FOLLOWER FRIDAY - Forest Jane (A pseudonym)

(Note from Debra- I swear I didn't know she was a librarian at first, but when I found out...well, we all know how much authors love librarians.)

Hi, everyone! Thanks for the invitation to ride in your convertible for the day. *ties a scarf over her curls as the engine revs* Before you go google me to see if I'm someone famous, I'm not. I've only been printed in college publications; poems in the literary magazine, editorial cartoons, just a few articles, but hundreds of photographs in the yearbooks and weekly newspaper. None of that will be on the net. I went to college in pre-PC days. Even once took a class where we actually programmed with punch cards, anyone remember those?

How'd I end up here? Blame Debra Dixon, the quilter. She googled quilt g uilds, e-mailed the webmaster (me) to find out if the meeting location info was still current. I sent back a friendly "sure, you're welcome to come join us!" without even knowing she was a famous GMC cult leader and author. ;) Quilters are friendly folks. We exchanged e-mails. She sent me an e-mail one day from her BelleBooks addy, so I googled her back, and her secret was out. Then she found out besides being a quilter and webmaster, I was a proofreader, and now I proof for BelleBooks too. But my real job, the full-time one that pays the bills, is librarian.

Which brings me to a topic for us to discuss today: pseudonyms.

We were talking in the library about pen names, and how they make it difficult to find the books. We knew that Nora Roberts writes as Robb, but didn't know that Nora wasn't her 'real' name. We googled her and found that ". . . Eleanor Aufdem-Brinke (her married name) changed her name to Nora Roberts because she says she assumed all romance authors used a nom de plume."

ALL romance authors? Is that true? Is there any author on RWTTD that hasn't yet used a pen-name? Who has the most names? I can understand why someone with an obviously unsuited name would want to change names for a particular book title... you've seen the lists of books like:

Fire House Dog, by Dale Mation
Vegetable Cookbook, by Brock E. Lee and Tom A. Tous
Researching your DNA by Dr. Jean Poole
Restoring old Lightfixtures by Shanda Lear

On a more serious note, do you think using multiple names for books hurts or helps sales? I see that Charlaine Harris is now reprinting her Aurora Teagarden books, so apparently the folks who read her shapeshifter/vampire novels are quite willing to also accept her as a writer about mystery-solving-librarians. If she'd used a different name for the Sookie Stackhouse books, would as many readers realize she wrote both?

Then there's the whole 'why bother' part of using a pseudonym. I'm guessing the IRS has to know... and your agent... and your publisher? Once you tell three people, it's not a secret. Deborah Smith will be doing her next book under another name, Leigh Bridger, but she states right on her own website that it's her book. If authors DO try to keep it a secret from everyone but their publisher, what do they do if it wins an award? CJ Cherryh used her initials because women found it so difficult to break into science fiction in the '70's. If you're trying to keep the illusion, do you hire a guy to pretend to be you and make your award acceptance speech?

Do you think that any of the female authors you THINK you know, are really men, who send their wives to the conferences so they don't have to give away the closely guarded romance-writing secret?

How would YOU choose a pseudonym? Is there a formula, like the often-emailed one for porn names, where you use the name of a pet + your mother's maiden name? *grins* Would you use a different name for historical romance? Do you think something ending in A sounds more buxom? (sorry, Debra, Betina, lol) For a contemporary romance or chick lit, would a pen-name ending in i sound more playful-sexy?

I've filled this post with questions for you to think and comment on. I'll use a random number generator to choose ONE lucky responder on RWTTD to receive a pipe cleaner muse.

Guaranteed to boost you over any temporary writer's block.

It also doubles as a cat toy. ;) For pictures of my two cats, go peek over at my website and blog. Plus pix of my quilts and forays into container gardening. I'll also choose another lucky responder who comments to ANY post over on my blog, to receive a muse, so go visit over there, and comment away!

ForestJane

Forest Jane's Blog
(Hey, Debra here.  Go look!  Jane has some of the RWTTD books on her blog today.)

Forest Jane website

(Pssst...Debra here again. You'll find funny cat photo essays on her website.)

And a completely separate challenge, just for fun... What's the worst title/author combo you can think of? Here's mine: He Doesn't Care if I Don't Shave by Harry and Amanda Lovitt

Spring Break 1980

Imagine ...

It's spring break 1980. You're a freshman in college. You've worked your butt off earning good grades your first semester, paying for your own tuition, room and board and you're on a well-deserved vacation to a hot, sunny state where you'll be legal drinking age for the first time ever.

