The Next Big Thing-Caddy Rowland Interview

Last week Andrew Ashling tagged me in his “The Next Big Thing” interview. He is the author of “Dark Tales of Randamor the Recluse”, which is comprised of a trilogy called “The Invisible Chains” and another trilogy (the 3^rd book in progress) called “The Invisible Hands”. I strongly suggest you give his books a try. He is a fabulous storyteller.

Now the baton is passed to me, and I get to answer the interview questions.  Thank you, Andrew!

Here we go:

What is the working title of your novel?

The one I am currently working on is called “Gastien: Circle of Destiny. It is the fifth (and final) book in “The Gastien Series”.

Where did the idea for the novel come from?

Since it’s a continuation of a series, the idea flowed naturally from the previous book. As a family saga, it now follows the grandson of Gastien (who is also named Gastien). Young Gastien has the same artistic talent as his grandfather and completes the circle of destiny that was started all those years ago in Paris. He is like his grandfather in some ways, yet very different in others. Gastien will find that the present is very much tied in with the past. He finds career success very early, but has many other conflicts and obstacles to overcome.

What is the genre of the novel?

It’s a mixed bag, really. The Gastien Series is first and foremost drama. It is also a family saga. Because it is steeped in history, it ended up also falling into the historical fiction genre.

Which actors would you choose to play the characters in a movie rendition of the novel?

I am going to answer this in regard to the main character of the series, even though he isn’t the main character for the book I’m working on.  I think that’s only fair, as the whole story really revolves around Gastien, the decisions he made, and the repercussions of those decisions.

As far as what actor should play Gastien, I would definitely want an unknown.  Why? Because I don’t want people seeing the person who played Gastien walking down the street and thinking “Johnny Depp” or some such other name. I want people to see that actor walking down the street and think “Gastien Beauchamp”.  I would want the same for his grandson in this fifth novel.

As for Gastien’s wife, Sophie (the second book), I would pick a very young Michelle Pfeiffer.  She had a perfect, innocent face that held a very fragile beauty.

Michel (Mic) would be played by a younger Robert Redford, with some red in his hair. His laughing blue eyes would be perfect for Mic. As Michel ages in different books an older Redford would play him. It’s the eyes. Mic’s eyes are very vivid in my brain and Redford has them.

 Will the novel be self-published, published by a publisher, or represented by an agency?

I always self-publish. The majority of my life I have been self-employed. I don’t like other people calling the shots for me. Win or lose, it is important to me to have control of my own destiny in financial matters.

I always scratch my head when some publisher blathers on and on about how very few actually “make it” in self-publishing. Yes, that’s true. What they fail to mention is that it’s just as true for traditionally published authors. Most of the new authors end up with their books in the bargain bin and a contract not renewed. If I’m going to take a one in a million shot, I want the 70% royalties on e-books, not the 14% or so.

Also, I’m not in my twenties. I don’t have years to wait while publishers sift through manuscripts, possibly getting to mine in a few years…and then taking a few years more for the book to see the light of day.

Would I sign with a publisher? I don’t know. They would have to offer me a great deal and I would insist on keeping control of my e-book rights.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It took me two months to write the first draft of the current book. I had the basics of where the series was going in my head. I’m a seat of the pants writer. The only “storyboards” I use are a few sheets of scrap paper with one or two words written to remind me of things.  “Ring”. “Azure”. Those remind me that there are threads that need to stay connected in the family. I treat major events the same way. I usually don’t know those until the characters decide for me.

The best is when my characters introduce me to a brand new character I had no idea was going to exist. Those have turned out to be some of my favorites because they surprise me so!

What other novels would you compare this story to within your genre?

Man, that’s tough. I mean, naming books that people will easily know makes me sound like I think I’m the greatest novelist ever. I don’t write to win literary awards. I write to make people think and feel. I may not be a literary genius, but I do think I write a damn good read.

I will say my favorite author of all time is John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, those are the types of dramas that I would say Gastien could be compared to in regard to the scope of the story. It is epic and sweeping, and also engages every emotion a human being can feel. You won’t always like what the characters do, but you will be engaged with them.

 Who or what inspired you to write this novel?

