Murder She Writes

I’m feeling a little like Dorothy today, very glad to be home! The Romance Writers of America Conference in Atlanta Georgia was wonderful but exhausting.

I was so pleased to meeting in person Allison and Karin. I only got to talk to Karin for a few minutes as we literally passed one another at the bottom of the stairs to the bar. She’s beautiful and I could have talked with her for hours, but I had an early morning meeting. My only disappointment in the entire conference was when Karin called and invited me to join her and some others for dinner but I had another commitment. Rain check, okay Karin?

Allison was charming. When we walked up to say hello to her after the Kiss of Death party, Allison was helping a woman refine a pitch right there on the spot. It was such a nice thing to do. She was surrounded by people wanting to talk to her, or ask her advice, and she was very generous. She’s just like she seems on the blog.

Jake (J. Carson Black) is hilariously funny. Watch out, she will make you choke on your drink! We bonded instantly, and it’s probably a good thing we didn’t spend the entire conference together or we’d have gotten into some serious trouble. As it was, at the Kiss of Death Awards Party for the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence (that I still think Jake should have won, not that I’m biased or anything!), we were getting some “looks” for our uncontrollable laughter. I brought two of my friends, Dennis and Marianne Donley, and they loved Jake too. The four of us were having way too much fun, and all without alcohol. Jake and I weren’t sure we could navigate high heels and alcohol…

Toni MaGee Causey joined us in the bar, and it was a pleasure to meet her in person and chat. Toni is very savvy about the publishing business and taught me quite a bit about the Hollywood connection. She’s both beautiful and smart!

We were joined by my friends (who often hang around the blog) Louise Knott Ahern, Michele Cwiertny and Dana Diamond. These three women are so beautiful and smart that we’ve taken to calling them “Charlie’s Angels” in my local chapter. Dana, Michele and Louise are tremendously talented.

Man, I am so outshined by all my friends! Have I forgotten anyone? Did I mention how much we all missed Deb and Natalie?

I know I’ve rambled on, now I’m going to talk a little bit about what I learned. Please keep in mind that my notes are incomplete and I may even be (gasp!) inaccurate.

From Levy Book Merchandiser:

1) Their market is non-traditional book stores like Wal Mart, Target, K-Mart etc.

2) Their goal is to get as much space as possible in those stores and will do
everything in their power to hold onto it. If the space if very small, it goes to the big names (Nora Roberts type). Extra space goes to the rest.

3) Average book buyer that Levy targets through the retailer is 25 to 35 years old, married and college educated.

4) About 50% of what they stock is romance titles with Romantic Suspense and Historical Romance being the most popular.

5) Erotic is hot, but harder to get into the family value chains (think Wal Mart).

6) A newer market is the Military Bases.

Panel on changing publishers and/or agents:

1) Have specific goals. Is your goal money? New York Times List? Publishing a title every six months?

2) Agent’s advice is important but remember that agents are in the business to make money, they MAY go after the money when that’s not your goal.

3) Money does not always follow getting on the NYT list. You have to stay on the list to get real clout. (Depressing as heck to me!)

4) Real solid success takes time, a long time.

5) Do your own market research before changing publishers. The four authors on this panel all recommended subscribing to Publisher’s Weekly.

6) Another source of income can be a position of power. In other words, if you are NOT desperate for money, you’re in a stronger negotiating position.

7) Do not burn your bridges. Publishing is notoriously small, and the editor you just left today may be your new editor’s boss next year.

Whatever is happening in your career—do not spiral into hatred. Always be professional. (It’s easy to fall into negativity and blaming when things are going wrong).

Advice from an editor and sales representative from a NY Publishing House:

1) MySpace.com is a great place to promote. The editor suggested getting your own page.

2) The sales rep and editor said they do rely on author websites both for considering offering the author a contract and selling the author to the bookstores. Update!

3) They talked about trade sized paperback (where my next book will be so I paid attention). Trade paperback is flourishing, and they believe Oprah was a big influence on that. Trade is for upscale women’s fiction, and hot sex is also doing really well in trade. But merchandizing hot sex is tricky for the Wal Mart type stores.

