I’m sitting here looking at my desktop newly updated to Windows 7. I had Windows Vista before. I know, I know, I can hear your groans. Your cries of “oh my god, how can she work with that horrible operating system”. (Okay, so it’s just my geek friends who acted like that.) But I’d always said it worked for me, and I had things installed and the way I wanted them, so I didn’t need to update. Not yet. I was told when Windows 7 first came out that it was wonderfully advanced compared to Vista, but I stubbornly stuck to my Vista ways. Though I’m less than twelve hours after the upgrade, I have to say, I love the change!

We undergo a lot of change as authors (and publishers). Our industry is constantly changing. Individual publishing houses change staff, and authors can go through many editors in his or her career. Change is scary to us creative types, or at least it usually is. Many times change is a good thing for us, no matter how we might feel about it at first. The new editor might love our work, or teach us an aspect of the craft that the old one didn’t. The staff changes at the publisher might mean faster and better service for the authors.

The best way to handle change is to be proactive and keep options open. Being proactive means when you get introduced to the new editor, take a few moments to say “hello”. If there are areas in which you know you need particular work, say so. “Hi, I’m Annie Author.” If you need accomodations, such as if you have a chronic illness, and you feel comfortable disclosing that, say so. “Hi, I’m Bonnie Bookwriter, and I have fibromyalgia. So please, don’t hesitate to remind me of things (fibro fog) and allow extra time for me to get edits back to you because stress makes my illness worse. I work best when I have at least two weeks for edits.”

Second, keep your options open. Don’t immediately assume the worst, or the best. Everything won’t be roses and rainbows, and it won’t be the end of the world either. Keep your expectations realistic and open. You never know what might happen, and I do mean that in a good way.

Change is tough. But it’s a vital part of learning and growing, both as an author, and also for a company. Most of the time when it’s over, you will be staring at the new screen and interface wondering how you ever lived without it.

Inevitably, sadly, in this business there’s generally an author looking at a contract and wondering what to do. Most of the times having rights reverted is a matter of following the instructions in the contract, waiting for the appropriate benchmarks to past, and sending a note. Sometimes you have to wait for thirty or ninety days and then you get a nice letter saying your rights have been reverted. However, sometimes the process isn’t that simple. And then, what do you do?

It’s all about the contract. What’s in it, what isn’t, and how this affects you.*

Ideally, publishers will want to see the original contract and a letter (or email) from the publisher mentioned in the contract specifically stating that rights (detailing which rights) have reverted on a certain date. “Dear Author, As of DATE, we will release all claim to your book, TITLE, and all rights will revert back to you. Sincerely, Publisher. This is the safest route to go, and honestly, for most publishers looking to re-release a title, it’s the only route to go.

But what if you don’t have that letter? What do you do then?

First, did you sign the contract? If you just have an offer, but have never signed the contract, then consider yourself lucky. You can send a note stating you will not be accepting the offer and move on. This happens when authors send simultaneous submissions and more than one house takes an interest in a particular manuscript.

If you signed the contract, even if you did not get the signature page back, then it’s best to err on the side of having an executed contract. Look for an expiration date. Is the contract in force for three years? for seven? You may have to wait this long. Does the contract have benchmarks in it, (for example the book will be published within one year of acceptance)? If so, then you will need to wait for those to pass. Does the book have sales goals (must sell at least X numbers of copies in a year)? Or other ways to have the rights revert?

Once the contract has passed the expiration, then follow all instructions, such as sending certified letters if necessary, stated in the contract to get your rights reverted. The certified letter get sent back to you? Keep it. It’s your proof that you did everything you should have to get the rights reverted.

What a given publisher will, or won’t accept, is between that publisher and attorney. In fact, if you have questions or want your rights back sooner, then you might want to consult an attorney. It’s never a happy situation when contractual obligations are breached. I’ve been through it with three publishers. And in the end, it was simply a matter of reading the contract and doing the best I can. Sometimes that meant getting my book back, and other times it meant fighting the fight until I did.

*NOTE: I cannot answer every particular situation here, and I cannot speak for all publishers. In fact, most of this should be used a loose guide and if you have questions about your rights consult an intellectual property attorney or ask the publisher to whom you’re thinking about submitting.  But hopefully, this blog entry will give authors a place to start.

