Myself, like many, love the company of pets. I cannot imagine life without one. And now for the pics LOL
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Shameless Charlie-Cat Post
Just as you may have guessed, it's a shameless post about my cat, Charlie and how much I love him.
Myself, like many, love the company of pets. I cannot imagine life without one. And now for the pics LOL
Myself, like many, love the company of pets. I cannot imagine life without one. And now for the pics LOL
Coming Soon: Guest Blogger and Author Adam Slade
Coming soon: Guest blogger and author, Adam Slade. Adam will blog about a topic of his choice(it's a secret). He will also talk to us about his upcoming book, Strand. Strand will release from Lyrical Press in April, 2011.
For now, you can check out his most current release, A Reaper's Tale.
Author Interview with Jayne Fresina
First, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Jayne for her time and willingness to be interviewed. Thanks Jayne!
V- Tell us about your most current release and what inspired you to write it?
J- My current release is Last Rake Standing, a Victorian e-book novella. I started writing the character of Marcus one day and he just crawled in and started taking over. I had Emma already in another story and when I brought the two of them together, they just hit it off. This was my first shorter book (I always used to be much longer-winded!) and I had never tried to write a novella before, so it was an interesting adventure/experiment.
V- When did you start writing and what was your road to publication like? Do you have any advice for new writers starting out?
J- I started writing years ago - just for myself. I never intended to let anyone read what I wrote. Then, one day, I got brave enough to show a few friends who I trusted to give an honest opinion. They gave me enough encouragement and support to keep going and then I started looking into actual publication. I sent out my first book in 2001. Now, looking back, I realize it wasn't ready, but at the time I was proud of it. I had some interest from agents, but that all fizzled out. Then I put my writing away for a few years. About five years ago I picked it up again and got the fever back. I was able to go from working full-time to part-time and that was a huge help for my writing. I started looking for an agent again and after about a year (and several manuscript revisions) I actually landed a top New York agent. She was wonderful, very enthusiastic. I thought that was it and I was finally on my way! Then I started to open my eyes and realize that it's not the way it happens in movies. Writing is a business. It's creative, but it's a business. You can't just write what you want to write, unless what you want to write happens to be what's selling. You have to learn to tailor your writing to the market. It's important to adapt, not be afraid of change. Eighteen months later my agent hadn't been able to sell my first two books and I sensed her motivation waning, which was understandable. Mine was too! It was so frustrating to get that close and to have editors keeping us on tenterhooks, telling us they loved the manuscript one day and then shooting it down the next. So my agent and I parted company and I was back to square one. I was, however, more determined than ever to get published. I think the experience with that agent - who gave me some invaluable writing advice while I was with her, by the way - just set me on the path and gave me the push I needed. Two months later, working on my own, I had my first book contracted to Lyrical Press (Seducing the Beast will be out in August 2011) and a month after that I had "Last Rake Standing" contacted to Evernight Publishing (released in January this year). My advice to anyone writing out there is to persevere. Believe in the characters you write and keep pushing. If one door closes, find another. Crawl in through the window if you have to! Don't be afraid to go it alone. Agents are great, but even getting one doesn't guarantee a sale, so be prepared to do some work on your own and take chances.
V- What are you currently reading and what books can be found in your to-be-read pile?
J- I'm currently re-reading Far From the Madding Crowd. I never keep a to-be-read pile. I read a book as soon as it catches my eye and I don't put it down until I'm done. Unless it bores me.
Now for some less formal, fun questions!
V- If you had one wish, what would it be?
J- To have my own charter plane, complete with crew, so I could fly anywhere in the world with my dogs. Oh,and quarantine restrictions would have to go, but I guess that's another wish!
V- Name one item you cannot do without in life and why.
J- Computer - obviously.
V- Cats or dogs?
J- Dogs. Love cats too but I've never owned one, so the pooches have to come first.
V- What’s your ultimate indulgence?
J- Cognac Pumpkin Cheesecake from Shari's Berries.
V- What can we expect to see from you in the future?
V- Tell us about your most current release and what inspired you to write it?
J- My current release is Last Rake Standing, a Victorian e-book novella. I started writing the character of Marcus one day and he just crawled in and started taking over. I had Emma already in another story and when I brought the two of them together, they just hit it off. This was my first shorter book (I always used to be much longer-winded!) and I had never tried to write a novella before, so it was an interesting adventure/experiment.
