Writing Horses

Title Contest Winner!

2012-02-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

We have a winner!

Thea Campbell Mystery #4 is now officially known as ...

BUSH WHACKED

Thanks a million to Sally Matteson who (once again -- An Error In Judgment was her suggestion, as well) provided the punny title. It captures the humorous mood of this particular adventure perfectly.

Now my cover artist Tracy Hayes at Pastiche Studios can proceed. As soon as she's done I'll post her creation.

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries on the blog and privately. You are a clever bunch with wonderful ideas!

Name That Book!

2012-01-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

The first draft of Thea Campbell #4 is done and taking a nap. I've been doing my best to leave it alone, and perhaps I'd be more successful if I didn't feel something was terribly lacking -- even at this stage. If I just had a title ...

Remember This Name-The-Book Contest?

Hey, I know! I'll hold (another) contest!

The last one was so successful that I believe I'll go down that road again. Here's the rules;

Read the synopsis below and give me your suggestions for titles -- as many as you'd like, and I don't care if you duplicate someone else's -- either in the comment section of this blog or via email to susan @ susanschreyer dot com.

That's it.

Everybody wins -- Yay! Like last time. Yay! -- a free e-book, and the person who submits the winning title gets their name in the book's acknowledgments. Think of it as immortality :)

Thea Campbell Mystery #4

A Rhododendron - see why Thea wants to save it?

A slippery slope of unpleasant incidents begin the New Yearfor Thea Campbell and fiancé Paul Hudson. The last thing they expect to findwhen digging up a big rhododendron next to their fire-damaged house are humanbones. Word gets out and speculation runs rampant in the small town ofSnohomish, Washington. Thea's aunt is among those who believe the skeletonbelongs to the ghost she claims haunts the home. Others say it's a pirate fromlong ago killed by his captain and left to guard a buried treasure with hisspirit.

Unfortunately, the county forensic team finds it difficultto make any headway in the investigation when the bones vanish almost as soonas they're uncovered.

The New Year's Eve party should take their minds off whatwill surely delay their home's reconstruction, but generates more commotionthan celebration -- and not just between Thea and Paul. No one seems to be ableto keep from being drawn into conflicts they'd normally avoid.

The problems don't stop there. Much to Paul's annoyance, thecontractor hired to do work on the house seems to have the hots for Thea.Unfortunately, the contractor's leads for upgraded new appliances and fixturesprovides seem suspiciously hot as well.

Wouldn't you be suspicious getting this for cheap, too?

On returning home from the party they find holes have mysteriouslyappeared in the backyard. No sooner are they repaired than they appear again.

Could the rumors be right? Could the bones really have beencursed?

An annoyed Thea finds herself hosting a séance Paulsuggested as a joke, and stumbles onto a scam to feed the silliness of ghostsand buried treasure. There is surely no curse, but why go to so much troubleover a fictional legend? Then someone breaks into Paul and Thea’s temporaryapartment and steals an old diary that could have provided clues to the skeleton'sidentity. Sure, the thief tidied up, but that only verifies, to a furious Thea,the culprit’s identity.

Then there's the issue of those vaguely threatening, digitized-voice phonecalls. Thea, although mildly rattled at first, refuses to respond. But instead of being discouraged, the caller becomes moredesperate and demanding. Paul, nearly frantic with worry since the messages are for Thea, is determined something be done.

There's no doubt every bizarre and unpleasant event sincethe discovery of the skeleton is connected. Thea and Paul need to solve themystery and put all the madness to rest once and for all, but are they headedfor a trap that will be their final rest?

Hair

2012-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

I spent the entire day, yesterday, in my pajamas. I think Ibrushed my teeth, and I'm fairly certain I ate. I know I drank a lot of coffee.

Why?

Because I was on the home stretch.

By the time evening rolled around I'd finished the firstdraft of my fourth book.

Hallelujah!

Yup, pretty satisfying stuff, if I do say so myself. I'mlooking forward to editing. Seriously. It's a happy, if intense, time where youmold and coax the story into its potential. I can't wait. But wait I must. Inthe meantime I get to do the other things I've neglected over the past fewmonths like … clean my house.

It struck me this morning, while I was drying my hair (yes,it really needed washing, but I haven't totally neglected personal hygiene -- Iswear. My husband would have moved out), that writing a novel is not unlikeconquering one's hair.

Stick with me a moment on this. I promise I haven't burnedout so many brain cells that I've mistaken my Kindle for a flat iron.

You start out -- if you're me -- with a long, unruly mane.It goes where it wants, tangles into knots that are painful to undo, andgenerally makes you look like you've just spent the last five years in thejungles of Borneo without a mirror.

So, you wash out the residue from your last go-round, take outyour trusty tools -- blow dryer, round brush, flat iron, conditioner, clips -- andgo to work. After a certain amount of time doing the best you can and beingfairly satisfied with your results you begin to notice -- especially when youcompare yourself to the "professional hair" in the magazines --something is just not working.

If you're me, this is when you admit that trimming your ownbangs really isn't getting the job done anymore. You need professional help.That's when you pick up the phone and make an appointment with your ~~editor~~, hair stylist.

You go in for your appointment turn your hair over to thepro of your choice and -- because she's done wonders with your ~~book~~ hair before --relax and let her do her thing. A little cut, a little color, a new product tofix the overworking and other problems that have been sneaking up on you andyou're ready for your public.

About now, you're feeling so good you decide to go out andbuy a new pair of shoes to go with your improved hair.

See? Didn't I tell you? Novels, hair … not that different. Yougotta work to make it look good, and in the end it may all be fiction but it stillgives you a thrill.

It's Only Words ....

2011-12-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not generally given to rants -- at least publicly. Butsomething has started to bug me lately and I'm finding it as irritating as thatlittle pebble that keeps shifting around in your shoe. You never know whenyou're going to step on it, and when you do it makes you cringe.

Perfect.

No, not the pebble, the word. It's become the short-handsubstitute for "okay," "I heard you, but have nothing to say inresponse," "thank you for your order," and other phrases thatwould be more appropriate to the situation.

When I go to a restaurant and place an order, I do not wantto hear, "Perfect" unless I've managed to pronounce a difficultFrench or Italian word well. I did NOT tell the waiter/waitress what I wantedto eat in order to get an evaluation of my verbal rendition of the menu. And tobe perfectly honest, I doubt they care and would probably say the same thing ifI asked for a glass of water and a cracker. What I want to hear is, "I'llbe back right away with your drinks." Is that too much to ask?

When I go to the bank to make a deposit I do NOT want tohear the word "perfect" when I respond "yes" to theteller's "just one deposit for you today?" question. First of all, weboth know it's not perfect. It's a deposit. If it was perfect I'd own the damnbank, and not be depositing my measly check into my sad little account. Is hereally saying, "What a relief. I was afraid you'd try and make awithdrawal"? Or, perhaps "What a relief, I was afraid I'd have tospend more time being nice to you when what I really want to do is a) flirtwith the other teller at the drive-up, b) eat my lunch, c) go back topretending all this money is mine"?

You can't even make the case that "perfect" isthis decade's substitute for "groovy" or "far out" or somethingelse from our murky verbal past. Those words/phrases carry a connotation ofapproval, of being on-board with the situation. Even the f-bomb carriesconnotation depending on context. And NO you cannot substitute the f-bomb for"perfect." Try it, it simply doesn't work.

Waitress: What would you like?

Me: I'll have the turkey sandwich and salad.

Waitress: F___.

Bank Teller: Just one deposit for you today?

Me: Yes.

Bank Teller: F___.

See, doesn't work.

So, to all of you who have fallen into the annoying habit ofusing "perfect" when you should say something else, I give you a linefrom The Princess Bride.

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what youthink it means.

Happy Birthday, Thea & Blackie!

2011-11-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

Depending on where you look -- Smashwords or Amazon -- it'sbeen a year since Death By A Dark Horse saw the eyes of new readers.Hard to believe, I know, and yet it feels like I'm an old hand at thispublishing game. In ways that have challenged me repeatedly, I am.

In the past year, two more books have joined DBADH -- LevelsOf Deception and An Error In Judgment. No, I didn't write themreally really fast. I took my time with each, learned a lot and polishedmultiple times before each of them took their turn in my personal publishingqueue. All three books were written when I thought I was pursuing thetraditional route to readers, before I made the decision to go Indie a year anda half ago.

In a year's time the publishing industry has changed at aspeed few could have predicted. It's exciting and a little scary. Newopportunities are opening for authors almost daily, new challenges arise at thesame time and I'm getting really cozy with the dizzying feeling of the world rushingaround me as the ground shifts under my feet.

I do have a few anchors. Without them I'd be hiding under arock somewhere, or more likely, working in a local fast food joint, dreamingabout what could have been. So, a HUGE thank you and Big HUGS to the followingpeople who have kept me tethered to sanity and on track. The list is not complete nor in any order, by the way. Many more people should be on it. Nevertheless, let me say ...

Ladies and gentlemen,you rock.

If you, the reader, choose to Google these names, you'llunderstand why I feel so blessed.

Lisa Stowe

Chris Roerden

Mary Buckham

Anne Christensen

Margie Lawson

Tracy Hayes -- Pastiche Studios

Lisa Harris

Jessica Miller

Larry Karp

Jane Isenberg

Kris Neri

MK Windom

Kaylan Doyle

Puget Sound Chapter of Sisters In Crime

Anne Charles

Amber Scott

The Guppies Chapter of Sisters in Crime

The members of O-Pen writers' group

My supportive family and …

All of YOU who have become part of Thea's family.

A Rose by any other name -- would be difficult to sell ...

2011-10-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

... Or ...

I came here expecting horses

There's been a lot of hoopla of late over genre, cross-genre,tagging, labeling -- whatever you want to call it. Writers agonize over whatgenre their book fits into, which agent/small press/publisher to submit theirwork to, what tags to use on Amazon and so on.

The situation strikes me as one in which we've built the buggy andnow feel compelled to find the one and only horse to pull it -- or perhaps theperfect compliment of horses to pull it.

News flash: You can switch horses. Anytime.

That horse, er, label is, and always has been, a marketing tool.It does more to help focus marketing efforts on niche groups (reader targetaudiences) than it does to help niche groups find books to read. (think of itas the difference between being pursued by a guy you'd probably like vs. a guyyou'd find boring) (Now, that's not a bad thing -- although you'd probablybe missing some gems).

We want peopleto read our books, but hey, even Coca Cola targets audiences. Sometimescompanies even create niche groups (anybody remember the "PepsiGeneration"?). However, until you get to be your own genre (Steven King,Lee Child, JK Rowling, Janet Evanovich ....) you have to target a genre if youexpect to sell. That doesn't mean you can't include different genres in yourwork, it means you have to be able to use a label without lying (too much) ifyou want to sell your books easily.

Easily?

Yes. Stop laughing. "Easily" only because otherwise, it becomes a lot more work. That's probably why marketingdepartments in publishing houses have been seen making purchasing decisions (Iwas shocked, too, when I found that out. If I was in marketing -- which I wasyears ago -- wouldn't it be my job to sell what my company produced, not tellmy company what they should make?) (yes, I'm perfectly aware of the value ofmarket analysis -- did it myself)

As writers, wenot only need to learn to write well enough to hold a reader's interest(otherwise we write ONLY for ourselves), but we have to learn how to stir upexcitement in a specific group by using a very few well chosen phrases....notexactly lying, but selective truth-telling.

We can do that,right? We write fiction, after all.

Thelabeling/genre situation is far too established to fight and conquer at thispoint -- and I'm not sure it's such a good idea, anyway. However, we can learnto market to target audiences who, once having discovered a good read, don'tseem to mind multiple genres at all.

So, if you wantto sell a rose don't call it "a flowering bush that requires a lot offertilizer, water and spraying for insects and disease, and produces blooms fora couple of months out of the year." Call it "a bush that produces armloadsof fragrant blossoms," "a velvety flower given to one's heart'sdesire," "an ancient symbol of passion," AND call it a "Rose."People get that. Those of us who love roses, don't really mind the other, un-poetic stuff -- we know it and don't want to hear it. The other sometimes-truthful description simply feeds our interest.

Podcast Interveiw

2011-10-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

This week, all my energy went into an interview over at Unruly Guides. Suzanne Parrot made me feel right at home as we chatted about books, writing and the writing life. Follow the link and have a listen while I talk about characters who get away with murder and tell me how to write the story, and why in the world I included a food fight in An Error In Judgment! It's all good fun and perhaps a little advice tossed in for good measure.

Unruly Guides is a terrific website for all kinds of writerly advice, including help in self publishing from formatting for e-book to marketing and promotion.

An Interview with HOT New Author, Kaylan Doyle

2011-10-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today I have the great pleasure to be able to pull up a chair next to the Writing Horses cozy "writers' fire" with Kaylan Doyle, author of the new scifi adventure-thriller, Survivors' Dreams. Although Kaylan is from my neck of the woods, she writes about other worlds in a clear and compelling manner that simply absorbs the reader. She is easily one of the most imaginative authors I've encountered. Survivors' Dreams debuted at Dragon Con 2011 to overflowing praise, and is sure to be one of the hottest books of the year.

A Kra'aken warplane, severely damaged in an attack that may havedestroyed the home planet, carries its near-dead pilot through a strangeportal. Maintained in stasis for nearly 150 years by the ship's artificialintelligence, Prince Helrazr is awakened in an alien galaxy. His mission: tofind Kra'aken srvivors or die…

Lady Rak'khiel, a toddler sent in a survival pod to escapeKra'aken's destruction, also passes through the hidden portal only tocrash-land on the planet Olica, a primitive world ruled by Kra'aken's deadliestenemies. Found by a childless woman who hides her from those who would killher, Rak'khiel grows to puberty ignorant of her heritage and the dangersurrounding her.

The two meet as Rak'khiel is simultaneously fleeing for her lifeand changing into a Kra'aken adult. Although she desperately needs his help,and he requires her companionship to continue living, their alliance is fragile-- complicated by differences that may turn them against each other and ladenwith perils they may not survive.

_____________________

Welcome,Kaylan! I'm so happy you can be here. You have wonderful, creative ideas forstories. What inspires you?

I’m always applying the “what if?” question to my life, myinteraction with people (friends and strangers) and with animals. I watch theHistory Channel, the news, and I read in every genre. With each new thought orbit of information - tragedies, natural disasters, scientific discoveries,etc., I find I’m extrapolating a scene. These grow to be part of a larger structure.What if she/he found herself in thissituation? What would she/he do? How would she/he survive? What tools wouldthey need? The answers create a story in my mind.

Tomy way of thinking, that starts to create the structure for a story. Do youcarry that structure further? In other words, are you a plotter or a pantser?

I try to be an organized plotter but no … I’m a pantser. I beginwith a mental picture of how the characters look, who they are and how theywill react. But the plot, the situations and the outcomes morph into unforseentwists and turns. Almost without exception my finished manuscript is nothinglike my original idea or plot.

LOL!I think a good many of us writers could confess to that. Even when we try toherd our characters back into a preconceived story line they'll insist on doingwhat they want. I love that part of story-creation. There are times when I findit difficult to get into my story-world. Does that ever happen to you? Do youever not feel like writing? If you do, what do you do to kick the muse backinto the chair and re-immerse yourself into the amazing worlds you create?

It is a rare occasion when I don’t want to write. But whenit does, I either go for a drive, wander through a bookstore, people-watch ormeet a friend for coffee or lunch. If the person I meet is a fellow writer, bythe time we finish our conversation, I’m ready to get home and go to work.

That'sgood advice -- go out and seek inspiration and haul it out from the rock it'shiding under! What's your favorite part of writing?

The initial draft – the free-flowing rush of ideas and words.

Why is that?

Creating characters, seeing them come alive on the page,developing their personalities – both good and bad – is a rush! There is so muchjoy in taking my imagined worlds, and giving them form and substance so myreaders can experience them too. Sharing the fun, the what-ifs, is like a partywith your best friends.

Soundslike the kind of party I'd enjoy. Especially if your characters were inattendance. Some of them would scare me but, I've got to tell you, I wouldn'tmind partying with Razr! Hunky guy -- even if he is dangerous and has well…"unusual" food preferences. Speaking of "different," amongyour unique characters are many who are non-human or partially human. Why choosecreatures as opposed to human sidekicks?

I love combining the best (or worst) of behaviors of bothhuman and non-humans. The possibilities are endless for creating physicaltraits – extra strength or intelligence or other enhancements, plus also it givesme opportunities to place constraints on such characters, making goalattainment more difficult. Creatures add such interesting variety, in additionto a cast of regular humans and animals. Plus I just love making them up.

Iheard that diabolical chuckle! Is there anything you don't enjoy? What is yourleast favorite part of writing?

The fifth … or perhaps the eighth … revision. I love workingthrough the manuscript a second time, and the third is still enjoyable. But bythat time, a new story is bubbling in my mind, demanding my full attention andthe revision becomes a “To Do” task instead of a joy.

Doesthat "To Do" task ever extend to having to write something you don'twant to, like a bloody scene, a death, or sex? How do you work around the"disinclination"?

Yes. There are scenes which I absolutely must write tosatisfy my reader and I’ll admit to “writing around” a scene which made meuncomfortable. One of my test readers called me on it. He insisted it wasabsolutely necessary, I had to include it or leave my reader feelingshortchanged. I knew he was right. Although it made me uncomfortable, I wrotethe scene (as honestly as I could) and the result was a much better book.

