tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15026490166292241822024-03-04T22:34:03.810-06:00The View from the Eddystone LightOne writer navigates the choppy waters of the publishing world.Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-72068969101723136982016-07-02T01:22:00.000-05:002016-07-02T01:25:13.980-05:00A Personal Experience with Grief and AcceptanceTo be completely honest, I have not created a blog in such a long time that I'm almost embarrassed to create one now. I even had a challenge remembering my log in credentials so that I could access my blog, but I guess when one is determined, one does what one must.<br />
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Life sometimes throws curveballs at us—some we can see by glancing far down the field and seeing that the pitcher is warming up, and others that you cannot anticipate because the speculation is so dark and terrible that you don't want to go there, not even in your imagination.<br />
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The loss of loved ones and the accompanying grief is terrible for most of us. In the last few years, I've had a couple of curveballs thrown at me: one I saw coming (the death of an aging parent), and one that embodied a scenario I could not have anticipated. I lost my Mom on New Years' Day in 2015 after a short illness and a blessedly long happy life. Prior to that, my only sister and best friend Christina went through all the terrors that can consume the life of a person afflicted with diabetes, from amputation to kidney failure to a year and a half in a nursing home where she had to learn to accept that she would not ever be well enough to come home.<br />
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It's very sobering to watch a beloved sibling who is still years away from an acceptable retirement age be forced to exchange a job she loved for a meager disability income and a bed in a facility where she first entered as a patient in the rehabilitation wing but drew her last breath in the hospice ward of the same facility.<br />
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Chris had always had a sort of cavalier attitude about being a diabetic. She didn't follow her doctor's advice and she played Russian roulette with her medications. After things had progressed to the point where she lost her left leg to the disease, I remember her telling me (still in that same calm manner she always had) that what was happening to her was her own fault because she had ignored all advice with the foolish assumption that she would somehow be exempt from the complications of the disease. She said she hoped people who knew her and were also diabetic would take the lesson to heart. <br />
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Chris passed away on July 9th, 2012 and I have her ashes sitting in a beautiful container on top of the entertainment center in my living room. She loved all forms of entertainment: music, movies, books, video games…you name it, so I feel her place of honor there is appropriate.<br />
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Now that I've brought up books (see how slyly I slipped in that reference?), one of the things Chris loved most was reading books. Especially ones written by her "little" sister Lisa Marie (yours truly). Chris was an endless source of inspiration because when I'd give her a chapter of my WIP to read, she'd always be so lavish in her praise and enthusiasm that I'd work twice as hard to deliver that next installment knowing my greatest "fan" was waiting to read it.<br />
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Her enthusiasm drove me forward and I'd published two award-winning, historical romance novels by the time her health began to fail. I had started on a third novel, entitled "The Red Parrot" and Chris had read the first few chapters and declared it my best work so far. When she passed away, my interest in finishing the book faded, and it has taken me time and reflection to realize that she had always provided the greatest incentive to me to keep writing. I had to hurry up and finish the chapter because Chris wanted to know what happened next!<br />
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So, I'm writing this blog now because I'm working on The Red Parrot again, and I have some news to share that would have thrilled my sister. The writing is going slow, but the urge to finish the story has returned, and in recent months I've started entering portions of the work in various writing competitions that offer judge feedback from editors, agents, and other published authors. My goal was to enter a few of the higher profile contests where the competition is fierce but the feedback is useful because I was curious to learn how the story would be received.<br />
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I've had calls this week from the <a href="http://www.georgiaromancewriters.org/maggie-finalists/">Georgia RWA Maggie Award of Excellence</a> contest coordinator and from the <a href="http://www.pnwa.org/?page=finalists2016">Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest</a> informing me that my entry is a finalist in both competitions.<br />
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Prior to this latest news, The Red Parrot had finaled and/or won in several other competitions:<br />
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<a href="http://whrwa.com/theemily/2016/02/13/2016-contest-winners/">The West Houston RWA Emily</a><br />
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MORWA Gateway to the Best<br />
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Windy City RWA Four Seasons Contest<br />
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I can picture Chris giving me a thumbs-up and a proud "You go, girl!" and I think it's a healthy step forward to realize that grief does not have a beginning and an end. It is always going to be a living thing inside me, tamed by the embrace of those precious memories that will always be with me.<br />
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Grief is not something that comes with a recovery period, it is more a matter of adapting and accepting how it has changed us and given us a new appreciation for the people who once enriched our lives and continue to do so when we remember them.<br />
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<img src="https://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-3611675021470872332013-09-06T19:55:00.000-05:002013-09-06T19:55:04.121-05:00Stolen Promise Free on Kindle through September 7th!!!My publisher, Medallion Press, has made it possible to offer my award winning, Gypsy-themed historical adventure romance novel, "Stolen Promise" as a free e-book for a limited time, from September 2 through September 7. After 9/7, Stolen Promise will be available for $.99 for a limited time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lisamariewilkinson.com/" target="_blank">Visit my website to view the trailer and read an excerpt!</a><br />
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<br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ms5anhf" target="_blank">Click here for the Amazon Kindle Listing</a><br />
There is no better opportunity for a writer to find new readers, so if you like historical romance, please check it out and I hope you enjoy the book!<br />
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Lisa Marie<br />
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Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-14138482266320536882013-07-08T19:27:00.000-05:002013-07-08T19:27:47.949-05:00Fire at Midnight Free E-book Until July 15th!My publisher, Medallion Press, has made it possible to offer my IPPY gold medal award winning historical adventure romance novel, "Fire at Midnight" as a free e-book for a limited time in July.<br />
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"Fire at Midnight" was my debut novel and it is escapist fiction intended to entertain...the perfect summer beach read!<br />
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<a href="http://www.lisamariewilkinson.com/" target="_blank">Visit my website to view the trailer and read an excerpt!</a><br />
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<br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mrb8qxz" target="_blank">Click here for the Amazon Kindle Listing</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fire-at-midnight-lisa-marie-wilkinson/1100403301?ean=9781605429670" target="_blank">Click here for the Nook Version</a><br />
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There is no better opportunity for a writer to find new readers, so if you like historical romance, please check it out and I hope you enjoy the book!<br />
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Lisa Marie<br />
<img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /> Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-75797016269035989452012-11-20T21:26:00.000-06:002012-11-20T21:26:04.931-06:00Free E-Books During December!!!I'm thrilled to share the news that my publisher, Medallion Press, has arranged through their distributor to offer my award-winning historical adventure-romance novels as free e-book offerings during the month of December. <br />
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From December 1 through December 15, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Promise-Hearts-Series-ebook/dp/B004ASOQZI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1353467832&sr=8-2&keywords=stolen+promise+kindle" target="_blank">Stolen Promise</a> will be free on Kindle, Nook and Sony E-reader as well as Itunes.<br />
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From December 15 through December 31, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fire-at-Midnight-ebook/dp/B004IK8TNI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353467893&sr=1-1&keywords=fire+at+midnight+kindle" target="_blank">Fire at Midnight</a> will be free on Kindle, Nook and Sony E-reader as well as Itunes.<br />
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Visit my <a href="http://www.lisamariewilkinson.com/bookshelf.html" target="_blank">website</a> to read excerpts from both books!<br />
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<br />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-68291592985545810492012-09-03T18:49:00.001-05:002012-09-03T18:49:27.022-05:00Blue Collar Fifty Shades of Grey?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There has been such a fuss over the immense success of the trilogy of erotic novels beginning with “Fifty Shades of Grey,” that my curiosity was piqued and I downloaded the trio to my Kindle so that I could decide its merits—or lack thereof—for myself. To date, I’ve read the first novel, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and I’ve nearly finished the second book, “Fifty Shades Darker.” <br />
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I’m not going to jump on the pro or con bandwagon or delve into any deep philosophical rumination with regard to this work. The whole “domination/submission” thing has been discussed ad infinitum (some might say ad nauseum) on Amazon, Goodreads, and even on the romance website “All About Romance,” which is considered the tour guide for romance fans looking for the next trendy property to read. Opinions concerning this work of fiction (which features aspects of the alternative BDSM lifestyle) are widespread and I can’t really add anything to the critical storm that hasn’t already been articulated in print. <br />
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Perhaps I view things too simplistically, but “Fifty Shades” seems like nothing more than a sexually amped-up Cinderella story, ala “Pretty Woman,” which certainly divided audiences in its heyday with the implicit question, “Does a prostitute deserve a happy ending?” In the Richard Gere/Julia Roberts film, Gere was impossibly handsome and obscenely rich. He had certain, ah, expectations of the heroine, and he wasn’t always nice. Setting the kink factor aside, the Christian Grey character reminds me of Gere’s character in Pretty Woman.<br />
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I think the core at the success of “Fifty” is the fascination those of us who aren’t wealthy have with those who are. If you re-cast the uber-wealthy, phenomenally gorgeous Christian Grey as a blue-collar worker of average means, many of the scenes in the book(s) suddenly became unlikely, if not impossible. <br />
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Pretend for a moment that Christian Grey teaches engine repair at the local diesel college:<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t have been an interesting interview subject for a college newspaper in the first place, under most circumstances<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t be able to fly the heroine to his lair using his very own helicopter<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey probably has a two-room apartment somewhere, and wouldn’t have any spare room to devote to a “Red Room of Pain,” or the means to purchase all the kinky equipment contained within said room<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t be able to gift our heroine with a new red Audi as a graduation gift, (unless a subsequent chapter in the book details his arrest for grand theft auto)<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t be able to have a corporate server wiped clean of e-mails shared with the heroine, or have the connections and power needed to stalk our heroine so effectively<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t be able to purchase the publishing firm where the heroine works just to have more control over the heroine’s lecherous boss<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey might be able to take our heroine gliding, but a trip to the local zoo would be more likely on his budget<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t be able to provide our heroine with a closet full of expensive designer clothing, nor would he have a “Man Friday” (Taylor) available to shop for undergarments for her at a moment’s notice<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t be able to take our heroine shopping for a new Saab after a psychotic former girlfriend slashed the tires on the Audi and covered it in white paint<br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey wouldn’t have a fortune to drop at a charity event to outbid his competitor for a dance with our heroine <br />
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• Blue collar Christian Grey might be able to book a room at the local Super 8 motel for a rendezvous with our heroine, but it’s doubtful he’s going to be “christening” the bed of his 50 foot boat with her<br />
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Our auto diesel college teacher version of Christian Grey could potentially have an older “Mrs. Robinson” in his past, and may have any number of ex-girlfriends with mental problems, but he wouldn’t have the means to hire surveillance and body guards to protect his current paramour from said former lovers with issues.<br />
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Christian Grey in Fifty Shades tells the heroine he makes $100,000 per hour (which I thought was amazing that he manages to be so productive when he seems to spend most of his time e-mailing, stalking, obsessing over, or nailing our heroine. Plus, what about the thirteen submissives who came before our heroine? Certainly they must have required significant time and attention, not to mention all the time it takes to draft and revise those non-disclosure agreements outlining Grey’s extra-curricular activities). The auto diesel college teacher version of Christian Grey would make, ah, considerably less, and his boss would be making sure that Christian put in his forty hours each week, leaving Christian with much less free time for stalking.<br />
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In my view, the plot of Fifty Shades depends more upon the wealth of the Grey character than it does his unusual sexual proclivities. While the book contains explicit sex scenes, most of the content is fairly average by erotica standards. Fifty Shades of Grey is for the most part a variation on the timeless fairy tale of an average woman of modest means allowed to experience a world of wealth and privilege. <br />
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Laters, baby.<br />
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Lisa Marie<br />
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<br />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-78977986471880484782012-05-04T22:38:00.000-05:002012-05-04T23:13:49.971-05:00It's That Time Again! Help Find a Cure for DiabetesI'm honored to be offering a partial manuscript critique again this year for Brenda Novak's annual auction to find a cure for Diabetes.<br />
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I had a wonderful experience last year providing a critique for the author with the winning bid. It was a win-win because I had the pleasure of reading the beginning of what promises to be a very entertaining historical romance, the author received feedback she felt helped polish her manuscript, and we both felt good about participating in an auction to raise research funds for such a worthy cause.<br />
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If you're an aspiring author in search of objective feedback, I encourage you to visit the auction site and check out the authors offering full or partial manuscript critiques. (Pick me!! Pick me!!!)<br />
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If you're not looking for a critique, the auction is offering a huge variety of items for bid...you owe it to yourself to have a look!
