Month: September 2012

I’ve been tagged by friend and The Sister Queens author Sophie Perinot in a blog game called The Next Big Thing. Playing along involves answering questions about my work in progress, and since I’ve actually just finished the second novel in the Shinobi mystery series, my current work-in-progress is Book 3: FLASK OF THE DRUNKEN MASTER. The questions came to me courtesy of Sophie and the game, so let’s dive right in: What is your working title of your book? Flask of the Drunken Master (A Shinobi Mystery, Book 3) Where did the idea come from (for the book)? I

I’m honored to be a guest interviewee at Chuck Wendig’s TERRIBLEMINDS today, talking about the Shinobi Mysteries, ninja detectives, and too many other fun things to mention. Follow the link and join the fun. Chuck asks some fantastic questions. Also, Thursday is my day on the dance card at THE DEBUTANTE BALL – click through and find out why I belong in a Punitentiary.

Thanks for joining us as we continue our step-by-step approach to writing an author business plan! The fifth section of the author’s business plan is the Development Timeline. The “Development Timeline” actually consists of multiple timelines, one for each phase of the author’s work. When preparing your timelines, use a calendar and establish concrete dates. The initial planning may be done in “time block” increments – for example, “write draft 1: 6 months” but the final timelines will prove most effective if you translate them to actual calendar dates. Life happens, and changes are often required. That’s O.K. You can

… or are you just happy to see me? A couple of weeks ago I noticed one of my aquarium filters running strangely slowly. The suction seemed much lower than normal and the motor seemed to be struggling. This happens occasionally when algae buildup (or live sponges) inside the intake starts to block the flow. As usual, I turned off the filters and took the screen off the intake, preparing to clean the assembly  – and a dozen of these crawled out: For the unfamiliar, the filter-blocking ninjas are “micro-brittle stars,” small detritus-eating echinoderms related to “regular” starfish. I knew

In the SHINOBI mysteries, my ninja detective Hiro Hattori uses a variety of weapons. Hiro’s “cover story” involves masquerading as a samurai (and for the technical buffs among you – Hiro does have some samurai blood), so he always wears the katana-wakizashi duo used by samurai of his era. But when the situation calls for something more covert, Hiro has access to a range of special weapons – including some that ninja fans will recognize immediately. Case in point: the shuriken. Technically, the term “shuriken” includes more than just the throwing stars most people envision when they hear the term.

It’s Wednesday, so let’s continue the ongoing series on author business plans and how to write them. Last week we finished off a three-week tour of marketing plans by looking at post-release marketing. This week we leave marketing behind and move on to Competitive Analysis, the fourth section of the author business plan. Competitive Analysis involves analyzing your work in comparison to other books in the marketplace, looking for strengths and weaknesses, and brainstorming ways to enhance your strong points and minimize the reasons a buyer would bypass your book in favor of another. Let’s break that down a little.

It sometimes surprises people to learn that I don’t deal well with change. I enjoy new experiences, and meeting new people, a lot – but at heart I’m happiest in safe and familiar surroundings. Unfortunately, “change” is one of the things that life does best. When I started reef-keeping back in December 2010, I considered my reef as “something to be designed and maintained,” unchanging except for coral growth – consistent and comforting in its regularity. Boy, was I wrong. The corals and the fish do grow from tiny, skinny babies into adults I love to see. Cygnus offers a

I arrived at work this morning to discover that the “common area construction” on the office building had blocked all access to my office. Strike 1 on the day. After a quick re-ordering of the ducks, I ran some errands, picked up Tesla, and we went to Old Town Fair Oaks for a lunch of coffee and pastries. (mmm…pastry.) For those who don’t know, Old Town Fair Oaks is populated by feral chickens, some of which have chosen a life of crime. Case in point: This apparently innocent chicken was lurking outside the bakery where Tesla and I had lunch.

Today I’m fortunate to have an interview with Kim Rendfeld, author of the recently-released historical novel THE CROSS AND THE DRAGON (Fireship Press, 2012). I’ve known Kim for over a year now and have been looking forward to reading her novel, which is set in Francia during the early years of Charlemagne’s reign. I’m delighted she was able to join us here at the blog today! And so … on with the questions! 1.  Where did you grow up? Will you share a favorite story from your childhood? I’m part East Coast and part Midwest. I grew up in Ridgefield,