4) When asked if an author’s looks matter when they are considering if the authors is able to do her own promotion, the editor said as long as they brush their teeth and comb their hair, looks do not matter. Basic manners and a reasonable level of social skills seemed far more important to them that appearance of the author.

Happy Monday to you all! I’m so glad to be home and back on the Internet to hang with all of you!

Three of the five cats are at RWA, and it’s just me and Deb and a few of our regulars around here. So I thought I’d share some news that We Just Can’t Make Up.

First, someone who REALLY hated seagulls–pesky little critters that they are–went a bit far when they stacked some french fries up and then mowed down the unsuspecting birds while they dined. Thirty-five birds died. And you wonder where thriller and suspense writers get their ideas!

Second, two cops in London were arrested after continually taking candy and drinks from a sweet shop and not paying. Who needs donuts?

Third, a car prowler who was on the lam was discovered sleeping–in a SWAT Vehicle. He was promptly arrested.

Fourth, liquor officials in Springfield, Vt., have denied a liquor license to a man who wanted to run a bar out of his home. Turns out “home,” for the man, is the state prison.

So there you go. A little bit of weird fun to start your weekend out right. TGIF!

My favorite courses in college were anything having to do with psychology. I’ve always had a fascination with people, with what makes them tick, what makes them do what they do, why they interact with others a certain way. In these studies, we had the opportunity to go through many psychological profiles, and each of these profiles carried a fair amount of validity when it came to identifying an individual’s personality type. The one I found to be most fun, and often the most revealing, happened to be the shortest one of all. I still use it from time to time to get a clearer picture of a character’s motivation. I thought it might be a hoot to have a little fun with it here….

The process is easy. I’ll ask four simple questions, which you must answer using only one word. The follow up question to the initial questions also requires a one-word answer, (hyphenated words are acceptable) but it requires three of them. I’ll show you what I mean below….

1. What is your favorite color? BLUE

**What is it about the color blue that causes it to be your favorite color? (Note: Don’t over-analyze your answers. Write the first words that come to mind. I.E. I like the color blue because it’s…

–VIVID
–SOOTHING
–INTENSE (yes, the words can contradict each other)

2. What is your favorite animal? WOLF

**What is it about this animal that causes it to be your favorite?

–LOYAL
–SURVIVOR
–PACK (FAMILY)-ORIENTED

3. What is your favorite body of water? (This can encompass anything from a natural body of water to a bathtub filled with water.) —- OCEAN

**What is it about this body of water that causes it to be your favorite?

—LIFE-SUSTAINING
–CALMING
–INVIGORATING

4. Imagine yourself standing in a bright, stark-white room. There are no windows or doors in this room. The walls are white, the ceiling and floors are white, and the only thing you hear is absolute silence…Close your eyes and imagine yourself there for a moment. Now, list three words that describe what you’re feeling as you stand in this room.

–CALM
–PEACEFUL
–CLEAN

Before I reveal what your answers signify, I want to give everyone a chance to answer the questions without influence. I’ll be back a little later to let you know what your answers mean.

Have fun!

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Last night, around 10:30 p.m., the nationwide search for a missing 5-year-old Salt Lake City girl ended with the heart-wrenching finality you never want to see.

The body of Destiny Norton was found just three houses from her own home, police said in a press conference. A 20-year-old man was booked into the jail on charges of homicide.

And a family was left to mourn, just hours after they had received a tip–a possible Destiny sighting–that led them to their first hours of hope since she disappeared.

The family is angry at police, wondering how Destiny could have been so close and never found. They feel like Destiny’s family, struggling, just one step up from homeless, was not treated with the same regard as upper class Elizabeth Smart, or Lori Hacking, when they disappeared. (Lori Hacking was murdered by her husband; Elizabeth Smart kidnapped by a former handyman of the family). Whether this is true or not, I cannot say, but I do know that people all over Utah reached out and helped search for the missing girl, regardless of her circumstances.

Destiny, old beyond her years, managed to capture the heart of this city and state, and I knew that the tears pouring down my face, upon hearing the news, were also pouring from the eyes of other Utahns, all across the state, and probably others across the nation.

This is truth. And truth, as they say, is often stranger than fiction. Real life is brutal.

