I'm just listening to Busta Rhymes "Break Ya Neck", which was one of the songs I used to write "Return on Investment" (don't ask, I have no idea).
"Risky Maneuvers" is off to Loose Id, that's the content editing taken care of (unless they find other issues, which can always happen). The editing saw 1k text added to the ending, and I think it's more balanced now.
Dreamspinner informed us that "Clean Slate" is now in the editing queue - so the book will happen in the next 6-8 weeks. Great. Those two are on track.
I've just returned from the town centre with two reams of paper and a cheap Moleskine notebook copy, made by Rymans (UK stationer). What did I say about frustration and stationary? Yes, already feel better. In addition, we unearthed sme Ethiopian Arabica beans - I'm looking forward to my next coffee even more, I have great memories of Ethiopian coffee... not just the cradle of mankind, but of coffee, too. I bet there's a message in there.
Yesterday's run-in with Jehova's Witnesses was very nearly fun. They put that magazine in my face, and I told them I'm am atheist and very likely know more about religious history than them, but I was grateful for their kindness of attempting to save my soul (I don't hate people - okay, very few people - it's the religion I can't stand, the people are probably very nice). I guess my main irritation (apart from not possibly wanting to go to heaven to be surrounded by bigots there) was that I was waiting for the postman to bring my books, and he didn't show up.
Today I'll mostly answer 50+ mails in the writing workshop I'm running, then I'll try and sort out chapter 6 of "To Catch a Spy" and finish chapter 9 of "Iron Cross" - or at least start with the flight sequence. And I'm sitting on "Lion of Kent", which has hit the place where I have to put in some serious research - just hope I'll find some time to do that, too, today, or tonight.
And tomorrow the madness at work will commence.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Working on "Risky Maneuvers"
Barbara Sheridan sent me back "Risky Maneuvers" with her bunch of edits and now I'm doing mine. Part of the feedback from Loose Id was "more action scenes in the end", so Barbara handed it over and said "there you go, you're the action guy."
It made me laugh. So, yeah, I have to re-vamp the ending a bit to put in more suspense, action, and blood, but at least one of the guys gets to play with an alien weapon. He'll love it.
Yesterday, I did what I always do when I'm vaguely frustrated with work - I decided to reward myself, and so somehow I ended up on a US website selling pens. Saw a very nice fountain pen/rollerball combo, showed my friend Raev the website, she fell in love with another pen, and since it's almost cheaper to get the pens delivered to her with the addition of a pen for her, than to order just two pens to the UK, I grabbed that opportunity for a gift. After all, every author should have at least one fountain pen.
So, pens. I have a polished steel Pelikan pen, which I love dearly. It looks more expensive than it was, and it takes the cheapest "100 for £2" ink cartridges, and it has a good, solid weight and would be perfect as a miniature weapon (I'm not sure what the short pieces are called you take in your fist to punch somebody... see where that "action guy" rep comes from?), and it draws comments from the business guys I meet, who seem to mistake it for something much more expensive. I just love sleek, unpretentious design, which tends to be expensive.
So, yeah, when Aleks is frustrated, I hit the stationary websites and buy fountain pens and notebooks (the ones with paper pages, I'm not rich). Pens and paper, unsurprisingly, give me a sense of control and possibilities, I guess. Or maybe it's phallic. Anybody have any ideas?
That's the list for the weekend:
- add action to "Risky Maneuvers"
- write more "Iron Cross"
- edit one chapter of "To Catch a Spy"
- research medieval hunting for next part of "Lion of Kent"
And I'm happy to report that my abominable neighbours, aka "the alcoholic tramp bitch moron and her ex-con druggie who likes to kick down doors" appear to be moving out end of March. I think the only worse neighbour at this point would be Ghengis Khan, so I'm "cautiously optimistic" to no longer be subjected to their music which they put on so loud that I can't hear myself *think*, their screeching sex right after plate-smashing fights, and him coming home at 3 in the work day morning to ring all doorbells in the house.
And good fucking riddance.
It made me laugh. So, yeah, I have to re-vamp the ending a bit to put in more suspense, action, and blood, but at least one of the guys gets to play with an alien weapon. He'll love it.
Yesterday, I did what I always do when I'm vaguely frustrated with work - I decided to reward myself, and so somehow I ended up on a US website selling pens. Saw a very nice fountain pen/rollerball combo, showed my friend Raev the website, she fell in love with another pen, and since it's almost cheaper to get the pens delivered to her with the addition of a pen for her, than to order just two pens to the UK, I grabbed that opportunity for a gift. After all, every author should have at least one fountain pen.
So, pens. I have a polished steel Pelikan pen, which I love dearly. It looks more expensive than it was, and it takes the cheapest "100 for £2" ink cartridges, and it has a good, solid weight and would be perfect as a miniature weapon (I'm not sure what the short pieces are called you take in your fist to punch somebody... see where that "action guy" rep comes from?), and it draws comments from the business guys I meet, who seem to mistake it for something much more expensive. I just love sleek, unpretentious design, which tends to be expensive.
So, yeah, when Aleks is frustrated, I hit the stationary websites and buy fountain pens and notebooks (the ones with paper pages, I'm not rich). Pens and paper, unsurprisingly, give me a sense of control and possibilities, I guess. Or maybe it's phallic. Anybody have any ideas?
That's the list for the weekend:
- add action to "Risky Maneuvers"
- write more "Iron Cross"
- edit one chapter of "To Catch a Spy"
- research medieval hunting for next part of "Lion of Kent"
And I'm happy to report that my abominable neighbours, aka "the alcoholic tramp bitch moron and her ex-con druggie who likes to kick down doors" appear to be moving out end of March. I think the only worse neighbour at this point would be Ghengis Khan, so I'm "cautiously optimistic" to no longer be subjected to their music which they put on so loud that I can't hear myself *think*, their screeching sex right after plate-smashing fights, and him coming home at 3 in the work day morning to ring all doorbells in the house.
And good fucking riddance.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Soon to come: Echoes of the Future" (8 March)
I'm posting the blurbs for "Echoes of the Future", the m/m sci-fi anthology I'm heading up. I ran the whole thing, and it was one of my side projects for a few months, so I'm glad to see it all come together now:
Burn by Aleksandr Voinov
Flight Lieutenant Chris Waters is the pilot of a cutting-edge unmanned SAD fighter drone which are used for secret government missions. Chris is cutting-edge technology himself: his neural network is upgraded with cybertechnology and software that make him the interface of his combat drone.
Then, something goes wrong as he connects to his drone. Haunted by strange disorientating impressions, a so-called 'ghost', he hooks up on leave with fellow pilot Cyril for a night. But Cyril is not the man Chris thought he is, and Chris soon finds out what the 'ghost' in his body really is, as well as the truth about his missions.
Reversal by A.B. Gayle
Sebastian is bored. He has another five years of lone duty supervising his family's robots on their space station. The last thing he wants to do is the housework. For Christmas, his mother sends him a Domestic Darling cyborg. True to form, she purchases a factory second and sends one that doesn't quite fit the bill. Instead of being a pert blond with big tits and cute ass like in the advertisement, this one is six foot tall and built like a Greek god, a very virile Greek God. In an attempt to improve its functioning, Sebastian uses some of this brilliant programming skills. The resulting changes ensure Sebastian will never be bored again.
Conduit by Kate Cotoner
Ismail and his ex-husband Toki are divided by class and circumstance. Toki is a cybernetic upgrade human and part of the city elite, while Ismail is a baseline human and a cop. Their brief marriage failed when Toki walked out, but now he's back, asking for Ismail's help against Hanuman, a malicious cyber-intelligence who plans to poison the water supply of all baseline humans in the city. Now Ismail and Toki must find the underground reservoir targeted by Hanuman before time runs out for them both.
Rescue Me by Jude Mason
Assigned to guard Leetchi Ambassador Dar and his family, Lieutenant Thomas Patch finds himself inexplicably drawn to Jad, the diplomat’s son. The tall, slender Leetchi turns out to be as gay as Patch and steals his heart. When Jad is kidnapped, Patch goes undercover to find and rescue him. The rescue takes him to the underbelly of the space port city and a whore house where slaves are bought and sold at will. Finding Jad proves easier than he’d hoped, but the rescue takes an insane twist when their escape attempt was thwarted by the one person they knew was on their side.
Will Jad’s enslavement tear the lovers apart? Will Patch be torn from the love of his life? Find out, in Rescue Me.
Burn by Aleksandr Voinov
Flight Lieutenant Chris Waters is the pilot of a cutting-edge unmanned SAD fighter drone which are used for secret government missions. Chris is cutting-edge technology himself: his neural network is upgraded with cybertechnology and software that make him the interface of his combat drone.
Then, something goes wrong as he connects to his drone. Haunted by strange disorientating impressions, a so-called 'ghost', he hooks up on leave with fellow pilot Cyril for a night. But Cyril is not the man Chris thought he is, and Chris soon finds out what the 'ghost' in his body really is, as well as the truth about his missions.
Reversal by A.B. Gayle
Sebastian is bored. He has another five years of lone duty supervising his family's robots on their space station. The last thing he wants to do is the housework. For Christmas, his mother sends him a Domestic Darling cyborg. True to form, she purchases a factory second and sends one that doesn't quite fit the bill. Instead of being a pert blond with big tits and cute ass like in the advertisement, this one is six foot tall and built like a Greek god, a very virile Greek God. In an attempt to improve its functioning, Sebastian uses some of this brilliant programming skills. The resulting changes ensure Sebastian will never be bored again.
Conduit by Kate Cotoner
Ismail and his ex-husband Toki are divided by class and circumstance. Toki is a cybernetic upgrade human and part of the city elite, while Ismail is a baseline human and a cop. Their brief marriage failed when Toki walked out, but now he's back, asking for Ismail's help against Hanuman, a malicious cyber-intelligence who plans to poison the water supply of all baseline humans in the city. Now Ismail and Toki must find the underground reservoir targeted by Hanuman before time runs out for them both.