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Lisa Marie<br />
<img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /> </div>
Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-18000994559632784592012-03-04T11:02:00.005-06:002012-03-04T11:37:22.374-06:00Writerly Stuff: Let's Talk About Rejection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72Z3-FaWcZOJBzza3I9nOK3lUhpwK-p4b8ck3e48Lq2rCA4SZ-NVKkzgM1hkR6PBWYhNQQCj4eSRUNrO80FChNCjtuly96vYiiZNlLzM1VM6pxr60nO-PRD1QkZuoGH6aNIimsdjZukI/s1600/32111-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Red-X-And-Rejected-Stamp-On-A-White-Background.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 147px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716096865075876690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72Z3-FaWcZOJBzza3I9nOK3lUhpwK-p4b8ck3e48Lq2rCA4SZ-NVKkzgM1hkR6PBWYhNQQCj4eSRUNrO80FChNCjtuly96vYiiZNlLzM1VM6pxr60nO-PRD1QkZuoGH6aNIimsdjZukI/s320/32111-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Red-X-And-Rejected-Stamp-On-A-White-Background.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>No discussion about the writing life is honest or complete if we tiptoe around the subject of rejection.<br /><br />After looking up the definition of rejection in the dictionary, it occurred to me that its antonyms may be more revealing than the definition of the word rejection itself. Words that mean the opposite of rejection include "acknowledgment," "admission," and, "confirmation." These are the very things that are withheld when rejection occurs.<br /><br />There's no doubt about it: rejection hurts. As an unpublished writer, you will not avoid it. As a published author, you will not escape it. Even if you become a fabulously wealthy, bona fide best-selling, award-winning, highly successful author, you will still not be immune (although rejection may be less painful in the last scenario).<br /><br />Rejection will take many forms, and it will accompany you throughout your entire writing career, so the best way to approach it is with a good helping of plain common sense. The thing to bear in mind is that rejection is simply opinion. It is nothing more, and nothing less.<br />Criticism or rejection of your work is an opinion of your work expressed by a reader. The opinion formed by a reader is based upon everything that makes each reader unique: education, life experience, personal beliefs and biases, and so on. A reader's rejection of your book is not a rejection of you as a person, though it might feel that way.<br /><br />If you haven't been rejected by an agent or a publisher yet, you probably haven't submitted anything to an agent or a publisher. If you've had the good fortune to find a publisher who believes in your talent strongly enough to publish, market, and distribute your work at their own expense, then you may have experienced rejection in the mix of reviews that follows publication.<br /><br />Only the most naïve writer will assume that the publication of their work signals the end of the rejection experience. The path to publication merely serves to prepare a writer for what lies ahead once his or her book is available for consumption. Book signings, first fan letters, kind words from reviewers, readers and other writers will bolster the ego and provide balm when rejection comes knocking on the door.<br /><br />So, what can the tender-hearted (or thin-skinned) author do to prepare for the inevitable rejection that is as much a part of the writing life as fried Twinkies at a county fair? Here are some tips:<br /><br />· Write the best poem, article, short story, novel, song, screenplay, etc., you're capable of each time, with the goal of having your writing get better with each new foray into the world of the written word.<br /><br />· Don't dwell on negative reviews and don't give negative reviews any more weight than you do the positive ones. A glowing review full of praise can be just as misleading as a rip-your-heart-out-with-a-dull-spoon negative one. The truth is probably somewhere in between. If you allow yourself to believe only the bad reviews, you may never write again. Most writers probably aren't as good as their best reviews suggest or as terrible as their worst ones imply.<br /><br />· Learn the right lessons from rejection: it's tough to keep an open mind and remain objective when the criticism is directed at your work, but if there's a lesson to be extracted from the criticism, be willing to learn it. If you committed the cardinal sin of tossing your reader out of the story, study your craft so that you don't make the same mistake again. If the contest judge who critiqued your story provided sound advice, pay attention to it, even if the delivery of the advice lacked tact and diplomacy. If your editor pointed out plot or character inconsistencies in the margins of your galleys, be grateful for the opportunity to fine-tune your novel before it reaches publication.<br /><br />· Always put rejection into perspective and view it from a variety of angles. For example, an interesting thing about numeric rankings on sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, and LibraryThing is the detail behind the aggregate ranking. At first glance, a ranking of 3 out of 5 seems dismal until you look more closely and discover that some reviewers routinely rank everything a 1, 2, or 3 (nothing higher than a 3). You'll often see the same book appear on both "Best Book" and "Worst Book" lists. Reviewers who gave your work a low rating may have bestowed a similar mark on a classic work by an author you admire. The reader who announced to the world that your book is the "worst book I've ever read. If I could give it a zero, I would!" may have also said the same of the work of Mark Twain or John Steinbeck. If that's the case, you should be pleased to have been included in such illustrious company. Don't obsess over the 1's and 2's and don't get too puffed up when your book receives the highest possible rating (although do pause to be grateful!)<br /><br />In the internet age, every reader who has an opinion has a forum for sharing their opinion with millions of other readers. That's not a bad thing because it increases the odds of people hearing about your book, although the veil of anonymity provided by the internet tends to encourage no-holds-barred, sometimes brutal candor because book reviewers and authors share a similar goal: we want what we write to be read. The more sensational the review, the more entertaining it is to read (unless it's highly negative and you happen to be the author of the book being slammed).<br /><br />The final decision about whether a book is "good" or "bad" rests with each individual reader. Some readers will embrace your writing and some will reject it. The ones who enjoy your writing will encourage and sustain you, and the ones who don't will find other writers to support. That is as it should be.<br /><br />Rejection is nothing more than opinion, and to quote Edmund Wilson, "No two persons ever read the same book." The only way to avoid rejection entirely is to have your Mom or best friend (but no one else) read your novel. However, if you're writing to be read by a wider audience, be prepared to be both loved and loathed at the same time.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /> </div>Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-18823234664890697832011-11-21T19:35:00.005-06:002011-11-21T19:56:20.360-06:00Book Review: The King's Courtesan by Judith James<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ04LzcKlGlP7Rl8NungbyNFfVaymjShVqW4Y62pv_MNy1n2vikPTFXFqT3MJQfZiYURc-o7N1_KqDUfX_ixeArFyHKUUGtPoqzba1kH8rJ2gGvrTmpzbePrQthaZgxqu7qoPluXxP-M/s1600/King%2527s+Courtesan.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 202px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677632736689084770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ04LzcKlGlP7Rl8NungbyNFfVaymjShVqW4Y62pv_MNy1n2vikPTFXFqT3MJQfZiYURc-o7N1_KqDUfX_ixeArFyHKUUGtPoqzba1kH8rJ2gGvrTmpzbePrQthaZgxqu7qoPluXxP-M/s320/King%2527s+Courtesan.jpg" /></a> <br /><div>The latest release by Judith James continues to fulfill the promise hinted at by this talented author’s celebrated debut novel, “Broken Wing,” and further realized by her subsequent historical romance releases.<br /><br />“The King’s Courtesan,” set in the Restoration era world of Charles II, is an entertaining companion novel to its predecessor, “Libertine’s Kiss.” Once again, Ms. James uses her uncanny insight into the human condition to populate her novels with living, breathing characters whose trials and triumphs make the reader feel emotionally invested in the outcome of the story from page one.<br /><br />When we first meet Hope Mathews, she is a starry-eyed adolescent dreaming of rescue by a gallant knight, but when we next meet Hope as an adult, she has been the victim of betrayals by those closest to her; beginning with the mother who sold Hope’s innocence to the highest bidder when Hope was fourteen. Despite the circumstances of her life, Hope’s purity of spirit and her beauty attract the attention of Charles Stuart and Hope is elevated to the position of King’s mistress, making her vulnerable to yet another betrayal when Charles decides that it wouldn’t be appropriate to have his notorious mistress residing at court when his Portuguese bride arrives.<br /><br />Charles conceives of a plan to lend his mistress respectability by marrying her off to a titled gentleman and allowing her to rusticate in the country for a few months, after which Charles intends to recall Hope and her new husband to court, where he will continue his relationship with Hope under the noses of his new queen and Hope’s new husband. The gentleman selected for the honor of providing respectability and a title for the King’s mistress is Captain Robert Nichols, whose private obsession with meting out vengeance upon those responsible for his younger sister Caroline’s death makes him a dangerous choice.<br /><br />Robert is presented with an offer he literally cannot refuse: marry Hope or permanently forfeit Cressly Manor, his family estate, to his nemesis, the last man still awaiting justice by Robert’s hand for the death of Caroline. An unsuspecting Hope is wed to a reluctantly complicit Robert during a colorful May Day celebration Hope has arranged for Charles’s pleasure, and the marriage is off to a rocky start as the newly married couple undertake the long journey to Cressly Manor. What follows is a poignant story of slowly earned trust, the banishment of old demons, and the healing power of love. </div><br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-88362363027007831172011-10-15T13:50:00.011-05:002011-10-15T14:11:33.232-05:00Writerly Stuff: A Writers' List of ConcernsThe writer awaiting his or her first sale fantasizes about what “the call” will be like. The writer who has made their first sale wonders if they will make a second or a third sale, and so on. There are many things we writers still have in common no matter what stage of the path we’re on. <br /><br />Let me illustrate what I mean with what I refer to as “A Writer’s List of Concerns”:<br /><br /><em>Group One: Unpublished (As Yet) Author’s List of Concerns</em><br />1-Will I Sell My Novel/When Will I Sell My Novel?<br />2-Will the agent/contest judge/editor like my story?<br />3-Will I make any money as a writer?<br />4-What’s the best way to get my work out there (submit to agents? Enter contests? Ask my published writer friends to put in a good word for me with their publisher?)<br />5-How do I cope with the ever present voice of self-doubt that whispers, “Should I even be trying to do this? Am I a terrible writer?”<br /><br /><em>Group Two: Published Author’s List of Concerns</em><br />1-Will my next novel sell/When Will I Sell My Next Novel?<br />2-Will my agent/editor like this new story?