Release News: Cass Gets Her Kicks is at Smashwords!

Cass Gets Her Kicks, published under my pen name Ellie Davis, is available at Smashwords!


Here's the "back cover" summary:

Cass Reed is recently divorced and determined to make a new life for herself far away from her ex-husband and his pregnant mistress. She sets out on the Mother Road in a 1955 Chevy, bound for Los Angeles and hoping to forget the pain of being rejected and replaced.

At the end of her first day on Route 66, she stops in Galena, Kansas. Cass meets the younger Gavin in a roadhouse a few blocks from the Galena Motel and, on impulse, takes him back to her room. She learns that some men can take direction and that the Magic Fingers have not outlived their novelty.

Mid-morning on her third day, Cass stops in Santa Rosa, New Mexico for laundry, lunch, and something that will get her off the road for a few hours. She meets beautiful Felicia, who invites her for a swim in a private lake and an afternoon that makes her rethink things she thought she knew about herself.

Finally, in Flagstaff, Arizona, Cass heads to the Hotel Monte Vista cocktail lounge for drinks. There she meets the pretty, trim Angela and her tall, dark, and handsome husband, Kevin. Cass is invited to celebrate Kevin's birthday with them in the privacy of the hotel's famous Jane Russell room.

Each erotic short was written to be enjoyed in half an hour or less. The stories contained in this anthology are sexually explicit and intended only for mature audiences.

It will be available on the Kindle soon, and I'll have the first story up on the website along with links to online retailers for preview consideration.  

Blog Roundup: August 8 - 14, 2011

Roz Morris tweeted a link to this post from James Killick, which is pretty relevant to me right now since I'm in the formatting-for-publication stage of work with Cass Gets Her Kicks and am planning to take a couple of days off before I start the next project. I think I'll watch the third season of Supernatural and maybe even try to read Death Troopers.

There's a cute post over at A Chick Who Reads about what to do if the battery in your e-reader (specifically, NOOK) dies. I feel her pain. Sort of. Early on in my ownership of my Kindle, it crashed on me. I thought my life was over. All it needed was a hard reset.

Do Some Damage has an interesting post this week on spoilers. I avoid them when it comes to things I like. (I am still kind of bitter that the last Star Wars film was spoiled for me back in 2005.) The Internet and camera phones make it so easy for there to be a deluge of coverage now. I'd rather be surprised. Though, I won't lie, I'm considering reading Dexter spoilers, because watching last season episode-by-episode was hell on my blood pressure.

Erica Lucke Dean's post on growing up made me laugh. Growing up is so overrated. One can be a responsible adult and still enjoy animated films, iced animal cookies, chocolate milk, and coloring books. (Can you tell I'm still secretly five years old?)

Rik Davnall's post on passion vs. money in writing is worth reading. I would like to add that it might be difficult for writers who have written and shared their work online for free might also have a difficult time with the "charging money" aspect of publication, even self-publication. Personally, it has been odd to not immediately post Cass Gets Her Kicks in my usual channels. (By self-publishing, though, I know I have the potential to reach a much wider audience.)

As usual, Keystrokes & Word Counts comes through with more than one post worth reading. First up: on self-censoring. I think that certain opinions have the potential to lose you followers and fans (I doubt I'll make many friends with my unpopular dislike of certain books mentioned in a previous post) and maybe even make it difficult for you to be taken seriously. I think, though, that it really boils down to choosing your words and how you present yourself very, very carefully. I also really liked the post on the self-publisher's query. This is a huge problem in fanfiction and in amateur writing. "I'm not good at summaries" in the summary always irritates me. If you're not good at summaries, then I don't believe you're good at anything else, so I won't even bother. A well-written summary is key to hooking potential readers. I treat mine the same way I treat the body of work: it gets at least three rounds of editing.

Sirra once again collects her Twitter #writetips into a single blog post. Read them. They're worth the click.

Desirae posted about mood music. I've mentioned music in a previous post; the write piece of music can put me in the right mood to write a scene. Sometimes, a piece just needs a specific playlist. And sometimes, the right music has nothing at all to do with what you're writing, but the sound of it inspires your muse, who in turn can inspire you.