Rescue Me by Jude Mason
Assigned to guard Leetchi Ambassador Dar and his family, Lieutenant Thomas Patch finds himself inexplicably drawn to Jad, the diplomat’s son. The tall, slender Leetchi turns out to be as gay as Patch and steals his heart. When Jad is kidnapped, Patch goes undercover to find and rescue him. The rescue takes him to the underbelly of the space port city and a whore house where slaves are bought and sold at will. Finding Jad proves easier than he’d hoped, but the rescue takes an insane twist when their escape attempt was thwarted by the one person they knew was on their side.
Will Jad’s enslavement tear the lovers apart? Will Patch be torn from the love of his life? Find out, in Rescue Me.
Brilliant times
I had an absolute ball with the PR guy yesterday... striking sparks every which way. In the end we talked for two hour about, as the German saying goes, "God and the world" (okay, we left out God), and the chat reinforced two of my key beliefs:
1) I am not a corporate monkey, i.e. being somebody else's badly-paid monkey is not my goal in life. I rather expect to go freelance or entrepreneur (well, it's really the same thing, innit?) before I hit 40. The thing is, the corporate structure that I am a part of lacks the mutual respect that I believe all human interaction should be based on. Just because you pay me a salary doesn't make me an indentured slave, and no, reacting with "be glad you HAVE a job" is not a good response to complaints.
2) I'm good with people. I like people, I enjoy people, and I find it easy to connect. Being a freelancer, maybe in PR, maybe in consulting, would suit me well. I also have the drive to get new business in, and that's the core of the freelancing gig.
In the end, I all but handed the guy my CV, and told him if he has leads for me, to pass them on. He might finally start a publisher, and if he does, I can consult him on that. If he doesn't do it, I could do it on my own. The infrastructure and skillset is basically in place.
I have this weird knack at times to be what people need at that exact point in time. I can make a connection that changes everything, create leads and opportunities for others, but the knife cuts both ways. At times, I've also been scary and hostile to people, or dished out what I believed was just punishment and needed doing (I've had a few run-ins with people that took me on in some way, and found themselves out-gunned, out-maneuvers, and out-fought... tough shit, I feel very little compassion for jerks), but unsually, it was a lesson that needed learning. At such moment, it feels like I can see "fate"/"destiny"/"karma" work. Sometimes, it's, very much "payback is a bitch" - but I've also created amazing opportunities for others, got people jobs, got people published, make introductions. It's funny how that talent works.
Which brings me to one of my core beliefs in life, and it took me forever to learn it, because when you are acting from a feeling of scarcety, you tend to cut yourself off, by "concentrating on the core issues". Don't. Be generous, be wasteful with your attention, love and energy. So much more is coming back than going out.
If you want to create change, serve others. Teach, train, connect, help, bolster, pat on the back, encourage, and love other people. Respect. Open hand policy. It takes a lot for me to close my hands and turn them into fists, and I don't particularly enjoy handing out a slap-down. I much rather smile than snarl.
The more you serve others, the more they love you back, the more likely it is they share with you in turn, the more likely you get your name out as "the go-to guy" or just "a great guy". That's what we all want to be, right?
We had it all backwards. The message is not about me, me, me, but "you." Writing is not just ME expressing MY thoughts and telling MY stories and MY money, but writing is about giving YOU a story that helps you get through a day, creating emotions in YOU, and giving YOU an experience. And ideally, those two find a balance, and the YOU and ME become a WE.
1) I am not a corporate monkey, i.e. being somebody else's badly-paid monkey is not my goal in life. I rather expect to go freelance or entrepreneur (well, it's really the same thing, innit?) before I hit 40. The thing is, the corporate structure that I am a part of lacks the mutual respect that I believe all human interaction should be based on. Just because you pay me a salary doesn't make me an indentured slave, and no, reacting with "be glad you HAVE a job" is not a good response to complaints.
2) I'm good with people. I like people, I enjoy people, and I find it easy to connect. Being a freelancer, maybe in PR, maybe in consulting, would suit me well. I also have the drive to get new business in, and that's the core of the freelancing gig.
In the end, I all but handed the guy my CV, and told him if he has leads for me, to pass them on. He might finally start a publisher, and if he does, I can consult him on that. If he doesn't do it, I could do it on my own. The infrastructure and skillset is basically in place.
I have this weird knack at times to be what people need at that exact point in time. I can make a connection that changes everything, create leads and opportunities for others, but the knife cuts both ways. At times, I've also been scary and hostile to people, or dished out what I believed was just punishment and needed doing (I've had a few run-ins with people that took me on in some way, and found themselves out-gunned, out-maneuvers, and out-fought... tough shit, I feel very little compassion for jerks), but unsually, it was a lesson that needed learning. At such moment, it feels like I can see "fate"/"destiny"/"karma" work. Sometimes, it's, very much "payback is a bitch" - but I've also created amazing opportunities for others, got people jobs, got people published, make introductions. It's funny how that talent works.
Which brings me to one of my core beliefs in life, and it took me forever to learn it, because when you are acting from a feeling of scarcety, you tend to cut yourself off, by "concentrating on the core issues". Don't. Be generous, be wasteful with your attention, love and energy. So much more is coming back than going out.
If you want to create change, serve others. Teach, train, connect, help, bolster, pat on the back, encourage, and love other people. Respect. Open hand policy. It takes a lot for me to close my hands and turn them into fists, and I don't particularly enjoy handing out a slap-down. I much rather smile than snarl.
The more you serve others, the more they love you back, the more likely it is they share with you in turn, the more likely you get your name out as "the go-to guy" or just "a great guy". That's what we all want to be, right?
We had it all backwards. The message is not about me, me, me, but "you." Writing is not just ME expressing MY thoughts and telling MY stories and MY money, but writing is about giving YOU a story that helps you get through a day, creating emotions in YOU, and giving YOU an experience. And ideally, those two find a balance, and the YOU and ME become a WE.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Can't wait for the weekend
I'm currently too stressed out to write much. There's too much stuff going on in my life. I'm currently handling a creative writing group, the house stuff is up in the air, and the rent-paying job is being funny in ways that make me want to take a long extended holiday and never come back, and there is one deadline on top of the other. At least a PR guy will take me to lunch today, so I'll get away from my desk and get to speak German.
I've joined Facebook and started the "Special Forces Junkies" group over there so people can talk about SF if they like. There will also soon be a release, namely "Echoes of the Future", the collection of m/m sci-fi stories I'm heading up. Jude Mason already posted some of the blurbs at her blog.
So, 8th of March is the most likely release day for that. I've put "Transit" to the side because I don't have headspace for it. "To Catch a Spy" needs some attention, but I'm not sure I have the long stretches of free hours I need for that. "Iron Cross" should benefit from the research I've been doing, and soon, but I'll need a few hours for that, too.
We got some comments from Loose Id for "Risky Maneuvers" and will do some re-writing of the ending very soon (another weekend thing). And Kate Cotoner and me are 5k into "Lion of Kent", which we're writing by email. I'll have to research medieval hunting for that, but so far I love that.
Depending on how March goes, and April, and the house situation, I should still manage "Iron Cross" on time. If I had any chance at all to do that, I'd take a week off and deal with all the stuff hanging over my head, but I can't. So at the very least I booked a week's holiday in Turkey in mid-June (utter madness, in the hottest part of summer), where I will, hopefully, spend the say at the pool, editing a manuscript and writing (probably by hand). I think that might be a week where I'll repair some stories and edit stuff for publication.
I keep sending out applications for other jobs and I might have a contact at Jane's. I could be a full-time war geek. It would be absolutely perfect and the best place to be for a budding thriller writer.
I've joined Facebook and started the "Special Forces Junkies" group over there so people can talk about SF if they like. There will also soon be a release, namely "Echoes of the Future", the collection of m/m sci-fi stories I'm heading up. Jude Mason already posted some of the blurbs at her blog.
So, 8th of March is the most likely release day for that. I've put "Transit" to the side because I don't have headspace for it. "To Catch a Spy" needs some attention, but I'm not sure I have the long stretches of free hours I need for that. "Iron Cross" should benefit from the research I've been doing, and soon, but I'll need a few hours for that, too.
We got some comments from Loose Id for "Risky Maneuvers" and will do some re-writing of the ending very soon (another weekend thing). And Kate Cotoner and me are 5k into "Lion of Kent", which we're writing by email. I'll have to research medieval hunting for that, but so far I love that.
Depending on how March goes, and April, and the house situation, I should still manage "Iron Cross" on time. If I had any chance at all to do that, I'd take a week off and deal with all the stuff hanging over my head, but I can't. So at the very least I booked a week's holiday in Turkey in mid-June (utter madness, in the hottest part of summer), where I will, hopefully, spend the say at the pool, editing a manuscript and writing (probably by hand). I think that might be a week where I'll repair some stories and edit stuff for publication.
I keep sending out applications for other jobs and I might have a contact at Jane's. I could be a full-time war geek. It would be absolutely perfect and the best place to be for a budding thriller writer.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
It's my critique partners' fault
It's my critique partners' fault that I'm so full of my self at times. Yesterday I got a long email about the first 8 chapters of "Iron Cross":
"I just finished reading through all the sections of IC you sent, and can I just say WOW. What’s immediately noticeable with this in contrast to almost every other WW2 novel I’ve read is the sense of emotion. It’s so real. We don’t just follow David into the crash, we feel his fear and confusion and disorientation, and especially his pain. This is so visual, I’m picturing it like a film. What I like so much about that is that it’s the usual (Allied) war story turned on its head. I don’t think I’ve read a story about WW2 that casts a German officer in a heroic role (I’m sure they must exist. Are there many WW2 novels in German?). This is wonderfully balanced. I think this is a really important story that you’re telling. It’s amazing so far. Really amazing."
This gives me a huge push to finish chapter 9. So far, "Iron Cross" is working. I'm glad.
