Blog Roundup: July 1 - 8, 2012

Greta van der Rol released a new short story this week. GO GET IT.

Karen McQuestion posted about keeping your finger on the pulse of the publishing industry with a short list of go-to blogs. I can't fault her choices there and I recommend anyone just starting out follow those blogs.

Parajunkee posted about DNF (did not finish) book reviews. As a reader, I think DNF reviews are very useful. If readers who think like me didn't finish a book, I want to know that, and I want to know why.

Aimee Salter defines humility and insecurity. This should be required reading for new authors. (I would also like to add a bit on false humility. Where you say, "Oh, no, I'm terrible" to make yourself look good, then reject all criticism because you secretly believe--and your "friends" confirm--that you're the Best EVAR. No. No, you're not.)

I love Sierra Godfrey's 6 Tips for a Friendly Author Website. So many authors, especially self-published though traditionally published authors (George R. R. Martin, Aaron Allston, I'm looking at you fellows), have bad websites. Don't be one of them.

Stella Deleuze's Confessions post is nice to read because, really, we're all of us--self-published authors--in the same boat. We want to produce high-quality, error-free text that lets us live our dream.

Delilah Dawson's 10 Tips for Barfing a Book made me laugh and agree. She's got some great tips there.

Blog Roundup: June 1 - June 30, 2012

Oh, Chuck. I knew I could count on you to keep the quality coming while I was away. As usual, Chuck Wendig kept up his 25 posts: Ways To Fight Your Story's Mushy Middle, Reasons This Is The Best Time To Be A Storyteller, Things You Should Know About Writing Fantasy, Things You Should Know About Writing Sex.

Greta van der Rol wrote about local colour and asked, "How much is too much?"

Into the Morning had this interesting post on the subject of reviews. She breaks down her comments in a list to reviewers and to writers. Worth a look, I think, especially if you're a reviewer... or an author who has received a negative review.

Isis Rushdan had a simple, inspiring post on hard work.

If you want to be a bloody awful writer, James Killick has some tips for you.

Paperback Writer is such a wonderful resource blog. This month, she had a number of great posts: No-Nos for the Nasty, a review of a free editing program, and a list of short story sins.

Among her other useful posts this month, Aimee Salter wrote about the critical requirements for successful self-editing.

Sierra Godfrey's How to Sell Books post could really apply to any product you want to sell, as evidenced by her anecdote about spearmint.

Sirra collected another round of her Twitter writing tips.

I typically don't include posts from Somebody Has To Say It, but two posts stood out for the month of June: this one on dialogue attributes and this one on publishing contracts.

Stella was my most recent Blog Roundup feature, so you should already have read some of her most recent entries. If you haven't, start with this Tip of the Week post on editing and professionalism.

Blog Roundup: Stella Deleuze

I have featured Stella Deleuze before. She makes regular appearances on my weekly blog roundup posts, usually for her Tip of the Week series, and she was gracious enough to be interviewed back in January. Stella, like Sirra, is both a writer and an editor and frequently rants about poor editing on her blog. In addition to editing and writing tips, she talks about her iguana--Zorro, a lovely fellow--and food--usually posting recipes that look just wonderful. If you're not following her already, you should go do it now.

Nine Writing Things: Great Blogs Run By Writers For Writers

When I first decided to self-publish, I did a lot of reading. A lot. I found a ton of great articles, started a blog, and started following a bunch of bloggers who were writing about writing. Not just self-publishing, but writing in general. I've written long enough to know that I don't have to do what everyone else tells me to do, but that other writers--especially older ones, more experienced ones, and ones published in genres I don't read--generally have valuable things to say.

For today's Nine Things post, I'm going to share with you nine of my favorite writer's blogs. 

1. Joe Konrath - A Newbie's Guide to Publishing
 Joe Konrath has been blogging since 2005 and he has a wealth of industry-specific knowledge, tips, and tricks that he regularly shares. He also has some pretty strong opinions about issues within publishing and self-publishing and he is very good at articulating those opinions. I read his blog regularly just so I can feel smarter. 

2. Chuck Wendig - Terrible Minds
I devoted this week's Blog Roundup post to Chuck and for good reason. His blog is a nice mix of writing advice, industry knowledge, anecdotes, writing exercises, and information about his work for those of his readers who are fans. There's something for everyone there. 

