I apologize for my temporary absence, folks. Aside from the power and communication issues, the aftermath of these tornadoes really upset my kids. They went through a lot during the 2004 hurricane season, but in some ways this was worse. I know you won't mind that I made being mom my priority today.
Also, thanks to everyone who sent their congratulations to Rob via the RGB in FLA giveaway. You can catch his reaction at the end of the comment thread. I drew the names of the winners, and they are:
danetteb
aka_Nik
Jess (whose comment began with *happy dance* YAY! Debuts are inspirational.)
Winners, please e-mail me at LynnViehl@aol.com with your full name and ship-to address so I can get these books out to you.
I'll be answering the Friday 20 questions tonight and tomorrow, so keep an eye on the comment thread. I appreciate everyone's patience, and hopefully I'll be back on schedule by Monday.
Showing posts with label Robert Gregory Browne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Gregory Browne. Show all posts
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
RGB in FLA
Guess what I found at the bookstore today:
It's a beautiful book, with very cool cover art -- you've got to see it up close to get the full impact. It's very classy, too. Reminds me a lot of my first novel. Okay, there aren't any bioengineered surgeons, maroon preying mantis nurses, nectarine porcupine orderlies or unconscious reptilian slavers giving birth to killer quintuplets on Rob's. But aside from those little details, they could be identical.
I should take this opportunity to offer some wise old crone writer advice to the author now. Not that he needs it, but still. I think we've covered why one shouldn't get their first title tattooed in the bikini area (can't show it off to anyone at cons and booksignings) and how to properly accessorize a powder pink twin set (pearls, always go with pearls)...
I know: Rob, if your production team suggests putting any type of leaping, dolphin-like alien lifeform on the cover of the next book?
Say NO.
We absolutely must celebrate this debut, so in comments to this post, please pass along your congratulations to Rob by midnight EST on February 2, 2007. I'll draw three names at random from everyone who participates and send the winners an unsigned copy of Kiss Her Goodbye by Robert Gregory Browne. Giveaway open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
It's a beautiful book, with very cool cover art -- you've got to see it up close to get the full impact. It's very classy, too. Reminds me a lot of my first novel. Okay, there aren't any bioengineered surgeons, maroon preying mantis nurses, nectarine porcupine orderlies or unconscious reptilian slavers giving birth to killer quintuplets on Rob's. But aside from those little details, they could be identical.
I should take this opportunity to offer some wise old crone writer advice to the author now. Not that he needs it, but still. I think we've covered why one shouldn't get their first title tattooed in the bikini area (can't show it off to anyone at cons and booksignings) and how to properly accessorize a powder pink twin set (pearls, always go with pearls)...
I know: Rob, if your production team suggests putting any type of leaping, dolphin-like alien lifeform on the cover of the next book?
Say NO.
We absolutely must celebrate this debut, so in comments to this post, please pass along your congratulations to Rob by midnight EST on February 2, 2007. I'll draw three names at random from everyone who participates and send the winners an unsigned copy of Kiss Her Goodbye by Robert Gregory Browne. Giveaway open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Now We're Cooking
My daughter and I have been talking about someday writing a cookbook together. I've already published some of my own recipes in my GCI books, and I have a lot of things I've invented or recombined that people might like. My kid is like Improv Chef in the Kitchen, so she would spice things up. I just have to hide the hot sauce, salsa and cayenne pepper; she inherited her uncle's asbestos-lined palate.
I'm also currently in month five of The Bark and Twigs Heart-Healthy Diet From Hell. I'd like to put together a reasonable cookbook for other people on this diet, too, because it drives you crazy trying to stick to it and not eat like a myopic squirrel. Honestly, if I see one more whole-grain English muffin, I'm going to develop a facial twitch.
I have tried all the heart-healthy products and know which ones are decent and which taste like cardboard (i.e. whole grain angel hair pasta is okay if you use a thick marinara sauce to drown out the damn "nutty" flavor, but whole grain lasagna noodles are made from strips of cardboard.) And oh, dear Lord, the Smart Balance Products. Don't get me started. How does that company manage to turn something as simple as peanut butter into crunchy fish oil-flavored spackling paste? And their fish oil-flavored margarine substitute? Doesn't melt. Ever. I swear to God, not even in a cast iron skillet on high heat. It just sits there, spreads a tiny bit on the bottom, and then leers at you like Jabba the Hut.
Anyway, thinking about titles for my future cookbooks got me to wondering about other writers, and what we'd see in the cooking section . . .
