Hi guys,
"So...what do you write?"
How many of us get that question, and how many of us have more than one identifying genre. I say, if you do, good for you! We're supposed to write out of our comfort zone on occasion and "go where no writer has gone before," right? We're supposed to be able to pen a few contemporaries, then try out our historical ink, then perhaps cozy up with a cozy mystery or two...or three. I give kudos upon kudos to writers who do just that. It's great and it shows nothing but talent, talent, talent!
My genre, if you will, is historical romance set in the West. The only comfort zone I've stepped out of so far is aspiring "to pen" an even more unique heroine in women's fiction. That's the gold ring I go for on the writing merry-go-round; to chronicle the journey of adventuresome, brave women who helped settle the West. And, speaking of the West...what, exactly, do I mean by "You are what you Write." Perhaps a better statement would be "I am what I Write."
You know how some folks start to resemble their animals? We've seen the pairings, and not just on Leno or Letterman. It's weird and freaky, but true. Now I have huskies, so...I don't mind going there; my dogs' hair usually looks much, much better than mine! When I glance around my home, animals included, I could be in nineteenth century Colorado. Running water and electricity aside, my home resembles my stories, easy. I just didn't get the resemblance before.
I enjoy writing historical romances with a Victorian touch or two, and I enjoy living in a home with a Victorian touch or two. If it's an antique, I'm on it! If it's a old book, I want it! If I can get a scroll-top instead of a lap-top, done. If I can buy a functional set of mason jars, I much prefer them to stemware. If I can find a worn quilt with just the right colors, or a settee with just the right cushions, the furniture is moving...again. If I have to don my sorrell boots every time I venture out into the wilds with my dogs, so be it. If I have to stack more wood in our kitchen Franklin stove for "the perfect cozy fire," I happily shun gas heating. If my oilcloth greatcoat isn't in fashion, so what. If I can get black licorice over red ropes, it's in my cookie jar. I think you get my point here...which is...
...I suppose "I am what I Write." It's not so much of a stretch of my imagination to write about nineteenth century Colorado since that's pretty much where I live anyway.
Shalom,
Jo(anne)
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesdays With Joanne - "Do 'that thing you do!'"
Hi all,
How many of us wake up every day, rub the sleepy from our eyes, drag ourselves out of bed, feed the animals underfoot, put on the coffee, re-button our pjs, then head for our computer to do "that thing we do" as writers...which is to write, right?
Right!
Writing ('that thing we do') is The Best Weapon authors have against any and all woes: marketing, promotion, sales numbers, conferences to attend, agents and editors to query, signings and booktalks to schedule, manuscripts to push, or otherwise. Writers write. How many times have we all heard that? Lots for sure.
This morning, rather than reading "writers write" flat on the page, it's a pop-up for me! I get it. It's that simple and that complicated. Writers write. It's "that thing we do." Sounds simple, so why isn't it?
Because...it's so easy for a writer to become embroiled in marketing and promotion, so much so that a writer often stops writing to attend to these important aspects of being published. It's easy to wake up every morning and turn on the computer and--instead of working on our current story--we troll the Internet for this and that, to make sure we're doing all we can for our last published book. This is a good thing to do, but should be done later in the day during a time set aside to do so. We must not let this necessary task(s) suck up our creative writing juices when we should be using our creative energy to get our story pages keyed in. I try to think of the marketing hamster wheel now as something fun to 'hop on' later in the day, where it doesn't affect my daily story pages (which...duh...are very important, too!).
So I say..."do that thing you do" and write, first and foremost! I've discovered that to do so is our Best Weapon of Mass Marketing Construction! We feel really, really good if we've written the next phase of our story(s) to our satisfaction. Then, it's much, much easier to take the bumps and jolts we nearly always have on our marketing radar screens later in the day. We get to discover that we actually can still write. It's oh so easy to forget that when we get carried away on the next marketing wave. But...when we have our daily pages safely keyed onto our hard drive, it's our life saver, and we don't care so much about the marketing bumps and jolts.
