One Honest Question, One Honest Answer

Hey, I’ll be reinstating my good news Monday soon, and Madam Philomena will be back soon with her forecasts for you. In the meantime, I thought I’d play this horrificly frightening Myspace-inspired one-question game.

You get to ask me one question. Any question, except for my real name, address, etc.
I will answer it honestly. I’ll pick a random name for a free ebook of your choice from my list.

I’m not that interesting, I know. But give it a shot anyway.

Wine, Cheese, Women, and Manuscripts

What do these have in common? Oh, you’re so smart. I like my cheese moldy (intentionally, beautifully veined in blue or green), I used to like my wine old (and preferably Italian) before I started living the clean life, and women–well don’t ask a woman facing 50 if she’s better with some wrinkles. You might get your head chewed off. The answer is yes.

Manuscripts? I got thinking about this because Angie James posted at Romancing the Blog today on those one-manuscript wonders, those folks who are so in love with their novel, their one baby. Perhaps they’ve rewritten it ten times, or sent it to every agent and editor they can find. They give the likes of Ms. Snark (God bless her, hope she’s fine) a lot of subject matter. Anway, Angie said all that better.

My thought is that I don’t sit on things very long. I write it and send it. I don’t have a curing process. No cheesecloth, no wine cellar. No virtual shelf for my manuscript. Bam, out the door. I’m the opposite of what Angie writes about. I’m so anxious for that next contract, to show people I’ve learned and moved on to new territory.

Do you think the healthy approach may be in the middle (it usually is, damn it)? Those of you who know me have heard me talk about rewriting some books that were at another publishing house. I don’t suggest waiting for your publisher to close so you can rewrite a book. Let me tell you, if you don’t notice a difference in your writing after two years, you need some input. It’s excruciating. I wonder what I’ll notice two years from now?

So I can’t afford to sit on everything for two years. God knows, I might be writing historicals by then (not). But how about two months? Two weeks, for Pete’s sake?
How long do you let something age before you go back and fix all the crap that seemed so marvelous when you were “in the zone?”

I’m approaching a time when I’m going to panic slightly. Or largely. When I’ve fulfilled my contracts and don’t have a new one. When I have to sit down and write a brand new book. How long should I let it age? Can one turn into a one-book wonder after writing 15? I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, go read this interesting post.

I Thought I Didn’t Like Paris Hilton

Until I saw a recent interview with Ann Coulter. And I’m not even a liberal, and I’m decidedly not a John Edwards fan. Nevertheless, the woman put the B on itch and took it to a new level.

So, the next time I get asked one of those desert island questions in an interview, I’ll answer “I’d like to be shipwrecked with Ann Coulter, Paris Hilton, and Rosie, so I can kick their asses and knock their heads together.”

Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. Return to your regular programming. And by the way, you can watch Ghost Hunters tonight instead of the Paris Hilton interview. After all, this is a person who only had to be rich. Nothing else.

Lords of Ch’i Wins Fantasm Award!

I’m thrilled that Lords of Ch’i won a Fantasm Award for Speculative Fiction! I tied for first, and I’ll take it! Woohoo! You can buy the book here and read an excerpt or view all of my Samhain titles!

Last Chance for PIRATE TREASURE!

Four Samhain authors challenge you to sail the high seas in search of sexy pirates! Your reward? Pieces of eight?

The Treasure:
A Samhain Gift Certificate for $20 * A copy of one book from each author * A treasure made by hand from each of the authors—a necklace, a bracelet, a book thong, and a candle!

Your First Mates:
AE Rought, Ciar Cullen, Ingela Hyatt, and Ann Cory

Your Mission:
Find the sexy pirates (hint: they look a lot like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom for some reason)
Find the treasure chest

Your map:
http://www.ciarcullen.com
http://aerought.blogspot.com
http://www.anncory.com
http://www.ingelahyatt.com

BONUS HINT: Don’t forget Myspace and Livejournal pages linked at each site!

