Reflections on Holiday Shopping Plus Giveaway by Jacqueline Seewald

The where and how of holiday shopping plagues many of us. Nothing can quite compare with the yearly ritual of holiday shopping, which theoretically begins on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday. However, in actuality it begins much earlier, of late right after Halloween. In fact, the way things are going, pretty soon the stores will start putting up tinsel on the 4^th of July.

The frenetic pace of shopping madness increases unabated throughout December. The shopping itself takes on such dimensions that with many people the material supercedes the spiritual aspect of the holidays.

But before the shopping can even begin, there is the business of finding parking at The Mall. Holiday shoppers know when they are nearing this location because traffic becomes as thick as an ant colony, and jockeying for position starts in earnest. Inevitably, a type "A" personality loses patience and aggressively pulls out on the shoulder of the road, speeds ahead, then forces his/her way into the regular stream of traffic. This individual manages to gain perhaps four or five car lengths to ultimately beat the traffic light, forcing other drivers to slam on their brakes and come to an abrupt halt. A cacophony of horns proceeds to announce the general agitation.

Arriving at the mall, one is treated to a breathtaking sight—an unending sea of automobiles. There is quite literally not a parking spot to spare. And so begins the art of cruising for a space. This can be compared to the choreography of a ballet. Automobiles pirouette and arabesque around the lot.

Inevitably, there is a car waiting in each aisle for someone to pull out. Often there are two vehicles set to swoop down like vultures. The poor driver who must pull out of the spot has a serious dilemma: which way to go? One or the other of the waiting drivers must be disappointed, only to drive off angrily, perhaps offering the middle finger salute. Definitely not showing proper holiday spirit! (More like the gunfight at Okay Corral)

Drivers keep cruising, ready to dive like kamikaze pilots when they find a likely target--barely avoiding fender benders--a holiday miracle in itself. No matter how many spaces exist, there are never enough.

Another technique involves following those who are leaving. Sometimes these shoppers are merely putting away their packages and return to the Mall for further exploration. Then there is the individual, fully aware someone is waiting for his/her parking spot, who decides this is a good time to sit and light up a cigarette, fiddle with the car radio, or begin a philosophical discussion on the meaning of life with someone they've conjured on a cell phone.

Most amazing of all are those who decide to grab the closest parking spot. I'm talking here about nabbing the spaces set aside for the handicapped. These artists fall into several categories. First are those who have no physical impediment whatsoever but park illegally because they don't want to continue cruising. We have no trouble spotting them as they run out when the police start ticketing. The second category: those who somehow obtained handicapped stickers yet can move like gazelles, either had some impediment but are over it and kept their stickers, or obtained them illegally in the first place. There seem to be a growing number of these talented artists who we may refer to as prima donnas. With so many people claiming the right to place handicapped stickers in their automobiles, I am waiting for the time when non-handicapped signs will be issued instead.

After managing to obtain a parking spot and reaching the Promised Land of the Mall, we are greeted by a chorus of Hallelujah from the sound system. Unfortunately, by this time, we are almost too weary to shop.

When Christmas and Chanukah come and all the gifts are finally handed out, matters are not in the least resolved, as a good portion of those gifts will end up being returned soon after. (The heaviest shopping day of the entire year is December 26^th) So just when we think our holiday shopping is finally done, it's only just begun!

Then there's the matter of re-gifting. That's the most bizarre ritual of all. This refers to presents that don't come with any clue as to where they were purchased. Even Sherlock Holmes would scratch his head in perplexity.

These are gifts that no one in their right mind would want to keep: purple plaid socks, perfume that would make a skunk turn up its tail in disgust. Well, you get the picture! So what does one do with such odious presents? Naturally, we save them and give them to those who have given us their re-gifts. You know you've gone full cycle when one of your re-gifts is gifted back to you.

So how do we avoid mall madness? More people than ever are turning to online shopping. I would like to suggest that books are excellent gifts to give. You don’t have to run around. You can make your selections in comfort. And you don’t have to spend your life savings. There’s a perfect book for everyone, whether a bestseller or something from an unknown author. There are a multitude of useful nonfiction titles: perhaps a cookbook, a book on home repairs, or history. Fiction provides many choices such as romance, mystery, or thriller.