I used to not tell people this because it sounds either like I’m way “out there” or trying to make things up for publicity. I used to say because I am a painter I wanted to write a novel about a painter in the bohemian art era of nineteenth century Paris. While that certainly appeals to me as a painter, that isn’t the reason Gastien happened.

I had breast cancer and had just finished up with several weeks of radiation. I had read “Journey of Souls” by Michael Newton, Ph.D. and decided to seek out someone who does life between lives regression therapy. I had done some past life regression previously. I did my homework, found a qualified professional, and went.

That’s where I “met” Gastien for the first time. Now, I’m not saying it was a past life or it wasn’t.  That’s another subject entirely. What I do know is that my creative juices started flowing. I committed an hour a day, five days a week to write.

I sat down, placed my fingers on the keyboard, and Gastien told the story. Afterward I would research to make sure it was written in the way it would be in the nineteenth century.  I wanted everything to be historically correct. The research was the hard part. The story came so fast my fingers couldn’t always keep up. One thousand pages later I had the first two books in the series written, first draft. By the time I published the second, I knew there would be a third. Before the third was done, I knew there would be five.

What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest?

The first book in the series starts out in nineteenth century France, during one of the most wild, decadent times in history. The bohemian artists of Montmartre were definitely free spirits! I’m surprised more novels don’t take place during that time. During this period, so many artists that would become famous resided there. Boy, did they enjoy life!

I also have a lot of strong characters. Some are straight, some are gay or lesbian. Four of the books are written male POV, one is written female. All of them are driven, highly sexual, and find that success does not come without a cost. I also like to show the good in villains and the bad in protagonists. Aren’t we all part saint and part assholian? Some, of course, are more one than the other.

The sex is graphic, some scenes are brutal. I will make you laugh at times, but I will also break your heart. Readers say they have never felt as much emotion from a book that they can recall. They also say the characters stay alive in their minds for weeks after finishing the books. I’m glad to know that Gastien and his family are very real to my readers.

Lastly, please let me introduce you to the next person who will be doing The Next Big Thing. Anna Murray is a Minnesota author, like me. I was introduced to her by a mutual friend when I had mentioned that I would like to self-publish. Without her endless patience while I emailed her dozens of questions, Gastien would never have happened. Anna Murray will do her “The Next Big Thing” interview on March 13^th. She is the author of The Easton Series and other fine reads. Please check them out!

 ***

 Thank you for reading this! Please browse the other blog posts. There are several written about those wild bohemian artists. You can also check out my paintings by clicking on the pages “Makin’ Love to the Color” at the top. Find out more about “The Gastien Series” and order for Kindle or paperback here. You can also find them for Nook at Barnes&Noble.com or kobo by typing in “The Gastien Series”.

 

Meeting With Other Authors Can Only Help You

As an indie author, I understand only too well how lonely and alienating it can be to write stories for a living (or even for a hobby!). When you write you spend the majority of time in your head. Usually you are alone, writing, researching, editing, formatting...the only voices you hear are your own and those of your imaginary characters.

Sometimes it is even hard to be present in reality and feel you are really part of a social group when you are with others! Someone once wrote (I can't remember who) that as a writer they always felt on the outside of things, like they were watching but not really participating.  And that perhaps it had to be that way in order to notice everything that a writer needs to know in order to make stories "real".

I get that.  Yet, as humans we all need interaction.  Make sure that you do things with your family and friends.  I can't stress how important that is for your own mental health and for the sake of your family! 

There is another important way to interact that many indies don't do.  Interaction with other writers can be so inspring and rewarding! When you sit and talk with others like you it makes you feel not so alone; not so odd. Not to mention that you can also learn a lot from each other. I am just talking about a social get together where authors talk and support each other.  This is not a critique group, although those are great, too.  I am talking about socializing with like minded individuals.

I started a group here in Minnesota about 9 months ago.  We meet quarterly and keep it very simple.  My home is the base and everyone brings what they want to drink.  If they want to they can bring a snack to share, like chips or whatever.  I provide chips and salsa. Easy, easy, easy. And what fun to talk to other people who sit and pound the keyboard every day just like I do!