"I just finished reading through all the sections of IC you sent, and can I just say WOW. What’s immediately noticeable with this in contrast to almost every other WW2 novel I’ve read is the sense of emotion. It’s so real. We don’t just follow David into the crash, we feel his fear and confusion and disorientation, and especially his pain. This is so visual, I’m picturing it like a film. What I like so much about that is that it’s the usual (Allied) war story turned on its head. I don’t think I’ve read a story about WW2 that casts a German officer in a heroic role (I’m sure they must exist. Are there many WW2 novels in German?). This is wonderfully balanced. I think this is a really important story that you’re telling. It’s amazing so far. Really amazing."
This gives me a huge push to finish chapter 9. So far, "Iron Cross" is working. I'm glad.
Self-defeating writers, part 531
How to damage your reputation on the internet, part 531:
- Tell somebody to "shut the fuck up" on a crowded mailinglist when it's not YOUR mailinglist
- Tell another person they "were the fat girl with body odour that bullied everybody else in junior high" (errr, no, you have no idea who that person is just because you read a couple emails by that person, and while I appreciate that authors have a better imagination than anybody else, we're not allowed to use that imagination to make shit up about people - that's libel/slander, baby, and punishable)
- Rate your own books with five stars on Goodreads or Amazon (I'm surprised authors even go there and cringe everytime. In my case, an author who has to fake/manipulate his own ratings loses all my respect and I'm not buying any of their books)
- call another writer a plagiarist without being able to back it up in detail (libel, slander, punishable, and agents/publishers are OBLIGED to push criminal charges)
Those are inspired by behaviour I've seen in the last week alone, and most often multiple times. Now, I could hold the position that the more people are being dicks on the internet, the more the nice/clever people stand out, but I'm shocked by online behaviour. If people don't know how to behave, maybe "shutting the fuck up", stepping away from the Internet and just sitting down to write are good solutions? Just sayin'.
And those self-raters? People. Are you really so insecure about what you did? So desperate?
Like in dating: desperation isn't sexy. Be sexy.
- Tell somebody to "shut the fuck up" on a crowded mailinglist when it's not YOUR mailinglist
- Tell another person they "were the fat girl with body odour that bullied everybody else in junior high" (errr, no, you have no idea who that person is just because you read a couple emails by that person, and while I appreciate that authors have a better imagination than anybody else, we're not allowed to use that imagination to make shit up about people - that's libel/slander, baby, and punishable)
- Rate your own books with five stars on Goodreads or Amazon (I'm surprised authors even go there and cringe everytime. In my case, an author who has to fake/manipulate his own ratings loses all my respect and I'm not buying any of their books)
- call another writer a plagiarist without being able to back it up in detail (libel, slander, punishable, and agents/publishers are OBLIGED to push criminal charges)
Those are inspired by behaviour I've seen in the last week alone, and most often multiple times. Now, I could hold the position that the more people are being dicks on the internet, the more the nice/clever people stand out, but I'm shocked by online behaviour. If people don't know how to behave, maybe "shutting the fuck up", stepping away from the Internet and just sitting down to write are good solutions? Just sayin'.
And those self-raters? People. Are you really so insecure about what you did? So desperate?
Like in dating: desperation isn't sexy. Be sexy.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Aaaand, we hit a snag
Yesterday delivered a double whammy; the house purchase got slowed down, and I'm having issues with the UK bureaucracy.
That made me grab boxing gloves and punch the shit out of the pads. Nothing drives me like anger, and I want to get fit now so I can join my partner in the boxing gym. He's now doing "head sparring", which means punches to the heads are allowed, and goes boxing three times a week.
Tonight, we'll go to the gym to do some work on the pads; they have more space there and a large bag I can hit with all I'm worth. I can't *wait* to run myself into the ground and hit shit until I can't go on anymore.
In lieu of writing, I cleaned up three chapters of "Iron Cross" and am now printing out the "master copy", as I call it, which is the paper printout I'll use to edit what I have. The last two days were absolutely poisonous for my productivity, but I'm reading a book on the Trakehner horses, so at least I'm getting somewhere with my research.
So, yeah, yesterday gets cancelled, and the rest of the week ahead looks mad and unpleasant, and I can't take holidays because I'm on several deadlines, so I can't even escape for a long weekend or so. Right now, hunkering down and getting shit done is the only way to cope with stuff.
No news from the publisher I sent stuff to in November.
That made me grab boxing gloves and punch the shit out of the pads. Nothing drives me like anger, and I want to get fit now so I can join my partner in the boxing gym. He's now doing "head sparring", which means punches to the heads are allowed, and goes boxing three times a week.
Tonight, we'll go to the gym to do some work on the pads; they have more space there and a large bag I can hit with all I'm worth. I can't *wait* to run myself into the ground and hit shit until I can't go on anymore.
In lieu of writing, I cleaned up three chapters of "Iron Cross" and am now printing out the "master copy", as I call it, which is the paper printout I'll use to edit what I have. The last two days were absolutely poisonous for my productivity, but I'm reading a book on the Trakehner horses, so at least I'm getting somewhere with my research.
So, yeah, yesterday gets cancelled, and the rest of the week ahead looks mad and unpleasant, and I can't take holidays because I'm on several deadlines, so I can't even escape for a long weekend or so. Right now, hunkering down and getting shit done is the only way to cope with stuff.
No news from the publisher I sent stuff to in November.
Monday, 22 February 2010
It's happening. It's actually, really, happening
It looks like we'll sign the house buying contracts tomorrow or Wednesday.
It looks like we'll "exchange" (i.e. receive the keys) on 19th March.
I'm one month away from moving into "my" house. And yes, HSBC then owns my income for the next thirty years, and there will be a ton of work for at least 2 months (hahaha, or the rest of the year), there's the trifling fact that we likely sleep on the IKEA couch for 2-3 months until we can afford a proper bed with proper mattress...
but it looks like it's actually happening. I'll co-own a house. My own, perfect, boring, middle class, bourgeois Victorian terraced 2-bedroom house, built in 1885, with honey-golden original Victorian wood floor, white walls, my own garden looking out over the park.
For somebody who, a little over five years ago, had no idea how to pay this month's rent and six years ago doubted he'd ever find a job... that's not bad at all.
I have this persisting image of editing my manuscripts on paper in the garden in summer, and trimming my bonsai there, and even routine shit like hanging up laundry in the garden, and doing barbeques and having guests, and I get all stupidly sentimental about decoration and colour schemes and paintings and Turkish rugs and who cleans what when...
Four weeks now and I'll own a house. (I'm ignoring the long list of work I'll have to do before that's all real, the repairs and damp and wood proofing and the freaking out over costs of furniture and fridge and washing machine and paying movers). Four weeks. Not writing much in that time seems like a small price to pay for my own slice of suburban bliss.
It looks like we'll "exchange" (i.e. receive the keys) on 19th March.
I'm one month away from moving into "my" house. And yes, HSBC then owns my income for the next thirty years, and there will be a ton of work for at least 2 months (hahaha, or the rest of the year), there's the trifling fact that we likely sleep on the IKEA couch for 2-3 months until we can afford a proper bed with proper mattress...
but it looks like it's actually happening. I'll co-own a house. My own, perfect, boring, middle class, bourgeois Victorian terraced 2-bedroom house, built in 1885, with honey-golden original Victorian wood floor, white walls, my own garden looking out over the park.
For somebody who, a little over five years ago, had no idea how to pay this month's rent and six years ago doubted he'd ever find a job... that's not bad at all.
I have this persisting image of editing my manuscripts on paper in the garden in summer, and trimming my bonsai there, and even routine shit like hanging up laundry in the garden, and doing barbeques and having guests, and I get all stupidly sentimental about decoration and colour schemes and paintings and Turkish rugs and who cleans what when...
Four weeks now and I'll own a house. (I'm ignoring the long list of work I'll have to do before that's all real, the repairs and damp and wood proofing and the freaking out over costs of furniture and fridge and washing machine and paying movers). Four weeks. Not writing much in that time seems like a small price to pay for my own slice of suburban bliss.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
"Blood Run Cold" - the cover
And here's the cover for "Blood Run Cold" - another stellar job by Raev Gray Designs. We have the m/m/m triad, and wolves, vampires, and bondage. Works for me.
Spoils of War - Reviewed
I admit it - I was lazying around in bed all morning, making a spirited attempt at finishing "Spine Intact, Some Creases" by Victor J Banis (review forthcoming). Now it's noon, I'm on my second coffee, and I awoke, blinkingly, to the real world to see not just one, but two reviews of "Spoils of War" online, and both from major reviewers, too.
The first one I saw was from Elisa Rolle, who has this to say about "Spoils of War":
"This is nothing else than a scene, but it’s good in details (all the hints to the Greek myths are masterly peppered all around) without being too heavy: it’s clear that the authors want for the reader to be aware that they know their matter, but they manage it without being boring. To counterpoint all mythological details, there is a more than “human” sex scene, and in this case the details are not fantastical, but very much real. And in the end, the authors have pity for the romantic reader, and Achilleus’ choice will be one of love." Read the rest here.
Since she's reviewed me before, I was semi-expecting it, but I was pleased it was so soon. Kudos to you, Elisa, and thank you. "Pity" it was not... I couldn't possibly tear them apart forever, and Raev very much agreed.
An unforeseen review came from Jenre's Well Read Blog:
"I found it all quite thrilling and primal as we see the Greek god and Greek man struggling for dominance with one other. (...) This isn't a story for those who are looking for a gentle romance but I found it a fascinating read - even if it did tax my knowledge of Greek mythology to the limit. The strength of this story is in the strong imagery and solid writing but the nature of the plot will not appeal to all, even if I, personally, found it fascinating. Grade: Very Good." Read the rest here.
Which is fantastic, I'm very chuffed. There are some reviewers where a "four out of five" actually means "very good" (I'm one of those reviewers myself). And, besides, it's always a bit of a relief when reviewers liked something. I'm aware I'm not always a constructive reviewer myself (but honestly, there are books that can't be saved or "re-constructed"), so I completely stand behind the rights of any reviewer to hate something - in public, too. I take that right for myself, after all.
