Pounding the Keys and Pumping the Iron

Cross posted from the Witchy Chicks:



Okay, we’re going to talk writing here today, but in a different way. All over, I’m noticing writers starting to realize that we can’t keep our butts in the chairs 24/7. We talk about our workouts on Twitter. We groan over treadmills, dumbbells, and stairsteppers.

But the fact remains, that a writer needs to move the body to keep the mind active and healthy. And to prevent chronic back problems—like I already cope with (though mine are also from an old injury, but I neglected it too long, hoping it would just resolve itself).

The fact is, when you put in 50-70 hours a week in front of the computer, you have to move your butt or you’re going to hurt yourself big-time in the long run.

A few months ago, I was talking to a friend about how I’d just bought an exercise bench and wanted to get into shape, and she mentioned she needed to work out too. So we decided to become workout buddies. We started out with one time a week. Slowly—very slowly. After a couple of months, we decided it was time to move up to twice a week. And over the months our workout time has lengthened from about twenty-five minutes to almost an hour.

Now, I’m adding in a half hour a day on the exercise ball on the days that we aren’t working out. We just recently added a barbell set to our stacks of dumbbells and exercise bands. We’ve ordered a leg extension piece for the workout bench. In other words: we’re stepping it up and we’re actually excited about it.

I’ve lived with chronic pain for many years. I can’t take pain killers—no aspirin, ibuprofen, or Aleve, and I have to be careful of most herbs (for instance, white willow bark has a base very similar to aspirin and can easily trigger my asthma). And I have a lot of adhesions in my lower back thanks to a severe injury in 1994 when I had no medical insurance to treat it. Over the years, the lack of medical care helped to compound the damage. Now, even though the injury itself healed long ago, I’m a mess. I gained weight while laid up all those years, which also bothers me (I’ve always been a large woman, but this is beyond my comfort zone). I get muscle spasms from standing too long, from turning in just the wrong direction.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to undo everything that was done, but I do know that through a combination of massage, chiropractor, proper diet (for me—very low starch, because starch and sugar inflame my joints and muscles so grains, grain products, and sugars have to be very limited), and exercise I should be able to make long inroads on it. And now that I can afford the massage, the chiropractor, and the diet, it means I have no excuse to just sit around anymore.

But I’m not going to lie: I’ve always hated most exercise, for a variety of reasons. Except dancing…I always loved to dance—and still do. There was a time pre-injury where I could dance half the night around a bonfire and I’d love to get back there again. There was a time I could take a walk without having a back spasm, and I’d love to do so again.

But love or hate exercise, the fact remains that I need the movement, or I hurt so bad that it’s hell to sit at my desk. So I’m doing it. I’m working out twice a week and starting to see gains. I have a lot of muscle but it’s been out of commission for awhile and now we’re becoming acquainted again.

I have an inner X-treme athlete that longs to be set free. I want to be Lara Croft, but barring that, I’ll be happy when I can dance the evening away again without pain. So I’m doing it. And I’m starting to feel the endorphins, and starting to look forward to the workouts when we slap on the music loud enough to rock the house and dive in, chatting and encouraging each other to do the best we can.

And some days, my best is a few reps with the barbell and 20 minutes of exercise ball work.

Other days, I’m managing to re-discover that endorphin high. Last night was one such workout—I did really well. I did my incline presses and my upright rowing and my dumbbell flies and my tricep and bicep curls, I spent half an hour on the ball, and today my body doesn’t hurt so bad. And my clothes are fitting better. And it’s not quite so hard to stick to my diet now that I’m noticing results. Still hard? Yes and I falter now and then, but getting easier.

I know that while I’ll lose some weight, tone up and wear a smaller size, I’ll never be unrealistic model thin (or even probably ‘normal thin) but that’s okay—I’m not aiming for that. I’ll be healthy, I’ll be stronger, and I’ll feel and look better. And hey, wearing a few sizes smaller and being able to move without pain again? Priceless! My husband adores me now, thinks I’m beautiful…so anything on the top of that in terms of how I feel about my looks is gravy. (Gluten free gravy, of course ~grins~).

So writers—get out of the chair. Move. Because it won’t just help the body, but the mind. Exercise can bring mental clarity.

Go. Move. Invite the Muse to go for a walk. Tell me here what you’re going to do to take care of your body, because people, it’s the only one you’ve got.

Yasmine

How Do You Write A Book?

I get a lot of questions about how to become a published author. First: get used to the idea that there is no guarantee and chances are you won't be able to make a living as a writer. Most writers don't. Only a fraction make it to the point where they can make a living off their work--and even then, the financial success is not guaranteed to last.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't try, but it does mean you should go in with realistic expectations. Dream all you want, it's vital to dream big, but don't expect it and don't expect that it comes easy.

First, you do have to have some talent for words. Just because a person can work a keyboard, doesn't mean they can write a book. At least not one that will sell. But as important as talent is, even more important is drive and perseverance and the willingness to pay your dues. Great writers are born, not made, but a mediocre writer can become a good writer with practice, patience, and work and that is something of which to be proud.