You've spent a hot day tanning on a beach in Ft. Lauderdale, slathering on baby oil and getting gritty from blowing sand. Never having ventured much from land-locked borders of Minnesota, you've seen the Atlantic ocean and swam in salty waters for the first time. You've seen your first ever pelican and, of all things, the Goodyear blimp.

As the day wanes and the sun's heat cools, you head back to your hotel with your favorite girl pals, and an hour later you've showered, primped for what you hope will be one fun, cool, memorable night. You're driving down the ocean boulevard, the warm wind blowing through your hair, looking for fun. Your energy and zest for life are boundless. Hell, you may even stay up past midnight tonight.

You and your girlfriends head into the most crowded club you can find. Music is blaring into the hot muggy night air and you squeeze by the masses to the bar. Pina Coladas, screwdrivers, and kamikazes are flowing fast and furiously. Some cute guy you've never met, also on spring break from who knows where, asks you to dance. He has a sultry southern drawl and a gorgeous tan. You head out, feeling sexy and happy, his warm hands on your hips, his eyes focused only on you ...

A new songs starts. A strange beginning with strings swirling. Soon percussion kicks in, and the beat is absolutely contagious. You can't not move your hips, your feet, your shoulders. Michael Jackson's Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough is blaring over the speakers. And you want to dance, really, really want to dance, for the first time in your life.

I was 18 when Michael Jackson's first big album, Off The Wall, was released in 1979. He was only 22. You couldn't turn on a radio without hearing his voice. With songs like Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and Rock With You, it was the first album ever to generate 4 US top 10 hits. It sold 20 million copies and paved the way for Michael to secure with his next album the highest royalty rate the music industry had ever seen of 37%.

Imagine a 37% royalty rate. That next album was Thriller.

Billy Jean. Beat It, Wanna Be Starting Something. Thriller was the best selling album of all time, topping out at 109 million copies. And Michael earned 37% of all of that. You do the math.

I don't want to get into all the weird stuff he went through as a child with his domineering father or all the plastic surgery or parenting issues. Because ...

This is the Michael Jackson I grew up with.

This is the Michael Jackson who, love him or hate him, was an undeniable force in the music industry and, as a whole, pop culture.

And this is the Michael Jackson I choose to remember.

I hope his soul has finally found peace.

What's your favorite Michael Jackson song?

I have a new facebook page - friend me!
Helen

It's Guest Author Susan Andersen!

Please welcome New York Times Bestselling Author and my friend, Susan Andersen! Her contemporary romances have wit and emotion and I look forward to each new release. Her latest, Bending the Rules, pits a determined woman against a dedicated detective (nickname: Detective Sheik)--and the sparks fly!



Susan wants to know: Do you wear your heart on your sleeve?

Or is it just me? I confess. I’m an emotional slob. Don’t get me wrong, I’m nobody’s pushover. But every darn time I try to express how proud I am of someone I love, tears invariably well in my eyes. And wouldn’t it be grand just once to have a disagreement where I make my argument in a calm, logical manner? But, no. Right when I want to look my strongest, I usually end up crying and looking weak and girly instead—a particularly annoying habit when my argument is rock solid. But, hey, if someone puts me down I always have the perfect comeback .

Tough luck if it’s an hour, a day, or a week too late.

That’s why I adore what I do for a living. Creating strong heroines with the juice to kick ass and take names, with the emotional chops to stand up for themselves without blubbering like babies, gives me soooo much pleasure. They’ve got their vulnerabilities, but having their verbal skills fail them when they need them most generally isn’t one of them. I’m not stuck with the first thing that comes out of my-- er, my heroine’s—mouth. I have a delete button, and I’m not afraid to use it until I get things right.

What I wouldn’t give to have one of those in real life.

So how about you? Do you handle your emotions with a bit more finesse than I? (Which, okay, I admit wouldn't exactly take a lot)

Winner of Everywhere She Turns is Karin!

Congrats on winning a copy of Debra Webb's book, Karin! Send me an email at kylie@kyliebrant.com with your snail mail addy and I'll send it on to Debra!

Guest Author Debra Webb

Please welcome romantic suspense author Debra Webb to the convertible today!

Debra wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain and within the confining political Walls of Berlin, Germany, that she realized her true calling. A five-year stint with NASA on the Space Shuttle Program reinforced her love of the endless possibilities within her grasp as a storyteller. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Debra has been writing romantic suspense and action packed romantic thrillers since.