<br />3-Will I ever be able to make a living as a writer?<br />4-What’s the best way to make readers aware I have a book out? (Visit bookstores? Advertise? Make a nuisance of myself on Yahoo groups, Message Boards, Blogs, and Forums?)<br />5-How do I cope with the ever present voice of self-doubt that whispers, “I’m sure that first/second sale was a fluke! I’m a terrible writer! Just look at some of the Amazon.com reviews!”<br /><br /><em>Group Three: Highly Successful, Award-Winning, Best Selling Author List of Concerns</em><br />1-How on earth am I going to meet these deadlines?<br />2-What will my reader base think of my new book(s)? Will I lose readers because my publisher has asked me to write for the current hot trend, and I’m just not feeling it, even though I have a deadline?<br />3-Help! I need a good accountant to assist with tax planning so I can keep some of the money I’m making!<br />4-How do I keep all my readers happy? I can’t write books fast enough!!<br />5-How do I cope with the ever present voice of self-doubt that whispers, “One of these days the world will figure out that I can’t do this. I’m a terrible writer!”<br /><br />As an author, I am wedged in the precipice between the second and third groups, although I’m newly published enough to remember what was on my mind while waiting for that first sale, and I’ve realized that the concerns I have today echo some of the same concerns I had before my first sale, and that fact is probably not going to change. <br /><br />My advice to all of us would be to savor the sweetness of the journey and take time to celebrate the milestones along the way. Don’t forget to celebrate when you get “The Call” because that moment in your journey will be hard to eclipse, no matter what career heights you might attain after that. And save those first fan e-mails or fan letters forwarded to you by your publisher. I’ve saved all of mine, and they really help when dealing with item #5 on the list of concerns.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-65909149245897705342011-06-11T22:23:00.005-05:002011-06-11T22:32:34.984-05:00Writerly Stuff: Thoughts on Writing the "Outside the Box" Historical RomanceThe following Q&A paraphrases questions and answers that often come up in discussion, whether during an interview, or in conversations with other authors.<br /><br /><strong><em>Why write historical romances set in unusual times and places?</em></strong><br /><br />I am intrigued by stories written outside conventional settings because these novels can encompass more than just infrequently explored eras and out of the ordinary physical settings. They can also embrace different cultures and other elements that are not found in the majority of historical romance novels, allowing the writer more freedom and the reader more selection. <br /><br />I didn’t consciously select the early 18th century as the setting of my debut novel, Fire at Midnight. The novel’s plot is tied to an historical event (the Great Storm) that took place in 1703, but once I became engaged in researching the famous Eddystone lighthouse that was swept away during the storm, it became apparent to me that less frequently portrayed times and places are a relatively untapped source for intriguing ideas. <br /><br />As a reader, I love to learn about history and explore other cultures, so it was a natural progression for me to write novels that include times, places, and even cultures that have received less exposure than others. <br /><br /><em><strong>What are some challenges in writing a historical romance?</strong></em> <br /><br />One challenge is research. Some eras and settings are easy to research due to the vast amount of information available. For example, there are a number of authoritative experts and websites dedicated to the Regency era and the American Civil War and Restoration periods, but the more obscure the time and setting, the more difficult it can be to unearth useful information. While most writers will tell you that only a fraction of their research actually shows up in the pages of their novels; it’s easy enough for a reader to spot a novel with an historical setting that hasn’t been well-researched. It is very often the trivial details encountered during the author’s exploration of the era or setting that will lend realism to the completed novel.<br /><br />My second novel, Stolen Promise, features Romany (Gypsy) characters. The challenge for me in writing a culture-based historical romance was to move away from stereotypes often presented with regard to the Romany people. The vast amount of research I conducted in order to present the Gypsy characters as faithfully as possible took more time and effort than I had initially anticipated, but several scenes in the book were enhanced by the knowledge I had acquired about the Romany culture and customs. Without doing the research necessary to present the characters honestly, I might have written an historical romance that simply continued to perpetuate cultural myths.<br /><br />The ability to balance the amount of history woven into the story so that it does not overwhelm the romance element is another challenge. Some romance readers enjoy the flavor provided by the historical framework, but they don’t want a history lesson, while there is another faction of readers who are avid students of history who prefer that the romance element be a factor—but not the focal point—of the story. It’s not easy to appease both camps, and I’m in awe of the writer who can accomplish such a feat.<br /><br />Another challenge is selling the romance. It’s a leap of faith to write any book with the hope of publication, but the author who chooses an era or setting that isn’t among those considered marketable by publishers is taking that leap off the deep end. There is still a strong conviction among publishers that readers prefer certain eras and settings to the exclusion of others. <br /><br />While we do seem to go through cycles where publishers are more willing (and can afford) to take risks with unusual settings, it is still easier to obtain editor or agent interest in a book with (for example) a Regency setting than it is in a novel set during the Bronze Age. Still, even knowing that a sale might be made more difficult due to an unusual time period or setting, most historical romance authors won’t be deterred from pursuing an idea they find interesting, and this is as it should be. In the end, if the story holds the reader’s interest and features characters the reader cares about, the book will find a publisher.<br /><br />The writer of an historical romance featuring an unusual setting faces the same challenges any writer faces: how to create a well-paced piece of fiction with believable characters that will keep a reader engrossed and turning the pages until they reach “The End.”<br /><br /><em><strong>What strategies do you use to overcome these challenges?</strong></em><br /><br />I avoid investing time in developing ideas that don’t make me feel enthusiastic about the project because there is so much time and effort involved in researching and writing a novel that if I don’t love the idea going in, it will be very difficult to sustain interest for the length of time it takes to complete a 400 page manuscript, and I have even less hope of engaging a reader if I’m not excited about the story. <br /><br />This is especially true in the research phase because if it feels like I’m preparing to write a paper for a college course, the end result is going to be about as fascinating to the reader. I look for something unique in terms of era, setting, or plot idea that stimulates my imagination and makes me want to do the research. <br />The ratio of history-to-romance really depends upon the setting of the story because some novels may require more narrative explaining the historical context than others, so that the reader can have better insight into character goals and motivations. For example, some background about the Civil War will be needed to set the stage for a novel featuring two brothers divided by war, one fighting for the North and the other for the South.<br /><br />When it comes to pitching a novel to an agent or editor, I think the best strategy is to know the marketplace. There are smaller publishers who are risk-takers and there are editors and agents who will champion a story they believe in, even when they feel it might be difficult to market. It is important to keep abreast of changes, and to know the players because they change frequently. <br /> <br /><em><strong>When reading a historical romance, what annoys you as a reader? </strong></em><br /><br />I don’t enjoy reading what could just as easily be a contemporary plot that has been dressed in a corset and plunked down in the middle of Regency England. People in 1810 behaved very differently than they do in 2010, and if the novel doesn’t reflect the customs and mores of the time period in which it’s set, I think the author has short-changed his or her readers by not doing the amount of research required to lend authenticity to the novel.<br /><br />My personal pet peeve is when I come across phrases in dialogue that are too modern to fit the historical setting. While I appreciate not being required to slog through Middle English just for the sake of realism, I’m easily thrown out of a story when I come across phrases that don’t feel natural or believable, or contain slang terms that weren’t in use at the time. I don’t want to read dialogue where an early nineteenth century character tells another character to “stop dissin’ me!”<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-62584983718675253162011-03-20T22:46:00.010-05:002011-03-20T23:07:32.827-05:00Annual Brenda Novak Online Auction for Diabetes Research<A HREF="http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/" TARGET="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.brendanovak.com/images/auctionbanner2.gif" WIDTH="468" HEIGHT="67" BORDER="0"></a><br />I have the opportunity again this year to provide auction items for the wonderful annual charity event organized by author Brenda Novak.<br /><br />The auction is offering opportunities to bid on fabulous prizes this year, including:<br /><br />• One Night Stay at NYTimes Bestselling Author Nora Roberts' Inn<br /><br />• A Writer's Perfect Getaway (for up to 6) at NYTimes Bestselling Author Cherry Adair's Guest House<br /><br />• 3 Night Stay in NYTimes Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs' Guest House<br /><br />• Fabulous Stays in Hawaii, Lake Tahoe, and Mexico<br /><br />• Lots of Electronics...Kindles, Nooks, and even an iPad<br /><br />• Lunches with Bestselling Authors Suzanne Brockmann, Diana Gabaldon, Karen Rose, Carla Neggers, Steve Barry and more!<br /><br />Many authors (like yours truly) are offering signed books and manuscript critiques. I hope you will check out my auction items in particular because I’d like to help raise money for this great cause, and the more I can help raise, the better I’ll feel.<br /><br />Why? Because this year, diabetes has become horribly personal. As I compose this blog, my sister Christina lies in the Critical Care Unit of our local hospital with double pneumonia, her breathing assisted by a ventilator. The pneumonia is a complication that occurred two days after she was transferred to a physical rehabilitation center following the amputation of her left leg, which became necessary after an ulcer on her foot became infected and seeded infection into her bloodstream.<br /><br />My sister Christina is a diabetic, and I have seen the ravages of this disease through her eyes and suffered the anguish of sitting by her bedside this last week, watching a machine breathe for her and searching for hope in the faces of a hospital staff who are understandably guarded concerning the prognosis of the critical patient in their care.