Paul Dorset posted about editing this week, which caught my attention because of where I was with Cass. I find it hard to believe that there are indie authors who do nothing more than run a spell check when they "edit," but, then, I also find it hard to believe that there are people who think that writing is a get-rich-quick scheme. I edit, revise, and rewrite until I'm sick of looking at my work and I'm sure it's as good as I can possibly make it. And even then, I'll probably give it at least one more read-through before I release it for public consumption.

Your Cover Uncovered has got to be my favorite "new" blog. This week's post reviewing Old Scores is so informative. I'm tempted to submit the cover for Cass, but I don't know if I'm that brave yet. I do know that I will continue checking her blog to make sure I don't commit a cover faux pas for as long as I'm designing my own.

This guest post from Smashwords founder Mark Coker is old, but it was new to me. I had no idea that Private Label Rights articles were being thrown together into shoddy ebooks and sold. It was kind of horrifying to read, though it was definitely informative.

I also read this article on the "new midlist" about self-published authors who earn a living. It was encouraging. Really encouraging. It was nice to see hard figures and to get a real idea of the kind of success I can strive for.

SitRep Saturday: Cass Gets Her Kicks

Last night, I edited the first page of "Flagstaff, AZ," and then created author accounts on Smashwords and at Kindle Direct Publishing. I also created a new PayPal account (since my old one is under my mother's name because I got it when I was 15) and linked it to my bank account.

This past week, I have edited and revised and rewritten "Galena, KS" and "Santa Rosa, NM" to within inches of their lives. After I finish "Flagstaff, AZ," I'll read everything out loud as I format it, but right now, I'm pretty confident that the series is as good as I can make it.

"Vega, TX" was scrapped because it didn't fit with the other three stories. Cass wasn't really ready for Joe and Miguel. I'm already planning to rework it a little bit and offer it as an "in-between" story on the website, or possibly put it in another Cass-based anthology.

I'm so, so close to releasing Cass Gets Her Kicks. I mean, we're talking days.

On Writing: How To Be Productive

When it comes time to write, I invariably suddenly want to do something else. Something that does not make me want to engage in self-destructive behaviors like drink heavily or overeat or try to shop at the KMCC, or just generally destructive behaviors like throw the netbook through the TV. I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this. Writing is hard. Anyone who says otherwise either isn't any good at it or is trying to sell you something. So here are some of my favorite tips for productivity.

1. Set a specific time for writing.
During the day, I write whenever I can: while the kid plays, those last few minutes before the dryer stops, during dinner. But when the kid and the husband go to bed, I kick the writing machine into gear. From 10:00 pm to 2:00 am, the house is quiet, no one needs anything from me, and I can focus. And I do. Most of Cass Gets Her Kicks was written during that four-hour span.

2. Stick to it.
If I don't write, I feel like a miserable excuse for a human being. So I do my best to stick to that specific time. There are some nights when I crash pretty much as soon as the kid does, some nights when she refuses to go to bed and I have to play with her, but if I can't get in my four hours then, I get in four hours some other time, or I double up. If I don't write, how can I expect to finish anything?

3. Eliminate distractions.
Turn off the TV, turn off the music, turn off the wireless (I've gone so far as to unplug the router from the wall), turn off the lights, chase everyone out of the room, and focus. You really have to be self-disciplined to write.

4. Set a goal. Meet the goal.
The last few nights, I have not allowed myself to go to bed until I've finished editing one story. Each of the three stories in Cass Gets Her Kicks are just over 4,000 words, so it's not unreasonable to expect myself to complete an editing pass in four hours. Sometimes I set lower goals: write a page, write a summary, write an action draft of one scene. Setting the goal and then meeting it helps me feel like I'm staying on track.

5. Reward yourself. 
So I've mentioned Supernatural a few times. Dean Winchester is a pretty, pretty man, and the Impala is probably the sexiest car on TV right now. I also love to bake, like a Jack and Coke, and love my Kindle like it's my bastard child. When I meet whatever goal it is I've set, I reward myself. When the writing itself isn't the reward, something else has to be.

