So Many Choices, So Little Time ...

I’ve got a dilemma. On October 21^st, 2011 – tomorrow folks – Musa Publishing’s YA Imprint Euterpe debuts. My problem? I have as yet to purchase an ereader to download all these wonderful books I know that are coming down the virtual pipeline. I plan to ask Santa Claus for an ereader this Christmas, which takes off some of the pressure, but which brand do I need?

So, I hopped on my black shiny steed (read – computer), and I’ve journeyed to the different websites to peruse their wares, learnt many things, got my mind boggled with some, looked at all those lovely accessories that go with each unique ereader, and still I’m as confused as ever. Then – do I want to limit myself to one on-line store? Or go for a tablet that has social networking, downloading and email capability? Woe is me!

Now, on the cusp of Euterpe’s grand opening, with a new stable of authors selling their new books, I sit patiently and wait for a solution – that elusive ereader that will fit my lifestyle to a tee. So, my apologies go to – Arely Cole, author of The Blacksmith’s Daughter, Linda Benson, author of The Girl who Listened to Horses, and Stephanie Campbell, author of First Dragon – you’re all on my wish list for great books to download ASAP. Sigh.

The best advice I can ask is your advice. If you own an ereader, what brand of do you have, and why.

Authors In The Limelight: Arley Cole

Since this is my first author interview, I wanted to define what ‘being in the limelight’ means: "in the full glare of public attention.” So, it is with great privilege to shine the limelight on today’s guest author, Arley Cole whose book, The Blacksmith’s Daughter will be released through Musa Publishing on Friday, October 21^st.

Sharon: How long have you been writing, Arley?

Arley: I wrote my first story in first grade. It was a play about Charlie Brown and Snoopy. I was also addicted to those pages they used to give us that had a blank space at the top for an illustration and lines at the bottom to write the story. I filled a world of those!!

Sharon: Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write The Blacksmith’s Daughter?

Arley: At the risk of sounding like Stephenie Meyer, I did indeed dream the first major scene of The Blacksmith's Daughter! But I dream a lot of stuff. I dreamed one night that I was going to blow up the Death Star but ran up on the food court where all my students (teaching college at the time) were working at the Chick-Fil-A to pay for school, so I had to get them off first. Then I blew up the Death Star. My dreams are legendary around our house!

Sharon: What sets The Blacksmith’s Daughter apart from other books in the same genre?

Arley: As far as the YA angle, I think it is different because it does not star young people. The protagonists are all in their late twenties/early thirties. However, they are all dealing with issues of finding out who they are and what their role is in their world. So I think that makes it appealing to a YA audience. Also, it contains both a fair amount of romance for the romance lovers and a fair amount of violence for the action lovers. Plus, the magical system in this book is not like anything I've run across lately. I have had a lot of fun developing it.

Sharon: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish The Blacksmith’s Daughter?

Arley: Well, when I finished the manuscript for The Blacksmith's Daughter I was not working full time, so it took about 6 weeks start to finish with a week off for Thanksgiving. Now I am a wage slave and it takes more time! I do spend time plotting while doing housework, especially ironing.

Sharon: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Arley: Write all you can. There are so many great places to post your work for feedback and review. Don't let your stuff just sit on your hard drive. Take a chance and let somebody read it. That's how you'll get better!

Sharon: What’s next for Arley Cole the author?

Arley: I sure would like to quit my day job!! Then I would have plenty of time to iron and write The Merchant's Son---sequel to The Blacksmith's Daughter---and finish my regency Little Season and work on several other projects I've got in the lineup. But right now, I want to get The Blacksmith's Daughter on everybody's e-reader!!!

Now that sounds like a plan! I want to thank Arley Cole for taking the time to answer a few questions about her new book, The Blacksmith’s Daughter. You can help Arley quit her day job by purchasing her e-book at your favorite on-line bookstore!

The Blacksmith’s Daughter - Musa Publishing, October 21st

www.facebook.com/arley.cole
www.facebook.com/theblacksmithsdaughter
www.musapublishing.com
www.arleycole.blogspot.com

The Blacksmith’s Daughter - Musa Publishing, October 21

Something Lost?

I found this posted on a recent Crosscut blog by Skip Ferderber. He wrote …

There’s little doubt that the digital revolution offers all of us a far greater ability to fulfill our curiosity about our world. More of us are turning to tablets, smartphones and similar devices because we’ve grown accustomed to having the world at our fingertips. If you, like I, have fallen in love with those little gadgets that are our eyes and ears to the bounty of human knowledge, you know what I’m taking about. Try to imagine what life would be like without them. I really would rather not.