If Cookbooks Were Written by Fiction Novelists
1. Cool Granola: Make-it-Yourself Breakfast Cereals by Stuart MacBride
2. Hot Chile in the City: Sexy Tex-Mex Recipes by Alison Kent
3. If You Like That Nose Job, Don't Insult My Thai: Gourmet Cuisine by Dr. Douglas Hoffman
4. Kiss Hershey's Goodbye: Handmade Chocolates by Robert Gregory Browne (introduction by Bill Peschel)
5. Love Portions: Romantic Dinners for Two by Monica Jackson
6. Midnight Rapini: Salads and Other Vegan Delights by Holly Lisle
7. Pop Goes the Bundt Cake: Cooking with Coca-Cola by Rosina Lippi
8. Rocky Road Rules: Frozen Desserts by James R. Winter
9. The Next Person Who Offers Me Cheesecake Gets Slapped: Living on a Low-fat, Low-cholesterol Diet by PBW
10. You Cook When I Call You: Last-minute Meals for Unexpected Guests by Douglas Clegg
If you (or your favorite author) were going to write a cookbook, what would be the title, and what sort of cuisine or food would it feature?
I'm also currently in month five of The Bark and Twigs Heart-Healthy Diet From Hell. I'd like to put together a reasonable cookbook for other people on this diet, too, because it drives you crazy trying to stick to it and not eat like a myopic squirrel. Honestly, if I see one more whole-grain English muffin, I'm going to develop a facial twitch.
I have tried all the heart-healthy products and know which ones are decent and which taste like cardboard (i.e. whole grain angel hair pasta is okay if you use a thick marinara sauce to drown out the damn "nutty" flavor, but whole grain lasagna noodles are made from strips of cardboard.) And oh, dear Lord, the Smart Balance Products. Don't get me started. How does that company manage to turn something as simple as peanut butter into crunchy fish oil-flavored spackling paste? And their fish oil-flavored margarine substitute? Doesn't melt. Ever. I swear to God, not even in a cast iron skillet on high heat. It just sits there, spreads a tiny bit on the bottom, and then leers at you like Jabba the Hut.
Anyway, thinking about titles for my future cookbooks got me to wondering about other writers, and what we'd see in the cooking section . . .
If Cookbooks Were Written by Fiction Novelists
1. Cool Granola: Make-it-Yourself Breakfast Cereals by Stuart MacBride
2. Hot Chile in the City: Sexy Tex-Mex Recipes by Alison Kent
3. If You Like That Nose Job, Don't Insult My Thai: Gourmet Cuisine by Dr. Douglas Hoffman
4. Kiss Hershey's Goodbye: Handmade Chocolates by Robert Gregory Browne (introduction by Bill Peschel)
5. Love Portions: Romantic Dinners for Two by Monica Jackson
6. Midnight Rapini: Salads and Other Vegan Delights by Holly Lisle
7. Pop Goes the Bundt Cake: Cooking with Coca-Cola by Rosina Lippi
8. Rocky Road Rules: Frozen Desserts by James R. Winter
9. The Next Person Who Offers Me Cheesecake Gets Slapped: Living on a Low-fat, Low-cholesterol Diet by PBW
10. You Cook When I Call You: Last-minute Meals for Unexpected Guests by Douglas Clegg
If you (or your favorite author) were going to write a cookbook, what would be the title, and what sort of cuisine or food would it feature?
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Snip Tease
Posting excerpts from your novel on your blog gives your readers a sample of your storytelling talent. Published authors regularly post them to interest visitors in their latest releases, hoping the teaser will result in a sale.
The most common problems with posting excerpts are length, subject matter, and appeal factor. A long excerpt runs the risk of boring the casual visitor; a short one can be too brief to capture their attention. 500 to 1000 words seems to be a good length for a blog post; if you want to put up something longer you might consider posting it on a website page and linking to it (Alison Kent does a great page for each of her novels; see the one for Kiss and Make Up here.)
It's best to avoid story spoilers, but putting up something too enigmatic or dependent on the rest of the novel to be understood creates confusion. Add to this the need to select something with enough appeal to make the visitor curious about reading the rest of the novel, and you have a ready-made tension headache.
Some things I do:
1. Pick a scene with no more than two or three characters in it; preferably two. Suddenly dumping a scene with big cast on a casual reader requires them to try to sort out who's who; often something they can't do without the rest of the novel.
2. Look for something that shows interesting interaction between the characters. By interesting I don't mean a rehash-the-plot conversation in a room decorated by one of their mothers. Seek out moments that showcase your characters.
3. End with a bang, not a whimper. If you can work the snippet so that it ends on a cliffhanger, all the better. Remember, a tease arouses; it's not supposed to satisfy.
