I Miss My Anxiety…But My Aim Is Improving.

Authors often suffer from anxiety. Some consider it an problem and try to banish it from their lives. More experienced writers name it, buy it a sparkly collar, and let it sleep on the end of the bed. They know it’s going to perch there anyway. As a novice writer, I worried about publication. Would I ever find an agent? A publisher? Would I ever fulfill my dreams? Once I gained a little experience, I worried about more important things like character, plot and dialogue. Were my characters too flat? Did my protagonist have a clearly-definable goal? Three years later,

Read more

Z is for Fail (and a little bit Win)

As usual, I set out on the A to Z Blogging Challenge with high hopes and higher expectations. 24 posts. 24 letters. 24 chances to win. And – also as usual – we get to Z and I discover I haven’t quite lived up to the challenge as thoroughly as I’d hoped. Life finds a way to get into your business sometimes. I tripped up somewhere around Q and didn’t get back on the horse – in part because each day that I fell behind it got harder to force myself back on track. Wherein lies a lesson and the

Read more

Editing … BRB

Spent the afternoon integrating my editor’s awesome comments into CLAWS OF THE CAT. In lieu of a real blog post I’ll let my cat, Oobie, give you her thoughts on the subject: (And yes, the star is there to redact confidential information. I’m not talking…and Oobie isn’t either.)

Read more

Taxes, and Why Authors Care About Them

Most people in the United States work as employees of someone else. This is true of writers also – many of us do something other than write full time. For those of us who qualify as self-employed, business owners, or independent contractors of one type or another, the purpose of this post is probably already clear. For those who work as employees, however, a writing career means it’s time to think outside the W-2. U.S. residents (and citizens living abroad who pay taxes in the United States) who earn income from writing or publishing will not receive a W-2 from

Read more

S is for Shameless Self-Promotion

Although I’m sticking to the A-to-Z format, today’s ‘S’ post coincides with the Historical Novel Society’s announcement of my forthcoming Shinobi Mystery series. The announcement is here, along with a fantastic quote from Toni Plummer, my editor at Thomas Dunne Books/St.Martin’s Press. The Shinobi Mysteries feature the ongoing adventures of master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo. In Book 1, currently titled CLAWS OF THE CAT, Hiro and Father Mateo have just three days to save a teahouse entertainer (read: Geisha) accused of murdering a high-ranking samurai. The novel is scheduled for publication in Spring 2013, so stay

Read more

Monday Bonus Post: In Which I Reveal Myself as a Blonde

(If you’re looking for my A to Z post, it’s right below this one!) Two days ago I was in the local Starbucks with my son (as always, we’ll call him Tesla) getting coffee. While waiting for the barista to finish our drinks, we wandered around and looked at the shelves of products. Tesla (who’s six foot two) pointed out a clear glass double-walled mug and said “I can’t believe anyone drinks tea from something like this.” “It’s double-walled,” I pointed out. “That keeps the contents warm.” “Oh.” He looked at the mug again. “But it’s eight ounces!” I picked

Read more

R is for Royalties

In publishing, “Royalties” is the term for the author’s share of sales (or  profits on sales) of the author’s work. The percentage the author receives is called the royalty rate or royalty percentage. Royalty terms vary widely, but here are a few useful guidelines to keep in mind: 1. Authors often receive higher royalties on e-books and hardback printings than other formats. The royalty rate on e-books is typically highest, with hardback, trade paperback and mass-market paperback each returning a lower royalty rate. 2. Some contracts feature escalating royalties based on sales figures. This means the author will receive one

Read more

Q is for Query … in Letter Form, of Course

A query letter is the vehicle authors use to attract the attention of agents (and sometimes editors). Good queries have three components: a hook (or “pitch” or “logline”), a description of the novel (or other work) for which the author seeks representation, and a biography paragraph telling the agent a little about the author and why the author believes the agent would be a good fit for the author’s work. None of the parts is optional. That said, Part 1 – the logline/hook/pitch and Part 2 – a brief description of the work – are definitely the most important. The

Read more

An Interview with Tammy Salyer

Please help me welcome friend and fellow author Tammy Salyer, author of the recently-released novel Contract of Defiance and short-story collection On Hearts on Scorpions. I met Tammy at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold Conference in 2010, and had the good fortune to be sitting with her at the banquet when Contract of Defiance won the Colorado Gold Writing Contest (Best Thriller/Action Novel). It was fantastic to be there and able to cheer her victory – I can’t think of a nicer and more deserving author. Plus, it was excellent to be there and share the moment. Tammy

Read more

Publication (P…P…P)

In publishing and copyright, the word “publication” has special meaning. U.S. Copyright law gives special rights and protections to the creators of covered creative works. The rights apply to published and unpublished works of authorship, but additional legal protections kick in when a work reaches published status. That makes it important to understand what the law means by “publication.” The U.S. Copyright Act defines publication as: “…the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a

Read more