Elsewhere

Today I am also guest blogging again, this time over at Word Nerd, where I'll be talking about that little line from Frostfire that spooked me so much. My very kind hosts are also giving away this lovely Kyndred gift basket filled with a signed set of all three Kyndred novels, a mug, hot cocoa, teas, and nibblies:



Stop in if you have a chance and say hi.

Uncrackable

The NY Times mass market bestseller list is tough to get on any month, but when I saw this past week's list I knew my name wouldn't be showing up on it at all. Sure, I've had some luck in the past, but let's be realistic. There are just too many big names who have huge print runs and massive marketing campaigns, and usually stay on the list for multiple weeks listed there. Far too popular for my new release to battle; I knew the minute I read it that it was an uncrackable list.

I couldn't get depressed about it; I'm very happy with how the admittedly low key release of Dreamveil went. Okay, the book shipped a couple weeks early, but what else is new? Everyone here seemed enthusiastic about it, so I was pretty sure it would sell well. I got to do some interesting things with the story and I thought the readers would enjoy it. The free e-book I posted also was well-received (it got almost 10K hits and over 1200 downloads in the first week, which is really fabulous.) Early buzz has been favorable, too.

Today I got the Times mass market list for my release week (you all will see it next week) and as I suspected it was pretty much an uncrackable rollover: all big names, some with multiple titles, all getting second, third, fourth and fifth weeks on the list. I compared and counted, and only four new titles actually made it into the top thirty, with three of the four novels are by very popular male authors.

The fourth and last novel to debut on the list, coming in at a very respectable #26? Was by this chick:



You guys cracked the uncrackable and made my novel look terrific. Thank you for this awesome show of support.

Stats

According to Scribd.com*, over the last twelve hours 818 people have taken a look at Rain Lashed*, my free Kyndred novella e-book that I posted yesterday:



At the time I checked 124 people had also downloaded the e-book, also a very good number for the first day -- probably the best I've had so far for a freebie.

Along with the complete, original novella in Rain Lashed there are two excerpts in the back -- one for Shadowlight and the other for Dreamveil, my Kyndred novels in print -- and a complete bibliography listing all my public work, my weblog and my other freebies, aka a shopping list for anyone who wants more.

Not counting my labor, the only expense I had for this e-book was the cover art image, which I purchased from Big Stock Photos for one dollar. I didn't have to print the book, package it, ship it or otherwise distribute it; Scribd.com hosts the e-book for free, and when it does well, they also promote it.

While novellas are a shorter form, it still takes time to write them, and I spent the better part of six months working on this one whenever I had a few minutes. At one point I had to set aside the story completely for a couple months to deal with other issues that demanded more of my time. It was nice to be able to finally be able to get back to it, finish it and make it into an e-book.

I can't promise you that a free e-book will turn your print work into an instant bestseller, but think about these stats. How often do you get the chance to show your work to 818 interested people in half a day, and it only costs you your time, your creativity, and maybe a dollar?

*Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed this document and temporarily transferred it to Google Docs here. See my post about this scam here.

Winner

You've all been very patient while I've been offline getting my surprise ready, so let me first announce the winner of the Dream Retreats giveaway:

Eugenia Tibbs

Eugenia, when you have a chance please send your ship-to info to me at LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get this box out to you. Be careful picking it up when it lands there, too; it's a heavy one.

Now something for everyone else out there -- yes, I still have a surprise for every single one of you, even those of you who didn't enter the giveaway:



Just click on the cover art and you'll go to the page where you can read, download, print out and/or freely distribute my first free e-book and novella of the Kyndred, Rain Lashed.

Rowan Arrives

Today is the official release day for my novel Dreamveil, the second book in my Kyndred dark fantasy series, which means I am obliged to write a buy my freakin' book post.

We should have some fun with this chore, yes? Let's see, I've already done the ten reasons you should buy or request it list. I know:

Ten Things You Will Not Find in Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl

Angels or Demons. There is a restaurant in the setting that has an angelic name but no connection to the divine or the profane. I hear the food is pretty good, though.

Bite Scenes. Any nipping that occurs during the story is purely incidental and passion-spurred. Said nips do not actually break through any of the characters' skin surfaces, will not save anyone's life, destroy anyone's life or turn them into a blood-dependent immortal.

Brand name female designer clothing/shoes/purses/accessories: My protagonist is poor and couldn't afford them.