The Long Haul - The Marriage Between Author and Publisher

Hey, all! It’s great to be back! I’ve talked quite a bit recently about keeping it simple and real. Keep your finances in check, make the right decisions so that you can write out of “want” not “need.” Along with that, as writers we need to recognize that we’re in the business of storytelling not for just one book, but for the long haul. As I reflected on the long haul of my life, marriage, kids, mortgage, etc., I decided that my ten-year-old writing career is very much like my marriage--wonderful but filled with ups and downs and compromises.

I married when I was 16 (because I wanted to--there was no shotgun involved). I couldn’t wait to have my own family and my own life. Over the course of these three-decades-plus of marriage, we’ve shared many wonderful moments, many painful ones, and a whole heck of a lot of decisions. There were times when it might have been easier to throw our hands up and just walk away. Lots of people I knew definitely chose that option. Somehow, we stuck it out. We rode out those ups and downs and made all those stinking compromises. Why? Because I truly love my husband and he truly loves me. He was worth the trouble.

The marriage between author and publisher is much the same. We’re so excited when we get the proposal--offer. “We love your story and we want to publish you!” It’s the most amazing feeling! Instead of a diamond ring and matching band, you get an advance! Twelve to twenty-four months later you see your book hit the shelves (much like seeing a child born). Life is sweet!

Then that child for whatever reason doesn’t walk for a little longer than the experts say she should. And the husband is too busy at work to notice you or the child. Eventually child number two and maybe even three comes along. Things are crazy. There are so many decisions and you get pretty upset at times that the husband/father can’t give all that you expect because he has “other” commitments. Work, the guys, taking care of things around the house, whatever. What do you do? Move on? Hope for a better husband/father from the next choice? Stick it out? Big, big questions.

My publishing career has followed that same path--those ups and downs and compromises I mentioned before. I have a very keen sense of loyalty and I’ve tried to stick with those who proposed to me first and who brought my books to the shelves. But this is where my marriage and my career differ--this is business.

A publisher has many authors and decisions have to be made about scheduling, marketing, everything from offer to publication. The choices are hard and sometimes can feel unfair. You may firmly believe you should have gotten something another author got. Work very hard not to do that. Fall back on what you learned in Sunday school as a kid, “Do not covet thy neighbor’s stuff.” You must understand that the publisher has chosen to do whatever they’ve done with the other author because it was, they felt, in their best interest. Again, I say, this is business. This is not about friendship or anything else. It’s about potential sales. The day you start taking these things personally is the day you start taking big steps backward in your career and that long haul diminishes in the distance.

There are a few things you can do to ensure you continue to thrive for the long haul with your publishing career. First and foremost, write the absolute best book you have in you. Not once, not twice, but every time. If you don’t give each story your complete focus and effort, then you’ve neglected that book (you wouldn’t neglect one of your children, would you?). Second, stay in tune with what your readers like about your stories. Of course, you may not always like the feedback whether it be reviews or letters/emails from readers or advice from trusted writer friends, but consider what has been said. Weigh if it has any merit and go from there. If your child is complaining about something, you consider it, weigh it and then either take action or dismiss it. Do the same with your books. Thirdly, know the business. You may say (I certainly have), I’m a writer, I don’t want to know the inner workings of the publishing business, I just want to write. Well, I’m here to tell you that mentality is like saying you don’t want to know what makes your husband tick or where your kid is at on Saturday night. If you think you don’t need to know, then you will definitely miss something. You will be unaware of what is happening to your beloved works of fiction. YOU WANT TO KNOW. Make it a personal quest to know what is going on in that world with the same fervor you do what’s going on in the lives of those you love in your family.

Lastly, when you’ve written the best book you can, having weighed all the feedback, and you’ve stayed on top of how the industry works and how your publisher does things, the final and fourth thing you can do for your career is—CHANGE AS NEEDED. Now, you may ask, what does a lady who has been married to the same man more than three decades know about change? Not as much as I‘d like, but I‘m working on it. Changing publishers is not always good or necessary. Think long and hard, weigh all your reasons. Discuss the possibility with trusted friends and a damned good agent. Do not make this kind of change based on emotion or bad advice from people who don‘t really know or understand. Only do it when absolutely necessary and when and if it’s the best decision for your work/career.

My baby girl went to the same pediatrician from the day she was born until he passed away last year (eighteen years!). He was amazing and I genuinely respected his decisions about my child’s health. But don’t think for a moment as much as I respected and adored the man, that if he’d made one wrong move regarding my daughter’s health that I wouldn’t have been gone. Good and gone. The same goes for your relationship with your publisher. Step back, really, really look at the situation. Do not jump the gun. Do not get ticked off because you didn’t get what “you” think you deserved. Know the business, weigh the facts and then make a decision. Sometimes a compromise is needed, sometimes it’s change that is required.

