. First between birth and 5 years, then between 5 and 10, then his teens, then 18-22, and then his recent past. Each should escalate, and they need to be different types of events – if his flaw is
After that, she talked about finding life metaphors (scary point #5), represented by those props, symbols and motifs.
I certainly understand what she's saying, and agree that it will make a book a more compelling read, but the thought of planning those before writing is scary. She did point out that if you're not a plotter, you can go back and add these layers (thank goodness), but she was quite strong in urging everyone in the room to learn to get these things in from the start.
One of the reasons I find doing detailed plotting so difficult is that it forces me to think too far ahead. Also, it seems like a tedious chore, having to fit things into a defined structure. That's probably why thinking about a book as a three act play doesn't appeal to me; the end result for me might follow that basic plan, but it seems to be more organic.
For me, it's more like my 'idea board' system, where I collect things I need to address, keeping in mind that they need to create conflict. When I do this, I'm considering who the character is, although I don't think I've ever started with a specific archetype. I haven't really thought much about archetypes since Mr. Holtby in World Lit in High School.
My own workshop went well enough, but I'm thankful that housekeeping chose that time to clean our room so that hubby came downstairs and found me. The speaker who preceded me used her own laptop instead of the one provided by the conference, and she disconnected everything when she left. Hubby knew what keys to press to get the laptop to talk to the projector. I'm sure my stress level and irritation that there wasn't AV support for techno-dweebs like me would have bled through into my talk.
I'm writing this Saturday night after the books signing and closing reception. All in all, a worthwhile conference. We'll repack the car now that we don't need easy access to the same things and head off. Two nights in Texas are our scheduled stops for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday my guest is Jenny Andersen, who will be talking about girls and horses. And we should be pulling into Colorado Springs sometime early evening.
I hope you'll continue to stop by, and please share if you're enjoying my posts. Tweet, Facebook, Stumble – whatever! Friday, I'll have the pictures Jason took on his trip to the Everglades. Meanwhile, forgive me for the lack of illustrations here lately - time is too limited to search them out.
Normally, I'd have a Friday Field Trip posted today, but I've been taking a 'real' field trip, but at 70+ mph on the Interstates, there aren't a lot of nifty photo ops. Plus, I'm not exactly sure where I packed the cables that let my camera talk to my laptop, and my cell phone camera doesn't do anything justice. And, most of my travel shots are on my PC, not my laptop. 
Some observations – interesting signs at one of the rest stops: Also, I had to stop and think about the signage where one sign directed people to "wheelchair accessible stalls" and another to "ambulatory access stalls."After the stress of trying to cram everything into the back of hubby's pickup and my Honda Fit (my neighbor made out very well with things that didn't fit), we did one last "I hope we have everything" pass through the house. The electric and water companies were timely in shutting off service.The closing was relatively painless. One last trip to Panera for a sandwich and WiFi, and we hit the road.Hubby and I have different driving styles, so rather than frustrate each other, we set up rendezvous points at rest stops along the route. Tuesday night was spent in Tallahassee, and Wednesday in Hattiesburg, which is where I'm writing this. The Holiday Inn chains offer free WiFi, which means I can check in twice a day.Scenery isn't breathtaking, although there are some glimpses into the wetlands with cypress trees festooned with Spanish moss. And there was the long-haired man wearing a backpack with a cardboard sign strapped into the back reading "I-10 West" walking along the highway with a small dog on a leash. Of course, questions arise, all of which would make for an interesting character. And man driving a pickup towing a U-Haul, with the woman obviously following behind, her small car stuffed to the brim with household possessions. Very similar to our situation, although we nixed the U-Haul after seeing the cost, and have managed to keep all the "stuff" in my car below the level of the front seats so I can see out the rear window. But one wonders if they're moving to something new, or away from something bad, or if they even know where they're going.Jason is doing photo shoots in the Everglades this week, so I'm hoping he'll have more of his great nature photography to share, if not next week, then shortly thereafter. I'm still open to guests sharing pictures.And, for anyone who's been curious about the answers to the Sex panelists identities, here they are: Keep Reading...
