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?

Happy Dad's Day

Here's my wish to all the fathers out there.  It's a tough job and not everyone can do it.  I think in bygone days it was easier being a father.  Before women went to work, men could come home and relax.  Many men never changed a diaper or got up in the middle of the night to take their turn with feeding the baby.  Dinner was on the table, clean clothing in the closet and the kids had their homework done.  Weekends might mean mowing the lawns or doing other chores around the house, but their biggest responsibility was bringing home the bacon.  Really, it wasn't that far removed from the days of the cavemen.  LOL

But today's dad, hopefully, takes a bigger responsibility not doing the laundry and cooking but also in raising the children.  He's more involved with his children including the moment of birth.  He can change diapers, bandage a wounded knee and attend a PTO meeting.  He reads to his children at bedtime, helps them with their homework and perhaps coaches their sports teams.  We sometimes hear about superwomen who have careers and do it all, but we also have lots of supermen.

I was a lucky girl growing up.  We lived on a farm so my dad was home all the time.  Despite getting up at 4:00AM to milk the cows, he still had the energy to pass baseball with his tomboy daughter.  In the winter he played board games with us and as often as not helped my mom with the cooking.  He lectured my brothers on keeping the bathroom spotless and would pitch in and help my mother with the laundry when he had time.  He remodeled our farmhouse and taught me most of what I know about powertools.  We all learned to drive the big tractors, milk the cows and butcher(yuchy) hogs, chickens and wild game.  My brothers had to take their turns with the dishes the same as the girls did.  My dad taught me more about equality than any textbook or other life experience.  He was my hero.  He was also a real WWII hero.  My hometown honored him and many others of his generation with banners flying from the light posts of the river walk. 

My father never finished high school.  He dropped out to enlist and fight during WWII.  But he loved to read.  He kept a dictionary by his reading chair so he could look up words he didn't know.  He loved to learn.  I miss him every day.  Happy Father's Day to the best.

Distractions

Sorry I didn't visit many blogs this weekend, but yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our wedding aniversary.  Our children now that they are older have started a tradition of all day game day for our aniversary.  It's kind of like a family reunion with a ladder ball tournament, swimming, cards, basketball shooting contests, and lots of food.  It's exhausting and completely fun.  So that's where I've been.  I'll also be out of town later this week when my husband and I go away for two days alone.

Our aniversay was a distraction or an excuse for not writing or blogging, but it's very easy to get distracted by many other things especially when working on a computer.  Facebook, twitter even blog hopping can take up valuable and limited writing time.  All this reminds me a program you can download called SelfControl which can be set to shut down your email and social network for a chosen period of time.  Really?

I confess to procrastination.  I admit to visiting blogs when I should be working on that WIP.  And I do check out Facebook when I shouldn't.  But I can control it.  I don't need a special program to look over my shoulder and 'control' my activities.  Have you heard of this?  Would you use something like this? 

Heroes Must be Heroic

I recently watched a 'made for TV' movie.  I looked forward to it because I enjoy watching the actor staring in the movie in all his roles and I love the books the movie character is based upon.  Well, I was extremely disappointed.  I kept waiting for something to happen.  Not only did the story progress at a snail's pace but the star of the show didn't do anything.  Mostly he stared into his coffee or drank himself insensible.  Not very heroic.

Whether it's a book or a movie, we like our heroes and heroines to act heroically.  As a writer of a book or a screen play, we must give our main character a chance to be heroic.  There are classic ways to act like a hero.  One of my favorites is when the hero or heroine sacrifices their dream, maybe their life, or their career for the greater good of the world or their family or whatever community is at stake.  I even titled one of my books for that very scenario.

And who won't love a hero who stands up for the oppressed or the helpless.  Isn't the world a better place with such people?

Sometimes it's heroic simply to turn the other cheek and take the high road.  Sometimes being the one who doesn't strike back is admirable.