6. Stay accountable.
Every Saturday, I post a situation report entry in which I summarize what I accomplish that week. It keeps me accountable. If I don't want to humiliate myself or look like a lazyass in front of my blog readers, I have to be productive. Fear of public embarrassment can be a powerful motivator. Don't underestimate it.

7. Remind yourself why you write.
I write because I love it. (I am a masochist in that way.) I write because one of my two fondest dreams in life is to be a published author. (The other, if you're curious, is to be a practicing archaeologist in the American Southwest.) I write because I have all of these stories living in my head, and the only way to get them out is to write them down. I write because I don't ever want to go back to working in an office with bosses. (Not that I've ever had a bad boss--all of mine have actually been beyond awesome--but I just don't want to do it.) I write because I want to affect someone the same way I was affected by my favorite authors.

8. Look at your bank account. 
We're a single-income family and I am a stay-at-home-mom. I miss my old paycheck. Our bank account could definitely use some padding. Writing, and achieving even the most modest success, might help me acquire some padding.

9. Imagine being successful. 
It's going to feel so good when I'm selling books, when people are reading me, and when I can write comfortably knowing that someone, somewhere, is going to enjoy my words. I know this is silly, but whenever I imagine being a successful writer, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

10. By any means necessary.
Sometimes I bully myself. Sometimes I let my muse bully me. Sometimes I deny myself things until I accomplish my goals. Do whatever it takes to write. Lock the family out of the room, don't sleep, unplug the wireless router, shut off the electricity in the office, download Write or Die, tell everyone you know and then imagine what they'd think of you if you didn't deliver... Whatever it takes. I choose to write. I damn well better be prepared to suffer the consequences.

YA Flashback: How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back? by Valerie Hobbs

How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back? is a young adult novel from Valerie Hobbs, released in October of 1995. It's one of my favorite books and is easily my favorite young adult book not written by Madeleine L'Engle.

Set in 1960 Ojala, California, it centers around 16-year-old Bronwyn Lewis and is, as you'd expect from any teenager-coming-of-age novel, all about Bron finding herself and learning her place.

She and her family are from New Jersey, but after her father tried to kill himself, they packed up and headed west. They finally settled in the sleepy desert town of Ojala, where her parents open a family restaurant and she and her little brother start school locally. She references being "the girl from," laments the effortless cool of her California classmates, resents her parents for uprooting her and her father for shaming the family, and abandons her academics and piano playing in favor of cars and boys. She ends up in a love triangle with local cowboy and eventual West Point student Will Harding on one point and drag-racing bad boy J. C. on the other point. In the end, of course, Bron does discover who she is and where she belongs, but not before she makes plenty of mistakes.

The end of the book makes me cry every time. It doesn't matter that I know what happens, I still read it hoping it won't end the way that it does.

It's an excellent book. There's frank discussion about sex, sexuality, and even a mention of an abortion, and there are lessons to be learned about the value of family and the dangers of peer pressure. It's a book I plan to offer my daughter when she hits the same age I was when I first read it, twelve or thirteen. If I were to teach a middle school or high school freshman English class, I would want it on the syllabus. It stands up well over the years.

On Writing: What I Learned From Fanfiction

Fanfiction is exactly what it sounds like: fiction written by fans. It has a long, distinguished (like Slider's Johnson, haha) history, most of which we can thank sci-fi fans for. (Thanks, Trekkies!) I enjoyed my time in several different fandoms. Here are some of the highlights of what I learned.

1. "Crap" floats.
"Crap" is always going to be at the top of the most read list. The story may be good, or it may not; it might be vaguely offensive, badly edited, long-winded, or something else that just makes it difficult for you to read and enjoy, though "most" readers certainly seem to have no problem with it. Don't get mad. Obviously, it has some worth, otherwise it wouldn't be so popular. Read as much as you can and learn from it. What you may find is that the average reader is willing to overlook things like an ethnocentric author, awkward sentence structure and unfortunate signs of dating abuse, and wordy pretension in favor of a good story. Let that knowledge take some of the pressure of creating a perfectly edited manuscript off of you; focus instead on your story.

