Series Titles

Covers and titles can draw in readers is you're not an author known everywhere by your name alone.  I write my books in series and I try to make the titles not only indicative of the book content but also somewhat connected to the previous books.  Lots of authors do this and much better than I do.  For instance, does anyone doubt Alex Cavanaugh's upcoming book, Cassafire, is in a series with Cassastar?  The titles let you know the books are related without seeing the author's name.

I tried that in my very first romance series, The Chronicles of Solonia.  The series started with The Greater Good, followed by The Lesser Evil, A Ruthless Good and the wrap up novel, One Good Woman.  The titles weren't perfect matches but they were connected enough to seem like they went together.  

Today my clever publisher is running a special on that last book, One Good Woman, at $1.99, as an early promotion for the my next Tiger book coming out in December.  One Good Woman is the featured book today at New Concepts Publishing.  I hope you can check it out.

Do you write in series and try to give your book titles similar titles?  Do you know an author who is exceptionally clever with titles?

It's That Time

I know a few, only a few, authors who use their blog only to promote their own work. Most blogs I follow are involved in the business of writing or reading and the content of their blogs varies but most of the time I can read and learn something to help my career.  Sometimes, though, those blogs are just pure entertainment and fun to read.

Yesterday I received my quarterly statement from one of my publishers and a check will follow within a week or so.  New Concepts Publishing has revamped their website and put together lots of promotions to sell more books.  And I can see the results in my statement.  So many publishers leave all the promotion to the author and I certainly understand it is my responsibility.  That knowledge only adds to my gratitude for the efforts my publisher is making.

If you pop over to New Concepts Publishing Website, you can see the beautiful covers they create for their books and you can see the cool contests and the chats they've organized.  I'm honored to have my latest release, Tiger's Mate, as one of the books on the front page now that it's become available in print as well as ebook.

So this is my monthly post to self-promote my books.  New Concepts offers reasonable prices for ebooks and I hope I have many more contracts with them.  I have some other promotional plans in the works.

As an author, do you ever pay for promotion?  As a reader, how do you usually discover new authors? As an author, what do you feel is the best 'free' promotion you do?

Publisher's Websites

Like many writers, I often visit publishers' websites.  A few I visit searching for information on upcoming books from my favorite authors.  Some I visit to check out their submission policies but the ones I visit most often are the ones who have published my books.

New Concepts Publishing has released five of my romance novels under my pen name, Susan Kelley.  I love working for NCP.  Their editors are friendly and efficient.  Their author liaison replies to my emails usually within a day if not within hours.  In the past few months they've become even more author friendly by trying many new way to help with promotion, always my least favorite part of being a writer.  And I have a special place in my heart for anyone who finds a way to get my books in front of the readers.

One of the things they've done is update their website.  It's so easy to navigate, has simple buy buttons, along with forums, ongoing contests and place where readers can chat with the authors.  Each author has a page with a short bio and all their books in one spot.  My Solonian Chronicles, starting with The Greater Good and ending with One Good Woman, are showcased on my page.  Tiger's Mate will soon join the page.

So does your publisher help promote your book?  I'm especially wondering about those of you with small publishers?  Have you visited a publisher's website you found difficult to negotiate? Why do you go to publisher's websites?

Start Here

I'm a third of the way throw my next book, the third book in a fantasy romance series, and it's moving along well.  I changed the start at least four times before moving on and letting it go as is until edits.  I remember showing my very first completed novel to an agent at a writing conference.  She read the first chapter and then told me to throw it out and start with the second chapter.  It was good advice.  The book eventually was published as The Greater Good.   I've continued to use the 'throw out the first chapter' at times but mostly I try to find the correct place to start by applying some general ideas of what to put in the first scene and what not to do.

Put action into it.  Don't start with a cliche like waking to a ringing phone, waking from a nightmare or dream, or starting with a ticking bomb. A whiny teenager fighting with her parents isn't a great place to stop either though I've opened a few YA to find just that.  I closed them right back up.  Most sources advice having the first scene belong to the protagonist though many of my favorite suspense authors open their books with a crime in progress.  That pulls me right into the mystery.