As always, after something like this happens, I am left asking “why?” Who is this killer? Why did he take Destiny? Had he been watching, waiting, ready to pounce when opportunity struck? Or was it just happenstance. Did he see the angry little girl, wearing only her mother’s T-shirt, and just react–and grab her. And if so, why? What leads a person to this place, this horrible place, where they will take another life?

As suspense and thriller writers, we often explore these dark areas of the soul. We look at the reasons people kill. We look at the events of a tragic murder, and dissect it, every piece, maybe looking for the answer “why?”

But as a writer, I can go back and delete. I can erase a brutal murder, and say “that’s not right. That shouldn’t happen.”

Real life cannot be erased. Godspeed to Destiny, and condolences to her family. I wish I could go erase the entire thing, and give her back to you.

If this were my book, I could. But it’s not.

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I’m off to the Romance Writers of America Conference this week. Every conference, I set a goal for myself. Waayyy back in the beginning, my first goal was to pitch one of my books to an editor and not pass out. I’m happy to report that I did that. My goals have changed as my career has.

This year, my sole goal is network and having fun. I’m looking forward to the chance to meet up with people I know on the Internet, hang out a little bit with editors and agents, and reconnect with friends.

Sound a little unmotivated? Lazy?

Nope. But I’m trying something a little different this year. I think that in my race to workshops and events, I’ve missed something at conferences. The down moments, the breezy, kickback chit chat where ideas are born. Friends have been telling me this for a while. Brushing up on craft or research is good.

Hanging out with friends, editors and agents is better.

It’s not that deals are made over drinks, but ideas are born that way. I just had an experience with my editor that brought that home to me. We had discussed the next book I’m going to write for her and I asked her if she wanted to see anything on the book. She said, no, not unless I needed input. I decided to send her a synopsis anyway, mostly because she so sharp, she’d probably catch a problem before I did. She called and loved it, but here’s what surprised me—in the synopsis was a phrase that she loved as a title for another book.

This is all at the idea stage. Nothing more. But my point is this; if I hadn’t sent her the synopsis, there wouldn’t even be an idea.

Same thing with hanging out with other authors, editors and agents at the conference. Casually chatting can turn into a wealth of information. Who’s to say there won’t be a brilliant idea, or answer to a book problem floating around there?

And I have another reason, right from agent Jennifer Jackson’s blog. Now I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist, but I can be a little driven at times, so I think she has a point about dialing back. Sometimes we’re so focused on goals that we lose sight of what we’ve already achieved.

Which brings me to another point, something I usually see at conferences is the blinding drive, very often in the unpublished and newly published. We are all after that first contract, the next contract, hitting the lists, writing the “break out” book…

In short Instant Success. To put that in perspective, my editor mentioned that one of the publisher’s “stars” took twelve years to break out.

12 Years! Talk about patience!

Now I’m as ambitious as anybody, but I realized that I get stressed. Conference is a chance for me to get away from the computer, hang out and enjoy friends and publishing professionals. Anything else will be a bonus.

What do you all do to dial back in your lives? I’ll let you know how my patient grasshopper trial at conference goes!