Talent and persistence will take you a long way in most any career, but sound decision making will keep you moving forward for the long haul. You cannot, absolutely cannot, make sound decisions unless you’re informed. So take the time to ask the hard questions. Know what’s going on in the writing world around you and stand the test of time.

What's the hardest compromise you've ever had to make? Are there areas that you never ever would compromise in? Debra is giving away a copy of her current release EVERYWHERE SHE TURNS to one lucky commenter today!

Want a rematch?

Nostalgia has gotten a grip on me lately, and I’ve been thinking about bygone days. As Cindy talked about a while back, I, too, miss Mayberry. When I was a child, I was allowed to virtually run wild. I spent hours outside everyday. Tire swings, horseback rides, snow forts.


I started dating pretty young. I bet I wasn’t fifteen when I had my first ‘beau.’ That was fun, too. Outdoor drive-ins, picnics, riding, biking, swimming, skiing, movies, pizza. Now that I think of it, dating was kind of a kick. All those crazy hormones.



Born in the late fifties, disco was big by the time I was twenty. That’s right, disco. I loved it. In fact, I still really enjoy any kind of partnered dancing. The kind where you have some sort of plan and aren’t just bopping around alone out there like a pea in a walnut shell. Salsa, classical. You name it, I’d like to give it a try.




Like a lot of people I know, I had three children by the time I was thirty. Growing up, I never thought I’d procreate. Kids didn’t appeal to me. But suddenly I was obsessed with the thought of becoming a mother, and, no surprise, I found the experience to be absolutely consuming. Recently I saw a billboard. It had a baby on it and said, “Hope you weren’t planning anything for the next 18 years.” It seemed extremely apropos. I feel very blessed that I was able to stay home and write books through my children’s formative years. Who can think of anything else when their wee ones are learning to walk and talk and…well…in general, just becoming human?


But the world keeps turning. My kids are pretty much grown up, and now I find it’s time to get back to my own life. Surprisingly, I’m rather enjoying my new-found freedom now that’s I’m getting used to it. Granted, when I get together with my friends, we seem to spend more time talking about aches and pains than we used to. True, my com padres aren’t doing a lot of rocking on porch swings. Instead, they’re trying things like hiking the Alps, high speed equestrian sports, and kick boxing. My 53 year old sister is just now getting her motorcycle license. Maybe 50 really is the new thirty. But that’s a subject for another blog.

My question is this, if you had a year to do over again, what age would you repeat? Would you redo your adolescence? Would you return to your dating years? Would you happily jump back into early parenthood? Or maybe you’re a grandparent and wouldn’t change a thing.

What do you think? Are things as good as they get in your world, or would you like another stab at your former life?

Kathleen's Mixed Bag Friday

It's been such a newsy week. The only way you can get a real perspective on what's been going on and the relative importance of events is on "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." Not that the big stuff hasn't been covered on the "real" news and information programs, but there's just so much. Thanks to DS and CR for the highlights. For example, did you know that one of the major news sources located Bubbles, Michael's famous chimp, at an animal shelter in FL? And Brian Williams toured the Neverland mansion and told us what used to be in this corner, on that wall.

And you knew that Jon Stewart would come up with a cover for the Luv Guv's story. This isn't it--found this one on Flickr--but there was a photoshopped beauty on DS Thursday night. It really was funny, but it isn't up on the site at this writing. You also knew that the comparison of the now infamous e-mails to Harlequin novels was inevitable. I googled Sanford romance novel, just out of curiosity. Tons. Interestingly enough, many bloggers point out that our fiction is far better than the guv's "love story." Repeated mention is made of the fact that he had a book deal in the works, but the publisher backed out. Of course, the deal was for a political tome. Sadly, the offers for his personal story, his wife's, and his girlfriend's are undoubtedly already piling up. Seriously. Imagine the book tours!

I watched the pilot for the new HBO half-hour series "Hung." Yes, that kind of hung. It's about a high school history teacher/BB coach, Ray, whose luck has been so bad lately that he attends one of those cheesy motivational seminars where participants are encouraged to figure out what their best "tool" is and how they might capitalize on on it. One of the other participants had a single but memorable encounter with Ray's biggest asset, and she offers to help him market it. Pilots aren't always the best indicator, but this one was pretty funny, so I'll tune in again. There's a Pimp Ray contest on the HBO website that might provide a bit of creative fun for a hot summer day.

