When I was getting ready this morning, I walked into my closet and gazed longingly at my boots. My winter, to-the-calves, completely-inappropriate-for-summer boots. Three pairs, all colors, black, grey and tan. I wished I could wear them.
I got dressed, and only then did I look outside. And smiled. It was cool outside! Overcast! Dare I say, even dank! I was thrilled. Immediately yanked off my stupid skirt and top and gleefully slid into a pair of stretch pants, a sweater dress, and BOOTS! Okay, true confession is I didn't wear the boots, since my other flats looked way cuter. Whatever. The point is the simple change in the weather validates that we are in the middle of change and for the first time in at least a couple years, I am embracing all of it.
Our country is about to change, my life has dramatically changed since I started my new job nine months ago (I don't think I can still keep calling it "new" nine months after the fact, but it still feels so shiny!), and I believe my writing is changing. It all makes me kind of giddy.
Now, let me explain how monumental this is. I don't exactly embrace change. I'll give you a couple of examples: I never change my mind after I choose my outfit for the day. At certain restaurants, I have the same exact thing off the menu every single time. See, I appreciate structure, discipline, control. I'm a Scorpio. We may be passionate, yes, but we also crave order. So, if you were describing an author like this, certainly she would be a plotter, right? Nope. You would be wrong.
I have published seven novels and in each one I was a "pantser" of the highest order. Flying by the seat of my pants, I had NO CLUE at all where the story would start, arc, and finish until I opened the laptop. My muse, Musina, has tolerated this "blinders-on" attitude for a couple of years, while waiting for me to come to my own understanding with my control, or lack-of-control issues. Most of this came about due to the unstable nature of my personal life. Unemployed, bummed out, and financially stressed, writing was an outlet. I could be as free as I wanted and boy, was I. I love the stories I wrote during this period; they are indicative of my desire to escape, in a way. But, as I mentioned, change is in the air, and I have been breathing deeply and craving the koolaid.
My most recent manuscript, and even the one just published this month, are an indication of that change. With Waterdancer, published the first week of September, I found for the first time, I needed a character roster. Then I wrote a few "notes" on my iphone to which I referred periodically. With the current manuscript I am shopping, The Deadlies, I had a character roster, "notes", and even a couple of story arcs written down. I think there is a correlation to my new found stability and my level of trust in myself. The Deadlies is different than anything I have written and I am desperately proud of it. I trusted myself enough to go outside my comfort zone and I am truthfully chuffed with the result.
In my life now, as compared to a year ago, there are daily revelations reminding me of how blessed I am. I wrote a post before this about waiting on my agent. I think I may have given the wrong impression. If I NEVER get an agent, that will be okay. I write because I love it, and the entrance of an agent in that equation won't change that. It may enhance it, but it won't change it. My life has slowly, in the last year, stabilized. My marriage is back on track (unemployment and depression can smack the hell out of a marriage), my personal relationships are blossoming, and for the first time in maybe a decade, I am letting people into my circle. I have new friends who are very, very important to me. And I am writing characters about whom I feel the same. I am learning to trust myself and my craft. I think it is okay to say I am a good writer, and not laugh right after I say it. With trust comes confidence.
Musina knew all that all along. She wanted to tell me, but I was mentally unprepared for such revelatory information. Might have killed me, frankly. Not so much anymore. Because I am embracing change. And right now, I am experiencing the best kind...not things that want to change me, but changes I am accepting and want to make. Trust me, there is a difference. The lesson I think for me, for 2012, is the best kind of changes are the kind you never expected. And isn't that the best part of life? The unexpected? I finally believe that's true.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Waiting on My Agent
So, I don't have an agent. I have been happily publishing my books with the assistance of two dynamic publishing houses, Astraea Press and Musa Publishing for the past two years. I hope to publish many, many more. But I would lie if I said I didn't want an agent. I, like, REALLY want an agent. This desire takes away nothing from how fortunate I feel to be with my current publishers. My issue is the marketing. And the time.
Before I wrote my first book, Spellbound, I wasn't even on facebook. Had no idea Twitter existed and even now, got no clue about Tumblr or Pinterest. But a very smart marketing rep at one of my houses told me I was insane if I was writing and not on anything resembling a social network. "Oh my God, you have to at least have a BLOG!" she wailed at me in emails with all caps. So, I started one. And I really have to admit, I enjoy it. But the rest? Time-suck sometimes.
Facebook gave me an amazing start and a wonderful base of great author friends and people I call fans (and then blush). I'm very grateful. But, I'm very tired too. I have a great base of support online, but I think it would be neat to have that one person who really believed in me and got me. Okay, to be fair I have that. I'm talking about that one person who does all that and ALSO knows some New York publishers.