Ishould probably ask what those scenes were in Survivors' Dreams, but I'm notgoing to. The whole story was so consuming and exciting I can't imagine any ofit being a chore to write! You had me on the edge of my seat and turning pagesso fast I thought they'd catch fire! Thanks so much for stopping by today,Kaylan. We'll have to do this again. Can you let our reader know where they canget your book, and how they can contact you? I'm betting there's more than onereader who can wait to start chapter one!

You are much too kind but I appreciate both your commentsand the opportunity to chat with you on WritingHorses. I’d love to talk with youagain. In answer to your question, Survivors’ Dreams by Kaylan Doyle isavailable in print at Amazon.com. The epub version can be found at Amazon,Barnes & Noble, and very soon at Sony and iBookstore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaylan Doyle has been reading and writing herentire life. Years ago, a co-worker handed her Dune. Three pages and she washooked. After a second loan, Lord of the Rings, Kaylan set a goal - to somedaywrite her own novel. Survivors' Dreams, a Science Fiction action fantasy, isthe realization of that goal. Bijoux Magic, a Paranormal urban fantasy, will bereleased November 2011. Sequels to both books are under construction, and willbe published in 2012.

Kaylan lives in the Pacific Northwest with herhusband and two extraordinary cats. She enjoys reading, knitting, Tarantino andCoen Brothers movies, watching football and spending time with friends.

A Book in the Hand ....

2011-09-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's not that hard to put your book into paper format. Getting started can be the most confusing andconfounding part of the journey. Building momentum takes energy -- as anystudent of physics can tell you.

This is not a physics book.

You've made the decision to publish your book on your own,and maybe you've already tackled the e-book world and successfully uploadedyour book on Kindle, Nook, iPad and the rest of the e-readers out there.Congratulations. That was no mean feat. Pause for a pat on the back.

For any of a variety of good reasons, no matter how much youadore e-books, you'd like to do a paper version and … you don't know where tobegin.

It's different -- a lot different -- from formatting ane-book. I'm going to walk you through the initial steps for getting your bookready for CreateSpace. You can probably use the same preparation for other PODpublishers since I don't believe there would be that much variation, butsomeone else should tell you that for sure. CreateSpace is what I'm familiarwith.

Step 1

You've already written your very excellent book, had the editorof your choice go over it, made your corrections and inserted all theappropriate title, copyright verbiage, etc., and gotten rid of all that messyformatting stuff that can plague an e-book.

Make a copy of that file you can use for the print versionand call it something else like, Very Excellent Mystery Print.doc. (Use Ctrl Ato mark the entire manuscript, right click and COPY, then open an new documentand right click and PASTE. Use SAVE AS to save it).

Put it aside.

Step 2

Go to www.createspace.com and log in or sign up. I'll waitwhile you read all their information about all they can do for you. Don't worryif you get thoroughly confused. Just read, and come back here when you're done.

Step 3

Back? Good. Confused? Never mind. It'll make sense later.Here's what you have to do next: decide what size you want your book to be.Take a ruler (tape measure will work) and pull out some of your favorite books.Measure the cover and decide which size you'd like for your book. Then open afew of those books and pick one that has a layout that's pleasing to you.

Yup, this is all about "presentation" -- just likehaute cuisine.

Take that book (or books) you like back to your computerwith you so you can reference it.

Step 4

Go back to Create Space. Under the "Books" tab atthe top of the page is "publish a trade paperback." Pick that one.

Just a little ways down the page are a bunch of tabs thatread "Overview" "Cover" "Interior" etc. Pick"Interior"

Now, see "Submission Requirements" in blue? Click onit. And OH MY GOD! It wasn't bad enough to have to convert your .doc file tohtml for an e-book, but NOW YOU HAVE TO CONVERT TO A PDF FILE!!

Calm down, it's not that terrible. Besides, we haven't evengotten there yet. There's some work to do first.

Step 5

Scroll down to Step 3 (yes, we're skipping steps 1 and 2,but go ahead and read them if you want) where you see all those size bookslisted…let's pretend we're going to use 6x9. Click on "Download a BlankWord Template"

Why? Because this template will set up all your margins foryou exactly right. It will also change your page count. You will work with yourmanuscript within this template, so once you have it downloaded, copy (using CtrlA) your entire manuscript and paste it into the template. SAVE IT NOW usingSAVE AS and a new name, like Very Excellent Book 6x9.doc. Be sure to save it inthe right folder so you don't have any trouble finding it later.

Step 6A

Once you have your book in the template Ctrl A again, soyou've marked the whole document. Go to the tool bar and click"Format." From that, select "Paragraph." Go to the"Line and Page Breaks" section and unselect everything. NO widow ororphan control. If you see the little boxes as filled in blue squares, selecteverything and then unselect. Click OK. Trust me.

Step 6B

Now, while the whole manuscript is still "marked"go to the toolbar and click the little icon that justifies the text so you havenice neat left AND right margins.

Step 6C

Now go to the font box. You've probably got Times New Roman.Pick something else like Garamond or Book Antiqua. TNR will make your book looklike a business proposal. Ick. Don't worry, you can make the title and chapterheadings something else, too. You've got a little more leeway than you did withyour e-book.

Step 7

Now you get to put in headers and page numbers. You rememberthose things? You had to take them out for the e-book. Now you get to put themback in again. Go over to "Files" in the tool bar and select"Page Set Up" then select "Layout." Under "Headers andFooters" select BOTH "different first page" AND "differentodd and even." Click OK. Now you can go over to "View" in thetool bar and click on "Header and Footer".

Remember the book I told you to get out of your bookshelf?Notice where the page numbers are and how the page headers look. The authorname is on one page and the book title will be on the other. Maybe the pagenumbers are at the top, maybe at the bottom. Emulate the style you like. Besure the font for the header is different from the text. You can use a tinyversion of the font you used for your book's title. That would look cool. Thenselect the location where you want the page numbers by selecting"Insert" from the tool bar and "Page Numbers."

Step 8

Now for the blank pages. Yes, print books have blank pages,and YOU have to insert them. Where do they go? Look at your example book.

Typically, copyright information is on the backside of the title page.
The dedication page is on the right when the book is open, as are the Acknowledgments.
Chapter one starts on the right side of the open book. My personal preference is that all chapters start on the right side of the open book. Those are the odd number pages, by the way. You'll need to go through your book and take a look at what page each chapter starts on.
While you're at it, make the font correct for the chapter heading and move it at least half way down the page for each chapter. Unlike e-books, print book chapters don't start at the top of the page.

DO NOT USE TABLES OR ANYTHING FANCY TO INSERT TEXT OR A PAGEINTO YOUR MANUSCRIPT OR YOU WILL BE REALLY REALLY SORRY. DO NOT USE TABS. EVER.

Just use the boring old "Insert page breaks" andthe copy and paste as necessary.

Are we done yet? Nope. Did you include an "About the Author"page at the end? You should. Notice how your favorite books end. Do what theydo.

Now save your file and close it.

Step 9

Now you're ready to convert to pdf. And you're right -- youcan't do that from MS Word. You need something else. I use Open Office. It'sfree. Go ahead and download it -- or use something else if you want. I don'tmind waiting (again).

Open your file in (say) Open Office. You'll need to reviewit before you export it as a pdf because "things can change." You canfix them while in Open Office. For example if the page numbers get all wonky onyou, delete them and reinsert them in Open Office.

Check and make sure your chapters start where they'resupposed to. Delete or add page breaks as necessary.

Did the line spacing get funky in places? Did you notice anextra line between paragraphs and don't know how to get rid of it? Mark thesection where the problem spacing is, then go to the style box in the tool bar.Select "clear formatting" then select "default." It is thesame as "Normal" in Word. That should fix the problem.

Once you've checked everything over go ahead and select"File" from the tool bar and "Export as PDF."

Viola!

Step 10

There's your pdf file. For heaven's sake, check it to makesure it looks right. Then check it again. If you need to fix something, deletethe pdf and go back to Open Office to fix the .doc file. Then "Export asPDF" again.

Once the pdf looks like you expect the print book to look,in person, you're ready to upload to Create Space.

Oh, and the cover? It's a little complicated to talk abouthere, but you'll need to know how many pages are in your pdf version for that,plus you'll need to design the back cover according to specs, too. The cover,also, has to be in pdf.

Good luck, and DO NOT skip ordering the proof. You'lldefinitely want to do that!

Celebration!

2011-07-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

An Error in Judgment is launched!

Lots of celebration is going on, among which is thanking everyone who participated in the title contest. Those of you whose email addresses I have will hear from me right away with a free coupon for the e-book copy from Smashwords. If you entered the contest, but haven't heard from me, drop me a note at susan@susanschreyer.com and I'll get that coupon to you right away.

Smashwords is incredibly easy to use and has the books available in formats for virtually every type of electronic reader. They're a great company, too, treat the authors like kings and queens and are leaders in the e-book revolution. I sometimes think of them as the Ben & Jerry's of e-books (small, innovative company with big influence, lots of flavors & share the wealth)

And now, without further ado, here's how the adventure begins....

Chapter One

Guilt tapped meon the shoulder for the hundredth time since my morning coffee --althoughplaguing me for another, more immediate, reason. Paul, my boyfriend of sixmonths, stood directly in front of me, hand on his hip, tux jacket pushed back,and eyes narrowed to the point of hiding their luminous blue.

"Is theresomething you'd like to tell me? Something in particular you've been sitting onsince, I don't know, all day?"

I shifted on mythree-inch stilettos, clamped down on my lower lip, then turned it loose. I'donly chew off my lipstick. "It's Andrea, and …" I trailed off. Theexcuse of our families and friends waiting for us to join them in one of theseveral huge banquet halls on the second level of the Seattle Convention Centerseemed … lame. Sure, the annual awards dinner for the Puget Sound DressageSociety would be starting soon. Because of my foot-dragging we were tardy. Now,because of Paul's insistence we talk, we'd be later still. The problemessentially came back to Andrea. I scanned the elegantly dressed peoplestreaming past us in the massive glass, brass and granite foyer.

"Thea…"

I returned mygaze to him and he circled my shoulders with an arm. At first I thought heintended to hug me. Instead, he gently steered me across the flow of pedestriantraffic to the protection of one of the numerous shoulder-high stone planters.Packed with large ferns and other greenery, they softened the cold, hard linesand gave the Convention Center's gleaming interior a Pacific Northwest feel.The main advantage -- and obviously Paul's intent -- was that the planter keptpeople from bumping into us. However, it did nothing to block the cold Octoberbreeze gusting in each time a door opened and raising goose bumps under thelightweight fabric of my long gown and tiny jacket. I should have worn a coat.What was I thinking? At least Paul's arm was warm.

"'It'sAndrea and' what?" he asked, turning me loose and facing me. I shiveredwith the returning chill.

"And … andwe're going to be late, because I couldn't find my evening bag, ran over toAunt Vi's to borrow one, messed up my hair and had to redo it, ripped aperfectly good pair of panty hose getting into this dress and had to go outagain to buy more."

"That'sall?"

"What?That's not enough?"

"So you'retelling me all this stress has been about seeing Andrea?"

I swallowed anddarted another look at the crowd. Not everyone was headed to our banquet,unless we had a bridal party joining us. I returned my attention to Paul."Yes."

Celebrating a mistake?

2011-07-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Party? Did Someone say PARTY?

Nope! Just kicking off the month long party for

An Error In Judgment

To celebrate, I've reduced the price on Levels of Deception to .99!

Whoo Hoo!!!

You can find it on Amazon, Smashwords,(where you can download the format of choice for the e-reader of choice), andas soon as the electronics grind it all out the e-book will be available allover the place for .99.

I LOVE celebrating the release of a new book! Mine or anyoneelse's. It's a new adventure waiting, an invitation to laugh, cry, gasp, shiverand love -- and it's a new friend who, once read, will wait patiently for youto return, or be satisfied with a cozy spot in your memory.

If you haven't had a look at Levels Of Deception yet, here'sa brief synopsis -- I should probably warn you … the heat turns up between Theaand Paul. Like one reader mentioned, "it's nail-biting romanticdrama" added to a mystery that twist, turns and ultimately surprises!

Levels of Deception

The second in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series

Themurder of a professor in the basement of the Seattle's Burke Museum is hauntingThea, and not just because the man was her absent boy friend Paul's colleague.Both men have been implicated in the theft of valuable fossils from the museumand Paul not only refuses to discuss any of it with Thea, but warns her to buttout.

Unwillingto see him framed for crimes he didn't commit, Thea launches her owninvestigation. When an attempt on her life lands her in the hospital. Everyone,including Paul, insists she run to his protection at his dig site in Montana.

Butwhat she finds there is far from a refuge.

Thelevels of deception are more personal and extend farther than she could haveimagined.

Theprice of her pursuit of truth will be blood.

And Now......

Is she reading the new Thea Campbell Mystery?

An Error in Judgment

The third in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series

During the awards ceremony at thePuget Sound Dressage Society's annual banquet dressage judge Sig Paalmann collapsesand dies. The wealthy man leaves his bride of two months -- Thea's estrangedfriend, Andrea -- and enigmatic last words.

Thea's initial plan to reestablishher friendship with Andrea, despite the arrogant man she married, grows intoresolve to support her through the crisis. But Andrea needs more than supportwhen her husband's death is deemed murder and she is arrested.

With boyfriend Paul Hudson's help,Thea's digs in to investigate only to discover complications far worse thaneither had anticipated. Andrea is pregnant and in fragile health, warring businesspartners jockey for control, slighted family members turn ruthless, and Theaand Paul become pawns in a desperate struggle for money and power. But, the situation,already critical, takes an even more personal twist with the arrival of an oldnemesis -- a man capable of orchestrating not only Sig's death but the gravedanger stalking Andrea, Thea and Paul.

He's not dead, but...

2011-06-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Artist/writer Tracy Hayes and I have been tossing aroundideas for a cover for An Error in Judgment. She decided she wanted to domore of a scene from the book this time.

"Fine," I said. "Go for it."

She emailed me links to a bunch of cover styles and wenarrowed it down to one we both liked. Then she asked me to help her look forsome images.

"We'd make a good cover!"

You may find this hard to believe, but artists don't work from memory.

Cats do the best job at keeping paper under control

Yeah, I know, surprised me too. (All of the above)

Anyway, she told me she was having trouble finding an imageof a middle-aged dead guy, so I went to work and Googled images of sleepingmen. Hey, sleeping men often look dead. Tell me I'm wrong.

[there's no picture here because, well, come on -- not cute!]

However, it soon became apparent that photographers don't gofor realism. Most of the pictures I found were somewhat evenly divided betweenmen who were horizontal and had their eyes closed, but were smiling, and nearlynaked men curled up in bed with nearly naked women.

None of them looked very dead.

In fact, quite a number of them looked pretty lively. Isincerely doubt any of them were sleeping.

Then I hit the jackpot. Students asleep in a lecture hall.

Those guys looked dead.

I owe a debt of gratitude to boring professors. I think Tracy'sgoing to use a couple of those snoring students to help concoct the cover. Ifnot, I know how to look for images of dead guys now: Google "boredmen."

The New Baby Has A Name!

2011-05-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

We have a winner!! Yay!!

Sally Matteson, who emailed me off-blog, suggested….(drum roll)…..

>>> An Error In Judgment <<<

The title fits the story well. I'll admit, it was a tough contest. I couldn't give away too many hints without giving away the story line and all the twist and turns that make the reading of it so much fun. So….to reward everyone who contributed their creative brain cells to naming the baby, EVERYONE WINS! Okay, so Sally gets her name in the acknowledgments, but everybody gets a coupon for a free copy of An Error In Judgment when it is released. I've got The List and will do my best to contact everyone. If I miss you, let me know. If you'd rather have a coupon for a free copy of Death By A Dark Horse or Levels Of Deception, that can be arranged -- again, all you have to do is let me know!

We're closing in on the final edits and then the cover will get underway. Once that's complete you'll see it here first -- and you know the book will be following in short order.

Thanks once again for all your ideas.

What to do When a Book Lacks a Ttitle

2011-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

In case you've been wondering where I've been lately, allow me to clear that up for you. I've been slaving away on the third book in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series. It's getting close to done -- as in final edits -- BUT I'm stuck. The book has no title. This isn't unusual for me. I'm terrible at titles. Very soon here, I'm going to have a finished, polished manuscript and no title. Which means no book cover, which also means no way to make it available to readers.

This is where you come in. This is my call for help!

Put on your thinking caps, folks, and send your suggestions. Send lots! Whosever suggestion is chosen will get a free copy of the book, and their name in the acknowledgments. If several of you offer up the same suggestions, then you all get the same prize. If I use a combination of suggestions, then all those who helped get the prize, too.

So…in the spirit of getting you on the right track, here's the set up and the blurb:

The story takes place in and around Snohomish, Seattle, and nearby Issaquah, and involves the sudden death of a dressage judge at the annual awards banquet for the Puget Sound Dressage Society.

Blackie, Thea's alleged psychic horse, is involved to a small degree, as is a valuable fossil collection (to a larger degree).

The back-cover blurb will go something like this:

Wealthy dressage judge Sig Paalmann keels over at the annual Puget Sound Dressage Society awards banquet, leaving enigmatic last words and a bride of two months -- Thea's long-time friend, Andrea. Sig's reputation for arrogance and scathing criticism leaves no one sorry he's gone, much less Thea, but she is determined to support her friend through the crisis. When Andrea is arrested for her husband's murder, Thea's support turns to investigation. Secrets, lies, greed, and dangerous passions challenge Thea and Paul to put their personal relationship struggles aside in order to clear Andrea. But when an old nemesis appears on the scene they have more to worry about than either of them anticipated. This unforeseen player could provided the necessary assistance for solving the crime -- or he could be the one orchestrating the grave danger waiting for Andrea, Thea and Paul.