A good place to find people to start your own group would be kindleboards.com.  In the Writers Cafe there you will find hundreds and hundreds of authors.  Just post a new topic like  "Looking for authors who live in Minnesota for a get together" and watch what happens! You'll soon have some new friends who love to talk about writing and their characters, just like you do.  You will also always look forward to those get togethers as a time to connect and just enjoy being who you are.

I know I do.  We are meeting this Sunday and I can't wait!

Forced to Look at Hot Men. Damn!

As an indie author I am responsible for finding someone to design my book covers. Before that happens, I need to be able to tell them what I am looking for. I usually peruse the royalty free images of Dreamstime to find my subjects. Once I have some in mind, Robin does her magic.  She can turn my confusing ideas into "Oh, my God!"

Since I am writing a series that is a family saga, along with being historical fiction, I want the main characters to have a certain look.  The first two books were about Gastien. The third book is about his son, Tristan Michel.  Of course, they are stunningly handsome. Yeah, I know, a few readers are tired of all main characters being stunning. But, it's my party and I pick the favors.  These favors are going to be yummy. Try to get over the aversion to sexy looking men.  You can do it if you try.

This is the third time that I have spent hours (okay, days...) looking at photos of sexy men. They had to have that certain look that only I understood.  Tristan had to have some of his father's features, yet be more rogue looking.  He is a powerful man, and you don't usually become powerful playing nice.

Imagine my dilemma.  The first two books I had to look for a man who was both handsome and heartbreakingly beautiful. Sigh.  What a task. "You will do.  You will not.  Sorry, eyes too small.  Yes, maybe.  Ohhh...yummm."

I know.  Life is tough. For this third book, more of the same.  "Too sweet.  Too silly.  Ohhhh, yeah...wait...too old.  Yes, possibly."  I wanted just faces, but hey...no reason not to look at other parts...

I was extremely excited when Robin and I found my Gastien.  I was no less excited when I found my Tristan.  Hours of looking, hours of hot, sexy lookin' men.  Damn. It's a bitch, but somebodies gotta do it.  I managed to struggle through it.

(By the way, Robin Ludwig does my covers and she is AWESOME.  Here is her site: http://gobookcoverdesign.com/ )  

But today, I Paint (The Pure Bliss of the Color)

As an indie author, there is no end to the tasks I should be doing.  Marketing my first two books in the series, finding additional reviewers, and writing that third book.  I have about 46,000 words done in the first, rough draft.  If I want it done for spring, I need to start flying that plane toward home.  Yes, I know that.

But today, I paint.  I will go to class at the studio of a dear artist friend and mentor, Susan Fryer Voigt. (Check out her work by clicking on her name. The photos are not her work, nor are they mine.)  Amazing artist.  There, I will give myself permission to get lost in creation, making love to the color.  There, I don't have distractions and my books can't call out to me to help them be seen, help them exist.  They might be calling out, but I am too far away and can't hear them.  For a few hours, I become who I have always been from the beginning of my creation.  A conduit for the creative force through color.

It is an odd life to be called by the color.  No one gets it except other artists.  No matter what else you are doing at any given moment, the deepest part of your soul longs to be united with your paints; your brush.  For an artist, that is the only time that they are fully alive.  Then and during orgasm, which is the closest any of us get to our spirituality while here on earth.  We die for a brief moment during that release (the French call it the "little death") and when an artist is one with the color, their mortal self dies for a little while, too.

That union, that bliss, cannot be denied forever.  My easel sits with my latest work in progress (not this photo) out where I constantly see it.  I hope that I will take more time to enter that nirvana if I constantly am called...but other things have to be done.  Like trying to find a way to make a little income by writing.  And so it sits, impatiently waiting, wondering why we only have an occasional fling when we both know it is my deepest love.

Reality makes it so.  Don't get me wrong.  I love to write.  It is enjoyable and I have fun with it.  I am good at it.  It is also a long shot at providing any sustainable income, but less so than painting.  Since I have already spent most of my life working at careers that don't fulfill my calling, I have decided to try to make a go of it.  It takes time and luck and LOTS of work. I might fail in the end.  Writers, like painters, are as common as dust on my coffee table. But at least I am finally trying. 

