I Can't Hear You!

One of the joys of being an American is the right to peacefully protest without undo governmental harassment. It's a good thing to have--the ability to let those in power know you're not happy with how they're handling their job.

Unless you're the president. An informative (and disturbing) article in the Washington Post reveals how far your government will go just so Mr. Bush doesn't have to see any dissenters while he's on the road.

"The 'Presidential Advance Manual,' dated October 2002 with the stamp "Sensitive -- Do Not Copy," was released under subpoena to the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of two people arrested for refusing to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts at a Fourth of July speech at the West Virginia State Capitol in 2004. The techniques described have become familiar over the 6 1/2 years of Bush's presidency, but the manual makes it clear how organized the anti-protest policy really is."

First you try to keep the protesters out and if that doesn't work. frisk 'em for inappropriate signage and then if they get noisy, drown then out. Or in the case of the two folks cited above, arrest them for their anti-Bush tee shirts.

A real president welcomes dissent, encourages debate. A real president LISTENS to the citizens of this nation. Sadly, we're cursed with someone who is about to invoke Vietnam as the reason we have to stay in Iraq because our withdrawal from that nation three decades ago is the reason we have terrorists attacking us today.

The man is freakin' clueless. All we can do is make sure the next Prez of these United States isn't the same.

Studying the Candidates (Part 1)

I've begun my assessment of the presidential candidates. I'm going to be reviewing their words and deeds, one by one. I admit that in the past, while I've voted, I've been pretty indifferent abut all this political stuff. Not anymore. Not with the changes undergoing our country and the consistent erosion of our personal freedoms.

And lest you're not familiar with my stance -- I'm an independent. I'll jump the fence and vote for whomever I think is the best candidate. So keep that in mind when I make my personal observations of the candidates, be they Republican or Democrat.

Some I know to be completely off my "possible" list, like Mr. Tancredo. He's the guy who suggested that we should bomb the Muslim holy sites "as a deterrent". Gee, I'm sure millions of moderate Muslims are going to let that one pass, Mr. T. It'd be the first step to global war. If someone bombed St. Peter's or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, would you be deterred? Nah. You'd be pissed. So will our Islamic neighbors. So Tancredo is easy to rule out as a complete nutter. There seems to be a fair number of them running for office this time.

I've been watching Giuliani and I've found the man to be an amazing piece of work (and not in the good sense). There's something mean spirited and evil about a guy who would announces to his wife he's getting a divorce at a press conference. This is a guy who loves to get even in very nasty ways.

But to put Giuliani and his "I'm the only guy who knows how to deal with terrorists" b.s. out of the way, read this article by Wayne Barrett co-author ( with Dan Collins) of Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11.

This isn't the first time I've read accounts of Giuliani's work as NY mayor and frankly, I'm not impressed. He isn't what I want in a president. Believe it or not, I believe he'd be as bad as Bush, or worse. That's saying something.

I'll be hacking through some of the others as time passes. You can bet those candidates who put abortion and gay issues at the top of their agenda aren't going to make the cut with me. We've got a lot more important things to worry about, including the 40 million people in this country without health insurance, our crumpling infrastructure and how we fix 8 years' worth of damage from an Imperial Presidency.

Hope you are doing the same sort of weighing. We need to look for a candidate who has the intelligence to know how to accept differing opinions, the wisdom to know when to jump into the fray and when to stay out, and who understands that We, The People are his or her boss.

All the rest is just b.s.

Just Trust Us

President Bush and his folks are pushing for a change in the wiretapping rules. Now mind you, these were the same rules the Prez ignored when the mood suited him (and until he was "outted" by the press). He wants to have authority for warrantless wiretapping to go through (wait for it) the most trusted and admired man in Washington -- Alberto Gonzales. Yeah, he's got my vote (NOT!)