The contest will continue until a winner is chosen, and the winner announced here…and pretty much everywhere else. If you have questions about the plot (other than whodunit), ask away and I'll give you the best answers I can. If you'd rather send me your suggestions or questions via email, that's good, too. Get in touch with me at susan@susanschreyer.com

Thanks for all your help! Have at it, everyone!!

Susan

Here some more info on the story -- hopefully without giving too much away. The victim is a wealthy dressage judge who collects many things: art, cars, fossils, people -- the people he collects puts in positions where they are dependent upon him in any of a variety of ways, mostly financial. The fossil collection is uber-private and reported to be the most extensive private collection in the country (this appeals to Paul, the paleontologist). The cause of death is an insulin overdose -- he is diabetic. Diabetes plays an important role throughout the story. Passion is a theme -- both the romantic kind and the kind that drives someone's ambition in a professional sense

A Conversation with Paul Hudson

2011-03-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

It has been pointed out to me (thank you, Juliet) that I haven't interviewed any of the men from Death By A Dark Horse or Levels Of Deception except Jonathan. While entertaining, he's not as admirable as some of us (Juliet) would like. To correct the skewed interview archive I've asked Paul Hudson, leading man of the Thea Campbell Mystery Series, to be here today and give us some of the intimate details of his sexy self.

Susan Schreyer: Welcome Paul, glad you could stop by.

Paul Hudson: Susan, you said this wasn't going to be too personal.

SS: Oh! Well, (laughs) don't worry. [aside to readers] much. [to Paul] So, let's get started.

PH: Fire away.

SS: In Death By A Dark Horse we are shown contrasting glimpses of you. You're an intellectual, but you get your hands dirty working on farm equipment. You dress conservatively, yet you sport an earring. You're pretty tuned in to other people's feelings, yet you can (rather loudly) lose your temper. In Levels of Deception we also see your ability to keep your cool and be passionate as well. You're a pretty complex guy.

PH: Not really. I've just learned to adapt, thanks to a little sister who wouldn't let me be a jerk, and an older brother who continues to be one. I wouldn't call myself an intellectual --

SS: But you've got a PhD.

PH: It was a means to an end. Paleontology and geology fascinate me. Earning a PhD was a way to stay immersed in it.

SS: What is it about dinosaurs and rocks that fascinate you?

PH: (laughs) Honestly? There's a certain, oh, romantic appeal to it. Looking at a mountain range, or desert, or old river bed grabs my imagination. What was this spot like millions of years ago? What forces caused it to change? Was it gradual, or catastrophic? What animals roamed here, how did they live, what did they look like? Sound like? Smell like? Finding bits of answers, bits of new information, is like putting a puzzle together without knowing the picture you're going for. There are always surprises and more questions.

SS: Like a detective story!

PH: (laughs again) Right.

SS: Do you ride horses like Thea?

PH: I can.

SS: No kidding! I didn't know that. Are you good?

PH: Just good enough to borrow Henry's horse and go trail riding with Thea and maybe jump a log or two.

SS: Did she teach you?

PH: No, Miguel taught me the basics when I was a teenager.

SS: Miguel? You keep surprising me!

PH: Yeah. Miguel did rodeos when he was a kid -- up until he came to Snohomish to manage Copper Creek for my aunt Delores -- so he knows how to handle a horse. My folks sent me out here in the summers from Minneapolis to clean stalls. They hoped hard labor would straighten me out, and I just wanted to get out of the house. The first week I was here Miguel had a word or two to say about my attitude toward the horses and clients. He figured if I had a taste of what the people who came here to ride experienced in order to do what they loved I'd show more respect.

SS: Sounds like you were a bit difficult. So, did it work? Did learning to ride straighten you out?

PH: Well, I don't know about that, but I gained some respect. In fact, Thea taught me a thing or two about handling a horse when she was ten and a student here.

SS: I thought you two met just last year?

PH: We did, for all intents and purposes. She doesn't remember me from back then.

SS: Too interested in the horses to notice the cute barn help, huh? So, what happened when she was ten?

PH: I was having some problems leading a horse into his stall. Thea thought I was sending mixed signals and being too rough. She marched over and read me the riot act, then showed me how to do it right. She was a pretty gutsy little kid -- not exactly what I was thinking at the time, though. Embarrassed me enough to stick in my memory.

SS: A little hard on a fifteen-year-old ego to have a little girl show him up, huh?

PH: Oh, yeah. I still remember her lecture. (Smiles) She's still pretty sure of herself.

SS: I think you like that about her.

PH: True enough.

SS: Now, this wasn't so bad -- or horribly personal -- was it?

PH: No. You were right.

SS: Let's finish up with some rapid-fire questions with quick, off the cuff one-word answers.

PH: Shoot.

SS: Favorite color?

PH: Uh...blue?

SS: Favorite food?

PH: Barbecue anything.

SS: Middle name?

PH: Anthony.

SS: Sport?

PH: Soccer.

SS: Lights on or off?

PH: On ... uh...hang on a sec.

SS: Boxers or brief?

PH: Uh, Susan --

SS: Oh, commando! Dress left or right?

PH: Okay, we're done. Juliet put you up to this, didn't she?

SS: There had to be some concessions. You know how she is!

Goals Update for Levels Of Deception -- We're cookin'!

2011-03-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Levels Of Deception has been out for a couple of weeks now, and WOW! Sales are going well! Thank you, everyone! Thea's second adventure is (at this moment. The list changes hourly) number 64 on Amazon Kindle's Hot New Releases List for Women Sleuths.

Click here: Amazon Hot New Releases to see where LOD is now!

There's apparently a number of things that influence the position of a book on the Amazon lists. Sales, of course, but also reviews -- the more good ones, and the more stars the better -- and clicking on the "Like" button. There's "Like" buttons on the author page above the author picture, and on the trade paperback page, too. None on the Kindle version page. I have no idea why. However, you don't have to buy to click the Like button, and you don't have to write anything. Just go to the page and click. Easy. Here's some links (and thanks ahead of time for your Liking).

Author page

Death By A Dark Horse

Levels of Deception

Now here's something really interesting; Sales of Death By A Dark Horse have rocketed. No kidding. DBADH is outselling Levels by 3 to 1. That thrills me, too!

We're on our way to getting into the top 10 on the Amazon lists, not to mention the 50 sales a day goal! Way to go, team!

The Crusader Challenge -- Revelation!

2011-02-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, time to fess up. The Crusader Challenge Blog from Thursday the 24th contained several requirements. I'll list them below and tell you how I fulfilled them.

We had to use the random words, "bloviate," "fuliguline," "rabbit," and "blade."

"Bloviate" actually is a word and, according to my source, is enjoying a come-back from it's heyday in 1890. It means to talk aimlessly and boastingly. I believe I used it correctly in the sentence; "I will resist the urge to bloviate endlessly about my "fascinating" life …"

I have no clue what "fuliguline" means, but chose to use it as an adjective. I suspect Rach made the word up. Fess up Rach!

"Blade" was what I hoped you wouldn't stab your computer with due to my aimless and boastful yammering.

And "Rabbit"… you know, the one I didn't want the eagle to eat…well, I really and truly do have one. She's cute, soft, and pretty fierce. I don't think the eagle would fare well in the encounter.

My secret? Blush. I rarely admit to being a Cheerios-lover. It's true. My family turns a blind eye. I was so happy to see all those Cheerios commercials with adults eating them. Made me feel, well, almost normal.

Sadly, habitual Cheerios eating is also one of my annoying habits. My family turns a … well you get the idea.

One of my best character traits is my dependability. Which, of course, feeds into the whole Cheerios-thing again.

And my interesting quirk is…NO! Not the Cheerios! Okay, I'll admit, it's kind of quirky, but I refer to my stop-what-I'm-doing-and-stare-in-awe reaction each time I see an eagle. They take my breath away!

One of my favorite things in the whole world is to gaze at the mountains, and that brings me to ….

The LIE.

I cannot see the mountains from my house. Sad, but true.

Launch Day for Levels Of Deception

2011-02-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you who told me I couldn't write another Thea Campbell Mystery fast enough ...

It's out! At last! Levels of Deception is out on Smashwords and will follow shortly on Amazon, B&N, Apple and other e-book retailers. The print version is in process, and should be available in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to let you know.

In truth, it's been completed for a while. The final edits took some time, but now it's all done. Here's the back cover blurb:

Thea isn't supposed to obsess about a murder in the basement of Seattle's Burke Museum, even though the victim was her absent boyfriend Paul's colleague -- even though her gut screams at her to pay attention. So when the police connect Paul to thefts at the museum and the murder, despite his being two states away on a dig, Thea secretly launches her own investigation to clear him. Paul's stubborn refusal to give her any information doesn't slow her down, but an attempt on her life does. Coerced into running to Paul's paleontology dig in Montana for safety, what she finds there is far from a refuge. The levels of deception are more personal and extend farther than she could have imagined. The price of her pursuit of truth will be blood.

You can download about 120 pages for FREE from Smashwords, or the entire book for $2.99. Amazon will have it for the same price before the weekend is out, and you can download samples from them, too.

Now, ladies and gents, I need your help. My never ending marketing and promotion lessons have taught me that it takes a village to make a book successful. My success goal for Levels Of Deception is to make it into the top 10 of Amazon's Hot New Release List -- a slightly loftier perch than Death By A Dark Horse. To accomplish this I will need reviews from readers as well as sales. If you like my books, I would appreciate a short review on Smashwords and/or Amazon. My sales goal is 50 books a day! Sound outrageous? It's not, really. But to reach that goal people have to know the book is available. That's where I need your help to spread the word. Only a team effort works!

I'll be reporting back on a regular basis. Thank you all for your help!

Blog Crusade Challenge

2011-02-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

As part of the Blog Crusade (see the pretty shield in the sidebar) all participants have been asked to tell our readers somewhat more about ourselves than we generally are inclined to do. I will resist the urge to bloviate endlessly about my "fascinating" life -- if only to keep you patient souls from driving a blade through your computer screen.

You may suspect that the natural beauty of the Northwest is something I appreciate at every opportunity, and you'd be right. I feel very fortunate to live in a part of the country where I can walk out my back door on a nice morning (after my morning coffee has done its job and pried my eyes open) and see a fuliguline view of snow covered mountains. There's an eagle's nest not far from my home, too, and I frequently see one or more of the majestic birds soaring above my home. It's a good thing our rabbit lives indoors -- I'd hate for her to become eagle-breakfast. I'm not that willing to sacrifice for the wild things.

Speaking of breakfast, here's something only my family knows: I love Cheerios. I have them almost every morning along with my coffee. I'm not sure if that's indicative of how dependable I am, or if it speaks to what some would consider annoying predictability. I guess it depends on who you are and how much you value culinary adventurousness!

And now, patient readers, I must confess I may have revealed something about myself that isn't strictly true. Can you guess what it is? I'll let you know in my next post!

Interview with Kate George

2011-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Mystery writer Kate George has graciously agreed to sit for a spell and answer some questions about her books and writing. Kate started writing on a dare! She writes mysteries with "a side of laughter" -- and I can tell you it's a good-sized portion. Currently, she writes about things she has experiences with...yes, she used to be a type-setter, paste-up tech and motorcycle safety instructor. The housekeeping department of a swank hotel has been graced with her skills, as well. That’s why her main character, Bree McGowan, does those things. Count on stints as an actor, answering service operator, assistant to the dean of a medical school, instructional assistant, and computer instructor providing fodder for upcoming novels.

She'd really like to write about a back-up singer, but claims she doesn't know a thing about it. How much you want to bet it won't stop her!

I loved your book Moonlighting in Vermont, and can't wait to read California Schemin' -- coming out in March. It's the continuing adventures of Bree McGowan, "queen of chaos" and collector of animals. What's she up to this time?

In this book our intrepid Bree goes to California to rest up, per se, from the events surrounding her boss’s death. Beau is hoping that things will settle down and they can live a normal life. Well, as normal as life ever is with Bree.

Unfortunately, there are probably more dead bodies in California than Vermont. Yes, you guessed it; one of those bodies literally falls into Bree’s lap. Madcap adventures ensue, including a couple of flights back and forth between Vermont and California, and Beau gets dragged unwittingly into the fray.

How did the plot for California Schemin' take root in your mind?

Well, I’m a “out of the mist” writer. I start with a basic premise and see where it takes me. The premise for California Schemin’ was that Bree would accept Beau’s offer to spend some time with him in California. She’d get to relax, but in reality adventures would find he there. The thing is Bree’s not all that great at relaxing. She likes to be doing things. That sometimes gets her in trouble.

Once I started writing my memories of growing up in the Sierra Foothills started kicking in and supplying me with details. And really it all just flows out of my head when I’m writing.

Oh, in case you were wondering how I got a shape shifting alien – While on facebook one day, early in the book, I jokingly commented that I was going to write one into CAS. One of my friends jumped in and said she liked it. So I did. I’m kind of impulsive like that.

What is your favorite part of writing your stories?

The beginning when the story is new and I’m in total denial about how much time and effort it’s going to take to finish the book. It’s the rosy honeymoon period when I’m in love with my hero and my villains start to take shape in my mind.

That period lasts about five minutes! No really some books take much longer to go sour.

My other best part is the very end. When it’s done. And the Very Best Part would be the last read for typos and I still get into the story. Like when I re-read California Schemin’ after several months of ignoring it and I still liked the story. I think you’ll have fun reading it.

Do you have more plans for Bree and company?

Yes! I’ve started writing the third Bree MacGowan mystery already. Its working title is How Much is that Dead Guy in the Window. I hope I get to keep that title, it makes me laugh. Quite a few of the characters from Moonlighting and CAS will be in that story too.

You mention that you started writing on a dare. What was the dare? What carried you forward to be persistent enough to publish?

Well, you know, I foolishly declared to my friends that I could write a Stephanie Plum novel. I don’t know if you are familiar with Stephanie Plum. Her books are written by New York Times Best Selling Author, Janet Evanovich. She’s sold millions of those books. They’re fun, and highly addictive.

Anyway, one of my friends immediately said, “Then why don’t you.” And then the two of them dared me to do it. They dared me! So I had to try.

I started writing a chapter a week and passing them to those friends. (You know who you are Buffy and Sara!) And before long I was having fun. Then I thought I should join a writing workshop so I could improve my writing – which I did, and it did. Thank you very much, Joni B.Cole!

I was enjoying writing so much that it didn’t occur to me to quit. Plus I had people expecting chapters from me. I finished it, (It being Moonlighting in Vermont) and got myself come critique partners. Critique partners are crucial for me. They did a lot of correcting style and noticing repeating words. And spelling. I’m a horrible speller.

Eventually I sold Moonlighting to Mainly Murder Press. It takes a while sometimes and you have to have faith, or blinders, and just keep submitting. It’s not so much that I was persistent as I was just sure that I’d eventually find the write publisher. Being blind to your book’s faults is extremely helpful when you are shopping it around.

What advice do you have for new writers?

I firmly believe in the ABC method of writing:

Apply Butt to Chair. You can’t be a writer if you don’t devote time to writing. And, you’ll know this if you read my books, the more you write the better you get. Don’t let life get in the way.

There. That’s my advice.

Where can we keep an eye on you (mention blogs & websites here), and where can your books be purchased?

Books can be purchased at MainlyMurderPress.com, Amazon.com, or ordered from any bookstore. My web site is www.kategeorge.com and that’s where my blog is as well. I have Author pages at Amazon, Goodreads and a handful of other sites. Hope to see you all around!

Thank you, Kate, for stopping by! I can't wait to read California Schemin' and am looking forward to How Much Is That Dead Guy In The Window? Kate's provided us with a chance to view her book trailer for California Schemin' -- have fun!! Then leave some tough questions in the comments section!

An Interview with Daphne Du Maurier Award winner Ann Charles

2011-02-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'm welcoming 2010 Daphne Du Maurier Award winning author Ann Charles to Writing Horses. Ann's mystery, Nearly Departed in Deadwood, takes single mom Violet Parker on a murder-mystery solving adventure in Deadwood, South Dakota as she tries to hold on to her job, protect her two young children, not fall in love, and stay alive. Deadwood is not without its quirky characters -- and some are quirkier than others. Even sexy Doc has -- shall we say -- his unique side. Here's a little taste of what Violet is up against.

“Do you mind stopping at that gas station up ahead?” Doc asked when we neared Main St. “I’m thirsty.”

I turned into the parking lot of Jackpot Gas-n-Go, coasting past a Toyota pickup fueling up at the pumps. My breath caught when I saw the “Wish You Were BEER” bumper sticker stuck on the tailgate.

Crap! Jeff Wymonds—the last person I wanted to see.

I parked in a spot near the corner of the building, putting as much distance between Jeff’s pickup and me as the lot allowed.

“Be right back.” Doc hopped out.

Through the passenger-side window, I watched him stride along the walkway to the front glass doors. He pushed inside, and when the door swung back, Jeff stepped out. My heart dropped to my toes.

I cranked my rearview mirror to the side so I could spy on Jeff as he crossed the lot and climbed into his pickup. He looked less Neanderthal-ish with his hair damp and combed back, but he still sported the stained white T-shirt and blue jeans, the same facial scruff. As he rolled toward me, I slunk way down in my seat, my fingers crossed that he didn’t recognize my Bronco.