You do 'that thing you do,' and I will, too!
Write on,
Jo(anne)
How many of us wake up every day, rub the sleepy from our eyes, drag ourselves out of bed, feed the animals underfoot, put on the coffee, re-button our pjs, then head for our computer to do "that thing we do" as writers...which is to write, right?
Right!
Writing ('that thing we do') is The Best Weapon authors have against any and all woes: marketing, promotion, sales numbers, conferences to attend, agents and editors to query, signings and booktalks to schedule, manuscripts to push, or otherwise. Writers write. How many times have we all heard that? Lots for sure.
This morning, rather than reading "writers write" flat on the page, it's a pop-up for me! I get it. It's that simple and that complicated. Writers write. It's "that thing we do." Sounds simple, so why isn't it?
Because...it's so easy for a writer to become embroiled in marketing and promotion, so much so that a writer often stops writing to attend to these important aspects of being published. It's easy to wake up every morning and turn on the computer and--instead of working on our current story--we troll the Internet for this and that, to make sure we're doing all we can for our last published book. This is a good thing to do, but should be done later in the day during a time set aside to do so. We must not let this necessary task(s) suck up our creative writing juices when we should be using our creative energy to get our story pages keyed in. I try to think of the marketing hamster wheel now as something fun to 'hop on' later in the day, where it doesn't affect my daily story pages (which...duh...are very important, too!).
So I say..."do that thing you do" and write, first and foremost! I've discovered that to do so is our Best Weapon of Mass Marketing Construction! We feel really, really good if we've written the next phase of our story(s) to our satisfaction. Then, it's much, much easier to take the bumps and jolts we nearly always have on our marketing radar screens later in the day. We get to discover that we actually can still write. It's oh so easy to forget that when we get carried away on the next marketing wave. But...when we have our daily pages safely keyed onto our hard drive, it's our life saver, and we don't care so much about the marketing bumps and jolts.
You do 'that thing you do,' and I will, too!
Write on,
Jo(anne)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Wednesdays With Joanne - "Don't be discouraged by statistics!"
Hi guys,
I'm not a math person, so please forgive my attempt to understand the latest RWR, Mar 2007, article with forthcoming ROMStats re Popular Fiction Sales and Title Output by Category.
In Popular Fiction Sales for 2005, romance holds a 26.4% share while religion/inspirational holds a 25.5% share. That looks like about half the Popular Fiction sales to me. In Title Output by Category sales for 2005, romance is responsible for 5,994 titles while religion/inspirational is responsible for 9,949 titles out of overall releases. Interesting, huh.
I pay particular note to these "statistics" because I'm always looking to see where my writing might have a fit, statistical or otherwise. I write historical romance set in the West, which logically "fits" into the popular romance category, and might be included in the 5,994 titles sold. Those of you who also write historicals, already know that we're not as high on the sales charts as erotica which, excuse the pun, is the coming thing, especially from RWA-approved e-publishers. When one considers the growing number of religion/inspirational titles, obviously out-selling pretty much every other category, the "statisfical fit" for us grows even more tight. Ouch!
We who write historical romance must "not be discouraged by these statistics," rather we should be encouraged by the obvious fact that what we're writing is perhaps more unique, and, one can only hope, will soon be in higher demand.
Love you guys,
Joanne
I'm not a math person, so please forgive my attempt to understand the latest RWR, Mar 2007, article with forthcoming ROMStats re Popular Fiction Sales and Title Output by Category.
In Popular Fiction Sales for 2005, romance holds a 26.4% share while religion/inspirational holds a 25.5% share. That looks like about half the Popular Fiction sales to me. In Title Output by Category sales for 2005, romance is responsible for 5,994 titles while religion/inspirational is responsible for 9,949 titles out of overall releases. Interesting, huh.
