I celebrated my novel's first birthday last month. It was a fun year, full of events and celebrations -- much more fanfare than I'd given either of my non-fiction books, which lived a quiet life tucked in the pages of catalogs geared to educators.
Typical of the youngest of the progeny, Casting the First Stone had gotten the most attention, and while it probably didn't know the difference, I'd gotten used to it. So what to do in year two?
Keep celebrating, of course! This Saturday, February 14, I'll be celebrating with 20 other writers (including fellow Susquehanna Writers bloggers Cate Masters and Susan Gourley/Kelley) at "Love is in the Air" at Aschcombe Farm and Greenhouse in Mechanicsburg. If there's anything better than a book celebration, it's a multi-author book celebration!
So if you're in the mood for a dose of romance or a dose of spring (or both), stop in between noon and three on Saturday. We'll have prizes and book swag and while we'll certainly have books on hand, we're also happy when you just stop by and talk to us.
This week I'm hosting four of my friends and fellow authors on my blog. Each will share some insights into their success as published authors and their writing process. I think many hopeful writers believe there is a secret formula to success and becoming a published author. Those of us in the field know persistence and hard work are the only two things all published authors have in common. After that the process of completing a novel and finding a home for it in the publishing world varies for everyone. Still, there is no harm in learning how others do it. One little hint could make the difference in your own writing.
As a reader, I love learning how my favorite writers get the words on to the paper. It fascinates me endlessly, especially their little quirks. I also like seeing the person behind the writer.
The four authors I will be interviewing also have another thing in common. Their books are available for purchase on your new eReaders. I hope you received one for Christmas like I did. Please visit everyday and I promise you'll find something for you.
On Monday, December 27th, welcome Cate Masters. She's a member of The Susquehanna Writers and has her own busy blog. I'm so happy she could find time to join me.
On Tuesday, December 28th, welcome Natalie Damschroder. She has a new release and a big book coming out in April.
On Wednesday, December 29th, meet Megan Hart and hear about her upcoming release, Precious and Fragile Things, a chilling suspense novel you'll be still thinking about long after you're finished reading it.
Thursday, December 30th, welcome fantasy novelist, Jon Sprunk, also a member of The Susquehanna Writers. Jon will tell us about the first book in his fantasy series, already released, the upcoming second book.
Please stop by and read their interviews where you'll find them as clever in person as their characters are in their novels.
Do you like meeting authors personally? Did you get or give an eReader for Christmas? What books have you bought?
Over the next month and a half, I'll be touring more than 20 blogs on my first blog tour to celebrate the recent release of my contemporary novel, Fever Dreams, and the upcoming release of my historical novel, Angels Sinners and Madmen, set in 1850s Key West (July 2010), plus a short contemporary from Eternal Press, Winning. Check out the schedule on my web site. Hope you can visit a few.
I hereby award The Susquehanna Writers the Circle of Friends Award.
In the almost-two years I've been blogging, I've strived to visit other authors' blogs as often as possible. It’s been amazing to make such great friends, if only virtually. I encourage you to widen your Circle by visiting as many authors' blogs as you can. We are all terribly busy, and we certainly can't visit every one every day, but it's important to leave a comment to let them know their blogging isn't in vain, and that we appreciate their hard work.
So it's up to the rest of you Susquehanna Writers - who do you want to pass along the award to, and widen our Circle of Friends?
Cate Masters writes fantasy/dark fantasy, historical, contemporary and speculative fiction, described by reviewers as “so compelling, I did not want to put it down,” “such romantic tales that really touch your soul,” “filled with action scenes which made it a riveting story,” and “the author weaves a great tale with a creative way of using words that makes the story refreshing to read.” Visit Cate online at www.catemasters.com, www.catemasters.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
by Cate Masters Nope, it's just me! I'm being roasted today at the Author Roast and Toast. Come on over and join the fun! I'm also giving away a PDF of Going with Gravity.
Finally, Liberation via Pen, my short women's fiction, is available from Wild Child Publishing!
Here's the story excerpt: They talked about their aspirations as the steam evaporated from their cups. Krista confessed her literary insecurities while admiring the black flecks within his grey irises; eyes that invited close inspection. His lips likewise taunted her, whether involuntarily or not. She couldn’t tell if he intended to tease, or if he was just being nice. She hoped the former. Nice guys tended to bore her. Todd set his gaze on her. “Follow the age-old creed–write what you know.” Krista took the advice to heart, literally: what she’d known for the past two years was Ethan. She’d let him infiltrate her life, her apartment, her thoughts, herself. Thinking his invasion was laying the groundwork for a future, she’d dated him exclusively, rearranged her life to accommodate his likes and dislikes until she could no longer remember her own. She wrote to rediscover herself, divine her innermost thoughts and feelings. From their seemingly serendipitous meeting to their breakup, Krista chronicled and dissected their relationship, building to the crescendo of their eventual fall. She copied the first five pages for the critique group the following month. The chick lit writer said: “Your dialogue’s too stiff; make it sound more realistic.” “Make your prose more lyrical, but get rid of the adjectives and adverbs,” offered the poet. The mystery writer advised: “Foreshadow your events to build suspense.” Krista nodded, noting each writer’s advice for her revision. She spent the next two weeks pouring over each sentence, mercilessly slashing words, constructing setting and scene, the cadence of her prose flowing lyrically. Like music, the words streamed luxurious legatos punctuated with sharp staccatos as demanded by the scene. They lifted her spirit, excited her neurons in a way that made her hunger for more. The high of writing a well-structured sentence was addictive. As a bonus, certain aspects of her former relationship came clear. Ethan lived on the cutting edge of pop culture, always had to have the latest gadget, widget or gizmo. He was exceptionally good with technology. With people, not so much. Had she possessed the foresight to commit his faults to paper earlier, Krista might have been spared much heartache. The exercise allowed her to see, finally, that Ethan was an ass. By setting her emotions into words, she not only defined them, but her writing informed her self-definition.
By Cate Masters Hello, I’m Cate Masters. I write women’s fiction, urban fantasy, romance, historical and speculative, in every length from flash to novels. Tomorrow, I’m celebrating the release of my short Faery (fantasy) story from The Wild Rose Press. I’ll be giving away a PDF copy to a random commenter on my blog. Just share something about your muse – or duende, as the case may be. Does inspiration light upon you like a butterfly? Or strike like a bolt of lightning, sizzling along your nerve endings, burning your fingertips until they’re forced to pound it out on paper or a keyboard? Sometimes the best stories come out like that, jumping from our head to the page almost fully formed. The Duende and The Muse was a little of both. It started as a lightning strike, and I tweaked it a bit later, after it had cooled off a bit. The Duende and the Muse is my second release with The Wild Rose Press. I’m one of the authors participating in their Sony eReader contest, so if you buy either The Duende and the Muse or Seventh Heaven, my Vintage (Sixties-era) story, you can enter The Wild Rose Press’ contest to win a Sony eReader. Details are here.
Here’s the trailer for The Duende and The Muse:
Soon I'll have more releases with Wild Child Publishing, Eternal Press and Shadowfire Press - stay tuned!
Who are The Susquehanna Writers? The Susquehanna Writers are authors living in the beautiful Susquehanna Valley in central Pennsylvania. Our genres include suspense, military thrillers, young adult, urban fantasy, speculative, mainstream and romance. The Susquehanna Writers will keep you up to date on all these authors' news, plus provide tips on the craft of writing. Bookmark this site and visit often!