With that in mind, I confess, I have sent my recent manuscript, The Deadlies, out to the agenting world. A dark, YA paranormal, set in the South, about catty girls possessed by the demons of the seven deadly sins, I am very proud of this one. So I set it free in the deep end of the pool. Two agents from the shark tanks have swum up to me, shown me their teeth, and asked for pages. I sent them. I was too scared not to. Now I wait.
One agent wanted the whole manuscript and one wanted my first 100 pages., which is really the first third to a half of the book. Now, I am wondering...how long is reasonable to be waiting for a response? I don't want to look like a newbie, but....I kind of am. I've only had two requests for pages before, when I was even more of a newbie, and tried my hand at my first story. One agent and Harlequin Teen requested pages, then ultimately passed. Quickly. So, is it a good sign when it takes longer?
Agents must be busy. There are, by my count, eleventy-billion of us trying to get one, and only, like, a handful out there to get. You do the math. They are only human. Is it unreasonable to hear back from one in two months? Four? Eight? How long is too long?
So, my post today is more of a call for help. Like a call for submissions, I need you. If you are one of my blog followers and you have a tad bit of insight into this mystery....could you clue me in? The myth and mystery of agents reminds me of the same one surrounding the elusive and unknown "underwriter" who decided my hubs and I's fate when we were buying our first house. One guy, one person, who held the key to my future. Would it be a two story colonial with a yard for the kids? Or a double wide in a questionable part of town with occasional hot-and-cold running water? Will I get the agent who gets me? Or always be one of the eleventy-billion.
Before I wrote my first book, Spellbound, I wasn't even on facebook. Had no idea Twitter existed and even now, got no clue about Tumblr or Pinterest. But a very smart marketing rep at one of my houses told me I was insane if I was writing and not on anything resembling a social network. "Oh my God, you have to at least have a BLOG!" she wailed at me in emails with all caps. So, I started one. And I really have to admit, I enjoy it. But the rest? Time-suck sometimes.
Facebook gave me an amazing start and a wonderful base of great author friends and people I call fans (and then blush). I'm very grateful. But, I'm very tired too. I have a great base of support online, but I think it would be neat to have that one person who really believed in me and got me. Okay, to be fair I have that. I'm talking about that one person who does all that and ALSO knows some New York publishers.
With that in mind, I confess, I have sent my recent manuscript, The Deadlies, out to the agenting world. A dark, YA paranormal, set in the South, about catty girls possessed by the demons of the seven deadly sins, I am very proud of this one. So I set it free in the deep end of the pool. Two agents from the shark tanks have swum up to me, shown me their teeth, and asked for pages. I sent them. I was too scared not to. Now I wait.
One agent wanted the whole manuscript and one wanted my first 100 pages., which is really the first third to a half of the book. Now, I am wondering...how long is reasonable to be waiting for a response? I don't want to look like a newbie, but....I kind of am. I've only had two requests for pages before, when I was even more of a newbie, and tried my hand at my first story. One agent and Harlequin Teen requested pages, then ultimately passed. Quickly. So, is it a good sign when it takes longer?
Agents must be busy. There are, by my count, eleventy-billion of us trying to get one, and only, like, a handful out there to get. You do the math. They are only human. Is it unreasonable to hear back from one in two months? Four? Eight? How long is too long?
So, my post today is more of a call for help. Like a call for submissions, I need you. If you are one of my blog followers and you have a tad bit of insight into this mystery....could you clue me in? The myth and mystery of agents reminds me of the same one surrounding the elusive and unknown "underwriter" who decided my hubs and I's fate when we were buying our first house. One guy, one person, who held the key to my future. Would it be a two story colonial with a yard for the kids? Or a double wide in a questionable part of town with occasional hot-and-cold running water? Will I get the agent who gets me? Or always be one of the eleventy-billion.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Guest blog on A Dragon's Love
Guest Post - Samantha Combs
Write it Down
My stepmother is writing her memoirs. In fact, she is not just writing her memoirs, she is actually reliving some of the best moments of her life and loving every minute of it. Mind you, this may never be a publishable product, but it doesn’t matter. She will always love it, her daughter will always love it and she will have it forever. And the stories from her life will have a voice.
I’ve never written a memoir and I have a deep, abiding respect for anyone who does. There are some amazing moments in my life, sure. My wedding, my children’s births, etc. But there are those times in my life I would NEVER want to relive. Being dumped, having a car accident, the death of a friend by suicide. Yeah, not sure I want to write about THAT stuff just now. But it doesn’t mean I never will. Just as my experiences are important for my kids, the knowledge and experiences of my parents has become so much more valuable to me.