*NOTE #2: Google is your friend. If you have concerns about a publisher, or are facing contract issues, GOOGLE. Talk to other authors. Isolation is the enemy of the author in more ways than one.

Okay, I am an unashamed and unabashed Riley Finn fan (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). And now, I find that Marc Blucas stars in a new show (wrapping up its first season) on USA called “Necessary Roughness.” I’m not a real big football fan, but not only has he gotten me to watch a show about a football team, but actually care about the characters. So I thought I’d share some pictures of Marc.

Purchase Direct From Jupiter Gardens Press

Excerpt:

Before she could catch a full breath, the weight of the wolf was quickly hoisted off her and she watched as he flew backwards and crashed into a nearby wall. Paul’s bag of old golf clubs fell over and they splayed outward onto the wooden floor of the attic.

Dante the wolf lay in a startled heap on the floor and Camden stood over him. Paisley looked at Camden and when he turned his face towards her, she saw he had a new tint to his complexion. He almost looked as if he were glowing like one of those light sticks the kids carried around on Halloween. His eyes were startlingly fierce and the pupils were dilated to gigantic, black holes. His teeth were elongated and the sharp points protruded out of his mouth and over his lower lip as he panted.

She found herself simultaneously frightened and aroused by the sight of him in battle mode. Perhaps it was the warrior-like way in which he stood over the dazed and confused wolf that had attacked her. He had protected her…come to her defense as if playing the hero in a story.

Or perhaps it was that seductive force field that seemed to follow him wherever he went. Then again, it could be the fact that from where she lay on the floor, she could see clearly the outline of his huge erection pressing against the inseam of his pants leg. For a moment, maybe longer than a moment, she simply couldn’t tear her eyes away from it.

She figured in the world of demon life that a fight with another demon might possibly be seen as a huge turn on. The violence, the rush of power, and the blood.

Paisley finally tore her eyes away from the pulsating male hardness and gazed up to see Camden watching her with a lustful look she wouldn’t have been able to resist if they were in a slightly different situation. Like say…the way he was lying on top of her just hours ago in her own bed.

Then the sight of his devilish grin drew her back to reality as he flicked his tongue out of his mouth and touched it ever so slightly to the tip of one of his fangs.

He may have been only a lowly vampire in the past but he sure looked like an amazingly powerful one now. She wasn’t sure what the rest of his demon powers entailed but she was already finding it difficult to resist the strength and virility that this demon was demonstrating for her right now.

Sure, he might be evil and extremely annoying but she wasn’t living in the real world anymore. She’d somehow managed to integrate herself into the world of darkness and she might as well figure out how to enjoy it in some way.

As her mind exploded with all the thoughts and emotions caused by the werewolf attack of just moments earlier, she nearly screamed when she saw the panther Felinsky leap through the air straight towards Camden’s head as if to pounce on him like the oversized cat that he was. She thought to voice a warning but Camden’s reflexes were amazingly fast.

He ducked down just as the cat soared through the air. As he hovered just above Camden’s head, Camden jumped up and shoved the cat towards the open portal. Then, he glanced back at Paisley one more time over his shoulder.

Before he leapt into the portal after the cat, he gave her a flirtatious wink.

Purchase direct from Jupiter Gardens Press.

Purchase Direct From Pink Petal Books

Excerpt:

Still so far Colin was no disappointment, turning out to be even more handsome than when Rhoswen had viewed him through portals that Lil had opened, windows to the human world. She knew Colin was smart, dedicated to his work, that he was loved by his students, and that he didn’t have a wife or girlfriend. He hadn’t had a girlfriend for some time in fact.

He travelled a lot and enjoyed it. He loved to discover new animals and he spoke about conserving them passionately.

His thick brown hair was tousled where he’d run his fingers through it time and again, and his eyes shone a bright blue behind his silver framed glasses.

He looked so frustrated, and Rhoswen questioned for the first time whether she’d done the right thing. She had selected him so carefully, had been so sure that he’d be the human for her.

Both Lil and Rhoswen’s own family had made her aware time and time again of the high penalty for choosing a human as a potential mate, but Rhoswen was reluctant to tell Colin about that just yet. I do not want him to like me just because he feels sorry for me.