Drive and perseverance basically means that you write. You write and you write, you listen to critique, you learn to revise, you don't let your ego get in the way--words are not set in stone and they are not handed down from god/dess. They are malleable, and usually need revision before they're ready to go in front of the readers. And this doesn't mean a quick sweep through for typos, this means making sure they are tight and read smoothly. It means getting rid of purple prose, it means cutting out excess adjectives, adverbs, it means writing with an active voice rather than a passive one.

How do you learn these things? By writing. By reading. By reading books about writing. You can also get help from a critique partner, but make sure they are around your level in terms of writing. There are several online writing sites that provide a great deal of help--and often you can hook up with other writers and form critique groups there. I recommend Absolute Write.

What about crit partners and groups? Make certain that the people you work with are honest. Someone who lays compliments only on your work won't do you any good. Neither will someone who only criticizes with no constructive suggestions. You don't have to write in the same genre, but be willing to read outside your genre if you don't. I can't tell you how to set up a critique partnership here--perhaps that's another post--but one big suggestion I will make is when you come to a part where you find yourself drifting off or losing attention in your partner's manuscript, put a big red X. That indicates that they just lost the reader.

How do you write the book? You either sit down and start to write, or you plot out a book and then you sit down and write. This will depend on what kind of a writer you are at the core. However, either way--you have to sit down and write. And you write, and write, until one day, you have a full manuscript. Congratulations! Celebrate for a day or two. Put the manuscript away for a month. Start something new.

THEN...a month later, take the manuscript out and start to work on revisions. Your critique partner may have been reading it during the time you wrote it, or they might start now...but give yourself some time between finishing it and revising it. Working on the deadlines I do, I no longer have that luxury, but it's vital for a new writer to let the manuscript settle.

After you revise it, let you critique partner read it again. Get particular--typos, grammer,, punctuation, inconsistancies...is your main character blue eyed in chapter one and green-eyed in chapter eight? Did you have character X walk out of the room in the scene before but they're still in the room in the next scene? And when you finish revising, put it away again for another couple weeks. Then run through it again. Tighten, tighten, tighten.

When you feel ready, learn to write a query letter--and for the sake of the gods do NOT use the query writing services offered on the net--and then do your research. Look up the agents you're interested in querying. FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS. Do NOT assume you will be the exception: you won't. Period. Submit a professional query according to what they want--some will accept email submissions, some won't. Some want pages with the query, some don't. Do What They Ask. If they say they do not represent SF do NOT send them a query for your manuscript "Aliens in the Army." If they don't want inspirational, don't send them "My Talks with God."

Then, go back to working on your second work. Or third. When (and unless you are a rare exception this will happen) the rejections come in, take awhile to cry or be depressed. You get an hour. One hour per query rejection. And then send it out to someone else.

One day, you (may--no guarantees, remember) get a request for a partial (sample chapters and synopsis or outline). Or a full (the complete manuscript). Print out a clean copy, or tidy up your e-version if they want it via email, and breathe a quick charm for good luck and send it off, just as they request it. If you get rejected, this time you get a day to mope, and then you send it out again.

How long does this go on? Maybe years. You may put books in the drawer--I did. Seven novels before I ever got my first contract and that contract was for nonfiction. It may be a few months. It may be never. That's the whole point I'm trying to get you to realize and accept: there is no guarantee of success. But if you quit, I guarantee you will fail.

Yasmine

Guest Blogger: Amy Shojai on Making Your Pets Happy

Years ago, (I don't want to think about how many!) I used to hang out in a writer's chat room and forums. There, among a number of people still my friends, I met Amy Shojai, who is a pet expert and damned fine writer. She and I became friends and have stayed in touch all these years. I thought I'd ask her to blog about making your pets happy for Valentine's Day but that didn't quite happen--however, it's a subject for any day and so here is her blog. You can find Amy on Twitter and Facebook, too. So here she is, I'm turning the blog over to her today.






Amy:

My colleague and good friend Yasmine Galenorn invited me recently to blog about how to make your pets happy. I’ll confess to being late, as this would have been perfect (purr-fect?) for a Valentine’s post. My bad—deadlines got in the way. Truly, though, we should think about our pets’ happiness every day, not just on special occasions, and it doesn’t take much to treat them with love.

It’s important to remember that pets are individuals with unique personalities. They’re like furry snowflakes, with no two alike. Thank heavens they don’t melt, although the shed fur makes its own statement. I share my home and heart with Seren(dipity), a Siamese wannabe, and with Magic, a black German shepherd. So for me, white cat fur is a condiment, and black dog fur a fashion statement.