I waited for the growl of his engine to disappear, but it didn’t. Instead it rumbled up next to me, idling just outside my door. I heard his door slam.

Oh, fuck! I hit the door lock button and then waited for his face to appear in the window next to me.

Twenty seconds later, I was still waiting.

I inched my way up in my seat, peeking out the window. Jeff was marching toward the Dumpster in the back corner of the lot, carrying a big black garbage bag. As he neared the Dumpster, he looked left then right and then over his shoulder. Then he lifted the Dumpster lid and tossed the bag inside. I saw a hint of something pink before the lid crashed down again.

Someone knocked on the passenger-side window. I yelped and jerked, hitting my knee on the underside of the dash.

Doc stood on the other side of the glass, staring down at me with a furrowed brow.

I unlocked the doors and sat up, straightening my dress, avoiding eye contact as he climbed in next to me and held out a bottle of water.

“Oh, thanks. Let me give you some money.”

He waved me off. “You feeling okay?” I could hear a hint of laughter in his tone.

“Yeah. Sure. I’m great.”

The slam of a pickup door to my left drew my attention out my window. I looked over and ran smack dab into Jeff’s gaze.

His eyes narrowed to a squint as he stared back.

My mouth went dry.

He pointed at me.

I locked the door again.

Jeff’s crazed grin reappeared.

Holy shit.

Nearly Departed In Deadwood won two prestigious Daphne du Maurier awards this year. One for mainstream mystery and the other for overall excellence. Tell us about your journey to this much sought-after award.

During my teen years, I spent my summers in Deadwood, South Dakota, exploring its streets, learning its notorious history, soaking up its sounds and smells. The story idea for Nearly Departed in Deadwood came to me one summer day while I was in Deadwood visiting my mom. I wanted to write something that incorporated Deadwood’s past and present—a mystery, along with a healthy dash of romance, and some paranormal, too. It took me a month to figure out enough details of the plot to get rolling, eight months to write and polish the story until it was suitable for professional eyes. My agent loved it out of the gate, and we hooked the attention of an editor at Mira (aka Harlequin) pretty quickly. But the manuscript didn’t make it through the acquisition process at Mira, and after that, the market got really tight for new authors. For the next several months, the rejections were the same: editors liked the story enough to read it through The End, but it continued to get rejected for marketing reasons. My level of frustration crested to new levels with each “Sorry, but no thanks.”

I began writing the second in the series in spite of the rejections, so sure in my gut that this book was going to be published. At this point, I entered the Daphne du Maurier (early 2010), looking for some helpful reader feedback from the judges, crossing my fingers that the story would be earn a finalist spot in the contest. You can imagine my shock when it not only landed a finalist position, but went on to win my division and the overall prize. I’d been so sure it wouldn’t win anything due to my quirky voice that I didn’t even bother with a Thank-You speech, something I regretted when accepting the award in front of 150 fellow authors and publishing professionals. I slept with my Daphne award for the first month, then moved it to the night stand for the next two. Now it graces the top of the piano, where I gaze at it fondly most evenings before kissing it goodnight. J

You haven't stayed strictly inside the confines of one genre with this book. Was this intentional or did the story "ask" to be that way?

I like genres how I like my margaritas—blended. The last five books I’ve written have been mixed, because I’m lousy at sticking with one genre. I could have tried to write Nearly Departed in Deadwood as a straight mystery, but it wouldn’t be as rich and mayhem-filled as it is with the addition of romance and paranormal elements. To answer your question, the lack of just one genre is intentional. I wanted to make Violet Parker’s life messy. With this genre mix, I’ve succeeded in that goal.

Why did you choose Deadwood, South Dakota for your setting?

Partly because I have been in love with Deadwood and its history since I was a kid, but also because I know it and the surrounding area pretty well. It was my home away from home while growing up, and I have been creating stories about it in my head since I roamed the brick streets and gravel back roads. I want to share with others what makes Deadwood so special, lure more people there to witness its pine-scented gulches and learn about its gold-laden history. I want to give something back to the town and its inhabitants for all they have given to me over the years. One of my favorite things many readers have told me after they have finished reading Nearly Departed in Deadwood has been how much they want to go visit Deadwood and see it for themselves.

What, in addition to the setting, inspired the story?

Besides the town of Deadwood, and its history, is my love of strong female protagonists. Plus, having kids opened my mind to the idea of having a heroine who had children of her own to take care of and keep safe. I have so much respect for single parents now that I’ve had children of my own. I’m fortunate to have a husband to help me raise our kids. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for a single parent to have to go it alone and keep his or her children safe, fed, and sheltered without the relief of someone there to lean on at times. My hat is off to all of the Violet Parkers (in the female and male form) of the world who are determined to provide for their families on their own and keep them protected from the boogey man.

As you mentioned, even a major award doesn't guarantee a publisher will offer you a contract. Tell us about your route to publication. How long did it take you to get an agent? What is your working relationship like with your agent? Is it common? What has your experience been with publishers and the current state of the publishing world? Is it an unusual one, or is it becoming more common?

I’ve been working on getting a book published for thirteen years now. Yes, thirteen long freaking years full of life’s messy adventures and a lot of fingers hitting the keys in between. Nearly Departed in Deadwood is my seventh novel I’ve written, so it took me some time to perfect my craft, figure out what works best with my voice, and create something I’m ready to put out there for the world to read. I signed on with my agent after writing book five. She liked my voice and asked me to write a sequel to that story, which I did, but she couldn’t find someone interested in buying it. We’ve stayed together ever since, and with this book, she came very close to selling it, but we were shot down in acquisitions.

Our working relationship is pretty laid back. I write the books and send them to her, she tells me if she wants anything tweaked before sending it off to editors. In between, we talk to each other about once or twice a month in order to touch base. I don’t want someone who is in constant contact, and in that way, she’s perfect for me. We hang out once or twice a year at conferences and have become friends as well as partners in this business of getting published. I don’t know if this is common or not, because I’ve only had her as an agent. I know many authors who are friends with their agents and work as a team, so I think this is pretty normal. I believe it is key to find someone you trust, someone who gives you whatever you need—whether it be plenty of space or routine weekly contact.

My experiences with publishers have been frustrating. I have had several editors who like my book and read the whole story (a rarity in this day and age because they don’t have the time to waste on many books they are going to buy), but most have come back with the same type of rejection—it isn’t “big” enough of a story, meaning they don’t feel it appeals to a wide enough audience, or they don’t think it will get through the marketing department’s narrow filter. At first, I was ready to chew glass over this attitude, but then I decided that the best thing I could do was to learn as much as I could about marketing and promotion and publicity. Then I could either convince them to buy the book with the help of a solid marketing plan or figure out another way to sell and market the book, skipping the traditional New York route.

I think this route I’m taking is becoming a beaten path. Many new authors are tired of hitting their head against the brick wall in New York. They’ve been learning all about selling their book for years and are no longer willing to have someone at a large publishing house determine if they get to be a published author or not. They are willing to take a chance, work their hind ends off, and head out on their own into the crazy world of publishing and promoting.

You've taken control of your writing career and made the decision to proceed with publishing your book in e-format and then print format. What did it take for you to get to that decision?

I decided to chart a new course and take the e-book route after I won the Daphne du Maurier award this summer and still received no interest from a large publishing house. The message was clear, I wasn’t going to land a contract. However, another message was also clear after that win—readers liked my book. For years I’ve believed in testing out my stories on volunteers, getting their feedback on what they liked and didn’t. I did the same with Nearly Departed in Deadwood initially, but after I won the Daphne du Maurier, I sought out even more readers, testing the book, asking for feedback. The results came back and the book was a big hit. I decided to listen to the readers and send this book out into the world to see if it would fly on its own. It’s a big experiment, but how can over 50 test-readers be wrong? With the super positive results I’ve had so far, I have to try, because I refuse to shelve this book.

You are the co-founder of the very popular 1st Turning Point website. You have more information on author promotion there than I've seen anywhere else. It really is a treasure chest full of useful articles to help authors promote themselves and their work. What lead you to create this site?

The birth of 1^st Turning Point came after spending almost two years learning all I could about marketing and promotion. I knew I needed to start a blog to help build name recognition, but I also knew most people wouldn’t care much about me and my life and my writing pursuits, so I wanted to come up with a blog that would offer some “What’s in it for me?” value to the reader. However, I didn’t think I could do what needed to be done on my own, so I approached my long-time critique partner and good friend, Jacquie Rogers, who I knew had a lot of wisdom to share about marketing and promotion. With just a little arm twisting, she agreed to create the website with me. We figured that I would write a post on Mondays, she’d write on Fridays, and we’d find someone to help fill in on Wednesdays. Five months after we agree to create this site, we opened our doors with over 20 volunteer columnists and four crew members. Three months later, Jacquie and I didn’t have to do any writing at all each month because we had so many authors willing to share what they know monthly with readers. Ever since then, we just keep growing and growing. It’s incredible, really, and I feel very fortunate to get to have so much information on marketing and promotion at my fingertips. Jacquie and I couldn’t keep the site running without the help of our now 30+ columnists and 6 crew members. (And we’re always looking for more help, so if you’re interested in joining our crew, email me!)

Your approach to marketing and promotion is creative, well organized, and highly tactical. It is also long-term. Can you explain a little about your overall approach to what is essentially "career-building"? Do you have any marketing philosophies that guide you?

I think of myself as an entrepreneur, not just an author. I am building an empire here. Not only do I have to act as a creator of the story and characters, I also have to be the QA department, marketing, sales, administration, and customer service. I often seek out help from friends and family for help in building this empire, but I am the head honcho in charge of success. If I don’t lead and push onward through thick and thin, I will not succeed. So, when I think about my career, I think about it as a whole business, not just the writing part. I am constantly learning about marketing and promotion, publicity, taxes, craft, and more. I am always on the lookout for people who may be able and willing to help me find success, and thinking about how I can repay them for their help and generosity. I write up daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. I have a career plan I update twice a year. I eat, drink, and sleep the writing business, coming close at times during the year to being on the receiving end of a family intervention due to my obsession with writing. I’m not in this for a little bit of income on the side, I’m in it to become a best seller. I know from studying the bestsellers that it’s going to take a lot of hard work and sacrifice to succeed, so I’m hunkered down and in it for the long run.

When it comes to marketing and my career, I have many inspiring quotes tacked to my wall that keep me motivated. Here are a few of my favorites:

If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it.—Jonathan Winters

Don’t think “can’t.” Because if you think you can’t, then you won’t.—Unknown

Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway.—John Wayne

There is nothing like Authorhood to keep a bitch humble.—Amber Scott, author (and my career coach)

Thank you, Ann! It's been a pleasure having you here, sharing your story. I'm sure you've been an inspiration to many. Your approach and dedication to the success of your career is a blueprint the rest of us would be wise to study and emulate. Nearly Departed in Deadwood is about the most fun I've had in a year! I have no doubt it will be a huge hit!

Thank you for having me here, Susan. I’m a huge fan of Death By A Dark Horse and can’t wait to read the second book in the series when it comes out.

You can visit with Ann at 1st Turning Point, her blog Plot Mamas, And her website, Ann Charles. Get your copy of Nearly Departed In Deadwood at;

Amazon

Smashwords

Barnes & Nobel

Levels Of Deception -- Sample

2011-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

We're working hard, getting closer to the release of Levels Of Deception -- the second in the Thea Campbell mystery series! This adventure starts in Snohomish, Washington before sending Thea into the fossil-laden hills of Montana on a mission to clear Paul of the suspicion of theft and solve the murder that brought the thefts to light. How she manages to stay alive, much less hang on to her sanity is a wonder!

Here's the first chapter!

Levels of Deception -- Chapter 1

Paul's e-mail said the craters left at the dig site in Montana had likely been made by big earth-moving equipment. They were literally deep enough to swallow a truck. Every last fossil Paul located last year was gone. With a scant two days before the start of his fieldwork class, he needed my help. Now. He was the professor in charge.

I shut down my computer, shoved my camera and the other assorted items he'd listed into a tote bag, and dressed at a rate that would have impressed Wonder Woman. He and I had been together for three blissful, intense months, and this was my first opportunity to show him I'd be there for him when he had a crisis. I flew out my front door and into the fickle Northwest summer sunshine, headed for Seattle and the Burke Museum. I was "girlfriend on a mission" doing everything she could to help the man she was crazy about.

In the short while it took to drive south from Snohomish, and the long while I spent bogged down in Seattle's frustrating rush-hour traffic near the University District, I mentally reviewed Paul's instructions and rehearsed the procedures: Find the parking garage, speed-walk to the museum's archives, locate and photograph each of the fifteen fossils he listed, in the manner he indicated, zip home and e-mail him the photographs. Piece of cake. I'd be a hero and have time to take a dressage lesson on my horse after a full day of work, exactly as I'd planned before reading Paul's e-mail.

However, the annoying delays I'd experienced negotiating the U District's narrow, clogged streets were nothing compared to what I found when I went through the big double doors to the museum's basement archives. My mission stood in danger of being aborted. I stood toe-to-desk with a guard-dragon masquerading as a severely coiffed, gray-haired receptionist. She would not let me pass and would not give me information. There was no negotiating with this woman. I wanted to smite her precious rules right off her thin, tight, policy-reciting lips.

"I'm sorry, Miss Campbell, I told you. I can't let you into the archives," Mrs. Mildred Peabody said, with a sanctimonious lift of her chin and a haughty flare of her nostrils.

Sorry my ass. I drew a breath to plead my case, but she cut me off.

"You're not a student or staff member. The regulations are clear. You missed your appointment time by an hour. General access to the archives must be limited to staff and students or research will suffer. Appointments are meant to be kept." She folded her hands on her aircraft carrier-sized desk. Her gaze did not budge, and her mouth formed an exact, upside-down U.

Freaking stubborn lizard-woman.

"I didn't have an appointment," I said, lowering my heavy bag to the floor and pulling out the printed e-mail. "My instructions arrived at eight this morning." I waved the print-out like a battle flag. "I drove in immediately. Thirty-four and a half miles from Snohomish. Dr. Hudson said," I cleared my throat, "'Go to the archives, find the specimens listed below, use your digital camera and take three views of each. Get them to me yesterday.'" For a long moment the dragon and I locked in a glare-off over the top of the paper. "Dr. Hudson made no mention of an appointment." He'd also failed to mention this potentially mission-foiling road block. I flipped the paper around and held it at arm's length for her to verify.

Her gaze skimmed along the e-mail over the top of her red-framed glasses, then flashed back to me as though she believed eye contact was all that held me in check. Clearly she had no intention of reading anything. Her rule was law. Any reasonable person would have recognized this as an emergency. Any reasonable person would have pitched in to help. Any reasonable person would have been, dammit, reasonable.

"I don't understand why you can't make an exception in an emergency." I crossed my arms. The e-mail still clutched in my hand now sported new creases thanks to my frustration.

"This is not an emergency." The little lines that led the way to her upper lip deepened into furrows.

"Yes, it is." I forced my jaw and mouth to relax so they wouldn't match hers.

Her eyes sparked. "If we make an exception for one person then it won't be long until we have a veritable stream of people wandering in off the street. That's what the museum upstairs is for. Those are the rules."

I'd be damned if I was leaving the museum's archives without the pictures. I opened my mouth, intending to defeat her with the calm, faultless logic that pointed out how a professor's emergency needs for his class pre-empted her trivial protocol, but my temper substituted words and turned up the volume of my voice.

"Then I guess you'll have to be the one to explain to Dr. Hudson why he can't get the material he needs for his fieldwork class, and why the robbery of his dig site isn't as important as your, your rules."

"Is there a problem here?" The man's voice came from behind me.

I spun, ready to defend my mission to the newest obstacle on the scene, but didn't get the chance. A girlish purr answered the very tall and angular middle-aged man first.

"Dr. Fogel."

I swiveled back to see who else had shown up. No one. No one new, that is. A glow bathed Mrs. Peabody's cheeks. She removed her glasses and delicately touched the edge of her crisp, white collar. The dragon had turned into the damsel, and she wasn't in distress. Astounding.

"This is Thea Campbell. She --"

"Oh, you're Thea," he said, his tone both surprised and pleased.

I made another quick pivot.

Dr. Fogel extended his hand. Pure reflex caused me to shake it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Andrew Fogel. Paul dropped me a note, said you'd be by sometime this morning. Helping him with some material he needs, eh?"

The unexpected courtesy caused me to stumble over my "Yes." I darted a sideways glance at Mrs. Peabody. Her gaze narrowed ever so slightly at me before focusing softly on Dr. Fogel.

"Dr. Fogel, Miss Campbell isn't a student or staff member." She seemed to be having trouble holding down a confident little smirk -- like she'd found the trump card necessary to boot me out.

I geared up to argue my case once more, but didn't get the chance.

He smiled thinly at Mrs. Peabody. "I guess you'll need to give her directions, then. I'm off to my meeting." He turned to me. "I'm sure Mrs. Peabody will give you all the assistance you need." With a minute nod, he was out the door. I hadn't had time to gather my wits and thank him.

"Through there." Mrs. Peabody pointed her glasses to a set of double doors to the right, her expression a wintry shade of neutral. "Take the first right and second left. There will be a door on the right. The sign says 'Storage: Vertebrate Fossils'. The light switches are to the left, just inside the doors."

"Thank you," I said, shouldering my bag.

She ignored me, slid her glasses on and returned to her typing. If I pounded on my keyboard the way she did I'd break a finger. I walked away, shoulders braced against possible flying objects. None came.