There was a recent article in the Associated Press about a federal judge who used to head the FISA court and authorize wiretaps in terrorist and espionage cases. He is strongly critical of President Bush's decision to order warrantless surveillance after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Royce Lamberth, a district court judge in Washington, said Saturday it was proper for executive branch agencies to conduct such surveillance. 'But what we have found in the history of our country is that you can't trust the executive,' he said at the American Library Association's convention. "

And for the quote that tells it all:

"We have to understand you can fight the war (on terrorism) and lose everything if you have no civil liberties left when you get through fighting the war," said Lamberth, who was appointed by President Reagan.

By FISA rules, you do not have to have a warrant approved by the court before beginning your wiretapping. You are required to go back and get that warrant approved down the line. Some of the Powers That Be say that doing the paperwork after the fact slows down their agents when they should be out finding the bad guys.

So just how to you introduce any evidence obtained through that wiretap in a court of law unless it is backstopped by a proper warrant? You don't. You can't use it. At least not within the U.S. So that's why we have Guantanamo and the black ops site across the world. No need to require warrants or anything like that. You "disappear" these people and when you realize you've made a mistake, you drop them into any old nation that will accept them. Especially ones with a history of torture. The blood will be on their hands. Or, in the case of the Australian gent, you require them to sign an agreement that they will NOT sue the U.S. Government for any abuse that occured during their incarcertaion so they can be set free.

But hey, they're the bad guys, right?

The basic question is: How much do you trust your government to do the right thing and are you willing to put your liberty on the line when push comes to shove?

Let's hope Congress shows some balls and makes only the changes needed to the FISA rules that make sense to help us keep an eye on the crazies. Let's not give Mr. Bush and his cronies any more power. They've not shown the ability to handle it worth a damn.

And There Was Much Rejoicing

VIRTUAL EVIL is off to the typesetter. While this might not be a big deal to the majority of the world's inhabitants, it is to me. I have lived and breathed this book since July 2006. It required a number of rewrites, including one after I submitted it to the editor. This one, to be blunt, has been a bitch. Now it is done and I am very happy. More to the point, I am very pleased with the book which is a good thing.

In keeping with the Harry Potter hype, the first two lines of VE are:

Firearms always enliven a party. Tonight was no exception.

And I can attest to the face that the last line in the book does NOT have the word "scar" in it.

Of course, my mind immediately shifted to Book #3 (MADMAN'S DANCE) which is due March 1 and is the end of the three-book story arc that started in SOJOURN. I'm trying to keep away from the computer, but its darned hard. It's like telling a firefighter not to go marching into a burning building. It's what I do.

And now to unearth my upstairs office. If I was a sadist, I'd post a picture of it, but I'm afraid I'd frighten people. Let's just say that it needs cleaning and leave it at that.

From Dallas With Love

How do you recap most of an entire week that was non-stop? You don't. You try to hit the highlights. So I'll do that instead of "On Friday my breakfast was..." Actually, I don't remember many of meals. I might not have had them. No, the bathroom scale says otherwise. Oops.

I remember --
Going out for a scrumptious Italian dinner Wednesday night with my publicists (Sherry & Kristen), and with Jeri Smith-Ready (my roomie) and dear friend P.C. Cast. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but I had a great meal and was on Cloud Nine. I'd won both the Booksellers' Best Award and the Prism that night. Ever since I'd held P.C.'s first Prism Award in 2002, I'd been jonesing for one of these beauties. Now I have one.

I'd not had anything to eat before the ceremonies, foolishly believing I'd reach The Gathering (as the second event is called) in time to nosh on the food. What was left was a basket of rolls. So I had one of those. And a beer. So when I was called up to the podium to get the award that I had DREAMED of for five years, I was way giddy. Sherry assured me that my impromptu speech wasn't stupid. I hope she wasn't just being kind. I had a speech all prepared, but I was too wired to give it.

Thursday was equally fun. In between trying to get some work done on the current book, I met lots of new folks and attended the National Readers' Choice and Daphne awards ceremonies. I didn't win the NRCA Award. Was I bummed? No. That means I have a chance at this award next year. As there were 400 entrants in this contest (an average of 40 per category) to final is an Act of Deity(TM) . Next year I'm aiming for that award big time. I did win the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Paranormal and that was the closest I came to crying.