Now I need Raev to wake up to show the links!
The first one I saw was from Elisa Rolle, who has this to say about "Spoils of War":
"This is nothing else than a scene, but it’s good in details (all the hints to the Greek myths are masterly peppered all around) without being too heavy: it’s clear that the authors want for the reader to be aware that they know their matter, but they manage it without being boring. To counterpoint all mythological details, there is a more than “human” sex scene, and in this case the details are not fantastical, but very much real. And in the end, the authors have pity for the romantic reader, and Achilleus’ choice will be one of love." Read the rest here.
Since she's reviewed me before, I was semi-expecting it, but I was pleased it was so soon. Kudos to you, Elisa, and thank you. "Pity" it was not... I couldn't possibly tear them apart forever, and Raev very much agreed.
An unforeseen review came from Jenre's Well Read Blog:
"I found it all quite thrilling and primal as we see the Greek god and Greek man struggling for dominance with one other. (...) This isn't a story for those who are looking for a gentle romance but I found it a fascinating read - even if it did tax my knowledge of Greek mythology to the limit. The strength of this story is in the strong imagery and solid writing but the nature of the plot will not appeal to all, even if I, personally, found it fascinating. Grade: Very Good." Read the rest here.
Which is fantastic, I'm very chuffed. There are some reviewers where a "four out of five" actually means "very good" (I'm one of those reviewers myself). And, besides, it's always a bit of a relief when reviewers liked something. I'm aware I'm not always a constructive reviewer myself (but honestly, there are books that can't be saved or "re-constructed"), so I completely stand behind the rights of any reviewer to hate something - in public, too. I take that right for myself, after all.
Now I need Raev to wake up to show the links!
Friday, 19 February 2010
Blank spaces
There isn't a lot of writing going on, but there are always news. My partner in crime, Raev Gray, has just sent me the cover for "Blood Run Cold", and it's gorgeous. I'm currently considering putting it in print, too. (It might be stretching the limits of what's possible with LuLu, but I can try).
I'm also dabbling a bit on "Lion of Kent", writing that via email with Kate Cotoner. Email-co-writing is easy, you just hand the manuscript back when you've done your bit, which can be anywhere between 200 and 1,000 words, or that's the experience so far. Currently, the file's with me and I have to put in a little research. Writing a historical with a fellow historian is really good fun, and her command of English medieval history obviously is much better than mine. I'm better when it comes to continental middle ages, and we should be well-matched when we get to the Crusades.
I'm also organizing some stuff with regards to the sci-fi anthologies, and I have to write a blurb and a biography for that as well (I've written so many blurbs recently you should think it's getting easier...)
Mood at the company where I earn my rent, or, soon, my mortgage repayments, is way down. My favourite colleague leaves to work for the most prestigious financial news company (starts with FT and ends with Group), and my boss is going on maternity leave. One colleague has handed in his resignation because he's pissed off, and one of my other favourite people has had a second interview already, and the new girl has married a rich bloke, I do wonder how long she's going to work for peanuts. And the next one is already working part-time on another gig and might leave fully in around May.
Out of a team of eight, that's pretty horrendous, the team's in tatters, morale is way down, you get the feeling of "burning house, everybody RUN!", but I'm staying put for the moment, largely because my life is writing anyway and I'm not changing habitats AND jobs at the same time. Moving house is just too much work and stress to pile even more stress on top of that. When I make my move, it has to be perfect.
I'm still reading "Spine Intact, Some Creases", now around page 170, and still good fun. I have a lot more books I need to read and which are urgent (a friend's manuscript among them, and I tend to prioritise those), but I really don't want to part with the book just now. I hate stopping in the middle to read something else when I'm enjoying myself, but it does mess up everything else. But since my friend's need is somewhat more urgent, of course I'll read her first when I get some more reading time on the weekend.
Tonight, I think, I'll keep away from the monitor and watch a film or two, maybe have a workout, possibly read. I've posted a first excerpt of "Iron Cross" over at Goodreads, and responses so far are very positive. I'll really get back into that novel when I'm back to reading about WWII. Try as I might, though, I can't read two or three things at the same time. Nevertheless, on the weekend, I will write more Iron Cross, or I'm falling too far behind my schedule. The bit I can write (the research is all lined up) is in the last third of the book, flight and horror and death and invading Soviets, and there's one heartbreaking passage where a secondary character sacrifices himself. That research is all done. So, yes, I'll write some bits towards the end now.
I'm also dabbling a bit on "Lion of Kent", writing that via email with Kate Cotoner. Email-co-writing is easy, you just hand the manuscript back when you've done your bit, which can be anywhere between 200 and 1,000 words, or that's the experience so far. Currently, the file's with me and I have to put in a little research. Writing a historical with a fellow historian is really good fun, and her command of English medieval history obviously is much better than mine. I'm better when it comes to continental middle ages, and we should be well-matched when we get to the Crusades.
I'm also organizing some stuff with regards to the sci-fi anthologies, and I have to write a blurb and a biography for that as well (I've written so many blurbs recently you should think it's getting easier...)
Mood at the company where I earn my rent, or, soon, my mortgage repayments, is way down. My favourite colleague leaves to work for the most prestigious financial news company (starts with FT and ends with Group), and my boss is going on maternity leave. One colleague has handed in his resignation because he's pissed off, and one of my other favourite people has had a second interview already, and the new girl has married a rich bloke, I do wonder how long she's going to work for peanuts. And the next one is already working part-time on another gig and might leave fully in around May.
Out of a team of eight, that's pretty horrendous, the team's in tatters, morale is way down, you get the feeling of "burning house, everybody RUN!", but I'm staying put for the moment, largely because my life is writing anyway and I'm not changing habitats AND jobs at the same time. Moving house is just too much work and stress to pile even more stress on top of that. When I make my move, it has to be perfect.
I'm still reading "Spine Intact, Some Creases", now around page 170, and still good fun. I have a lot more books I need to read and which are urgent (a friend's manuscript among them, and I tend to prioritise those), but I really don't want to part with the book just now. I hate stopping in the middle to read something else when I'm enjoying myself, but it does mess up everything else. But since my friend's need is somewhat more urgent, of course I'll read her first when I get some more reading time on the weekend.
Tonight, I think, I'll keep away from the monitor and watch a film or two, maybe have a workout, possibly read. I've posted a first excerpt of "Iron Cross" over at Goodreads, and responses so far are very positive. I'll really get back into that novel when I'm back to reading about WWII. Try as I might, though, I can't read two or three things at the same time. Nevertheless, on the weekend, I will write more Iron Cross, or I'm falling too far behind my schedule. The bit I can write (the research is all lined up) is in the last third of the book, flight and horror and death and invading Soviets, and there's one heartbreaking passage where a secondary character sacrifices himself. That research is all done. So, yes, I'll write some bits towards the end now.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
The Gods approve
Yesterday, I've found, completely by accident a book that I desperately needed for "Iron Cross". The story is actually quite strange. After meeting a friend at Covent Garden, I figured I was in the mood for a walk (and normally I loathe crowded places), so I walked down Long Acre, taking me, of course, past one of my favourite bookshops in London - Stamford's.
That place is all about maps and foreign countries and travel literature and also has some very good cultural/cultural history stuff. I've found gems there. I was tempted to walk past ("The last thing on earth you need right now is MORE BOOKS, you IDJIT!"), but thought, right, I don't actually have to buy anything. In fact I told myself I wouldn't buy anything and that I have all books I need for my current projects (and then some). But there was, of course, one thing I've been worried over, namely the last third of "Iron Cross", when the refugees are on the move.
Downstairs in the bookshop, I found several interesting things, including books on the Soviet Union that batted their eye lashes prettily and lifted their skirts just a little. Saucy wenches, but I resisted.
I headed upstairs, with more books flirting with me (each one could have triggered a novel or short story, but NO, I told myself, I have 15 ideas I have to develop FIRST). Whew, narrow escape.
Then I stepped over to "Eastern Europe", and there, facing me, was THE BOOK: a detailed account of the evacuation of the Trakehner horses from Eastern Prussia, and EXACTLY the book I needed. I stood there, dumbfounded by my good luck, dumbfounded that I, driven by a very nebulous impulse to "just have a look", would, in a city full of books, and just casually browsing, find something so arcane, so precious, so useful. It's the kind of feeling where you think "yup, the Gods are watching over me/approve of my project". The universe was being a friendly, magical place just yesterday. The book was £9.99, and I had a tenner in my wallet. I gushed to the cashier about how grateful I am that there are still quality bookstores. (And I am. I would never have found that by casually browsing at the internet retailers).
Now, twenty pages in, this book has already sparked some major ideas for the climax of the book. Above all, David, one of my romantic leads, will be kneeling in the snow next to a dead/dying horse and tell himself he can't go on, he simply can't. Talk about a dark moment there, when all that sacrifice and suffering only leads to more sacrifice and suffering. It's an undertold story, but that image of defeat choked me up, and I guess it'll be the scene when I'll cry (yes, I do that. I laugh/cackle like a maniac at my own jokes, and sometimes, I sit there, crying, or, you know, sometimes your eyes just water when writing, damned screen-work).
That's the real challenge of this writing gig. I have to strip the protective layers off my soul and probe areas that hurt. There must be something - an energy, a detail, an image - that touches me. It has to hurt, or maybe 'ache' is the better word, and then I have to keep at it, exploring, excavating what lies beneath, for months, if not years. In the case of "Iron Cross", it's my grandfather's horse obsession that shaped his children's lives (one a competitive rider, another the wife of a jockey, another a hoof smith...several others started businesses around the horse sports or married horse people). And the image is that of refugees and their horses in the snow, harrassed by Soviet aircraft.
When everything's lost, you really can cling on to a half-dead, dying or dead horse out there in the snow, in the night, in January 1945. I just know this book will break my heart, but in all the good ways.