Cardboard Secondary Cast: I loved working with these talented imaginary people, but unfortunately all of them flatly refused to take a position by the nearest structure-support divider and make like the covering.

Genetically-altered superhuman villains: Alas, the only bad guys I could persuade to join in this time are strictly human.

Patricia Briggs. My protagonist reads her books, and does comment on them, but the author herself does not actually appear in the story.

Predictable Ending. I try not to do those. But: you already know this about me.

Rap music references: There's a single album title ref to flesh out my graffiti scene, but no real life rap artists were quoted or real buildings defaced during the mention of it.

Secret Babies. A pregnant character does appear briefly in the story, but everyone following the series already knows that baby. Wait, now that I think about it, there's another one but she doesn't actually appear in the story. Except in a flashback. That doesn't count. What?

Usual Suspects. In this novel there are no BDSM dungeons, condoms referred to as foil packets, female deities (wrathful or otherwise), girls cooing over each other's glittery hoohahs, intimacy marathons that last longer than 24 hours, mystical treasures of disturbing origin, pointless quests, shape-shifters who sprout fur, fangs or claws, swords of incredible power, troubling omens, underground or above ground portals to hell, vampire brotherhoods, we-must-have-sex-to-save-the-world scenarios, or weapons of mass destruction. Oh, and absolutely no dragons appear in the story at any time whatsoever (okay, there are a couple of tattoos. But that's all. I swear.)

Dream Retreats

Summer is just around the corner. In a couple of weeks the kids will be out of school, the days will stretch out long and lazy and I'll be shamelessly wallowing in picnics, beach days and cookouts -- which I need after this past seemingly endless winter.

For all those reasons summer is my favorite time of year, but especially because it's my season to read. No school = more spare time for me = extra hours to read. I can go to the bookstore or the library and not rush to make my selections. I can curl up with a novel and stay curled up. I never have a summer TBR; I constantly demolish it. I'm also in more of a mood to try new-to-me authors and genres I don't read that often.

When and where we read often has a direct effect on how much we enjoy reading. Certainly I'd rather be on a beach watching the waves roll in than sitting in a doctor's waiting room or being twisted into a pretzel by my physical therapist. Most of my time is spent at home, however, so I have reading nooks all around the house. My bathtub (I love to read when I'm soaking), the comfy but not-too-comfy sofa in my office, and a folding chair in the garage are popular reading spots.

My latest and favorite reading retreat is this corner of my back porch. Every morning and afternoon the pup and I are out here hanging out, watching the birds, enjoying the breeze and soaking up the peace and quiet. Since my guy screened in the porch we can be out here whenever we like and not have to worry about bugs and critters interrupting. All I need is to come out here with a cup of tea and my latest read (today it's Chimera by Rob Thurman) and I instantly relax. It's such a great retreat that I often do my editing out here, too.

I'd love to send you all a personal reading retreat, but the shipping would be outrageous (never mind trying to find a box big enough to fit it in.) However, I can send you something to kick off the summer reading season and enjoy: a fully-stocked retreat bag. If you'd like a chance to win this, in comments to this post tell us about your favorite spot to read (or if you're not that picky, just toss your name in the hat by midnight EST on Tuesday, June 1, 2010. I'll draw one name at random from everyone who participates and send the winner my dream retreat bag stocked with:

--Unsigned hardcover copies of A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh, The Endless Forest by Sara Donati and Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

--Unsigned trade paperback copies of The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark and Broken by Shiloh Walker

--Unsigned paperback copies of Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs, The Hellhound King by Lori Devoti, Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione, The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu, Scarlet by Jordan Summers, Chimera and Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman and Hard to Hold by Stephanie Tyler

--Signed paperback copies of Shadowlight and Dreamveil by yours truly

--Melissa Etheridge's new album on CD Fearless Love

--A cool blank journal to write in

--The Nature poet magnetic poetry kit to play with

As always, this giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Support PBW Ten

Ten Reasons You Should Consider Buying (or Requesting) Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl

Alexandra and Michael from the Darkyn series make a cameo appearance in the book.

Everyone so far has been surprised by the ending. Seriously surprised. Well, not my editor or my agent, but they read the synopsis before the manuscript so they cheated.

How well this book does will have a direct effect on what novels I will be writing and publishing in 2011. If you like my dark fantasy, buying this one or requesting it at your library is an effective way to vote for more.