“How do they react after an hour? A day?” Colin asked.

Rhoswen shrugged. “They adapt. We’re taught that you humans are masters of adaptation.”

“Who taught you that?”

She wished he would sit down. It seemed so formal when she sat and he stood as if on ceremony. “All Faewild children are taught about the human world. Do you have one of those boxes with wheels? I would so love to see it. Can I go inside it?”

“What-” Colin shook his head, and Rhoswen saw the internal battle sketched all over his handsome face. “You know what? No. I’m sorry. I just don’t believe you. Please, leave. If you don’t have any money I can call you a taxi and send you wherever you need to go.”

“But…” Rhoswen’s heart stuttered. I have crossed worlds to find you. You can’t send me away so quickly. She squared her shoulders. “If you do not want me, just tell me. Tell me why you’re sending me away.”

A parade of expressions marched over his gorgeous face and he closed his eyes for a long moment. “Rhoswen – if that is your name – you clearly need help, and I am not the man to give it to you.”

Her heart dropped, feeling as heavy as a stone. She felt like one of Granny Fflur’s home-made butter patties that had been pushed around on a plate and then discarded. Without even being tasted.

“You don’t want me,” she heard herself say in a small voice.

“Rhoswen.” His tone was gentle, his eyes stayed on hers. “It’s just-”

No. She wasn’t leaving. She hadn’t come all this way to not even try.

Before Colin even had a chance to finish his sentence, she pushed herself out of her chair, strode to him, and pulled him flush against her, planting a passionate kiss on his lips.

He tasted of the human drink he had consumed from the the clear bottle. For what seemed like hours his lips remained still beneath hers, but then he started to kiss her back, his arms winding around her tightly. As his tongue stroked over hers, Rhoswen shivered with desire. She lifted a hand and ran it through his soft dark hair, threading it between her fingers. As they kissed, she felt the tightening of his body against her own and knew he desired her as fervently as she did him.

Gently nipping his bottom lip and stepping back, breaking the kiss, Rhoswen studied him. His blue eyes had gone smoky and dark with passion.

“Still don’t want me?” she asked, softly.

She could sense the frustration rolling off him in thick waves. “Please, try to understand.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of the dark blue trousers he wore, a pained expression twisting his features a little. “I don’t know you.”

“But I know you.” She stepped forward again; he didn’t step back. Yet. “I chose you, out of so many humans. I want to be with you.”

Colin stepped back, shaking his head. “But Rhoswen, how can you? One kiss and you think you know me. I don’t understand that. Please, go.”

Rhoswen dropped back into her chair, wrapping her hands around her mug of tea.

She and Colin looked at each other warily.

“What if,” she said slowly, “I could prove that I am from another realm? From the Faewild? What if I can prove I am who I say I am? Just what would you do then?”

Unexpectedly, Colin offered her a distractingly handsome half-smile. “Have a heart attack?” The smile disappeared. “I very much doubt you can prove that. If you’re willing to try, then please do so-”

No sooner was the last word out of his mouth than Rhoswen shifted.

Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.

Purchase Direct From Pink Petal Books

Excerpt:

Todd took Jodie’s hand and led her outside. “You do deserve some time without having to worry about them,” he said. “I know leaving them to go out with me isn’t easy for you. I think it’s harder on you than on them.”

“Probably.” That didn’t make Jodie feel any better.

They got into Todd’s car and he headed into the nearby city. On their other dates, he had stuck closer to home, and Jodie was surprised that he’d chosen differently tonight. Apparently he’d decided to make this a more special date than the others. “What’s the occasion?” she asked, looking at the brightly lit skyline ahead of them.

“You are.” He rested his hand on hers. “I did a lot of thinking this week. And then there was the conversation we had last night. That knocked some sense into me. You deserve a lot of good things, Jodie, and I’m going to give you as much as I can.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him. His words warmed her. It was nice to be taken care of again.

“You’re welcome.” He grinned. “And if you’re particularly grateful for the date and dinner tonight, feel free to show it at my place.”

Jodie laughed. “Typical guy.”