In the meantime, my lover waits.  Color knows no sense of time.  It just knows when we are apart and when we become one.  When we merge, I understand what it means to fly. My deepest love, how I wish we could be one all of the time. This love is different than the love of another person.  This is the love of the force that made you.  This is that force speaking through your hand. It is ecstasy.

Yes, my books need me.  Gastien Part 1 and 2 languish far down on the list and deserve to be in the Top 100.  Book 3 is waiting to be born.  I know I need several books to get the momentum really going.  I know that. And I love them deeply.

But today, I paint.

Writing Fiction in a Different Time Period

As an indie author writing novels that take place during a past time period, I must be my own policeman when it comes to making sure my story stays true to the period. Yes, it is fiction, and you can have things happen that didn't really happen...but it still has to be within reason.

Gastien lived in nineteenth century France. Therefore, I can't say that he drove to Au Lapin Agile for a drink! You may thing this is a "duh" when writing, but it is so easy to mess up. For instance, one beta reader caught it when Gastien used a twist on an old saying by stating: "I may have just arrived off the turnip truck...". There were no trucks then, she reminded me.  Oh. Right!  It quickly got changed to "I may have just arrived off the turnip wagon..."

I am now writing the third book in The Gastien Series, which will be titled Tristan Michel: Bloodline of Passion. It starts in 1909. I have about 17,000 words done.  Friday I started reading it aloud to my husband, Dave. Tristan Michel calls his sister in New York City to tell her that he is moving his family to New York from Paris. All of a sudden, I paused. Could that have happened?

It has been too many years since my history classes as a student. Way too many. So, I looked it up on the Internet. Whew, I thought, phones WERE in use then. No problem. Still, it haunted me. This morning I searched deeper.  Yes, phones were in use, but the first intercontinental call did not happen until 1915! Now I know that Tristan Michel must send a telegram. 

If you are using a big event that actually happened in history in your fiction, make sure the facts are right. For instance, if I wanted to use the Great Flood of Paris that happened in 1910, I better not have any of Tristan Michel's relatives die in it. No one died in Paris itself, and they all lived in Paris.  Well, actually, one soldier did. So, if he was related to Tristan Michel, I would be safe. Does it matter? To a some people, no. But to a reader that knows French history, you better believe it does. It makes the story unreal to them. Fiction is fiction, but while the reader is reading the story it needs to seem real.

I am talking about major historical events. Tristan Michel is an architect. Because it is fiction, I certainly can have him work on some major buildings wherever he lives in the USA. The facts about who built each building are not major events. Not many care or know who put the windows in which building, or who made the plans for most of the buildings in our cities.

Gastien's clothing was vastly different than others during his life. Because people from all over the world came to Paris and Montmartre there were what we would call "flea markets" and used shops featuring all kinds of goodies. Therefore, it was possible that he would buy clothing from other cultures and wear it. Plus, he was an artist and they tended to dress oddly.
He even wore pants that fit him as capris, although no one else was wearing capri trousers at the time. It works, because he was a "bohemian", the group he was part of and where he resided.

Have fun with your characters and what they do, but make sure that it fits the era you are writing in, or at least can be believable because of the character and situation he or she is in. Use the Internet to find out details of major events, how people dressed, and what major things were or were not available to them during that time period. It will take you longer to write the story, but you will end up with a novel that readers can enjoy as real during their time spent with your characters.

Happy Writing!

What a Character! (So Hard to Say Goodbye)

Continuing as an indie author, the third book in my Gastien Series has been started.  I have about 17,000 words done.  It is so hard to say goodbye to Gastien himself!  This third book is about another characeter in the series, and he is vastly different from Gastien.

I have lived with Gastien in my head and in my soul for over a year.  I think I know him better than I know Caddy Rowland.  Sometimes, he feels more real than I do.  All of a sudden, I have to let go.  Let go and move on.  It is so incredibly hard to do so!  It feels like my firstborn is being ripped from my arms.  Yet, unless I do, Tristan Michel will have no voice.  He won't become real and readers will feel that.

Tristan Michel is very, very different from Gastien.  I have to keep reminding myself of that as I write book 3.  What worries me is that readers won't remember that.  They love Gastien. They talk about Gastien as if he were alive today and a close friend of theirs.  His story was extremely emotional for them. Many who never cry found themselves in tears. Gastien was full of passion and wildness.  A nonconformist. 