1. At the age of 12, one read "Forever" by Judy Blume, and considers it a major literary influence. Our absentee panelist, Barry Eisler
2. One is a former hairdresser who once weighed 250 pounds. Amy Fetzer
3. One graduated from high school before being legally old enough to drive a car. Rhonda Pollero
4. One was a misfit in high school who sported a brown, black and gold Mohawk. Traci Hall
5 At a publisher-sponsored launch of this author's book, models with painted-on bustiers strutted on a makeshift catwalk. Leanne Banks
Terry Odell
www.terryodell.com
sent from my Blackjack
Yesterday, I mentioned that Leanne Banks talked about the 12 steps to intimacy, which came from Intimate Behavior: A Zoologist's Classic Study of Human Intimacy by Desmond Morris (originally published in 1971). Linda Howard has addressed them as they apply to writing romance. The following is part of a post I did in November, 2008.
1. Eye to body –
This is the sizing up of a potential mate. The woman walks into the room. The man looks at her and decides if she's someone who appears to meet his criteria. Hard wiring suggests he's looking for a mate who appears healthy and able to bear his offspring, but we've all met guys where merely having two X chromosomes is enough. However, if the female doesn't measure up, he moves away.
2. Eye to eye –
Assuming the woman passed muster in step 1, the man will attempt to make eye contact. If the woman averts her eyes, that's a "pull away." The man has the choice of moving on, or perhaps accepting the challenge and trying again. Be aware that a fixed gaze can also be viewed as threat behavior, so there's more fodder for the push-pull.
3. Voice to voice –
If she's accepted his gaze (and, by the way, the woman is doing the same kind of sizing up at the same time), the next step is to strike up a conversation. You want to pull them apart, perhaps your hero uses the pickup line from hell, tells a bad joke, or is a "me me me" conversationalist.
4. Hand to hand (or arm) –
The very first step in physical contact. This is the step where intimacy begins. Allowing someone to touch is a measure of trust. The woman is accepting some vulnerability here. Touching signals to others that there's a 'couple' forming.
Our sex panel was great fun, even without Barry Eisler's presence. We discussed a variety of topics, from sexual tension to where you draw the line. We talked about the difference approach to sex in the mystery and romance genres. In a romance, a reader expects a wrapped up relationship with its happily ever after. But in a mystery, especially in series, it's not obligatory to have a relationship, and sex on the page is likely to be handled differently. Rhonda Pollero, who writes a continuing series says that if she allows her lead character to have sex with the man she's attracted to (and who is attracted to her), that will be the end of it. Remember the tv series Moonlighting, which came to a screeching halt once the Bruce Willis – Cybil Shepard relationship was consummated.Traci Hall discussed handling sex in a young adult book, where it might not get farther than a kiss, but the tension leading up to that moment can be as strong as in a much hotter adult book.Amy Fetzer spoke to the differences when writing from the male vs female pov, and the basics of keeping the language appropriate to whoever the POV character is.Leanne Banks talked about how she creates sexual tension, and one of the things she brought up were the 12 Steps to Intimacy. She didn't have them on hand, but I've covered them on this blog previously, and I think I'll repeat them tomorrow, so please come back. Barry Eisler was still stuck in the snow. On a previous occasion, he'd asked if a reader presented with out of context sex scenes would be able to tell if they were written by a male or female. Unanimously, the panel said, "YES!" Rhonda elaborated by saying "for a man, it's all about the penis." Women want to see the emotional connections (and prefer to read about men who think the way women want them to think). Interestingly, when I went to a panel on how to deal with violence in a book, the consensus of the panel was that it was more compelling to show the emotional responses to violence on the page rather than the blood, gore, and violent acts. That's exactly what the sex panel said. Women prefer to write and read the emotional responses to all levels of sex scenes, while men tend to focus on the physicality.I also sat in on a presentation by two members of the Broward County Sheriff's bomb squad. I showed pictures of our tour of their truck, but thought I'd highlight a few points they made.First -- they use the robot first and foremost. They don't go rushing in. By the time they're actually in contact with the device, they have studied it through every possible means, including x-rays, and they will never cut a wire until they know exactly what it does. (And they've never seen a device that actually has that ticking clock with the pretty LED timer ticking away the seconds). One question posed to them was how they handle situations when a person has an explosive device attached to them. They responded that it's totally different if it's someone who's using the bomb as a threat, in which case their initial reaction is to tell him to go for it, versus a victim. In that case, they're faced with dealing with someone who's obviously frantic. They go in without donning the bomb suits, because that would scare the victim even more. They say that if they could, they'd either sedate or handcuff the victim so they could do their job, but they do need to question the victim to get as much information about the device as possible. They also understand how frightening it is for the victim when they have to say, "OK, wait here; we'll be right back" as they take their x-rays and go back to safe ground to have them developed.They also discussed training the dogs, and how sensitive they are to the various components that make up explosives. Most can distinguish 16 different chemical; some more. And you can't really mask the scent; their physiology means they are picking up individual components -- rather than smelling "stew" they will smell beef, carrots, potatoes, salt, pepper, celery, etc.As I type this, we're getting ready for the trip. As you read it, we're on our way. Please say hi -- I'll be checking in when we reach our stop for the night.