Even the first time novelist knows the rule about not filling the first scene and chapter with long descriptions of setting or pages of introspection.  In fantasy there is a need to world build but it doesn't have to all be done in the first chapter.  

What cliches turn you off in the first chapter?  Where do you like to start your books?

Introducing the Master: Cate Masters Visits

To kick off a week of suggestions for great buys for your new eReaders, I'd like to introduce you to Cate Masters.  Cate is one of the most prolific writers I know, full of orginal ideas and the real 'master' of happily every after.  These cold winter days are best spent with a warm romance. 

Cate, you have so many novels published. How long have you been writing?


Hi Susan! Thanks so much for having me at your lovely blog – great redesign! The past few years have been a bit of a whirlwind, I admit. My stories are all lengths, from short story to novella to novel. Writing has always been a passion. Poetry in my preteens led to a foray toward journalism throughout high school (strange segue, I know) then to fiction in my twenties. That was, ahem, awhile ago.

What genres do you write in and what genres do you read?

I’m an eclectic reader, so it carries over to my writing. I love to read any well-written story with a compelling plot and engaging characters, regardless of genre. For the most part, I write contemporary, historical and paranormal/fantasy. A little something for everyone. :)

What is your writing process like? Do you work on more than one project at a time?

One of my goals is to be more organized about my writing. I tend to start many more stories than I can probably ever finish. I use spreadsheets tracking my WIPs, and once I start a story, I keep what I call a Spec Sheet so I can remember which characters go to which story. I have notebooks full of ideas, and about a dozen stories actually in the works, and usually switch between a few at a time. As you can guess, getting to The End takes awhile. Then the story goes through a few revisions on my own before I send out to several trusty critique partners.

If you were giving advice to a new author, where would you tell them to look for help in getting started?

First, learn your craft. Read how-to books, and take workshops. Find honest critique partners who will guide you with a firm but gentle – and truthful – hand. My biggest rule is: go with your gut.

Where on the web can readers learn more about you and your books?

If you Google me, you’ll find me in many a far-flung nook and corner. Two main sites contain links to the rest, though – my web site : http://www.catemasters.com/, and blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com.

Can you tell us a little about your latest release and where it can be purchased?

Absolutely! Surfacing, a contemporary fantasy, released in August from Whiskey Creek Press: http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=824 It’s available in ebook and print.
In researching mermaid lore, I ran across a video of the Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show in Florida. Besides being a fun setting, it seemed the perfect place for a real mermaid to surface.
I entered it in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, and it actually made it through the first round, lol.
I wrote it through the POV of the hero, AJ Dillon, who’s a down and out indie rocker. He travels to his grandfather’s home in Weeki Wachee, Florida, his last refuge after his band falls apart and everyone else throws him out. His grandfather, who’s a bit obsessed with mermaids, gets AJ a job captaining the Wilderness Cruise at the Weeki Wachee Springs amusement park, where women perform underwater as mermaids. AJ doesn’t believe in the real thing until he meets Cassiopeia. She changes his life in many ways, and when she’s in danger, AJ learns things about himself he never knew.

How about a blurb?

AJ Dillon is trouble. The former lead singer of an indie band has no home, no money and no future. His grandfather is the only relative willing to take another chance on him. AJ arrives in Weeki Wachee, Florida, with his guitar, a few clothes and a bad attitude. The only good thing about Weeki Wachee is the ocean -- the one place AJ feels at home.
Grandpa lines up a job for AJ at Weeki Wachee Springs, where beautiful women perform as mermaids. Grandpa says real mermaids exist, but AJ doesn’t believe – until he meets Cassiopeia. She helps his passion for music resurfaces. But greedy Chaz finds out about her, and threatens to kill them if AJ doesn't go along with his plan to make a fortune with a real mermaid show. Can AJ save Cassie, even if it means losing her?

