Wednesday, April 12, 2006

The Writing Life

I've gotten into the portion of the class where we talk about the life of writing (as opposed to the craft), and so I've stopped cross-posting here because, frankly, I find talking about manuscript preparation extremely boring. Important information, but boring to convey. If someone checking in is interested in all that jazz, let me point you to this extremely helpful website: http://www.sfwa.org/writing/. All the articles about writing are great, but the ones about the business of writing are especially useful, in my opinion.

So, I’ve been at a bit of a loss as to what to say here about writing. I stumbled across this question from Jennifer Pelland at the Live Journal community Serious Writers. Which is, "how much attention should a writer expect from an editor?"

Jen is asking in terms of a short story editor, I believe, and my experience with short story editors is that you hear from them three times -- once at acceptance, then just before publication when you're asked to check over your page proofs, and lastly when you get your check and contributors copy(s).

Novel editors... I've found that I like to keep in fairly regular contact with my novel editors, even if we're chatting about something only just tangentally related to the book. My experience is that a talkative novel editor is MUCH preferred to a silent one.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Saturn Direct!

Because I know you count on me for these kinds of astrological updates... here's the newest "Astro Alert" which I received compliments Astrology.com

"Saturn is often considered the Taskmaster Planet, and when it's retrograde? Well, there's no two ways about it: Issues of authority come to the fore, and a conservative attitude toward responsibilities creeps into even the most free-spirited souls. Whether consciously or not, you've probably been experiencing Saturn's four-and-a-half-month retrograde as a time to reflect on past decisions and learn from your mistakes ... but definitely not a time to easily charge toward your goals. Well all that's about to change as Saturn turns direct on April 5!"

Time to charge towards our goals, people.

Mine? Get more sleep!

More about Tall, Dark and Dead

Charlaine Harris reviewed Tall, Dark & Dead on the Books & Blog section of her website. A highlight: "I think it’s fair to say that if you enjoy my work and MaryJanice Davidson’s, you will like Tall, Dark and Dead."

It's less than a month away until the book hits the shelves!

Monday, April 10, 2006

4 STARS for TD&D!!

Romantic Times liked me, they really liked me...

"Call it sexual attraction. Call it fear. But whatever name you attach to Garnet Lacey's attraction to the new man in her life, Sebastian Von Traum, it is definitely connected to her past -- and, even more definitely to her future. Garnet is a witch who has vowed never to practice magic again -- even though part of the goddess Lilith (said to be on the dark side of the divine) resides in her. Furthermore, she senses absolutely no aura when she's around Sebastian. Is he a witch? Vampire? Ghost?

Garnet knows she should strive to get as far away from Sebastian as she can. Nearly a year ago, Vatican assassins destroyed her entire coven and she fled. She doesn't want to restart her old life ever again. Can Garnet and Sebastian find a way to work together to evict Lilith from Garnet, while at the same time keeping Sebastian safe?

Hallaway presents a terrific and enjoyable read. The characters are lively, and the story stays strong and balanced throughout. With a short conclusion, readers can onlyhope there will be a sequel. -- Robin Taylor

Promotional Fever

Sorry I've been absent for a while. I've got "a lot on" as the British might say. Not only am I in the middle of major revisions of Dead Sexy, the sequel to Tall, Dark &Dead but I also foolishly agreed to judge Mid-Michigan RWA's Happily Ever After romance contest for unpublished writers, *and* review an article for a scholarly journal about romance writers. Both of which just happen to be due in about twelve days (not the book, though, that's due at the end of May).

Also, I'm about a month out from the street date of Tall, Dark & Dead so I've been kind of in a promotional fever. I've been addressing postcards to independent bookstores, libraries, and the like. I've updated my website. Booked a few signing/reading gigs. Designed and submitted an ad for WisCON (a science fiction convention I'll be attending.) And generally running around like a chicken with my head cut off, "Book! Book! My book is coming out! Book!" (You can hear the chicken, right?)

If you've never hopped over to my web site -- www.tatehallaway.com, there is now also a rather long excerpt of Tall, Dark & Dead to whet your appetite. It's the entire first chapter. Enjoy.

I've done a lot of self-promotion over the years and I've always wonder what REALLY works. How do YOU decide to pick up a book? Is it through reviews? Meeting the author at a convention? Noticing an ad? Having your friendly, neighborhood bookstore clerk suggest a title? Browsing? What?

Okay, back to postcards addressing! Whee.