I pay particular note to these "statistics" because I'm always looking to see where my writing might have a fit, statistical or otherwise. I write historical romance set in the West, which logically "fits" into the popular romance category, and might be included in the 5,994 titles sold. Those of you who also write historicals, already know that we're not as high on the sales charts as erotica which, excuse the pun, is the coming thing, especially from RWA-approved e-publishers. When one considers the growing number of religion/inspirational titles, obviously out-selling pretty much every other category, the "statisfical fit" for us grows even more tight. Ouch!
We who write historical romance must "not be discouraged by these statistics," rather we should be encouraged by the obvious fact that what we're writing is perhaps more unique, and, one can only hope, will soon be in higher demand.
Love you guys,
Joanne
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Wednesdays With Joanne - "From Lincoln Logs to Linking Blogs!"
Hi All,
I'm excited as I'm getting a little closer to actually Linking my Blogs to others; hence, "a blogging we will go!" I know what you're all thinking...about time already, Joanne. I have an excuse. Remember. I'm 61!!!! (Darn, didn't work, did it?)
Just wanted to alert you to my game plan: I hope very soon, to blog on the Five Star Authors' Blog; RomancingTheBlog; and the WomenWritingTheWest Blog. I'm inserting myself in this experiment (on my part, always) to not only become comfortable with blogging and find out what's going on in the writing world, but also to help me access the value of "going on" in the marketing/promotion world, internet-speaking. It's a bad, bad, bad world out there in cyberland, to my thinking. I don't want to start up Home Pages on sites such as MySpace without good reason. How much marketing can one person (much less potential readers) take? The bottom line (and the gist of my self-proclaimed experiment) is to ascertain the value of involvement on numerable internet sites.
I do have a hypothesis: That internet exposure, while wonderful, doesn't coerce readers into buying, anymore than signings, conferences, booktalks, and just plain "hitting the pavement" with our wares. I'm thinking that there are still readers out there who enjoy meeting you at a bookfair or the local bookstore, rather than "hooking up" on the internet.
It's a good thing that I write historical romance, the operative word being historical. Obviously, I'm a throw-back to marketing of old.
Tune in tomorrow...and see whether or not my hypothesis is proved or disproved: whether Linking Blogs or Lincoln Logs have more value. I know. You're all right on the edge of your seats!!! Me, too!!!
B'bye...
Jo(anne)
I'm excited as I'm getting a little closer to actually Linking my Blogs to others; hence, "a blogging we will go!" I know what you're all thinking...about time already, Joanne. I have an excuse. Remember. I'm 61!!!! (Darn, didn't work, did it?)
Just wanted to alert you to my game plan: I hope very soon, to blog on the Five Star Authors' Blog; RomancingTheBlog; and the WomenWritingTheWest Blog. I'm inserting myself in this experiment (on my part, always) to not only become comfortable with blogging and find out what's going on in the writing world, but also to help me access the value of "going on" in the marketing/promotion world, internet-speaking. It's a bad, bad, bad world out there in cyberland, to my thinking. I don't want to start up Home Pages on sites such as MySpace without good reason. How much marketing can one person (much less potential readers) take? The bottom line (and the gist of my self-proclaimed experiment) is to ascertain the value of involvement on numerable internet sites.
I do have a hypothesis: That internet exposure, while wonderful, doesn't coerce readers into buying, anymore than signings, conferences, booktalks, and just plain "hitting the pavement" with our wares. I'm thinking that there are still readers out there who enjoy meeting you at a bookfair or the local bookstore, rather than "hooking up" on the internet.
It's a good thing that I write historical romance, the operative word being historical. Obviously, I'm a throw-back to marketing of old.
Tune in tomorrow...and see whether or not my hypothesis is proved or disproved: whether Linking Blogs or Lincoln Logs have more value. I know. You're all right on the edge of your seats!!! Me, too!!!
B'bye...
Jo(anne)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesdays With Joanne - "What's in a name?"
Evidently quite a lot!