3. Stella Deleuze - Words by Stella Deleuze
Stella is, in addition to a writer herself, an editor. So with her blog, we get both sides: the writer and the editor. She is also a reader, a gardener, a hobby chef, and a conscious critic of self-publishing and indie authors. I like Stella personally--she's straightforward and kind and not afraid to express herself--and I enjoy her blog. Her rants give me a lot of ideas about what not to do. 

4. Laura Bradford - A Writer's Notes
I love the minimalist design of her blog and her relevant, easy-to-read posts. She doesn't update as frequently as most of the other bloggers on this list, but when she does, she offers things like posts about knowing your audience. 

5. James Killick - James Killick's Blog
Usually, James offers a nice, concise post of writing advice weekly. He understands the total writer package, that being a writer is about more than raw talent and specialized interests. He understands that most of us want to be read and liked. His posts display that understanding and generally offer advice to reconciling all parts of the writer self. 

6. Kate Aaron - Only True Magic
The thing that makes Kate's blog unique among the writer blogs I read, I think, is the fact that she regularly writes about gender and sexuality issues in writing, the industry, and in reading. I like that. I almost always learn something new, or at least learn to look at something in a different way. 

7. Lynn Viehl - Paperback Writer
Resources! Lynn has been a professional writer for fourteen years (according to her blog heading) and while her blog may be light on the advice, it's definitely heavy on the resources. She offers tips, tricks, programs, websites, submission information, and all kinds of other useful resources. Reading her blog is like reading a morning paper written just for writers. 

8. Aimee Salter - Seeking the Write Life
Like Joe Konrath, Aimee is very brusque, very matter-of-fact, and not even a little bit afraid of sharing her opinions. She's smart and she has plenty of advice for the persistent writer, advice that runs the gamut from how to improve query letters to how to beta read to how to not be one of those indie authors giving the rest a bad rap. I stumbled across her blog by accident one day and have been following ever since. I may not always necessarily agree with her opinions, but it doesn't matter, because her input is valuable. 

9.  Sierra Godfrey - Sassy Sassafras
Sierra follows blogs I don't follow and I don't have to because she does a weekly blog roundup, too. I like her casual, friendly tone and I like that she includes real-life examples of what she's talking about. This blog is an easy, useful read and I really enjoy heading over there to check out what she's offering each week.

Blog Roundup: May 21 - 27, 2012

Need a reason to quit writing? Chuck Wendig offered you 25 of them. Planning to take any?

I missed this post last time around, but Joe Konrath wrote about Agency book pricing. It's worth a read.

Missed this one, too: Starving Novelist had a post about pricing the ebook, including reasons to and not to use the $0.99 price tag.

Stella Deleuze wrote about challenging yourself, something all writers should do no matter how good they think they are.

Blog Roundup: April 30 - May 6, 2012

Chuck Wendig shared 25 Realizations Writers Need To Have. I mean, is there anything the man does know? He also posted on the touchy subject of ebook pricing. I'm a fan of reading everything I can on a subject and getting a lot of perspectives, so this was interesting to me. (I, for the record, price my books for my target audience.)

Greta van der Rol interviewed her character, Morgan, to talk about the fact that she (Ms. van der Rol) is going to write a sequel to Morgan's Choice. Is anyone else excited? I know I am!

Erotic Romance offered this short, question-filled post on "dishonest ebook returns." Here's my take: Amazon's return policy is good for both readers--who can shop with confidence knowing that if they're dissatisfied in any way that they can get their money back--and authors--who want to foster consumer confidence. If you're seeing a high number of returns, maybe it's time to check your formatting or story (and maybe even your book price). Most readers don't return books just because they don't like them. Some will, of course; pirates are everywhere. But most readers don't. (I've bought several books in the last year that I thought were just awful. And I didn't return any of them. This is a common thread among readers I know. My book returns reflect this: I see perhaps one or two returns for every 150 - 200 books sold.)

James Killick wants to tell you how to free the genius inside. I think he has some good points.

Stella Deleuze's Tip of the Week was on blogging and doing it right. She has some good points. I'd add something, though. Define your audience. I floundered for a while when I first started this blog. I'm floundering with the tumblr I just started. Define your audience as quickly as you can and write to them. That will get visitors to your blog and, maybe, readers to your books.

Clearly, I need new blogs to follow.

Blog Roundup: April 16 - 22, 2012

Chuck Wendig shared 25 Things You Should Know About Transmedia Storytelling. Confession: I frequently have no idea what buzzwords mean. Transmedia looks like a buzzword to me. Guess it's time to get educated beyond Mr. Wendig. (Oh, that hurt to write. Chuck, if you stumble across this, I still love you!)