How will they deal with a reserved man who values tradition and family values? Will they pan the book, saying that it lacks the excitement and emotional intensity of the first two?  I am scared. Damned scared.

If they just give Tristan Michel a chance, I think they will find that he wrestles his own demons and is a time bomb waiting to go off.  That his story, too, is full of emotion and pain.  He is different than Gastien, but no less driven; no less conflicted.

Tristan Michel is begging me to open my mind and allow him to speak.  His story, although different, is no less important.  He deserves my complete attention and so, although I hate to, this blog is a goodbye.

It is a goodbye to Gastien, that bohemian bad boy who broke readers hearts and made them laugh at the same time.  Yes, readers hated him at times.  They loved him even more.  Ah, Gastien.  How I enjoyed your story.  It was a pleasure allowing you to speak through me. How I love you! I will miss you, my amie.  I will miss you.

R.I.P. Gastien Beauchamp.

Ménage à Trois and Loving It

People say it's wrong.  I know that.  Still, I can't stop.  How can I choose just one?  To live without either would kill me.  They both fulfill me in different ways...and in like ways, too.  Each can consume me.  I get lost in them for hours at a time. When I am with either, I am totally immersed in their sensuous, sinuous offerings.  Yes, I am in love with two.  And I am damn proud of it.

Oh, wait!  Did you think I was talking about men?  Or perhaps one of each sex?  No, no, nothing that ho-hum; nothing that cliche. I am talking about writing and painting.  Those, you see, are the two that I love.  Of course, I love my husband even more in a completely different way, but I did not want to say I love three.  You might think I am too promiscuous then!

Both writing and painting offer me the platform to create.  Ah, creation.  The start of everything the universe has ever known.  Is creation, that energy that turns thoughts into realities, what God is?  Perhaps.  Creative energy.  That certainly does not put limits on God.  In fact, to me it makes God as huge as a god should be.  The vastness of creation is unparalleled.  To give something like that human qualities (jealous, forgiving, loving, angry) seems much more limiting in my book.  Of course, my book may be much different than yours.

Writing gives me the ability to create characters and scenes; thoughts and deeds.  Painting gives me the ability to express emotions and visual beauty or horror.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Yet, they also say that verbal abuse is much more damaging than physical abuse. 

Words and visuals.  Paintings and books.  They both can cause a woman to sigh in ecstasy, a man to fall to his knees in horror.  Words can make a grown man cry, paintings can slice a hole in ones soul.  Both can heal.  Pretty heady stuff, books and paintings.

So, I will continue my love affairs with both.  Today I am committed to writing twenty pages in my third novel.  Yesterday I got a review from a total stranger, a man, for Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny.  There is nothing quite like the feeling I get when I see that someone I will never know has been drawn to read my work.  He gave it 5 stars.  I am honored.  He said he laughed and he cried.  I made a man cry with a love story.  Words.  They have brute strength.

After I write my twenty pages, I will pick up my favorite paintbrush and continue to caress either my impressionistic painting of a street in Montmartre, or I will continue to soul kiss some cubism I am working on.  Depends on my mood.  Paintings.  Visual statements from my soul to your eyes. Will you love them?  I don't know. What I do know is that the paintings will know that I loved them to the best of my ability.

Me and my loves.  My loves and me.  How fortunate I am to have them both in my life.  They sometimes fight for attention, but they both know I love them equally. We exist blissfully in our ménage à trois. Care to join us?

The Most Important Gift You Will Ever Open

 I am an indie author/publisher. I can say that because of a gift that I finally “got”; one that we all have, but usually don’t open. Curious? Good!

In 2010 I went for my annual physical. The routine blood tests all came back normal like usual, and I went on with my day. There was a gift waiting for me, one that had been there since I was born; but once again I failed to open it.

Then, my phone rang. I needed to come back in because my mammogram had something suspicious on it. After another mammogram and biopsy, I got another call. The call that finally got me to open my eyes…the call that finally got me to open the gift.