Any of the rest of you out there in "Literary Internet Land" having trouble keeping your name(s) straight? Between our URLs, WWWs, blogspots, links (more like linking logs to me), hyperlinks, yahoo IDs, group yahoo IDs, MySpace page (are you friend or foe?), ever changing e-mail signatures, YouTube (at your own risk), a password here...a password there...not to mention, God forbid, if any of you are using a pseudonym...!
When I turn on my computer first thing in the morning, and attempt to "key in" the right blog and/or yahoo group for comment and/or posting, my head spins more than Linda Blair's in the Exorcist! What's the right ID now? The right password? Where is my file about which file is which, telling me which name I put in where??? That's when I check my chest, and if I don't see three 6's carved there, reassured I'm working for "good" and not "evil," I take a deep breath, another sip of strong coffee, and try to calm myself.
"I can do this. I know I'm 61 and wasn't born in the computer age, but I can do this! I went to college, received a BS in Nursing, cared for countless patients with their lives on the line, married a nice Jewish forensic psychiatrist, gave birth to three children, managed to get two books published. I'm not a total moron, oxy or otherwise! Or, am I...
If I can't even remember my name on most days, or at least the "right name" to enter for the right computer access, it's time to take a breath, take five, smell the roses (I already smell the coffee), gather my wits, sing "I Have Confidence" every morning, pull up my bootstraps, suck it up, soldier on (have I left any cliche out?), and add a little levity to my day. Computer life need only be as complicated as I make it. Code for: don't jump into the deep end of this site or that, unless you're wearing serious safety gear!
You tell me your password, and I'll tell you mine!
Jo(anne)
Any of the rest of you out there in "Literary Internet Land" having trouble keeping your name(s) straight? Between our URLs, WWWs, blogspots, links (more like linking logs to me), hyperlinks, yahoo IDs, group yahoo IDs, MySpace page (are you friend or foe?), ever changing e-mail signatures, YouTube (at your own risk), a password here...a password there...not to mention, God forbid, if any of you are using a pseudonym...!
When I turn on my computer first thing in the morning, and attempt to "key in" the right blog and/or yahoo group for comment and/or posting, my head spins more than Linda Blair's in the Exorcist! What's the right ID now? The right password? Where is my file about which file is which, telling me which name I put in where??? That's when I check my chest, and if I don't see three 6's carved there, reassured I'm working for "good" and not "evil," I take a deep breath, another sip of strong coffee, and try to calm myself.
"I can do this. I know I'm 61 and wasn't born in the computer age, but I can do this! I went to college, received a BS in Nursing, cared for countless patients with their lives on the line, married a nice Jewish forensic psychiatrist, gave birth to three children, managed to get two books published. I'm not a total moron, oxy or otherwise! Or, am I...
If I can't even remember my name on most days, or at least the "right name" to enter for the right computer access, it's time to take a breath, take five, smell the roses (I already smell the coffee), gather my wits, sing "I Have Confidence" every morning, pull up my bootstraps, suck it up, soldier on (have I left any cliche out?), and add a little levity to my day. Computer life need only be as complicated as I make it. Code for: don't jump into the deep end of this site or that, unless you're wearing serious safety gear!
You tell me your password, and I'll tell you mine!
Jo(anne)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Wednesdays With Joanne - "Wonder of Wonders...miracle of miracles..."
Hi all,
What a difference a day (and a good bottle of merlot) makes! Fortunate and humbled (no understatement here) to receive good reviews from Library Journal and Romance Reviews Today for A...My Name's Amelia, I'm breathing a sigh of relief...and introspection.
To give too much credence to reviews, which are subjective, is likely not a good thing. But the good reviews go down oh so easily! While I'm still choking on the bad one!
Time to move away from marketing and on to writing again. I have all of my research done for The Parlor House Daughter and plan to get started on this frontier romance soon. As you can tell, I'm fascinated by heroines in the Old West. Talk about miracles...it's a miracle women survived in the mid-nineteenth century West at all. If you were not married you were a prostitute, end of story. Unfortunately that did mark the "end" for many women who by hook or crook, entered the world of prostitution. Since I've told you that I do believe in miracles, I also believe that a young woman just might be able to navigate her way through the dark and seedy world of the "red light district" in 1880 Denver, and come out alive! As for unscathed...you'll have to read the book!