Why? I've won an Honorable Mention in the Daphnes twice before for my self-pubbed work. Not all contests would allow me to enter when I was self-pubbed. The Daphnes did not care who published the book. Those early wins told me I had a future in this business. Taking First Place in the Paranormal category was a big moment for me.

Friday was a bit more laid back -- two agent meetings and a she-bang of a Harlequin Party. The meetings went well and the party... hey, if you've never been to a Harlequin party you've missed out. My roommate (Jeri) invited me to be her guest and I had a blast. The music was good, the munchies quite edible and the alcohol was free. I did bail out at ten p.m. rather than staying late as a I had a book signing the next morning in Frisco, TX.

Which went well. After the signing I met with some good friends (Lee Martindale and her delightful hubby, George), Melanie Miller Fletcher (aka Hoosier Red) and Heidi B. We went to the Cheesecake Factory, dined on excellent food and "to die for" cheesecake. George helped me pick up a pipe for those times when I like to break out a bit of fine tobacco to augment my single malt scotch. He used to be a tobacconist and his expertise was welcomed.

Saturday evening was the Rita Awards. I had a lot of friends in the running, including Jeri (who was up for TWO), Maria Snyder and Kelly Riley. Alas, none of them won. Still, it was great evening and I learned that a bit of dark chocolate married with some fine port is a very (nearly) sexual experience. (You heard it here first!)

I sincerely enjoyed this years RWA convention. I think it's a matter that I'm more "plugged in" this time and knew a lot more people. Okay, and the awards didn't hurt (grin).

Now I'm back to reality with a book due in a VERY short period of time. Cindarella is home, that's for sure.

If This is Wednesday, This Must Be Dallas

A brief update from Dallas on the state of the Jana during the Romance Writers' convention. The current state is: tired. I've been up a bit too late the last few nights which means the Virtual Evil edits are not getting done as fast as I'd hoped. Bah.

However, on the good news front: Sojourn won a Booksellers' Best Award, a Prism Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award. WHEEEEEE!!!

Today is Agent Day -- I'm meeting with at least two of them and then tonight is the Harlequin Party (quite a gig I hear). I'm hoping to sneak in a nap sometime along with some actual buns in chair work on VE.

It's been great to see friends, catch up on industry gossip and be part of this whole process. Lots of incredible talent in one location. Wow.

Later folks. Must find coffee...

Dallas Bound

It's that time of the year when Jana packs up her pantyhose and heads to a gathering of romance authors. The Romance Writers of America annual convention is always an interesting time. Romance has long ago shed its "bodice ripper" image and now is a big enough tent to include inspirational, vampire and mystery novels, albeit with a romantic bent.

Although I don't write full-bore romances (okay, I wrote one a few years back) my books do include a "romantic element" and so fall inside RWA's tent. SOJOURN is up for four romance awards at this convention, so this is a trip I'm eager to take. Since it has alread won a Golden Quill for Best Paranormal Romance, I'm hoping that means big things are ahead.

Which means I will be editing VIRTUAL EVIL while on the road. Never a pretty picture. Still, I'm certainly not the only author who will be sneaking away for a few stolen hours at the keyboard in between the ceremonies, luncheons, meetings and such. It's part and parcel of the job.

I'll try to carve out a few moments to post the happenings in Dallas. My roommate (Jeri Smith-Ready) is up for three awards, including two Rita Awards (RWA's big award). It promises to be a lot of fun no matter how the contests fall out.

Later folks. Must pack my finery....

Free as a Bird

Setting aside all the rhetoric about Valerie Plame and how her name came to be revealed to the world. Setting aside all the politics, the bottom line is that Scooter Libby lied while under oath. Nothing else is germane when it comes to his sentencing. By Fed standards, the sentence was not overly harsh, in fact it was in line with the others being handed down at this time.

