New Guest Post: Writers Getting Social. Is it Worth It?

This month at the How To Write Shop I talk about my experiences this year with social media.

So what does this mean for you? Well, as an author you have to figure out the best way to reach your readers. Social media is temporal and fleeting. Sometimes, that isn’t the best channel to connect because your readers may not be online the same time you are. For others, they feel (as I do) that there is a price to pay for being too well connected to your audience. — SOURCE: Getting Social: Is it Worth it?

What do you think? Have you taken a look at what social media means to you?

October 12, 2011
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A Lesson from the Muskrat

Working with the Muskrat (aka John Kovalic) has been a lot of fun as we get the workflow side of things situated. We’ve been dealing with this pesky thing called “infrastructure” (I might have said that before) as well as firming up business relationships and letting people know that we’re now a team of two (as opposed to a team of one).

While I’ve been giving John options and new ways to deal with the business, he’s also taught me something, too. Short answer? The importance of a positive tone in e-mail. Long answer? Read on…

Every day, we’re bombarded with communication. If you work online, chances are you’re getting input from Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, websites, forums, etc. That’s not including your phone, advertising, crappy drivers or bus passengers, etc. etc. etc.

Tone matters! The same words in the same e-mail changes tone if you add a smiley face or a friendly salutation. I’ve witnessed this time and time and time again. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Maybe it is just that simple. Maybe we read into tone on e-mails without even realizing it. Yet, the world changes when we not only talk to people with a smile, but infer that as well.

Since I’ve adopted the Muskrat WayTM, I have noticed a difference in the exchanges I’ve had. No, this doesn’t mean you suck up to people, because really? Since when do I do that and well? All this is, is a reminder that it’s not a bad thing to seek out positivity where you can. It can make a difference in a world where there’s not enough smiley faces throughout the day.

Thanks, John!

October 11, 2011
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Give a Book This Halloween! I’ll Be Participating in All Hallows Read

All Hallows ReadMany of you know that I am an advocate for all things reading. As a writer, avid reader, and fan of TOO many authors to count any program that promotes literacy is awesome in my book.

This time, author extraordinaire Neil Gaiman posted an idea about giving a scary book to someone on Halloween. Dubbed All Hallows Read, terrify your fellow trick-or-treaters with a haunting tale.

In that spirit, I will have a post that will go live on Halloween reminding people about this event. I can offer you a list of titles I’ve written to pick from — including the new ghost hunting anthology dubbed HAUNTED: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror — or you can get a gift certificate from DriveThruHorror.com. It’s your choice! All you have to do is this:

1) Be one of the first to comment on my Halloween blog post and
2) Be willing to do the same for someone else.

You don’t have to buy a book or a gift certificate for someone like I am. It can be a library book or something out of your own collection, too. And yes, this is the honor system. My spies aren’t everywhere. Yet.

That’s it. Easy, eh? Together, I’m pretty sure we can scare the world. Let’s give this TERRORific cause our best shot.

Otherwise, I’ll continue to regale you with bad, bad puns and dry sarcasm.

Happy Haunting Reading!

October 7, 2011
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Going to New York Comic Con?

I’m going to be going to New York Comic Conwhile John from Dork Tower takes the opportunity to work on the Tao of Igor. All the pieces are coming together for a brand, new trade. We’ve got a killer introduction and are awaiting a bonus essay for the back of the book. There’s also some great stories that John has planned. (And no, I’m NOT going to spoil it for you… Though, you’ll be happy I didn’t…)

I’ll be tracking down publishers as well for the fiction side of DriveThru. I’m handling the publisher relations over at that site a few hours a week and am doing some consulting for the retail end of things.

From what the Exhibitor List looks like I’ll be running around a lot during the show. Just in the Comic Pavilion alone there are over 500 booths set up. I hope to run into Phil Reed from Steve Jackson Games, Tim Seeley from Hack/Slash, Anton Strout from Penguin and authorial fame, and George Vasilakos from Eden Studios. (I say “hope” because it’s going to be crazy busy, even with cell phones…) But we’ll see!

This’ll be my first time but it’s mostly a business trip for me. I’m going to keep writing, even during the show, but I’ll be wrapping up some fun drafts and a new project outline for TBA before we leave.

Going? What are you planning on doing?

October 6, 2011
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Romance, Vampires and Men

One of the questions that popped up for Russell Bailey and Eddy Webb, the developers for Strange, Dead Love, alluded to the impression that romance was primarily for women. The question really struck me and I want to talk about it in a more generic context about paranormal romance than address what it means to Vampire: the Requiem.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been involved with a romance writer’s group. I am not what you would consider a traditional romance reader or writer. Sap is really not my cup of tea. My flavors tend to run darker, like the types of relationships you might see in Dracula or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer. The reason why I dived into this group was to overcome my (for lack of a better word) stupidity about the genre as a whole from a creator’s perspective. When I first started, I was hesitant to infuse lipstick with vampires in my own work.

This group of men and women took my flowery impressions of romance and really helped me better understand it from a technical standpoint and, even better yet, a reader’s point-of-view. Romance isn’t just about one thing (e.g. smooches, a box of chocolates, or tears). Those elements — whether they’re part of the setting or not — allow the characters to express their emotions. A romance isn’t a scene or a dozen roses: it’s a story arc just like any other.

Those emotions get stronger as the story progresses. BUT! (And this is a big but in my book…) It’s harder to pick up a romance two-thirds of the way through. Like any other book, you really have to start from the beginning and understand what happens between those two characters in order to feel the emotional impact of their relationship.

Getting back to vampires…

I’ve read a lot of vampire fiction and watched, well, too many movies to count. Some authors like ghosts or zombies or fairies? Me? I’m a vampire girl. Tried and true. Like traditional romance, there are many flavors of paranormal romance that include vampires. There are some stories that don’t dive into the nature of a vampire and focus on the mortal who faces the predator instead. There are others that highlight the tragedy of the romance because vampires are damned, evil creatures. And then? There are some romances where vampires are just window dressing.

When I think about audiences for paranormal romance, I think about audiences for other emotionally-driven genres like horror. I feel, and continue to feel, that whether or not “a” man or “a” woman will like a particular title comes down to personal preference. With romance, it’s tough because it’s also heavily-influenced by cultural norms and attitudes. Take physical contact for example. If I just met you, how would you feel if I walked down the street with my arm around your shoulders? Men kissing in Europe means something different than men kissing in the States. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Based on my experiences, I don’t think romance is exclusively for men or for women. That’s what marketing is saying. That’s how they sell and, from what I’ve learned, companies like Harlequin and the authors who work for them are dedicated to providing what their established audience wants to read. They do an amazing, amazing job!!!

Anecdotally (for I don’t have hard numbers on this) paranormal romance does seem to attract a broader audience because there’s often other plots happening at the same time. Genre lines are pretty blurry, but paranormal romance and urban fantasy are often intermixed because of that. To an author, though, the romance is about the story between the characters. If you get the chance to talk to a romance author — of any sort — I highly recommend that you do. These conversations changed my view on romance entirely and have allowed me to introduce those types of stories into my own work.

I have the utmost respect for all flavors of paranormal romance and the authors therein — which is why I was thrilled to be a part of Strange, Dead Love. I can only hope my contribution did the genre justice within the context of Vampire: the Requiem. Guess I’ll just have to find out what you think! *gulp*

October 5, 2011
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