What is next in the works for you in 2011?

In June, Lyrical Press will release Rock Bottom, a contemporary romance I’m excited about. It combines my passion for music with a fun setting – a reality dating show featuring rock star Jet Trently. It makes a few stops in central Pennsylvania too. :) I dedicated it to my friend Jerry, a fellow Beatlemaniac who tragically died of a brain tumor. I loved writing him a happy ending in which he could go back to his farm in Berrysburg, which Jerry loved so well.
Sometime next year, Whiskey Creek Press will release The Bridge Between, a mainstream novel. It’s one of the first novels I wrote, and I’m also excited it’s set in my hometown of Lambertville, New Jersey.
Two shorter fantasies are currently subbed to publishers, as well as the fantasy novel, The Magic of Lavender.

Please give us some more links to scope out your books and make purchases.

Thanks so much for asking! On the Books pages of both my web site: http://www.catemasters.com/epress.html and my blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com/p/books.html readers can visit the individual pages for each story to read excerpts, reviews, blurbs and view the book trailer.

Thanks again for having me today Susan. It’s been a pleasure.

There you have it.  Buy some great ebooks from one of the best story tellers I know.  Cate's books never disappoint. 

Overload of Fun

What a Christmas! Lots of time with loved ones, new games to play and more food than could be good for anyone.  Today is leftover day for all meals so I'm going to be having fun catching up with my blog friends and figuring out my Kobo.
That's right.  My husband purchased an eReader for me.  I didn't give him any demands for type but he knew I wanted one.  I bought my daughter a Nook and my son a Kindle so somewhere down the road I should be able to give a good comparison between the three styles of readers.
What am I doing with it?  Buying books.  Today I bought The Limehouse Text by Will Thomas and tomorrow I'm buying Follow the Stars home by Cate Masters.  Join me here on my blog tomorrow and meet Cate.  She's one terrific writer.
I hope lots of you received your own eReaders and some gift cards for books.  It's a great time to purchase books from those wonderful authors who write for smaller publishers.  Often their books are not sold in the large chain bookstores but you can usually buy them from the company's ebook store or a place like Fictionwise.  I like supporting those small publishers who were willing to take a chance on a new author or a story that didn't fit comfortably into any of the big pubs lines.  This entire week I'll be bringing you interviews from some of those authors.  I'll hope you'll visit and decide to fill your new eReader with some great books.
Did you get or give an eReader for Christmas?  What kind? Where do you purchase your ebooks from?

The Journey or The Destination

At my house the most fun day of the year is this day before Christmas.  My stepsons are grown with families of their own and two of my sons have serious girlfriends.  They all need to spend some holiday time with the families of their significant others.  Christmas Day had become too hectic and stressed as we tried to get together during the morning hours.  When my children still believed in Santa, my beloved stepsons really wanted to be there and share the magic of Christmas morning.  Now everyone is older they prefer to sleep in that blessed morning.  I like having a cup of coffee before they wake and sharing some time with my husband.

So we started having our celebration the day before Christmas.  We eat buffet style, exchange gifts, play games and have a wonderful time.  I love this day and look forward to it for weeks.  I  can't wait for it to get here but I try to slow down and take time to enjoy the anticipation.  If I don't it's like peeking ahead to the back of a book and seeing how it ends.  It rather ruins all the suspense leading up to the grand finale.  

The journey to the end is what makes a book really good.  You can't have a great ending if you can't keep the reader interested enough to get there.  I love a book that makes me want to slow down so I don't get to the end too quick though I can't wait to read what happens.  The books on my keeper shelf are the ones I savored by page by page.  Sure they had great endings but it was everything leading up to that ending that made the book one of my favorites.  It was the twists, the surprises, the heart-wrenching losses and uplifting triumphs leading up the 'The End.'

What puts a book on your 'keeper' shelf?  Do you look ahead to the end of books?