Scooter chose to lie. Yeah, he was taking one for the team, but in the grand scheme, he knew the consequences. He could have said, "Gee, Dick, we got caught. I'm gonna have to tell them the truth." Nope. Scooter decided to game the process and he got caught.

So why would our president commute his prison sentence? And why is he even thinking of granting him a pardon?

Seems to me to be the best way to ensure that old Scooter's loyalty stays in place and his mouth stays shut. Which means that Fitzgerald missed the gold mine and got stuck with the flunky instead.

I can hear Dick Nixon applauding from his grave.

Is It Over Yet?

It's reached the point of absurdity. I'm actually past being angry at the mess in Washington. Now I'm numb. I just keeping shaking my head at the stupidity. I suspect that's exactly what they were hoping.

The Vice President really isn't in the Executive Office so he doesn't have to comply with the rules re: secret documents. See, he gets his paycheck from the Senate. Word is that the reason they don't want the folks responsible for checking up on the secrets docs snooping around is that Vice's office (and even the Oval Office) have a dismal track record for keeping docs under wraps, like the guy who left a secret doc IN A HOTEL ROOM. But at the same time, Cheney is having "talking points" marked to be treated as if they are Secret. Huh?

The more the Dept of Justice probe continues, the further we see inside the rotting corpse. Hirings based on faith and political leanings? According to Justice Dept. Official Bradley Schlozman you only want those "True Americans" at the DOJ. Those True Americans do not include African-Americans, Jews or Asians. Think I'm making that up? Lord, I wish I was. Monica Goodling, a lawyer with only six months' prosecutorial experience, is given the reins to vet new attorneys for the DOJ. She checked candidates voting records (!) and their party affliation. Firing excellent Attorneys General because they didn't play ball? Ditto. Just how much has this political pogram cost us in terms of prosecutorial talent and ongoing investigations?

If I had my way, there would be a lot of heads rolling right now. If we don't draw the line NOW, future administrations will see the Constitution as irrelevant. Don't think a wily Democrat wouldn't pull the same shenanigans. Our democratic system is being riddled with a pervasive and self-serving cancer. All I can hope is that when this is all over, there's enough left to rebuild and that the cancer can be eliminated. If not, our nation is sliding into an abyss from which there is no return.

Virtual Evil Nears Completion

What, you say, it isn't done yet???? Not quite. We're getting there, though.

The editor has sent me the changes she'd like and I've made them. Lots of rewriting on this one. The end result looks to be very promising. This one's been harder than most for a number of reasons. I've been pondering on those reasons so as not have face them in the future.

One of the reasons is that I rewrote this book five times. Now Bill Fawcett, author/editor, made the comment at A-Kon that if you do more than three rewrites on a book it grows stale. I disagreed. I am beginning to see where Bill lives on this subject.

Not to say that VE is stale. Actually, the characters just started doing odd things that didn't fit their personalities. It was like they were tired of being futzed with and decided to get even with the author. That's where Ms. Editor comes into the picture. She raps my knuckles with a computer-generated ruler and reminds that so-and-so would NOT do such a thing. And if they would, I've better explain WHY and make it a very plausible explanation.

The characters are now back on track and a lot less erratic. At this point my housebound editor (the hubby) is going through the book page by page, making notes if something doesn't work for him. He's an engineer so things have to track or he gets cranky. This sort of review does put a strain on our relationship at times ("Whadda mean that scene doesn't work for you, bub?") but in the end it makes for a much tighter book.

The end nears. I'm really looking forward to it.

A-Kon 18

Not every weekend do you get together with 14.5K plus folks who are seriously addicted to anime. Now I admit not knowing much about that fine art, other than an unfortunate encounter with Hentai (think lots of tentacles and young women) at a different convention a few years back. So when I finally got to know there were other types of anime except the aforementioned, I was a happy camper.

As always, there are LOTS of cool costumes, very neat young folks and a dynamite writer's track at A-Kon. This is the second year I've coordinated the Writers' Workshop. Last year we had 6 entries. This year we had 37. Next year we'll be capping the entires so the pubbed authors who donate their time to this project don't need medical assistance by the time they get done line editing the entries.

