May's Notations

This month is slipping by. I'm on last pass through of my second book Vampire's Trill, and have been very busy on this. I'm about mid-way, I think. So, I've been busy working on it this month to hopefully have it out at some point this summer for all you people who are reading or have read (or want to read), the first book Vampire Ascending, and need the second one.

I don't mean to be amazed at myself, or where I'm at, but I am. I guess I should be, though, considering how long it took me to get to this place with my writing. This blog was set up as my spot to give a look back at where I've come from.

Oh, the bird in the tree is called a Scarlet Tanager. It has a bright red-orange body, sooty black wings and tail and it has an oriole-type song. I've yet to see one this spring, but my husband has seen it. But he works in the park and so it figures he sees one of the more rarer visitors to our neck of the woods.

I'm also working--partially--on the third book. I've gotten about half way done first draft. I want to finish my second book so that I can work on it this summer. I know what I want to write, I've just have had so little time to work on it. There is a complicated climax scene that I have to figure out and until I get this second one sent off to my wonderful publisher, I'm not going to have time to work on it in a continuous way.

We are also having our kitchen renovated. It's in its last stages. But we are itching to move completely back into the room with the table, chairs, refrigerator, and get curtains up and so forth--get the men out of the house! My husband has been having his lunch outside these past weeks (he says this is #7 week), because of all the hoopla that's going on.

They are to replace a couple of doors, steps and a few other things as well. We just want the kitchen to be done this coming week. It would give a feel of accomplishment. This was something we asked the forest preserve to do several years ago. If I had not written a letter to the superintendent, I know this wouldn't have happened. Finally, I forced the issue and got the ball rolling. Going to the top doesn't hurt. Especially since we've been here--going on--our 17th year.

So, this is where I'm at for now.

More Thoughts on Popularity ~ In The Real World

Once your book is out there, it becomes very apparent that you have to work just as hard, maybe even harder, to get people to notice and buy it. Being shy, or not being aggressive will not help sales at all. Plus, you need to become a little creative in the finding places to get the word out.

In my case my job almost gives me the best of both worlds. I work driving a bus for a college campus. Thus I've got a lot of riders who get to know me (or they see me) 5 days a week and 7 hours a day. Every college has a paper, and NIU is no different. The Northern Star is sent all over the country, and has won several awards over the years. Thus, getting myself in this paper has taken both savvy, and guts to approach people who I know will get a story about my book into this paper.

Tony Martin is a columnist for Northern Star, and he rides my bus. Can you believe I could have such a deal? It's like kismet! His column is featured more than once a week. He reviews bands, music, and such mainly. But when I approached him about my vampire book, he was a bit hesitant. I knew he was. He probably thought it was another copy-cat of the Twilight series. So, when I told him about it, and I sort of pressed him into reading it, I felt I'd done everything I could in the name of getting the book noticed. I have no idea how many vampire fans there could be in a campus this size, but I figured it might be one in maybe 50. I don't really know.

This week Tony's review on my book came out. He gave it a 4 1/2 out of 5 rating. That's pretty good. It's good, considering that he is an English major. He was happy to see that my book, Vampire Ascending is not anything like Twilight. He said it was "a breath of fresh air in a genre that will, at its apex, be remembered for birthing some sparkly British super model vampires who wants to save it for marriage . . ." He called my work more of a "gritty, violent, dark and sexual world of Anne Rice's vampires. . . " He liked that I was able to create a female protag that caught him by surprise when he decided he liked her. Sabrina Strong had real problems, and tried to deal with them, and only got in deeper and deeper. He also like that my story had vampires existing in "our reality, instead of some hypothetical alternate universe".

There was a good reason for this. I didn't want to do a lot of back story. You get bogged down in that, as a reader, as well as a writer. But, it's a tough sell, as I told a young lady who had seen the article and started up a conversation about it while riding my bus the day the article came out.

Today, a day after the article came out, another young lady came on my bus saying "You've been keeping a secret!" she said, her cute dimples showing. I knew she meant that I'd kept it hidden that I was a writer. Well, you don't stop the bus and make the announcement, do you? But it's difficult to get the word out. I should wear a sign saying I have a book out there, maybe, as someone else suggested. One of those bill board things you wear. Yeah, that's a great idea. I also thought of chalking sidewalks, but my knees aren't what they used to be in my twenties.