Now as I conveniently have a new release hitting the shelves this week, and would like to lure some of you into buying it by dangling a teaser, here's a working example:
-------------------------------------
An Excerpt from Dark Need by Lynn Viehl
Lucan checked the room's security monitor and saw Cyprien's sygkenis on the wide, comfortable bed before he released Kyn-proof bolts on the outer door. Inside her lavender scent perfumed the cool air, drawing him into the master bedroom to look down at her unconscious form. She wore a short negligee and a diaphanous robe in a shade of peach that complimented the sun-kissed golden bloom of her flawless skin. Rafael had taken the additional precaution of chaining her to the bed with copper, he noted, but had protected her wrists and ankles by lining the manacles with flannel padding.
"Sleeping Beauty, indeed," he murmured, using his finger to dislodge a curl of hair that had tangled with her long dark brown eyelashes. Fangs flashed, and Lucan barely had time to pull his hand away before Alexandra sank her sharp teeth into them. "Good morning, Doctor. I trust you slept well?"
"Bite my ass."
"I should be happy to." Ah, she was beautiful when she snarled. "Roll over."
Chains rattled as she strained against her bonds. "Let me out of these fucking things."
"I would like nothing better," he assured her, "but I must insist you stay as you are for the time being."
She stopped jerking on the chains and glared up at him. "This has got to be the stupidest thing you've ever done."
He thought of Samantha, naked and willing under his bare hands, and his smile faded. "Not quite."
"Cyprien will be back by now. Your walking light bulb didn't kill everyone. Phillipe saw him, and will tell Michael what happened, and he'll come for me. He'll bring the whole freaking vampire army with him, too. But that's what you want." She peered at him. "Can't you guys just kiss and make up?"
"Your master has taken everything from me that I ever wanted." He sat down on the side of the bed, keeping just out of her reach. "Now he will experience firsthand what that feels like."
"Another vampire pissing contest. Marvelous." She looked at the copper bars on the window. "So he comes here and you two battle it out until someone dies. Is that the plan?"
He ran his glove along her bare leg. She had very shapely legs, and arched, dainty feet. "You could choose to stay with me of your own volition."
"Oh, yeah, I'm going to do that." She laughed.
"Sacrificing yourself for the one you love is such a noble thing." He traced the spaces between her toes, admiring her pink-polished toenails. "I wouldn't kill him if you became my woman."
She jerked her leg away as far as the chains would allow. "Now? You're dreaming."
"I'm not the monster you think I am, Alexandra." Here was a solution to both of his problems. He could rid himself of his inconvenient longing for Samantha and strike a crippling blow to Cyprien at the same time. "Think of all the lives you would save."
"I'd rather screw a snake, thanks." She bit her lip as he climbed over her, and settled himself on top of her. "Lucan, wait. Wait."
"I have, my dear. Two hundred years and better."
Alexandra was smaller than Samantha, more delicately made. Her scent was softer, rather sweeter than he had expected, but it suited her. He could see why Cyprien had taken so many risks to take and keep her. She was the kind of woman a man would gladly gamble his life to have and to hold. In fact, he was counting on it.
"Don't do this," she said, turning her face away from his when he came closer. "You can't ever take it back."
"I should hope not." He pinned her manacled wrists on either side of her head, and bent to put his mouth to her throat.
-----------------------------------------
This is one of my favorite moments from the novel, so I'll admit that influenced my decision to post it. I think for a 634 word partial scene that it illustrates both characters and their motivations well enough to interest someone who has never read the series and doesn't know Lucan or Alexandra from Adam. What's said is tied into both the main conflict and an important subplot, but not enough to spoil them. As interaction between characters goes, it's sexy, funny and scary. The ending doesn't tell you what happens next, but it makes you wonder about it.
Get creative with how you present your excerpt, too. Discuss why you wrote it, or something involved in the process of writing it, or get into what inspired it. Robert Gregory Browne and Holly Lisle are two authors who podcast regularly from their blogs; if you've got a good voice why not read your teaser for your visitors?
What sort of teasers do you all prefer to write, or read?
The most common problems with posting excerpts are length, subject matter, and appeal factor. A long excerpt runs the risk of boring the casual visitor; a short one can be too brief to capture their attention. 500 to 1000 words seems to be a good length for a blog post; if you want to put up something longer you might consider posting it on a website page and linking to it (Alison Kent does a great page for each of her novels; see the one for Kiss and Make Up here.)
It's best to avoid story spoilers, but putting up something too enigmatic or dependent on the rest of the novel to be understood creates confusion. Add to this the need to select something with enough appeal to make the visitor curious about reading the rest of the novel, and you have a ready-made tension headache.