I had breast cancer. I could go on and on about my feelings, my fears, the surgery, the radiation, the healing; but that is not what this blog is about. This blog is about what getting cancer forces you to do. It forces you to finally open your eyes and see the gift that has been waiting for you from the moment you were born.

t is the gift of “now”.

I finally understood that anything that I wanted to accomplish in my life should not be put on a back burner for “someday”. ‘Someday’ is not guaranteed. We all run out of “someday” sooner or later. But I did (and do) have “now”. Nothing brings this home to us like the threat of no longer existing.

And so, once I was done with all of the radiation, I committed to writing five days a week, at least an hour a day. No matter what. Why? Because “now” is all I had; all any of us have.

I had always wants to write a novel. Had started a couple but never finished. This time, I knew that if I wanted it to happen, it was up to me to make sure that nothing stopped me.  Not even "someday".

Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream was born from that. I self published for many reasons. I did not even try to go the traditional route. I wanted freedom. I did not want to wait (remember “now”?). I wanted to control my own destiny in regard to my writing. It came out for Kindle and Nook on August 1, 2011. Paperback arrived shortly after.

Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny released the week of December 13th for Kindle and NOOK.  I am waiting for the paperback proof. I may never see the kind of success that Amanda Hocking, did...but if one Minnesota gal can do it, why not two?

I am not going to use this blog to talk about the saga/romance series of Gastien. You will find links above if you want more information. I simply want to share the gift of “now”.

I could never have imagined how exciting it would be to hold my own book in my hands! It is a feeling that I am glad I got to experience. Cancer did that for me. I had always heard there were blessings to cancer, but thought it was b.s. Not so. The gift of “now” is the greatest gift there is…and it is free and available to all of us.

The cancer is gone. It was caught very early and my doctor says to plan on eventually dying from something else. Yes, of course. No one gets out of here alive. That is why I am moving right into the third book in the Gastien series, but first taking time to make love to the color for a week (as Gastien called painting). It is time. Now!

I hope this each one of you reading this will accept the gift that has always sat there, waiting for you to open it. I can’t give it to you. Only you can. It is your gift of “now”.

Open it. Please.                       

Two Computers, Two Work Emails, One Brain!

My head is once again ready to explode!  Ain't technology grand?  Yeah, it is...but sometimes I swear one brain is no longer enough if you engage in the myriad of technology available.

I have a pc that I wrote my first two books on as an indie author.  Then, last spring I bought a laptop so that I could edit and write outside during the spring and summer.  Trust me, in Minnesota you want to soak up every nice day in preparation for 4 months or more of cold!

The only problem is I am constantly needing to back up and transfer or else I don't have what I need at whatever computer I am working on!  Yesterday I tried to get a bit more organized by moving more files to my laptop.  I hope to eventually use that exclusively.  Once this pc fails I won't replace it because I love my laptop; however, I do like the 24 inch monitor of my pc.  It is easier to read.  So I find myself here blogging and other things.

Don't even start about email addresses.  I have so many that I don't remember some of them!  My original one was so full of spam I put box trapper on it...and now many people are rejected even if I set up filters.  So, that one if just for some friends and family that are lucky enough for the damn filter to accept them! That filter is much more choosy about friends than I am.

Then I started one for my art and for other friends, etc.  That was great, and I started requesting book reviews etc from it.  All of a sudden I realized that it would be easier to have one email address for all things "author" related.  Great.  Except some promotions and reviews are stored in files under the art one.  Sigh.

I find myself going back and forth, usually screwing up what I send.  Misty gets the .pdf and Katie gets the .mobi...and then I realize it should have been the other way around...well, you get the picture!

Dear me.  Then there are all my "favorites" or "bookmarks" on my pc from when I wrote the first two books in my series.  Except now I write on my laptop.  So I need to look up each of those for the laptop...my head is so mixed up I can't think straight.

You know what?  I have only one place where my favorite Cabernet sits waiting.  That is not at all stressful or confusing.  I think maybe it is time to go say hello to Louis M. Martini.  He and I seem to frequently see eye to eye...or should I say mouth to bottle?

Indie Sex & Violence (Sometimes Rock 'n Roll)

Some indie authors/publishers feel the need to put a "warning" in their book blurb if their book has sex or violence in it.  I find that puzzling.  To me, it makes them look like they are not taking their authorship seriously.  Or maybe too seriously? 