How to Win!
Visit each of the links above and look for the treasure chest. Then find two sexy pirates at each site in addition to the treasure chest. Jot down where you found the pirates and the treasure chest, and email your answers to ciar@ciarcullen.com
Don’t forget to tell us the title of the book where you found the treasure, or if it was on the homepage or blog of the author. Simply tell us the author’s name isn’t good enough. You’ll walk the plank for that!

CONTEST RUNS THROUGH JUNE! Don’t give up, if you have questions, email ciar@ciarcullen.com!

I’m Tagged, and Damned Unhappy About It

I’ve been tagged by LK Campbell. How dare you ask me to talk about myself ;o) xoxo

Here are the rules:
A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.
B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I dream in vibrant, living color, every night, and remember many dreams each night.
2. My first job was catching mice who had burrowed into popcorn bags at a movie theater.
3. I now sometimes am forced to pick up dead mice at work. It’s a biology dept.
4. Clowns. Court jesters. Marionnettes. You show me one, you are off my Christmas card list.
5. I wrote a story for 16 magazine when I was 16 and it was published. I got $50 for it.
6. I don’t eat fish. I don’t eat eggs. I don’t drink milk. They all make me ill.
7. I’m terrified of going fast. In cars. Unless I’m driving.
8. I don’t really read romances, at least not many. I know that’s a bad thing. I do read, I promise.

I’m tagging: Rebecca Goings, Toni Sue, Shelly, Rob, Chuck, Ann Cory, Sara Dennis, Isabella Jordan.

The Virtual Crash–Triskelion and Some Random Thoughts

Dear Francis,

I’m back from a short trip to see my mom. She asked how the writing was going, and I said, slowly but fine. That was honest enough. I told her the first company that ever bought one of my books shut their doors. “Why?”

I thought about this a bit, but I don’t have access to their books, so I can’t really answer. But I worked in nonfiction publishing for a good while, at four companies. I saw takeovers, downsizing, the internet devastate certain lines, etc. I used to write those P&L (profit and loss) statements on titles. Most of the companies I worked for stayed afloat, but relied on other assets while they regrouped. A start-up like Triskelion didn’t have that luxury (I don’t think they did).

I remember the long lists of signs a company is in trouble (I generally bailed about a year early, sensing a coming storm. In one case I bailed about three years too early, as McGraw-Hill is still in business, but my division is no more). I got out of publishing and into a university setting because I was sick of the instability.

So what were those warning signs, and can authors (or anyone!) learn anything from them? They aren’t so different than ones you hear about with small publishing companies.

1. Constant staffing shake-ups. Not one editor leaving, but big-whigs leaving. Cliques within the ranks. The “know it alls” and the “what the hell is going on?” types at odds. Demoralization. Poor communication.

2. Divide and conquer politics. Treating the human assets as immediately replaceable (except the finance guy), because loyalty isn’t much of an issue. Or, making promises to keep people loyal that aren’t fulfilled.

3. You can’t get supplies because vendors aren’t getting paid.

4. Constant restructuring of product–one day you’re making baskets, the next brooms. New reporting structures, quick new product lines–grasping at straws.

5. Too much growth too quickly. Businesses of any size are notoriously poor at managing growth. Small financial problems become huge ones.

6. Employees jumping ship, lots of them.

7. Product quality can deteriorate in an effort to get it out the door and collect cash. (I am NOT saying that is the case with Triskelion books).

These are just a few I saw in three large publishing houses. I left out things like “guys in three piece suits you’ve never seen before sit in the conference all day long looking at spreadsheets”.

So, what’s an author to do? I dunno, I wish I did. Because sometimes things look bad, and they aren’t. Sometimes, the signs aren’t there, and you get the shock of your life.

But one thing I know for sure–look at companies as businesses, not families. They are not your family. When the cow patties hit the fan, you’ll find out quickly.

Most people employed by small publishing houses are earning their bread and butter by doing so. They are making business decisions. After sweating blood for one of my “real world” jobs and being cast aside in a pre-closure slashing of costs, I decided I’d never look at a company the same way again. I forgot that for a while, but Triskelion closing their doors reminded me of it.

