Taxes 101 for Authors

I’m currently on book tour for Claws of the Cat, but here’s a re-post from April 2012 to keep you thinking about your legal rights and publishing business during the “summer break”: Taxes, and Why Authors Care About Them (originally Posted April 25, 2012) 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.

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Hello, Pleasanton!

One of the greatest joys of publication is having the opportunity to meet and talk with readers and other bibliophiles. If you’re in the area, and have the time, I hope you’ll join me today for a reading and signing at Towne Center Books in Pleasanton, CA. I’d love to meet you there. Pleasanton, CA: Tuesday, July 30, 2013: 11:00 AM Reading & Signing: Towne Center Books 555 Main Street Pleasanton, CA 94566 Map Link

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A Cover Reveal! GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN

GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN: A NOVEL OF FRANCES STUART Marci Jefferson’s first novel is about Frances Stuart, who rejected three kings and graced England’s coins for generations as the model for Britannia. The book will release February 11, 2014 from Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin’s Press. But pre-order this week and comment on Marci’s blog for a chance to win a pair of sterling-silver pearl-drop earrings like the ones Frances wears on this elegant cover (be prepared to present your receipt). MORE ABOUT THE BOOK: Impoverished and exiled to the French countryside after the overthrow of the English

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Ninja Detectives: Fact from Fiction

When writing historical mystery novels, an author needs to straddle the line between fact and fiction. When the novel involves a ninja detective, that line can grow very thin indeed. By the 16th century, shinobi (ninja) clans held significant power in Japan. Assassins were feared and respected even by powerful samurai warlords, and the myth of the ninja already included “abilities” like the power to turn to smoke by force of will. In truth, shinobi were as human as anyone else–though highly trained in stealth and covert tactics as well as weapons skills. For those who want to know more,

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See You Tonight, Santa Monica!

Tonight (Thursday, July 25) at 7pm, I’ll be reading and signing my debut ninja mystery CLAWS OF THE CAT at the Barnes & Noble on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. We had a delightful time at last week’s Northern California launch, and I’d love to see you in Santa Monica tonight! Praise for CLAWS OF THE CAT: “While Spann demonstrates admirable attention to detail in her ninja detective debut, it’s the contemporary tone of her prose that makes this intriguing 16th-century historical so accessible. Laura Joh Rowland fans will like this book for the time period, but the

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Engineering an Alternate Reality…With Ninjas!

Please join me at Tammy Salyer–Alternative Reality Engineer, where I’m explaining why it took me half a million words to learn how to make a “one-shot kill,” and why I believe any author can succeed, provided he or she has the fortitude to keep on putting one word after the other. For those who don’t already know her, Tammy is the author of the SPECTRAS ARISE trilogy, a fantastic military science fiction series featuring former space marine turned smuggler Aly Erickson. I’ve read, and loved, both CONTRACT OF DEFIANCE and the sequel, CONTRACT OF BETRAYAL, and am eagerly awaiting the

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An Interview With Jessica Brockmole

Please help me welcome Jessica Brockmole, author of LETTERS FROM SKYE (Ballantine Books, July 2013)! Jessica Brockmole spent several years living in Scotland, where she knew too well the challenges in maintaining relationships from a distance. She plotted her first novel on a long drive from the Isle of Skye to Edinburgh. She now lives in Indiana with her husband and two children. LETTERS FROM SKYE is a love story, spanning two continents and two world wars, told through letters. When an American college student impulsively sends a fan letter to a reclusive poet on Scotland’s Isle of Skye in

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Shinobi News: July 20, 2013

Do you like noodles? My ninja detective, Hiro, considers them the perfect food – and I’m (at) BETWEEN THE SHEETS today with Heather Webb, explaining exactly which ones he likes the most. (A hint: it’s udon.) Stop by to learn why and how to cook them for yourself! Big thanks to everyone who joined me at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills, CA for the Northern California launch of CLAWS OF THE CAT! We had a wonderful time. If you missed it, I hope you can join me next Thursday (July 25) at 7:00 pm at the Barnes

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Jesuits in Japan: Fact from Fiction!

In my debut Shinobi mystery, Claws of the Cat, ninja detective Hiro Hattori must protect–and literally save the life–of Father Mateo Avila de Santos, a Portuguese Jesuit working as a missionary to Kyoto’s lower classes. Father Mateo is fictitious, but real Jesuit missionaries were living and working in Kyoto in 1565. The first Portuguese Jesuits arrived in Japan in 1549, and shortly thereafter, Father Francis Xavier established Japan’s first mission, at Kagoshima. Ten years later, after an audience with Jesuit Father Gaspar Vilela (who appears in the Shinobi novels as Father Mateo’s superior, even though Father Mateo’s work is separate

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