<br /><br />I want to put on my steel-toed shoes and kick this disease in the butt. I hope you will help me. Please visit the auction site, find something among the many offered items that interests you, and BID!<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-60139601877438833272011-02-12T16:50:00.006-06:002011-02-12T16:56:56.648-06:00Book Review: Precious and Fragile Things by Megan Hart<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaWcv5YTjMbpqxWeDptxNsEGMJXU2xr-MM7lTYqeQsgNrqSh3rGY77I51kNxzL8X0uiNyiyn6lt9IulQHSM9tMRqbfpcBC5eZqu2_4xIWQXmnAWfmMOcBKy-I1lehN6qYeqDri-Si2y4/s1600/Precious-and-Fragile-things-664x1024.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 207px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572939988154575474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaWcv5YTjMbpqxWeDptxNsEGMJXU2xr-MM7lTYqeQsgNrqSh3rGY77I51kNxzL8X0uiNyiyn6lt9IulQHSM9tMRqbfpcBC5eZqu2_4xIWQXmnAWfmMOcBKy-I1lehN6qYeqDri-Si2y4/s320/Precious-and-Fragile-things-664x1024.jpg" /></a><br /><div>As a reader, the key to my being able to enjoy a story often hinges upon whether I can muster empathy for characters with whom I cannot identify through common experience or moral/ethical attitudes.<br /><br />I found Gilly Solomon, the protagonist in Precious and Fragile Things, unlikeable at the onset of the book, and my opinion of her had not improved by the final page. Gilly is on her way home with her two small children during a snowstorm when she and her children are suddenly carjacked by a knife-yielding young man. Gilly’s reaction to the event is odd, to say the least. Prior to being faced with sudden peril, Gilly had been ruminating about motherhood and the dull, thankless routine her life had become.<br /><br />Gilly manages to protect her children by engineering a crash and forcing her children out into the snow through an open car window, at which point her captor orders her to keep driving, which she does without hesitation.<br /><br />When her captor forces her to stop at a gas station and deliberately provides her with an opportunity to escape, Gilly remains in the car, not because she’s paralyzed by fear, but because she’s so sick of the rigors of motherhood that the temptation to see how her current situation might play out is simply too strong to resist. I had a difficult time finding a kernel of credibility in Gilly’s reaction. Would even the most harried of caregivers risk her life in this manner? Would a mother court death and risk abandoning her children permanently just because she feels like an unappreciated floor-scrubbing, laundry-sorting automaton?<br /><br />These basic questions formed a struggle within me as I continued to read, and for me, the book played out like a claustrophobic sleep-over that lasted several months as captor Todd and hostage Gilly were trapped in a remote mountainous cabin by a particularly harsh winter. Gilly comes across as extremely immature at times, complete with temper tantrums, making her captor seem less menacing by comparison than the author might have intended, although the real issue with the Todd character is that he remains two-dimensional throughout the book.<br /><br />Gilly experiences some guilt pangs and renewed feelings of love for her children once it has been clearly established that there will be no hope of escaping Todd until the winter snows thaw with the arrival of spring. My problem as a reader was that I never fully believed Gilly’s reversal, and as the dark secrets held by her captor Todd were gradually revealed, the sympathy I wanted so much to reserve for Gilly’s predicament shifted to the chain-smoking, enigmatic young man who had caused her plight in the first place.<br /><br />Todd Blauch is the tragic figure in Precious and Fragile Things, while Gilly comes across (at least to this reader) as a selfish, neurotic brat with a foul temper. Although the novel is a fair entry into the contemporary suspense category, readers who want a more engrossing read based upon the captor/captive theme should try The Collector by John Fowles or Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. </div><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-32904556132014514912011-01-03T20:33:00.003-06:002011-01-03T20:42:32.525-06:00Book Review: Unveiled by Courtney Milan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtwzKf3ZtcoWssPXRx9pe5Uosu3KBlyLwhd_V0AhbbC5DZ_hecLaM6X4Z-MKbh52rVzkJXBVfWv1rof0Na-Sak8VTu7GGBVQ6SvYrBAeK999HeBbuDRI52LCxTe0GDFXZkDJ0qlB4p-g/s1600/unveiled-final.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 202px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558155468785280834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtwzKf3ZtcoWssPXRx9pe5Uosu3KBlyLwhd_V0AhbbC5DZ_hecLaM6X4Z-MKbh52rVzkJXBVfWv1rof0Na-Sak8VTu7GGBVQ6SvYrBAeK999HeBbuDRI52LCxTe0GDFXZkDJ0qlB4p-g/s320/unveiled-final.jpg" /></a><br /><div>In 1837 England, battle lines are being drawn in a fight for a dukedom. Ash Turner, a distant cousin of the ailing Duke of Parford, has petitioned Parliament with proof that he is the legitimate heir, leaving the current Duke’s grown children, Lady Anna Margaret and her two brothers, to face the scorn of society and a bleak future as bastards.<br /><br />While her brothers race to rally votes on their behalf in an upcoming Parliamentary session, Anna Margaret remains at Parford Manor and assumes the identity of nurse Margaret Lowell, with instructions to spy on the man attempting to steal their birthright.<br /><br />Expecting a cold-hearted, ruthless opportunist, Anna Margaret is surprised to discover Ash Turner is a kind, intelligent man who harbors a grudge against her father. The more she learns about Ash and the injustices his family has suffered, the more difficult maintaining her familial loyalty to her brothers becomes, especially when Ash reveals a personal secret to Anna Margaret that could result in his own destruction.<br /><br />Unveiled is one of those rare books where the human heart is revealed in all its complexity and the relationship between the hero and heroine develops in a believable, completely satisfying way. Major themes such as self-image, loyalty and trust are explored, and author Milan handles the intricacies of the English courts system of that period with a deft hand.<br /><br />The only thing that keeps Unveiled from being a solid 5-star read is that it was difficult to believe Ash failed to guess nurse Margaret’s identity, despite the number of hints that were dropped and the fact that most of Ash’s business dealings were based upon his strong instincts and insight into people.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br /><br /></div>Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-45911039544682308382010-12-05T18:12:00.004-06:002010-12-05T18:19:57.613-06:00Book Review: Breathless by Anne Stuart<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRpHG8tInh-4kYc4Z8YJObsJ7eLPBGgMcgHYYWunGyEOuL7L_m4xQCjPU7F5NgssqNLs1SW3aUDoiyDVH226_h-GST9PeX5H31rHW6_0kji9ps-LNL6PEoO9vemwrUSAD_fEEQHcOUcU/s1600/Breathless.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 177px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 280px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547356804680419762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRpHG8tInh-4kYc4Z8YJObsJ7eLPBGgMcgHYYWunGyEOuL7L_m4xQCjPU7F5NgssqNLs1SW3aUDoiyDVH226_h-GST9PeX5H31rHW6_0kji9ps-LNL6PEoO9vemwrUSAD_fEEQHcOUcU/s320/Breathless.jpg" /></a> Miranda Rohan, the heroine in book three of the House of Rohan trilogy, is abducted and ruined as part of a revenge plan concocted by Lucien de Malheur, a criminal known as The Scorpion who blames Miranda’s brother for the suicide death of de Malheur’s sister.<br /><br />Set aside by an unforgiving society, Miranda adapts to her new status and lives quite contentedly outside the bounds of propriety, thwarting de Malheur’s vengeance to the extent that he decides to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Miranda and whisking her away to his moldering family estate, where he plans to place her beyond the reach of her family while he exacts his revenge.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Miranda has learned nothing from her earlier experience. When a creepy, scarred man enters her life under suspicious circumstances, she instantly feels a kinship with him because he is a society outcast. Once Miranda realizes de Malheur’s intentions toward her not honorable, it is too late and she’s imprisoned in a fast traveling carriage, speeding toward an unknown fate.<br /><br />Lucien de Malheur fails to overcome his bad-boy status. His desire for vengeance against the innocent sister of his enemy motivates him through too much of the novel, and his determination not to soften his heart toward Miranda makes it difficult for the reader’s heart to soften toward him. Miranda and Lucien make an odd couple because Miranda approaches challenges with a falsely cheery resolve to endure, prompting Lucien to plan new ways to humiliate and subjugate her.<br /><br />The true romance in Breathless is found in the charming love story between Miranda’s friend Jane and a charming jewel thief.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-61298096728316143752010-11-21T14:58:00.003-06:002010-11-21T15:05:51.412-06:00Thoughts on the Series Book -Examining the Rohan Recipe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2wiQOG8eU8ePdEYwADecL8cEP-k3P9R744w15TfI8jAlBEUqLlgG-HQGJ_T2L3nJ_bt891jPebeIQyKtJJs2A3_Fl1Or2UVxuTPjQ_2g1K3Lqxu8G7GG7SPow0EmLbtIH4KS_867i4U/s1600/Nancy+Drew+Starter+Set.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2wiQOG8eU8ePdEYwADecL8cEP-k3P9R744w15TfI8jAlBEUqLlgG-HQGJ_T2L3nJ_bt891jPebeIQyKtJJs2A3_Fl1Or2UVxuTPjQ_2g1K3Lqxu8G7GG7SPow0EmLbtIH4KS_867i4U/s320/Nancy+Drew+Starter+Set.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542112052944400354" /></a><br />After reading Breathless, the final book in the House of Rohan series by Anne Stuart, I concluded that my concept of what constitutes a series novel may need to change. The Rohan series includes a novella, (The Wicked House of Rohan), and the trilogy of titles: Ruthless, Reckless, and Breathless.<br /><br />My concept of a series book was formed long ago by works such as the St. Germain series of vampire novels by Chelsea Quinn Yarbo and by Diana Gabaldon’s series of time-travel novels beginning with Outlander. JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series are other examples of collections that support my idea of what series books are all about.<br /> <br />In my view, a series is comprised of multiple books forming the atlas of a literary world, a landscape spanning generations, many characters, and a variety of settings. The experience of reading a book in a series should be made richer by reading the books that come before and after it as the picture expands in much the same way a well-researched genealogical tree expands with painstaking research.<br /><br />The House of Rohan series did not provide the series experience to which I’ve become accustomed, although that is not necessarily a bad thing. It just leaves me wondering if publishers might not be packaging stand-alone books as a series in order to spur book sales and requiring authors to invent a few broad common elements in order link the books in a series. <br /><br />The single recurring, unifying element in the House of Rohan books is the Heavenly Host, a debauched group of émigrés who gather regularly for parties dedicated to the pursuit of physical pleasure. The Wicked House of Rohan introduces us to the group of men who conceived of the Heavenly Host and the woman intended as their first sacrifice. Ruthless continues the theme using the same setting and placing its hero at the center of the festivities, and then Reckless introduces us to the second generation of participants (which includes the son of the hero in Ruthless). The third installment, Breathless, again features the Heavenly Host while switching things up a bit by centering the story around a female member of the Rohan clan.