Grooming can make your pets happy. Cats spend 50 percent of their awake-time self-grooming but still need help to stay spiffy. Not only does the comb/brush feel good like an all-over massage, it keeps fur matt-free, skin clean, reduces furballs, and serves as a bonding session between you and the fur-kids. I personally like the Furminator grooming tool (nope, I don’t own stock but sure wish that I did!). Shorthair cats and slick-coated dogs enjoy an all-over petting with grooming “gloves” to pull off the loose fur; for a no-cost version, use a pantyhose footy slipped over your hand. Spend extra time on the “sweet spots” like the cat’s cheeks or base of the tail that prompts that elevator-butt pose, or the chest and tummy of the dog that gets his hind leg kicking. Find out the specific thing that floats your pet’s boat and makes her purr or wag with delight. For instance, Magic adores chasing water from the hose—fun for him, and a clean dog for me!

Treats can make your pets happy. At my house, both Seren and Magic know that word—I now must spell it, and eventually may need alternative spellings. Cats and dogs pay exquisite attention to the details of their lives, especially those that impact them personally. The chow-hounds and kitties race to greet you at the rattle of kibble hitting the bowl or the whirr of the can opener. Treats are a wonderful way to “love” your pets because critters don’t have a choice, they ALL must eat. And while tastes vary, generally you can find something that the kitty or canine loves.

The IDEAL TREAT is tiny (a taste only, not a meal); smelly (double the pleasure with two sensory levels); unique (different than the usual fare); and rare (makes it special). I’m fortunate—or unfortunate, depending on your point of view—that both my critters eat nearly anything. Seren will nearly do back-flips for Philly cream cheese, for example, and she once levitated and foamed at the mouth after swiping hot mustard. Magic eats broccoli. And oranges. And Kleenex. And socks. I keep hoping this habit will pass (literally) but until then, waste baskets and dirty laundry reside on counter tops. It’s a decorating choice. I also keep my pet first aid book handy, just in case (The First-Aid Companion for Dogs & Cats http://www.shojai.com/first-aid.html ).

Commercial treats that don’t unbalance the diet work well—but cut those bite size morsels into two, three, even four portions. We’ve a population of tubby tabbies and pudgy pooches. Your cat and dog relishes the attention you give them as much as the treat, so a tiny amount works as well as a whole hotdog. Yes, a taste from your own plate works fine, as long as you also eat healthy. Chocolate, onions, and nuts can poison pets.

Play can make your pets happy. Every pet has favorite games. Seren likes to chase feather wands, or the fishing pole lure. She bunny-kicks toy mice into submission. Magic is a ball-aholic. He plays fetch until his tongue drags the ground. Interactive games increase the bond you share, build confidence in shy pets, and take the fizz out of some overactive pet pests. Some dogs like puzzle toys that you hide treats inside because it lets them use their brain, their teeth (chewing feels good to dogs), and their nose. Hunting dogs may actually prefer smelling stuff to eating treats. So fill up a sock with stinky dried fish, and hide it somewhere for your scent hound to sniff out. Terriers love kicking up the dirt—build a sand box for some legal excavation in the back yard. Kitty gyms with climbing, clawing, and hiding opportunities delight active cats. Empty paper bags or a wad of paper tossed in the empty bathtub provide cheap thrills for many felines.

Training can make your pets happy. Cats and dogs rarely work for a living these days. Many of them are BORED out of their skull! Think about it—we humans get to go out in the world, travel to jobs, visit over lunches out with friends, attend theater, whatever, while little Sheba-cat and Max-dog stare out the same window 24/7/365. Wait, they do get to visit the veterinarian once or twice a year (a good experience for them, right?). So we end up with stir-crazy cats that swing from the drapes and play gravity experiments with fine breakables off the mantel, pick fights with the other kitties, claw and baptize furniture with pee-mail, and more. Dogs chew through sofas, bark themselves hoarse, chase the cat and find other creative ways to keep themselves entertained. What a waste of canine and feline brains!

Think of training as recreation, fun, a challenge, an opportunity to celebrate your pets’ natural skills and reward them (and you!) by unlocking their full potential. I don’t mean dog show contests or kitty circus acts, but just an additional way to communicate that enriches your relationship. And before you say (I can hear you!) “cats can’t be trained,” just remember what Sheba does when the kibble hits the bowl…you’ve already trained her to “come.” Ain’t you smart?! Simply start using the word come every time you fill the bowl (works for dogs, too), and within a short time your pet will understand what it means. Seren will come, sit, sit up, wave a paw, and walk on a leash. She does love her Philly! Magic, too.

The key to training is catching your pet in the act of doing something you like, tell the pet you like it, and reward the behavior. If you can do this, the cat and dog will turn themselves inside out to find ways to make you happy—and that makes THEM happy. Clicker training is one of the fastest, easiest ways to communicate this lesson. The sound of the “click” identifies the behavior, and a special treat rewards them for performing. First, you load the clicker (explain to the pet that the click signals treats-to-come). You can find clickers at pet products stores. Just sit down with the pet and a saucer full of tiny smelly treats, and begin to CLICK (toss a treat), CLICK (treat) CLICK (treat) a dozen or more times. You’ll soon see the pet look at the treats rather than the clicker when it makes the sound.

