RW: I Told You So

Two years ago a big name author refused to read one of my own books for a possible quote. This isn't unusual, and I didn't personally make the request, but the circumstances involved made it such an unpleasant experience that it put me off getting quotes ever since.

A week after that smackdown, an editor asked me to read an ARC of a first book in a debut series for a possible quote. Perfect opportunity for revenge! All I had to do was surrender to the dark side and say Sorry, but I'm too busy with my bestselling career to take time out to blurb your rookie in a polite fashion.

Only I couldn't, because I really liked the editor, and I wasn't too busy, and my good angel, the sadistic bitch, advised me that it would be the wrong thing to do.

I (very reluctantly) agreed to read it, and the editor immediately sent me the ARC. I took it out of the mailbox and stomped all the way back to the house with it. I let it sit on my desk for a full day. I glared at it. My bad angel wanted it to suck. My bad angel assured me that it would likely be the biggest pile of trash I'd ever read. I even started mentally rehearsing polite ways of saying to the editor "Sorry, but your rookie can't write her way out of a trick-or-treat bag."

I finally read the first page, just to see how much it was going to suck, and lost myself in it. After I devoured the book, I wrote a quote for the author that will probably end up being the best blurb I will ever write. Everyone thought I was crazy for doing that for a complete stranger, but I didn't care. This book was that special.

Several months later the rest of the reading world discovered how great the book was. My good angel started crowing, "I told you so!" and hasn't shut up since.

I still don't know who was first to endorse J.R. Ward's Dark Lover, me or Nicole Jordan, but we both did it long before the Black Dagger Brotherhood series skyrocketed into the enormous success it is today. Having our names and quotes on one of the hottest-selling novels in paranormal romance doesn't hurt, either, but we didn't do it for that reason. Which counts? Pretty much forever.

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of my first reading J.R. Ward's terrific debut, I've put together a big I Told You So box of great paranormal romance and dark fantasy reads: unsigned copies of Hunting Midnight by Emma Holly, The Blood Books Volume One (Blood Price and Blood Trail) by Tanya Huff, Night Echoes by Holly Lisle, A Taste of Crimson by Marjorie M. Liu, Nightlife by Rob Thurman, Hunters: Heart and Soul by Shiloh Walker, and Dark Lover by J.R. Ward, along with a signed copy of my novel Night Lost and some other surprises.

For a chance to win this week's goodies, in comments to this post, write a quote for your favorite author or novel (or, if you're quote-blocked, just throw your name into the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, June 8, 2007. I'll draw one name at random from everyone who participates and send the winner the entire I Told You So box of books. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Odds, Ends

Comments: As a writer, you know you've arrived when the anonymous people start coming out of the woodwork. And they have, right on cue. Unfortunately the only place they can spleen-vent where they know I'll see it is in comments here. I'm not sure what to do about it yet; see below.

Numbers: While I was out stat-hunting, I came across this long page of publishing statistics that, while somewhat dated, had some interesting info. I tend to put more faith in stats that are cited with sources versus sites that simply throw the figures out there.

Rumor, confirmed: Night Lost did indeed make it to #12 on Publishers Weekly's paperback bestseller list for May 14th. PW seemed as surprised as I was to find it there, but they did a nice little sidebar spotlight thing for the book. Their circulation should go up a couple thousand points this week as my mother makes every person she knows on Earth buy a copy.

On the comments problem, I have a couple of choices. I can:

1. Keep comments uncensored and open to everyone except SPAMmers (the way it is now.)
2. Moderate the comments and personally remove any spleen-venting unrelated to the post topic along with the SPAMmers (censorship, which I hate, but probably wiser.)
3. Make everyone register if they want to comment, if Blogger has that option (which will kill anonymous comments, I think.)
4. Shut down comments altogether.

#1 is my personal preference, but it means putting up with an unknown amount of harassment from these anonymous venters. #2 is going to slow things down and take up more of my time, which will likely result in cutting back on the number of posts I write each week. #3 makes me feel like I'm penalizing everyone for what a few malcontents do. #4 is definitely a last resort.