V- When did you start writing and what was your road to publication like? Do you have any advice for new writers starting out?
J- I started writing years ago - just for myself. I never intended to let anyone read what I wrote. Then, one day, I got brave enough to show a few friends who I trusted to give an honest opinion. They gave me enough encouragement and support to keep going and then I started looking into actual publication. I sent out my first book in 2001. Now, looking back, I realize it wasn't ready, but at the time I was proud of it. I had some interest from agents, but that all fizzled out. Then I put my writing away for a few years. About five years ago I picked it up again and got the fever back. I was able to go from working full-time to part-time and that was a huge help for my writing. I started looking for an agent again and after about a year (and several manuscript revisions) I actually landed a top New York agent. She was wonderful, very enthusiastic. I thought that was it and I was finally on my way! Then I started to open my eyes and realize that it's not the way it happens in movies. Writing is a business. It's creative, but it's a business. You can't just write what you want to write, unless what you want to write happens to be what's selling. You have to learn to tailor your writing to the market. It's important to adapt, not be afraid of change. Eighteen months later my agent hadn't been able to sell my first two books and I sensed her motivation waning, which was understandable. Mine was too! It was so frustrating to get that close and to have editors keeping us on tenterhooks, telling us they loved the manuscript one day and then shooting it down the next. So my agent and I parted company and I was back to square one. I was, however, more determined than ever to get published. I think the experience with that agent - who gave me some invaluable writing advice while I was with her, by the way - just set me on the path and gave me the push I needed. Two months later, working on my own, I had my first book contracted to Lyrical Press (Seducing the Beast will be out in August 2011) and a month after that I had "Last Rake Standing" contacted to Evernight Publishing (released in January this year). My advice to anyone writing out there is to persevere. Believe in the characters you write and keep pushing. If one door closes, find another. Crawl in through the window if you have to! Don't be afraid to go it alone. Agents are great, but even getting one doesn't guarantee a sale, so be prepared to do some work on your own and take chances.
Buy
V- What other things interest you besides writing?
J- I spend most of my time writing and don't have a lot spare for other things at the moment. I like going out to dinner occasionally, mostly just relaxing. I used to workout all the time, but sadly that's fallen by the wayside lately!
V- What are you currently reading and what books can be found in your to-be-read pile?
J- I'm currently re-reading Far From the Madding Crowd. I never keep a to-be-read pile. I read a book as soon as it catches my eye and I don't put it down until I'm done. Unless it bores me.
Now for some less formal, fun questions!
V- If you had one wish, what would it be?
J- To have my own charter plane, complete with crew, so I could fly anywhere in the world with my dogs. Oh,and quarantine restrictions would have to go, but I guess that's another wish!
V- Name one item you cannot do without in life and why.
J- Computer - obviously.
V- Cats or dogs?
J- Dogs. Love cats too but I've never owned one, so the pooches have to come first.
V- What’s your ultimate indulgence?
J- Cognac Pumpkin Cheesecake from Shari's Berries.
V- What can we expect to see from you in the future?
J- I have a series of three Victorian novellas coming up, Engraved, Entangled and Enraptured. The series title is A Private Collection and it follows the erotic adventures (or misadventures) of the Blackwood brothers who have to find the three women who once posed in scandalous nude portraits for their eccentric father. Each book follows one of the brothers. Engraved is the youngest son Adam's love story. It will be available in March from Evernight Publishing . Information about upcoming books can be found on my website at http://www.jaynefresina.com/ .
V- Jayne, I wish you the best of luck with your writing career, and thanks again for joining us at, Write Outside The Box.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The debate to self-publish
Most recently, Amanda Hocking posted a wonderful blog post on her rise to success through self-publishing. She mentioned that at this time she is doing more marketing for her books than she is actual writing, though her site shows that she does have books coming out this year and in 2012. I have to admit, self-publishing has crossed my mind. It's not because I think I am going to be the next Hocking, nor do I expect the money to suddenly come flowing in.
Outside of romance and erotica, I write some stuff that I don't think would fit with a print or e press. That is, it doesn't quite fit into their guidelines on what they are actively seeking. So, where does that leave me with these works? I ask myself that question almost daily.