Next, identify a behavior you like. So for example, sit around watching the new eight-week-old puppy or kitten (YES they can be trained!) until the baby happens to “sit.” And you CLICK the behavior, and hand a treat. Baby will look clueless. “What’d I do?” He’ll wander around, and eventually “sit” accidentally again (CLICK-treat!). By the third time this happens, you’ll see the light-bulb go off and he’ll follow you around the house saying, “Look Mom, I sat,” hoping to turn you into a treat-dispenser. Training goes beyond the trick aspect, though, and engages the pets’ brains. Aren’t you happier when you feel accomplished and smart? Give your pet that gift.

Above all, your love makes pets happy. And that can involve any one or all of the above—plus so many other ingredients specific to your special animal companions. It may simply be lap cuddling each evening, or sharing a pillow on the bed at night. A walk or run in the park for dogs, or a car ride to Grandma’s house. Sitting quietly with a cat’s adoring gaze from across the room says volumes. What a gift! Now…go pet your pets! May all your furry loves fill your heart and world with joy.


Amy D. Shojai, CABC is a certified animal behavior consultant and nationally known authority on pet care and behavior. She began her career as a veterinary technician and is the award-winning author of 23 nonfiction pet books and more than 1000 published articles and columns. Amy also hosts a weekly half hour Internet radio "podcast" called Pet Peeves and a twice monthly Pet Talk feature at KXII-TV. She writes a weekly column at Purina Cat Chow , is the cat behavior contributor to the cats.About.com site, and produces a monthly free E-newsletter Pet Peeves.

Ms. Shojai has written widely in the pet field on training, behavior, health care (both allopathic and holistic), and the health benefits of keeping cats and dogs. She is the founder and past president of the international Cat Writers' Association, a certified member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Dog Writer's Association of America, Inc., a past president of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., and a member of International Thriller Writers. She has won numerous awards for her books and articles.

Ms. Shojai frequently lectures at conferences about writing as well as a variety of pet-related issues. Ms. Shojai has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and in USA Weekend, The New York Times, Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Woman's World, and many other leading newspapers and magazines. She regularly appears on national radio and television in connection with her pet writing. Most recently, she appeared as a dog and cat expert on Animal Planet's DOGS 101 and CATS 101. Perhaps most memorably, she represented the "cat side" and won a nationally televised tongue-in-cheek debate (NBC Today Show, Fox, CNN and others) arguing whether cats or dogs are the more appropriate White House pets.

Online Chat, Twitter Contest Winners, Interview With Me, & Forums

A few bits of news today: my forums are going back up. I just have to get them in order, and they’ll be back—good as new and better because we upgraded so we’ll have our own little social networking site for my fans. Member pages, and my blog will move over there and all sorts of delightfully fun things! Stay tuned for more information.

Twitter Contest Winners:

We didn’t quite reach 100, so the winners of the four prizes on my Twitter contest are:

$15 Gift Certificate to Borders: @dreamerin2003
Copies of Bone Magic: @Realmlord1 & @Nightwriter
Surprise Gift: @Witchchild
My assistant will be in touch with you soon to get your contact information! Congrats!

And a reminder: live online chat tonight at Coffee Time Romance with me. 6:00 PM PST. For more information see my assistant’s site: Geek Gyrl Friday.

And lastly, there’s an interview with me over at Amberkatze’s blog today so go read and enjoy. For those on MySpace, the URL is a blogspot one so here it is broken up (since MySpace is pissy about Blogger):
http://
amberkatze.
blogspot
.com
/2010/02/author-interview-with-yasmine-galenorn.html

Have a great day folks, and I’m going to be putting up my chicken soup recipe from last night on my Gluten Free Blog. ;)

Yasmine

Twitter Contest, Night Myst First Chapter, & Asst Odds & Ends

Good Friday Morning! Yes, I am feeling pretty good. As a number of you know, I hurt my back a few weeks ago (again) and it’s been…well…a pain in the back. And then yesterday, in my workout, I pushed myself harder than I have in awhile (I was coddling the injury, which I needed to do, but yesterday it felt like I could go farther again and so I did).

This morning, I woke up at 7:00 and promptly decided that it wasn’t going to happen, I’d get sick if I got up early, and so I went back to sleep and slept in as long as my body needed. Which was another two and a half hours.

Sometimes we just need to do that and my body is appreciating the gesture. So is my mind. I woke up feeling both physically relaxed and better, and also in a much better mood this morning than I’ve been in.

As aspiring writer recently asked me on Facebook if there was a way they could help so that I’d write more Chintz ‘n China books: No. Period. Nobody can help me write the books, nobody can make me want to write a certain book. You have to write your own books, your own world, your own series. And as I’ve said before: I’m happy now, writing what I’m writing. I wouldn’t be if I went back to writing Emerald’s world anymore, and I sure couldn’t make a living writing those books again. So no…sorry, you need to find your own stories to tell.