We have some great discussions here, and many of you constantly contribute valuable opinions, info and links. We have a lot of fun, too. Maybe I'm being naive and selfish, but I don't want that to end. If you've got a preference on the options, let me know what you think in comments.

RW: Wild Rides

I enjoy reading well-written romantica and erotica. I wouldn't be an Emma Holly and Alison Kent fan if I didn't. When this kind of fiction is done right, it transcends the coy purple-headed prosiness or the mechanical insert slot A into tab B stories we see so often in this category.

You won't find any turgid throbbing manroots or unlikely robotic positions in Lush by Sasha White. What you will discover is a trilogy of interconnected stories about three couples who find and explore each other, body and soul. Yes, the stories are explicit, so be warned: this is hands-on, right there, in-your-face erotica. It's beautifully written, but it never apologizes for the content by masking it with a lot of idiot euphemisms.

What I enjoy about Sasha White's storytelling is the combination of playfulness and soulfulness. This book, like all her work, is both fun and touching. Very few writers in this category can pull off something like that; Sasha White is already an expert at it. It's going to be very interesting to see where she goes from here.

As always, you don't have to take my word for it. In comments to this post, name your favorite romantic food (or, if you don't think food is romantic, just throw your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, May 11, 2007. I'll draw five names at random from everyone who participates, and send the winners an unsigned copy of Lush by Sasha White and a surprise. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Home front news: you people have certainly been busy. Four days after its release, Night Lost hit the Borders Group Inc. romance mass market bestseller list at #1 for week ending 5/5/07. My editor tells me the book also debuted at #4 on Barnes & Nobles' romance BSL list, and #17 on their overall mass market BSL list.

I've got thirty-seven books in print, but none of them have ever made it to #1 on any list. Not a place I ever expected to be, frankly, so I have nothing prepared or rehearsed. To the buyers and booksellers of Borders Group, Inc., who have been incredibly generous with their support of Night Lost, and to all of you who went out and spent your hard-earned money to buy the book, may I simply say: thank you.

Oh, and if you see a nice little old lady circling the earth sometime today, that would be my mom.

Night Lost Arrives

Turns out my release date for Night Lost is today rather than May 7th. Surprise!



I don't know why it's out a week early, but readers are telling me that it's shipping from the online booksellers, and my sister says I'm already on the shelf at BAM. When we went this afternoon to pick up some mulch for the front yard, my son headed over to the book/magazine section for the latest issue of Shonen Jump, and brought back a copy of NL with that big Wal-Mart price sticker plastered over Gabriel's forehead like a weird bandaid.

I was going to make a pathetic determined effort at posting some self-promo for Night Lost next week. I was. Really. Wait, wait, I did do some already -- I spent the day over at Shiloh's last week (which was great) talking about myself (which is torture.) That counts.

Be so much easier if I could just blame the dog.

Anyway, if you have enjoyed the Darkyn books, or like vampire fiction but are interested in trying something different, and you'd be okay with making my publisher extremely happy and keeping me employed, I invite you to pick up Night Lost, available nation-wide today.

Reader Wednesdays

From this point on Wednesdays at PBW will be for the readers out there. I'm still debating on what sort of stuff I can post that will be of interest to you, so bear with me as I work out the kinks.

In May, Borders Group will be doing some special promotions for Night Lost along with the first three Darkyn novels. I've written a letter for Waldenbooks's monthly reader e-mail, and I've been told there will be a $1 off coupon on any book from the backlist. The publisher sent me my first ever book dump featuring the artwork from Night Lost; looks like they'll be stocking them with all four novels.

Evermore is scheduled to be released in January 2008, but don't put any money on that date yet. Over on the fiction blog, I've put up an excerpt from the first draft of Evermore that gives a little more insight into the intense relationship between a Kyn lord and his seneschal (and how it almost gets out of hand between Byrne and Jayr.)

I'm proposing Valentin's story to my editor as Darkyn book #5 #6*, which is (working) titled Swan Fire. I hope to soon have some news on Drednoc and Crystal Healer, the next StarDoc novels. That's all for this week; stop in next Wednesday if you get a chance for more reader-friendly info.

*Added: I can't count. Evermore is book five, Swan Fire is book six. Thanks to Lesley for catching this.