A Chick Who Reads pondered bookish things (erotica) this week. As an erotica writer, it's nice to find out what readers want--but it also goes to show that erotica is an intensely personal thing. Reading choices in general are an intensely personal thing. (I have a friend who is reading the Fifty Shades trilogy and I kind of want to break up with her over it.) I actually like my erotica a bit crude and dirty, so that's how I try to write it. However, I can't think of any instance in which calling female genitalia a "puss" is acceptable.

Erotic Romance reported on Forever Amber's plagiarism. I just don't understand what would drive someone who considers herself a writer to steal someone else's work.

A Girl Who Reads talked about user engagement in her Tips on Thursday post. User engagement is definitely something I need to work on--though my blog stats show me that a fair number of you make a point to visit regularly, even if you don't comment. Not that I blame you. I'm not a big commenter, either.

Paperback Writer had two great posts this week: one on a virtual storyboard, which is cool because sometimes it really can be immensely useful to work with index cards; and a paranormal romance pop quiz, which (because I am a terrible person) makes me want to write a story containing every single item on that list.

Aimee Salter shared a great post about giving yourself permission. I just love that post. I really do. It's astonishing how easy it is to be strict with yourself, as a writer, and how you can get lost in your own head. Sometimes it really helps to step back and remind yourself that this is a creative venture and it needs to be treated as such.

Stella Deleuze wrote about point of view in her Tip of the Week post. Picking the right point of view is absolutely crucial. Using it effectively doubly so.

Blog Roundup: April 9 - 15, 2012

Chuck Wendig was en fuego this week with two great posts: 25 Reasons I Hate Your Main Character and A Long Look At "Show, Don't Tell." I think both of these posts are must-reads for beginning writers... and it probably couldn't hurt those of us who have been doing it a while.

Laura Bradford's post on writing as an invisible business really hit home for me. When my sister was here, it was nearly impossible to get any work done. Now that my husband is home on leave, same story. It takes great, concentrated effort to get my toddler to play by herself for short periods of time ever since she had a constant companion in my sister. Writing itself is hard--finding the time to do it without distraction or interruption is even harder. More than once, I've questioned why I even bother. (And then I remember that I really do love it and it really does matter to me and I think I'm okay at it, so all the extra hard work seems worth it. And then I have a drink because I really must be crazy.)

Girl Who Reads offered up an analysis of the star rating system in her Tips on Thursday post. I like the star rating system, personally; it gives me a lot of information at first glance. But I either don't really care what other people think of a book and will read it if I want to, anyway, or--if it's a book I'm uncertain of, like The Hunger Games--I will read the reviews with one through three stars. Two and three star reviews, in my experience, tend to be the most tell-tale.

Last week was Indie Author Week at Into the Morning (a great blog you should be following, anyway) and my favorite post was this one about indie book covers. We all judge books by their covers. No sense saying we don't. And independent books... well... they're frequently lacking. The most glaring problem I see is that we use a lot of the same stock photos. I like her quickie review of the good and the bad book covers. I think, especially for those of us designing our own, it's a good idea to look at all the criticism and praise for book covers that we possibly can. (Related: I tend to take inspiration from the traditionally-published erotica books I enjoyed. So I've based my covers on books like Breathless by Bonnie Edwards and pretty much everything by Delilah Devlin, as two examples.)

James Killick shared a short list of Five Things More Important Than Knowledge. The thing about knowledge is that it can be acquired. Or it can be rejected in favor of blissful ignorance. His list is comprised of things that are pretty hard to reject and ignore, at least in my experience.

Keystrokes and Word Counts has a short review of KDP free days. If it's something you're considering, I'd advise reading as much as possible on the experiences of other authors. I have a project in the works that I am planning to enroll in KDP select when the time comes, so posts like this are helpful to me.

Sierra Godfrey had a thought-provoking post asking where to find the self-pubbed books. She has a point. A good one. In my case, I don't market so much as I tailor my keywords for searches... because that's pretty much how I find the books I want to read.

Stella Deleuze advised that authors choose a publisher wisely. Personally, I'd do a ton of research--on the company and the people I'm working with. I'd check out the other books they'd published, not just the sales rankings, but the cover designs and reviews and the books themselves. I don't have an answer for Ms. Deleuze. I don't know what I'd do if my book was at the mercy of an editor who didn't know what she was doing. I sincerely hope I never have to answer that question.