Naturally I’m going to recommend several of my own books that are current:

DARK MOON RISING, adult paranormal romance from Luminosity, is available in All e-book formats and print. Check out Five Star reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z7824A4/

Also available from:

http://luminositypublishing.com/product/dark-moon-rising/

itunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-moon-rising/id1020852100?mt=11

B&N Online:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-moon-rising-jacqueline-seewald/1122376394?ean=2940150766686

 and

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-darkmoonrising-1856071-340.html

THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER, published by Clean Reads Press in both print and all ebook formats, is not just for teens.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZYXW7K/ 

 https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jacqueline-seewald/id404379598?mt=11

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/433530

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-devil-and-danna-webster-jacqueline-seewald/1119365486?ean=2940149550449

STACY’S SONG, also published by Clean Reads, is another upbeat YA novel. It’s perfect for the holidays. It even ends at Christmas. Check out the excellent editorial reviews at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0177E67CQ

 In the holiday spirit, I’m giving away pdf copies of this novel to several readers. Leave an e-mail address with your comment to be in the random drawing.

 There is a book for every taste available for ordering online. What are your feelings regarding holiday shopping? Do you shop online or prefer to shop in person?  Do you give books as gifts? Do you consider books good gifts? Thoughts and comments most welcome!

The Final Polish by Susan Oleksiw

When I read my first scholarly paper to a room of academics (there were barely a dozen seated among the rows of chairs but it felt like hundreds), I learned to my dismay that I was terrified of speaking in public. I held my six pages in my hand and stood at the podium trembling, my voice faltering, for at least twelve minutes before my terror evaporated and I sounded just like anyone else. Unfortunately, I was allotted ten minutes maximum to read my paper.

This was the beginning of learning the last and often most important lessons of the professional writer. After we finish writing the mystery novel, negotiate with a publisher, and survive the first reviews, we have still one lesson to learn--how to be a professional writer in the eye of the public.

First, we will be asked to give talks or appear on panels and read a few paragraphs of our work. We have listened to the words in our head for months, perhaps years, but we may have never heard them read aloud. If you are going to make any public appearances, learn to read your book aloud.

When I am asked to read, I choose a passage from my most current work and read it aloud several times, both for timing and cadence. And I do mean aloud. I stand in the middle of the living room and read loud enough to project across the room, through the hall, and into the kitchen. I read the passage aloud at least three times. You can't count on having a microphone.

I also choose a passage that contains some suspense but doesn't give away anything important about the plot. I can adapt a longer passage by eliminating one or two paragraphs or a few sentences to bring together what I think are the most captivating scenes. I mark these in one copy of the book that I use for all appearances.

I never assume I will know what to read when I show up for the event. I always practice in advance. No one wants to hear me mumble, stumble, or mutter about skipping a few words. And no one wants to watch me flip through pages wondering where I should go next.

If I read typed pages, I make sure to dog-ear the top right-hand corners to make it easy to turn the page. No one wants to watch me lick my fingers to get a grip on the page to separate it from the ones that follow.

Second, have a photographer (professional or amateur) take a good photograph of you, with or without makeup. If you think you'll use this photograph for book covers, publicity mailings, and more, find a professional who will provide the makeup artist if you need help with this. Make sure you have the rights to use the photographs however you want. Be sure to get the correct attribution for publication.

Third, consider the wardrobe you have and what you will wear to panels and conferences. You don't have to buy anything expensive, but you may want to rethink your favorite pair of jeans or sweats. If you write a series set in India, as I do, you might want to wear khurtas in warmer weather, or a nice Indian shawl in winter. If you write westerns, consider a nice pair of red cowboy boots. The idea is to have a wardrobe that is a step up from your ordinary day wear or one that illustrates your interests as a writer. Dressing reasonably well is a sign of respect for your audience.

Fourth, design and order a simple business card. The fancier the card, the more likely you will have to redesign it as your tastes and publications change. Keep a supply of cards in your purse and hand them out whenever you have to make a note or give contact information.

These lessons for polishing an image may seem obvious, but like many others I never knew how hard it would be to read six typed pages to a group of strangers. I learned. And I remind myself whenever I stand in front of an audience that these people whom I've never met came to listen to me and they want me to succeed. That will take you far in getting over the jitters and making a solid presentation and a good impression.

Thanksgiving

I hope I'm not stepping on any toes, in this case, fingers, with this blog, because this is  the day after the subject of the post. It is a Thanks Giving and others may have written about the holiday. All else aside, I feel quite strongly about this prayer and hope others will view it kindly, even though you may not pray to the same higher power.

Prayer of Gratitude
Thank you,Lord, for all your gifts of love, especially for those we often overlook
Thank you for friends- to increase our love for You.
Thank you for enemies - to increase our tolerance.
Thank you for joys and happiness - to strengthen our faith in you.
Thank you for trials and tribulations - to strengthen our courage and perseverance.
Thank you for times when all goes well - to teach us serenity.
Thank you for days when things are rough - to teach us patience.
Thank you for our successes - to teach us confidence.
Thank you for our failures - to increase our humility.
Thank you for the "ups" and "downs" of life.
Thank you Lord for the precious gift of life itself.
Help us to continue to grow and to learn, to love, and to be grateful.
Comfort us when we are disturbed;disturb us when we become too comfortable.
Thank you, Lord, for being by our side.