For instance, I have lost all four of my grandparents. I never knew my maternal grandfather, he having died shortly after my parent’s wedding. But, by all accounts, he was a multi-layered and fascinating man. From my mother I have learned he was a pugilist in her native England. From my father I learned that he ran the equivalent of a numbers racket in their London hometown. I knew my maternal grandmother, Nanny, since forever. She was funny and opinionated and my favorite story, she carried about two ridonkulously large purses. Because she needed to lug around so much crap, one bag couldn’t hack it. And she smoked cigarettes and constantly let the ash elongate with the threat of dropping on the carpet. From an early age, we learned to say, “Nanny - Ash!” before it tumbled to the ground. She would make a face and when the ash dropped anyway, we would cackle like maniacs. I miss her.
On my father’s side, I knew both grandparents. Grampa, as I remember, was curmudgeonly. He drank seven and sevens and smoked prolifically. My fondest memory is of him sitting in the worn-out armchair (think, Archie Bunker) with one hand around the ubiquitous highball glass, and the other just dipping into his breast pocket for his pack of smokes. When I got older, he didn’t move much from that seat, or any seat he chose, but it didn’t matter. Any family gathering sort of orbited around him. Like, he was the center of our universe and we were inexplicably drawn to him. And if you are thinking he was our rock, you’d be dead wrong. Grandma was.
Grandma was nothing short of amazing. She bore nine children on a farm in North Dakota. She raised them all with good humor and Catholic values. My father was the oldest. She watched all five of her boys join a branch of the armed service, and all four of her girls marry military men. In the late fifties, early sixties, those were the ways you got off the farm. She sent three of her boys to Vietnam, welcomed all of them home, and started collecting grandchildren early. She never forgot a birthday, she loved all nineteen of us grandchildren equally, and her favorite thing to do, back when we were all older and BIG drinkers, after hearing us all stumble in at an ungodly hour, giggling furiously, was to get up out of bed, storm into the kitchen, and throw the most enormous breakfast together we had ever seen. Those drunken, loud, unruly breakfasts are my most favorite memory of her. Oh, that and her ants on a log. (giggle if you know what I’m talking about).
But I digress. I want to make a case for the memoir. Right, so I’ve never written one, but I know the value of one. Since all my grandparents are gone now, their stories went with them. I don’t want that to happen again, so last Christmas I gave both my mother and my father blank life journals. I am encouraging them to write their life stories down. I want to know them, and share them with my children. Every family is different. Most think that their family is the most dysfunctional. Prove it is! Prove it isn’t! Just write it all down. I think, it’s possible, your kids may thank you for it. I know I will thank my folks. If I ever get them back. Um, excuse me now, I have a couple phone calls to make.
Samantha Combs, Author
Check out all 6 of my books!
GHOSTLY http://www.amazon.com/Ghostly-ebook/dp/B005ONM5RE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336187148&sr=1-1
THE DETENTION DEMON http://www.amazon.com/The-Detention-Demon-ebook/dp/B0077DTQHG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336187185&sr=1-1
TEETH AND TALONS http://www.amazon.com/Teeth-Talons-Horror-Anthology-ebook/dp/B006X51I4S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336187215&sr=1-1
WAY PAST MIDNIGHT http://www.amazon.com/Way-Past-Midnight-ebook/dp/B0088DXFP8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338755543&sr=1-1
Coming in September from Musa Publishing: WATERDANCER, a new YA paranormal
CONNECT WITH ME!
WRITE, PUBLISH, AND BE INFORMED!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Everspell is now touchable
I wanted to find a new way to make my announcement, but I'm sure every single way has been done to death. In any case, here's my big deal:
Everspell is now available in print!
Get the touchable reference now? Like pages and such? *sigh* Just excited. Sorry. Anyway, in case you either haven't seen the book or forgot the beginning, here is a piece to chomp on.
EVERSPELL
Everspell is now available in print!
Get the touchable reference now? Like pages and such? *sigh* Just excited. Sorry. Anyway, in case you either haven't seen the book or forgot the beginning, here is a piece to chomp on.
Book Two in the Spellbound series continues the love story of Logan and Serena. Having previously dispatched Christophe, the dark demon trying to capture and kidnap Serena for her special witch DNA in Book One, the two lovers believe they are now free to plan and live their lives together. Or are they?
When an innocent mistake made by their newlywed friends frees the way for Christophe to return, their idyllic attempt at happiness is marred by the nightmare they must outsmart, finally, to achieve the happily ever after they deserve.