They ended up at a restaurant in the city’s south end. A small, dimly lit restaurant in an old brick building that had once been an apartment house. The host and waiters wore formal suits, and the small round tables were covered with linen cloths. Each table held a single candle in the center. The host lit the candle on Jodie and Todd’s table as he seated them.

“This is going to cost you a month’s mortgage,” Jodie said after the host walked away.

“You’re worth it.” Todd smiled. “You do look beautiful.”

“And you look very handsome. This is still too much.” Jodie folded her arms over her chest. “I appreciate this. I really do. But from now on, I’d like to stick to places that don’t charge more for a meal than I earn in a week.”

“All right.” He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “Maybe I am going overboard here. I want you to have good things in your life. I know you don’t treat yourself to much, so I wanted to do it for you.”

“You’re a good thing in my life,” she replied. “I don’t need fancy meals in fancy restaurants to like being with you. So let’s just keep it simple, okay?”

“Okay.”

At Todd’s urging, Jodie ordered the meal she wanted from the menu, even though the price made her cringe. The food tasted wonderful, and Jodie considered it almost worth the cost. She still wouldn’t let Todd bring her there again.

After Todd paid the check, which he refused to let Jodie see, they left the restaurant hand in hand and returned to Todd’s car. “Do you want to go anywhere else?” he asked. “A movie? A walk in the park?”

Jodie shivered and shook her head. “It can’t be more than twenty degrees out here. I don’t think this is park weather.”

“Good point.” He put his arms around her. “Is that better?”

“Much.” She snuggled against him. “I think I’d like to get into your heated car and go back to your heated house now.”

“I like that plan.” He opened her door for her and closed it after she got into the car, then got into the driver’s seat. “Are you sure you just want to go home?”

“I just want to go to your house,” she corrected. “Our date isn’t over yet. We’re just moving it to somewhere more private.” Her hunger for him grew with her words. There were so many things they could do in private, and images of several of them floated through her mind. Her nipples hardened, and she imagined Todd sucking them.

His car probably wasn’t the best place to put her fantasies into action, though. Especially in the middle of winter.

Purchase direct from Pink Petal Books.

Here are two more reasons to read erotic romances, then grab your favorite partner, and enjoy your Saturday! (Or you could skip the book, but why would you want to when they’re so much fun to read?)

Women with active sex lives live longer: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/26/women-sex-life-age-study_n_938553.html

Sex Burns Calories: http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-sex?page=3

Have fun!

 

 

I love blogs. Let me say that right up front. I love blogs, because I always have some idea, some thought running through my mind. On my personal blog I talk about various fandoms in which I’m involved, life stuff, and mostly it’s for my writing out my thoughts and putting things in order. I have this blog, in which I like to talk about publishing and writing, two great passions of mine, and I have blogs for other things. So I definitely really like blogs.

That said, I visited a blog recently that got me to thinking: if a complete a total stranger came to your blog, what would the blog say about you?

For all intents and purposes, our blogs are our online houses. Generally they’re placed on our website, which is an individual’s online house. It certainly doesn’t matter if that person is an author, an entrepreneur, or just someone who loves puppies and knitting. The website is the cyberspace equivalent of a welcome mat. Not everybody needs to have the proverbial house with the cottage garden, white picket fence, and charming family living inside. We’re all individuals, and some of us want a condo on the fifth floor with an awesome view of the harbor, while others want a boat that they can take from port to port. So while our online home doesn’t have to have the idyllic, Norman Rockwell-esque setting, it also shouldn’t be the house where through closed windows you can hear the occupants screaming over who just changed the TV channel and why supper isn’t on the table.

Get where I’m heading with this? Okay, let me be a bit more plain. Goddess knows I’ve done my share of ranting. When a business makes me mad, I grin and think of the old customer service adage that an unhappy customer tells ten people, but I can tell thousands. And yeah, I’ve been known in the past to do exactly that. But when I read a blog, as I did recently, and it is nothing but rant after rant after rant, all written by the same person, I start to think that maybe that all that person does is gripe. I close my browser and move on with a kind of blargh feeling in my stomach about the whole thing. And, I hate to say this, but I bet there are readers who feel that way too.

Authors, especially, because our work has the ability to touch a reader’s emotions, need to think about the entire package of what they do online (and off, too). If a complete stranger visited your blog, would they think you’re a very unhappy person who really needs to deal? Or would they think you’re a regular person with good days and bad, but who writes pretty darn good books?