When I rounded the first corner in the dank hallway I pranced an impromptu jig complete with a victory arm-pump. The dragon was conquered. I'd get Paul's errand done and save his class. His relief when he saw my pictures would light up the phone lines -- when he could get to a phone to call. Yes sir, we were a team, despite the hundreds of miles separating us.

I followed Mrs. Peabody's directions of a right turn then a left, separated by a couple of long hallways she didn't mention, until I reached the heavy metal doors with the sign "Storage: Vertebrate Fossils." I pushed through into darkness that smelled of frigid, dry dirt, and shivered. My skin shrank under my cotton tank top and summer-weight crop pants. My sockless ankles felt like they'd been splashed with ice water. A steady, low hum from an air-conditioning duct somewhere above virtually announced I wouldn't be warming up any time soon.

Feeling my way along the rough concrete wall, I located the bank of light switches, and flipped them all up. So far, so good -- until I turned around.

Row after row after row of industrial-heft racks stretched to the ceiling far above and marched away into the distance. Specimens crowded every shelf.

Like a little boat with a big hole, my mood sank, and with it my confidence in providing Paul the fast rescue he needed. Hope was lost before I'd begun. Hell, I was lost before I'd begun. If I moved away from the door I'd vanish, forgotten until my desiccated body was discovered years from now by some fledgling paleontologist who'd speculate over my remains, assign me a number, and shove me onto a shelf for possible future study.

Then my gaze settled on a scrap of salvation.

A paper scrap.

An index card taped to the end support of a unit.

I hurried over for a closer look. Hot damn. I'd been tossed a life preserver. On the card were handwritten numbers. Numbers with the same format as the ones on my list. A quick survey confirmed that there were cards affixed to each unit. My morbid musings dissolved. I was buoyant with hope once again.

I found the correct aisle, and located the first fossil. The dang dinosaur bone was heavier than it appeared. I wrapped both arms around it, hugged it to my chest, and staggered to the back of the storage room where Paul told me I would find work space. Sure enough, there was a large, sturdy table. I eased the fossil onto it and investigated the area. Lights, magnifying glasses and other tools that even an untrained person, namely me, could see were meant for examining specimens were stored neatly on open shelves or hanging on pegboard. A computer station was set up next to the table, a typed sheet of instructions taped to the desk top beside the keyboard -- coffee rings indicated its preferred use. I emptied my bag of the camera and other supplies, positioned the fossil on top of a large square of black felt, and arranged the lights. In no time, my makeshift photography studio was ready for business.

"At least three clear, shadow-free views of each specimen" were my instructions. I experimented with different orientations of the piece and took a number of shots, being careful to include a metric ruler to show size. Paul already had pictures of dinosaur bones, in situ, that he'd taken with him to Montana for the lecture and PowerPoint presentation that would start off his class. My guess was that the photographs I was taking were similar to what had been stolen, or what he expected to find at the new site. He probably wanted his students to see what the entire object would look like once recovered. Made sense. I'd sure need to see what I was supposed to be looking for.

A month or so ago I'd been leafing through one of his journals, looking at pictures of bones not yet removed from the ground where they were found. In most cases it was difficult for me to tell the difference between fossils and regular old rocks, even when someone was pointing to them.

"It takes practice to develop an 'eye'," my lover said. Delighted at my interest, he explained what to look for, pulling visual aids from his briefcase and dragging me out to the garden behind the house for a live comparison with actual rocks.

After that, every time I went out to the garden to weed I'd examine each rock for fossil potential. Every time he'd grin, kiss me, say, "Nope," and toss it into the blackberry bushes at the back of the yard.

After a week of that routine I uncovered a fist-sized, pulse-quickening treasure.

"Excellent example of lepus silicis." He hefted the smooth, gray, probable fossil, turning it with care.

Then he pitched it.

I jumped, too late, for his arm.

"Hey! That's a lepus silicis!" I restrained myself from smacking him with my gardening gloves. "Go get it out of the blackberries."

"You never took Latin, did you?" The edges of his eyes crinkled.

"No. I took Advanced Calculus to feel superior."

"Lepus silicis. Rabbit rock."

"What the hell's a rabbitrock?"

With solemn authority he laid a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "A rock you throw at rabbits."

I punched his arm. Laughing, he caught me before I could hit him again, threw me over his shoulder, and carted me back to the house. Frickin' comedian.

An hour later, when we were both smiling contentedly, he enticed me to accompany him in July to Montana where he'd teach his six-week fieldwork class. But, there was no way I could leave my accounting business. The best I could arrange was two weeks. At the time it was barely May, and although he wouldn't be leaving until the end of June, a missing-him ache already surrounded my heart.

In hindsight, it turned out to be a good thing. My dedication to my clients made it possible to run these errands today.

I finished photographing the first fossil and admired the images on my camera. All twelve of them. I'd send them all. He'd be thrilled, and with the help I was giving him he'd still have time to scout out a new location for the students to explore and excavate. I was swimming in self-confidence.

After returning the first fossil to its proper shelf, I located the next one and repeated the process. As I was setting up the third specimen there was a whoosh and thump as the big storage room door opened then closed. I didn't expect to be the only one doing work but was a little surprised when the echo of footsteps came closer. A young man, probably a few years short of my twenty-nine, dressed in khakis and an almost white short-sleeve shirt, rounded the end of the stacks and approached. His aquiline nose found the perfect accompaniment in the unrestrained, enthusiastically curling brown hair that brushed his shoulders. However, an aggressive scowl trumped any potential friendliness his appearance might have produced.

"Hello," he said, and crossed his arms.

"Hi." I lowered my camera and smiled.

His gaze barely touched my setup before snapping back to me. "Taking pictures?"

Wow. What a masterful command of the obvious. In the pause before I answered, a flush crept up his neck and he shoved his hands into his pockets. Poor guy. He really didn't have a firm grip on "man-in-charge."

"Yes. Dr. Hudson asked me to take some photographs and e-mail them to him. I'm Thea Campbell, by the way." I held out my hand.

"Scott Loch." He extracted a hand from his pocket and gave mine a damp, cursory shake. "I'm surprised the web site photos aren't sufficient." His gaze went to the list of fossils sitting on the table. "Is this yours?" He picked up the e-mail printout.

"Yes. The web site shows only one view of each fossil." I was surprised he didn't know that. "Are you part of the Paleontology Department staff?"

Instead of replying, he took a long look at the e-mail with my name and Paul's in the heading. Call me crazy, but I was willing to bet he hadn't shown up out of curiosity. He was checking on me, and I suspected Mrs. Peabody had put him up to it. The woman wasn't going to give up. He put the paper down before he answered my question.

"More or less. I'm a grad student and Dr. Whitaker's secretary for the summer. Are you an undergrad?"

"Dr. Whitaker?"

"Department head."

"Oh, right. Actually," I said. "I'm a friend of Dr. Hudson's. I'm just running this errand for him."

A hank of his hair fell forward. Frowning, he pushed it back, briefly snagging his fingers. "He could have asked one of us. Why didn't he?"

"I'm sure I don't know." And as much as I hated to admit it, he had a point.

"Are you sure you're able to manage this?" He picked up the copy of Paul's e-mail again. This time he seemed to be reading the instructions. He kept glancing at my setup. "Pat should have gotten in touch with me."

"Pat?" I asked. The name wasn't familiar.

"She's Dr. Hudson's graduate assistant this summer."

My molars slammed together with enough force to send a sharp pain through my temples. Paul's graduate assistant out in the wilderness with him was a woman? Was there a reason he had not told me his assistant was female, had not corrected me when I'd commented on how pleased he seemed to be that he had gotten him for an assistant? This was phone call material. E-mail was too easy to evade. Not that I was jealous. Just cautious. And not stupid.

"The camera? Can I see it?" Scott's hand extended toward me and flapped in a give-it-to-me gesture. I guess I missed the first request.

Although I tried to think of one, I couldn't find a reason why he shouldn't see my photographs. Irritated, I passed the camera to him and waited for him to ask me how to operate it. He scanned the shots I had taken with the assurance of a techno-geek, then returned it to me.

"Don't let me keep you from your work," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Right.

Within two undisturbed hours I'd relegated Pat to the status where she belonged -- an academic necessity -- and photographed nearly all the fossils. There were four I couldn't locate, although I spent a good deal of time trying. Paul needed them. Maybe someone had checked them out, like library books. I rolled my shoulders and sighed. There was only one thing to do. Get help. I would have to go back to the dragon.

She wasn't there, but Dr. Fogel was. My jaw unlocked.

He stood, absorbed in some papers, and didn't notice me walk up.

"Excuse me," I said.

He paused in his reading, gave me a blank look, then a congenial nod.

"Miss Campbell, done already?" He pushed his glasses up his long thin nose.

"No, I'm afraid not. I ran into some problems and wondered if you could help."

"I can try." Although the man was all straight lines and angles, his expression held soft humor.

"I'm having some trouble locating some fossils on my list." I handed it to him. "I circled the catalogue numbers of the ones I couldn't find."

All at once his edges and angles sharpened. "Ah yes, I see. How's everything going at the dig?"

He should know. Paul told him I was coming, he must have told him why as well. A zing of warning spiked up my spine. It was the same feeling I got whenever a horse I was riding telegraphed his tension when sensing a possible threat. Instinct kicked in; minimize my reaction, and divert attention. "He hasn't said much. So, the fossils I couldn't find -- I was wondering if someone might have checked them out."

Affable once again, his warm brown eyes regarded me with amusement over the top of his glasses. "No, all specimens remain in the archives. Although it's possible someone might have put them back on the wrong shelf. That happens sometimes." He perused the list, his eyebrows making journeys up and down his forehead as he read. "Well, let's go see what we can find."

He preceded me down the hallway at a brisk pace, my list fluttering in his grasp. I sprinted, catching the storage room door just before it closed behind him, slipping once again into the chilly, dry-earth-scented repository.

Dr. Fogel had already reached the first fossil location and was scanning the shelf above and below its assigned spot when I caught up. He made an about-face and examined the shelves on the opposite side of the aisle, just as I had done. He harrumphed, consulted the list, and hustled to another aisle. This he did twice more with the remaining specimens while I followed anxiously waiting for an exclamation of success that never came. With a shake of his head, he headed to the computer, pulled up a search screen, and typed in the catalogue numbers, his large hands moving with surprising dexterity over the keyboard. Then he repeated the search using the Latin name of each specimen, and again with other search criteria. With each effort his frown grew more pronounced, and the furrow between his eyebrows deeper. He consulted my list again, then headed for the stacks. Again. I listened to his rummaging as he moved from one area to another, checking areas of the storage room I hadn't. My worry grew right along with my irritation at being left uninformed. After several long minutes he returned.

"Let me check something else."

I chewed my lip and traipsed after him to the computer. He clicked on a couple of links, and stared at the screen, one hand resting on his hip and the other covering his mouth and chin. The blue and white screen cast an eerie reflection on the lenses of his glasses, making him appear eyeless.

"At least I can get the rest off to Paul." I tried to sound unworried.

"What? Oh, right, yes. Good idea." He lightly tapped his jaw.

"Maybe the photographs I have already will be enough."

He nodded as though he were responding to the sound of my voice rather than the words, then shut down the computer and walked away. He stopped and turned, his index finger touching his lips before pointing at me. "Perhaps the specimens you found will be sufficient."

"Thank you for your help," I said to his now-retreating back.

I combed my fingers through my hair and massaged the back of my neck, rolling my head. There was nothing to do but go home with what I had. The idea didn't make me happy. I should be able to do better than this. Giving up never sat well with me, whether riding my horse, working on my clients' books, or anything else. Paul was fast becoming the most important person in my life, yet I had to give up on something that was important to him. But, dammit, what else was I supposed to do?

I packed my camera and supplies in my bag and left. I'd found and photographed eleven of the items on Paul's list. I paced, distracted, down the now-familiar, long hallway flogging my memory for some clue, some approach I'd missed that would help me get the remaining four fossils.

Paul was efficient. Every photograph would have a specific purpose for his lecture, and he was missing better than a quarter of them. If I'd planned the presentation my list would … include back-ups -- duplicates, or near duplicates, just in case there were problems.

I stopped. Why hadn't I thought of that earlier? That was it!

Had he thought of that -- to include back-ups?

My excitement sputtered. How was I going to find out? Why hadn't I asked Dr. Fogel before he left? The dragon was probably back at her desk. Now I'd have to ask her where I could find him. Damn.

I hiked my bag more securely on my shoulder. Okay, then. I'd faced her once. I could face her again. As I rounded a turn in the corridor Dr. Fogel's voice echoed softly ahead, coming toward me but still some ways away. Hope I could avoid Mrs. Peabody again quickened the pat-pat of my sneakered feet until Scott's angry, strident pitch cut off Andrew Fogel's quiet tone, halting my rush.

"If you don't do something I'll --"

"You'll do nothing. I'm certain he already suspects me. If you're found out it will --"

Their voices were getting closer.

"I won't jeopardize our plan." Scott's tone was a sneer. "But I'm telling you we have to do something about her."

Her? Her who? Her me? What had I done? Crap.

There was nowhere to hide.

Kindle Drawing! Need Information! Hurry! Important!

2011-02-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Time is drawing near to select the name of the winner of the

FREE KINDLE!

The following people need to contact me right away with your email address so I can enter you in the drawing.

susan@susanschreyer.com

Remember, if we can't get in touch with you, you can't win!!

Check this list for your name, and good luck to all of you. We had a great time!!

JodyC

Kharpertian, Zoe

Delaney, Wendy

David

Jessica Ann

Miss Ash

Riley

Russell Family

Gift Basket Awarded -- There's Cheering in the Streets!

2011-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Death By A Dark Horse gift basket has been awarded!

Yay!

I assigned numbers to all who commented on yesterday's blog, then used a random number generator to choose the winner.

So, without further ado.....the winner is......

Judy Cox

Congratulations, Judy! And thank you, all, for stopping by and creating such a fun experience!

The Bunnies are happy

The horse is happy

And all of that means, I'm happy!

Don't forget, there is still the Kindle give away coming up and you are ALL entered in that.

ALSO

You'll want to stop by the Indie Book Collective tomorrow.

Find out what's shaking in the Blog Tour de Force wrap-up.

As Dog Is My Witness...

2011-01-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12th and FINAL stop on the Blog Tour de Force! Congratulations to all of you who have made it this far. You WILL be rewarded!

Without further ado....sit back, relax, and prepare to enjoy yourself and win more stuff!

As Dog is My Witness....

Animals in boxes are good, too.

I really like animals in books.

No, that's wrong. I love animals in books. I love the ordinariness of cats and dogs that act just exactly like cats and dogs. I also love it when I must suspend disbelief and accept behavior that simply would never happen in real life. Even made-up, fanciful animals are fun. In fact, it's not just in books where animals delight me. Movies, TV, plays, you name it. The animals can steel the show and seal the deal for me.

Eddie is the inspiration for "Blackie"

I write horses into my stories, and not just to give vent to my passion for the magnificent creatures. I use them to show the human characters' depth and illuminate them in ways that would otherwise be cumbersome and less entertaining. For example, my protagonist's close connection with her horse shows facets of her personality to the reader in a way that's understood on a gut level. And because all of us have loved at least one animal, we get it.

In Heartsblood, the book that kicked off this blog tour on January 17, Carolyn McCray includes an animal we have never seen before. She uses our very human reaction to an unknown animal (caution at the least, fear at the most) to masterfully play up the tension in the story. We see what this animal can do before we encounter it, and by the time we see it, we're terrified -- and have no trouble understanding why the protagonist is shaking in her shoes.

If I were giving a class on writing, and instructing my students on hooking the reader by their emotions I would recommend studying the way animals interact and their behavior patterns in order to understand the visceral way we humans interact. To make trust and love believable one has only to observe animals -- the ones who have been nurtured and the ones who have been damaged -- to find out what a reader will find believable in the characters we create. Melissa Ecker, would get an "A" in my class for her erotic romance Pull The Trigger the book that preceded mine in the blog tour. She uses very steamy scenes to lead the reader to understand her character's journey to trust and love.

Animals in stories. They're endearing, useful, illuminating.

Now, a short word from my sponsors ....

Pop over to Jessica Subject's blog site, "Mark Of The Stars," to read an interview Jessica did with me. She asked some great questions about my journey as an author and posted an excerpt from Death By A Dark Horse. I think you'll enjoy it!

"Conversations With Self" has a review of my book. Len Lambert hails from London, England and puts an international spin on things.

Don't forget to "Bring A Friend" to the blog tour. You still have time, and you'll get even more chances to win that Kindle and other great prizes! Go to the Blog Tour de Force home page if you don't know how to do this.

And Now......

PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES!

Win: 20 free tickets for the Kindle drawing and...!
How: GO to Smashwords and download a free sample. THEN post a comment, HERE, on my blog with your favorite line from anywhere in Death By A Dark Horse. Every single one of you will win 20 free tickets for the Kindle drawing!

But WAIT there's MORE!

Be sure I have your email address, because 100 of you will receive a coupon for a FREE copy of Death By A Dark Horse!

Even More? Yes!

At the end of the tour ALL of you are entered to win a gift basket, full of goodies bought just for you in Snohomish PLUS a Death By A Dark Horse mug AND a trade paperback copy of Death By A Dark Horse

One final goodie -- if you go over to Conversations With Self , type in a comment and add somewhere, "The Black Queen's Bishop" you'll get 5 extra entries in the Kindle drawing!