Terry Odell
www.terryodell.com
sent from my Blackjack
As you read this, we should be closing on our house and heading off to Shreveport for the Writing in the Stars Conference. I'm happy to turn over Terry's Place to my guest, Carol A. Strickland, not to be confused with Carol Strickland without the A. who's an art historian and doesn't use a middle initial but writes a lot. My guest is also an expert on Wonder Woman, but today she's talking about dealing with the business aspect of her life. Welcome, Carol A. I’m the only person I know who can come back from a week’s vacation three times as stressed as before I left. That’s because I make long “to do” lists for my working vacations.
This is the only way I can set aside large blocks of time to get a handle on my two fledgling home businesses: art and writing. It’s not the actual art and writing that’s holding me up; it’s the business of art and writing. What’s that you say? Writing doesn’t require business after you get that book published? All you have to do is wait for those royalty checks to come rolling in (while working on that next book, of course).Keep Reading...
Listen closely to best-selling authors as they talk about their workdays. You’ll find that they write in the mornings and conduct business in the afternoon. Or vice versa. Many hire assistants to handle the more painful business-y stuff. Many people say the ratio is no more than 60% creative and 40% business. Some say the opposite.
So the life of a creator is not all bon bons. There’s an index card on my bulletin board that says, “If God wanted me to handle the business of writing, She would have made me an accountant.” (No offense to the accountants out there. Um, how much do you charge per hour for new clients?)
Unless you have a major publisher promoting your book like it was the Second Coming, you’re going to have to work to promote it as well as yourself. You’ll have to catch the attention of reviewers, who are inundated with books every month. (Heaven help you if you’re self-published!) You’ll have to consider the pros and cons of advertising. (Hint: It’s mostly con.) You’ll blog and Facebook, tweet and try your hand at a book video for YouTube. (Who the heck came up with the idea of book videos? Do people other than friends actually watch the things?)
You’ll conduct workshops and start collecting (e-)addresses for a mailing list. You might shell out a few bucks for bookmarks, business cards, and magnets with your book’s cover emblazoned upon them. You’ll pay hard-earned money to buy your own books in order to prime the pump, as it were, by giving them to reviewers, contest winners, libraries, etc. (Hint: Let Cousin Mary buy her own!)
And of course you’ve got a website, as modern and smart-looking as you can possibly imagine. It may be designed by a profe$$ional or by the high s¢hool student who lives down the block.
Ca-ching! But add tick-tick-tick to this as well. Last week I handed a business card with my new domain name to someone and waved her on her merry way only to realize, “My new website isn’t up yet!”
I’d planned to have it redesigned by then, but it lies half-unfinished in my hard drive and not on the Web.
So in addition to these extra business duties we have added the Dreaded Deadline Doom. Multiple ones. Pass the aspirin!
What to do? Write down all those business things needed for your book to get noticed. If some of the things are particularly awful, break them down into tiny, non-terrorizing steps. Then assign the letters A, B or C to them.
A’s are the absolute must-do’s, the stuff that has to be done toot sweet or the sky will fall in. C’s are the can-put-this-off items. B’s are between the two.
Do the A’s first. The C’s will look to you like a big chunk of chocolate and the A’s will be dry spinach, but you must be diligent in this. A’s first and no cheating!
And when you get each and every A done you reward yourself. It doesn’t have to be a night on the town with Hubby, but it could be fifteen minutes with that new Julia Quinn book, a walk through the park with aforementioned Hubby, etc.
The large reward will come at the end, once you’ve gotten your business organized to the point where it’s no longer Godzilla's foot about to descend upon your office. Not only will things be a lot less hectic (or so I hear), but you just might find a juicy royalty check sitting in your mailbox, a direct result of all your hard work!
Carol A. Strickland hopes her redesigned website will be up by the time you read this. It’s at www.CarolAStrickland.com , so please check it out and yell at her if it’s not. The threat of public ridicule makes great motivation. You’ll find an exciting contest! Carol’s superhero romance, Touch of Danger, is available from Cerridwen Press, and the historical romance, Burgundy and Lies, is available from www.Lulu.com