Note that I put “good days and bad” in there. We’re human. We’re going to get upset. Keeping a perfectly perky, smiley outlook on life one hundred percent of the time is exhausting, not to mention that it comes across as fake. But if you have to err on one side or the other, it’s better to be too happy and positive than too gloomy. Reading is an escape! I’d rather escape with positive people, wouldn’t you?

I asked someone who is an author I admire and who I consider an expert on blogging and social media about this topic. She had this to say: “Blogs are a reflection of who we are online. If you’re an author, even your personal blog is fodder for the masses and you should conduct yourself in a manner that draws readers to you rather than possibly repelling them. Everything you say and do in public (online) can influence readers, agents, acquisition editors, and publishers.  So if you want to be a successful author, you should keep your posts accentuating the positive and when you do rant they should be well thought out and have valid points that others can relate to. If you query an agent and they decide to look at your online presence for some help in determining if you’re someone they want to represent and your blog is filled with nothing but ranty, griping posts, they could decide that you’re a Diva and not the kind of person they want to work with. If you’re in the public eye, it’s to your benefit to always put your best foot forward whether you’re writing about your books, the craft or posting an occasional rant about something. Author blog posts should be crafted with an eye toward “Who is going to see this and what will they think of me?” unless the author doesn’t care what readers, agents and publishers think.”

And really there’s so much we could blog about, from the mundane aspects of our lives, to the latest movie we saw, book we read, thoughts about the business or writing, or heck, even just positing pictures of random hot guys (I’m all for that! *jots down notes on the to do list. LOL!*) that the inevitable rant should be the exception, not the rule.

And, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to look for random hot guys…

Pink Petal Books released my novella Help Around the House on September 1. Visit the Pink Petal home page and click on the book for more information. Here’s a short excerpt to whet your appetite:

She pulled the door mostly shut to keep the cold air out of the house. Folding her arms, she looked at Todd. “We can talk about it another time, but I want to know what ‘it’ is.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. Jodie, I loved having you with me last night. In my bed and in my house. After I brought you back over here, I kept thinking how nice it would have been if we’d been able to spend the night together.”

“Me too,” she admitted.

“So what if we did?” He held up a hand. “I don’t mean just a night, because I know you wouldn’t want to leave the kids with someone else overnight and you also wouldn’t be comfortable having me spend the night in your bed while the kids were home.”

“It would give them too many questions.” Jodie had a vague idea of where Todd might be headed with his comments, and she didn’t know how she would respond if she turned out to be correct. She hoped she was wrong.

“We live next door to each other.” He hesitated. “What if we lived together? Or even got married, whichever you’re more comfortable with.”

“I’m not comfortable with either.” She’d been right, and she wished she hadn’t been. They’d only been dating for a month. Regardless of how long they’d known each other, a month wasn’t long enough to decide about the rest of their lives. “Todd, it hasn’t been long enough. The kids are still getting used to you and me dating. To be honest, so am I. We can’t just move on to the next step this fast. What happened to taking things slowly?”

“I know, I know.” He sighed. “I figured you’d say something like that. I still wanted to bring it up. I know we haven’t been dating long. We’ve been friends a long time, haven’t we?”

“Yes. Friends.” Jodie glared at him. “We’ve been friends since before I lost Royce, and that only happened two years ago. I am ready to move on, I think. I’m ready to date you, and to make love to you, and to talk about the future. But that’s the future, Todd. I can’t just move you in with us, or pack us up and move in with you, this soon. It would be too confusing for Gina and Matthew.” And for herself. She definitely wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment.

He nodded. “Like I said, I figured you’d say something like that. And you’re right. It’s too soon, and I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

He sounded angry, but Jodie knew him well enough to guess that the anger was a cover for hurt. She’d hurt his feelings by turning him down so firmly.

Not my problem. He should have known better than to ask her something like this so soon. Surely he hadn’t expected her to agree to it. He’d even said that he’d thought she would turn him down. He had no reason to be hurt after making such a ridiculous request.