The one thing that does hold me back is the stigma that I find still attached to self-publishing. Some tend to make a person considering it, feel like that their stuff isn't worthy of a more traditional means of publication. Of course, in some cases that's true without a doubt. I have read some pretty shitty self-published stuff. Then again, I have also read some bad books that have been published by some big publishing houses. In the end that's all subjective, as my best book ever could be your most hated book.
Back on topic. Have you considered self-publishing? What are your thoughts when something doesn't fit the mold set forth by most publishers?
Self publishing is a heck of a lot of work for anyone who would like to do it right. Some things to consider are:
-Cover art. A good cover is a must in my opinion.
-Editing. Can you sufficently edit your own work? Can you afford to have someone else do it? Do you know someone who can help, free of charge? These questions are just a few things to consider.
-Formatting. This one scares the hell out of me. I am a tech-turd and clueless to such things. Bad formatting can cause a reader to not want to come back to you ever again. This applies to both electronic and print formats.
-Promotion. It's a lot of work to get your name out there, especially if you are an unknown. Do you have the time and energy? Do you have what it takes?
So, this is the stuff that runs through my head. I'd be interesting in hearing your thoughts on the subject.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Beyond Friends is Out Today
It's finally out! I am so excited about my first m/m romance. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did writing it. It's also available on Amazon Kindle , AllRomance, BookStrand and other third part vendor sites.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Author Interview with Shannan Albright
I'd like to welcome author, Shannan Albright to Write Outside the Box. Welcome Shannan!
Vivian- Tell us about your most current release.
Shannan- Dark Passion Rising: A Dark Breed Novel is the first book in the series. The book takes place in “Old Las Vegas” near the famed Fremont Experience. Tambra Ellis is a cop bitten by a Lycan, She is saved by Marcus Valerian a Vampire and Leader of a group of supernatural Enforcers. For this book I asked myself ok, what if all the supernatural monsters we had stories about were true and humans found out? The outcome of this book set’s up all the other that follow in the series, though they are romances they deal with the difficulties of integrating into our society in this day and age.
Buy
Vivian- When did you start writing and what was your road to publication like? Do you have any advice for new writers starting out?
Shannan- I started writing twenty years ago and the road was exceptionally rough. When I started out there was no RWA Organization, no one to help a new writer so it was hit and miss. In my case it was a whole lot of misses. After five years I lost hope and stopped submitting. I never stopped writing though and about five years ago started checking out the market again. I got into RWA, found a local chapter, took tons of workshops and tried my hand at submission again. This time I was accepted and the rest you know.
Vivian- What other things interest you besides writing?
Shannan- I have been involved with Renaissance Fairs for many years as an improv actor. I also give workshops from speaking foresoothly, court etiquette, acting and I also design and teach costuming. I also love to oil paint and do illustration work. I also love to lose myself in a good book, and have tea with good friends.
Vivian- What are you currently reading and what books can be found in your to-be-read pile?
Shannan- Everything from Evernight Publishing of course, the authors there are wonderfully versatile. I just finished Sharon Ashwood’s latest in the Dark Forgotten series and am starting Kresley Cole’s latest Dreams of a Dark Warrior. I love anything from Sherrilyn Kenyon and JR Ward so anything they are coming out with is also on that pile to be read.
Vivian- What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Shannan- I have one completed book in revision stage for a new series that I started several years ago, I am working on books two and three in my Dark Breeds series along with a dark Urban Fantasy dealing with the end of days theme. Plus some novellas that are also in outline stage. So as you can see I like keeping myself busy.
My current e-book, Dark Passion Rising: A Dark Breed Novel is due for release in March by Evernight Publishing. It will be available for download through: Evernight Publishing and Amazon Kindle .
Thanks Vivian for having me on your blog it’s been a lot of fun.
Vivian- And thank you Shannan once again for allowing me to interview you. I wish you the best of luck with your writing career.
Shannan can be reached at the following links on the web:
An Interview with me and Free Books on Editing Hat
http://editinghat.blogspot.com/2011/02/vivian-kees-interview-and-giveaway.html Just a reminder to check out the interview with me on, Editing Hat. We are also giving away two sets of ebooks in the Kindle format.
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