Blog Roundup: April 2 - 8, 2012

Chuck Wendig told us all how to be a full-time writer. He's so smart.

Guess what? Greta van der Rol's latest, Starheart, is free on Amazon for the next day! You know you want it.

Amandan Hocking wrote about her outlining and note-taking process. I am always interested in how other authors approach getting the facts and doing their research, so I liked the post.

Avery Olive had her First Book Signing recently and she offered up some lessons learned. Useful! I've never done a book signing and I assume that, if I ever do, I'm still years away, but this is a great post. I bet the tips she offers would work at book launch parties, too.

Isis Rushdan wrote about learning to surrender. Really, I think that's the key to writing well: surrendering to your process, whatever that is. Don't fight it, don't try to do things the way you "think" they should be done.

Paperback Writer's Query No-Nos post is funny at first glance, but I suspect it's all too true. If you're going to write a query, or you've written one, I think it's worth reading that post.

Sierra Godfrey's Google Reader Roundup is a bit light this week, but that's okay because the links are still good ones.

Sirra compiled her writing and editing tips from Twitter. I love these posts from her since I don't get over to Twitter as much as I wish I did.

Stella Deleuze's post on zero sales is quite a sobering look at the impact enrolling in KDP Select can have on your sales. If you're considering it, I would advise doing as much research as possible first.

Blog Roundup: March 19 - 25, 2012

Because he's awesome like that, Chuck Wendig shared three great teaser posts this week: Ten Things You Should Know About... Setting, Endings, Writing Screenplays. (Do you have this book yet? Totally worth it.)

Greta van der Rol had an interesting post on the rules of romance. I think, as a general rule, most female romance readers do read to escape reality. I know that I certainly do. But I also don't mind at all when my heroes act like men. I think romance is subjective to character. Rules of romance will be determined by rules of characterization.

Girl Who Reads offered this tip: contact the author when you mention their book. Oops. I am not always as good about that as I should be.

Keystrokes and Word Counts offered up this short post on the importance of suspending disbelief. I think most readers of fiction, in an attempt to escape reality, are willing to believe a lot... but not everything. I think the best tip is to stick to what you, personally, can believe.

The first link in this entry over at Paperback Writer caught my attention, though the video is pretty cool, too. I haven't tried the search engine, but I'm excited about it.

Do you follow Release Notes? I enjoy the look it gives into books I wouldn't otherwise be aware of.

As usual, Sierra Godfrey's Google Reader Roundup is spot-on.

Sirra gave us all insight into the mind of an editor this week. Have an editor? Looking for one? Thinking about becoming one? I think this post is a must-read.

Stella Deleuze posted her tip of the week on characters, telling us all not to overdo it. Personally, I don't mind characters who fit stereotypes at first glance; stereotypes exist for a reason. But if the character is important enough to write about, even in a minor role, then he or she is important enough to be whole.

I think I need more good blogs to follow. Do you have any suggestions?

Blog Roundup: March 12 - 18, 2012

Chuck Wendig wrote 25 Things You Should Know About Creativity. I'm particularly fond of what he wants to do to the term "creative writing" and his suggestion that writers read more non-fiction than fiction.

Greta van der Rol's post about suspending disbelief is a good one. (The thing about the parsecs was retconned in the EU. The Kessel Run was an 18-parsec route. Yes, I know my geek is showing.)

Erotic Romance blogger and writer Emily Veinglory wrote about her experience with an anti-pirating service. Worth the read. She also blogged about PayPal in the most concise way, I think.

Girl Who Reads posted tips on Twitter connections. Twitter is how I got in touch with Greta van der Rol and Stella Deleuze (both authors I've hosted as guest bloggers, both authors of books I've enjoyed) so I'm always looking for ways to use it more effectively.

James Killick wrote about subtext. I love subtext in my entertainment because of what it says about characters.

As usual, Sierra Godfrey's Google Reader Roundup is worth the click over.

Stella Deleuze offered up her take on why writing is for masochists in addition to offering this tip of the week post on unnecessary repetition. We are all suckers for pain, aren't we? Accounting was so much easier than writing. It didn't drive me to tears nearly as often.