Speaking of internet entertainment, here's one for the kids, courtesty of the Minnesota Zoo. It's called Who Pooped? (Are all kids of a certain age fascinated with the sight, smell and general hilarity associated with this bodily function? Or just the ones I know?) So the game, of course, it to match the animal with its excretion. Not only will the kids get a kick out of it, but poop identification is a useful life skill.

Our raised bed garden is coming along nicely. The tomatoes are as tall as Elton John, er, my grandson. The kids love to take the scissors to the lettuce and spinach and pluck a few onions for salad. That's all we're harvesting so far. After Michele's review of "Food Inc" I'm repeating the mantra often: This is how real food grows.

My bookend for today is the real thing. The bloggers and commentators who throw around the comparison between the Luv Guv and a Harlequin romance have not read Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn. I bought it ($3.74 at Target, mind you) this week with the intention of rewarding myself when I finish the WIP, but I couldn't wait. You'll love this one, folks. It's a delicious premise, wonderful characters, engaging dialogue, sparkling prose--such a treat!

Comments on the week that was? Summer projects in progress? Discoveries? Recommendations? Pitch something into the bag.

Winner of The Highwayman!

Congrats to 'chey', your name was drawn to win a signed copy of The Highwayman. Please send your snailmail address to Michele at: toastfaery@gmail.com

Another new release...

Hey all! Forgot today was my day to blog. It's The Boy's birthday today and have all kinds of crazy errands to run before the celebration tonight, one of which is accompanying The Boy as he plans to buy himself a car today.  Should be fun. I'm the third Rider this week with a new release! We're hot in the convertible this month! Mine is out with Silhouette Nocturne, and it's only on shelves for a month, so go get it!

So instead of summarizing the story (you can read the back blurb at my website) or putting an excerpt here (that's at the website too) I'll list a few tidbits about the story that may or not be in the actual book. Oh, and one commenter will win a signed copy!

-- I love lace on a man, but it's not exactly 'hero' stuff. So I restrained myself in this book. But I purposely put a line in there in a flashback about the hero hating lace. (But he doesn't, really.) :-)

-- The heroine started out as a white Persian cat-shifting familiar. Halfway through the book I thought "I so cannot see a fluffy white persian kicking butt" so I switched her to an Abyssinian, which, through research, I learned was a breed that is very chummy with dogs. Worked out perfect because her best friend is a werewolf.

-- This was originally a love triangle story, featuring Max, Aby and Severo. I wanted Aby and Severo to have had a sexual relationship. But, you know, after you've written a good part into the story, you can see the forest for the trees. Or is that the trees for the forest? Anyway, it was best she didn't have that kind of relationship with the wolf.

-- If you've read any number of my paranormal Nocturne stories, you may realize by now that I do love a dance club scene. In fact, I have scenes in clubs so often, I've quit trying to think of great names for the club and just started giving them colors. I think I've done Crimson, Blue, Vert, Silver, and Violet so far. I had a dance club scene in The Highwayman, but I forced myself to take it out. I didn't want to be too redundant and have people start complaining that I never have original scenes. :-)

-- I was going to buy absinthe (for research purposes) but do you know a bottle is like $80? I decided to just imagine, and Google it.

-- Max drives a Mustang because I wanted to somehow work in the image of a highwayman riding a horse (mustang; horse; get it?) I know. Don't complain, just accept it. :-)

-- Harlequin actually made up a nifty little graphic of Aby's tattoo (how it looks at the END of the story) and was going to insert it on the last page. It got missed, and instead it's just depicted using regular text. Here's the actual graphic that should have been in there. The text should have been a sans serif, but still, it looks great.

-- The name of the dude at the beginning who gets wasted... That's my hubby's first and middle name. Hee. I like to use names of people I love for the dead guys. Used my son's name for In The Event Of My Death, a Harlequin Audible read.

-- I was never really sure what kind of demon shadow was living inside my hero. Changed it many times over the course of writing the book. Made the final decision like a week before it was due.

-- Will I ever tire of setting stories in Paris (even if only for part of the story)? Nope.

-- The apartment Max and Aby stay at in Paris is my dream apartment. A chaise, a bed, a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower. That's all I need.

-- Thanks to the copy editor for catching my huge mistake in Paris. I had the hero and heroine running around on the right bank, but in my mind they were on the left bank, so I got all my landmarks confused. I know, the average reader would have never noticed, but I got it corrected.

Ok, that's good for now. Read the book. Love it or even just like it a little bit. But I hope it takes you on an adventure!
M

Winner of Patti O'Shea's book!

Sydney, you're the lucky winner on Riding! Please email Michele at toastfaery@gmail.com with your snailmail address. Congrats!