How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm?

I stole the name for this piece from the WW-I song by the same title, written in 1918 by Young & Lewis with music by Walter Donaldson.  I woke up with it running through my primate brain around 4:30am and couldn’t shut it off, so I made a pot of coffee and sat down to scratch out the blog that was several days overdue.  

Last weekend I attended the Creatures,Crime, and Creativity Conference—C3 for short. As it turned out, it was my intro into the Big Leagues, if you’ll forgive the baseball parlance. I was like the farm kid with the ratty ‘ol baseball glove that hitched a ride to New York with hopes of trying out for The Yankees. There’s a Cinderella parallel in here somewhere too, but I think I’ve beaten the analogy horse long enough.   

The fact is, all three comparisons apply. I can’t remember ever being at an event where several of the top names in the business regarded me as much a peer as a fan. Can you imagine how that feels to a kid from the Minors? Ok, I slipped back into analogy mode for a moment, but it’s no less true. I had drinks with Jeffery Deaver and JohnGilstrap and Brian Keene, traded anecdotes and experiences and opinions, compared notes on writing and the writing business, laughed and joked and … God … just had the time of my life. They are all I aspire to be, and that would be enough for any rookie. But they were as down-to-Earth as you and I, just regular folk, like anyone you might meet on the street, or a restaurant, or a police station. OK … forget the police station, but you get my drift. From where I stood, it was Disney World.

Originally I thought to attend the conference by myself, but later, I decided that Maggie could use a break. Writing, as you know, is a solitary activity, and she deals with it—and me—on a daily basis. Most evenings, we see each other when we get home from work, and then for a bit at dinner. After that, not so much until she comes in to kiss me goodnight, usually around 7:30-8:00. So I brought her with me. She thought she’d go shopping, or hit the pool, or work out in the gym while I attended all those boring writer’s panel and classes and things. Then she’d join me for lunch and dinner, attend the signings, and we’d partake of an adult beverage or two after the day’s work was done. So I lugged her 90-lb suitcase to Hunt Valley along with my 5-lb overnight bag, all the while wondering exactly what kind of rocks she had packed.  

“Women never know what to expect,” she explained, “so we pack everything.” 

OK, I get being prepared … but rocks? Maybe there a Stoning Panel I didn’t know about. 

I had forgotten that I purchased an E-ticket for her and she could attend everything for the entire weekend, so she decided to sit in on the first of the two panels I was invited to. After that, the shopping and the pool were no longer in her future. She palled around with me and enjoyed the panels as much as I. She did, however, go to the gym. It’s like church to her. And brother, it pays off. I am fortunate enough to have a beautiful wife, and when she walked into dinner Saturday night, dressed to the nines, I remembered just how lucky I was. But she was so much more than just a pretty face. She blended—with me, with the other wives, the other fans, the big-league authors; everyone. She made me look good … or as could as she could considering what she had to work with. Maggie did for me what Joy Gilstrap did for John. Behind every successful man….  

How can I possibly fail? 

Before we knew it, The Ball was over. We had seen Paree' and the time had come to say goodbye. On the way home we chatted about the thoughtful things and the interesting things and the funny things we experienced. We rehashed the fun we had with the people we knew and the new friends we made, and at home we sorted through our goody bags like kids on Halloween night; the pamphlets and biz cards and bookmarks, magazines and programs and books signed by their authors—all except for Allison Leotta. For me she signed a bookmark since her books were all sold out.  

I have photos with writers I never expected to meet, but more than that, I feel I’ve developed a rapport with them as well, even if it is only on Facebook. But the cherry on the top of my Sundae is promised blurbs from Gilstrap and Deaver. Being a rookie and unfamiliar in the ways of literary etiquette and protocol, I had the gall and bad manners to ask them if they might find some time to read my one-and-only novel and provide a blurb for the back cover. They agreed, on the condition it would have to wait until after their deadlines. For a new writer like me, that’s tantamount to a kid waiting for Christmas. Just a few words from them could launch a career. They are as gracious as they are talented. 

When Monday morning rolled around, I realized what it must have been like for Cinderella. The fancy clothes were gone, the carriage was a pumpkin once more, and the daily toil awaited. I was once again Joe Average, and I found it wanting. Maggie said it was as if we had been a part of something special for a short while, and it felt a little weird dropping back into her normal routine.  

Indeed … part of something special. 

See you next year.