To Spin a Web or Not

I spend hours over Thanksgiving break redoing my website.  But the more author friends I make in the blogosphere, the more I wonder if it's a good use of my time.  I enjoy keeping my blog up to date and can procrastinate hours of my writing time visiting interesting blogs.  Some are fun, some informative and others combinations of the two. 
Cate Masters helped me figure out how to add pages to my blog and I've been working on them.  Soon everything on my website will also be on my blog.  My blog will actually be like a website but it will get updated a couple of times per week and it will have great links everyday to my friends' blogs. So is my web page redundant?
I'm starting to think so and already a number of other authors have told me they only do a blog though they maintain multiple pages on it like a website.
So I'm throwing out the question.  Website? Necessary? Just a lot of work? Keep it or dump it? I'm very interested to hear not only opinions but your reasons to help me decide.

If At First...

How do you judge your success as a writer? I believe most writers who consider themselves professional hope to achieve publication someday. But even then, by what yard stick do you measure your success?

Accolades from family, friends, colleagues and even strangers in various venues pump up the satisfaction level for me. My family and friends have always been quite supportive. My peers at the day job and my students offer their congratulations and often wonder that I write books. Real feel good moments.
I’ve interacted with people who believe you must be published by one of the large New York houses to be deemed a successful author. Statements of distain about small presses usually anger me rather than discourage me. But for those people, they feel a person isn’t really successful until they’ve signed a contract with one of the ‘Big Boys.’
Some would have success based on how much money an author pulls in from their writing. I know a few writers who’ve published multiple books with small presses as eBooks. They don’t make huge earnings on individual books but added together, the quantity of releases adds up to decent amounts of money earned by royalties. Are POD and eBooks an equal measure of success compared to a traditional book sold on the shelves of the large chain stores?
Has an author reached a goal of recognition when they’re asked to guest at a library or perhaps a conference? Does it take a TV or newspaper interview to know ‘you’re a big name?’ Must you hold a book signing and run a highly active blog with thousands of followers?
It’s difficult to stay at something if you continually feel like you’ve failed to achieve your objectives. I believe in goal setting but one should also know what it means when the particular goal is reached. When I sold my first fantasy novel and then the series, I didn’t believe my books would soon push Terry Goodkind off the shelf. ( I use Terry as an example since our names are close and our books are shelved near each other) But I did feel like I’d taken a first important step upward to the ultimate level of success I hope to achieve. I’m proud of the fantasy romances I have with small presses and appreciative of the money I receive from their continued sales.
How do you measure your successes? Is it a matter of money, number of books published, the type of publisher or the accolades you receive from various sources?

Professional Writers

New Word: 
Lucubrator- One who writes scholarly material.

Is your writing an enjoyable hobby or is it your profession? I know many people, myself included, work full time jobs to pay the bills but still call ourselves writers. Where is the delineation between professional and recreational writers? I know dozens of people who would love to make their living as a writer, stay home, and leave the old 9-5 job behind forever. Does having that other career, teaching in my case, mean I can’t claim writing as my career?

I think there are a number of things to mark a professional writer and being published doesn’t have to be one of them. A person serious about a writing career will pursue opportunities to improve their craft by attending workshops and conferences. Pennwriters is a group I count on for such opportunities. They will work with critique partners and join communities of writers, seeking out those of like mind.
A professional writer will commit to the time needed to create works, edit them and make contacts with others in their profession. This means more than sitting at the keyboard for a few hours each day. In today’s world a writer must network with readers and fellow authors. Another aspect of this is the willingness to spend time on a piece of work to improve it. How many times will you willingly rewrite and edit a manuscript or story? Is there a limit to the changes you’ll make in your masterpiece?
Does writing one piece a professional make? Will you write that one story and circulate it until kingdom comes or will you continue to create new work, each piece an improvement over earlier works?
Are you committed to a writing career forever or are you giving yourself a certain amount of time to make it and then you’ll give it up if you don’t? I know a teacher who took a leave for one year to write a fantasy novel. He did and he never sold it. He quit trying. I don’t consider him a professional writer. You have to be in for the long haul though there are those who’ve made it big with a first novel.
How many rejections can you rise above? Will you keep going no matter the frustrations and disappointments? Experienced writers will warn you of the rejections to come but even when expecting them they can hit you low. And even once you’ve sold some books or stories, there is no guarantee you’ll sell the next one.
So are you in this business with eternal hope? Are you a professional or a hobbyist? Have you considered quitting? What keeps you going after being rejected?

