Vote Tomorrow!!!!!

Hey everybody, today Spinetingler announced their nominee's 2011 Spinetingler Best Short Story Collection Award. Guess what? The Junkie Tales is nominated!!!! Holy Crap, right? I'm so amazed and happy!

Do me a favor and vote for The Junkie Tales at http://www.spinetinglermag.com/2011/03/31/2011-spinetingler-award-best-short-story-collection-nominees/.

Guide to Literary Agents - 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Stephen Graham Jones

Guide to Literary Agents - 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Stephen Graham Jones

Tip number 7 is my goal in every work I write. What are the seven things you've learned?

Writing from the Peak: Creating Compelling Characters by Jodie Renner

Writing from the Peak: Creating Compelling Characters by Jodie Renner: "Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? If I look back to some of my early reading, icons like Orphan Annie, Huckleberry Finn, a..."

Lots of great stuff in this article. It makes me ask alot of questions about my characters, and what it is I love and hate about so many stories.

For the most part I agree with Jodie, but when it comes to annoying characters I have to say, I'm a fan. At least an annoying character makes me compelled to learn about them. Yet, when the protag is whiny or annoying in a non-witty way, I don't like them.

So I guess the question is, what will I put up with as a reader? Are these the same traits I seek in life? What about you? What annoys you about a character?

Writing from the Peak: Top Ten Writing Tips From PPW Members by Julia All...

Great advice from PPW Writers!

Writing from the Peak: Top Ten Writing Tips From PPW Members by Julia All...: "Top Ten Writing Tips from PPW Members  By Julia Allen As writers, we each have our own unique process for getting words on the page. ..."

My favorite is Mario's, but I agree with all of them.

What about you? What advice would you give me about writing?

A Sign of the Apocalypse?

The end of the Mayan calendar? Not quite, but I'm pretty sure it's a sign. At the very least, some damn great luck! I hit the trifecta this week, in that, I signed with my third publisher in the last five months. My quirky urban fantasy novel, Holy Socks and Dirtier Demons will be published by Champagne Books this spring.

I'm so excited, and thankful, and genuinely amazed that after five long years of trying to sell even one book, I've sold four in the last five months. So you can see why I suspect an impending doom, right?

Let's just hope the end of the world waits until after I make Twilight dough!

Trifecta

I very likely hit the publishing trifecta today, but more on that news later. For now, I'd love to hear about what you're currently reading? And what books you are looking forward to being released soon?

Off to Writer's Fest

If you haven't heard the Colorado Author's League is hosting a writer's fest on March 19th from 10 am to 1pm at the Tattered Cover LoDo. There will be tons of writerly stuff going on including presentations from Co authors as well publishers, agents, and writer programs like Naropa University's Summer Writing Program (where yours truly holds a day job). So if you're in the Denver area, swing by and enter to win a bag of books and swag from the SWP and ME!

RMFW Conference ~ One More Reason to Attend

As if you need another reason to attend the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference this September. But here goes, just got word today that the RMFW powers-tha-be have accepted my proposal to teach a workshop on e-publication called: E-Formatting: A Quick and Dirty Guide to E-publication.

Trust me, this won't be your mother's workshop on e-publication. I plan to show everyone that e-publication isn't that hard, and in fact, anyone with word can do it. I'll show you step by step how to publish on amazon on a matter of an hour, even if you're not that computer savvy.

So if you took this workshop, what are those burning questions you might have about e-publication? Have you e-pubbed? If so, how difficult was it?

Rejection ~ The Ten Minute Rule

Great post by Janey Fogg over at the Chiseled Rock Blog. Basically, she says when you get a rejection give yourself 10 mins to react, and then get back on that horse and send out another query.

I find this to be great advice. After over 1000 rejections, they still bother me, but only for a few minutes. Face it, life is too short to suffer over one person not loving your work. Who knows if the next query you send out won't be the ONE that lands you the big agent, or a ten figure book deal.

Do you have a process for rejection? Is it cake? If so, can you invite me over the next time?

Relief for Japan

It's not often that everyone in the world stops, but today that happened as the destruction of the earthquake in Japan unfolded. My thoughts go to those who've lost so much. If you would like to donate to a relief fund for people effected by the earthquake, the Red Cross is a good choice.

To Good Read or Not to Good Read? That's My Question

For the last year I've used the goodreads.com site, mostly for networking and book suggestions. I don't find it particularly exciting or useful, but I want your opinion. Do you use it? And if so, for what? Do you find it helpful in locating new books or authors?

Jim Bianco, Will You Marry Me?

Okay, so not really. But I am damn excited to see Jim Bianco play at the Walnut Room in Denver on March 29th. This guy is amazing! He's sexy, smart, and plays the room like nobody else. Oh, and his music ain't bad either :).