Monday Miscellany: Cowboys and Toddlers and Books

I'm about halfway through the final editing pass on One Good Cowboy. Basically the same place I was on Saturday, but I have my reasons. It's not the horrible, sucky story I was worried it was. In fact, it's pretty good. I'm still shooting to have it finished by Friday, but we'll see.

My sister and mother have gone home. I took them to the airport on Sunday morning. It's just weird having the house all to ourselves again. Everything is quiet and my dishes don't magically get clean several times a day. (My mother, when she visits, does the dishes and the laundry, my two most-hated chores.) I'm adjusting okay (mostly by being lazy and watching "Community" on Hulu+) but my toddler... Well. Let's just say she got used to being constantly entertained and stimulated and is having a difficult time adjusting to mommy's version of "no" versus auntie's and grandmother's versions.

Last week, I started reading Stella Deleuze's No Wings Attached. Again, it's not my usual go-to genre for entertainment, but I have to say that it's pretty fun. It's so girly. I feel like I should be watching Lifetime or listening to Britney Spears and drinking red wine and eating really good chocolate while I read it. It's turning into one of those frilly pleasures for me, like Asking for Trouble. I'm glad I know the two main characters end up together because if I didn't, I'd feel really, really badly for Celia, but since I know they're going to be okay, my worry and sympathy are only mild.

This week, I'm hoping to finally finish that post on treating readers like customers, as well as a post on sales figures and at least one book review. I'm not sure I'll manage all of that, but I am sure going to try!

Monday Miscellany: Road Trip, Kids, Books

Unfortunately, we waited too long to book our Paris tickets, so they are prohibitively expensive. It's okay. We're flexible. Instead of heading to Paris, we're going to check out Saarbrücken, Metz, and Luxembourg. I need to pick up my international license and rent a car, but we're planning a day-long road trip for Thursday. My mom is thrilled about Luxembourg but quite unhappy with me since I told her the kid and I are going to Paris on our own in April.

Maybe there will be pictures at some point. I keep forgetting to take them. The kid just hit her eighteen-month mark and I don't know if you know this, but toddlers are quite the handful.

I'm still working on the website update and I'm still working on blog posts. I feel much, much better this week, so I'm hoping to actually get some work done.

Over the weekend, I finished reading Morgan's Choice. You all know I loved it. (Admiral Ravindra. Rawr.) So I'll have reviews for that and Supertech soonish. I'm going to start No Wings Attached this week (probably today during the kid's naptime) and then Candlelight Sinner after that. And after that I'm going to read Starheart because OMGYES.

I think, after that, I'm going to read The Hunger Games. I'm really curious and the more I read about it, the more I think I'd enjoy it. I tend to stay away from wildly popular books like that, but this one is interesting me.

Blog Roundup: February 6 - 12, 2012

I guess this kind of goes along with my Ten Things I Have Learned From The Muse post: Chuck Wendig wrote about 25 Reasons That Writers Are Bug-Fuck Nuts. I also enjoyed his Flash Fiction Challenge: The Unlikable Protagonist. I'm sure regular readers are well aware of my fondness for unlikable characters by now.

Um, so this isn't so much about writing as it is me fangirling, but Greta van der Rol posted that her next book, Starheart, is due out about nine days from now. Who else is excited? Because I sure am!

Roni Loren posted about 5 Muse Abusers over at her new blog. Her Fill-Me-In Friday was also full of useful writing links. I think that this will be the last week I check her blog. All of the advertising is kind of getting to me. I wish her success, but I go to read her blog, not to be reminded six or more times on a single page that her book is available.

Emily Veinglory's post about Cogwheel Press over at Erotic Romance caught my eye.

Have you checked out Kindle Author? In particular, I'm quite fond of the heads up on free books.

R. S. Guthrie hosted a guest post from Sevastian Winters about the price point. I really enjoy posts like these because they treat self-publishing as a business. It's not going to make me raise my prices on my current books--I have a reason for pricing things the way I have--but I do find it encouraging.

Check out Aimee Salter's continuation of her self-editing posts: #8, #9.

Sierra Godfrey, as always, made her Google Reader Roundup post. (Does anyone else picture the Google logo wearing a cowboy hat? No? Just me, then?)

Stella Deleuze's tip of the week was especially useful to me this week. I'm still in the process of editing and, man, I am wordy and repetitive.

This guest post over at Written Words made me smile. We're all a little mad here...