But he was hurt, and that hurt her. He’d caught her by surprise and she’d responded without thinking. She hadn’t intended to upset him. “If it was on your mind, you should have brought it up,” she said quietly. “I think it is too soon to actually go through with moving in or marrying. It gives me something to think about, and it’s good to know that we’re both looking for more from this relationship than just dating.”

He gave her a faint smile. “Yeah. That is good, and I think we’re on the same page about how it would affect the kids. I’m sorry if I put you on the spot. It just felt so nice having you with me last night.”

“I agree.” She hugged him. “And we’ll do it again, just not every night. Not for a while.”

“Okay.” He gave her a peck on the lips and stepped back. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

Todd walked away without waiting for Jodie to go inside. She let herself into the house and locked the door behind her. Todd had said he’d talk to her the next day. Not see her, talk to her.

He was more upset than she’d thought.

When it comes to promotion there are a ton of opportunities and even more sources of information out there for authors. It can be overwhelming. Social media, book retailing sites, communities, networking, groups, blogs…it’s tough to make sense of it all. The good news is that the basics of online promotion apply across most, if not all, venues. The mechanisms may change (such as twitter’s length requirement, or a forum instead of an email loop), but the basics are something we all were taught at one point or another in our lives, and never go out of style.

1) Your email signature. You have one right? And it doesn’t include covers, banners, or a zillion lines of text. I know it can be hard to believe in this day and age, but there ARE people still out there on dial-up, or slower DSL/satellite connections. These banners and graphics might be pretty, but they take up space and bandwidth. It’s like sending a piece of junk mail and then asking the receiver to pay for the stamp. Do you really want to do that?

Keep your signature simple.

Author Name and tagline (Any Author…keeping it hot since 2005)
Author Website (http://any author’s website url)
Link to Latest Release (My Latest Book available now from Awesome Publisher. Link Title or link the whole line. Just link!)
Blog Link (Read my blog: http://any author’s blog)

There you go. You’ve given readers information on how to find you, and your latest release. It’s not your signature that’s selling your work on groups and loops, it’s who you are and what you say (which will take us to #2). For email signatures, I love Wisestamp, as it’s free service where you can include all the information necessary. It will even put your latest blog post in your signature. Just remember to keep your signature short. Four or five lines max. That way, if people forget to trim emails, as they inevitably do, you won’t be remembered for the big honking signature they had to scroll past nine million times.

2) If you can’t say anything nice…at least phrase it politely.

Really, do we have to say this? I know the publishing industry can be tough. Publishers implode and bad things happen. And while it is important to keep other authors informed, especially when publishers don’t fulfill their obligations, it is possible to do it without resorting to attacks and negative behavior. This is especially true when we’re talking about communicating online, because what may be funny (I’ve been known to be a smart ass a time or three. ) to one person might come across as rude or sarcastic to another one. If you’re not sure you should send an email, at least think about it over night, or don’t send it at all. If someone starts raving about the best book they read, and you read it and thought reading the phone book was more interesting, don’t dash their hopes. Now if they ask you directly “did you read this book?”, don’t lie. A simple “It didn’t work for me.” or other phrase is far better than “I wish this were printed on paper so I could have at least lined my kitty litter box with it and got my money’s worth out of it.” Not every book will work for everyone; I think we understand that fact of writing. We also know that there are ways to give our opinion without resorting to meanness.

3) The supportive author gets noticed. We all know someone who lights up a room when she (or he) enters. This person always has something positive to say, always seems to be able to find the right words, and is always surrounded by people. We don’t need to put on a Pollyana attitude, but being supportive and helpful is one way to make a great impression. If someone posts an excerpt, make a supportive comment. “Your hero sounds hot!” “I love books about fire fighters.” “It’s been a while since I’ve read a science fiction romance. I’ll have to pick this up.” Be real. Be authentic. But be supportive.

4) If you are able to, follow the rules of the road. If another publisher is chatting on a loop, even if it’s a loop where promos are allowed every day, don’t post! Okay, so that is one of my largest pet peeves. It’s tough to know when days are, and everyone makes mistakes. But if at all possible, give way to the scheduled event. If a blog has specific rules about posts, follow them. If a forum allows promotion only in one area, do that. It goes along with being courteous.

These rules might seem like they’re “no brainers”. And they should be obvious things that we all can do to get a little extra mileage out of our online promotion.