Enough said!

What we can learn from scholarly E-books

Recently I attended a University of Illinois seminar on digital advances in the humanities. The seminar, courtesy of a collaborative publication series, “Women in Print: Value-added E-books and New Digital Collaborations.”  It was co-sponsored by our University of Illinois Press, the University Library, The Rare Book Room, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and several other departments. The seminar featured several specialists from these units, plus History and Graphic Design, talking about how to enhance materials in the humanities. 

For scholarly publications, some of the issues were how to put transcriptions side-by-side with original manuscript facsimiles and make the web interface user-friendly. Speakers discussed typefaces, amount of white space on a page, and free distribution of scholarly materials using multiple online channels.

All this stuff is relevant to the production of mysteries.

As authors, we usually count on our publishers to make decisions about the appearance of our books online. The publisher chooses font, alignment, background, scrolling options, etc. As consumers, these decisions have consequences: how tired your eyes get from scrolling or flipping pages or how frustrated you are when a digital platform doesn’t work the way you expect.

A note on cover design (especially if you design your own): make sure it is legible in thumbnail size! That is how potential readers see it first, until they make the decision to click on the cover for a larger version.

Last but not least, make sure you know what your book looks like on a smartphone vs. a laptop vs. a tablet.

The other takeaway for me from this seminar was a better understanding of how graphic design and electronic formatting can make or break a book, non-fiction or fiction, and why digital books won’t necessarily be much cheaper than print if you employ professionals.

Being Thankful for our Readers

It's that time of year when we gather together and give thanks for the blessed abundance we have in our lives. We often cook tremendous meals and spend hours "catching up" with extended family and friends.

Personally, I think all the best conversations happen over meals. Family and food just seem to go together in our society. 

As authors we need to remember to Thank our Readers. Without them we would have  no success at all. So, when you're blessing the food, family, friends and good health, add readers to the list.

We Authors want to Thank You, Dear Readers: 

• For your interest in our stories.
• For telling your friends about our books. 
• For posting reviews on-line.
• For buying copies of our books as gifts. 
• For asking your library to stock our books. 
• For arranging for us to visit with your church group, book club, bookstore, sorority, library, school, etc. 
• For friend-ing us on social media and "liking" our posts.

Thank you for your enthusiasm, questions, comments, and support.***********************************
To find out more about Bonnie Tharp go to http://bdtharp.com. 

Five Tips for a Successful Library Event

Mystery author Catherine Dilts is our guest blogger today. To Catherine, rock shops are like geodes – both contain amazing treasures hidden inside their plain-as-dirt exteriors. Publishers Weekly calls her novel Stone Cold Dead: A Rock Shop Mystery, an “enjoyable debut,” and that “readers will look forward to seeing more of this endearing and strong protagonist.” Catherine works as an environmental tech, and plays at heirloom vegetable gardening, camping, and fishing. Her short fiction is published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Visit her at www.catherinedilts.com and on Goodreads.

                                                      

                                                    Five Tips for a Successful Library Event

                                                                     By Catherine Dilts

I grew up in a family of intense library users. My siblings competed to discover the most delightful next book by browsing the shelves. As an adult, I still use my local library. One of my “made it” moments, when I felt I was an honest-to-goodness author, was seeing my book on a library shelf.

Naturally, I was thrilled to be invited to participate in a library author event. I’m still a relative newbie. I only have three events under my belt, with a fourth coming November 14. Still, I have accumulated five tips for authors to enjoy a successful library event.

1)      Use a wheeled cart. College students use them for textbooks, grannies for groceries. I dug one out of our garage. There was plenty of room to strap down a box of books, my promo materials, purse, sweater, and snack. No multiple trips to the parking lot. No sore arms and back. This low technology tool is a lifesaver.

2)      Do your homework. What type of event are you attending? Will you be speaking, or sitting at a table waiting for readers to pass by? May you set up a poster or decorate a table? Are you the focus of attention, or will dozens of authors share the spotlight? Every event I attend, someone has a clever table covering or eye-catching display. I’ll be ready next time! Read the emails and instructions for your event. Be prepared.

3)      Sales. Will you be allowed to sell your books? Who will handle sales – the library, a bookseller, or you? Do you need to bring books for consignment? How many books should you bring?

a.       Quantity. I suggest bringing plenty of books, but leave the majority in your vehicle. Oh happy day if you need to run to your vehicle for more. My experience, as a new author in small town libraries, is that a dozen books is optimistic. I hope your experience is wildly different!

b.      Transactions. If sales are your responsibility, be aware that few people write checks or carry cash. I intend to look into the Square, a device to charge credit and debit cards using your smart phone or tablet.