When I Get Rich....

New word of the day:
Bruxomania- The act or practice of grinding one's teeth

As in today I had a bout of bruxomania.
I think many writers dream of the day when accolades and recognition come their way.  Besides the satisfaction of admiration from the reading public more than a few of us would like some monetary compensation to go along with it. 
So I often wonder, what would I do with a wad of cash as relates to my writing life? I would, of course, invest in some advertising and promotion first of all.  But the very second thing I would do for myself would be to hire a professional to take care of my website. 

I like having a website.  When I first put it up I was so proud I did everything by myself, slogging along and figuring it out as I went.  At worse, I did get it up and running. Since then I've learned a few more things. As I pick up new pieces of advice or have a new book release, I try to improve it.  Mostly I'm stumbling around in the dark.  And I'd rather spend my time on my blog or best of all, spend it writing.

So today, I worked for three hours trying to make improvements on my website.  I set up some new links, tried to clear out some clutter and made a page for the short story I'm going to post soon.  It all went pretty smooth until I tried to update my Navbar.  It's still not quite right and I can't figure out why.  Another day I'll swear, I mean work at it some more.

I did complete my short story that is a prequel to The Keepers of Sulbreth.  Tamarin's Story is in the hands of a reader so hopefully I'll have it up by the end of the week.

How many of you do your website yourself?  How often do you update it?

PRO-logue or CON-logue

I write and read fantasy but not exclusively. I love thrillers and mysteries and will delve into a good romance now and then. But the first section of the book store I head to is always the fantasy/science fiction shelves. Like many of you, I usually open the book and read a few pages before I buy it especially if it’s an author new to me. In a fantasy novel I’m very likely to encounter the controversial prologue.

A prologue is usually like a preliminary act to a play. It can be a teaser, a foreshadowing or even a historical event that sets the stage for the main action. It tantalizes with tidbits of mystery and is often set in a different time or place. The characters might be different from the main characters in the novel or perhaps be from another period in their lives.
Speak to an editor or an agent and they will likely show their disdain at the hated pages many authors use at the beginning of their novels. Some will call it lazy writing, wasting pages to explain things better sprinkled throughout the novel.

In fantasy and science fiction, the prologue gives a view into the created world and culture. In any type of novel it may help set the mood of the story. Is it light-hearted, dark and edgy, or action on top of action? I use a prologue in all the novels in my Solonian Series.  I don't call them prologues though.  I label treat them as pages taken from a historical log as you can read here.  They set the tone of courage and personal sacrifice that run as threads through the series.  Thrillers and mysteries may start with a crime in progress that may not involve the main characters but will somehow be tied to them.

I like prologues and they will often sell me a book. But back to the attitude of agents and editors. Should you use a prologue and if you do how long should it be?
Mine are usually five to seven pages long though they can be as short as one page and still grab the reader’s interest. But should there be one at all? Ask some questions of yourself. Could the prologue actually be the first chapter? Does it enhance the story or would the information in it be better incorporated elsewhere in the novel?
I’m interested in the feelings of readers and authors on the much debated topic. Do you like them or hate them as a reader? Do you use them as an author? Have you been asked the cut them by an editor?

Piracy Stabs Me in the Pocketbook

You may remember my blog earlier this summer about ebook pirates. This week, the proverbial crapola hit the fan. I received my royalty statement for the second quarter of 2009. My third book, the one appearing on all those pirate sites, had many fewer sales than the first two books in the series.