DB  

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A Matter of Perception

If, per chance, you have the opportunity and the wherewithal to engage mathematicians, or theoretical physicists, or most any science fiction writer that delves in temporal mechanics, and you ask them about the characteristics of Time, I believe they will tell you that Time, when boiled down to its simplest form, is essentially a variable; that it travels linearly through space at various rates depending on where you are, depending on who you are.

Case in point:

Any little kid will tell you that Time slows down the closer they get to summer vacation, or their birthday, or Christmas, but once there, Time speeds up, and it’s over too soon.

Ask the parents of those kids the same question, of the same events, and they’ll say the exact opposite.

So it is with the launch of Chain of Evidence. It seemed that just the other day I had weeks and weeks before the event. Now there is less than one. Where did all that time go? It seems that Time began to accelerate as the appointed date grew closer.

There was so much to do, so much preparation, and it’s nearly all complete thanks to Maggie—my wife and biggest fan. Without her help, I’d be floundering like a schooner on a windless sea.

“Behind every successful man,” as they say.

Thank you, honey.

Of course, Maggie has an ulterior motive.

She wants to see me succeed. She thinks me a great writer, and who am I to contradict her? But I am of a different opinion. I like to think that I spin a good yarn. Without a good story to tell, the writing is just the writing. It can be good or bad. It’s the story that counts.

Another case in point:

Fifty Shades of Grey – A story that hit at just the right time. Apparently, no one cared about the writing.

Now I have a story that I want to tell. It’s a good story, and it will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, or thriller, or forensics whodunit, or even a slap-in-the-face twist, because Chain of Evidence employs all those aspects. It also speaks to our aging populace—The Baby Boomers. The story addresses current times where the economy, the political climate, and one’s physical abilities are changing, diminishing, and these changes force the Protagonist, Moby Truax, to deal with them all. This story comes at the right time as well.

Now I begin the groveling.

A goodly number of folks from all parts of the world read this blog, and that humbles me in ways for which I can find no words—not such a good thing for a writer to admit, so let me just say this:

Thank You.

I am honored that folks take time from their busy lives to read these words.

Now that the book is out, I’ll ask those folks who enjoy reading this blog, to read the book and discover what it is that inspires these writings, and after they read it, write a short review or a blurb and post it here, or on Customer Reviews on Amazon, or even on Goodreads. Then I’ll ask them to ask their friends to do the same. I promise … it will do for you what a work of fiction is supposed to do.

I have a great deal of confidence that readers of Chain of Evidence will enjoy the hell out of it, and I’m confident they won’t see the twist coming until it hits them like an open hand on the forehead. Then, I hope, they’ll anticipate my next book, which I should complete by year’s end, thus starting he process all over again.

This is what it’s all about.

The story telling is what I want to do, but the marketing is what I have to do, if I’m to keep writing.

Please … let me know how you like the novel.

I’ll be waiting.

DB

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Best Selling Author Trice Hickman Drops by to Chat

A year or so ago I attended a conference-call seminar on self-publishing. The rejections I recieved from agents had convinced me that my book would never be published if I didn't change my tactics. So when I ran across the seminar, I jumped at it. Trice Hickman was the host, and an impresive host at that. Trice is the author of four best sellers, and she did it without using a traditional publisher. So if you're frustrated at the lack of attenntion your novel is stirring up, read on ... see how she did it.

My Publishing Journey: Navigating the Ups and Downs

I will never forget the day I started writing my first novel. I’d been plagued by writer’s block for years, but one sunny Wednesday morning in March 2004, I had a breakthrough! I sat at my computer and watched in amazement as words flowed like sweet water from my fingertips to the keyboard, filling up page after page with thoughts, emotions, and characters that had been living inside my head. I was so excited! I wrote every single day, and four months later my debut novel, Unexpected Interruptions, was complete! The feeling of accomplishment was euphoric! But very quickly the next step was in front of me—how to get my work published?

I had always thought that writing a book was the hard part…little did I know that the hardest part was yet to come—publishing it, and harder still, selling it.

I began researching how to get my book published. I studied the pros and cons of traditional publishing versus self-publishing, and came to the conclusion that the traditional route was the way for me. So again, I did my research. I gathered the names of every literary agent, editor, and publisher whom I thought might be interested in my work, and I reached out to them. I waited with excitement for the offers to start pouring in. Well, letters started pouring in, but to my dismay, they weren’t offers to publish my manuscript. They were rejection letters.

Let me tell you, rejection really hurts!