It sounds like they are apologizing for writing the story how they felt it was best told.  Kind of like  "Oh, gee, I try to be a good puppy, but look what I have done!  I have peed on the carpet!"

The reason I say this is that the playing field needs to be even in regard to writing freedom for both indie authors and traditionally published authors.  When you walk into a bookstore and browse the backs of book covers, do you EVER see a warning? 

Of course not.  Yet, major authors write steaming, graphic sex scenes and such graphic violence that some of it makes me ill.  People are cut up, burned, sawed apart, eaten...but no warning.

Nor should there be.  Look, if you are buying a book that is not in the children's, teen, Christian, light, or cozy category you have to assume that the story might have sex and violence.  Sometimes a lot of sex and violence.  Sometimes a lot of very graphic sex and violence.

I am not saying graphic sex and violence are good or bad.  What I AM saying is that, if you choose a murder mystery or horror story, you should be prepared that it may gross you out or scare you in parts.  If you pick a romance or literary fiction, the sex may (or may not) burn the fingerprints off your fingers.  There may be violent scenes that are graphically written to show the horror of what happened. Characters may use crude language or curse.

Some authors never write sex or violence and that is fine.  They usually put their work in the genres I mentioned. But to say sex and violence is gratuitous, or needs to come with a warning, is just plain crazy.

First of all, you can read part of the book to find out the authors style. Even online, you can read a sample.  It won't tell the full story, but it gives you a hint.  Still, if you decline a book because there is crude language or someone has hot sex, you may miss out on a truly great story.

People have sex and people are violent. When writing about the head of the mob, for instance, wouldn't it be more gratuitous to have him say "Gee whiz, you have kind of upset me.  I feel like raising my voice to you!"  Some characters have crude facets to them.  Writing them differently makes them hard to find believable.  Saying "he swore".  sixty times in a novel is redundant. 

Nor should people assume that an author is like their characters!  Some filthy mouthed people write clean stories.  Some who never cuss write characters who cuss like, well, hell!  I have to tell you that if I had sex as often as my main character in Gastien did, I would not have time to sit here and blog.  Do not confuse a character with the author.

Indies, don't feel the need to apologize or "warn" people about your work.  We ALL have the freedom of speech.  No matter how you write, some people will love you and others will not.  None of us can get every reader as a fan.  I guarantee you, though, that writing honest, real characters and not acting apologetic about it will garner more respect than not.

Like John Mellencamp said: "This is serious business; sex & violence & rock & roll."  Use it when the character or scene calls for it to make it real.  Don't look back.  Life is sexual; life is, at times, violent.  Just tell it, baby, and make no apologies. Life sure doesn't.

Taking My Own Medicine (Fixing My Blurb)

Indie authors, as we know, take care of alsmot everything in regard to their books. Yesterday, I blogged about the importance of a great blurb. I also mentioned that I was in the process of writing the blurb for my second book.

Well, after that I put my blurb up on the kindleboards for suggestions.  I got some wonderful suggestions and am now happy to say that I feel my blurb is ready!

Not only that, but I realized that the blurb I had for my first book was just too darn long!  Talk about saying one thing and doing another! So, I changed it.  Yup.  That blurb I worked so hard on for the first book got ditched.

I realized it would not make me buy the book.  It gave too much information and I was probably losing some people.  That is what is cool about blogging.  The whole process makes you think.  Thinking makes you realize that you might need to make some changes yourself!

Now I have what I consider to be a concise blurb for my first book that should intrique people; make them want to know more.  Here it is.  Tell me what you think!

One Man: Stunningly handsome; with desires that burn relentlessly inside of him.

Two Dreams: Become a great artist; an even greater lover.

The scene: For an artist, Paris is a hotbed of new ideas. For a lover, nineteenth century women can only dream of a man who cares if he actually satisfies them.

The problem: No training, no money, no connections. In nineteenth century France naïve young men, hoping to achieve impossible dreams, die in the gutters of Paris every day. And, he is a virgin…so far.