Monday Miscellany: What I'm Reading, the New Kindle, One Good Cowboy

I am currently working my way through Greta van der Rol's Morgan's Choice whenever I get a few free minutes to read. I already read Supertech (more on that in a minute) and I just have to say: Ms. van der Rol, where have you been all my life?! I read some great books last year and discovered some pretty great independent authors, but--and no offense to the others, this is purely a matter of personal taste--she's my favorite. I loved the Iron Admiral books. I'm loving the Morgan Selwood books. (OMG, Morgan! I love how feisty and smart she is!) If I finish this one before Starheart comes out, and I might, I'm so going to read To Die a Dry Death. I would read that book even if history wasn't one of my Things. Seriously, she's really stinking good. If you like science fiction at all (she's in the same vein as Star Wars and Star Trek and I enjoy her work just as much as I enjoy Elizabeth Moon's and slightly more than I enjoy David Weber's) her books should be in your to-be-read pile. Especially if you're the sort of person who likes attractive men.

Supertech is the first book I read on my new Kindle. Yes, my new one. My old one--the one that kickstarted my self-publishing career move--died on me. I was pretty upset. Okay, I was beyond upset; no one should be that attached to an electronic device. I ignored that it wasn't working for several days and then I called Amazon customer support. We ran through all of the troubleshooting attempts I had already tried and then, because it was out of warranty, they offered me the option of a $65 replacement. I declined because, well, what was the point? So I went to order a new one (the introductory model) only to discover that Amazon doesn't ship that one to APO addresses. That's okay. The post exchange sells the one I wanted, anyway. So now I have a new Kindle and I have to say that even though I was wary of it (I may or may not have thrown a First World Problems fit over not wanting a new Kindle; I'm not proud of myself) I'm very, very happy with it. It's lighter, it's faster, and even with no keyboard, no speakers, and special offers, I still love it.

I read Supertech, as I mentioned. I bought Supertech and Morgan's Choice for myself for my birthday back at the beginning of December and then life happened and I didn't get a chance to read them. I also re-downloaded Stella Deleuze's Candlelight Sinner, which is next on my to-read list. Maybe. I could have sworn that I already bought No Wings Attached but I couldn't find it in my archived items at all, so I may have to get that one first and just read them back-to-back. And once I'm done with those, I think, I'm going to see about the new Dexter book. I know it's not indie, but... Dexter. Jeff Lindsay is so deliciously, deviously talented.

On Saturday, I mentioned that One Good Cowboy has been drafted. I've jumped straight into editing with my new perspective on writing and I have to say that things are going so much better now than they were before. I'm still shooting to be done by the end of the week, but we'll see how that goes. I have a lot of faith in myself--it's the housework I don't have faith in.

I'm trying not to think too much of the project to come after that. What I can tell you is what I'm hoping to complete for this week's blog schedule. I've been kicking around two blog post ideas: one on treating our audience as customers and one on the things I've learned from my muse.

Next week, in honor of Valentine's Day, I think I'm going to do an all about romance week. We'll see if I can get my act together in order to do it!

Blog Roundup: January 30 - February 5, 2012

Chuck Wendig wrote about the 25 Things You Should Know About Story Structure. Sometimes I diagram my stories. If they look like the graph he used as an article photo, I feel confident. I recommend it to other plotters.

Greta van der Rol wrote about an author who "breaks the rules" and how that works out for him (it's an excellent read if you're wondering which rules you can break and how). If you'll excuse my fangirl, she also wrote about a glowing review she received. If you're going to talk about your reviews, this is the way to do it. (Also: you should read her books. You really should.) (Also also: I'm currently reading Morgan's Choice and I cannot recommend it enough.)

Roni Loren hosted a guest post from Claire Ashgrove on the subject of developing subplots. She also asked if blog tours sell books. (I disagree to an extent. I think that you have to reach out to new audiences. I think sticking with blogs you know, blogs you know your audience reads or blogs that target the same audience you do, is where the danger in not selling books lies.) And she wrote about moving her blog to her main website and why.

Angel Zapata posted about severing her ties with Trestle Press due to copyright infringement issues. (Trestle Press, it seems, has been using copyrighted images on their book covers without permission or compensation or credit. Wow.)

Avery Olive posted definitions and explanations of ARCs and Galleys. If you're new to publishing terminology, it's a good post.

Keystrokes and Word Counts had a nice post on why writers do what we do. I complain about writing more often than I should, but I can't imagine life without it.

This post at McQuestionable Musings shares writing advice from Ira Glass. Read it. Especially if you're a "new" writer and even if you aren't. It's good to put things in perspective sometimes.