And it’s time to make an official policy. It’s come to my attention that people are using my character’s names online as their own nicknames. Honestly, I don’t like it. You are not my characters, and I cannot authorize roleplaying. But if you’re going to do this, I have to insist on a few things: you make sure to give links to my website on any social networking site you use the names on, and you make sure people know you are using names from my books, and you encourage people to buy my work. YOU CANNOT CREATE ANY NEW STORIES AND/OR INFORMATION AND/OR PERSONAL DETAILS ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS. You MUST stay within the guidelines of what has happened ONLY WITHIN MY BOOKS. We may have an official site for doing this eventually. If so, you will be asked to move over or discontinue roleplaying the characters.

And you accept that you are NOT officially authorized to do this and that there are NO official roleplaying games out there associated with my worlds. There may be, someday, but if there are, your game will not be sanctioned. Okay?

And—to reiterate—fanfiction is off limits. I detest it—especially slash which I find highly offensive. I don’t authorize it, I won’t go looking for it but if it is brought to my attention, I will make sure my publisher knows about it and has it removed. I really cringe at the thought.

Now, for a more pleasant surprise: Woohoo, the first chapter of Night Myst is up on my website. It’s not through page proofs so what you are seeing is basically uncorrected close-to-galley stage but yah, the first chapter is there. And in blatant self promotion, if you like it I highly encourage you to pre-order it (links are on the page). New series are hard to kick off sometimes and often die a sad death if they don’t do well right out of the gates, especially in this economy. I really love the characters and storyline of this series and want to see it do well (and no frets, it is NOT replacing the Otherworld series so you still get the sisters and their world too!).

So time for me to feed the cats and get my caffeine. Happy Friday and enjoy! And yes, I am having a Twitter contest. You must be following me on Twitter to enter and you can only enter once. Don’t ask me if you’ve done it right b/c I won’t have time to check, just follow directions.

I’ll be giving away a $15 gift certificate to Borders.com as the ‘grand prize’ and two copies of Bone Magic as 2nd and 3rd prizes. Between now and eight PM Pacific on Saturday the 20th, 2010, retweet the following to enter my contest (you must type it exactly as it is—hell, copy and paste if you need to):

I Heart Otherworld. Rocking the pages with @yasminegalenorn for a chance to win.

See you on Twitter! And remember, you have to follow me there to win.
Yasmine

Music & Quick Notes

I love downbeat music—mostly darkwave—and use it a lot in my writing, as well as just my general life. I decided to create a fallback playlist for the days when the ones I created for each book just aren’t working. Mostly made up of music from a few groups, I decided to post it for those who like to follow the music I write to:

DownBeat Playlist:

Playground Love: Air
Hybrid: Gary Numan
I Don't Blame You: Cat Power
Dream Killer: Gary Numan
Clouds Up: Air
I Will Possess Your Heart: Death Cab For Cutie
Venus: Air
Cherry Blossom Girl: Air
Mad World: Tears for Fears
Dominion Day: Gary Numan
Run: Air
Melt: Gary Numan
Blunts & Robots: Crystal Method
Possession: Sarah McLauchlan
Mike Mills: Air
Divided By Night: Crystal Method
Dream On: Depeche Mode
Surfing on a Rocket: Air
One of the Living: Tina Turner
Sleep By Windows: Gary Numan
Play With Fire: Cobra Verde
Ash A: Warchild
Half Light: Low with tomandandy
In the Waiting Line: Zero 7
Another Day: Air
Wicked Game: Chris Isaak
Alpha Beta Gaga: Air
Dead Heaven: Gary Numan
Slipstream: Crystal Method
Cold: Evans Blue
Cars (remix off Hybrid): Gary Numan
Alone in Kyoto: Air
Child With the Ghost: Gary Numan
The Angel Wars: Gary Numan
Sister Midnight: David Bowie
Down in the Park: Gary Numan

Back to work on Blood Wyne. My back is slowly getting better and I’m back to workouts, if a bit gentle on them. I’m trying to cut back the sugar again. And overall, I’m happy. I need to warn you that I won’t be answering quite as many questions on Twitter because I want to get back into blogging—easier to reach more people with my blogs than whoever happens to be on Twitter at the moment. I will be on there, yes, but if you have general questions please direct them to @GeekGyrlFriGEV on Twitter, and to gev.assistant AT gmail DOT com, or leave them in the comments trail of my blog and my assistant Justine will make sure I get them after weeding out the ones that are just too personal. I still plan on interacting on Twitter but don't have time to answer a lot of questions there. :)

Yasmine

Updated Release Dates

While I have the release dates on my MySpace profile page, my Website, my Facebook page, AND my Twitter home page, it seems some people just can’t seem to see them (please, people, LOOK before you ask—I don’t have time to answer every single person who asks when the next book is out ~grins~).

So here you go so you can jot down on your calendar!

Night Myst: book 1 of the Indigo Court Series June 29, 2010.
Available for Pre-Order from Borders and Amazon (links are on my website)



Blurb: Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the Dark Fae in order to harness their power. Instead, they created a demonic enemy more powerful than they dared to dream. Bent on enslaving the world, the Vampiric Fae have been quietly massing their strength for centuries. Now, Myst, queen of the Indigo Court, is rising again...and a long-prophesied war is brewing...