That place is all about maps and foreign countries and travel literature and also has some very good cultural/cultural history stuff. I've found gems there. I was tempted to walk past ("The last thing on earth you need right now is MORE BOOKS, you IDJIT!"), but thought, right, I don't actually have to buy anything. In fact I told myself I wouldn't buy anything and that I have all books I need for my current projects (and then some). But there was, of course, one thing I've been worried over, namely the last third of "Iron Cross", when the refugees are on the move.
Downstairs in the bookshop, I found several interesting things, including books on the Soviet Union that batted their eye lashes prettily and lifted their skirts just a little. Saucy wenches, but I resisted.
I headed upstairs, with more books flirting with me (each one could have triggered a novel or short story, but NO, I told myself, I have 15 ideas I have to develop FIRST). Whew, narrow escape.
Then I stepped over to "Eastern Europe", and there, facing me, was THE BOOK: a detailed account of the evacuation of the Trakehner horses from Eastern Prussia, and EXACTLY the book I needed. I stood there, dumbfounded by my good luck, dumbfounded that I, driven by a very nebulous impulse to "just have a look", would, in a city full of books, and just casually browsing, find something so arcane, so precious, so useful. It's the kind of feeling where you think "yup, the Gods are watching over me/approve of my project". The universe was being a friendly, magical place just yesterday. The book was £9.99, and I had a tenner in my wallet. I gushed to the cashier about how grateful I am that there are still quality bookstores. (And I am. I would never have found that by casually browsing at the internet retailers).
Now, twenty pages in, this book has already sparked some major ideas for the climax of the book. Above all, David, one of my romantic leads, will be kneeling in the snow next to a dead/dying horse and tell himself he can't go on, he simply can't. Talk about a dark moment there, when all that sacrifice and suffering only leads to more sacrifice and suffering. It's an undertold story, but that image of defeat choked me up, and I guess it'll be the scene when I'll cry (yes, I do that. I laugh/cackle like a maniac at my own jokes, and sometimes, I sit there, crying, or, you know, sometimes your eyes just water when writing, damned screen-work).
That's the real challenge of this writing gig. I have to strip the protective layers off my soul and probe areas that hurt. There must be something - an energy, a detail, an image - that touches me. It has to hurt, or maybe 'ache' is the better word, and then I have to keep at it, exploring, excavating what lies beneath, for months, if not years. In the case of "Iron Cross", it's my grandfather's horse obsession that shaped his children's lives (one a competitive rider, another the wife of a jockey, another a hoof smith...several others started businesses around the horse sports or married horse people). And the image is that of refugees and their horses in the snow, harrassed by Soviet aircraft.
When everything's lost, you really can cling on to a half-dead, dying or dead horse out there in the snow, in the night, in January 1945. I just know this book will break my heart, but in all the good ways.
"Blood Run Cold" to be released 10th May
"Blood Run Cold" is off to eXcessica, basically the only publisher who'd take m/m material of that nature - there's bloodplay, pretty hardcore S/M and dubious consent, as well as a rape. It's pretty dark stuff, overall. It's also the first thing I wrote with Raev, and some might recognize the inspiration behind the book - it's related to "Return on Investment", which is still pending on a publisher's desk.
So, contracts are signed, blurbs written, and Raev is currently working on the cover. She's already shown me the images she'll use, so we'll have to acquire the licenses now and then she'll work her magic. Literally. Due to a stroke of luck, we'll get the book out on 10 May, more when it happens, but I'll be posting excerpts to the website soon.
"Blood Run Cold" is our take on vampires. Unsurprisingly, it also features an ex-banker (spot the connection to vampires). It's also the first attempt at a "functional triad" - three guys falling for each other. In many ways, it's a morality tale, it's also about love, and good versus evil, about sacrifice, and, ultimately, acceptance. For all the darkness in there, I don't think it's a negative book (but hey, my "positive" might be another person's worst nightmare). At 192k words, "Blood Run Cold" is triple novel length.
For me, the core inside "Blood Run Cold" is that search for an "equal". There's a line of poetry I can't forget and which has been something of a mantra before I found other writers: "I'm homesick after mine own kind." That's exactly it. The kind of homesickness is a major engine behind what people do. Of course it's also unashamed porn, possibly some of my porniest writing, but I also really enjoyed working through the S/M dynamic. I think too few writers really get what goes on psychologically, but going that far/deep was a challenge. There were some scenes that were pretty damned hard to write, and they triggered quite strong reactions from a couple test readers - which tells me Raev and me were on the right track with that.
So, contracts are signed, blurbs written, and Raev is currently working on the cover. She's already shown me the images she'll use, so we'll have to acquire the licenses now and then she'll work her magic. Literally. Due to a stroke of luck, we'll get the book out on 10 May, more when it happens, but I'll be posting excerpts to the website soon.
"Blood Run Cold" is our take on vampires. Unsurprisingly, it also features an ex-banker (spot the connection to vampires). It's also the first attempt at a "functional triad" - three guys falling for each other. In many ways, it's a morality tale, it's also about love, and good versus evil, about sacrifice, and, ultimately, acceptance. For all the darkness in there, I don't think it's a negative book (but hey, my "positive" might be another person's worst nightmare). At 192k words, "Blood Run Cold" is triple novel length.
For me, the core inside "Blood Run Cold" is that search for an "equal". There's a line of poetry I can't forget and which has been something of a mantra before I found other writers: "I'm homesick after mine own kind." That's exactly it. The kind of homesickness is a major engine behind what people do. Of course it's also unashamed porn, possibly some of my porniest writing, but I also really enjoyed working through the S/M dynamic. I think too few writers really get what goes on psychologically, but going that far/deep was a challenge. There were some scenes that were pretty damned hard to write, and they triggered quite strong reactions from a couple test readers - which tells me Raev and me were on the right track with that.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
I might have a house
In very positive news, we're one step closer to buying that house that I wanted. Just got a call from the estate agent, and we might be able to sign contracts early next week.
Our vendor is going on holiday early March, but we might look at exchanging keys in mid-March. About time, our extended mortgage offer runs out on 23 March. And my partner's birthday is the 18th, which might not be significant, only, that, maybe, the universe decided to give him the house as a present...
Now I have to somehow focus on getting through my work day, but WOW, that house thing has been sitting in my brain like a BRICK. I can't wait for the horror to be over. Eight months is too long to wait for anything.
I can haz house?
Our vendor is going on holiday early March, but we might look at exchanging keys in mid-March. About time, our extended mortgage offer runs out on 23 March. And my partner's birthday is the 18th, which might not be significant, only, that, maybe, the universe decided to give him the house as a present...
Now I have to somehow focus on getting through my work day, but WOW, that house thing has been sitting in my brain like a BRICK. I can't wait for the horror to be over. Eight months is too long to wait for anything.
I can haz house?
US Embassy visit
Yesterday, I braved the cold London drizzle to go to the US Embassy here in London (atrocious building, and I thought the German embassy was graceless and ugly). Stupidly, I queued in the visa queue, but a friendly copper pointed me at the much shorter queue for IRS and tax related issues. I had all my paperwork, and met a brilliant guy at the IRS or tax authority office. Not only did we joke and banter, but he also showed me how to fill out that other form (W-8BEN) to claim my royalties and told me that any publisher withholding my royalties can be done for fraud. Good to know, but I'm sure my publishers are all playing nice. :)
In three months, I should get my US tax number, which means the US won't receive 30% of all my royalties - I'll only have to pay the 20% tax to Her Majesty. I wasn't even aware, but with the sales to Loose Id and Dreamspinner Press, those 30% will actually amount to more than pocket money.
I adored the guy at the tax office; when I explained what my name means, he suddenly started speaking Russian! And he was humming Peer Gynt while he filled in papers (even though I thought it was Swan Lake... but maybe my musical memory is screwed up). I told him I might blog about him - and with my name on the forms, he can quite easily google me. Funny, modern little world. In any case, that's really one way to brighten up your day.
I attempted to read "California Creamin'" by William Maltese and failed. I read four stories, one of them "Mensur", but if that is prose, then an epileptic fit is dancing. I can't stomach that kind of overblown, melodramatic bullshit. You can just tell that the author doesn't bother to self-edit, and he's probably a too big name to be edited by his publishers. There are so many wrong words in there, the style is clunky and keeps jarring my inner ear, there's just no feeling for sound or rhythm, and the words are not arranged, more piled upon each other, with far too many repetitions and near-misses ("the cousin of the right word instead of the right word") that hurt even my English-as-a-second-language (ESL) mind. He probably has a million readers, and good luck to him, but I'm not one of them and you'd have to pay me good money to ever read anything by him again.
I hold it that if an author cannot be arsed to edit, I can't be arsed to read text that amounts to some guy sneezing into a tissue and handing it out as "stories" (and no, I didn't mean to write 'sneezing', but the lovely man from the IRS desk might be googling this entry, and I wouldn't want this gregarious fellow to think I was quite that vulgar...). The less said the better, but I won't be reading any more of this author. I only read (or attempted to read) that because a friend gave me the fictionwise voucher to that book as a present. Now, for my reviewing, I have to read a lot of really bad and painfully mediocre books, I really don't need to add to that pile. I much rather read good books. So I deleted it, and good riddance. Life is to short for bad books, and that includes reading them and writing them.
On a more positive literary note, I'm now reading "Spine Unbroken, Some Creases" by Victor J Banis, which so far is brilliant fun. The historical essay at the beginning could have been shorter; getting some historical background is great, but being told what to think of the following text is a bit much. I was struggling after the first few pages, and keep chastizing myself for reading the foreword. Nobody does, but I do, every time. How stupid is that? I'll report more on "Spine Unbroken, Some Creases" when I'm done, but so far it's really good fun, interesting, poignant, well-written. Victor J Banis is turning into something of a "comfort author" for me - I can turn to his stuff and be reasonably sure I'll love it, which makes his books great to keep on the shelf for reading after truly dire books that depress me about the quality of gay/m&m writing. I also enjoy reading biographies. Life still makes up the best shit, and Banis has, unsurprisingly, the typical writer's keen eye for the telling detail and fact. A dash of self-deprecating humour only completes it. Definitely recommended.