They know they can rely on their coven to be there for them, and some new friends and additions to the family, as they once again embark on an epic battle that will secure their life, their love, and their future together. Once, they were Spellbound, now their story continues. For love, forever, for Everspell.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Moving It Forward
This post could be a companion piece to my earlier post about Killing Your Darlings. Since I just addressed this issue in a teeth-gnashingly way, I thought there may be value in it on a post.
I wrote a completely brilliant chapter. The words were neat and concise, the feeling perfectly conveyed by the language, and the chapter seemed to flow beautifully, like a fast-moving river. There was just one problem. It was pith. Pretty pith, but pith nonetheless.
That lovely chapter that made me swoon with delight every time I read it, just didn't move the story forward. It didn't advance my main character forward in her journey, it failed to reveal anything that wasn't already evident in the manuscript, and it simply had no rhyme nor reason for being there. It had to go. But, I didn't make it easy.
I wailed over it, edited it, tried to shove relevant facts and notions into it, all to no avail. As brilliant as the chapter may have been, it did nothing for the story. So, I highlighted it in preparation to delete the entire thing. And then didn't delete it. Mind you, it remained highlighted through dinner, bedtimes, and the beginning of The Tonight Show before I touched the "enter" button. But, I finally did. It was painful. However, reading the story through again without that chapter, I saw that it worked. It didn't have that inexplicable "speed-bump" feeling I got (which I would not admit to myself) when the chapter was in place before.
I was so mad at myself for not seeing the problem earlier, I clicked open an unfinished horror short story and pounded on it for a half hour, wrapping it up in a very pleasing manner.
You may think I conquered the problem and I could leave it here, letting you believe just that. But, you know how hard it is to kill your own darlings. So, I removed that chapter and pasted it into a new Word document. I'm saving it. You never know when it might be the perfect fit for something. It really is lovely. (I know, I know, I'm sure there is a twelve-step program for this, but until I am ready to admit the addiction, I hope to never be cured!)
I wrote a completely brilliant chapter. The words were neat and concise, the feeling perfectly conveyed by the language, and the chapter seemed to flow beautifully, like a fast-moving river. There was just one problem. It was pith. Pretty pith, but pith nonetheless.
That lovely chapter that made me swoon with delight every time I read it, just didn't move the story forward. It didn't advance my main character forward in her journey, it failed to reveal anything that wasn't already evident in the manuscript, and it simply had no rhyme nor reason for being there. It had to go. But, I didn't make it easy.
I wailed over it, edited it, tried to shove relevant facts and notions into it, all to no avail. As brilliant as the chapter may have been, it did nothing for the story. So, I highlighted it in preparation to delete the entire thing. And then didn't delete it. Mind you, it remained highlighted through dinner, bedtimes, and the beginning of The Tonight Show before I touched the "enter" button. But, I finally did. It was painful. However, reading the story through again without that chapter, I saw that it worked. It didn't have that inexplicable "speed-bump" feeling I got (which I would not admit to myself) when the chapter was in place before.
I was so mad at myself for not seeing the problem earlier, I clicked open an unfinished horror short story and pounded on it for a half hour, wrapping it up in a very pleasing manner.
You may think I conquered the problem and I could leave it here, letting you believe just that. But, you know how hard it is to kill your own darlings. So, I removed that chapter and pasted it into a new Word document. I'm saving it. You never know when it might be the perfect fit for something. It really is lovely. (I know, I know, I'm sure there is a twelve-step program for this, but until I am ready to admit the addiction, I hope to never be cured!)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Make It Personal
Writing my latest release, Waterdancer, has been a truly eye-opening experience to my own writing process. Please read about it in this guest post I did for the Waterdancer blog tour over at Letters Inside Out.
5SEPposted by
GUEST POST: SAMANTHA COMBS (AUTHOR OF WATERDANCER)
5SEPposted by
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Meet Bailey, the Teen Star of Waterdancer
I may have mentioned, Waterdancer, from Musa Publishing, is out this Friday. So you believe me when I say this book release is NOT all about me, I would like you to know I have given the spotlight over to Bailey, my spunky protagonist, for the most recent interview. My great fellow author from Astraea Press, Patricia Kiyono, handled the reins for this one. I won't waste time with useless banter, just please read the following and get to know Bailey.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Please Welcome Author Samantha Combs
Today I am honored to introduce you to Samantha Combs. Samantha is a
prolific author, writing Young Adult Paranormal stories not only at Astraea
Press, but also at Musa Publishing. She is a true cheerleader for her fellow
authors. She was the first blogger to interview me after the publication of my
first novella, The Legacy, and so I am glad to have the chance to return the
favor as she prepares for the launch of her latest release, Waterdancer. Since
Samantha herself is quite busy with all the promo surrounding the release,
she sent her main character, Bailey Wasserman, to answer my questions.