Okay, so this week has been one of those weeks. While gearing up for the RWA conference next week, which I am happy to report I am on top of, I have had a few set backs with the stress monster. Some of you may know I have my first single title release scheduled for September of this year. I’m very excited and understandably very nervous. Couple that with not truly understanding this crazy business, i.e what exactly is my publisher supposed to being doing right now at this moment! What am I supposed to be doing right now at this very moment! and several other factors, and well, I have been the poster child for Xanex. But, I fought the urge to pop a little pill (of course I would have to have one to pop, which I don’t, but I’m going to remedy that little problem tomorrow, because y’all know I need two to fly to Atlanta and two to fly home). So, between worrying about print runs, promotions, books clubs, launch parties and tying up all of my loose ends before next Monday night, I have stressed myself into a sore throat and fever.
My saving grace was a phone call from my editor this am, and she very matter-of-factly coaxed me off the ledge. After the fact I felt foolish. You see, I am not the needy blubbering type. But this business brings it out in me. My family, my agent, my dear friends Josie and Rae not to mention my dear friend and the right arm of my business, Sheryll, along with husband, sons and daughters have had to listen to me wail, cuss, scream and cuss some more this week. I would have burdened Nat and Allison, but my demented brain did have the common courtesy to respect the fact they are in deadline hell, so they were spared.
While my editor called this am for one reason, I kept her on the phone for my own reasons, and it was after I honestly, and I hope coherently told her exactly what I was feeling and laid out my plethora of questions that she took the time and walked me through each concern I had. And while some of the answers were not what I wanted to hear, she was open and honest about them and the reasons behind them. I feel so much better. The kicker is this: I have always encouraged my friends, family, coworkers and employees to come to me if something is bugging them, if they are confused and need clarification or just need to vent. I pride myself on always listening with an open mind and understanding sometimes it’s just about venting, or blowing off nervous energy. I should have had this conversation with my editor months ago, and funny enough, she was the one to say it.
And the great thing was, she had no problem with what I had to say, and encouraged me to always ask. Doh. It applies to everything in life. When we go in blind or with an assumption without getting the facts or speaking to the person who calls the shots we set ourselves up for misery. This entire week could have been avoided with one email. “Please call me, I have questions.”
So, I have to remind myself to take my own damn advice and remember I am entitled to have answers even if they are not the answers I want to hear. And in this business there can be such anxiety, that not giving yourself the latitude to ask and receive you can very well end up in the loony bin.
Since many of us here fall into at least the reader category and some in the author category as well, what do you do to deal with the stress of publishing or life in general?

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There’s a discussion over at Robert Gregory Browne’s blog about book trailers. This is a subject near and dear to my heart because I did flash trailers for each book in my trilogy.

I picked flash because it loads fast, I can intro my website with it . . . but viewers can also click the “skip trailer” button. They’re short and sweet, not longer than 30 seconds, and they give the meat of the story. But the video trailers are really cool, too. They have people and high quality images and generally quality production.

But do book trailers really help?

I don’t know. I’m asking you. Do you like watching little video or flash trailers about books? Does it ever prompt you to read more? Buy the book? Is it just a nice added feature . . . or an annoyance?

I did trailers for each book: THE PREY, THE HUNT and THE KILL. I liked all of them, though I think THE HUNT captured the essence of the book the best.

But now I’m debating doing trailers for the next trilogy.

I want to do them. I’ll probably do them. I just don’t know if they make a difference.

I also don’t know if bookmarks make a difference, but I’m printing those, too.

So, what do you think? Book trailers: yeah, nay or indifferent? Share your favorite book trailer and why. Don’t forget to include the link so I can check it out!

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At the John Lescroat brunch and interview, held on the closing day of Thrillerfest, one of the things he said really stuck out in my mind. I don’t remember the exact wording of either the question Gayle Lynds asked him, or his answer, so I’m going to have to summarize, but the advice he gave was “Just write the book.” So many times writers go back and fix, and refix, and edit, and delete and change, and they never get to THE END.

Lescroat said that even if he does write the book, and he realizes down the road that he accidentally changed a character’s name, or dropped a thread, if he keeps going back repeatedly he will never get done. First things first. Finish the book, and THEN go back and fix it.

And this really rang true for me, because I am a serial fixer. I have little “aha” moments all throughout the writing of a book, where I realize I have not done something and I MUST go back and fix it.

I suppose to a certain extent this might just be my process, but as I head to the end of my latest book, I think I’ve spent more time fixing than usual. Part of that could be the nature of this book, because it is high concept and detailed, and it carries with it lots of little subplots that need intertwining, and the “aha” moments are more frequent and the sleepless nights getting longer.

I wake up from a dead sleep with “aha” running through my mind. Or, of course, “DAMN, I missed that. I have to go clean that up.”

In short, I’m in the “living the book” mode. My family does not much like this part of my writing process. I am a stranger to them. I get up at odd hours and work on the computer. I am short with them, and tense, and I take a lot of Tylenol because I have a “lack of sleep” headache, but I suppose it won’t change anytime soon. Will I ever be able to just “write the book” and not go back and fix as I write.

Probably not. And I guess that’s not a problem as long as I CAN get to THE END. The day I can’t get there, it’s time to reevaluate.

I know not everyone writes like I do, and I’d love to hear how some of you work through the book and get to THE END.

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