Thanks to each and every one of you for participating in this amazing Tour de Force.

I hope you've all enjoyed what we 12 authors and 25 sponsors have had to offer.

Don't forget to go to the IBC Home Page tomorrow for the final prize hunt.

It will be well worth your effort!

Levels Of Deception -- the second Thea Campbell mystery

2011-01-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

Yay!! The second Thea Campbell mystery, Levels Of Deception, will be coming soon! Expect it to see it available in e-format and print toward the end of February! In this adventure Thea must step out of her familiar world of dressage and Snohomish, Washington, and into Paul's world of paleontology in the hills of Montana.

Here's the backcover blurb:

And just a reminder -- Don't forget the Blog Tour de Force. And especially don't forget to drop by here on Saturday when it's my turn! Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Sample Sunday and a reminder of PRIZES!

2011-01-16T21:33:00.000-08:00

In this week's sample from Death By A Dark Horse, Thea meets Frederick Parsons, the murder victim's father -- a man rumored to have ties to organized crime. He has arrived on Thea's doorstep and requested a chat with her. How can she refuse?

Up close, Valerie's father was not as old as I first thought. He had classic, handsome features, and oozed elegance. But a steel-like formality about him made it clear he was not a man to cuddle up to. I tried to picture him bouncing his little blond girl on his knee. Nope, not this man.

"Won't you sit down?" I asked.

"I don't want to take much of your time," he said, disregarding my invitation. "I came to talk to you about my daughter."

He looked squarely at me. His gaze flicked to the bruises on my face, then back to my eyes.

"I understand it was your horse in the pasture at her house."

"Yes," I said, and swallowed. Blackie seemed to be everyone's favorite topic of conversation lately.

"I also understand I was mistaken in believing my daughter's death was an accident involving your horse." The muscles in his face were so tense his lips barely moved when he spoke.

"That's correct."

"How did your horse come to be in that pasture?"

"Someone took him from Copper Creek Saturday evening."

"Someone? Was it my daughter?"

His expression didn't change and neither did the tone of his voice, but I felt a rush of compassion for him. He was grieving and worried about the kind of person his daughter actually was.

"Mr. Parsons, no one knows who was driving Valerie's rig. No one saw the driver. It could have been her, but quite honestly, that doesn't make sense to me." In half a heartbeat I'd announced my abandonment of the "Valerie-is-a-crook" stance -- again. Who could blame me? Maybe I'd believe it myself on one of these go-rounds.

"Nor does it make sense to me, Miss Campbell." The floor creaked as he walked across the hardwood of my entryway and into my living room. He looked around as if browsing in a gift shop. The photographs on the bookcase caught his eye and he strolled over to have a closer look. One picture was of Juliet. The other was of me on Blackie with Uncle Henry. Mr. Parsons picked up the one of Blackie and studied it, then did the same with Juliet's picture. "Your sister?"

"Yes." My face went cold, and my scalp seemed to shrink. I wanted to grab the photograph out of his hands. But before I made a move he returned it to its place on the bookshelf.

"Should you have any knowledge to share with me I would like to encourage you to do so. It would be prudent."

I locked eyes with him and set my jaw. "I'm afraid I'm as baffled as you, Mr. Parsons. More, perhaps."

"I intend to find out who killed my daughter and set her up to look like a common thief."

He held my gaze long enough for me to understand he considered me part of the equation. I did a quick reevaluation of my sympathy for him and discarded it.

Don't forget! The Blog Tour de Force begins this week! Carolyn McCray is first up. Go to her blog and find out all the great prizes she's giving away. Her book Heartsblood is a great read -- paranormal, contemporary urban-fantasy, time-traveling, romance, betrayal, and a freaking scary creature with cunning and strength. You won't be able to put it down! And while you're over at the Blog Tour de Force home page, sign up for the newsletter to get daily reminders of where to go and prizes to be won. You also automatically get 5 additional entries to win the Kindle!

Blog Tour de Force

2011-01-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

Okay friends, here's the first week's line up for the Blog Tour de Force. There are links to each blog, so go and visit, and ENTER to WIN that FREE KINDLE and tons of other prizes!! Go on now!! Do it!! I want you to win!! You're MY people!! GO TEAM!! Here's the links;

Blog Tour de Force Home Page

Go there anytime

January 17 - Carolyn McCray Heartsblood   Review by: Mark Of The Stars
January 18 - Kris Tualla A Matter Of Principle   Review by Mark Of The Stars
January 19 - Rebecca Tsaros Dickson I Could Tell You Stories   Review by Mark Of The Stars
January 20 - Marissa Farrar - The Dark Road   Review By Mark Of The Stars
Januray 21 - George H. Sirois - Excelsior   Review by Mark Of The Stars
January 22 - Ann Charles - Nearly Departed In Deadwood  Review by Mark Of The Stars

Sample Sunday - and More!

2011-01-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Before we launch into this week's sample, I've got two bits of news -- both fun & rewarding in their own ways!

News flash #1: The second book in the Thea Campbell Mystery Series, Levels Of Deception is being readied for publication! Expect to see the cover art soon, some tantalizing bits of story, and when in February (yes, next month!) you can expect to see it hit the virtual shelves!!

News flash #2: The Blog Tour de Force! Don't miss it!! It's fun, easy AND you could win stuff!! A FREE KINDLE with 12 FREE BOOKS! Gift baskets from the twelve participating authors (including me!)! Here's the link to the Blog Tour de Force - Get Loaded! The tour begins on January 17, so mark your calendar!

Now, on to our regular feature.

In today's sample from Death By A Dark Horse, Thea explains the latest bit of drama to her Aunt Vi and Uncle Henry, only to have the conversation take an unexpected turn!

Resting the ice pack against my jaw, I gave a brief sketch of Paul's rescue to an attentive audience. Aunt Vi tipped her head. Her eyes and mouth formed little "Os." Of course I left out the emotional stuff and the Paul-thing after Greg decamped, although I gave Paul credit for his suggestions. Neither did I mention my encounters with Randy. That couldn't be important. No point in adding needless worry.

"Have you called your parents yet?" my aunt asked.

"Please don't tell Mother and Dad. I swear I'll tell them after the police solve this. There's nothing they can do. They'll only worry. Please?"

"They're your parents, love, they have a right to know what's going on."

"I know, but since I'm not involved anymore wouldn't it be better if we tell them after the sheriff solves this? Then they won't worry over nothing. Please, Aunt Vi?" I turned an imploring gaze on Uncle Henry. "Please? It's not like you're not right here."

He ran a hand over his face then studied me for a long moment.

"All right." He flicked a quick glance at Aunt Vi, who shook her head and turned her attention to preparing the tea. "On the condition that, should anything change and you become involved again, they'll be called immediately."

He meant if I were arrested. Good thing I'd left out how close I was to that. I slouched in my chair.

"Thanks. I promise."

Aunt Vi only harrumphed and intently arranged the porcelain tea pot and cups on the table. It was the Spode set with the red rosebuds I bought for her when Jonathan and I flew to Victoria for a weekend last January. If it hadn't been for the shopping and sightseeing, the trip would have been a colossal waste of time.

"It was Blackie's doing, you know," Aunt Vi said pouring the first cup. She handed it to me.

"What was Blackie's doing?" I asked. Talk about a non sequitur.

"At the end of the day, you'll see. He knew." She fixed a cup of tea with milk and handed it to Uncle Henry.

"Blackie knew?" Uncle Henry asked.

"Yes." She passed him the sugar bowl and stirred her tea.

My uncle and I looked at each other. He shrugged minutely. We'd obviously switched subjects, but I wasn't sure what the new subject was. "What did he know?"

Aunt Vi took a deep breath and pursed her lips on the long, slow exhale. Oh. I knew where this was headed but went for the wide-eyed sincere look, anyway.

"What?"

"He knew you were in trouble, of course. He tried to tell us."

I knew it. She was creating a psychic connection out of a coincidence. I shifted around in my chair.

"You know how close you two are," she said. "Why, he always knows when you're on your way. I've seen him out there in the field stop all at once and gaze into the distance." She did a little impression of Blackie -- freezing as if on point, looking intently in the direction of my house, jaw slack. I had to smile. "See? Just like that. Then he whinnies and goes back to eating. Not five minutes later here you come rolling up the drive. I'm telling you, he knew you needed help today, Thea."

"Don't be ridiculous," I said, taking a swallow of tea. "The next thing you'll be telling me is Blackie can read your Tarot cards."

Blog Tour de Force

2011-01-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

This is going to be fun -- an potentially profitable for a few lucky people! Beginning January 17 and going through the 29th the Indie Book Collective is sponsoring a Blog Tour de Force. 12 authors will blog -- one each day, and gift will abound! There will be gift baskets, a scavenger hunt and **Ta Da!** A FREE KINDLE with 12 FREE Books!!

How cool is that? Mark your calendar and join the fun and maybe, just maybe you might be the one to win the Kindle!

Go have a look! Yeah, right now!

Writing Horses will be the last stop on the tour, and the book I'll be giving away will be Death By A Dark Horse, of course!

Just to let you know, I've read some of the other books and they're excellent! You will be one happy reader should you win!

Sample Sunday

2011-01-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

Someone out there had a really good idea a while back: each Sunday post an excerpt from a book, giving people a peak at something other than the standard couple of chapters. Of course, if you want to read the first couple of chapters they're available over at my website http://www.susanschreyer.com.

This excerpt from Death By A Dark Horse is taken from the scene where protagonist Thea Campbell and friends Delores and Miguel have made a foray to a local biker bar to run down a lead. Thea is convinced the theft of her horse Blackie is connected to the murder of rising dressage star Valerie Parsons, although the police and several others don't seem to share her conviction.

The Broken Axle, a single-story, concrete-block building with few windows, was painted a shade of blue usually seen on playground equipment. Neon signs, lined up under the eaves, proclaimed the brands of beer supposedly available within. The name of the bar was hand lettered across several sheets of plywood, affixed to the roof by an intricate structure of two-by-fours. A single spotlight illuminated the sign. The mist that hung earlier in the cold night air had turned to drizzle, making the seats of the numerous motorcycles parked near the door so reflective they appeared bright blue. Two men, not quite lost in shadow halfway along one of the building's walls, stood in close conversation. A quick exchange was made, a hand to pocket, then a glance in our direction. I looked away. Drugs, probably. Maybe one of them was an undercover cop. Maybe.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets, shrank into the collar of my parka, and stepped closer to Miguel and Delores. If I'd been alone I would have turned back.

Inside the bar was as crowded with bodies as the parking lot was with motorcycles. The din of laughter and shouts that passed for conversation surged around us like the acrid smoke-thick air. A basketball game blaring from the tiny TV over the bar, and the crack of billiard balls provided the only form of music in the place. Miguel led the way, winding past pool tables and around big men who, despite their inclination to study us with unconcealed interest, were disinclined to move. Every nerve in my body vibrated in a state of red alert. I stopped looking around and kept my gaze pinned on Miguel's broad back, only a foot in front of me.

He found an empty table and rounded up three chairs I touched the table top as I sat. Ick. Sticky. An ash tray directly in front of me overflowed with reeking cigarette butts. The stench, mixed with the odor of men who made scant use of deodorant or soap, stung my eyes and coated the insides of my nostrils. I couldn't remember the last time my senses had been so assaulted.

We'd barely sat when a young woman with blonde and hot pink, spiky hair, multiple facial piercings and an empty tray on her hip, slid between two customers and stood at our table regarding us with a bored expression.

"Beer?" she asked.

I was fairly certain we'd heard the entire selection.

"Three," Miguel said.

The girl pushed her way between the customers and disappeared. Miguel scanned the crowd. "I do not see him," he said, obviously referring to our quarry. "I will take a look around. Do not go anywhere." He looked directly at me.

I didn't think he needed to worry. Delores scooted her chair closer to me and glared at the backside of a guy who bumped her. I was hemmed in by similar blue-jean and leather-clad body parts. I wasn't going anywhere -- even if I wanted to.

Several long minutes later Miguel returned and gave a slight shake of his head. The waitress following in his wake kept me from asking him any questions. She held the tray with our three beers balanced on one hand at shoulder height. I put a twenty on the table and she snagged it with the first glass she banged down.

I seized the opportunity. "I wonder if you could tell me whether a friend of ours has been in tonight?"

"Who're you lookin' for?"

"Middle-aged white guy, brown hair, overweight," Miguel said.

"No kidding? He shouldn't be too hard to single out. Only half the guys in here look like that. Take your pick." Little Miss Sarcastic snapped her chewing gum and pocketed the twenty.

"He was here last night, dropped a lot of cash buying his buddies drinks," I added.

She gave me a suspicious once over. "He do somethin' wrong? You a cop?"

"No to both," I said. "We might want to hire him. I hear he drives trucks and sometimes hauls horse trailers."

"I'll let him know you been lookin' for him -- should I happen to see him." She shouldered her way back through the crowd with her empty tray.

"Keep the change," I muttered. We wouldn't see her again. I should have realized anyone here would treat us with distrust. We had no idea what we were doing.

"I think we should leave," Delores said.

I couldn't have agreed more. What a waste of time. Miguel took a couple of swallows from his glass before he got up, but Delores and I left ours untouched.

The moment I stood a strong grip engulfed my upper arm. My heart tried to break out of my rib cage, and my lips turned to ice as the blood left my face. A Sumo wrestler of a man, wearing yards of studded black leather, held me in place with his enormous paw. A dark blue tattoo covered the back of his hand and his forearm. The subject of the artwork was indiscernible, but then again, I wasn't studying it too closely.

Animals in Books -- an emotional hook

2010-12-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

I really like animals in books. No, that's wrong. I love animals in books. I love the ordinariness of cats and dogs that act just exactly like cats and dogs. I also love it when I must suspend disbelief and accept behavior that simply would never happen in real life. Even made-up, fanciful animals are fun. In fact, it's not just in books where animals delight me. Movies, TV, plays, you name it. The animals can steel the show and seal the deal for me.

Writing "Blackie" in Death By A Dark Horse was a joy. I dipped into emotions, feel, and smell that were right at the surface. No digging around in unpleasant, buried memories. Even those scenes where Thea has dressage training problems were easily accessible. Difficulties in riding are usually learning experiences -- events you want to keep available so you can remember how to solve the problem when it occurs again.

Best of all -- from a novel-writing standpoint -- the relationship between my protagonist and her horse add a dimension to her that would be otherwise difficult to show, and wouldn't be nearly as much fun to read. Any time a writer includes an animal in the story and shows a character interacting with it they are accessing the reader on an emotional level. When your aim is to hook the reader you can't beat emotions to get the job done.

In a book I read recently, one of the main characters began acting in a rather dangerous manner. His behavior had me worried. I'd wanted him to be a good guy. In fact, the author had built the story up to make his good-guy-dependability essential to the plot -- to the survival of the other characters. I was worried, really worried. But when the guy fell asleep (worn out as he was from his bad behavior) and three dogs and two cats cuddled up and refused to leave him, I knew (even if the other characters were still doubting) that at heart he was good and the author would be using internal as well as external conflict to challenge this character. The author didn't need to say anything else, the character didn't need to do anything different. I was hooked on an emotional level I had no control over. My initial prediction of the demise of this character was replaced by the foreshadowing of a plot twist. I wanted to find out how this character was going to solve his problem and what was going to happen next. I was rooting for him because of the animals.

Those of us who love any animal feel the connection in our hearts, and have felt it since we were small children with big imaginations. As writers, it's an opportunity to make use of, no matter how brief, that will impact the reader on a visceral level.

I love animals in books. It's a relationship that's worth a thousand unwritten words.

Adventures in Uploading

2010-11-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

Uploading your manuscript to Smashwords and Amazon is easy -- thankfully. I've done it a dozen times with Death By A Dark Horse. No need to feel hesitant, or fearful about mistakes. The world isn't going to see what you put out there until you hit the "publish" button, and even then it will take a little time -- a couple of days for Amazon -- for your book to hit the catalogs.

You already know I recommend scouring your manuscript using the Smashwords Style Guide. My totally arbitrary choice was to upload to Amazon first. You don't have to do it that way.

Once at the dtp.com site I signed in (I already have an Amazon account, if you don't then create one) and followed the super simple steps to create my author account and upload. Don't worry if you mess up. There's very clear prompts that direct you back to the area you need to fix.

First, I uploaded the manuscript, then the cover (they're separate uploads), waited briefly and, when prompted, clicked on the "Review" option.

"Review"?

Yes. Review Every Last Page in the Kindle mock-up window.

"But," you say, "I've already done multiple read-throughs, had a content editor, copy editor, and beta readers go through it. Why am I doing this AGAIN?"

Because Odd Things Can Happen in the conversion process.

I feel somewhat compelled to repeat that -- how about you just read it again. I'll wait.

So, lets talk about what happened to me that caused the multiple uploads to Amazon I mentioned in the first paragraph. I might be able to save you some frustration.

The first couple of pages looked great, then…whoops. A small section had odd margins -- like a chunk of text had the left margin moved a number of spaces to the right…and…oh dear, there was no paragraph break for the second character's dialog.

Dang.

And the further I got into the manuscript, the more frequently the peculiar margin problem and paragraphing problem happened.

Holy cow.

What a mess.

No way could I release this gobble-d-gook to the world.

I checked the Word Doc for anything that might have snuck in. Nothing.

I paced, ate chocolate, and stared at the screen. About then I noticed Amazon's instructions about downloading the HTML document created when I uploaded my manuscript. The instructions were to examine the HTML doc, fix the problem, and resubmit the HTML doc. How hard could that be, right?