No longer is it a valuable argument to say, “Well, if you didn’t waste your time on those gadgets, you’d have time to read a book!” The reality is that many of us read more books because we can carry them with us all the time.

What is being lost, however, is a piece of our society that we’re missing terribly and haven’t yet come to realize what its loss means.

I’m talking about the loss of gathering places: the record stores, book stores, libraries and movie theaters, among others, where people met in person to see what’s new, to learn from one another, to see all their choices and come closer to each other even if it’s something as ephemeral seeing someone pulling a book off a shelf and wondering what they’re looking at.

This isn’t a reminiscence of the old days although, on one hand, it certainly qualifies as that. But it does raise the question, at least in my mind, about what portion of our society, our culture, our well-being, we could be giving up with this shift toward individual experiences and away from the common face-to-face, person-to-person sharing of humanity.

Skip has a point. I mean every author dreams of going on book tours, doing book signings, meeting readers and connecting with them on a personal level. Recently, my friend, Kevin Craig had a book launch at his favourite independent book store. I heard it was standing room only. So what’s the solution here? How do you launch an ebook, and at the same time come face-to-face with your readers? Good question, and there’s probably a ton of good answers.

But that doesn’t take away the truth in what Skip wrote – the fact that life is all about relationship – the human experience. That’s the reason why we’re all here in the first place. And that’s the reason why I write.

Thank You ...

One of the many reasons why I'm so thankful!

Know Thyself - Know Thy Characters

To know yourself, look at your behaviors. Observe your choices. How do you spend your time? Your choices tell you and others, who you really are inside. This goes ditto for your characters. A character – based on his or her actions – tells all to the reader. Kick a puppy and your character is condemned. Save a puppy from becoming road kill and you’ve made thousands of best friends for your character.

It’s the little things that count – those small actions that can make or break your character. A young kid visiting a grave everyday after school has my vote. But a drunken teen desecrating a grave gets the thumbs down.  But wait. What if that kid visiting the grave is riddled with guilt because he believes it’s his fault his mom is dead? And, what if the drunken girl was molested by the person buried there? Both choices can change the reader’s point of view rather quickly.

It’s when you pierce the armor of your character that you find the true grit. Test your character’s mettle and see where it leads. You might be surprised to find out that who you thought was a villain was – like Humpty Dumpty – so broken inside he/she couldn’t be put back together again. Then again, duct tape works wonders!

A New Face In Publishing

I’m still reeling. Overwhelmed. Excited. Enthused. Why? Because Musa Publishing – the publishing company I signed with – opened its doors for business over the weekend. This new kind of publishing company operates as an on-line bookstore delivering books directly to the reader. This new kind of publishing company puts their authors first. And this new kind of publishing company is part of the changing face in the publishing industry.

I’ve never seen such comradeship as I have this past weekend. Facebook was abuzz with congratulatory comments, ‘likes’ and sporting the Musa logo proudly. I’ve gotten more friend requests than I’ve ever gotten, and requested to be friends with other authors and their friends. It was an amazing show of support and I’m happy to be part of it.

Tomorrow (October 4^th) I’ll be featured as one of the guest authors on Euterpe’s blog. Euterpe is the YA imprint for Musa Publishing. It’s nice to be part of a family that values your input and realizes that you have something to say. To that, I say thank you, Musa Publishing, for the chance to lend my voice to the new face in publishing.  

Chunk It Down!

Time management. Those dreaded words linger at the back of my mind, pushing against the front of my skull until I can’t ignore the pressure anymore. Due dates, revisions, planning new novels, blogs to write, marketing research, facebook, and for those who have it, twitter. I pull out my trusted 2011/12 planner and attempt to jot down whatever needs to be done for the next day.  While plotting a course for my day, I take several detours, until I’m back on track to do some revising for my time travel novel. I huff and puff and sigh. An author in these times has to wear many hats – especially when organizing the aspects of his or her writing career.

So, I slip on my ‘time management’ hat, and instantly know what I have to do. Chunk it down! I must organize my writing into small, easy to handle chunks. Make notes. Brainstorm. Find the best times that work for me. Get rid of the gunk in my head. And if I need to clear my head – exercise, walk the dog, dance – give my brain a chance to process the information. Then write.

Of course, it helps to learn how and when to delegate at times. But that’s another blog post!