Like every workshop, there are those just new to the craft all the way to those who can tell a compelling story with only a few changes needed. I was impressed. Everyone was serious about their work and that's awesome. One of those new writers could be a Hugo or a Nebula winner in a few years. I was assisted by the great team of Melanie Fletcher, Tom Knowles and Shanna Swendson. Paying it forward, as we say.

Besides the workshop, Friday evening I retired to the Chapparal Restaurant at the top of the Adams Mark which gives you a fabulous view of Dallas by night. I ate dinner with Tom, his son Jamie and Melanie. We celebrated my ForeWord win with a fine bottle of wine and some of the best food I've had in years.

I also got to hang with Lee & George Martindale this weekend (who plied me with single malt!) along with Bill Fawcett and Teresa Patterson. I'm on the slate for next year at A-Kon and I'm already looking forward to it. They treat me right fine courtesy of the LAB (Little Aussie Bastard) as we lovingly call him. Here's hoping next year he's bipedal again and at his usual rip-roaring best.

Editor's Choice Award (Fiction)

Yesterday afternoon SOJOURN won the top Editor's Choice Award for Fiction through ForeWord Magazine. Here's their press release:

Two books were named the Editor's Choice Prize winners, a distinction that comes with a $1,500 cash prize. The Editor's Choice Prize for Fiction was awarded to Sojourn by Jana Oliver (Dragon Moon Press, 978-1-896944-30-2), the first Science Fiction book to be chosen for this honor.

"This fascinating book is an intricate time travel tale involving journeys between 1888 Victorian England and the year 2057," publisher Victoria Sutherland said. "The book is lavishly researched, with over six dozen sources listed in the author's bibliography. It has already received recognition from other sources, and it is our pleasure to name it as this year's Editor's Choice Prize Winner for Fiction."

As I was in Dallas at A-Kon and my publisher was unable to attend the awards ceremony, Brian Hades of Hades Publications did the honors. He called me with the astounding news during one of the panels. It still hasn't fully hit home. While Brian was at it, he attended the Independent Publisher Book Award Ceremony last night and collected my Gold Medal. I certainly owe him as he has to haul all the loot back to Canada (grin).

And to add icing to the cake, Connie Ward's GRYPHON HIGHLORD, from Dragon Moon, won the Gold in Science Fiction. There was a lot of celebration all around.

Awards like these are a testament to the input of a lot of very good people. Sure, we authors pen the books, but if we aren't held to a higher standard by a critique group (you know who you are!), given excellent editorial input (in my case by Adrienne deNoyelles) graced with awesome covers (artists L.W. Perkins & Christina Yoder), vetted by great beta readers (Tyra Mitchell, Tina Rak, Ally Reineke and Judy Stock), proofed by Nanette Littlestone (an editor in her own right) and given full support by their publisher (Gwen Gades), you just got another book. Everything came to together on this one.

Thanks folks. This one is for all of you.

Sojourn Yet Again!

And SOJOURN rolls on. The book is now a finalist for a Prism Award and for the Booksellers Best Award.

You know, I think I got this one right.

Sojourn Marches On!

What is it about this book? SOJOURN is a finalist for a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense in the Paranormal division. The Daphnes, as they're called, are offered by the Kiss of Death Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. It's a chapter of "murderously-inclined romantics" who know how to write good books and have fun at the same time.

I've finaled twice before in the Daphnes (named after Dame Daphne du Maurier) and won Honorable Mentions both times. Since those were self-published books, I was quite tickled with that as I was competing against NY-pubbed authors. I'm hoping SOJOURN proves strong enough to take first place this time.

The awards ceremony is at the Death by Chocolate Party (everything chocolate you could possibly think of) at the annual romance writers conference. Yummmm...

And now back to the packing. I'm off to Dallas tomorrow for A-Kon and the Writers' Workshop. I can't wait!