Thirteen Books I’d Love to Read Again

Time! Before I cross to the big reading room in the sky, I really want to revisit these books that have resonated with me for so long:
1. Vanity Fair, Thackerey
2. The Woman in White, Collins
3. The Moonstone, Collins
4. Robinson Crusoe, Dafoe
5. A Wrinkle in Time, D’Engle
6. Raj Quartet, Scott
7. Innocents Abroad, Twain
8. The Whispering Statue (Nancy Drew), Keene
9. A Study in Scarlet (Holmes), Doyle
10. Heart of Darkness, Conrad
11. Portrait of the Artist, Joyce
12. Angela’s Ashes, McCourt
13. House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne

The Non-Sinking Sheep of Love

I opened my email today and found a special message, so special it was hard to go on at work. The spellings are not mine. Have you received a special message today? Besides telling you that you can acquire a twelve-inch d!cK? Sigh.

Privet, my friend

I believe that we will succeed. I believe that we will take the non-sinking
sheep of love and will go far away to the ocean, on the waves of unopened
passions, we will open the doors of wishes and dreams which never happened
yet… You should know that there is a lady in this world, I am here for you,
and for me your name is not just an empty sound, for me you are a man who
will always be gentle and caring with me. Let the memories of me come to
you each time you read my words, I still believe that I can be happy and
that you will reply to my brave letter for you at [http://bestlovefields.com/feelsome]

And I will write my letters to you and will greet you: Hello, My Destiny! It’s
me again!

Goodbye

Tatyana

Review: Destiny by Design, Wylie Kinson

I curled up with Wylie Kinson’s Destiny by Design last night. Her book was voted the best ebook of the spring.

I like to get all my biases out in the open right away: I’m not a huge fan (anymore) of regular contemporaries. What’s a regular contemporary? Oh, you know, no fur, no fangs, no planets or “lands” or swords. I’m also a wee burnt out on quick hot trysts. Actually, really burnt out.

That out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised when I got pulled into this book. Something like “Ugly Betty” without the ugliness, this book moves quickly, convincingly, and pleasantly. I think Wylie’s writing is great–I was able to “forget” about the writing, if you know what I mean, which is hard for another author.

So, Ellis Strathmore is a quirky woman, a talented designer with a flair for unusual behavior. She’s part of a contest, akin to an architectural charette, and she’s drawn the short straw–the office–to decorate/design. More bad news–her former boss and adversary, the wiley Cynthia Trevors is up to some very nasty tricks. Mean bitch. The good news? The head of the construction company on the project is hot. Simon Callon is funny, hot, and digs Ellis. It doesn’t take very long for Ellis to get Simon to drop his tool belt, so to speak. So this book, while not an endless parade of strung together erotic sequences, does have very hot scenes, and they are convincing. Well done.

Either Ms. Kinson knows something about the design business, or she did her homework. The backdrop for the plot is really well done. The plot was smooth, not particularly original or earthshattering, but it works. I was reading a blog today about gay sidekicks. Hey, I like them. I don’t find them so cliched as some might, and Remi is particularly well suited to this design world.

Finally, the main characters. I liked them very much. I wanted to know a bit more about Ellis (she is intriguing, and very, very likeable). I wanted to know a lot more about Simon. What makes these two exceptional professionals available, open to a relationship, etc.? A little more of their inner thought processes might have been nice. But hey, I tend to overdo that stuff, armchair shrink that I am. The conflict is really external–the villian. Not a lot of angsty handwringing and self-doubt, which makes the main players a little one-dimensional.

But who needs angst? Sometimes you want a fun read with good looking characters in a cool (and really different) setting. All in all, this book is a very tidy package for contemporary romance readers.

The real draw? Wylie Kinson’s smooth writing. No “huh” moments, no awkward anything. Nice, straightforward, pull you along through the story so you must read the end writing. If I want the couple to end up together, then I know I’m reading a winner. I’m grateful this book was recommended to me!