“Did they really read my story?” I had wondered. “If they did, how could they have possibly turned me down?” That was the question I asked myself over and over, month after month as new rejection letters flooded into both my mailbox and inbox. Some were standard form letters with a generic let down, but some were personalized, stating hurtful words that temporarily halted my dream.

There’s a saying, “You haven’t loved until you’ve had your heart broken.” Well, you’re not a writer until you get your first rejection letter (or your first bad review, but that’s a discussion for another time). I basked in the grayness of a short-lived pity party, then I bounced back into action because I knew I had a few things on my side that beat rejection every time: belief, determination, perseverance, and faith!

I had spent long days and sleepless nights creating my characters and crafting their story. I believed in them. And I believed that if I could just get my book published, despite what had been said, someone would buy it. And if someone bought it they would read it and like it. And if they liked it they’d tell a friend, and that friend would tell another friend, and voila! I’d have a winner on my hands. I was determined to see my book in print, so I realigned my mission and set my sights on self-publishing.

Again, I did my research. I scoured the Internet for information. I purchased books to learn all I could about best practices and new industry trends. I attended workshops, seminars, book festivals, and literary conferences. I reached out to other authors and industry professionals. And most importantly, I developed a plan for publishing my book, complete with time sensitive tasks that I diligently followed. I set aside money from my paycheck every month and assembled a team of professionals who could help me execute my publishing plan. Finally, after nearly three years of preparation, I resigned from my job and started my own publishing company, Platinum Books, and released Unexpected Interruptions!

Just as I’ll never forget the day I started writing my first book, I’ll never forget that chilly Tuesday afternoon in October 2007, when my books arrived at my doorstep, hot from the printer. Holding the finished product in my hand was euphoric! But again, the next step was staring me in the face—how would I sell the book?

I had done a modest print run of 2,500 copies, and through marketing and pre-promotion efforts I managed to pre-sell 1,000 books before the novel was released (NOTE: this was before e-books really took off). Next, my goal was to sell the other 1,500 books and go from there. I contacted as many people as I could who had pre-ordered directly through my website and asked for their feedback. If they enjoyed the book, I asked them to please spread the word for me. Now this is where perseverance and having a plan paid off. I hit the road on a book tour that I had organized months in advance. My corporate sponsor, GODIVA Chocolatier (the main character in my book loved GODIVA, so I approached them about sponsoring a few of my signings), provided treats at some of my events that enticed readers to come out and join me. In less than thirty days I had sold all my books and was placing an order for another print run.

Unexpected Interruptions, went on to garner praise from readers and literary reviewers across the country. It also won two literary awards and topped several bookstore bestseller lists.

Three years and two additional books later, I was approached by Kensington Publishing Corp. (Dafina Books) to purchase the publishing rights for all three of my originally self-published titles. Kensington will re-release each of my books, providing broader distribution that will allow me to reach a much larger readership. My debut novel, Unexpected Interruptions, was re-released March 29, 2011, and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly! I was so excited, and the amazing thing was that Kensington did not change my story; even the cover art remained the same. Yes, the same book that everyone had turned down now received a nod from an industry giant. The faith I had in my work led me down a bumpy road that turned into a wonderful journey; one in which I wouldn’t change a thing!

Tips for Aspiring Writers

1. Read—Reading is critical to the writing process. It broadens the mind and expands your creativity. I don’t know any good writers who aren’t avid readers.

2. Study the craft—Writing is an art form. Study it. Practice it. Take classes.

3. Write every day—There are times when this won’t be possible, but if you endeavor to write something every day (it could be a sentence, a paragraph, or a couple of pages) you will complete your book before you know it. You will also become a better writer because you will improve with practice.

4. Tell a good story—Develop your characters and craft your storyline so that readers will be interested in what you have to say. Make sure that your beginning, middle, and end flow into one seamless, page-turning tale!

Publishing Tips:

Whether you decide to self-publish or go the traditional route, here are some helpful tips.

1. Research, research, research. I can’t stress how important it is to arm yourself with as much information as possible. Don’t rely on other authors to hold your hand through the process or tell you what to do to get your book published. Every writer’s journey is different, so chart a path that works for you.
2. Network, network, network. Attend book conferences and literary events. These venues are great opportunities to meet readers, authors, and industry professionals who can prove to be valuable assets as you build your career.
3. Develop a plan and execute it. Be sure to include a realistic time line and budget to support a successful book campaign (again, do this whether you are traditionally or self-published).
4.  Know your target audience. If you think your book is for everyone, you’re wrong! Dead wrong! Define your primary audience, i.e.; age, profession, gender, socio-economic demographic, interests, etc.
5. Once you have defined your target audience, determine their book buying habits and make sure your book is available to them in the format they desire. Do your readers purchase books at book festivals, conferences, or other literary events? Do they buy in stores, on-line, or through e-reading devices?