PK: Thank you for coming to chat with us today, Bailey. Why do you think
Samantha choose you to represent her?
BW: We are a lot alike. Most of how I am in Waterdancer is drawn directly from her
own teen years. She had the standoffish stepfather, the new home, the new school,
and the absentee father. While he wasn’t a sea creature, everything else is the same.
PK: Tell us a little about yourself.
BW: I just moved with my mother and her new husband and my awesome little brother
Landry to a brand new city. I have to go to a new school, too. I’m pretty laid back, but
this is turning out to be a seriously stressful summer. Even a zen chick like me has
her limits.
PK: What is your birth date?
BW: Let’s just say my sixteenth birthday this summer will bring more surprises than
presents.
PK: Where do you live? What is it about that area that drew you there?
BW: We live in Del Mar, California Pretty ritzy place. This is where my stepfather,
Warren, brought us to live. Before my Mom married him, we had a great little house
in a totally not expensive area. We were happy. I’m still working out if I like being
here. Secretly though, I have fallen in love with the beach. Never had that before!
PK: What do you wish people would know about you?
SC: If they knew about the mermaid tail, they would think I was a freak, or creepy.
So I DON’T want them to know about that. Except for Jack. He kind of found out
by accident. And he still likes me! Unheard of.
PK: What is your perfect evening?
BW: Since I learned how to surf, the perfect evening is riding the waves with Jack
until the sun goes down, and watching that sunset with him on the sand.
What do you do to relax?
BW: Surf. And I’m a teenager. We don’t relax, much.
PK: Tell us about Jack. What drew you to him?
BW: He is seriously cute and for some unknown reason, he likes me. Besides,
I wasn’t drawn to him…he kind of stalked me at Registration. Thank you, Jesus,
because he was the cutest boy in that whole room.
PK: What about the girl on the cover? Is that a fair representation of you?
BW: Yes. She is a bit wistful, and you can sense her awakened desire for the
ocean.
PK: What’s your biggest turn ons?
BW: Surfing with Jack, spending time with Landry, people telling me the truth.
PK: What are your biggest Turn offs?
BW: Deception.
PK: Do you believe in ghosts?
BW: Well, I didn’t believe in sea creatures before this summer, so I guess I
need to change my mind about ghosts, too.
PK: What is your biggest fear?
BW: That something will happen to Landry because of me.
PK: Why should the readers be interested in your story?
BW: Because I’m just a normal teenager trying to make my way in a life that
has just been turned upside-down. Because my story could be any girl’s story,
maybe just not with sea creatures as parents. And because I am honest, and
real, and sincere.
Thanks for coming today, Bailey!
Readers can find Waterdancer at your favorite online source beginning
THIS FRIDAY, September 7. You can find Samantha on Facebook, her
blog, or on Twitter:
Monday, September 3, 2012
Waterdancer Blog Tour
Because I am stupidly new to this, she took me by the hand and walked me through the whole process. I provided links and interviews and blog posts, oh my! I just did whatever she asked me to do and I am so surprised by some results. I have new blog followers, new likers, and, music to an author's ears, reviewers who are enjoying my story. I have posts and tweets and google-y stuff, too! Megan just does it all.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank her specifically, and the other blogs doing a thingy on me as well. So, here is a list of these wonderful reviewers/bloggers. Please check them out, and not just for this tour. I have found each blog to be well-thought out, engaging and entertaining, and best of all, informational. Once again, I am reminded that were it not for these reviewers and bloggers, us indie authors would be way more indie than we would like.
So, please join me in joining them!
One other thing I want to mention...this blog tour was offered to me for free. These great bloggers do this for the best reason of all, love of books and a great desire to introduce authors to you that you may not have even heard of. I can never, ever thank them enough. But you can do what I have done. Follow them. They are worth it.
And if you decide to jump on the blog tour, check it out with this schedule:
Today: Book Excerpt
& Giveaway @ my blog http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.co.uk/ &
Promo @ this blog http://worldsawaybookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
3rd September: Interview @ http://we-do-write.blogspot.co.uk/
4th September: Review @ http://aboveaveragebelowspecial.blogspot.co.uk/ &
Review @ http://jbarrett5.blogspot.com/
5th September: Guest
Post @ http://www.lettersinsideout.net/
6th September: Casting
Couch @ http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.co.uk/
7th September: Character
Interview: http://thecoverbybrittany.blogspot.co.uk/
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