The best books or movies are those that find creative ways to make the hero act in a way to draw the reader into wanting this person to succeed.  We cheer for people we like.   We hope we would act like them in the same situation whether it's to save the world or our family or even slay vampires.

So remember when you're writing to give your hero a way to be heroic.  Give them opponents or situations where they must be that person we all wish to be.  Endless cups of coffee or liquor isn't heroic or interesting.

What plot is your favorite to showcase a hero's brave heart?  Do you prefer the emotional or physical call to arms to define your hero?

Time Goes By

Some of you know I'm a high school teacher.  Today is the last day of school.  Yippee!!!  I always set goals for the summer about my writing.  Big plans.  Last year was the first time I came close to meeting those goals.  But I still dream big.

Things do distract me during the summer.  All those cleaning projects, a big yard to take care of, a swimming pool to enjoy and that tempting stack of books to read, combine to steal hours from my writing time.  Well, it's not really stealing since I allow myself to spend those hours so pleasantly. 

Despite all those distractions, I wonder why I accomplish more during my limited hours when school is in session than over the summer months when I don't have to do the day job thing.  Why? Is it because I believe I have tons of time so I put things off?  Does this prove I would struggle to be a full time writer because I can't manage my time?  If true, there's goes my retirement plans.

Well, I have some big plans for this summer and I'm digging in as soon as I get the tanbark spread, sand the deck and .... No this year I'm putting writing closer to the top of the list.  I have one huge project going and two medium ones and a couple of smaller ones.  I'll reveal them as I delve into them. 

I was always the child who wrote their term paper the night before it was due.  I know I do good work under pressure.  What about you? Do you work better when you have nearly unlimited time or are you a 'work under pressure' type? Do you need a deadline to keep you on task?

Who Has the Mo...?

People do things for a reason.  Sometimes they fool themselves as to the why, but something motivates people to their actions.  The characters if a novel also have to have a reason to act the way they do.  Something motivates them.

As often as not and usually in my novels, the hero is motivated by his values.  He decides something must be done, a goal reached, on what he believes from his values.  He might believe something not obviously true to the rest of the world or his family and friends but completely true to him.  His values may lead him to fight an unwinable war or attempt great feats of strength or bravery.  Often he desires something abstract that he can't even pinpoint to himself, such as redemption or revenge. 

The hero should certainly face many obstacles between him and his goal, but he never gives up though his despair may lead him astray or make him hesitate.  The attempt to complete the thing that will help him reach his goal drives the story.  Perhaps he wants peace for his world so he must defeat the demonic race over running his people.  Many YA dystopian novels have survival as the the hero's only goal although it's usually survival for the hero's family also.  That's a pretty strong motivation to propel the hero through a great story.

What's your favorite hero motivation?  Have you read novels where the motivation doesn't seem strong enough to drive the hero and story forward?

Back in the Breach

I've been absent from the blogosphere for a while.  The reasons are many though most of them are more like excuses.  Things like my daughter's softball playoffs, the chaotic end of a school year, some days of good weather when I could actually work outside, an ill cat...you get my drift.  Excuses.

My daughter's team was eliminated from the state playoffs two days ago with a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to a very good team.  I still have three days of school but I have nearly all my paper work done.  Thanks to some help from my daughter, I'm getting caught up with the outside work.  The cat is still a problem. 

So no more excuses.  I'll be blogging 3-4 days a week again starting today.  Despite my excuses for being absent here, I know the real reason.  I was feeling down about my writing career.  I'm not entirely back on the upbeat trail now, but I'm not very good at quitting when things get rough.  It took me a few weeks to get over being angry about something and come up with a game plan to get my career traveling in the direction I want it to go.  More about the anger in a future blog.

I'll be around to visit my bloggy friends today and tomorrow.  I hope some of them will stop in here too.  Though I haven't been blogging lately, I have been working on my WIP and can see 'The End' approaching.  A few more weeks like this past week and I'll be ready to send it off to my favorite editor at NCP.

How long have you taken a break for blogging?  Did you have good reason or did you just need a break?