To learn more about Trice and her books, please visit her website at www.tricehickman.com. If you’re interested in taking your first step toward becoming a published author, please contact Trice for a one-on-one coaching session by clicking on the Writer’s Corner page on her site.

You can also connect with Trice at:

www.facebook.com/tricehickman

www.twitter.com/tricehickman

www.linkedin.com/tricehickman

Pretty cool, huh? So drop by Trice's web site and say hi.

DB

Cover - Chain of Evidence

The publisher sent me the galley copy yesterday, so now I get to read my novel for the 50th time, and look for the errors we didn't see the first 3 or 4 times. This is the final read-through, and as they said, it's my last bite of the apple before it goes to print.

This is so cool....

You don't think this is too big, do you?

Coming August 3, 2013.
Pre-ordering available soon.

When someone asks, “What’s your book about?”, what do you tell them?

You spend a year or more writing a novel. It’s a good novel, so you start telling people about it. Then one day someone asks, “What’s your book about?”

The first time you hear that question, you smile because somebody is interested enough to ask. The first time someone asked me, this is what I told them.       

“Well … it’s about a cop who’s nearing retirement and he ain’t got no money to retire with and he has to chase this bad guy who kills a lot of girls and he has this new captain that doesn’t understand the old ways and wants to get rid of him and there’s a medical examiner.… No! Wait! TWO! TWO medical examiners, and this hot FBI agent chick who looks like a sexy librarian….”

Total implosion.                 

All this, and not one word about his cool car. Meantime the person who asked the question has dozed off, and you have to poke him awake just as you get to the good part.

That actually happened to me … except it was worse. Stumble and stutter and stammer … it wasn’t pretty. It finally dawned on me why the marketing director of Intrigue Publishing (the lovely B. Swangin Webster), said to me…. “Develop an elevator pitch. Make it two minutes or less, since that’s the average elevator ride. Open a dialogue and hit the high points to generate interest in your novel. Make sure you mention the title, hand them a business card, and try to leave them wondering.”

My elevator rides are one floor. Five seconds, so I have to talk fast. 

“HEY! You look like you can read! Wanna buy a book?”

There is nothing simple about delivering an elevator  pitch.  See for yourself. Try it on one of your family members. If they won’t sit still for 30 seconds or so, offer your dog a treat and run it by him. For the right snack, he’ll sit for almost anything.

OK, so now you know you need a brief synopsis of your novel, one you can deliver in the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee at the 7-11, or pump 20 gallons of gas into your tank. For that, you need to write an effective delivery, and you have to commit it to memory. You won’t have time to pull out a crib sheet, although writing it on your hand might work.

You’re the only one who can write it … for free, that is. You could pay someone, but not in copies. Cold hard cash. So, economically speaking, you should write it yourself. Besides … you’re a writer, are you not?

I spent hours, in the car, at work, at home, mulling over the pitch. Then more hours trying to find the right “tone,” if you will, and I’m sure if I read the damn thing again, I’ll change it again ... such is the lot of a writer.  For your review, here are the variations as they developed.

Chain of Evidence is the story of Moby Truax, an aging cop tracking a killer of women. But the diminished senses that come with age interfere, as does his young headstrong captain, and Truax must decide whether to follow orders and keep his job, or follow his gut and save lives.

Chain of Evidence is the tale of Moby Truax, an aging cop tracking a killer of women. Truax struggles with the toll the years have taken, and his young commander pairs him with a disobliging FBI agent. She rejects his theories in favor of her own, and works behind the scenes in an effort to sabotage his investigation. 

Chain of Evidence is the tale of Moby Truax, an aging cop working a case that could make a cop’s career. The problem is, his career is over. Seen as a dinosaur in the eyes of his new commander, Truax struggles with the toll the years have taken, and when his young captain pairs him with a rookie FBI agent to track a killer of women, she rejects his theories in favor of her own, and works behind the scenes in an effort to sabotage his investigation. 

This last iteration is the one I’m going with. You can see in the variations above, and in any writing, the words you use are paramount.

As Mark Twain said in a letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888, “The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Source: www.twainquotes.com

Let me know how you make out.

Happy Pitching.

DB

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