4)      Network.

a.       Talk to librarians and volunteers. Let them know you appreciate being invited to participate in their event. Verify that the library carries your book.

b.      Talk to the patrons. For some, this might be their first experience speaking with a real live author. If they are hesitant to purchase your book, encourage them to check it out from the library.

c.       Talk to other authors. You might pick up helpful promotional ideas, learn about another library event, or make a new friend.

5)      Be realistic.

a.       About sales. You are in a library, where patrons are accustomed to reading for free. You may not sell a lot of books, but you might gain fans.

b.      About attendance. Library events, I am told, typically do not generate crowds. The ones I have participated in have been well attended. I think the difference is in how well the event is promoted. You can help. Invite friends and family. Use social media to get the word out. Give your co-workers fliers. Libraries are more open to future events when attendance justifies their expense and use of resources.

I have participated in two meet and greet events with dozens of authors. Another event was a mini-writers conference. The next event on my calendar is a three author workshop. Every venue and every event is different. Participation in some is by invitation only. Others seek applications from authors. Each exposes me to potential new fans, but perhaps more importantly, they offer me a chance to give back to libraries and librarians.

Now that I’ve made the case for library events, how do you get in on one?

1)      Check your local library’s website, call, or talk to someone in person. Depending on the size of the library, they may have a staff member dedicated to special events. At the very least, there will be a staff member in charge of the event.

2)      Talk to other writers. Writing groups often have Yahoo loops where people share information about events. That’s how I learned about the first library event I participated in.

Have you attended a library author event? Participated in one? Are you a librarian who has hosted an event? I would love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

Level Best Books and New Beginnings by Susan Oleksiw

This weekend marks a major shift in the life of New England writers of short fiction. The new Level Best Books anthology, Red Dawn, will be launched at Crime Bake, November 6-8, a mystery conference in Dedham, MA. The four editors have worked diligently to keep the anthology alive and successful, but after seven years, it's time for them to put down their pens (or unplug their computers), and move on to other interests. But this is not the end of Level Best. The current editors are turning over the anthology to a new group, several of whom are known to the current and previous editors.

Kate Flora, Skye Alexander, and I co-founded Level Best Books in 2003, and settled the details over lunch at a restaurant in Gloucester. We were full of enthusiasm and ideas, and our optimism was infectious. After a wobbly first effort, the annual anthology took off. (Our first cover, remembered by no one else but me, was replaced but the design you see at left, thanks to Skye).

The Level Best Books anthologies quickly became one of the rare opportunities for writers to publish short crime fiction in a paper, and accessible, format. Skye moved to Texas and Ruth McCarty joined us. Together, we published seven anthologies, and shared the work on an eighth. We arranged panels and talks around the region, traveled to other states to reach writers from as wide an area as possible, in order to feel LBB was truly a New England publication. We were proud of including writers from all six New England states most of the time. Working on LBB anthologies was some of the best fun I've ever had as a writer, and we were always proud of the result. But this was work and we came to the end of the line. It was time to let go.

Less willing to walk away, Kate Flora talked about the anthology to other writers, and a group who had worked together for years stepped forward. The new editors, Mark Ammons, Kat Fast, Barbara Ross, and Leslie Wheeler, went on to publish six more volumes, each one better than the previous. But they too reached the end of the line, and decided to move on. This year's issue will be their last. Red Dawn will be available for purchase at Crime Bake and beyond.

But, in what is now a tradition, they found a group interested in continuing the LBB anthologies, and soon there will be a third cast of editors.

The transition from the first to the second group of editors was remarkably seamless and layered with good will and optimism. The new editors modified the design, maintained the same commitment to a mix of new and established writers, and launched new efforts to conduct panels and use other promotions to get the word out about the writers and the anthologies. When they came to the point of knowing it was time to end, they graciously let us, the previous editors, know and set about finding a new team.

This weekend, at Crime Bake, I look forward to meeting some of the new editors, since I seem to be the only one of the eight previous editors who hasn't met any of the incoming ones. I'm looking forward to it, and also to seeing the Level Best Books anthologies continue to thrive as a place for New England writers to showcase their work.

The Crime Bake editors are also announcing the change in ownership today. You can read their news and who the new editors will be at the link below. If you're attending Crime Bake, you can even meet some of them.

http://levelbestbooks.com/about/new-editors-at-level-best-books-2

A final word. When Kate and Skye and I talked over lunch that day in Gloucester, I had no idea how far LBB would travel. I only wanted to do an anthology of short fiction. Thanks to everyone who wrote and sent stories, and those who bought the books and passed them around, LBB now has a life of its own. So forgive my sentimentality and pride as I watch LBB enter another stage in its life.