Balticon 41

Nice weekend. Yeah, I know, I have to give more details that than. I roomed with She of the Titian Tresses (Jean Marie Ward) again and as usual we were up to no good. She kept me supplied in bottled water and oranges and that was well appreciated. We discovered a Wegman's (second cousin to a Whole Foods) and dined there for a couple of days. They had yummy sushi. We even went to Filene's Basement. I only found a pair of earrings, but that's probably best given the hit my credit cards have taken recently.

Balticon began with the Opening Ceremonies and the Compton Crook Award. The winner of that hallowed award was Naomi Novik for Her Majesty's Dragon. Very nice lady and one helluva talented author. Joshua Palmatier (I highly recommend his book The Skewed Throne) and I got to spend some time with each other (we did a signing together) and he's a kick. I dressed up for this con (I know, some of you just dropped to the floor in shock) but Josh had the right idea. He was comfy casual and when we ended up with a panel room that could double as a waiting room for Hell (temp wise, that is) he was just fine. I was dying. Walter Hunt, however, kept his cool. We traded quips and survived the panel (which was on high tech ways to promote yourself). I made a mental note to bring a fan next year.

Maria Snyder (last year's Compton Crook winner) had a session on poisons which I had to miss as I was doing a reading. Bummer. I heard it was really neat. I bought her book (gorgeous front cover) and I'm planning on starting it as I'm winging my way to Dallas on Thurs for A-Kon. The planes are too crowded now to allow me to do any computer work.

I got invited to a private single malt scotch tasting (grin) and hung with some really nice folks. The Baltimore Science Fiction Society are cool people and they read a LOT. We discussed all sorts of stuff. And as usual, I harassed Tee Morris and Tony Ruggerio because they're there. I do intend to make a trip to editor Ed Schubert's Intergalatic Medicine Show and spend some time reading the short stories once I made Virtual Evil's turn-in date. I know they'll be worth the time and who knows, maybe someday I'll pen one and submit it.

The next two days involve finishing the critiques for the A-Kon Workshop, washing clothes and repacking. Back on the road Thursday for five days in Dallas. When not called upon to do my duty to the con, I'll be in the bar working on my book edits. I've finally gotten to the point where noise doesn't bother me anymore. I suspect it's because of Starbuck's obsession with Frank Sinatra. Eventually your brain cells just block out everything lest Frank's singing might be involved.

Independent Publisher Book Award

SOJOURN took the Gold Medal for the Science Fiction/Fantasy category in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. The contest drew almost 3700 entries from all 50 states, 8 Canadian provinces and 17 countries overseas.


The other winners in the category are:
Silver: The Future is Queer, edited by Richard Labonté and Lawrence Schimel (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Bronze: The Anvil Stone, by Kathleen Cunningham Guler (Bardsong Press); Red Ivy Afternoon, by Mark R. Brand (Silverthought Press); The Plants of Middle-Earth: Botany and Sub-Creation, by Dinah Hazell (Kent State University Press); Raising the Past, by Jeremy Robinson (Breakneck Books)

I think it's time to celebrate!

Let There Be Questions (Part IV)

It's taken me longer than usual to work through the questions from the students at Kennesaw State University, but I'm getting there. Here's a few more --

From Rachel B. -- "Do you ever think of going to a larger press?"

Yes, I do, because it is one of the main ways to increase readership.

Dragon Moon Press is a vibrant independent (and growing) speculative fiction publisher. That being said, they are still considered a "small press" though no one really has a good definition of that term. That means that DMP does smaller press runs, usually employing short run technology (aka print-on-demand) or offset. They print their books in trade paperback (the 6" x 9" size) as compared to the mass market size because for a mm paperback you need to print at least 10K to be cost effective. Doing short run printings allows a smaller press to keep more $ in the pocket up front. It makes fiscal sense.