<br /><br />These books could easily be stand alone novels because they follow the generations in a linear fashion and few characters make appearances in more than one book. Breathless feels the least connected to the other novels because it has distinct gothic elements and an unpalatable revenge angle that depicts a scarred, lame “hero” called “The Scorpion” who plots to use the novel’s heroine as a tool of vengeance against her family. <br /><br />The threads that link Breathless to the other novels in the Rohan trilogy are slender: Miranda Rohan is the daughter of Adrian Rohan from Reckless, and the Heavenly Host factors into the plans of the revenge-obsessed hero. Other than that, Miranda could be anyone’s daughter and the hero’s plans could have included raffling her off to the highest bidder at the local gaming hell instead of offering to share her with other men at a Heavenly Host fete. <br /><br />As a reader, I didn’t feel a connection to the other House of Rohan books while reading the individual entries in the series, although I enjoyed all three books based on their own merit. Even the Heavenly Host premise that made the blurb for Ruthless so tantalizing eventually became tedious by the final book because the setting had been overused as the main area of overlap. <br /> <br />Writing an effective series book represents a huge challenge from a writing perspective as well. How does an author penning book #5 in a series decide how much world-building to include if elaborate attention was given to creating and describing the world in book #1? <br /><br />How much back story should be included for characters making a cameo appearance in one book when those same characters will be featured in a book of their own in the series? How much repetition is too much? How does a writer provide a reader who is reading a series out of order with enough information and still avoid annoying the reader who already understands the foundation of the world in which the stories are set? <br /><br />From the reader’s point of view, do readers eventually burn out on series novels? Do they become so invested in their expectations of events in future books that they feel disappointed if the overall arc of the story takes a completely unexpected turn? Do they cringe when they hear that a series by a favorite author will feature multiple books releasing over a short period of time because it may mean their available budget for buying stand-alone books will be seriously reduced if they plan to pick up each book in a planned series?<br /><br />Series books have been around for a long time, and they aren’t going away. They appear to be evolving to meet the demands of the marketplace, in much the same way the entire world of publishing is changing.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-1863039082583110372010-11-07T10:49:00.007-06:002010-11-07T11:02:27.321-06:00Review of Ruthless by Anne Stuart<div><strong><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXaVJQCdMA0EtyvxXT8cjujhoG2yxJf5GdkJynXm2cBtkL38EMYGpyxdPGewD-ABCYMWJ72kbXkL94MG30N1GM2LAMwITl4y8So2CBJnvyCzt2zuqzxz4-K4wL1Mp2ij_-Rq9xPatoRw/s1600/Ruthless.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 70px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 110px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536852955110377186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXaVJQCdMA0EtyvxXT8cjujhoG2yxJf5GdkJynXm2cBtkL38EMYGpyxdPGewD-ABCYMWJ72kbXkL94MG30N1GM2LAMwITl4y8So2CBJnvyCzt2zuqzxz4-K4wL1Mp2ij_-Rq9xPatoRw/s400/Ruthless.jpg" /></a>Book One in the House of Rohan Trilogy: King of Hell or King of Disco? </em></strong></div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br />Elinor Harriman faces a dilemma. Her father has died, leaving his fortune to Elinor’s cousin, and her mother Lady Caroline is a gambling-addicted, former party girl now in the late stages of syphilis. When Elinor learns her mother has entered the chateau of the infamous “King of Hell,” she follows Lady Caroline into the lion’s den to prevent her from gambling away what little money the family has left.<br /><br />Francis Rohan, le Comte de Giverney, is bored, narcissistic, and incredibly handsome. Rohan is the leader of The Heavenly Host, an assemblage of hedonistic émigrés who celebrate the sins of the flesh and other indulgences. Elinor crashes a Heavenly Host revel, demanding Rohan’s aid in locating her mother among the partygoers, and the plucky, shabbily clothed young woman awakens Rohan from his ennui. The ensuing protracted game of cat and mouse between innocent and determined seducer provides an entertaining read.<br /><br />Rohan’s eighteenth-century roué is reminiscent of a 1970’s disco king ala Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. Resplendent in satin and lace and diamond-studded high heels, Rohan presides over a sex, drugs, and harpsichord bash while his modern counterpart strikes a pose in his white suit in a Studio 54-esque setting where sex, drugs, and rock and roll prevail.<br /><br />Like his Disco King counterpart, the King of Hell seems a bit of a poser. Despite being a self-professed villain, the majority of Rohan’s actions are respectable. His most noticeable flaw is vanity, and his kindness toward Elinor and her sister Lydia cannot be totally put down to self-interest. Rohan finds Elinor intriguing, and his initial intent to exploit Elinor’s innocence eventually forms the path to his own salvation as the world-weary rake is transformed into a man with a heart and soul. </div><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-70834557923347432822010-09-25T13:09:00.006-05:002010-09-25T13:22:38.243-05:00Review of Sins of the Heart by Eve Silver<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5QKuwfLHFDgas79FLrRpSfEli6B6MKFRaTMrQpsKFzbA7mTQ8HViWifze7FAMW2GtvV06xE5PoDg4Pw49gHLIskdKaFawx8fb00hrTlIrt21dZ2jNf2nMtxHMg8l_3nFxdwfrdI0gzs/s1600/Sins+of+the+heart.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520917082033139074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5QKuwfLHFDgas79FLrRpSfEli6B6MKFRaTMrQpsKFzbA7mTQ8HViWifze7FAMW2GtvV06xE5PoDg4Pw49gHLIskdKaFawx8fb00hrTlIrt21dZ2jNf2nMtxHMg8l_3nFxdwfrdI0gzs/s320/Sins+of+the+heart.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong><em>Book One in the Otherkin Trilogy: Hero Dagan Krayl Steals Hearts…Literally.</em></strong><br /><br />Young Roxy Tam is rescued from a serial killer by Dagan Krayl, a half-mortal, half-god soul reaper who harvests darksouls—the souls of evil humans—at the behest of his father, a god of the Underworld. Although Roxy witnesses the violent death and harvesting of the killer’s darksoul by Krayl, the soul reaper spares Roxy, warning her to seek out a normal life and keep her distance from the Daughters of Aset, the natural enemy of soul-reapers. </div><div><br />Despite Krayl’s warning, it is Roxy’s destiny to become a member of the Daughters of Aset. Years later, when Roxy encounters Dagan Krayl again, she is a member of the Asetion Guard, and the soul-reaper’s enemy. Dagan’s brother Lokan has been murdered, and Dagan is determined to find those responsible while there is still time to return his brother to life and punish his killers. The Daughters of Aset are among the group of suspects in Lokan’s murder, and Roxy’s path collides with Dagan’s when she investigates another crime which may have ties to Lokan’s murder. Although Dagan’s goal is to extract information from Roxy about Lokan’s death, the soul reaper is shocked to discover he still has tender feelings for the young woman whose life he once saved. </div><div><br />In Sins of the Heart, the first book in the Otherkin trilogy, author Eve Silver skillfully integrates the humans who reside Topworld with a vast, complex group of deities and demons who inhabit the Underworld. Combining mythology and the Egyptian Book of the Dead with paranormal elements both borrowed and new, Silver creates a complex Underworld complete with hierarchies, ancient blood feuds, and supernatural characters with personal quirks. (Soul reaper Dagan carries a supply of lollipops to ease the sugar cravings induced by his half-human, half-god hyperactive metabolism). </div><div><br />A few structural pitfalls detract from an otherwise enthralling story. The beginning scene where Krayl saves Roxy ends too abruptly, and the remainder of their encounter is told rather than shown as backstory in later chapters. Unfortunately, the manner in which Roxy acquires her dark gift/curse from Dagan during their first meeting isn’t convincingly conveyed via flashbacks. The “whodunit” of Lokan’s murder is not fully disclosed by the end of the novel, nor is the question of Lokan’s re-animation answered in this first installment of the series. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>Still, the success of the first book in any series is measured by whether or not the reader has been engaged enough to want to pick up the next book. Sins of the Heart is a taste that leaves the reading wanting more.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-12938005879985052812010-08-27T16:59:00.012-05:002010-08-27T17:22:59.262-05:00Thoughts on the Future of Book Publishing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlU67Dy_TZ-nw2WhBojia0twFfYuOUpldV7XmXVsnVa3bl-5cek2eUz4i3ABmjTB7JHRMGAYNkNd_pDMgrCCDpIT2L9oknk_Xj6Mk2ys8pnXaHcLw3PLYTdWtPFJFbXyazkoo1TQD8SrM/s1600/e-reader4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510217863288627058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlU67Dy_TZ-nw2WhBojia0twFfYuOUpldV7XmXVsnVa3bl-5cek2eUz4i3ABmjTB7JHRMGAYNkNd_pDMgrCCDpIT2L9oknk_Xj6Mk2ys8pnXaHcLw3PLYTdWtPFJFbXyazkoo1TQD8SrM/s320/e-reader4.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUmXgRhUvEDLIR4LXfwNz1V21gp2J9-TqqeAlGXYLxNXznB3gpk240jBpmOk8Jrr_R8ExzGhV149-JMr1HqMvMaNqkJK5CT8ETh_8atnJZ-6LGfOXkPioYe3eemG6uzFLW3k26Lk1KAU/s1600/old+man+reading+book.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510215833881797794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUmXgRhUvEDLIR4LXfwNz1V21gp2J9-TqqeAlGXYLxNXznB3gpk240jBpmOk8Jrr_R8ExzGhV149-JMr1HqMvMaNqkJK5CT8ETh_8atnJZ-6LGfOXkPioYe3eemG6uzFLW3k26Lk1KAU/s320/old+man+reading+book.jpg" /></a> <div><div><div><div><div><div>As an author and a reader, I feel anticipation tempered by abject terror when I contemplate the changing face of publishing. Recent media bytes from Dorchester and Medallion Press announcing their plans to scale back on or eliminate print publishing altogether in order to embrace the e-book as the future have me wondering how those creating the product publishers sell (aka writers) will be affected.<br /><br /></div><br /><div>I’m not Nora Roberts. I’m not Dan Brown. I’m not Stephenie Meyer. Those authors have a huge foundation of readers who will find their work, regardless of the format in which it is presented. Me? Not so much. My recent royalty statement tells me that the bulk of my sales come from bookstore shelves, not e-books. While the number of electronic copies sold of my books has increased with each subsequent statement I’ve received, those same numbers still make the argument that there would be no perceptible momentum in my career as a novelist without the sales of physical print copies.