The first two books, The Greater Good and The Lesser Evil, held steady with downloads and had a minor upswing in print sales. But that third book, A Ruthless Good, had not near the download sales as the first two books did in the same time period.

I'll blame a little bit of the drop in sales on my cover. The cover misleads one into thinking A Ruthless Good is an erotic romance when it's actually only a sensual level of heat like the first two books and the forthcoming fourth book, One Good Woman. But I truly believe it was the durn pirates that blasted my sales to the bottom of the financial sea.

What should I do? I'm going to ramp up my promotion and try to find those honest readers who believe in paying for merchandize instead of stealing it. I'm working on a plan right now so stay tuned.

A Ruthless Good in Print

Today my third futuristic romance from New Concepts Publishing, A Ruthless Good, is available in print. I know NCP sells more ebooks than print, but it is so cool to hold them in your hands. Also, I'll have another book to sell at booksignings.
A Ruthless Good continues the saga of the Solonians and the Realm warriors as they overcome hardships in a futuristic Earth after an asteroid has destroyed most of the world's civilizations. Claudia Turan, introduced in The Lesser Evil as the hero's warrior sister, has her own story in this latest book. Claudia does things her own way and it only makes sense she'd find her man by discovering an entirely new colony. And what a man he is!
In this book, earlier characters such as Juston Steele, Brady Gellot and Cara appear to help Claudia find her dream. I hope you can stop by and visit my website or better, yet, stop by my publisher and read an excerpt.

Victory

It's done! I completed One Good Woman and have it ready to send to my publisher, New Concepts Publishing, as soon as they tell me they want it. This fourth and last book in The Solonian Chronicles is perhaps the most uplifting and a perfect ending to the series. When I wrote The Greater Good, the first book in this series, I hoped it would be the first in a series if I ever found a publisher. The Lesser Evil flew off the keyboard while I waited to hear about my submission. A Ruthless Good was a story that had to be told. It made the world of Solonia a more complete world and also answered some historical questions. Favorite characters make appearances in many of the books and fans should have no trouble guessing that Brady Gellot and Cara search for happiness and a better world in the One Good Woman.

I'm back to working on the third book set in the fantasy world of Futhark. I know I might have to interrupt it to work on edits for To Tame a Tiger, but I have to keep busy. I'm also busy submitting my newest fantasy manuscript, First Dragon, to a number of publishers. I'm excited about that, but I dread the wait.

Thanks for all the encouragement as I worked so hard on this. Back to watching my Supernatural before I hit the Alphasmart and work on Beneath the Mountain.

Like an Arrow

I haven't updated this blog for almost two weeks. It wasn't lazinees or distraction from my writing career. It was the opposite. I'm nearly finished with my last rewrites and edits on One Good Woman, the fourth book in my The Chronicles of Solonia series that I have with New Concepts Publishing. I'm down to redoing the last three chapters which do need to have a number of things added, some scenes lenghtened and other plot points clarified so there are no lose ends. This book in the last in that series and I believe my loyal readers will find it very satisfying. But back to my recent neglect of my blog and even visiting the blogs of my friends.
When I'm closing in on the finish to a book, I tend to get completely focused on it. I want to work on it 24/7 until I type in The End. That's what I've been doing with every hour and minute I could squeeze out of the last few days. I've told my children they're on their own for more than one meal over the past seven days. I did feel a little guilty so today I baked some fish and made bread, but it wasn't exactly gourmet dining. So I''m going back to my book right now and work until my fingers start to bleed and my eyes dry out.
How about you? Do you ever get so focused on your WIP you can't think about anything else?

Are the Chores Done Yet?