Born a witch, Cicely Waters can control the wind. When her Elemental warns her that her aunt and cousin are in danger, she packs her Pontiac GTO and returns home for the first time in twenty years. But the magical town of New Forest, Washington has changed. The Indigo Court holds the city in fear; people are vanishing, and strange deaths plague the town. Swept into an unexpected and passionate reunion with her trusted childhood friend Grieve, the Fae prince who taught her how to harness the wind, Cicely finds herself with a fierce and territorial lover. But Grieve has become enslaved by Myst's court, and now both lovers must walk a fine line to survive the machinations of the Vampiric Fae Queen. Caught between two evils, both vying for supremacy, Cicely must fight for her family and her future. As she discovers the hidden secrets to her own heritage, will she lose her soul in the process?

Harvest Hunting: book 8 of the Otherworld Series October 26, 2010.
No Cover Yet

Blurb: We're the D'Artigo sisters: sexy, savvy operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But being half-human, half-Fae means our supernatural talents can go haywire at any time. My sister Camille is a wicked good witch whose life recently took a drastic turn. Menolly's a vampire who's still getting the hang of being undead. And me? I’m Delilah, a werecat with a very interesting love life. But life isn’t all fun and games. We’re on the trail of the demon general who has decided that we’ve become quite a nuisance…

It’s Samhain, and the Autumn Lord has called for my training to begin with the Death Maidens…and I find that I like it. But we’ve got problems: werewolves are going missing and a new magical drug, “Wolf Briar,” is being used as a weapon. My dear Chase and I have come to a delicate crossroads. And most dangerous of all: Stacia Bonecrusher has put a bounty on our heads. Now it’s a race to take out the demon general before she realizes the sixth Spirit Seal is within her reach…


Songs of Love and Death: Anthology with short story in it: November 16, 2010
Blood Wyne: Book 9, OW Series: February 2011 (yes, there most likely WILL be more OW books after this)
Night Veil: Book 2, IC Series: June 2011
Hexed: Anthology with Iris novella in it: June 2011

Etiquette for Newly Minted Writers

I haven’t done a blog post in awhile for aspiring writers, so here we go. Like it or not, and contrary to what the internet tends to breed, there is a definite etiquette for new/aspiring/upcoming authors that should be followed. If you don’t, you risk hurting your career in the long run. I don’t care how hot you think you are, the fact is: writers who’ve been in the biz for a long time have a lot more insight on how it works than you do, and they’ve earned their places. You have to give respect to get respect from them, and far above and beyond that, you need to understand how the business works before you randomly decide you can march in and ignore the rules.

Here are some tips on keeping your nose clean, your reputation spiffy, and your relationships with established writers on track:

1. If you have friends who are established writers, NEVER assume you can cash in their name or status. Never use their name in a query letter without politely asking first, and by politely asking, I don’t mean telling them “I know it’s okay but thought I’d just double check…” or, far worse, “I used your name in my query letter.” A) it’s fucking rude. B) there are several potential pitfalls with doing this.

The fact is, friends or not, if I don’t feel your writing is up to par I’m not going to allow you to attach my name to a recommendation to an agent or publisher. Or, you might be writing in a genre I’m not comfortable being connected with. And there’s always the chance that my name won’t do you any good: Hell, try attaching my name to an inspirational query and it will hurt you more than help you.

This is the same thing as if someone asks you to vouch for them in a job interview. You need to feel they can do the job before putting your own name on the line. Publishing is an incestuous business—word gets around and if I start referring people I don’t think are a good fit or aren’t ready to my agent or publisher, they’re going to be pissed at me for wasting their time.

2. You’ve sold a manuscript and now you want an endorsement from an established author. First, check through their website thoroughly for information on how to proceed before shooting off an email begging them to read your work.

I have specific guidelines and seldom endorse books because of time limitations and the fact that I am very picky about what my name goes on. If you send me an ARC without asking, chances are I’ll just dump it or—if you’ve enclosed postage—send it back w/o reading.

If you email me to ask me to endorse your book, my assistant will point out the guidelines which do NOT include emailing me directly. If an author does say they’ll look it over, remember: they have the right to say no after they’ve read it. Don’t assume and expect that anybody owes you anything in this business. That being said, if you follow the rules there’s no harm in asking and you’ll eventually build relationships where you can find other authors whom you’re comfortable asking for such things. Just don’t whine and don’t push when it’s obvious they don’t have the time. Ask your editor to please ask for you—it’s much less stress all the way around.

3. Don’t. Blog. Drunk. Don’t Twitter. While. Drunk. Please, for your own sake, do NOT approach the keyboard while drunk or stoned unless your internet is turned off. Trust me—so not a good idea. Once it’s out there in cyberspace, you can never take it back because somebody, somewhere will have seen it and if you’ve had a rotten day and decided to take potshots at your editor or another author, well, kiss your reputation goodbye.