Holy cow.

I must have stared at the screen for two solid hours trying to make some sense out of the pointy brackets, slashes, and plentiful-but-terse (and incomprehensible) coding. Never mind there were multiple colors. At long last I began to see a pattern. The same lines of code appeared before each of the oddly formatted sections and nowhere else. I tried an experiment -- how much worse could it get, right? I took out the errant lines of code and replaced them with the code that appeared regularly where there wasn't a problem. Just to be safe -- like a controlled scientific experiment -- I changed only one section. Then I resubmitted the HTML file and…

Viola!

Non-techie me fixed the problem! All I had to do was replace each occurrence of bad code with good code and I was golden!

Five hours later (seriously, FIVE hours) with dinner hastily prepared and bolted, I was at my computer still exercising the search and replace function.

"What are you doing?" my husband asked.

I didn't take my eyes off the screen or my fingers off the keys as I answered. "I'm fixing this freaking HTML file of my freaking book so the freaking margins won't look like some freaking cat half digested my freaking book and freaking threw it up. I'm only one sixth of the way done, I have a freaking headache that starts in my freaking lower back and to be honest I just really don't feel like freaking chatting right now."

"Why don't you just make a new HTML file?"

"I'd have the same freaking problem."

"Use a different HTML generator," he said.

"A different one? That would fix this?"

"Yeah."

I didn't believe him. He booted me out of my chair and ran the clean Word doc file through a different HTML generator…one on my computer. I didn't know I had it. I thought I had to use what Amazon created.

In less than five minutes we were uploading a new HTML file to Amazon. The peculiar lines of code (which I learned were obsolete HTML) were not there. To be honest I didn't think the problem would be solved. But…it was!

I don't know how the antiquated code got there, except that it obviously wasn't in my Word doc file and had to have been injected by the conversion process. I've heard that the conversion process has not been perfected yet. Guess it's true.

The moral of the story is: Check your uploaded book carefully. If you have problems like I did it may just take creating your own HTML file and using that to upload to Amazon. I hope they have the problem fixed soon. This kind of thing could get real discouraging.

Sorry about the long post. I was going to divide this in half, but I figured you'd want to know right away how I fixed the problem -- especially if you are experiencing the same thing yourself.

Death By A Dark Horse -- it's Launch Day!

2010-11-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

It's here! Death By A Dark Horse is now available from Amazon and Smashwords in e-book format for $2.99!

This is a dream-come-true for me. The amount of work and love that went into this project is something every writer can appreciate. A million "thank yous" to every last person who has helped and encouraged me along the way. There will be a smile on my face for the rest of the week -- hey, the whole month!

After the Editing - Cleaning up the manuscript

2010-11-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I mentioned at some point in the not-too-distant past that my plan for getting my manuscript ready for e-publishing was to begin with Smashword's Style Guide. The "word on the street" is that it's easy to follow and did a good job of getting you ready for a clean upload.

This is true.

I'll tell you right off the bat that if you're capable of following directions, you can pull this off. No degree in computer engineering required.

I opted to start by following the instructions for stripping out all the formatting, since I was afraid with all the messing around I'd done with my Word document that I'd left some stuff in that shouldn't be there. It was no big deal to go back and make the few additions I needed -- chapter headings and a few instances of italics.

Once I was done with that -- took only a short while -- I went in and did all the little "tweaky" things, like making sure the paragraph returns didn't have a space in front of them, only 4 blank lines existed between chapters (2 before and 2 after the page break), all the quotes (both single and double) were straight and not "curly" "smart" ones, and the other recommendations. Using the search and replace function was a life/time saver. I was done with the formatting so fast I went back and checked it all over two more times.

Then I added the title and copyright page, the author page, acknowledgements, and dedication. The cover is a separate upload for both Amazon and Smashwords.

Because Smashwords requires specific wording for the copyright page I made a copy of the document for them and a separate one for uploading onto Amazon.

Now I was ready to run a test. I highly recommend you do this step. You'll save yourself some grief. I'll tell you why next week!

10 More Days!

2010-11-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Death By A Dark Horse

will be available in

10 days!

The first 2 chapters are available on my website. Stop by and have a read!

Death By A Dark Horse will be available from Amazon.com and Smashwords.com

after November 15, 2010

No e-reader? No Problem!

Most e-reader software is available to downloand onto your computer for Free from the manufacturer!

Check the website of your choice for details and instructions.

Jargon: Instant Authority or "Geek to Me"?

2010-11-02T23:58:00.000-07:00

This week I am thrilled to have fellow horse-woman and writer Rhonda Lane as my guest. Rhonda mostly rides a desk chair these days where she works on her mystery novels and The Horsey Set , her horses-and-culture blog. She lives in the Hartford, CT, area on a hillside with her husband and their three cats who allow the humans to share their domicile.

A matter of understanding

What does this next sentence mean to you?

“A chestnut wearing green leg wraps stood in the cross ties.”

If you know little or nothing about horses, it’s gibberish. You don’t know a “cross tie” from a “bow tie.”

If you have some familiarity with horses, a picture formed in your mind, except you may have wondered as to what shade of chestnut? And others who know horses may be focused on the cross ties because your barn doesn’t use them or you don’t approve of them.

So, you may not realize that “chestnut” in the earlier sentence refers to the horse’s color, a shade of orangish-brown.

And, if those details are important to the action of the story – even beyond helping you or imagine the scene – then you’re lost. You may even give up on a book you might otherwise enjoy, if you stumble too often on unfamiliar words.

One of the issues with writing “insider” books is making jargon from the world of the story accessible for a wide audience.

How I revise for non-horsey readers

Remember the sentence in question. “A chestnut wearing green leg wraps stood in the cross ties.”

Let’s look at the sentence with the following questions in mind.

The horse has a different question
(photo courtesy of Smitty, Walking Horse Trivia)

Who’s telling the story?

The story is told in first-person by a woman journalist with some knowledge of horses. She’s liable to use the wording of that sentence in question, but my goal is to make the scene vivid for any reader. I want a reader who’s new to anything about horses to see what the protagonist sees, but through the filter of the way my sleuth expresses herself.

Is the detail important?

That the horse is chestnut will be important later in the book. The cross ties? Some equestrian disciplines don’t use them, but this one does. That the leg wraps are green is part of an image system I’ve set up between two rival stables.

Does the detail slow down the plot?

A single short sentence? No. But I’m going to have to break it up into more sentences to help readers orient themselves. That in itself is risky. Unless …

Can I fold the detail into action?

My reporter protagonist is looking for people to interview after a horse show while people are preparing horses for travel. She comes upon a man wrapping the horse’s legs in protective bandages. The cross ties are important because this is a discipline that uses them and I want to show some of the culture and practices of this particular discipline.

What does the thing in question look like/sound like/feel like that everyone knows about?

I can serve two kinds of audiences by stating that the creature in question is “a chestnut horse the color of a caramel apple.” Equestrians now have a shade in mind, and those new to horses can imagine the golden festival treat. That people think happy thoughts when they think of caramel apples serves my purposes, too, because this is a “good guy” horse. (Oops. Spoiler)

Jargon can be good

From the film APOLLO 13 to TV’s ER and CSI shows, jargon usage conveys authority and an insider vibe. Yet, film and TV have the advantage of accompanying visuals to set the unfamiliar words into context.

Readers of novels don’t have visuals to help. Writers have to help readers imagine a scene and the action.

Have you ever had a book spoiled by too much jargon you didn’t understand? If you’re also a writer, how do you simplify your world’s jargon? Can you think of other ways to deal with jargon?

It's Almost Here!

2010-11-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun!

Death By A Dark Horse

will be available on November 15 from Amazon and Smashwords.

Thea Campbell goes out for revenge when the one person who is simultaneously the most likely and least likely candidate for thief steals her horse. But Olympic hopeful Valerie Parsons is past caring about being arrested. She’s dead. At first Thea’s horse is assumed to have killed the woman, but when the coroner determines it was a human hand and not a horse’s hoof that ended Valerie’s life Thea becomes a person of interest. Now intimidating people with little regard for due process are showing up on her doorstep looking to even the score. Toss in her wrecked love life, a sexy geology professor who stirs up more than dust, and an alleged psychic horse, and it soon becomes apparent that Thea’s predictable life is now out of control. As she takes charge of clearing herself of the murder she discovers the victim had a knack for making enemies—one of whom is Thea’s ditsy sister. She pursues her investigation with more at stake than ever, and in a seedy biker bar comes face-to-tattoo with information that will lead the police to the real killer. She dutifully reports to the detective in charge. But Thea is wrong. As close to dead wrong as she ever wishes to get.

Creating the Cover

2010-10-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

Covers are important--even for e-books. It's worth knowing the kind of cover you want for your book because it tells the reader quite a lot about what they can expect. Different genres have different "looks." A book that is light and comedic will not have a cover that looks like it belongs on something dark and sinister. Often times there will be clues to the story incorporated into the artwork. It may even be metaphorical.

I know all this--have known all this and yet…I had no idea what the cover for Death By A Dark Horse should look like. I scoured the website that have downloadable photography. Beautiful photographs and art work, but nothing that looked like my book. I asked my friends and the only thing people could agree on was the presence of a horse.

Well, yeah. I got that part.

Then I remembered an email conversation I'd had months earlier with fellow Sisters in Crime Guppy Chapter member Tracy Hayes. She is not only a writer, but an artist and a horse person. I dropped her a note to see if she'd be interested in working on a cover for me and within minutes I was sending her a copy of my manuscript. She finished the book quickly and in no time we were burning up cyberspace with discussions and ideas. She sent me her initial sketch, I took a look and was amazed.

She absolutely nailed the character of Thea, all the way down to the determined jaw line. Blackie was just right, too. In fact, he looked a lot like a cross between my Eddie, and one of my student's horses.

Then we played with color. Believe me, I made some really icky suggestions, as it turned out. But Tracy was game, and we had some good laughs over some of the combinations. What we ended up with was eye-catching, portrayed Thea and Blackie well, and is metaphorical. The cover encompasses a great deal of meaning--much of which will be understood when the reader finishes the story. As an added touch she included a logo--the dressage horse and rider in the circle at the bottom of the cover. It will appear on every book in the series and will be easily recognizable as part of the brand.

A lot went right when I made the decision to contact Tracy. There's no way I could have done this on my own.

Death By A Dark Horse will launch on November 15, 2010 on Amazon as an e-book. It will be available shortly afterwards on Smashwords and those retailers using their catalog. "Buy" buttons will be on both my blogs and website. I loved writing it. If you have half that fun reading it, you'll have a ball!

Polishing the Manuscript -- attempt II

2010-10-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I started talking about editing my manuscript and never got to finish what I had to say because Jonathan Woods stopped by. So, this week I'm heading back there. The process needs discussing, because there's a lot that can go wrong in the writing and rewriting of a manuscript, and fresh eyes can make the difference between a story that grips the reader and one that, well, doesn't.

By the time you get through the countless rewrites to the "final" version of your manuscript, chances are you've fixed the major gaffs like a character starting out with one name only to have another by the end, logic anomalies, and whatnot, and are left with stuff you don't notice. At this point your content editor will come in handy catching issues like information that should have made it onto the page, but never did.

You can't do it yourself--you're too close.

Your line editor is important, too. They'll catch the embarrassing stuff everyone whose concentration is elsewhere will miss. Misplaced commas can change the entire meaning of a sentence (remember "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves"?), not to mention one letter can change a word completely. I had one character referring to another not as a "good guy" but as a "good buy." Tell me you wouldn't have been rolling on the floor when you read that.

Would that have been Jonathan?

Thea! I wasn't expecting you--and it might have been.

Did Jonathan stop by here and complain to you about Juliet?

Yeah, he did.

I don't know what I'm going to do about him.

He and Juliet don't seem to get along at all.

They don't. And he's sending so many mixed signals to me I don't know what to make of him.

Can I ask you something personal? What got you two together to begin with? He doesn't seem like your type.

My friend Andrea introduced us, and he just pursued me. It was flattering. Besides, he's handsome, works out, likes to go to the theater and concerts. He always knows great places to go, and he really seems to care about me. You know; attentive, polite, relentless--oh, that sounds bad. But it's not like I've ever thought he was "the one." It's nice to have a social life. Why do you ask?

A couple of people asked me. No biggie.

Oh. Well, he really is a nice guy. Really. Just a little overbearing at times. But hey, aren't all men?

You don't have to defend him to me.

I'm not! I mean, I don't need to. It's just that Juliet and he don't get along. Honestly, I don't know what he's so worried about. She's so busy with her own social life she's hardly got time to concern herself with mine. Maybe I'd better go talk to him.

Wouldn't hurt. Then maybe I could continue on with what I started and don't seem to be able to finish because of all the interruptions--just saying. Pass that word around, would you please?

So, where was I…editors. You need them. Don't be tempted to shortcut this step, if you want readers to take you seriously.

Next week: Cover art.

Polishing the Manuscript

2010-10-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

Is one ever done tweaking their manuscript? Probably not. But at some point one has to back away from the minutiae and let someone else have a run at it.

That was the first step to be addressed as I geared up for e-pubbing—except I let two someones have a run at it. I needed someone who hadn't seen the story before take a hard look at the content. Since I've taken classes from Mary Buckham, believe her to be genius, and know she has an editing service I contacted her. Luckily for me, she was able to fit my manuscript into her schedule.

When Mary was done with it, I passed it along to a woman I know who has spent many years as a copy editor, and—

What I want to know is if you were able to do something about Juliet.

Uh, hi, Jonathan. Folks, this is Jonathan Woods—Thea's boyfriend. I didn't know you were going to stop by.

I had some time in my schedule and need to talk to you.

I'm kind of busy right now explaining the self-publishing process to these nice people.

This is important. Juliet is creating potential problems for Thea. I need you to write her out of the story.

Sorry, no can do. She's important, and she's Thea's sister. Besides, the manuscript has already been to the editors. What's the problem, anyway?

I'm certain Juliet has been trying to get Thea to break up with me. Thea's been arguing, uncharacteristically, with my decisions lately. I have plans, Susan, and Juliet is getting in the way.

I'm not so sure Juliet has that much influence—

She does. She fabricates stories, she's disrespectful, and she interferes. There's something going on, and as I stated, I have plans.

What plans?

I won't divulge them. Suffice it to say Thea will be delighted. I have a certain influence, shall we say?

You sound awfully sure of yourself.

Just make sure Juliet is out of the way.

Now, Jonath—dang. The guy pops in, issues orders and pops out. Characters do tend to do what they want, and generally I don't worry, but he seems a bit like he's on a mission and I can't help but think there's going to be trouble. Phooey. I'm going to need to find out what he's up to. We'll continue the self-pub thing next week. Wish me luck.

Step By Step, Inch By Inch--Putting the plan together

2010-10-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm back to chronicling my journey into self-publishing. The decision was in place in August—ahead of my self imposed drop-dead-date. Now what? Obviously, I was going to need to let people know when my book would be out, set up a list of tasks necessary to turn out the best product I could, and set the marketing and promotion machinery into motion.

I decided to approach the process like other (traditionally published) authors approach the release of their books—with an eye to what tasks would fall on my shoulders.

First task: Polish the manuscript…again.

I'd already worked with critique partners, an editor, taken classes to address the areas of my craft that needed work, received input from industry professionals, and rewritten countless times. I was well aware of my weakest points and I needed fresh eyes with proven expertise. I contacted two editors—one for content and the other for mechanics. Yes, I agreed to pay them. After all, this is a business.

Second task: Cover art.

Covers are important. They attract attention and they give clues as to the type of book one can expect to find beneath it. I have a background in art and I made numerous attempts to produce something I was happy with, but nothing was right. I had no vision, and the learning curve for the technical aspects of the job was more than I was willing to take on. After looking around I found fellow Sisters in Crime member Tracy Hayes. She is a graphic artist as well as a writer and her website for her Pastiche Studio showed off her range of talent. I contacted her about doing the cover art and she agreed to read my manuscript and see if she could come up with something appropriate. Yes, I'm paying her, too. After all, this is a business.

Third task: The launch date.

Because I had no idea how long this process would take, I decided to give myself 5 months from announcement to launch. This was totally me playing head games with myself. Too little time, and I'd drive myself and everyone around me crazy, too much time and I'd lose that feel of upcoming excitement. I also promised myself I could be flexible in case something went horribly wrong—or right! This is a business. I have to be adaptable.

Fourth task: The announcement.

I needed a vehicle to announce my forthcoming book. Single announcements on the social networking sites and groups I belong to were just that: single announcements. Too much me me me, and I'd become a pariah. I needed a blog where I could talk about all the things I wanted in regards to my book and people could come and visit when they wanted without feeling like I was shoving myself and my book down their throats. "Things I Learned From My Horse" was doing well, but I'd dedicated it to my horse-oriented audience to whom I'd made an implicit promise. On that blog they would read about the animals they love and how they insinuate themselves into our daily lives, not about my life as a writer. The only thing that made sense, then, was to create another blog. You're reading it now.

Announcing the publication of my book would be the start of the next step: Marketing and promotion. We all know that one announcement simply isn't going to do the job—it's simply the kick-off to a more complex game. After all, this is a business.

Fifth Task: Marketing and promotion.

This is where the learning curve would be steep. I've had some experience in real-world business marketing—enough to know I don't know enough. To give myself credit, however, I have been paying attention to other authors and the things they've been saying about their own processes of dealing with the marketing and promotion burden the publishing industry has pushed off onto them in these tough economic times.