The tools: Raw, natural talent. Willingness to learn. Incredibly irresistible. The vow to stop at absolutely nothing in order to achieve his goals.

Gastien Beauchamp, Paris is yours for the taking.

Sometimes, the “impossible” is possible. But the cost can be extremely high.

Do you like it? Do you think it sucks? I would love to hear your opinions. Give me a shout!

Indie Publishing Means Play It Again, Sam!

If you are considering publishing your first book as an indie author, or if you have just published your first indie book, you are probably hoping that you will be an exception to the rule and your book will sell like green beer on St. Patricks Day.  We all have that dream.  It is good to believe that your book is great.

However, in reality, that seldom happens.  Many books don't sell at all.  Certain genres are more popular than others. Some people just don't have many friends that buy their books and help get the word out. But, most importantly, your book just does not get seen by many people.  It gets buried very quickly after coming out as a new release.

I have already blogged about how important book reviews are.  The more reviews you get, the better chances you have that your book will be recommended on Amazon and B&N as a "customers who bought this item also bought" book.  You don't need all 4 and 5 stars, either.  It is great to get 5 star reviews, but when a book has 20 5 stars and no others, it appears that the reviews were "fixed" somehow.  So, don't worry if you get a few 3 star reviews.  3 is a bit better than average anyhow!  Even one or two 2 and 1 stars won't hurt, as long as they are fair.  Sometimes, what one person hates in a book is what another person is looking for. Lower reviews can also show you if you are weak in certain writing areas.  Then, you can improve.

However, even when you get lots of reviews and use social media to the best of your ability, chances are you are not going to make livable income (or part time livable income) from your first book.  You are a new author and people are skeptical. Are you going to write one book and fade away, never to be seen again?  Why should they invest emotionally in you only to be left in the dust?  This is especially true for a series.  On one hand, readers LOVE a series.  On the other hand, that first book in the series by a new author may sit there without selling.  People are afraid to read the first in a series because, again, what if you don't continue to write?  They will be left with an incomplete story.

The most important thing you as an indie need to do is: do it again. Write and release the second book.  Then, the third.  Get the picture?  I received a comment from another author yesterday who said the same thing.  Just keep going.  Always look forward.  You must keep putting quality books out, doing your marketing and showing people that you are here to stay.

The odd thing is that, from what I have been told, your first book starts selling more with each book that comes out.  That is if you are writing interesting books, of course.  This is true even if your books are not a series.  People who buy each new book are not necessarily that same ones who bought book 1.  If they like what they read, they will look for other books by you.

To recap, put out your best possible work, get a compelling cover, write a dynamic blurb (book description), do your marketing and get reviews...and then you simply have to play it again, Sam.  Play it over and over, creating new, exciting stories and showing the reading world that you are here to stay.

Happy writing!  I need to get busy. Gastien Part 2: From Dream to Destiny is  almost ready.  Book 3 wants me to hurry up, stretch my fingers, and play it again.  The melody has been started and it is dying to become a full out symphony.

Finding time to do art

Here I am a new blogger, trying to find my niche in the blogging world!

As a writer and a painter, I find it really hard to balance my time between the two.  Since my first novel has just come out, I have decided to put painting mostly on hold for awhile.  Yet, it bothers me to think of those brushes gathering dust!

I need to promote, write some more, format those...the list goes on and on.  I realized today that, even though different things may be pulling me than what pulls at other women, we really all suffer from the same things:

Too much to do in too little of a time period, and guilt that we are doing the wrong thing-no matter which thing we are doing.  Why do we do that to themselves?  Is this something mostly female, or do men feel guilt like this?

If I am writing, my brain gets after me that I should be marketing or painting.  If I am painting, my brain screams at me that I will never get the 2nd novel done unless I put down that brush!

I am willing to bet that women (men too?) all over the world hear that same voice.  It does not matter if you are a mother, lawyer, doctor, writer, clerical worker.  Why do we allow ourselves to feel guilty and ineffective no matter which of our many "hats" we wear or how well they fit?

I would love to hear from others that have this same issue.  I would love even more to hear from others that have quieted that voice!  Oh.  I need to go now.  I hear paintbrushes and novels calling, along with my husband, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and 2 parrots that would love some socializing.