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQrrnNOTWyFM0AOwi7mfFKCO6XcOwvLW6a8WwTdMEXxei7EIJouWtsjq0tQGUKwcFKbN5yImz1Nh3jDGY1aF11elNar0eFWH1Fc2_cvrcul1o1SSgNO-vF6RXWAggdMYyQs1CGjnkeik/s1600/paperbacks1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 135px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510216131231922578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQrrnNOTWyFM0AOwi7mfFKCO6XcOwvLW6a8WwTdMEXxei7EIJouWtsjq0tQGUKwcFKbN5yImz1Nh3jDGY1aF11elNar0eFWH1Fc2_cvrcul1o1SSgNO-vF6RXWAggdMYyQs1CGjnkeik/s320/paperbacks1.jpg" /></a></div><div> How do we bridge the gap when a prospective reader can no longer take a book from the bookstore shelf, read the cover blurb, peruse a few pages, and make a buying decision largely based upon impulse? While it’s true that today’s readers are already accustomed to reading online book reviews, blogs, Amazon ratings, and so on, the e-book as the wave of the future scenario is more suited to the author who already has name recognition value. No one is likely to research a book or an author they’ve never heard of. </div><br /><div>I personally love the experience of scanning bookstore shelves, taking a book in hand, and discussing books with store employees and even strangers I happen to meet in the aisles. I’m hard-pressed to imagine how a virtual storefront could replicate the experience of having an enthusiastic bookseller, librarian, or reader recommend a book to me by placing the book in my hand and making an impassioned speech to convince me to buy it.<br /></div><div>What about the substantial number of readers who cannot afford an e-reader? While the price of e-readers has dropped steadily and is likely to continue to drop, do we run the risk of turning into an elitist society where those who own e-readers will have more reading choices available to them than readers who buy only second hand mass-market paperbacks? Will the e-book licensing model expand to accommodate the age-old practice of loaning a beloved book to a friend? As an author, I don’t want to turn away anyone who might have interest in reading my work. I don’t turn up my nose at library copies, paperback swap sites, or any form of book-sharing. Yes, it’s true the author receives no monetary compensation from these; however, the goal in writing a book in the first place is to have someone read it. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T5kLRb5fKUUkTtJigo0Sk5V8K4y2jTCKxsuoTcc89iGrhHZTMf9qdLPhCM9UEJQQMhDuDD7m6330_OvDDFHeTUSkAygopq6rISeRtex6zktQbCzXy8BzX-oNroDE9OsT-IrEO2Tk8Jo/s1600/stack+of+hardcovers.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 155px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510214050208156466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6T5kLRb5fKUUkTtJigo0Sk5V8K4y2jTCKxsuoTcc89iGrhHZTMf9qdLPhCM9UEJQQMhDuDD7m6330_OvDDFHeTUSkAygopq6rISeRtex6zktQbCzXy8BzX-oNroDE9OsT-IrEO2Tk8Jo/s320/stack+of+hardcovers.jpg" /></a> <div></div><div>Will we eventually have a universal reader that can accommodate all e-book formats, or will the devices splinter into different factions of proprietary software, like the Amazon Kindle? Will the reader who has purchased a proprietary e-reader device like the Nook from Barnes and Noble simply be out of luck if the seller goes out of business and can no longer support the products it sold? Will there be any form of quality control in place? Will the readers available from places like CVS, Best Buy, Macy’s, and so on, all be required to meet a minimum set of standards, and if so, who will set those standards? </div><br /><div>Where will book recommendations come from? What will happen to booksellers? Will booksellers embrace emerging forms of technology or will they become the one remaining place where print books can be obtained, infusing them with a new purpose and supplying them with a unique customer base? Will the independent bookstore disappear like a dinosaur following a cataclysmic event? Booksellers have always provided so much more than books stacked neatly upon shelves. They organize events, they create book clubs, and they read their inventory so that they can make recommendations to customers looking for their next book purchase. Most important of all, booksellers love books and they spread the love of books to others. Can anything fill such a void?<br /></div><br /><div>In my view, word-of-mouth will continue to be a critical factor in the success of a book. Review sites and influential bloggers may become even more powerful, although some may claim that some sites wield too much power as it is, while others may argue that review sites have no real influence at all on book buying decisions. I worry about a future where a negative review on an influential review site could effectively shut down a new writer’s career. Even ball players are allowed three strikes. On the flip side of the same coin, the e-book format might actually become a boon to new authors because without mass-market production, printing and warehousing costs, the margin to achieve profitability is substantially decreased. Ergo, more times up at bat for that new writer on the block. </div><br /><div>Creative marketing will be required, stretching the boundaries of imagination in order to find innovative ways to connect readers with writers. How will the approach for launching a debut author differ from that of the task of reaching the vast readership of an author whose work consistently hits the bestseller lists? Will the advertising dollar hold sway, with publishers using online ads to promote their titles and readers buying a novel after being bombarded with so many strategically placed banner ads that they assume “everyone” is reading the book? The perception that a book is a “must-read” will place it on thousands of virtual to-be-read stacks. That same strategy is successfully employed today to a degree.<br /></div><br /><div><br />The dark cloud staining the e-book silver lining is piracy. Hundreds, if not thousands, of sites currently offer pirated content available for free download. Just as quickly as sites are closed down, new sites replace them. Everyone loses as a result of piracy. The publisher loses when their profits are consumed by legal fees while trying to close down the pirate sites. The writer loses when their work is given away for free. The reader loses when they learn a favorite author is no longer writing because writing has become a pointless exercise when there are bills to be paid and no money coming in from book sales. Another aspect of the piracy issue is the need for education. Although people who download free content from pirate sites must certainly be aware they are doing something unethical, many seem to be ignorant of the fact that they are also committing a crime. Copyright and content laws must be respected and enforced, no matter what publishing format is in vogue.<br /></div><br /><div>We are certainly living in an era of major change, and it will be fascinating to see how it all plays out as what was once portrayed as science fiction becomes a part of everyday life. My version of utopia would be a consumer-driven marketplace where e-books are more reasonably priced than they are at present (reflecting the reduction in production and warehousing costs) and those who still want to savor the sensation of holding a print book in their hands can request a print version of any book and it will be available via print on demand technology. Why not wish for the best of both worlds? </div><br /><div></div><div><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /> </div></div></div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-41623496014941824362010-08-14T11:04:00.010-05:002010-08-14T11:36:37.999-05:00Pondering Goodreads Book Shelf Names<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxej9Bf6nSGAoY6CmdI0U-HihXVT9wK7Q9C8m5xLsBL4k2iShWHPBc9D8KIxwy9gJNq1I6M2YGfMCpCxrrCbcwIvf-brABaFT8K8-OcxsZyIebkgvBVQOSbVo3KsxcITD60LFHRHOoj0I/s1600/a_bookshelf_with_books_and_frames_royalty_free_080920-182621-257018.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 100px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 93px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505304155843206306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxej9Bf6nSGAoY6CmdI0U-HihXVT9wK7Q9C8m5xLsBL4k2iShWHPBc9D8KIxwy9gJNq1I6M2YGfMCpCxrrCbcwIvf-brABaFT8K8-OcxsZyIebkgvBVQOSbVo3KsxcITD60LFHRHOoj0I/s320/a_bookshelf_with_books_and_frames_royalty_free_080920-182621-257018.jpg" /></a> One of the many things I find interesting about Goodreads is the inventive names its members come up with for their virtual bookshelves. Since I’m both a reader and an author on Goodreads, it’s always flattering to come across a shelf with my name, or to find one of my books on someone’s “Wishlist” shelf.<br /><div><div><div><div></div><br /><div>There are other shelf names I’ve seen in conjunction with my work that give me a warm glow such as “Keeper,” and “All-time-favorites.” </div><div><br />Lest these wonderful category names threaten to increase the circumference of my noggin by two full hat sizes, there is also the humility-inducing flip side of the coin, the shelves with names like “Sucks-so-bad-I-couldn’t-finish,” and “Cough-Historicals-Cough.” My debut novel, “Fire at Midnight,” ended up on the latter-named shelf in a Goodreader’s library, which puzzled me because despite being a romance, the novel was thoroughly researched for accuracy of period and setting details. It could be the shelf owner doesn’t like romance, but the implication that I hadn’t done my research rankled, and I found myself wishing that the shelf was named, “Well-researched-but-too-much-intimacy-for-my-taste.” </div><div><br />My own shelves are currently limited to the plebian default names that come with the software: “Read,” “Currently Reading,” and “To Read.”<br /></div><br /><div>After seeing the variety of meaningful, fun, and sometimes snarky shelf names created by other members, I’m tempted to create shelves for better classification of the eclectic titles I own: </div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ff6600;">“Books-That-Make-Me-Sound-Intelligent-Even-If-I’ve-Never-Read-Them”</span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;">“Books-That-Demonstrate-I’m-Attuned-To-Pop-Culture/aka-The-Twilight-Shelf”</span></div><div><span style="color:#33ff33;"></span><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;">“Books-Illustrating-How-Fickle-Pop-Culture-Is/aka-The-Black-Dagger-Brotherhood-Shelf” </span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#ffff99;">“Books-Proving-There-Is-Money-To-Be-Made-From-Controversy/aka-The-Dan-Brown-Shelf”</span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#66cccc;">“Autobiographies-By-People-Who-Have-Not-Led-Interesting-Lives” </span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">“Horror-That-Scared-The-Sh*t-Out-of-Me” </span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#ffcc33;">“Science-Fiction-I’m-Not-Sure-I-Quite-Grasped”</span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">“Advertised-as-Funny-But-About-as-Funny-as-a-Colonoscopy” </span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#6666cc;">“Sympathy-Reads-AAR Rejects”</span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#ccccff;">“Books-I-Probably-Don’t-Want-To-Admit-I’ve-Read”<br /></span><br />Well, I think you get the idea. Any additional suggestions for shelf-naming ideas are welcome.<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /> </div></div></div></div>Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-17090639218865097532010-07-31T18:45:00.005-05:002010-07-31T19:07:09.366-05:00Review of Open Country by Kaki WarnerThe death of Molly McFarlane’s sister Nellie forces Molly to assume responsibility for the welfare of her young niece and nephew. When it becomes clear the children’s step-father Daniel Fletcher is involved in dealings that will ultimately endanger them, Molly takes the children and heads west, intending to put as much distance between Fletcher and the children as possible.