When I take my books to a bigger publisher, I will be looking to move to that mass market paperback size as the "price point" is lower. A trade paperback just costs more to produce whereas the web press newsprint paperbacks are cheaper. The difference in my case would be a $19.95 price point down to something in the $7.99 range. Readers are much more likely to take a chance on a new author (to them) at the lower price. So yes, I will eventually move my Time Rovers series to a bigger publisher so that more readers can enjoy the stories. Like most things, it comes down to a matter of dollars and sense.

From Anna M. -- "What is the latest thing you have read?" and "What is your favorite genre to read?"

That would be Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden Series. When I'm in the middle of final edits on my own manuscript, I need an hour or so a night to disconnect or I end up living the dratted thing 24/7. For a time I kept myself sane reading through Terry Pratchett's Discworld Series. During the current book (which has proved to be a major stretch for me) I immersed myself in Butcher's series. He has nine books out at present and they would be considered urban fantasy. I love his world, his characters and how he carries the suspense and the emotion from book to book. So right now I'm "into" Mr. Butcher's fine works. I haven't met the fellow yet (which is amazing given all the conventions I do each year) but I suspect we'll eventually bump elbows. I want to buy the guy his libation of choice and pick his brain on how to keep a series dynamic. He's planning on 20 books. That means he'd got a plan. I'd love to know how he does it.

My favorite genre is usually something paranormal with a heavy mystery element. Books like that can be urban fantasy or paranormal mystery. I'm pretty good with paranormal romance, but not always. Give me a vibrant world, a deep mystery and lots of questions and I'm good.

From Teddi M. -- "Who handles your public relations? How are they compensated?"

Up until last year, I handled all my own P.R. I'm really good at some things and I ignore other marketing avenues at my own peril. I decided it was best to have someone else out there pimping me, as it were, so I hired Two Sisters Promotions . Sherry & Kristen (who are indeed sisters) know how to keep my name in front of potential readers, how to work marketing venues I'm not familiar with and generally keep me on track. They handle my convention contracts (unless it's a convention at which I already have a standing agreement) and my book signings. They can do marketing while I'm writing my next book. We work together as a team and the arrangement has been absolutely wonderful. As to how are they compensated? They take checks or Lilliputians in small denominations (just kidding).

Teddi also asks -- "What do you think about sales of previously owned books on Ebay and other sources?"

Oh, that's a good question. Like all authors, I'd love to get a royalty for every time you bought my book, from the first time to the very last. Actors get residuals on shows they starred in decades before. Not authors. Where it would be lovely to get a cut of those earnings over the long haul, once the book is sold, there is no way to track where it goes and who buys it.

So, I live with the fact that someone can sell a used book out there cheaper than a new one of mine. I admit to buying used books. If I find I like the author, I will then buy the rest of the series new to help support my brothers and sisters slaving away at their keyboards. I figure other folks do the same -- they buy one of my books, like what I do and buy the rest new. At least that's my delusion.

Survival Skills 101?

I've been doing a lot of thinking since the shooting at VA Tech. Staying out of the gun debate, because that's just a lightning rod, I have a different suggestion: I think its time that we teach our kids survival tactics on top of how to balance a checkbook and how not get pregnant, etc. Times have changed. So must our appreciation of the danger.

This sort of re-evaluation happened in the airline industry after 9/11. Passenger tactics are no longer passive. Heaven help someone who tries to hijack a plane nowadays. Though it sincerely bums me to think we have to teach our kids how to survive some madman/madmen bent on body count, that's the way it is.

That means we need to rethink how they might respond to such a threat. Certainly I don't expect kids or teachers to play Rambo, but there might be some way to mitigate the death toll if we had a better idea of how to react than duck and cover. Such "adverse situation" training may seem bloody minded, but if it gives the kids a chance to survive until the cops get to a scene, then it's worth it.

That being said, I do not recommend the following stupid scenario:

Tennessee Teachers Stage Fake Gunman Attack

Talk about dumb.

Survival skills are not just for the classroom, they're for a number of ugly situations throughout life. Just like rape prevention, having a clue how to react in a bad situation can make an enormous difference. Until we find how to make it a less violent and dangerous world, we're shortchanging our youth by not giving them the skills to survive.