ARCs Away

I appreciate everyone coming up with so many terrific ideas on how to handle extra ARCs. I wish I had enough to send you all a copy. But names have to be drawn, so the winners of the Take My ARCs, Please giveaway (along with the suggestion they made that I'm going to use) are:

1. Applejacks0711, who suggested: "I like the idea of donating it to a cancer treatment center (my grandmother and mother would love to read stuff like that when they're there)."

2. Jason, who suggested: "You could donate them to a soldier. I'm pretty sure that they need something to get their minds off of their current situation."

3. Firebrand, who suggested: "New reading material would be much appreciated here at the Burn Unit."

4. Karen W., who suggested: "I'm always all for donating to a women's shelters..."

5. Edie, whose comment read: "Send them to the amputee ward of military hospitals for severely injured troops."

Winners, please send your full name and ship-to information to LynnViehl@aol.com so I can get these ARCs out to you. Firebrand, if you would also send the address for the Burn Unit, I'd appreciate it.

I'll have a post later on in the week (with pics if possible) as I distribute the other ARCs according to your suggestions. Thanks again to everyone for joining in.

Drivebys

Driveby moments in a story -- when two characters come together for a very short time -- usually last no more than a manuscript page. These mini-scenes are where I see housekeeping dialogue used most often, i.e.:


"Hi," Nick said to the innkeeper. "How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," he replied. "How may I help you, mademoiselle?"

"Is your wife here?" Nick asked. "I'd like to speak to her."

He gestured toward the kitchen. "She is cooking dinner."


That's a standard driveby -- it's very quick, exchanges the necessary information, and thanks to the housekeeping dialogue, reads totally flat and boring. You could delete the entire conversation and replace it with a single line:

The innkeeper told Nick that his wife was in the kitchen.

It's tempting to skip drivebys, as it can be a real challenge to make them useful and interesting to the reader. I like them, though, because you can turn them into quick sketches to better illustrate your characters:

Excerpt from Night Lost by Lynn Viehl

When Nick approached the innkeeper, she saw that he was sorting through receipts and adding up figures.

She stooped to pick up a receipt out of the small trash can next to the desk. "You dropped this one, M. Laguerre."

"What?" He took it from her and examined it. "Mon Dieu, the laundry invoice. How did I . . . " His dark gaze went from the trash bin to her face. "Thank you, mademoiselle."

Nick was grateful he spoke flawless English. She usually embarrassed herself trying to speak French to the natives. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course." He scanned a yellow delivery slip while his fingers tapped the keys of an old adding machine.

"Is your wife here?" Nick kept her tone casual. "I'd like to ask her about one of the old houses around town."

"Adelie is in the kitchen." He nodded toward the back of the inn. "If you go in there, she will ask you to sample her fish stock. It tastes like dish water and smells worse."

"Whoa."

He leveled a stern eye on her. "If you sample it, you will tell her it is ambrosia, or she will fret and burn my dinner for the next two weeks."

Nick cleared her throat, mostly to stop a rising chuckle. "I'm allergic to fish."

"I wish that I were." He flipped over the receipt and began adding in figures from another.


The driveby performed its main function -- Nick finding out where the innkeeper's wife was -- but among other things it fleshed out the characters of Jean and Adelie without a lot of exposition or fuss. It also delivered a little humor, something I try to do in unexpected places in the story.

How do you take advantage of drivebys in your stories?

Related Link:

No one else calls them drivebys, I guess, but I found a good article I think might prove helpful to those who want to ditch the housekeeping dialogue -- Glenn Patterson's Writing Believable Dialogue.

Marjorie!

I was quite glad to see Marjorie M. Liu show up again on the USAT BSL this week with her latest release Shadow Touch debuting at the #84 spot. I'll have to start watching the Times for it now.

ST is also showing up at every bookstore in town, as well as on the racks at my grocery store, my drug store, my convenience store....the woman's book is all over the place. Which in these times of POD and first print run trim-backs is very nice to see. Restores a little of my tattered faith in publishers supporting good authors, anyway.

In less exciting news, I have finalized my title for Darkyn book #4: Night Lost. Now hopefully the publisher won't hate it.