In three months, I should get my US tax number, which means the US won't receive 30% of all my royalties - I'll only have to pay the 20% tax to Her Majesty. I wasn't even aware, but with the sales to Loose Id and Dreamspinner Press, those 30% will actually amount to more than pocket money.
I adored the guy at the tax office; when I explained what my name means, he suddenly started speaking Russian! And he was humming Peer Gynt while he filled in papers (even though I thought it was Swan Lake... but maybe my musical memory is screwed up). I told him I might blog about him - and with my name on the forms, he can quite easily google me. Funny, modern little world. In any case, that's really one way to brighten up your day.
I attempted to read "California Creamin'" by William Maltese and failed. I read four stories, one of them "Mensur", but if that is prose, then an epileptic fit is dancing. I can't stomach that kind of overblown, melodramatic bullshit. You can just tell that the author doesn't bother to self-edit, and he's probably a too big name to be edited by his publishers. There are so many wrong words in there, the style is clunky and keeps jarring my inner ear, there's just no feeling for sound or rhythm, and the words are not arranged, more piled upon each other, with far too many repetitions and near-misses ("the cousin of the right word instead of the right word") that hurt even my English-as-a-second-language (ESL) mind. He probably has a million readers, and good luck to him, but I'm not one of them and you'd have to pay me good money to ever read anything by him again.
I hold it that if an author cannot be arsed to edit, I can't be arsed to read text that amounts to some guy sneezing into a tissue and handing it out as "stories" (and no, I didn't mean to write 'sneezing', but the lovely man from the IRS desk might be googling this entry, and I wouldn't want this gregarious fellow to think I was quite that vulgar...). The less said the better, but I won't be reading any more of this author. I only read (or attempted to read) that because a friend gave me the fictionwise voucher to that book as a present. Now, for my reviewing, I have to read a lot of really bad and painfully mediocre books, I really don't need to add to that pile. I much rather read good books. So I deleted it, and good riddance. Life is to short for bad books, and that includes reading them and writing them.
On a more positive literary note, I'm now reading "Spine Unbroken, Some Creases" by Victor J Banis, which so far is brilliant fun. The historical essay at the beginning could have been shorter; getting some historical background is great, but being told what to think of the following text is a bit much. I was struggling after the first few pages, and keep chastizing myself for reading the foreword. Nobody does, but I do, every time. How stupid is that? I'll report more on "Spine Unbroken, Some Creases" when I'm done, but so far it's really good fun, interesting, poignant, well-written. Victor J Banis is turning into something of a "comfort author" for me - I can turn to his stuff and be reasonably sure I'll love it, which makes his books great to keep on the shelf for reading after truly dire books that depress me about the quality of gay/m&m writing. I also enjoy reading biographies. Life still makes up the best shit, and Banis has, unsurprisingly, the typical writer's keen eye for the telling detail and fact. A dash of self-deprecating humour only completes it. Definitely recommended.
Monday, 15 February 2010
What I was up to on the weekend
I was busy, gods-awful busy.
I did the rest of the edits of our 192k gay vampire bondage porn project "Blood Run Cold" and sent it to the publisher.
I wrote just under 2k of "Iron Cross" - from now on, I'll write in a non-linear fashion, because there's one scene at the end of the book that screams to be written NOW. Okay, okay, I'll do it. Stop waking me up at night.
I also laid out "Soldiers", part one of "Special Forces" I wrote as "Vashtan" in two fat paperbacks. Depending on when the cover artist gets back to me, we might well be able to launch that in March.
I almost completely missed V-Day - I was just too busy.
From now on, I'm trying an experiment and do one writing- and internet-free evening in the week, just to recharge my batteries and get through my to-be-read pile. Also to do research.
With these two old, old OLD projects taken care of, my focus is now entirely on "Iron Cross", which I need to write, and "To Catch a Spy", which I need to finish re-writing. I've updated my website with the current projects and when I can expect them to move up in the queue.
What really, really pulls me at the moment is espionage/thriller, but that will actually help me with "To Catch a Spy". Less so with "Iron Cross", but once I go back to my WWII books, that will take care of itself.
Two projects down, 15 more to go.
I did the rest of the edits of our 192k gay vampire bondage porn project "Blood Run Cold" and sent it to the publisher.
I wrote just under 2k of "Iron Cross" - from now on, I'll write in a non-linear fashion, because there's one scene at the end of the book that screams to be written NOW. Okay, okay, I'll do it. Stop waking me up at night.
I also laid out "Soldiers", part one of "Special Forces" I wrote as "Vashtan" in two fat paperbacks. Depending on when the cover artist gets back to me, we might well be able to launch that in March.
I almost completely missed V-Day - I was just too busy.
From now on, I'm trying an experiment and do one writing- and internet-free evening in the week, just to recharge my batteries and get through my to-be-read pile. Also to do research.
With these two old, old OLD projects taken care of, my focus is now entirely on "Iron Cross", which I need to write, and "To Catch a Spy", which I need to finish re-writing. I've updated my website with the current projects and when I can expect them to move up in the queue.
What really, really pulls me at the moment is espionage/thriller, but that will actually help me with "To Catch a Spy". Less so with "Iron Cross", but once I go back to my WWII books, that will take care of itself.
Two projects down, 15 more to go.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Sales Experiment - One Week In
Okay, here's the one week roundup. As we remember, we published "Spoils of War" on Smashwords for "as much as you want to pay", which allowed me to track a) how many people took the story for free, how many people paid for it, and how much did those pay who chose to pay.
Here is my round-up one week later:
63 people downloaded a sample (30% of the story)
Out of these, 39 people bought the book (i.e.: chose how much to pay for it), out of which 16 people took the story for free, so I had 23 paying customers.
Prices vary wildly (and I mean wildly). The minimum people *had* to pay was $0.99 (that's a limitation imposed by Smashwords).
Here's the breakdown:
$10 - 2 people
$6 - 1 person
$5 - 4 people
$4 - 2 people
$3.99 - 1 person
$3 - 6 people
$2.99 - 1 person
$2.75 - 1 person
$2 - 1 person
$1.99 - 1 person
$1 - 1 person
$0.99 - 2 people
Which means that $ 88.70 was paid by 23 people. On average, paying customes paid $3.86 for the story. If I add the non-payers, then the yield per downloaded, whether paid or not, is $2.27.
Which isn't bad at all for a story I was going to price somewhere between $0.99 and $1.99.
If I substract handling fees, and Smashwords' cut, I'm left with $67.96 in pocket, from which taxes and Paypal transfer fees need to be paid.
Another interesting observation - rate of sale has dropped dramatically. At this point in time, I'm "selling" 2-3 stories per day, and there were a couple days with just one or no sale at all.
The story is also already being pirated - which might contribute to the drop in sales.
At the end of the month, I'll set the story on a fixed price so distribution can turn global. So, if you don't have it yet, grab your copy here.
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Confession time: Romance author in the closet
I was just chatting to Lynne Connolly, a multi-published romance author who has been incredibly helpful and shared advice with me regarding US publishers and the ins and outs of actually getting paid if you're a UK resident.
I love how authors share their experiences and advice so freely. The writer community is the best community on the planet, no doubt, only rivalled by the reader community.
Chatting with her, I had a little trip down into my memory, and maybe half a moment of wisdom there.
I've never considered myself a romance writer. Not ever. I never wanted to be a romance writer (m/m or any other), I was more than a little snobbish about it...dismissive, even. I never read them, but all my books and stories had strong chemistry between the guys, and people were dying to know more about their relationships. But while the "love" story was never the main plot, it was the main motivation for the main character. Love always messed my guys up, that, and politics, war, what have you.
Then I co-wrote "Special Forces", that massive gay military epic, which is really one million words just about two men, and put it out on the internet. No doubt a love story, but not in my dreams would I have called that a romance. For me, it was more about war and how messed-up people can be redeemed, and so much else.
Suddenly, hundreds of female romance readers were all over it and kept telling me I should write "more" romance. At first I basically told them to get lost, and that I wasn't writing romance, because in my mind, Romance as a genre was kind of icky.
But somehow, that took root. If all these people think I write romance, I thought it might be time to actually learn something about Romance. So I went and read romance. A lot. I discovered authors like Barbara Sheridan, whose art and craft and warmth cannot be discarded as 'icky'. I found myself enjoying it. Or Erastes and Alex Beecroft, who by no means write any worse than anybody in the mainstream. Suddenly I discovered that my notions of "Romance" were all wrong. I read more books about the genre, as well as three or four "how to write erotic romance" books, and discovered, yes, if I squint a little and focus on the relationships between my guys, I do write romance. I realised there is a market for all the ideas I've had and that I never managed to find a publisher for. I was selling to the wrong people, and sometimes the wrong kind of stuff, too.
So I gave it a try, this "Romance" thing.
Result: I've never written so much, with so much joy, so easily and so fast.
Now, the facts are all out in the open; I'm slower and more anxiety-ridden when I write something that is not romance. I am intensely fascinated by chemistry between people and the way they negotiate relationship and hierarchy.
It appears I've been a romance writer in the closet, and I didn't even know it.
I love how authors share their experiences and advice so freely. The writer community is the best community on the planet, no doubt, only rivalled by the reader community.
Chatting with her, I had a little trip down into my memory, and maybe half a moment of wisdom there.
I've never considered myself a romance writer. Not ever. I never wanted to be a romance writer (m/m or any other), I was more than a little snobbish about it...dismissive, even. I never read them, but all my books and stories had strong chemistry between the guys, and people were dying to know more about their relationships. But while the "love" story was never the main plot, it was the main motivation for the main character. Love always messed my guys up, that, and politics, war, what have you.
Then I co-wrote "Special Forces", that massive gay military epic, which is really one million words just about two men, and put it out on the internet. No doubt a love story, but not in my dreams would I have called that a romance. For me, it was more about war and how messed-up people can be redeemed, and so much else.