Some things I do:
1. Pick a scene with no more than two or three characters in it; preferably two. Suddenly dumping a scene with big cast on a casual reader requires them to try to sort out who's who; often something they can't do without the rest of the novel.
2. Look for something that shows interesting interaction between the characters. By interesting I don't mean a rehash-the-plot conversation in a room decorated by one of their mothers. Seek out moments that showcase your characters.
3. End with a bang, not a whimper. If you can work the snippet so that it ends on a cliffhanger, all the better. Remember, a tease arouses; it's not supposed to satisfy.
Now as I conveniently have a new release hitting the shelves this week, and would like to lure some of you into buying it by dangling a teaser, here's a working example:
-------------------------------------
An Excerpt from Dark Need by Lynn Viehl
Lucan checked the room's security monitor and saw Cyprien's sygkenis on the wide, comfortable bed before he released Kyn-proof bolts on the outer door. Inside her lavender scent perfumed the cool air, drawing him into the master bedroom to look down at her unconscious form. She wore a short negligee and a diaphanous robe in a shade of peach that complimented the sun-kissed golden bloom of her flawless skin. Rafael had taken the additional precaution of chaining her to the bed with copper, he noted, but had protected her wrists and ankles by lining the manacles with flannel padding.
"Sleeping Beauty, indeed," he murmured, using his finger to dislodge a curl of hair that had tangled with her long dark brown eyelashes. Fangs flashed, and Lucan barely had time to pull his hand away before Alexandra sank her sharp teeth into them. "Good morning, Doctor. I trust you slept well?"
"Bite my ass."
"I should be happy to." Ah, she was beautiful when she snarled. "Roll over."
Chains rattled as she strained against her bonds. "Let me out of these fucking things."
"I would like nothing better," he assured her, "but I must insist you stay as you are for the time being."
She stopped jerking on the chains and glared up at him. "This has got to be the stupidest thing you've ever done."
He thought of Samantha, naked and willing under his bare hands, and his smile faded. "Not quite."
"Cyprien will be back by now. Your walking light bulb didn't kill everyone. Phillipe saw him, and will tell Michael what happened, and he'll come for me. He'll bring the whole freaking vampire army with him, too. But that's what you want." She peered at him. "Can't you guys just kiss and make up?"
"Your master has taken everything from me that I ever wanted." He sat down on the side of the bed, keeping just out of her reach. "Now he will experience firsthand what that feels like."
"Another vampire pissing contest. Marvelous." She looked at the copper bars on the window. "So he comes here and you two battle it out until someone dies. Is that the plan?"
He ran his glove along her bare leg. She had very shapely legs, and arched, dainty feet. "You could choose to stay with me of your own volition."
"Oh, yeah, I'm going to do that." She laughed.
"Sacrificing yourself for the one you love is such a noble thing." He traced the spaces between her toes, admiring her pink-polished toenails. "I wouldn't kill him if you became my woman."
She jerked her leg away as far as the chains would allow. "Now? You're dreaming."
"I'm not the monster you think I am, Alexandra." Here was a solution to both of his problems. He could rid himself of his inconvenient longing for Samantha and strike a crippling blow to Cyprien at the same time. "Think of all the lives you would save."
"I'd rather screw a snake, thanks." She bit her lip as he climbed over her, and settled himself on top of her. "Lucan, wait. Wait."
"I have, my dear. Two hundred years and better."
Alexandra was smaller than Samantha, more delicately made. Her scent was softer, rather sweeter than he had expected, but it suited her. He could see why Cyprien had taken so many risks to take and keep her. She was the kind of woman a man would gladly gamble his life to have and to hold. In fact, he was counting on it.
"Don't do this," she said, turning her face away from his when he came closer. "You can't ever take it back."
"I should hope not." He pinned her manacled wrists on either side of her head, and bent to put his mouth to her throat.
-----------------------------------------
This is one of my favorite moments from the novel, so I'll admit that influenced my decision to post it. I think for a 634 word partial scene that it illustrates both characters and their motivations well enough to interest someone who has never read the series and doesn't know Lucan or Alexandra from Adam. What's said is tied into both the main conflict and an important subplot, but not enough to spoil them. As interaction between characters goes, it's sexy, funny and scary. The ending doesn't tell you what happens next, but it makes you wonder about it.
Get creative with how you present your excerpt, too. Discuss why you wrote it, or something involved in the process of writing it, or get into what inspired it. Robert Gregory Browne and Holly Lisle are two authors who podcast regularly from their blogs; if you've got a good voice why not read your teaser for your visitors?
What sort of teasers do you all prefer to write, or read?
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