All kidding aside, he has a new record coming out soon called LOUDMOUTH, which I personally guarantee with knock your panties off. Come see for yourself on March 29th.

100th Anniversary of Women's Day

100th Anniversary of Women's Day

Not the magazine my friends, but of the celebration of women and all we can do. So to all those gorgeous, amazing, brilliant women out there, happy yesterday to you (I'm a chick, I'm always running a day later :). May this year be the one in which all people are treated equally and accepted, no matter what their gender.

How Much is Too Much for an E-book?

Nathan Bransford had a great article about e-books on his blog yesterday. It got me to thinking about the cost of an ebook, and how much I would be willing to pay for an ebook. Now I sell my ebooks for cheap (The Junkie Tales - $2.99, Stolen Kidneys - $.99), and I think that's a fair price for them, seeing as they are short story collections, not too long, and most of the stories can be found online for free or in print journals. So the question is, does price determine how people perceive a work?

To me the answer is simple. Hell yes. When I'm digging through the hundreds of thousands of ebooks at B&N, I often disregard those sold for a low price. Why? Because I'm a book snob. No other answer. My perception is that an ebook costing so little has little value. It's a terrible assumption and I am endeavoring to end it, but right now, that's my mindset. As I'm sure it is with others. Not only that, but are we as authors devaluing ourselves and our profession by selling books for pennies? What will that mean for the future?

So tell me, what do you think when you see an ebook priced way below the big six publishers price? Do you buy it because of the cost? Does the cost of an ebook really matter to you? Are you selling your own ebooks and if so, for how much?

Electric Barracuda Anyone?

Electric Barracuda, a Serge A Storms novel by the amazing Tim Dorsey is on my list of books to review today. First off, let me say how much I LOVE Serge, and subsequently the voice behind him, Tim Dorsey. I've been a fan since his very first book, Florida Roadkill, which I was lucky enough to get signed at the PPW in 2010.

If you've never read a Tim Dorsey book, you are in for a fast paced, mad capped ride around historical Florida with a sexy, demented serial killer at the wheel. Serge is smart, funny, and absolutely batshit crazy. Which is why I love him so.

Electric Barracuda is not Serge's greatest adventure, but it is a fun time. In it we meet a wealth of new characters including a wee one, as well as spend time with plenty of old favorites, namely Molly, Serge's crazy ex-wife. Oh how I long for a reconciliation. To top it off, we learn the history of Loop Road, and Al Capone mystery.

This book is worth your time, so pick it up today and enjoy all the crazy Florida has to offer.

Free mp3 workshop from PPW

The Pikes Peak Writers is an amazing group of people and writers. They want writers to succeed. And they do it for free. Yes, that's right. The PPW is now free to join. No annual membership dues. Why wouldn't you join?

Here's a mp3 file from a Write Brain (monthly workshop hosted by PPW) on the craft of writing. It's worth 45 mins of your life.

"The Three Stories: Front, Back and Perspective", presented by multi-published authors Linda Rohrbough, Jodi Anderson (aka Jodi Dawson), and Laura Hayden. (45 minutes, 50MB)

Mario Acevedo is a Hell of a Funny Guy!

Biting Edge: Going down...

If you haven't read any of Mario Acevedo's books, you're really missing out on one of the funniest, talented, and smart writers of vampire fiction (as well as other stuff) around. But more than that, Mario is a hell of a great guy and his blog, The Biting Edge, with partner Jeanne C. Stein (also a brilliant author) is worth reading on a regular basis.

This is by far my favorite post!

Colorado Gold Contest

http://chiseledinrock.blogspot.com/2011/03/novel-meet-your-new-agent-and-editor.html

Do you want feedback on your manuscript? How about 100 bucks? If you enter the Colorado Gold Contest hosted by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers you can get both. I entered numerous times over the past four years, and loved it each time. I even won 1st place once for The Body Dwellers, which is now available from Solstice Publishing. So yeah, it's worth it.

Writing from the Peak: Sweet Success: Fleur Bradley

Writing from the Peak: Sweet Success: Fleur Bradley: "If you regularly read this blog (and of course you do!), you know I'm normally behind the curtain as the managing editor. I like to put..."

This is great news worth sharing. Congrats Fleur!

I've Been Bitten by the Query Shark

To anyone wanting an agent or to sell their commercial novel, you need to check out Query Shark, written by the brilliant agent Janet Reid. I'm sure to most of you this isn't news, but Query Shark actually critiques your query letters from an agent's perspective. Sure I can tell you what I think, but it's not nearly the same as a shark bite. I'm saying this as a victim of the shark - #16. I learned so much since that ill-advised query, and I hope Janet's take on query letters will provide you with the same.