<br /><br />Molly, having served as her physician/surgeon father’s assistant from a young age, is a capable woman who quickly realizes that the scant amount of money she has left will not provide for her and the children for very long. Fearful that Fletcher has sent trackers after them, Molly’s quandary over how to keep them safe is met with an unusual solution in the form of a tragic train derailment. When Molly discovers the railway is paying a death benefit to families of those killed in the train wreck, she marries a man who is not expected to survive his injuries, planning to collect the settlement money when he dies.<br /><br />Complications arise almost from the moment Molly sets her plan in motion: her husband turns out to be from a wealthy local family and he has a brother who is suspicious about the circumstances under which his confirmed-bachelor brother was wed. To make matters worse, Molly’s years of training will not permit her to stand back and allow the man to die of his injuries when she has the expertise to save him. Molly applies herself to the task of saving the man’s life, all the while fearful of what will happen when he recovers enough to expose her as a fraud.<br /><br />As Hank Wilkins recovers from his injuries at his family ranch, he puzzles over the fact that he has no memory of his wife or his adopted children while Molly wrestles with how and when to reveal the truth about their sham marriage to Hank. The handsome, taciturn man who once represented nothing more than a cash settlement to fund her journey west becomes the embodiment of the dream for love and family Molly has long denied herself. Their fragile bond is shattered when Hank’s memory returns before Molly finds the courage to reveal the truth.<br /><br />As the trackers sent by Fletcher close in on their quarry, Molly and Hank struggle to find a way to begin again, unaware that Molly’s nephew has evidence of a conspiracy involving Fletcher that Fletcher is willing to do anything—including commit murder—to recover.<br /><br />Open Country offers more than the standard “woman and children fleeing danger” plot. Although Molly’s certainty that Fletcher’s men are after them is mentioned often, no real sense of danger is instilled in the reader until Molly has an encounter with the most evil of their pursuers well into the story. Up to that point, the danger is talked about, but the leisurely pace of the novel stalls the element of suspense.<br /><br />The heart of the story focuses on the unfolding relationship between Molly and Hank, with the author’s gift for insightful dialogue and her ability to capture complex emotions lending credibility to the developing romance. Open Country is a well-written, satisfying read for those who enjoy themes about the redemption of trust and the capacity for mutual attraction to turn into love.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kakiwarner.com/">Visit Kaki Warner's website.</a><br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-30279533012305709482010-06-20T13:15:00.012-05:002010-06-20T13:44:25.712-05:00Summer Contest!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfuxnbnZalh3Tyf4Gyf8QpE9phTxtzPy849zW1J6_hjSH72CsnqgU666wi8KTQyCpQ6Tf5kJ61CcwRkarM-EtMf-0lU1g6uvc4RF2pujpLZVBCBfL5Pc2pYJGmIj44OYhOnc9PXKtQ-o/s1600/rjsummercontest.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 125px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484928235721260178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfuxnbnZalh3Tyf4Gyf8QpE9phTxtzPy849zW1J6_hjSH72CsnqgU666wi8KTQyCpQ6Tf5kJ61CcwRkarM-EtMf-0lU1g6uvc4RF2pujpLZVBCBfL5Pc2pYJGmIj44OYhOnc9PXKtQ-o/s200/rjsummercontest.jpg" /></a> <div><div>I'm thrilled to be participating in the Romance Junkies summer contest.<br /><br />If you've never checked out the RJ contests, you're missing out on a great deal of fun and a wonderful opportunity to win some terrific prize packages.<br /><br />I am offering a signed copy of "Stolen Promise," plus a $25 book store gift card and a number of limited edition promotional goodies. To go directly to my contest offering, <a href="http://www.romancejunkies.com/summersplashcontest/LisaMarieWilkinson.htm">CLICK HERE.</a><br /><br />But please don't stop there! If you go to the main contest page and hover your cursor over various items in the graphic, you'll find links to prize packages offered by a number of authors in the summer contest. To go to the Romance Junkies main Summer Contest page, <a href="http://www.romancejunkies.com/contests.html">CLICK HERE.</a><br /><br />Winners will be selected after August 31st, so check out the contest and the many opportunities to win!<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /> </div></div>Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-28499886394985717312010-05-22T17:06:00.002-05:002010-05-22T17:12:18.769-05:00Fire at Midnight Brings Home IPPY Gold!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW-LI5UW1az9NsWGm2rznp4NS5Z1nY4N1Y2DUrzO0oQ-VxrrPYL-eIlzcL7GWqGJPvxvutM9U8IVYXImGKLViditY0DPaHHrw51XJyTGJ2to5rblo93pralVHelufSKAHz_x2BbnH6Ig/s1600/ippy_goldmedal.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474219798736156578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheW-LI5UW1az9NsWGm2rznp4NS5Z1nY4N1Y2DUrzO0oQ-VxrrPYL-eIlzcL7GWqGJPvxvutM9U8IVYXImGKLViditY0DPaHHrw51XJyTGJ2to5rblo93pralVHelufSKAHz_x2BbnH6Ig/s200/ippy_goldmedal.jpg" /></a> I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my debut novel, “Fire at Midnight,” has won the Gold Medal for Romance in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (“IPPY”) which recognize the best Indie published books of the year. </div><br /><div><br />Launched in 1996, the Independent Publisher Book Awards is among the world’s largest and most recognized book awards contest events in the world. Open exclusively to independents, the "IPPYs" recognize the year's best books and bring them to the attention of booksellers, buyers, librarians, and book lovers.<br /><br />According to the event organizers, “entries into this year's 14th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards saw a dramatic increase in quality and diversity – and the writing and publishing exhibited great commitment and passion.” </div><br /><div><br />Medalists will be honored at a gala awards ceremony in New York on May 25th during Book Expo America. </div><br /><div> </div><br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-73465031232364115692010-05-16T11:48:00.009-05:002010-05-16T12:04:49.090-05:00Writerly Stuff: Confessions of a Contest Diva<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMzy3Py94eSvyX9Tbm9_eyeFQtqky3Ay5bETqCecWCyndBSSSt-r9VwHj29unSrSLNGP1ZzsZSulKDMbY2EspZcmD556hs8sK1t1_5orMWbqsGSihH41oq6hhpUbFwxtC-ijaDKCYhZg/s1600/ribbon_blu.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 57px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMzy3Py94eSvyX9Tbm9_eyeFQtqky3Ay5bETqCecWCyndBSSSt-r9VwHj29unSrSLNGP1ZzsZSulKDMbY2EspZcmD556hs8sK1t1_5orMWbqsGSihH41oq6hhpUbFwxtC-ijaDKCYhZg/s200/ribbon_blu.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471914113126668722" /></a><br />How does the world’s biggest coward become a published author? What options are available to a writer who lacks the courage to query agents? Is there any hope for a wordsmith who cannot bring herself to trust her beloved literary creation to that embodiment of anonymity known as the publishing house slush pile?<br /><br />For this writer, the answer was a baby step called the chapter contest. No form rejections. No unanswered e-mails. Only the expectation of objective feedback provided by a published author or at the very least, by a trained judge. <br /><br />While perusing my copy of Romance Writers Report, a publication of Romance Writers of America, I noticed many of the Romance Writers of America chapters held contests in order to provide constructive criticism to aspiring romance writers. The final judge was usually an agent or an editor from a romance-friendly publisher. How cool was that? I thought. If one submitted a judge-pleasing entry, the end result was that the partial manuscript could conceivably bypass the entire intimidating pitch process and land on an editor’s desk with the foregone commitment that it would be read.<br /><br />I was prompted to enter my first contest by the desire to discover if my dream of publication was even remotely attainable. There would be no loss of face if my submission proved to be particularly inept because my identity was a secret closely guarded by the contest coordinator. My submission was assigned a code number and matched to a similarly unidentified first round judge. All contest coordinators and judges donate their time, and there is usually a nominal entry fee paid by the contestant. A chapter whose contest has earned a good reputation (a proven track record of picking winners who went on to be published) can look forward to their contest providing income to offset chapter expenses. <br /><br />Did I final my first time out? No. But I received something much more valuable at that time than the ego-boost that a final would have provided. I received mentoring from an unexpected source, and encouragement. When my score sheets arrived in the mail, I was surprised to find that one published author judge on the panel had gone to a great deal of trouble to note what she felt was good about my entry, and to call attention to aspects of craft that could be improved. She added that she was impressed by my entry and expected to find my book on her local store shelf one day. She remained anonymous, so I was never able to properly thank her, other than through a note forwarded by the contest coordinator to my nameless mentor.<br /><br />Those comments from one anonymous, kind-hearted judge served to light a fire under me. I studied her remarks, recognized the value in the advice she had given me, and began revising my manuscript. I entered the revision in another contest, and later received word my entry was a finalist. A few weeks after that, I received word that my entry had won. Although this did not guarantee a sale, it was a critical milestone for me because it gave me hope.<br /><br />How did the contest eventually lead to “The Call” informing me of a sale? Medallion Press senior editor Helen Rosburg judged the Florida RWA chapter Golden Palm contest and requested the full manuscript from me. I mailed the manuscript on Valentine’s Day and I received “The Call” on February 27th from the author liaison at Medallion. Not only were they interested in publishing my historical romance, but they were excited by the prospect! <br /><br />Medallion Press published “Fire at Midnight” in March, 2009 and my second historical romance novel, “Stolen Promise,” was published in March of 2010. <br /><br />Are there any pitfalls to contesting? There can be, of course. Few things in life are perfect, and contests are no exception. Untrained judges, apathetic contest coordinators, vague comments or even deliberately cruel feedback goes with the territory, but these are not the norm. I give credit to the RWA chapter contest circuit and one anonymous published author who took the time to put together an insightful critique and offer encouragement to an aspiring writer who lacked confidence. It made all the difference for me.<br /><br />I have noticed a trend over the last few years where winning author names from the RWA chapter contest circuit are hitting bookstore shelves. To name a few: Courtney Milan, Kris Kennedy, Christie Craig, Helen Scott-Taylor, Carla Hughes, Christine Wells, Stacey Lynn Reimer, J.L. Wilson, Cat Lindler, Jennifer Haymore, Kathleen (Kaki) Warner, Jenny Gardiner, Judi Fennell, Caroline Fyffe, Kristina McMorris, Kimberly Killion, Angie Fox, Kathryn Dennis…to name a few!<br /><br />There is even a blog dedicated to Contest Divas: <br /><br /><a href="http://contestdivas.blogspot.com">http://contestdivas.