I've been very busy trying to complete my chore list. How did I do? Well, let's see. I visited my mother, did my Easter shopping, watched my children at their athletic events, worked hard on edits, and even updated my website. I didn't do the outside work. My excuse. It's so darn cold and 'unspring-like here in PA. I did do some cleanup in the garage. Does that count? I didn't sleep in every day until eight but I made at least seven each day so I'm happy with that. As far as drinking coffee, I took some of the advice I received from friends on Twitter. I sent for some cold-brewed coffee concentrate and I'm going to try it. It's supposed to have 67% less acid than hot brewed coffee. If it works, I'm going to buy the system. So I met that goal though the final results aren't in until I actually drink it.
Listing my chores helped me stay focused on doing them. I tend to work on only one thing at a time instead of trying to juggle all the balls at the same time. I don't like to juggle, but this week I did it and am pleased with what I accomplished. On the other hand, if I had skipped juggling I might have those edits nearly completed.
So my chore list for this week is shorter.
I have an athletic event to attend each of the next six days starting later today.
#1 chore-go watch the children
#2 chore-visit blogs and comment every day
#3 chore-do some promotion on the multiple yahoo groups I belong to
#4 chore-keep working on those edits
#5 chore-stop worrying about all the yard work I'm not getting done
If you have a chance, check out my updated website. It makes me feel like something I did this week for my writing actually mattered if my hits go up. LOL
http://www.susankelleyauthor.com

Decision Made

After a few days of dithering around, I'm taking some advice from friends and starting on the project I know is the right one to do. I've sent my 'dragon fantasy' out to a few more agents and made a list for the third, or is it fourth, round should all these choices reject me.
Tonight I'm pulling out the rough draft of my fourth book in The Solonian Chronicles, as yet unnamed, and getting to work making it saleable. I actually think it's a stronger story than the third book in that series, A Ruthless Good, though I won't know until I'm done. It is the last book I'm writing set in Solonia, the future Earth, but I have another series I hope to sell to New Concepts after this one. I only need about ten more hours each day so I can get to that.
I wanted to thank all my friends who gave me suggestions on what to dig into next. It's causing me some stress to have so many projects needing my attention. If my writing ever needed me to quit my day job, it is right now. However, letting go of that paycheck would mean I'd be writing in a tent and eating mac and cheese out of the book for dinner every night like I did my senior year in college. Still have some trouble looking at that stuff even though my kids like it.
I'm finding some excitement in getting this book(geez, I really need a name for it) finished. I do love my characters. My heroine is especially complicated and as the story unfolds, my hero turns out to have many layers beneath his seeming perfection.
I'll update the progress of the last Solonian Chronicle periodically and maybe even think of a title.

It's a Business

Tax time again. Not something I like to think about. Fortunately, my husband is retired, kind of, and takes care of all the meetings with the accountant and just tells me where to sign. With my writing income and my husband's part time business in addition to my teaching income, the whole process gets a little complicated. I love our tax guy. He really looks out for ways for us to save and is really up to date on what we can deduct and what we can't. The stack of paperwork astounds me. How do people ever do it on their own?
It's not only the federal that gets you. You have the state, the local and then all my kids have their own forms. They're all still in school, but my husband pays them for helping in his business so they need to file and pay those state and local taxes.
My husband and I sat down and looked at what we paid in 2008 and decided I'm working for over one fourth of the year to pay taxes and that's not counting the 6% sales tax Pennsylvania charges on almost everything. Where does it go? The country if ever further in debt and I'm paying more and more every year. Can't someone get a handle on the spending, locally, statewide and at the federal level?
Back to my writing income. It's bittersweet to finally be making some money with my books and now have to pay out for it. Sometimes I feel like I'm working a hundred hours a week between teaching and writing. Can I please keep a little more of my money?
I'm sure it's the same for everyone. How does this time of year hit you? Is it as painful for you as it is for me?

Twittering away

Like many of my fellow authors, I've been spending some time on Twitter. I find some great links to articles on there and have met so many experts on site traffic, promotion and even some nearly local independent bookstores. If you haven't set up an account on Twitter, you should consider it. I get lots of hits to my website from twitter and I hope to soon get more to this blog from my friends there. Please friend me if you're already there.
http://www.twitter.com/susankelley
I'll follow you back and have fun with the tweeting.