4. On the same note, can the snark. Enough with the snide supposedly-witty snipes at other authors, editors, etc. Sorry, doesn’t win you any respect except from a volley of internet mashers and to be honest, it just looks bad. Being snide to peers in the industry is not going to make you look witty, or superior. Just pathetic. Publishing—again—is an incestuous business. And one day an editor is going to glance at your blog and if you’ve been taking potshots, she’s going to think, “Hmm…I really don’t want to put that author in an anthology because she’s been rude to one of the other authors. I’ll ask somebody else.”

5. Be nice to your readers but remember: they are not your friends and they are not necessarily going to love everything you write. They don’t have to buy your books. Be happy when they do. Interact, but do not play their best buddy (unless you really are best friends with one of them) and whatever you do, keep your mouth shut about other authors’ secrets/news unless the other author has given you the go ahead to say something.

Also: it’s not becoming to beg for reviews (though asking nicely is another matter), and whatever you do—heaven help you if you start arguing with someone who gave you a bad write-up. Whatever you do, do NOT go on Amazon and bitch about one star reviews. It’s going to land you in a world of hurt if you do.

Bad reviews suck rocks. I no longer read most reviews of my work because I’ve been trashed so many times I feel like the bottom of a dumpster. I’ve also had lots of fantastic reviews. Just remember: all reviews are subjective. They are not set in stone, they are not necessarily indicative of your work except to the reviewer. And it’s wasted energy to argue with a reviewer because they have the right to hate your work. They do not have the right to trash you as a person or author, but they have the right to say they hate your book. Bitch about the reviews to good friends who understand and will sympathize with you and then let it go.

In the end, when you’re first getting into the business, respect those who have been there for quite awhile—you can learn a lot from a seasoned author and most of us are willing to talk shop and offer you pointers to make the way a little easier. There’s a lot more I can say about this subject but will leave it for another post.

Yasmine

Meme, Stolen From Fran

Don't often do these but just thought what the hell. Added a couple questions.
The X goes by the things you've done. This is for your entire lLife!

() Shot a gun
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X)Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
(x )Been to Canada
( ) Been to Alaska
( ) Been to Cuba
() Been to Europe
( ) Been to Las Vegas
( ) Been to Mexico
(x ) Been to Hawaii
( ) Been to Florida
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a cruise ship
() Served on a jury
(X) Been lost
() Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep (hasn't everyone?)
(x ) Played cops and robbers
(x )Played cowboys/girls and Indians
( x) Recently colored with crayons. (markers, not crayons)
( ) Sang Karaoke (and I never will)
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
() Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
() Written a letter to Santa Claus
() Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
( ) Gone ice-skating
( ) Gone snow skiing
(X) Camped out under the stars
(X) Seen something so beautiful that it took your breath away?
(X) have gotten married
() Have Children
(X) Had a Pet (My pets are my kids)
(X)Been skinny dipping outdoors
(x) Been fishing
(x) Been boating
( ) Been water skiing
(x) Been hiking
(x ) Been camping in a trailer/RV
() Flown in a small 4 seater airplane
( ) Flown in a glider
() Been flying in a hot air balloon
( ) Been bungee-jumping or sky-diving
(X) Gone to a drive-in movie
(X) Done something that should have killed you (a few times)
(X) Done something that you will probably regret for the rest of your life
(x) Been arrested
(x) Gone to a nude beach

1. Any nickname? Several. But only for friends.
2. Mother's name? Helen, RIP
3. Favorite drink? Latte, iced
4. Piercings? ears, two each
5. Tattoos? Many
6. Love your retirement? Not there by any means
7. Birthplace? Eastern WA
8. Favorite vacation spot? Hilo, Hawai'i
9. Been to Africa ? No
10. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? Duh! Yah.
11. Ever been on TV? Yes
12. Ever steal any traffic signs? No
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4
15. Favorite Number? 8
16. Favorite movie? Rebecca
17. Favorite holiday? Yule.
18. Favorite dessert? Pie.
19. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In my own home, working and enjoying life.
20. Last musical artist or group you listened to? Gary Numan

Talking Books & the Sisters' Destinies, Backs, Asst Notes, & Kittens

Mood: Good but still in some pain
Music: Air Talkie Walkie & the Virgin Suicides)

I finished copyedits of Night Myst yesterday and got them sent back to my editor. I’m glad I took the time to do another re-write. The book is as it should be, I love it and really, think it’s one of the best books I’ve written at this point. Dark and moody, full of mysticism, magic, love, and desperation as Cicely realizes she must align herself with one enemy to fight a greater one. I was aiming for the mood/feel (not plot or story) that the movie The Mothman Prophecies gave me, and hit it. Once again, here’s the YouTube video of the theme song for that movie that also encapsulates Night Myst.



So now it’s back to writing on Blood Wyne, as soon as I wrap up the taxes this weekend. This round of books—Bone Magic, Harvest Hunting, and Blood Wyne—all see major changes in all three sisters’ lives: by now a lot of you have read Bone Magic and see where destiny is sweeping Camille in her path as a Dark Moon Priestess and finding her place as the wife of a member of the Dragon community. In Harvest Hunting, Delilah comes face to face with her path as a Death Maiden and the future mother of the Autumn Lord’s child, and in Blood Wyne, Menolly—like the reluctant Aragorn—must face her destiny and role in the vampire community under the tutelage of an ancient, sensuous vampire.