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />And, once a contest diva, always a contest diva! Once a writer becomes ineligible to enter the contests for unpublished writers, there are always the contests for published authors, plus the opportunity to give back by offering to serve as a contest judge. My debut novel, Fire at Midnight, was recently named a USA Book News Best Books of 2009 winner, expanding its contest career to include success in published novel competitions.<br /><br />For an aspiring writer who isn’t quite ready to tread the waters of the NY publishing world, dipping a toe in the chapter contest kiddie pool might be an appropriate first step!<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-28264515745900652982010-05-02T12:07:00.006-05:002010-05-02T12:16:02.099-05:00Writerly Stuff: Exploring Other CulturesOne of the perks in writing fiction is being provided with the opportunity to explore other cultures and answer a “what if” question in a way that inspires an interesting or outside the box plot idea.<br /><br />My March release, STOLEN PROMISE, explores what might happen when two people from completely different cultures coerced into marriage might eventually find enough common ground to fall in love. STOLEN PROMISE features a young Romany (Gypsy) woman who yearns for a better life than the one planned for her, and the heir to a South Carolina plantation who finds himself forced to marry the fiery Jade after he travels to England to learn about this Gypsy heritage.<br /><br />The question I’m hearing most often is, “What made you decide to write about Gypsies?”<br /><br />Two of the most oft-repeated tenets about writing good fiction is “write what you know,” and “if the story you’re writing doesn’t interest you, your reader won’t be interested, either.”<br /><br />I’m not of Romany (Gypsy) blood. The greater proportion of the blood in my veins is Native American (Cherokee), but learning about the struggles of the ancestors indigenous to my own country has left me interested in other cultures and in particular those cultures whose people have experienced persecution or stereotyping.<br /><br />I’ve always found the idea of Gypsies fascinating. The nomadic lifestyle, the mystery, the colorful clothing and gaily painted wagons shadowed by firelight in an open encampment…how could these images fail to stir the imagination of a romance writer? And the music! The piercing lament of a Gypsy violin and the smells of wood smoke and food cooking over campfires are sensory details that insinuate themselves into any images one might conjure about the Romany life.<br /><br />I did a significant amount of research to extract the small details that would bring the settings and the characters to life so that the depictions would be grounded in authenticity rather than just another perpetuation of a stereotype. When I lived in California, I encountered a group of Gypsies who were traveling through the area and found them to be charming and clever. The chance meeting made me even more determined to write a novel featuring these people and their culture, but I also wanted to find a twist that would make for an interesting love story.<br /><br />Many novels arise from a simple question of, “what if?” The idea for STOLEN PROMISE came about when I asked myself the question, “Could a man from 1806 South Carolina fall in love with a woman from a vastly different culture, especially after being forced to marry her?”<br /><br />The key ingredients needed to make the story work were to toss in a revelation about the man’s heritage that would shatter his own sense of identity, and to create a spark between the two early on in the book that would link them even when circumstances bound them together against their will. Once Jade journeys to South Carolina with Evan, I found it entertaining to explore how she and her sister Liberina would react to life on a plantation. Cultural differences also played into how Evan’s jealous soon-to-be ex-fiancée could make Jade’s life miserable by exploiting Jade’s ignorance of the Southern code of behavior.<br /><br />I love romances where the hero and heroine are obviously meant to end up together from their first encounter, but the odds against a happy ending for them seem insurmountable. It’s always so satisfying to experience the emotional journey as two lovers work through obstacles and finally achieve their HEA. It was my goal to make STOLEN PROMISE an entertaining read with humor, poignancy, and a completely satisfying ending. I hope you’ll let me know whether or not I’ve succeeded!<br /><br />To read an excerpt from STOLEN PROMISE, please visit my website!<br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502649016629224182.post-33464345927244098912010-04-11T20:12:00.018-05:002010-04-11T20:58:25.682-05:00The Modern Phenomenon Called the To-Be-Read Pile<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoS7KMbladFzaMLYRmSo0tU2VN8EWOHYX62xskpkSl0EMnzDi2ZDN0xo-3nWTjzBq9paL4yMN8FKMhY4uYA5x2sgBlJmuEbtjdk2D_tXdd0J58th3DEvtVptFY2U24JmDaXCehn8BrQA/s1600/Kindle.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 281px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 249px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459056638166910994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwoS7KMbladFzaMLYRmSo0tU2VN8EWOHYX62xskpkSl0EMnzDi2ZDN0xo-3nWTjzBq9paL4yMN8FKMhY4uYA5x2sgBlJmuEbtjdk2D_tXdd0J58th3DEvtVptFY2U24JmDaXCehn8BrQA/s320/Kindle.jpg" /></a><br />I received a Kindle as a birthday present last year, and I wasted no time in downloading new releases as well as classic novels irresistibly priced at a dollar or less for the Kindle versions. I was lying in bed reading the other night when I suddenly had a mental picture of an archeological dig centuries from now, during which my slim white reading device would be unearthed by a team of professorial types. Of course, in my vision, all technological devices were backward compatible, so it took only a few moments for the content to be retrieved from the Amazon database archives.<br /><br /><br /><br />Further examination of the downloaded content would reveal <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LK9DPcaMGX3oMmSrTjXrTVQUOmcQAnfhxMMkoPgnQS2jQCcIZceYW05Yc1jKxtfRuVJjFbyZFoai3k_X9ZkmONcYOaMeMg94eZZimml9IEHJzirjLerCAkB-veqdffP8QtUlhj0IYBQ/s1600/reading.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 96px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459063416671587314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LK9DPcaMGX3oMmSrTjXrTVQUOmcQAnfhxMMkoPgnQS2jQCcIZceYW05Yc1jKxtfRuVJjFbyZFoai3k_X9ZkmONcYOaMeMg94eZZimml9IEHJzirjLerCAkB-veqdffP8QtUlhj0IYBQ/s200/reading.jpg" /></a>something odd about the reading<br />habits of the owner of the device: not every book stored on the device had actually been read. I can picture future scientists scratching their heads as they puzzled over this fact. Their initial hypothesis that the user had perhaps lost the device or perhaps suddenly perished after downloading several weeks’ worth of reading material would be swept aside as other, similar devices were discovered. As an entire community of such devices was unearthed, a common denominator would be revealed: human beings from this era purchased books they never read.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEBZD897GE-3BH7bQ5mCuNj8Bx_8jw7SD0nTdOXA_25InyN-sZwCBwZ_iUxJaA2jwnENxEStUeM023VmhkA9-JsmYZdH2q74aEtyFUdP2MA89trm1CGqNFM_RTsVx-Hn7rfzg9KGMBNA/s1600/Bookshelves+filled.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 78px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459059634661797682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEBZD897GE-3BH7bQ5mCuNj8Bx_8jw7SD0nTdOXA_25InyN-sZwCBwZ_iUxJaA2jwnENxEStUeM023VmhkA9-JsmYZdH2q74aEtyFUdP2MA89trm1CGqNFM_RTsVx-Hn7rfzg9KGMBNA/s200/Bookshelves+filled.jpg" /></a>An examination of my bookshelves today only supported the conclusion future scientists might make about us with regard to our reading habits. I have a huge TBR (“to-be-read”) pile. All the selections I’ve purchased appeal to me, and I intend to read them all…eventually. The reader’s forums I belong to assure me that my habits are the norm rather than an anomaly. On social sites devoted to readers, a popular topic of discussion often begins with the question, “How big is your TBR pile?”<br /><br />Curiosity about this common pattern of behavior prompted me to conduct a brief informal poll of people of different ages about their book buying and reading habits. I wondered at what point the acquisition of books become more important than the consumption of them. I discovered that people who grew up in difficult economic times (Depression era) tended to buy books one at a time and read them before buying another. One of my subjects, a woman in her 80’s, told me about having belonged to a book club in her youth and spending a great deal of time at the library to supplement her reading material. She claims to have never bought a book she did not read.<br /><br />As an author whose debut novel (“Fire at Midnight”) was released last year and whose second novel (“Stolen Promise”) was just released, knowing that books are being purchased but not read leaves me with conflicting emotions. On one hand, any reader who has purchased my book or borrowed it from their local library has my unending gratitude.<br /><br />On the other hand, the thought that my debut novel was purchased but now languishes in a TBR pile boasting far more compelling author names than mine leaves me with a lump in my throat and the uneasy feeling that readers might view my next release with indifference because they have not read my first release yet. Having a reader base eagerly looking forward to one’s next book is critical if an author hopes to keep their publisher interested, so for newer authors, I wonder if the concern is going to shift from whether the book is selling to whether the book is being read.<br /><br />A number of potential causes for this behavior come to mind:<br /><br />1-Most households have two working adults these days. The stay-at-home Mom is somewhat of an endangered species, although I’m not so sure she ever had time to put her feet up, eat bon-bons and read for pleasure in the first place.<br /><br />2-Simple lack of time/opportunity. Full time jobs, child-rearing, community commitments, and so on all leave us less downtime. Reading is usually considered to be a downtime pleasure.<br /><br />3-Activities other than reading take up the time that was once reserved for reading in the past. We have a whole slew of other things we can be doing now, like spending time on numerous social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, playing video games, texting friends, watching television, and so on.<br /><br />4-We’re a material-based culture. Perhaps it’s more important to be able to say a copy of the book is owned than it is to be prepared to discuss its content. I’ve noticed my friends always have copies of the latest “book-du-jour,” but when asked for an opinion, they invariably haven’t read it…yet.<br /><br />As a romance writer, I frequent many of the top romance website forums, and everyone always seems to be running out to purchase the latest “buzz” book, then commenting in a post months later that they haven’t gotten around to reading it…yet. Personally, I believe every book is purchased with the intention that it will be read, and every reader is looking for the opportunity to catch up on all those unread books.<br /><br />Should I even be worrying about this? Probably not. Can I change it? No. Is it necessarily a bad thing? I’m not sure. I just find it a curious phenomenon, and an interesting comment on modern society, even though I haven’t yet decided just what it does say about us. What do you think?<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" /><br />Lisa Marie<br /><img src="http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p131/Diddikai/flowerbanner-1.gif" />Lisa Marie Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11760318748623872747noreply@blogger.com1