I finally caved in responded to many reader requests and this time included a French-English glossary in the back pages so that you'll know exactly what words like Écrase mean. Not that I'm saying Écrase to everyone who wrote and demanded a glossary. Dansant says it in the novel to Bernard. They're French. What?

It's shipping two weeks early, so you probably won't have to wait until June 1st to get a copy (and you don't have to wait; I've already hit the top twenty of the NYT mass market BSL twice so they aren't yelling at me about that anymore. But if you want to wait so that my release week numbers look stunning and my agent has to stop whatever she's doing and e-mail me when the Times list comes out, I won't argue.)

Recombinant DNA: it's a beautiful thing that inspired me but that I do not use as an info dump sledgehammer with which to club you throughout the story. Promise.

Rowan from Shadowlight is the protagonist; you'll also see more of Drew and meet Paracelsus and Taire. Originally I had not planned to make Rowan a protagonist until book three or four, but requests for more of her story came in such a flood after Shadowlight released that I decided to shift her novel to the number two spot in the series plan.

Sales from the purchase of the novel will provide much-appreciated income for my publisher, my agent and yours truly. I don't know what they do with their take, but among other things my share finances 100% of the things I do here at Paperback Writer (which is also why there are no ads in your face when you come here.)

The print novel is lightweight, highly portable, does not require batteries, a power cord, on-off switches or scroll buttons to operate. Simply open the cover and, like magic, the story begins. Alas, I can't say the same about the e-book, but since that now appears to be trapped in price-squabbling limbo, you might want to get the paperback.

There is an orange tattooed man wearing a wrinkled wife beater featured on the cover, but I personally guarantee that in the story he's not orange, wrinkly or a wife beater (disclaimer: he is tattooed, but his sleeves cover up the ink most of the time.)

Buy Dreamveil from my favorite online bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com

Buy Dreamveil from Books-a-Million.com

Buy Dreamveil from Borders.com

Buy Dreamveil from Amazon.com

Dream Books

I received a nice box of ARCs for Dreamveil, my second Kyndred novel, and got to work on a giveaway post for them this morning. I deleted it and rewrote it, and deleted and rewrote it, and kept that up until at last a shampoo manufacturer called to see if he could hire me to ghost-write instructions for his product labels.

I generally avoid painting a bullseye on myself by talking about how I feel about my work, but this book happens to be a tough one for me to fling into the world. I won't go into all the reasons why (because then I'll have to delete this version, too) but I can guess that some of the anxiety comes from working on it during what was for me personally a very grim part of 2009. Call it a Dickens of a novel; the best of writing experiences at the worst of times.

While I know what I'm supposed to do -- emotionally disconnect and let it go -- sometimes you can't do that. Some books are important to the author for reasons the reader will never know. For these books I don't think we should have to attempt to do the usual grinning authorial soft-shoe dance of pretending they're not, even for the sake of self-promotion.

I also see no reason why I should hide under the bed with these babies, so I'd like to hand them over to some of you guys. If you'd like one, in comments to this post name a book or story that helped you get through a difficult time in your life (or if you'd rather not for your own reasons, just toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Thursday, March 4, 2010. I will draw ten names at random from everyone who participates and send the winners a signed ARC copy of Dreamveil. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Oh, Man

Just a quick heads-up for anyone who wants to read an early copy of Dreamveil, my second Kyndred novel due out in June: there will be a chance to win a signed galley along with a copy of Shadowlight some time during author Amie Stuart's 14 Days of Love at her blog.

Also, for those of you in need of some no-cost e-reads, Suvudu has put up some new freebies for February: Elizabeth Moon's Sheepfarmer's Daughter; City of the Dog by John Langan and two short stories by Kelly Meding.

Now onto our regularly scheduled blog post:



The minute I saw this, I thought "Marjorie!"* I'd have bought it and shipped it to her, but I think it's tough to find a place around the house to park a quarter-ton concrete gargoyle, too. She'd probably never speak to me again.

Do you ever see things when you're out and about that make you instantly think of other writers and/or their work?

*If you want to know why, you have to read this marvelous book.

Cover Art

Dreamveil, the second Kyndred novel and Rowan's story, will be out in June 2010.

Twin Peeks Day

I know I am behind schedule with posting Rain Lashed, my first Kyndred free e-book novella and parallel story to Shadowlight, but I hope to have it wrapped up this weekend. Here's an excerpt from the story to give those of you who are interested a little preview.