My plan was to immerse myself in marketing and promotion strategies. Yes, I know my audience and had already created a blog, but that wasn't going to be enough. I gave myself permission to take a break from writing to do research. I would read everything I could, listen to what people had to say, ask questions, and seek out experts. In essence, I'd let it wash over me until things started to stick and a plan began to form. At some point I would need to get back to writing so without a marketing plan there was too much of a risk that I'd fritter away the 24 hours in each day, duplicating my own efforts and chasing down non-productive avenues. Essentially, I needed to learn how to be efficient. After all, this is a business.

How it plays out.

In the coming weeks, in between the fun of character interviews and guests, I'll be posting more information about how each of these steps is playing out in real life. After all, this is a business, not a mandate handed down from above. There's bound to be some mistakes, unexpected successes and a few ah-ha moments. Join me!

Interview with Juliet Campbell

2010-09-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today I'm interviewing Juliet Campbell. Although she's not the main character, Juliet plays an important part in Death By A Dark Horse. I'm pleased she can join us to give us some insight into who she is and maybe a little more information about some of the other characters.

Susan Schreyer: Hi Juliet, and thanks for being here. You're Thea's younger sister—

Juliet Campbell: Hi! Yes, I'm six years younger than Thea, and five inches taller, when I'm not wearing heels, which I do most of the time—wear heels. I work at Copper Creek Equestrian Center in the office. I'm the office manager—I knew you were going to ask. Thea does all the accounting for us, and the payroll, so I don't have to, but I do everything else.

SS: Okay, thank—

JC: Oh, and Delores is the owner, which makes her my boss. That's Delores Salatini. She and her husband Frank—who died about five years ago—started the place a long time ago. Frank was a big-time jumper trainer, and Delores did a lot of competing, too, but now she just runs the place. She's really nice, even though she comes across kind of crabby sometimes, and she's good friends with Aunt Vi and Uncle Henry—

SS: Whoa! Hang on a sec, Juliet! Thanks for volunteering all the information, but can we stick to the interview format?

JC: Oh, sure. Sorry.

SS: Do you live in Snohomish, too?

JC: Yes, but not with Thea. I have my own apartment kind of north of where she lives. Living with her would make me nuts. She's not exactly Miss Spontaneity, in case you hadn't noticed. And we have way different taste. You should come see my apartment, the colors will blind you—but in a good way. I've done all the art work and decorating myself. It's not big enough to have parties, which is the only problem.

SS: You have an active social life?

JC: Yeah, absolutely. I go out with friends a lot. I'm over at Thea's quite a bit, too, as well as Aunt Vi and Uncle Henry's. Aunt Vi is a great cook—

SS: Anyone special in your life? A boyfriend?

JC: I've dated lots of guys.

SS: Anybody special right now?

JC: Kind of. I don't know, we'll see.

SS: Who?

JC: You wouldn't know him. Can you believe Thea's still going out with Jonathan? Wow. I mean, what a tool! You know, for as smart as Thea is, you'd think she'd ditch his ass for somebody who'd add a little excitement to her life. How much dull can one person stand?

SS: "Dull" is a bad thing?

JC: It is when there's other options. Shoot, the only thing she's passionate about is riding.

SS: I was under the impression she's happy with her life—except for some problems with Jonathan right now, and of course Valerie. Now there's a touchy subject.

JC: No joke. That girl is such a bi—um, brat. I really hate her.

SS: No confusion on your feelings about her I see. What'd she do that makes you dislike her so much?

JC: She's spoiled--thinks she's so much better than everyone else, and so hot. She's always after the guys. You ought to see her try to play Miguel, our assistant barn manager. It's pretty funny. He's like twice her age and isn't impressed. He's one of the only ones who can handle her vicious-as-hell horse. She thinks she has to flirt with Miguel to get him to do favors for her. It's his job, for crying out loud. He just does what she asks and Delores adds it to her bill. Funny! Poor Eric, though. He has to be polite to her 'cuz he's the barn manager—and well, he's really nice anyway—but she's after him all the time 'cuz he's so hot, and he's…she just makes me angry. Eric shouldn't have to put up with her. I may have to kick her butt.

SS: Eric can't take care of himself?

JC: He can take care of himself just fine, but I don't think he's capable of being rude and if you don't get in Valerie's face she just keeps pushing. I hate her.

SS: I see—

JC: So, listen, I gotta go. You should come try out my motorcycle sometime. It's a yellow Kawasaki Ninja, and it is beyond awesome. It flies!

SS: Oh, thanks, but I'll pass. Don't you---okay, bye! That was Juliet, Thea's younger sister, who seems to be very good at controlling the direction of an interview.

Interview with Thea Campbell

2010-09-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today at Writing Horses I'm interviewing Thea Campbell, the twenty-nine year old protagonist in Death By A Dark Horse. Thea lives in Snohomish, Washington where she was born and raised. She is a self employed accountant and runs her business out of her home (her house is really cute, by the way. I drove by the other day!).

Susan Schreyer: Hi, Thea, thanks for being here! Shall we get started? I understand you quit your job with that big accounting firm in downtown Seattle and started an accounting business that you're running out of your home. Why did you quit your other job? I'd have thought the pay would have been hard to give up.

Thea Campbell: Thank you for asking me here, Susan! To answer your question, there's a lot more to life than making money, and that's all I was doing. I hardly saw my family and friends and it was difficult to keep to a riding schedule—all due to the long commute and long work hours. And let me point out that this wasn't a hasty decision. I don't make hasty decisions.

SS: So with all that extra time, what are you doing? Do you have a social life now?

TC: My business does take up time—it has to be a priority if I'm going to continue to pay the mortgage, but I've been able to ride more and yes, I do have a boyfriend—Jonathan Woods.

SS: So…?

TC: I'm not that serious about him. Not that he isn't husband material, but not for me…. Oh, okay, I can see you're not going to let this drop. I'll be honest with you, since I really doubt he'll read this. We were pretty serious for a while, but lately it seems he's not happy with me. Shoot, I can't even breathe properly some days. And critical? Holy cats. He bought me an "ensemble" the other day to wear to dinner with his parents next weekend. I have clothes, and a purse and jewelry—and certainly nice enough to wear out to dinner with his parents—but it's like he doesn't think I'm capable of choosing appropriate attire. He's making me nuts.

SS: Wow. Why don't you break up with him?

TC: I've tried, but he seems to have a knack for turning things around. I shouldn't be surprised—he's an attorney. He knows how to work an argument to his favor. That shouldn't stop me though. I'm going to have to do it—one of these days. I can't believe I let it go on, but…well, maybe I do really feel something for him….

SS: Uh huh. Maybe we should talk about something pleasant. You're getting more riding in, you said. Tell me about your horse.

TC: That's Blackie. He's a seven-year-old, dark bay Hanoverian gelding and he's wonderful! Riding him and being around him keeps me sane. I was there when he was born. My great uncle raised him. Uncle Henry used to ride competitively. In fact he rode for Great Britain in the Olympics back in the 60s, in dressage. He's retired from that and horse breeding, but he still teaches. In fact he coaches me and Blackie.

SS: Do you compete?

TC: No, I don't really want to and Uncle Henry doesn't mind that I don't, even though Blackie is so talented. Some of my friends would like to see Blackie and me in the show ring, though.

SS: So why don't you do it?

TC: I'm really not interested, and don't tell me I should sell Blackie to someone who would show off his potential, because that's not going to happen.

SS: I wasn't going to. That seems like kind of a sensitive subject.

TC: I just get really tired of defending my choice. Especially to people like Valerie Parsons—freaking bully. Just because she was long listed for the last Olympic team and has enough money to spend the winter training and competing in Florida doesn't mean I should sell Blackie to her.

SS: She offered to buy him?

TC: Repeatedly. I'm not good enough for him, she says. I'll ruin him—she badgers me with that constantly. I'm sick of her already and she hasn't even been back in town a month. I can't go out to Copper Creek Equestrian Center without running into her, and it sure doesn't help that Uncle Henry coaches her. I was working on flying changes yesterday and she marches into the arena and tells me to get off my horse so she could show me how it was done. Can you believe it?

SS: Did you let her ride Blackie?

TC: Are you kidding? I'd sooner run her over. No way is she touching my horse!

SS: Wow, um, I was kind of hoping to get into some other stuff in our interview, but we've kind of run out of time. How about we go have some lunch at Bernard's Restaurant and plan on finishing this another time?

TC: Oh, sure. That sounds good, I like Bernard's. I can tell you about my trip to Victoria with Jonathan.

SS: Works for me.

Next week I'll be interviewing Thea's sister Juliet!

Decisions, decisions, decisions - Part 2

2010-09-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Last week's post ended with the questions I'd posed to myself that would determine the route to travel toward publication, knowing full well whatever the answers were, I'd be giving up something.

The answers didn't come easily. My old goals had become wound up with everyone else's, and I'd adopted the old "acceptable" methods as my personal bench-mark without asking myself why.

The truth was, I didn't know what I wanted for myself. I was incapable of making a decision, and any decision seemed rash. Not a comforting place to be. I did the only thing I could, my goal became to watch, as carefully as possible, and find out as much as I could. Just so I wouldn't dither, I set a time limit of five months. On September first I would take what I'd learned and make a decision based on the information I would discover along the way.

In the meantime, Sister in Crime sent an investigating team to Amazon, Google, Apple, Smashwords and others. More changes surfaced in the industry, more people voiced their opinions, and J.A. Konrath started looking more and more sensible.

Needing something to do (inactivity makes me crazy), I continued to work on my third novel and proceeded with the steps I would need to take to connect with my audience once I was published--none of which committed me to any particular path. The steps would have to be done, regardless of what I chose, and could be abandoned easily if I decided to ditch the whole writer thing and become a lounge singer (kidding, here. I can't sing).

By the time the Sisters in Crime summit report was available in mid August, I'd formed some solid opinions. The report confirmed that I wasn't imagining the changing state of the traditional publishing industry or the importance of e-publishing. E-publishing was here to stay, and it was not just something that was "going on," it was (and continues to be) a revolution—simultaneously rallying enthusiastic support from some while scaring the living daylights out of others.

Something else became very clear: I wanted to be part of the revolution.

Despite the warnings from experienced authors that this was not a wise path for the yet-unpublished, I yearned to embrace it. I was told, as a fiction writer, I didn't know my audience, and probably only seasoned publishing professionals could figure it out.

Well, that statement had been proven wrong on so many occasions it was hardly worth the energy to argue the obvious (note: JK Rowling being told her book would never sell, Tony Hillerman being told he shouldn't write about Indians, etc. etc. leap to mind). Besides, I found out I have a very clear notion of my audience. I'd been reaching them—all over the world—through my blog, Things I Learned From My Horse.

The empowerment of career control lost none of it's appeal on me, either, despite being told I was going to have to work hard at self-promoting. Hey, I'd have to do that anyway, even as a lounge singer or an author for a traditional publishing company.

The decision made itself. I would self publish my work as e-books. I would become an Independent Author. Success or failure would rest in my hands. I could deal with that.

My goal, clear at last, was to get my books into the hands of readers and to make a living wage.

The path is equally clear. Make my books the very best they can be by seeking and obtaining the help I need from people I have confidence in. Market and promote my books to my audience in smart ways. Self-publish.

Essentially, there are three steps—with sub-steps that can be tweaked as necessary.

Will I achieve my goals? I know I'll achieve at least one: I will get my books into the hands of readers. That is the one item being an Independent Author can guarantee me over the traditional route that may never be opened to me. I'm thinking the fate of my other goals is more securely in my hands as well, but that remains to be seen. I know I'll work at it. That's a given.

Decisions, decisions, decisions - Part 1

2010-09-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

What are the steps are to becoming an Independent author? Plenty of people have asked me that, and about the reasons behind my decision to self publish my mystery novel. They've been curious, too, why I chose to go the e-book route. If I have a good book, one people will want to read, why not suck it up and pursue the traditional route to becoming a published author?

The fact is, I DID begin on the traditional path. I wrote my book, lucked out connecting with a wonderful critique partner, then rewrote it, and took the first steps to acquiring an agent. I had no idea what I was doing, but hey, lots of people had trampled down that path and (I soon discovered) were willing to impart the knowledge they'd gained to people like me. I joined a writing group, Sisters in Crime, the Puget Sound Chapter, and then the Guppies Chapter. I immersed myself in learning my craft and the process of getting published.

This was a smart move. And if I had to do it over again, I'd do exactly the same thing. The knowledge and skills I've gained surpass any value I could ever put on them. The support and friendships I've made continue to be my rocks. Also, along the way I stirred the interest of agents and publishers, some of whom generously shared their wisdom.

The thing I didn't get was offers of representation. I did get offers of publication from some small publishers, but they usually came with a caveat I was uncomfortable with; change the point of view to third person, change the story to be a suspense novel instead of a cozy mystery—that sort of thing.

At about the same time there were rumblings of change in the industry. Friends who had agents weren't getting sales to publishers, other friends who were mid-list authors were dropped by their publishers, other friends who captured the attention of editors at publishing houses ended up being rejected because the marketing departments didn't know how to promote their work. Still others who were continuing to be published were finding they were suddenly dividing their time between promotion, marketing and writing—and having no clue how to do it or if they were being successful. Many of them worried constantly about their publisher not renewing their contracts.

As much as I wanted to get my book into the hands of readers, life after publishing didn't seem all that great. Was the thrill of holding a copy of one's book in one's own hands really worth it?

Then, with the economy forcing the issue of money (or lack of it) close to home I was forced to take a very practical look at what I was trying to do. Despite the rising price of books, it seemed to me authors' work was not being fairly compensated—particularly since most of them had to hold down another job or depend on the financial support of family members just to sell their books.

I started taking note of rebel J.A. Konrath. I was intrigued in the same way one is intrigued by watching someone pursuing and activity that might end in tragedy. However, he seemed to be doing pretty well. Surely he was an anomaly. But once my curiosity was stirred, I couldn't help looking around. Other authors were putting their own work out on their own.

They were self publishing. A major no-no. Instant disrespect. The mark of someone who didn't have a clue and didn't have the guts to go through the cleansing fires of the traditional route. And yet, a good number of these people had been published through traditional channels and were now publishing their out of print books, or early efforts that hadn't found a home, as e-books.

I watched, I read, I listened. Opinions weren't hard to come by. By spring 2010 you couldn't turn on your computer without reading something about it.

At the same time the publishing industry was groaning at a decibel level I usually associate with a wounded animal. It was impossible to ignore. Major changes were taking place. The routes I had at first chosen to take to get my work published were getting narrower and narrower. Those who were getting through seemed to be dropping into a hole, and I started hearing about how "lucky" we unpublished authors were to still have creative control over our work and joy in our lives. Now, I've never had any illusions of becoming a millionaire author. Mid-list was my target. It seemed comfortable. But now what had seemed a happy place appeared sinister. I wasn't so sure anymore that I wanted to go where my fate could be ripped so completely out of my hands.

It was time for some very serious soul and goal searching. No matter what route I chose, I was going to lose something. Now the questions became; what was it that I wanted, and what was I willing to give up to get it?

Next week: Part 2

Writing Horses?

2010-08-31T07:09:00.001-07:00

Confusion intended, but not meant to linger. My new blog is mostly about writing, and will often have something to do with horses. My mystery series features amateur dressage rider Thea Campbell and her horse The Black Queen’s Bishop. Expect to see Thea, her friends and family (sorry, not Blackie) showing up from time to time for interviews. Look for guest appearances by other authors, too—many of whom have horses in their books!

Hey, Susan…?

And, now on a subject very near and dear to my heart, (I’m almost beside myself with excitement!) DEATH BY A DARK HORSE, the first book in my mystery series, will be coming out in February 2011 in e-format. Right in time for downloading onto that brand new e-reader you got for Christmas, or right onto your computer. It will be available not only from Amazon, but Smashwords, too, which most other e-readers like the Nook, the Sony e-reader, iPad, and many others have access to.

Susan?

The first chapters of Death By A Dark Horse will be available here and on my website (free!) in a couple of months. I’ll keep you posted!

Hey, page-goddess!

Okay, I’ll admit that is a little hard to ignore. Hello, Juliet.

You’ve got a new blog! Cool!

Thanks. Everyone, this is Juliet Campbell—

Do you want to interview me? Now? I can tell all these people I’m Thea’s younger, taller, and prettier sister. Oh! Oh! I almost forgot! Thea’s got a big date with Jonathan next weekend. She actually went shopping—for a dress! They’re going to some fancy-schmancy restaurant with his parents in downtown Seattle.

None of your business, Juliet. And yes, I do want to interview you, but not right now. What are you doing here, anyway? Not to tell me about Thea.

Well, yeah, partly. She so needs to dump Jonathan’s ass. He is so not right for her. Can you—

No. Forget it. What else is on your mind?

Huh. Fine. I also wanted to find out who knew about…um…you know…the “thing.”

What “thing”?

You know…that “thing” Aunt Vi and Delores know about.

Oh. Why do I get the feeling you’ve told someone you shouldn’t? And do you realize you’ve just slipped some information out that maybe people would like to find out for themselves?

Sorry, I only told Eric—uh.

Eric? When did this happen?

A couple of days ago. Eric won’t tell.

Enough, okay? We’ll do an interview later and you can tell people all about yourself, but I need to close this up right now. Say “bye” to everyone.

(sighs) All right. “Bye to everyone.” And, people, there’s nothing at all going on any of you need to know about. Nothing.

Thank you so much for that.

Eric…?