Back to the lady with dimples. "I knew you were different, I just didn't know in what way." I had to laugh. I'm not sure if she meant the way I tried not to "look" like a bus driver, I try to wear suit coats once in a while, and just look nice. Author-ly, you might say.

Her name was Nicole, I found out, and she had been riding my bus for a few years, but I hadn't seen her in months. She is what I want to call an "absolute fan". She came up to me, began the conversation, and said she was interested in the book, and everything about it, so I gave her a book mark which gave places where to find the book, and I even jotted down my main blog. When I get people like this who don't have to be convinced to buy the book, that's what I call a fan. I want to hug them all.

Popularity with fans is more what I'm after. If I'm able to convince an English major who is more into zombies than vampires, that my book was worth his while, then, yeah. This is the fruit of my labor of throwing myself out there, getting the book noticed, and taking a chance that people will eventually find out about it. This is where my time and effort must go toward more now than trying to see how many new followers I can grab. My main blog, Lorelei's Muse is seen all over the world. Russia, Germany, Israel, Australia, Canada, Japan, Denmark. . .51 countries--some which I don't even know where they are. And when I begin seeing sales on Amazon--as I can track them--I know that somehow people are coming to find a new vampire book with grit, spice and things that some of those YA versions just don't have.

Turning Point

Possibly the one thing I can say when I compare my life now with ten years ago is that I'm able to say I'm published, and have two books out there, should anyone want to buy one.

I happily cashed my check from my publisher today, went to Office Max and bought print ink and a surge protector--which I've needed forever--and now I don't have to unplug things when I leave. In fact I would have to unplug my phone modem every time I left the room in fear of having a surge or something like our lights merely going out for a few seconds would do my modem in. Now, I'm safe.

I've been sending people out to buy the remaining copies of my book over at our local Borders store before they run out or close. I hate to see that store close. A lot of people liked it better, everyone I spoke to about it closing said the same thing, that it was more relaxing to sit in there, or browse.

I've also been lucky in winning books at various blogs. I won All Hallows Blood by Raven Corinn Carluk, just a few weeks ago, and just today I found out I'd won Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's An Embarrassment of Riches. Now if only I could win the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes, I'd be set for the rest of my life!

But really, I remember struggling with my writing. Not knowing if my writing actually sucked, or why agents were not inclined to take me on. It got to a point in my life where I didn't have time to dawdle with waiting on replies that usually wound up in the negative. My first book to see print was a gamble. Even though I knew it was good, I had no promotion behind it--being that it was a POD publisher who charged for everything I might want. And since it was mainly in a light fantasy category, I didn't really have a ready-made audience for it. I knew with Vampire Ascending, I had an audience ready and willing to buy--no matter what those people in New York say. People are still looking for another good vampire book, and I've got it. The publisher for this book has backed it and are doing a great job of promotions. I'm trying to help it by getting out there to people, either being spot lighted in various vampire blogs, or wherever I think it will do good.

So, yeah, even a year ago I was trying to find a publisher, and even tried a couple of agents, just to make sure I wasn't wrong in trying to find another POD. I wasn't. And the one ebook publisher apparently didn't want it either, so I think I made a good choice.

Now, I'd better get back to work.

A Deadline--a First

Publisher's editor sent me an e-mail that I was to begin edits as soon as I got them. They gave me until the 19th--next Friday!
For the first time in my life I'm about to work on edits of my book.

And people have been coming over to the book's facebook page to hit the LIKE button. I've been stalking people on facebook, and through e-mails, to get them over and hit the button. They do so gladly, but I do have to remind them.

And the editor, Yolanda, gave me a nice complement saying I did a really good job on this and can't wait for the next one!

I hope to deliver the second book sometime in late winter. I hope to have time to work on edits on that one. I've been swapping chapters with another writer, lately, I hope that it goes well. But I'm only on chapter 10. This may take a while.

Last night I had to take a sleeping pill--my doctor gave them to me when I complained of not being able to sleep. I don't take them every night. Only when I've too much going on and I know I can't stop thinking.
That's my update for now.