For those who have been trying to bribe me for a look at Dreamveil, you might stop by the group blog tomorrow morning and see what I have posted there for my turn at Genreality Sneak Peek Saturday.

Now I'm off to write, edit, publish, pitch, schedule and decide some things, but so that your trip here was not all about me, check out this Dutch department store link I swiped from Gerard over at the Presurfer. Just click on the link and then wait a few seconds, it's amazing (there are also some sound effects and music so be careful if you're at work.)

Uncertainty

Guess who volunteered to schedule today's post to automatically publish, and then forgot? Yep. Sorry, Tom.

Dreamveil, the second Kyndred novel and Rowan's story is off to production, and while I refuse to jinx it by talking about it too much, it's definitely one of the strongest books I've written in a few years.

My editor didn't think I could pull off Rowan's book, but after reading the manuscript she didn't request any changes except some technical corrections and some additional clarification of one plot point for the reader. When that's the extent of your revision requests, you know you nailed the story. But from the moment I started writing the synopsis for this novel, I knew it was strong. I could visualize every detail. I knew the characters, down to what socks they wear and toothpaste they use. And while the twist was something I've never before attempted, and certainly not The Usual Stuff, it came together without a single hitch.

The ending of Dreamveil (again, not the usual sort) was in my eyes damn near perfect. I don't brag often because I'm not perfect and I don't do perfect. I generally rush endings and I know it. But this one made me so happy I was tempted to print it out and show it to people like a new baby while I cooed, "Look! Look what I did! Call my mom!" Actually I don't think I've ever been as satisfied with an ending for a novel as I am with this one.

When I have a story hit the pages like this, I try to analyze it, and see what it is that I did that made it work out so well during the writing phase. I want to be able to do that with every book, and I can't, and that frustrates me.

I know it's not me. My methods don't vary, I use the same basic routine with every novel, and while I always strive to produce an original, unique storyline I outline, draft and edit the book in the same way each time. Each series I write has a specific structure and tone that I put in each novel to provide continuity, and unless it serves the story I don't mess with that too much because that's the glue that provides cohesiveness.

I hesitate to say any book writes itself, because even with a strong story there's too much work involved. Every novel is a mountain to be conquered, and none of us can leap over them in a single bound. It's days and weeks and months of intense work, every time. When I think of how many years it took me to pull together all the elements, do the research and then work up the nerve to write Blade Dancer, I still wince.

Some books are insanely difficult to write on an emotional level, and I've had a couple of those. Endurance, StarDoc book three was the toughest book I've ever written; I fought my way through every paragraph and it kept kicking me in the teeth all the way to the last page. In the end I won, but the experience was such that after nine years (Lord, has it been that long already?) I still can't read it.

I'm not sure, but this time I think it was the constructs of the characters. I don't think I've put together a cast this defined and strong since I wrote Red Branch. I didn't have to write up worksheets for this bunch; they were all there from the moment of conception. And I have no idea why. None of it was deliberate. They just showed up.

Maybe the key to writing a strong book is not to question how you did it, or try to repeat it, but I want to know. It would make my writing life a hell of a lot easier.

What do you do when the story comes out clear and strong? Do you try to figure out what made it happen? Or do you accept it as a gift of the Writing Gods and move on? Tell me what you think in comments.

One-Eye

I am not really here; I'm actually lounging around recovering from some minor eye surgery. All went well, although I now know (at least, temporarily) what it's like to be one-eyed. Very weird. I expect tomorrow I'm going to wake up with a stupendous shiner. I was going to tell this risque joke about a one-eyed man and a parrot, but the language will kill my blog's G-rating, and then Disney will never buy the rights for a cartoon series.

I'm kidding. Seriously. I'm holding out for an HBO series.

Tami mentioned in comments yesterday that the cover model for Shadowlight looks like the same model on Gena Showalter's The Nymph King. I'm not sure; I was told that they didn't put the model's entire head on my cover because he was bald and had no eyebrows. Since my vision is at 50%, I'll let you guys tell me -- do you think it looks like the same dude?



And to complete this very lazy and discombobulated post, I've put an excerpt from the second Kyndred novel, tentatively titled Dreamveil over at the stories blog (it was that or pics of the eye, which I'm really trying not to inflict on anyone.)