2. There are two types of readers.

There are readers who read for fun, enjoy what they read, and appreciate the efforts of the authors. They make the choice to read, because it's what they want to do. The other type of readers are the ones who do it because of others. They read because it's an assignment, or because "everyone else" is doing it, or because they want to feel "smart." They might even be doing it because they want to impress someone or because they want to hide their porn. (Housewives and teenage girls alike can tell you that the best way to hide your sexually explicit material is by reading it.) Hone your skills and craft for the first type of reader and hone your story for the second type.

3. There are three types of reviewers.

There are the people who love everything (or are possibly afraid of confrontation or hurting someone's feelings); they are always going to give everything four or five stars and when prompted to discuss the work, they use vague and positive wording. There are people who are angry and negative (or possibly just bitter and overly critical); they are going to flame you, leave negative reviews, and tell everyone how much you suck. Then there are the people who mean it (who read the work and have Opinions); they are going to give you an honest, thoughtful review, even if they didn't like it. The last type are my favorite. You learn the most from them.

4. Community is great.

No man is an island, right? Writing is a solitary endeavor, but having friends you can count on to get you through the emotional highs and lows of creating is a glorious, glorious thing. If you don't have people who understand--or people who at least try to understand--things can get lonely and madness can set in. There's a reason writers are frequently alcoholics. Reaching out to other writers you respect can ease that loneliness and prevent liver failure. The same can be said for reaching out to readers you respect. Having a community you can count on can lead to better writing.

5. We're all still in high school.
I never went to high school, so my knowledge of it is based on pop culture. It's possible that this "high school" mentality is specific to fandom, since a vast majority of fans are teenage girls, but I've seen the pettiness in adult communities, too. Just beware of the drama, cliques, flame wars, sporking, and snark. Don't get dragged in. Seriously. You do not want to end up like Cassandra Cla(i)re or Ms. Scribe.

6. Beta readers are necessary, even if you think they aren't.
It does not matter how good you are. You can always be better. Always. And the lame excuse that crap gets published is just that, a lame excuse. You are fully responsible for the quality of your own writing. Find beta readers. Use them. Yes, readers. Plural. I view beta readers as academic sources: you need three solid separate sources to come to any reasonable conclusions. Beta readers make you better. But don't fall into the trap of only using yes-men as betas. Find readers who aren't afraid to hurt your feelings.

7. Be a good beta reader.
Being a good beta reader is about more than reciprocity, being part of the community, or getting the first look at your favorite author's newest piece. It's about learning to spot the problems and errors in someone else's writing so you can better spot them in your own. When you beta read, you get to read without being the one doing the writing. It's easier to see things like abused commas, overused dashes, repeated words. You get into the habit of spotting those things, which makes you better at self-editing.

8. Know your audience.
In fandom, the best way to learn who is reading and what they're reading is to get involved. Join forums. Join mailing lists. Join communities. Watch. Read. See what they like, what they gravitate toward. If you want to be at the top of that most-read list, write what they read. By watching the community, you'll know how they're going to react to your work, which will make those negative reviews and constructively critical ones easier to handle.

9. Respect your audience.
They're reading you, so they have some taste, right? Right. Don't talk down to them. Don't write like you're smarter than they are. Without them, you would be just another aspiring writer. Respect them. They deserve your gratitude. Embrace them, because they are the reason you get to do what you love.

10. Read. Read more. Keep reading.
If the only work you read is your own, you will stagnate. So read. Read others' work, read work outside of fandom, read articles, read encyclopedia entries, read meta, read blogs. Don't forget to read real books and magazines, too. Read everything you can get your hands on.

11. Write. Write more. Keep writing.
Writing is a skilled craft, and to hone those skills, you have to practice. You may have the raw talent, but that doesn't mean much if you don't use that talent, refine that talent. So write. Write emails, letters, blog entries. Write meta--on your own characters, on others' characters. Write reviews. Write short stories if you're a novelist, write a novel if you're a short story writer. Write poetry. It doesn't have to be good and you don't have to share it, but you should write as often as you can. Experiment with different styles, with different words, with different points of view. Unless you want to bore your readers to death.