Suddenly, hundreds of female romance readers were all over it and kept telling me I should write "more" romance. At first I basically told them to get lost, and that I wasn't writing romance, because in my mind, Romance as a genre was kind of icky.
But somehow, that took root. If all these people think I write romance, I thought it might be time to actually learn something about Romance. So I went and read romance. A lot. I discovered authors like Barbara Sheridan, whose art and craft and warmth cannot be discarded as 'icky'. I found myself enjoying it. Or Erastes and Alex Beecroft, who by no means write any worse than anybody in the mainstream. Suddenly I discovered that my notions of "Romance" were all wrong. I read more books about the genre, as well as three or four "how to write erotic romance" books, and discovered, yes, if I squint a little and focus on the relationships between my guys, I do write romance. I realised there is a market for all the ideas I've had and that I never managed to find a publisher for. I was selling to the wrong people, and sometimes the wrong kind of stuff, too.
So I gave it a try, this "Romance" thing.
Result: I've never written so much, with so much joy, so easily and so fast.
Now, the facts are all out in the open; I'm slower and more anxiety-ridden when I write something that is not romance. I am intensely fascinated by chemistry between people and the way they negotiate relationship and hierarchy.
It appears I've been a romance writer in the closet, and I didn't even know it.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Admin - oh the exciting life of an author
I've taken the day off work to travel to the US embassy in quest of a US tax number. Before that, I have to go into HSBC and hope to get information about a foreign currency account (otherwise, their charges on US royalty payments make the whole idea of subbing to some publishers vaguely ridiculous - I'm NOT working so hard on my writing so some bank can pocket half of my royalties in charges... bitches).
But of course, some things at work absolutely HAVE to be done today, so I'm going into the office and set them up.
And of course I'll have to pay the lawyer who's handling our house purchase because the searches are now void (like the lay of the land and the major infrastructure has changes in the last 7 months...no it hasn't), which is another £170 for Her Majesty and £30 for the lawyer.
In the meantime, outside looks terrible. The study is ice-cold, there's snow/rain outside the window, and I already want to crawl back into bed. Or maybe, preposterous idea, write.
But of course, some things at work absolutely HAVE to be done today, so I'm going into the office and set them up.
And of course I'll have to pay the lawyer who's handling our house purchase because the searches are now void (like the lay of the land and the major infrastructure has changes in the last 7 months...no it hasn't), which is another £170 for Her Majesty and £30 for the lawyer.
In the meantime, outside looks terrible. The study is ice-cold, there's snow/rain outside the window, and I already want to crawl back into bed. Or maybe, preposterous idea, write.
Thursday, 11 February 2010
"Spoils of War" - Piracy
A large piracy community just saw a request for "Spoils of War" go online - 4 days after release at Smashwords. FOUR days after I launched it. And the story? You can get it for free. Nobody has to steal anything I'm giving away.
To me, this shows that the pirates don't give a fuck whether it's free or not, and don't even go check out websites (it's all over my website and blog that that story is free). It's the "gimme gimme gimme" attitude. Not fans - just creepy weird-ass greedy bitch collectors.
And I do seem to be gaining a bit of a profile with the pirates. "Deliverance" took a week to go up in the same place, "Spoils" is now down to 4 days.
I had 32 sales, and now somebody is itching to share the story with a few hundred thousand of their closest friends. Uhm. Forgive me if I'm not flattered by the attention.
Iron Cross: The workplan
I just did my numbers for "Iron Cross". I promised the first draft of the text by "end of April/beginning of May" (May is always a good deadline for me, because 4th May is my birthday, and I like finishing things up before I enter into another year...hence a flurry in activity in April and December every year).
So, I have "two" deadlines. One is 29th April, the other is 6th of May. The second deadline is the "emergency" deadline. I'd still be on time, but I always try and beat deadlines, to prevent stress and having to beg anybody for extensions. For all intents and purposes, 29th April is my deadline.
So I just sat down with a calender and my iPhone and crunched some numbers. From today, I have exactly 11 weeks.
Iron Cross has 26k words written, most of which are OK words. Typical first draft - needs a bit of work, but is otherwise pretty solid.
If we estimate that Iron Cross is a full-sized novel (and my outline suggests that), and a full-sized novel is in the area of 80-90k, I shall assume I have to add another 60k to Iron Cross. (This is the number that has the most flexibility...it can easily turn a fair bit bigger, possibly up to 100k, but I won't know that before I've done it).
Let's go with a generous 60k for the moment.
That means, from now on, I have to write 5,454 words every week to meet my deadline. This is also the amount I can roughly write on a good weekend. At 81 days till deadline, that's 741 words a day, which is roughly what I can write in a lunch break at work, provided the research is there.
Not all difficult if the research *is* there, though, and I'm placing Iron Cross towards the shorter end of the "novel" spectrum. If I have to write another 80k rather than 60k, the numbers look very different indeed: then it's 7,270 words per week and 988 words/day.
Ambitious goals, but provided I keep the research under control, and have a few good days in there (a "good day" is a day when I have an output of more than 2k), it's doable, but I will have to start on it. Today. At the moment, even 500 words a day will help an awful lot and prevent this work from piling up too high to master. I've done this, I've done it a dozen times, so I'm not worried.
I'll be worried when my research fails and my characters fall silent. Then this will turn into work.
I'm still editing "To Catch a Spy", and will have to juggle my priorities. But as long as I hit the goal of writing around 6k/week, I can do whatever else in addition to that.
Let's get started.
So, I have "two" deadlines. One is 29th April, the other is 6th of May. The second deadline is the "emergency" deadline. I'd still be on time, but I always try and beat deadlines, to prevent stress and having to beg anybody for extensions. For all intents and purposes, 29th April is my deadline.
So I just sat down with a calender and my iPhone and crunched some numbers. From today, I have exactly 11 weeks.
Iron Cross has 26k words written, most of which are OK words. Typical first draft - needs a bit of work, but is otherwise pretty solid.
If we estimate that Iron Cross is a full-sized novel (and my outline suggests that), and a full-sized novel is in the area of 80-90k, I shall assume I have to add another 60k to Iron Cross. (This is the number that has the most flexibility...it can easily turn a fair bit bigger, possibly up to 100k, but I won't know that before I've done it).
Let's go with a generous 60k for the moment.
That means, from now on, I have to write 5,454 words every week to meet my deadline. This is also the amount I can roughly write on a good weekend. At 81 days till deadline, that's 741 words a day, which is roughly what I can write in a lunch break at work, provided the research is there.
Not all difficult if the research *is* there, though, and I'm placing Iron Cross towards the shorter end of the "novel" spectrum. If I have to write another 80k rather than 60k, the numbers look very different indeed: then it's 7,270 words per week and 988 words/day.
Ambitious goals, but provided I keep the research under control, and have a few good days in there (a "good day" is a day when I have an output of more than 2k), it's doable, but I will have to start on it. Today. At the moment, even 500 words a day will help an awful lot and prevent this work from piling up too high to master. I've done this, I've done it a dozen times, so I'm not worried.
I'll be worried when my research fails and my characters fall silent. Then this will turn into work.
I'm still editing "To Catch a Spy", and will have to juggle my priorities. But as long as I hit the goal of writing around 6k/week, I can do whatever else in addition to that.
Let's get started.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Sale (2nd in one week)
Barbara Sheridan and me just received an offer for "Clean Slate" - now we have to read the contract.
The "hit" American Chris Gibson and British-born John Soong are ordered to carry out on Russian mob affiliate Andrei Voronin doesn't go exactly as planned. Voronin has already been shot when they arrive, but he's clinging to life. GORGON, the international intelligence and paramilitary agency John and Chris work for agree with John that Voronin may be more valuable alive than dead.
The failed assassination turns to an undercover intel operation as monogamous-minded John and manwhore Chris portray lovers who came to Monaco to meet with and form a personal triad with the now amnesiac Andrei. This operation takes its own unexpected turn as the men bond and clash and try to outwit the Russians who've realized Andrei is still alive.
That's the second sale in one week, after "Risky Maneuvers".
Now I want the publisher to get back to me about "Return on Investment", and I'll be happy and ask the Gods no more favours (at least for the moment).
The "hit" American Chris Gibson and British-born John Soong are ordered to carry out on Russian mob affiliate Andrei Voronin doesn't go exactly as planned. Voronin has already been shot when they arrive, but he's clinging to life. GORGON, the international intelligence and paramilitary agency John and Chris work for agree with John that Voronin may be more valuable alive than dead.
The failed assassination turns to an undercover intel operation as monogamous-minded John and manwhore Chris portray lovers who came to Monaco to meet with and form a personal triad with the now amnesiac Andrei. This operation takes its own unexpected turn as the men bond and clash and try to outwit the Russians who've realized Andrei is still alive.
That's the second sale in one week, after "Risky Maneuvers".
Now I want the publisher to get back to me about "Return on Investment", and I'll be happy and ask the Gods no more favours (at least for the moment).
Sales Experiment, 48 days later
Thanks for the commenters and visitors to my blog. I must have hit a nerve, my hits trebled, meaning there's an interest in my little story, so I feel obliged to follow up with it (good journo that I am).
At this point, there were 52 sample downloads (who downloaded 30% of the story). Out of these, 30 converted into sales (meaning, 30 people made the decision for how much to buy the story - which includes "free").
In the meantime, two people who downloaded the story for $0.99 were in touch and told me while that is the amount they usually pay for short stories, they felt "Spoils of War" was worth more and one paid another $3.99. The other person, presumably, did pay more, too, because she felt she had "ripped me off". I told her if she wants to pay more, she can buy another download and give the other one away to a friend - everybody wins.
These 30 people divide almost equally into "free downloaders" and "paying customers" - 14 took it for free, 16 paid. To be fair, one of the free downloaders told me she has no money, and would buy it when she had money. I told her to take it for free because I really wanted her to read it. In return, I received one of her stories, which I enjoyed. (And when I told her I enjoyed it, she gave me another story, which I'm looking forward to tonight).
