Month: May 2012

Last week I took a business trip to Southern California. While there I met with some of my favorite clients, attended a convention, ate some fabulous meals, and spent time with family in Malibu. I even attended a family birthday party – something schedules and distances prevent me from doing as often as I’d like. Along the way, I learned a few things. I thought I’d share them with you: 1. A teenage male can drink a 64-ounce soda one hour into a six-hour car ride and still not have to make a pit stop on the way. 2. One

Today, I’m honored to guest blog over at Writers in the Storm. My article, “Gettin’ Busy With It,” focuses on some of the factors writers should consider when deciding among the available publishing options. Please pop over and check it out! If you’re not an author, already know everything there is to know about publishing, or just feel too ornery to click a link, please enjoy this photograph of our new maroon clownfish, “Emo” Have a great Wednesday!

Big thanks to Emily Moir for giving me a beautiful blogger award. The beautiful blogger award is given by bloggers to bloggers and offers both a chance to learn a little more about the recipient and a chance to pass the love forward to bloggers the recipient admires. First, the seven things about me (that I haven’t already shared): I have an unnaturally strong love of iced coconut lattes. My bedside table is piled with books on my “to read” list. They also overflow onto the floor. I was born and raised in Santa Monica, California, but… I don’t like

As a child I adored the Hundred Acre Wood, and spent many happy hours with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Roo and the rest of the gang. (Anyone remember Very Small Beetle?) In one of my favorite stories, Rabbit Has a Busy Day, Rabbit went looking for Christopher Robin. The boy was out, but left a note reading: GON OUT. BACKSON. BISY. BACKSON. With the help of Owl (the only one of the gang who can actually read … sort of …) Rabbit decodes the note and sets out to discover what Christopher Robin does in the mornings. I’m spending the

Meet Flappy. Flappy is a green-spotted mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus, aka “psychedelic” or “picturesque” mandarin). He is also touched in the head. Flappy spends his days fluttering over the reef, looking for food. He looks around corals. He looks behind rocks. He even looks on the bodies of other fish. (Not all of whom appreciate his diligence.) Food consumes about 90% of Flappy’s existence. Every once in a while, however, Flappy catches sight of his reflection in the glass. When this happens, he forgets the food entirely and spends many minutes admiring himself from every angle. (You can almost hear him

Today we’re continuing our series on writing scams and how to avoid them. Last week we talked about unscrupulous agents and publishers. Today we’ll discuss a scam that hides among legitimate opportunities, making itself more difficult to spot. Scam #2: Overreaching in Writing and Poetry Contests. Legitimate writing contests represent opportunities for authors to obtain review and critique of their work. These contests are a real asset to the writing community, and in particular to pre-published authors. New authors often have difficulty obtaining feedback from industry professionals, and contests offer a rare chance for interaction, since many contests are judged

I recently signed a publishing contract with St. Martin’s Press. While I won’t share the terms, I can tell you my agent Sandra negotiated an excellent deal. Even a lesser contract would have fulfilled a long-standing dream, and the one I signed goes far beyond mere fulfillment. The decision to pursue “traditional” publication, as opposed to self-publishing, was a personal one and made after thorough consideration. This was my choice, as well as my dream. Ironically, and like so many dreams, the moment itself passed largely without fanfare. I woke up on a weekend morning, went to the kitchen table

If you’re human (and most of you probably are) there’s a nasty little voice in your head that you should not listen to. You know the one I mean. The one that tells you to give up your dreams and accept that failure is your only option. If you’re a creative human (and more than a few of my readers are) that little voice works overtime. There’s nothing it loves more than the tasty flavor of artists’ dreams. A few years ago I realized that ignoring that voice wasn’t working. Only open resistance would beat it into submission enough for

Every once in a while I check the lint filters here at the blog and find something unusual caught in the traps. This morning was no exception. Last week, several people arrived at this site via Google searches for “DIY fission” and “DIY fusion reactors.” I’m not sure whether I should be more concerned that people are looking or that Google, in its infinite wisdom, thought I was the person to teach them how this is done. Particularly considering that the next most popular search that led people here was “I miss my anxiety.” (Good news. That DIY fission reactor

Regardless of the career path authors choose, every writer (published, aspiring, or otherwise) needs to be wary of scams. Often, authors are most susceptible to scammers before publication, but even represented authors should tread carefully and protect their work with a vigilant eye. As in other areas, knowing what to watch for is key. Over the next few weeks of PubLaw will look at common scams and how to avoid them. SCAM #1: Unscrupulous “Agents” and “Publishers.” I put these terms in quotation marks to distinguish between the respectable businesspeople who sell and publish manuscripts for a living and those