So what are your thoughts?

Why Books Can Be As Good As Kids

I'm not a mother. I passed on that option a number of years back for a number of reasons. In the long run, I know it was a sound move. I've long since got over my kid-phobia and now find well-mannered little munchins a treat. (Note the well-mannered in that sentence). You can have great fun with them and then hand the little mites back to their parents when they get cranky, or suddenly develop teething symptoms.

However, since it's Mother's Day, I'd like to offer my ideas of why books can can be better than kids. All tongue in check, of course, so don't go nuclear on this, okay?

Books Can Be Better Than Kids Because:

1) They may expect you to get up at 3 a.m. and take care of them, but they don't require diaper changes.

2) You never worry what your book is doing at midnight and if it's going to be in before curfew.

3) Books do not borrow your clothes.

4) Books do not whine at you about a new pair of tennis shoes, the latest album or why all the other books have cars.

5) Books don't show up on your doorstep, a wee book in their arms of unknown parentage.

6) Books can't be busted by the cops for possession of illegal substances.

7) Books do not get tattoos or studs on their covers.

8) Books do not get crushes, fall in love with other books that are too old for them or get divorces.

9) Books do not run up your phone bill, your charge card or get their pages dyed pink.

10) Books do not get speeding tickets, require braces or have an identity crises.

On the downside, books do not send you flowers for Mother's Day or give you a big hug and say "Love ya, mom."

So I wish all the mums out there a very happy day. Consider yourself lucky, ladies.

Let There Be Questions (Part III)

Working through the questions from the Kennesaw State students as time permits --

Julie M. poses this question -- "Who is in charge of marketing your books, you or Dragon Moon Press?"

Me. I know there are authors who still believe that their publisher should do all the heavy lifting when it comes to promotion, but that's not an option anymore. Two decades ago -- sure. Not today. Dragon Moon Press (DMP) supports me in all ways they are able, but ultimately it's up to me to see that my books are a success. That doesn't trouble me in the least. If five years down the line I've found my career hasn't gone anywhere, I do not want to bitch and moan that my publisher(s) should have done more. Perhaps they could have, but that's not the point. I don't want to have any personal regrets that I didn't take this to max when I had the opportunity.

From Zenia L. --"'History is much like a python. Once you're in its grip, there's little chance of escape.' Can you explain those words from your webpage?"

Geez, try to be cryptic just once. Let's look at it from the point-of-view of the prey. I can pretty much imagine a rodent's thoughts the moment it gets caught in a python's grip. "Gee, how'd that happen? Well, no sweat, I'll just sneak out... Humm... getting a bit tight here. Maybe if I wriggle this way...no... that didn't work. Whoa, now it's really getting tight. Maybe I better--" End of rodent.

We often find ourselves in the middle of a dicey situation before we realize it. Traveling in time would present the same opportunity to get entrapped in a situation that you hadn't anticipated. Like the python, once you're there and into the flow of events, it's darned hard to get free. That's the case with my characters, especially the time traveler Jacynda Lassiter. She goes to 1888 to do a job. Once there, she's trapped in a different reality, one that she has virtually no control over. She's a lot like the rodent encircled by the python, except it would be good if Jacynda survives to the end of the book so there can be a sequel.

Jennifer J. asks, "What have you found to be the most difficult part of promoting a new book?"

Attracting the readers' attention. Authors have so much competition: Lost, American Idol, CNN, longer work hours, elderly care issues, the Internet, XBox, ITunes. Not counting all the other new books. Capturing a reader's attention takes a lot of persistence. You have to have a topic that intrigues them, a really good delivery and leave them wanting more. In otherwords, published authors are a lot like high class courtesans (though those ladies get better pay). We have to be very good at what we do EVERY TIME. Not easy.

Persistence is a lot of it. So is luck. Author J.A. Konrath talks a lot about hitting that point in your career where luck kicks in and things start to happen and the years of effort needed to reach the sweet spot. I'm still creeping up on that point. When I reach it, I can't wait to see what happens next!