12. Think outside the fandom.
Alternate universe fics and crossover fics are popular. The author gets to mash her favorite things together. Readers get to discover something they may not have previously known about. It's fun. It's different. The writer has to think, the readers has to think. This can be done in fiction, too. Mash up genres. Write a space romance. Write a western horror. Write a splatterpunk comedy. Get creative. Okay, that sounds obvious (We're writers. Creativity is what we do.) But just give it a little bit of thought. You may surprise yourself.

13. Word of mouth is the best advertising you can get.
One person reads, loves it, tells her friends. Her friends read, love it, and tell all of their friends. The next thing you know, you're in the mall on a Saturday standing behind a couple of people who are talking about you and your work and don't even realize it. (That is a true story. I ended up following a couple of guys who were discussing my slash threesome trilogy. One had read all three stories, and one had only read the first two. They were talking about which one was the best and why. I have no idea how I managed not to embarrass myself by making small, squeaky noises of glee.) All of the hard work you put in to marketing and promotion can be immediately surpassed (or undone) by word-of-mouth.

14. Quality over quantity, but being prolific never killed anyone.
Do your best work every time you write. Don't release anything unless you are 100% positive that it can't be any better. If you can only produce one quality piece every ten years, so be it. But quantity that is also quality is the ideal. Like Stephen King. Or Nora Roberts. The more you have out, the better chance you have of being read.

15. Sex sells.
There is a good reason that porn is the number one rule of the Internet and that romance and erotica titles sell so well. Something about sex fascinates humans. We like to have it, we like to watch it, we like to read it. Especially in the last fifteen years, women in particular have become more vocal about what they like, and they like the boysex. There's nothing wrong with this. It's possible to have a good story and good sex. If it wasn't, Harlequin Blaze and Ellora's Cave wouldn't do such great business.

16. Learn to accept criticism (gracefully).
By sharing your art, you are inviting criticism. You may not think you deserve it, but not everyone is going to love you or even like you. (See above. Eat, Pray, Love, the Twilight books, and the Harry Potter books are all crazy popular, and I don't like any of them.) Be graceful about this. Does it really matter to you that a few--sometimes very vocal--don't like you? Okay, maybe if you're one of those insecure types who needs everyone's acceptance it might matter, but you're a writer. You're stronger than that. Learn to say, "Thank you for sharing your opinion, I will take your points into consideration" when it's necessary. By "necessary" I mean "when the criticism is constructive." You can pout and brood in private all you want. Want a good example of how not to behave toward a reviewer? Read this post and the comments below. Negative reviews that are not constructive criticism are to be ignored at all times.

17. Fans are the personification of love.

They're passionate. They're articulate. They love. They hate. They invest their time, energy, effort, money, tears, and blood in what they love. It matters to them. If you're ever lucky enough to have fans, appreciate them. Try not to alienate them. 

Monday Miscellany

Man, interior design is hard. I think the kid and I are going to plan a trip to IKEA in Mannheim later on this week. It's time to give the living room a bright, fun update. I'm thinking turquoise, lime green, and white with splashes of hot pink and orange.

I've finished the rewrite of "Flagstaff." In my early-morning delirium, I realize that "Vega" doesn't fit with the rest of the stories, so it'll have to be lifted out. This is fine; it will make final edits easier, and make the overall story clearer. I can also edit it and offer it as an extra short for free on the website.

With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I'll be done with Cass Gets Her Kicks by the end of the week, and I can start work on The Widow & The Cowboy while I start the rewrites for Strawberry Moon.

Your Cover Uncovered is an excellent blog that reviews book covers. It's relatively new, but I love it already.  You should check it out!

Blog Roundup: August 1 - 7, 2011

Struggling with POV? Sirra's post on the different types of third person point-of-view can help.

Joelle Charbonneau's post at Do Some Damage about the proper care and feeding of a writer has some no-brainer advice, but it always helps to remind yourself to do things like sleep, eat more than coffee and granola, and take time off.

Rik Davnall talks about book prices, the marketplace, and business sense. For what it's worth, I don't think the $0.99 price puts us in the ghetto, either; I fully intend to make use of that price when I finally start to publish. Like Rik, though, I am thinking of using it as more of a promotional tool in certain cases, and to me, that just makes sense.