The Rapidly Evolving Role of Agent was posted over at Pub Rants. I frequently read about this phenomenon, but it's nice to see some specifics straight from an agent.

Aimee Salter continued her self-editing series with posts #6 and #7. If you've missed any posts, check out her self-editing tag.

When you're done here, head over to Sierra Godfrey's Google Reader Roundup.

Stella Deleuze wrote about proofreading as an underestimated profession; if you're hiring out the editing and proofreading of your manuscript, read that post. She also posted a tip of the week, this one on Twitter. I don't know about you, but everyone I follow on Twitter has been interesting or useful or entertaining to me in one way or another. I recommend that as the way to go. (And talk to them more. I should talk to the people I follow more often, I know.)

The Feckless Goblin asks if you should hire an editor to look at your book. (I agree, to an extent. If you can afford it or work a trade + have no experience in editing, then yes, absolutely.)

And in case you missed it, here on my blog, I interviewed Stella Deleuze to help celebrate the release of her new book, Candlelight Sinner.

Author Interview: Stella Deleuze

That lovely woman you see to the right is author Stella Deleuze. Today, we're celebrating the release of her newest book, Candlelight Sinner! She was good enough to answer questions I threw at her and now we all get a sneak peek inside her mind. Are you excited? I'm excited!

First of all, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview!

No, thank you. I love your blog. Even though I haven't had time to visit often recently, I know I'll always find something interesting to read. Short, sharp and spot on. :-)

As a sequel to No Wings Attached, was it easier or more difficult to write Candlelight Sinner? Why?

More difficult. It's my first series and I didn't know how difficult it is to write one until I was actually confronted with writing it. The fine line between info-dumping and giving short references to the first book, as well as having to introduce the characters to the new readers without boring the old ones was a challenge. It picks up on the first book's story, yet works as a stand alone novel. I also had quite a gap between the books, which made it a little hard in the beginning to get back into the characters' heads. I always planned to have two, but after I spent so much time editing and polishing No Wings Attached, I just needed a break. When the characters called and my readers asked for the sequel, I began writing it. Despite the small difficulties, I loved the process as it's taking the characters on another level and the paranormal story forward.

Both novels have such great titles. How did you decide on Candlelight Sinner? Were there other titles you considered?

Thank you. Gosh. That's a rather sensitive topic. I love strong titles. No Wings Attached (No Strings Attached), as well as Candlelight Sinner (Candlelight Dinner) took me a while. The actual title of No Wings Attached came to me just before I went to bed; struck me like lightning. So for the sequel I wanted to have a funny word-play again, but it was a painful journey to find it. I went through all sorts of titles, as I want it to reflect on the story, rather than just being pretty on the outside. To find something you could adapt isn't quite as easy as it seems. I'm perfectly happy with the result, though.

"Wish consultant" sounds like a modern language job title for a genie. I love it. Where did the idea for that description come from?

To be honest I didn't think of it until I decided to self-publish. I first had angel of wishes, but it was regularly misunderstood as 'angel' or the book being religious, which it's not. At all. And agents, I suppose, refused it immediately just reading 'angel' as it's overdone. So I had to come up with a solution for that dilemma. Never really thought about the genie-reference if I'm honest, but I quite like that.

What was your favorite part of writing Candlelight Sinner?

Without a doubt the fight-scenes and the witty banter between Celia and Tom and her and her friends. She's like me: a bit on the cheeky side, never really short of a come back. The fights were interesting, because with the exception of a few small episodes in the first book, I never really wrote supernatural/paranormal scenes. I loved it. 

Who is your favorite character from the book? Why?

Sam. Hands down. He's what lets a girl's heart beat faster: he's got the raw sex-appeal, the charisma, the aura of danger around him. He's damn fit and my Beta readers confirmed he's their favourite man, too. Though Tom's rather gorgeous, as well. Both men combined would be the perfect mix.

Are you normally a fan of romantic comedies with a paranormal twist? What inspired No Wings Attached and Candlelight Sinner?

As far as I know there are no real paranormal romantic comedies out there. Most are romantic comedies, which I adore. Yes, I admit being a fan. I used to watch Charmed when I was younger and loved it. I loved Angel, Buffy and anything the like. But that's often referred to as paranormal or fantasy. It's probably what inspired the books. Although more by accident. The original theme is: angel of wishes falls in love (forbidden) with his client and then things get worse... The sequel has developed from the paranormal theme, though it's still not overpowering the romantic comedy/chick lit theme.