Shalom,
Jo(anne)
What a difference a day (and a good bottle of merlot) makes! Fortunate and humbled (no understatement here) to receive good reviews from Library Journal and Romance Reviews Today for A...My Name's Amelia, I'm breathing a sigh of relief...and introspection.
To give too much credence to reviews, which are subjective, is likely not a good thing. But the good reviews go down oh so easily! While I'm still choking on the bad one!
Time to move away from marketing and on to writing again. I have all of my research done for The Parlor House Daughter and plan to get started on this frontier romance soon. As you can tell, I'm fascinated by heroines in the Old West. Talk about miracles...it's a miracle women survived in the mid-nineteenth century West at all. If you were not married you were a prostitute, end of story. Unfortunately that did mark the "end" for many women who by hook or crook, entered the world of prostitution. Since I've told you that I do believe in miracles, I also believe that a young woman just might be able to navigate her way through the dark and seedy world of the "red light district" in 1880 Denver, and come out alive! As for unscathed...you'll have to read the book!
Shalom,
Jo(anne)
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Wednesdays With Joanne - "Do you believe in miracles?"
In the writing business, I HAVE TO!
Hi All,
I'm still recovering, or shall I say "Amelia" is still recovering from a chilly review by Publishers Weekly in their latest issue. Ouch!
Thank goodness Amelia is getting a better reception on other fronts:
Harriet Klausner's Review Archive "...Amelia is a refreshing lead protagonist as she is deaf...Aaron is a fine lonely rancher who needs someone who can handle his taciturn personality...these characters and other secondary players make for a fabulous western romance..."
Joan Johnston, NYT bestselling author "A...is for Amazing. Don't miss it!"
Alice Duncan, award-winning author "A...My Name's Amelia is a beautiful story about two wounded people and the power of healing through communication and love."
Karen Kay, bestselling author of Native American Romance "A delightful historical, full of little known facts that's sure to engross and entertain the reader."
Reviews are subjective. One reviewer's opinion is just that: one reviewer's opinion. But...when the reviewer aims the gun at you and you're down, and then comes over and fires again at close range...just to make sure...your're pretty much DOA!
Only a miracle can save Amelia now, and I do believe in miracles! I believe that librarians and deaf schools across the country will see fit to breathe life into A...My Name's Amelia and give her story a chance on their romance shelves. I also believe that when folks go to Amazon to order, they won't let one reviewer's opinion stand in their way.
Shalom,
Jo(anne)
Hi All,
I'm still recovering, or shall I say "Amelia" is still recovering from a chilly review by Publishers Weekly in their latest issue. Ouch!
Thank goodness Amelia is getting a better reception on other fronts:
Harriet Klausner's Review Archive "...Amelia is a refreshing lead protagonist as she is deaf...Aaron is a fine lonely rancher who needs someone who can handle his taciturn personality...these characters and other secondary players make for a fabulous western romance..."
Joan Johnston, NYT bestselling author "A...is for Amazing. Don't miss it!"
Alice Duncan, award-winning author "A...My Name's Amelia is a beautiful story about two wounded people and the power of healing through communication and love."
Karen Kay, bestselling author of Native American Romance "A delightful historical, full of little known facts that's sure to engross and entertain the reader."
Reviews are subjective. One reviewer's opinion is just that: one reviewer's opinion. But...when the reviewer aims the gun at you and you're down, and then comes over and fires again at close range...just to make sure...your're pretty much DOA!
Only a miracle can save Amelia now, and I do believe in miracles! I believe that librarians and deaf schools across the country will see fit to breathe life into A...My Name's Amelia and give her story a chance on their romance shelves. I also believe that when folks go to Amazon to order, they won't let one reviewer's opinion stand in their way.
Shalom,
Jo(anne)
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