I like this post about the celebrity of authors. I would recognize some of my favorites, but for the most part, authors are kind of a faceless bunch. (I have an anecdote about being recognized in fanfiction and not being recognized that I'll save or my What I Learned From Fanfiction post.)

Desirae Jeffers posted about choosing a penname this week, and I think it's worth reading. I know that I struggled with choice of penname. As my husband advances in his career, he becomes more of a public figure within his units, and the military spouse community can be... trying at times. I don't necessarily want everyone to know that I write and what I write, so I chose a version of my maiden name as my primary penname, and I chose a second penname that is a play on the first in order to separate my young adult work from my adult work.

There was a post over at The Bookshelf Muse about charisma as a character trait, and another about conflict versus tension. That whole blog is just a gem of information.

I discovered this blog this week, and it's so packed with good advice, neat tips, and excellent writing that it's hard not to get lost over there.

SitRep Saturday: Cass Gets Her Kicks

This week, I finished editing all four stories, dumped everything into a single word processor file, and started rewriting. I finished "Galena, KS" and "Vega, TX." I had hoped to finish rewrites of all four, but I've decided not to stress about it. I'll get it written, I'll get it out, and I'll start on the next project.

From my years writing fanfiction, I have several excellent friends who are also just fantastic beta readers. The best advice I have ever read about editors says that you should find one that hates you. I agree... to an extent. I think you should find editors/betas who like you, but are still willing to tell it like it is. If they like you, they're willing to read your work. If they're friends (true ones, not the crappy kind), they want to see you succeed. And if they're willing to tell it like it is, they're going to straight-up say, "This? It sucks. Get rid of it." I have friends like this. The first two stories are currently with four of them, and I have notes back from two of them.

I'm plugging along. Progress is considerably slower than I would like it to be, but I've been telling myself to just let it be. It's not like I'm stopping anytime soon. I'm too stubborn and too determined.

On Writing: Less Common Homophones, pt. 2

Continuing my posts on homophones (there are two more, here and here), I present the second half of the list of some of the less common ones that are still pretty frequently misused.

Hangar/Hanger


A hangar is a large covered space where they store aircraft. A hanger is something on which you hang your clothes. You could hang your clothes on a hangar, but a hanger would probably make more sense. 


Hear/Here

Hear is what you do with your ears. Here indicates location. (As a bonus, "hear, hear!" is the correct spelling of that expression.) Hear him here.


Hoard/Horde


To hoard is to accumulate stuff. A horde is a large group, usually of people. If you hoard toilet paper before the apocalypse, an angry horde will come after you.


Levee/Levy


A levee is a barrier. To levy is to impose or collect a tax. Local officials will levy a tax on your levee.


Lead/Led

Lead is the bad stuff in paint. Led means guided. He led us through the field of lead.


Loath/Loathe

Loath is unwillingness. Loathe is intensely disliking. He is loath to loathe anyone.


Lose/Loose


To lose is to be without something. When something is loose, it's wiggly. Don't lose the loose bolt!


Miner/Minor

A miner mines something. A minor is lesser or underage. Minors shouldn't be miners.


Nay/Neigh

Nay is an expression of dissent. Neigh is the sound a horse makes. Nay, I will not neigh.


Passed/Past

Passed is the completed act of passing; past is a designation of time. I passed that class in the past.


Peal/Peel

Peal has to do with sound. Peel is removing a thin later of something. She peeled the fruit to peals of laughter from her friends.


Plane/Plain


A plane is a flat surface, or a location. A plain is simple. It is a plain plane.


Principal/Principle

A principal is a person in a position of power. A principle is a rule. The principal has principles.


Reign/Rein

Reign is a period of rule. Rein is a leather strap or the act of controlling. During her reign, she reined in the parliament.


Threw/Through

Threw is the past tense of throw. Through is about going in one side and out the other. He threw it through the hoop.



...and I'm done! Finally! These posts were so dull and I apologize for that. I felt like they needed to be written, though, as much for my own benefit as for anyone else's. I do hope they come in handy for someone, but even if they don't, I know I have them to refer back to.