As to more books in the Otherworld Series: we haven’t gone to contract negotiations yet, but I do want to write more on the series and don’t really foresee any big stumbling blocks. I’ll let you know when everything is decided. Some of you have asked how long the series will be: I don’t know. I’ll quit when there’s nothing more to write on it for me, or when my publisher doesn’t want anymore books, or when I feel myself slipping on the quality and enthusiasm.

As those of you who follow me on Twitter know, I hurt my back a week ago. It’s getting better but still tweaking a lot and still hurting. Thanks for all the best wishes on it, and suggestions but as I have said before: I cannot use any NSAIDs, most herbs are out (especially Echinacea, white willow bark, goldenseal, anything like that). Time, gentle movement, ice and heat are what will fix me up. Along with my chiropractor and massage therapist.

Twitter note: if you want to know when books are coming out, or simple FAQs PLEASE refer the questions to my assistant @GeekGyrlFriGEV because I’ll just send you to her if you ask me. Stuff she can’t answer, feel free to ask me, but simple requests eat up my time on Twitter.

A note: if you send me SASE’s for bookplates, etc.:
1. Be sure the return envelopes have stamps on them or I won’t be sending anything back. You don’t hear from me, that was probably the problem.
2. Please be aware it may take a month or so to get a response. I only have so much time to deal with mailings, etc. and I let a pile of requests stack up and then do them all at once because it’s easier that way. So don’t send multiple requests for the same things thinking I didn’t get your mail—give it a month or so to get an answer before asking again.

Tentative event coming up in Bellevue WA:
Stella Cameron and I are planning on doing a joint workshop/discussion on Building a Paranormal World at the Bellevue library in April. More info when available, but there will be books available for you to buy and for us to sign. The discussion itself will be free admittance.

Kitten highlights: I haven’t done a post in a long time about the cats but we’ve been in kitten wonderland now for the year and…what…three months? Every day is an adventure, for Calypso and Brighid—at fifteen months—haven’t lost their sense of wonder and joy and kitten-like playfulness yet. That will come later as they mature even more, but for now, they’re bouncy and fun and full of exuberance. And Morgana is our wild child, we can’t pick her up but she does now like being petted. She’s happy and a powerhouse of muscle at ten months old, and such a little cutie. She and Meerclar were playing chase me—chase you the other day, skidding through the halls, tearing up the house.

I’m so glad to see that Meerclar has fully bonded with her three baby sisters and it’s bringing out the kitten in my sixteen-year-old goober. I have to quake-wax down all the stuff on the hutch, I can’t leave flowers out, Brighid’s constantly opening the cabinet doors because she apparently feels they need to be open, Morgana leaps out and grapples our feet from under the bed, Calypso face-planted herself into my side the other day attempting to leap on my shoulder (she’s 12 lbs now, that was oh-so-fun, but funny). Calypso’s still madly in love with her friend Ten-Kee, my adding machine…and life is good in Kitten-Land.

So there we are for now, I’ll see you on the flip side, and for those stuck in the Snowmageddon: be safe, stay warm, take care.

Bright Blessings, and Dark Sparklies to you,
Yasmine

My Reaction To The Amazon Fiasco

Okay, so this weekend there was a major war going on—one most of my casual readers who don’t follow me on Twitter or Facebook possibly didn’t know about. Others—who do follow me, got a slew of links thrown their way as I—and other writers—tried to field out just what the fuck was going on in the bookstore/publishing demarcation zone. It involves two corporate giants and a lot of pissed off authors. Rather than recap it myself, I’m going to link to John Scalzi’s post about it and let you read his take on it, which I find refreshingly blunt and to the point.

The fallout of this is that—at least for now—I have removed Amazon’s links from my website--I've left the others. You want to buy my books from there? No problem, it’s not hard to type in amazon.com to the URL bar and find my books. I won’t complain, I won’t ask where you got them. But I feel like—at least for now until this thing fully plays out—I need to support my fellow authors, and also stand up and say “Enough. The bully on the playground just pushed a step too far over the line.”

I had thought about buying a Kindle. I won’t be doing so now, or ever. I’ll be looking into an e-reader, mainly to store some research books on, that is not proprietary and that does not limit which ‘store’ I can buy from. I’m also canceling my personal Amazon account. All the convenience in the world isn’t enough to convince me to keep dealing with a corporation who throw authors under the bus every time they get in a snit. (Lest anyone forget, last time a massive de-listing of books happened it was all of the gay erotica books. I should have parted ways then but I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t just a ‘glitch’ at that time. But now I’m convinced they were making a move to soft pedal the fact that they sell erotica to placate someone who complained. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me).

So you’re going to notice that I’m no longer supporting Bezos through my website, but I’m also not going to tell you where you should buy—that’s up to you.

Yasmine