Month: February 2012

My life, since Friday, has been someone else’s life. When you dream a dream for many years, and that dream finally comes true, its impact on your existence is nothing less than extraordinary. In many ways, life is exactly as before, and in many other ways it will never, ever, be the same again. Last Friday, my mystery novel – the first in a series featuring a 16th century ninja detective and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick – sold to Toni Plummer at Thomas Dunne Books – in a 3-book deal, no less. The details are still in transition, but it

Please enjoy this photograph of a fish in a barnacle. Or, if you need more than that to entertain you, a fish in a barnacle that’s being climbed by a hermit crab. This is indicative of my life this week. Some days you get coherent thoughts, other days it’s all about the random but strangely awesome. I’ll tell you more as soon as I can.

Today I’m guestblogging over at Patricia Stoltey’s writing blog. Pat Stoltey is a fellow member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Association and also a fellow mystery author. She’s the author of The Prairie Grass Murders and also The Desert Hedge Murders, blogs independently and at Chiseled in Rock (the RMFW blog) and tweets as @PStoltey. Pat is great fun , and I was delighted when she asked me to guest blog. My post, “Lurkers in the Weeds: Three Contract Dangers Every Writer Should Recognize,” takes a brief look at some of the more dangerous contract pitfalls every author should

Today’s Wednesday post continues the ongoing series on understanding publishing contracts. The grant of rights to the publisher is among the most important (and often the trickiest) terms in the publishing contract. Although the paragraph itself is seldom long, it’s critical for authors to understand the nature of the rights the contract grants to the publishing house. The most expansive (and most commonly requested) rights provision grants the publisher “exclusive, worldwide rights to publication and distribution in all languages and in forms and formats now known and hereafter developed.” Although short, the grant above contains the four primary factors authors

Most people don’t think much about snails, except to seek their extermination. Today, let’s take a different look. To the marine aquarist, snails fulfill an important but seldom considered role. Put simply, snails eat That Which One Prefers Would Not Remain Around. Put more explicitly, snails eat algae, leftover food, and occasionally … poop. Without them, the environment would quickly deteriorate. The aquarium keeper would have to do much more work. (The shrimp would have to look elsewhere for midnight snacks…) Yet, beyond restocking to cover the inevitable losses due to death and predation, few aquarium keepers spend much time

Sign 1, immediately after intersection: “For air quality and traffic control purposes, lights along Greenback Lane are set for 40 mph” Sign 2, 250 feet farther down the same road: “Speed Limit 25*” … Happy Monday to you, too. (*This is actually a school zone, and the speed limit does increase to 40 after the school, but it’s always amused me that someone decided to place the first sign before, rather than after, the slow zone.)

Today I thought I’d share some of the best things I saw on others’ blogs this week. All of the linked posts and/or videos are SFWOK (safe for work and kids), but I can’t guarantee the same for everything else on the linked sites, so while clicking through is safe, going beyond that first click is done at your own discretion. That said…on with the show. The prize for Best Video of a Car-B-Q during an oil change goes to BoingBoing. Most Inspirational : Sophie Perinot’s beautiful post, Gifts My Sister Gave Me Most Useful Writing Post – Susie Brooks:

February comes in like a groundhog and goes out like…well, probably a slightly less sleepy groundhog. While Punxsutawney Phil gets his prognostication on (and Phil says we’ve got six weeks of cold and snow), I thought I’d share some of the other observances taking place this month. February 2012 is official: Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month (Groundhogs are only in vogue February 2) Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month (and then, in March, we celebrate “Wilted Seeds of Hope”) Parent Leadership Month (You can lead a parent to children but you can’t make them eat those peas.) Return Shopping Carts

Last week’s Writing Wednesday feature discussed contract termination provisions. This week, we’re continuing that conversation and focusing on when works go “out of print.” “Out of print” status is important to authors (and publishers) because most (and all good) publishing contracts state that the contract terminates, and rights granted to the publisher revert to the author, when the Work goes “out of print” or within a stated time thereafter – generally 3 to 6 months. When reviewing an “out of print” termination provision, the author should look for three important details: 1. How the contract defines “out of print.” If