How did you find a cover artist? What direction, if any, did you give when it came to cover design?

Oh, one of my pet hates: cover art. I'm very very lucky to have a very very patient friend who created a few covers for No Wings Attached. It went through so many I was almost ready to have a white cover with a black font and nothing else. This book gave me grief. I had an exact idea, but as I don't know anything about cover art, it didn't work out. Candlelight Sinner, on the other hand, was super easy. I simply adore that cover. It's warm, it's strong and it's just amazing. Sessha Batto is amazingly talented and I owe her a lot.

When readers get hooked on your work, what else can we look forward to from Stella Deleuze?

My aim is to write two books this year; one horror thriller and one I'm calling a sob story. Both powerful books that will be completely different to what I've written so far, but certainly stick with a reader for a while. I'm also working on a themed cook book and I'm editing my literary fiction novel, which I will probably release at some point if I can't find a suitable home (agent/publisher) for it. For those who love my writing: fear not, I've plenty of ideas. But be prepared: I love to surprise.

See? She's awesome!

Stella blogs over at Words by Stella Deleuze.

No Wings Attached is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Candlelight Sinner is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Monday Miscellany: Blog Posts, To-Do Lists, New Computers

It's Monday! You know what that means? You should go buy Stella Deleuze's Candlelight Sinner.

It also means that I have a random-ish post for you. And on the day of, too! How exciting for us all.

Tomorrow, I will be posting an author interview with Stella Deleuze. Be warned: she is adorable, intelligent, and funny. If you haven't noticed already, this blog is a fangirl-friendly zone, so feel free to squee over her as you see fit.

I finally buckled down this weekend and started breaking my to-do list into smaller, more manageable chunks based entirely on answering the question, "What do I have to accomplish to make me happy today?" Being "happy" for me is pretty much entirely reliant on being "productive" so that's a valid question. I managed to accomplish all of my to-do list yesterday and I'm on top of today's list, too.

One thing on today's to-do list that I'm not really looking forward to is calling Amazon. My Kindle has stopped working and I am kind of beside myself over it. I don't want to buy a new one. I like the one I have. If we can't get it fixed, though, I will end up buying a new one. It's silly that I've become so reliant on such a meaningless piece of technology, but I really, really love my Kindle. It makes reading so much easier. It gives me portable access to books like Candlelight Sinner and Morgan's Choice and it makes it easy for me to carry around The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Gone with the Wind.

I have mostly gotten my new computer set up the way I want it. I have all the programs I think I need and I've even started working on it (this post and the last one were written from it, I've written over 2,000 words of One Good Cowboy on it). It's strange adjusting to a full-size keyboard and to a screen on which I can actually see my entire blog and website, but it's working out well so far.

Do you want to see my new desktop image? Of course you do! It's Tim Armstrong. (At least until I commission the painting of Wes Janson and Hobbie Klivian from Kelsey McCarthy.) This photo is, apparently, from the 2007 KROQ Weenie Roast.

That sound you heard was me sighing happily.

Blog Roundup: January 2 - 8, 2012

Chuck Wendig shared 25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing.

Greta van der Rol wrote about how writers can use every experience they have and how research supplements what you know.

Roni Loren has a nice link roundup post called Fill-Me-In Friday.

This week, I discovered A Writer's Notes. It's a pretty good blog, definitely worth adding to your blogroll.

Fonts and Fiction had an interesting post on where new writers begin.

Keystrokes and Word Counts had two good posts last week, one on serialized writing and one on choices writers would make if we could.

Sirra offered "3 Types of Dialogues and 2 Types of Tags."

On the same day, Stella Deleuze wrote about the "minefield" of e-book pricing.

Blog Roundup: December 26, 2011 - January 1, 2012

Chuck Wendig thanked his readers and shared his blog's top 25 posts of 2011.

Greta van der Rol shared her experience with an "autocritter." If you've never used one (and I'd never even heard of them before that post), it's an informative article.

Roni Loren shared The 10 Commandments of a Successful Author.

I missed this post when it originally went up, but J. A. Konrath shared his resolutions for new writers. He also interviewed his cover artist.

James Killick wrote about 4 ways your protagonist can learn the truth.

Stella Deleuze posted her tip of the week: how to do a major re-write.

The Sharp Angle posted a query critique.