Pricing:
I assume people have been reading my post about the pricing being either $0.99, $3 or $5 and decided to mess with my numbers. By now, the pricing is all over the place - a much wider range than before.
Below is the breakdown:
$0.99 - 2 people
$1.00 - 1 person
$2.75 - 1 person
$3.00 - 5 people
$3.99 - 1 person
$4.00 - 2 people
$5.00 - 3 people
$10.00 - 1 person
Note, again, the absence of any amount in the area of $1.29-$1.99. We are talking 5,500 words of short story here. SHORT story. The amount of words is clearly stated on site.
To the person who paid $10 - want to be my sugar mommy/daddy? I think I love you, but you are a little insane. Seriously, get in touch via email with proof of purchase and I'll send you a free story. Thanks!
In total, 14 people paid $57.73 for the story - averaging $3.36 per paying customer. If I add the 14 free downloaders (so 30 readers in total), I get to $1.90 per customer. (Which is at the top end of what the market in m/m ebooks currently charges for short stories).
Once Smashwords has taken its cut, that leaves us (my co-writer Raev and me) with $43.81 in the bank, pre-tax, 48 after launch of the story.
By now, first reviews are appearing both on Smashwords itself and on Goodreads, and the reviews are very favourable. I assume that will drive further sales. In terms of marketing, I tweeted about it a couple times, I told a few people who were in touch that my story is currently free, and nothing else (I was busy editing yesterday).
More updates when I get them.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Full disclosure: "Spoils of War", 24hr sales result (part two)
Okay, here are the results of my 24hrs experiment of giving away "Spoils of War" for free, if readers choose to take it for free.
Checking my "dashboard" at www.smashwords.com, in the last 24hrs:
- 37 people downloaded the free sample (30% of the story).
- out of these 17 people bought it
In this case, "buying" only means they downloaded the complete story and made the decision how much they are willing to pay for it, which includes "nothing".
So, 37 people were happy to check the stuff out, and 17 were interested enough to want the whole thing. Brilliant.
I think that's a roaring success for 24hrs in the e-book space, for authors whom hardly anybody knows yet. :)
Let's look at the 17 people who "bought" the story.
I have to admit I was a little nervous again here. The first several emails were people taking stuff for free. At email number 5 I thought "fuck this shit, I'm changing the option to fixed price and charge $0.99, that would have been $4.95, demnit!"). Then I had the first sale. Somebody paid $5.00 for the story. That's the price for an ebook novel. And that person paid enough that, had I charged $0.99 and HAD those "free downloaders" paid $0.99, I would have been $0.05 worse off. Now, that was weird.
I agreed with my skeptical voice (and my number-crunching partner) that 5 people is a tiny sample, so I let the sales roll and watched and did nothing.
End result after 24hrs: 17 people bought it; out of these, 10 people took it for free, 7 people paid.
I repeat: seven people choose to pay without being forced or controlled. Wow.
Let's look at what they were willing to pay. Interestingly, my seven paying customers chose one of three prices:
1) $0.99 (the absolute mininum, paid by 2)
2) $3.00 (hefty price for a short story, and WELL above what I thought I could charge for a short story, paid by 3)
3) $5.00 (that's about the price of a novel, and humbled me. Five dollars? To read a short story? Paid by 2)
Nothing in between. Interestingly, not ONE chose a price like $1.29 or $1.79 or even $1.99 that I had calculated with.
It tells me also I have at least five "fans" out there that pay well more than I would have expected, and those five people deserve my love and gratitude. Same with the $0.99 people. They paid even though they don't have to, out of an appreciation for writing, the hard work that went into the story and cover, and as a gesture of goodwill.
Thank you, guys. Thank you so much. You warmed my cynical little heart.
How does this translate into "profit"?
From this, we made $20.98 - in one day, mind you, by giving away 30 free samples and getting 7 paying customers. Now, minus what Smashwords takes as a cut, we have $15.52 in the pocket. Out of this, we'll have to split 50/50, and I have to pay 20% UK tax on royalties.
In the logic of "the free market forces", 17 people paid $21 dollars for it, which equals an average of $1.23. If I take out the "free downloaders" (EDIT to say: "freeloader" was a pun on "free downloaders" but I've been told it's demeaning, so I'm changing the term), the price these supporters were willing to pay is $3.00. One is my "earnings per customer", the other is "earnings per sale".
Consequently, the "fair value" for my story is somewhere between $1.23 and $3.
(Now, this posits that people would have been willing to be charged that much - meaning, were they more generous out of generosity, like somebody buying an overpriced Christmas card because 20% of the sales go to Oxfam? But those factors make the whole calculation more difficult, and I have no way of veryfying this)
What do I learn from this?
That there are readers/fans who appreciate us/our work more than I thought. I can only explain those prices they paid with maybe them feeling they don't pay so much for goods but show their support to their writers and love for a good, quality story.
That there are people who are happy supporting their writers.
That a surprising amount of people are willing to pay even though nobody controlls them.
Why then will I introduce a "fixed price" for "Spoils of War" in the mid-term?
Because I firmly believe in global distribution. The story needs to be able to get out there and reach as many people as possible (yes, Kindle and Amazon and Apple and iTunes and iBook and whatever). But that distribution model doesn't support "choose your own price". In fact, were I not to charge a fixed amount on that distribution model, the system would set the price for "Spoils of War" to $4.95, which, we can agree, is pretty damn steep for a short story.
In the meantime, if you would like to read "Spoils of War", go ahead and download it. It's free. Unless you choose to make it not free, but I'm not controlling you or forcing you. I put it out there, that's my job done.
But a dollar in the hat would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
Yours, truly,
Aleksandr Voinov
Full disclosure: "Spoils of War", 24hr sales result (part I).
I told you I was going to do an experiment. Well, the experiment is about "are people willing to pay for something if they can get it for free?" (This ties into the e-piracy debate). Below, I will state my findings, honestly and no punches pulled. This study cost me about a day.
Object of the study is "Spoils of War", a 5,500 story I co-wrote with Raev Gray. It's some of the finest writing we've done, and it has an attractive cover that makes people go "guh". It also has naked man flesh, but in marble and bronze, and both men have their heads attached.
I do feel somewhat possessive about my writing. "Spoils of War", however, is a donation to eXcessica for their anthology "Divine Matches". But since eXcessica doesn't do "exclusive rights", we can do with it whatever we like, so we decided to use it in this experiment. And I do try and make my writing available as soon as it's ready.
Since we knew we couldn't sell "Spoils of War" (we can't grant exclusivity, and publishers want that, always), we whipped it into shape; Raev made one of her stunning covers, and I uploaded it on Smashwords. Up to this point, "Spoils of War" represents roughly two days of work; the writing was fast, I think one day, but then comes the editing (plus beta-ing by Kate Cotoner) and the cover. I have no idea how long it takes Raev to make a cover like this, but I can guarantee that this wasn't a one-hour rush job that you get with so many e-publishers. We are visual creatures, we want things to look pretty, and that includes our reading, and I'm anal about my covers. If worst comes to worst, I might pull a publication or pay the cover artist out of my own pocket rather than let it go out with a shit cover, and yes, I'm serious. For as long as I write, I'll happily pay Raev whatever she asks for her skills. Covers are that important.
When you put books on www.smashwords.com, you get three options for the price:
1) Free
2) Reader decides price
3) Fixed Price
You also choose between two distribution models:
1) Smashwords-only
2) Premium Package (Amazon and all the e-tailers)
I was intrigued by "reader decides price" - how much are people willing to pay for a story that I know is really good, and that looks awesome? My guesstimate ranged between $0.50 and $2.00. I'm an arrogant bastard, I believe readers are happy to pay for quality, and this is one awesome story. I have a few "hardcore fans" that are happy to pay whatever. They know I can use the money and they love showing their appreciation. Inviting me for a coffee in Soulless Coffee Chain Outlet would be more expensive. And it's not like I'm publishing a story every day, so they can afford it, too. I was about to set the price at somewhere between $1.79 and $1.29 for starters (that's what e-publishers charge for their sips and single shots and short stories with generic, boring covers) and see where it goes.
But a "free market" finds its own price, right (at least that's what economists tell us)? As a finance journalist, the "free market forces" intrigue me. I have some ideas about what things are worth, but are they shared by everybody? I assume that if I let the market decide, I'd find a "fair" price. This is based on the assumption that some people will choose to pay. It's a choice. They can have it for free. You can set your price at "zero" and there's no punishment. No rabid foaming-at-the-mouth writer who tells you you killed their kittens. Take it. It's free. I would love a dollar for it, or maybe two, but if you want to take it, here it is. Now, one addition: if you do choose to pay, you have to pay at least $0.99 (Smashwords' limit, not mine).
I have to admit, it felt weird. Imagine going to a restaurant and people say "here's the meal, pay whatever you feel like". 30% of the story (about 2,000 words) is free. You can download the sample and check it out.
Then I went on what I call my "marketing drive". I posted about it on my private email list. On my blog. On my live journal, and my community. I added the book to my shelf on Goodreads. I told my friends about it. I tweeted about it, I told my online friends about it. I told them all "would love a dollar, but if you choose not to pay, don't." (not like I can force or control them).
And then I sat in front of my computer screen, and waited. Watched. Watched the marketing ripples move. Watched as each and every "sale" came through ("sale" at Smashwords doesn't mean you got paid).
(read the next entry for the results).
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Stealth Release: "Spoils of War"
When Achilleus, the greatest warrior who ever lived, falls before Troy (or Ilion, as it was known), Ares, God of War, stands ready to take his spirit with him to his palace. There, Ares demands that Achilleus yield to him. But can the embrace of a god and the offer of immortality make Achilleus forget his one true love, Patroklos?
"Spoils of War" is a 5,500 word short story that features Ares, Greek God of War, and Achilleus, legendary Greek hero. After the death of Achilleus, Ares sweeps him up and makes him a tempting offer. "Spoils" is co-written with Raev Gray. Get an excerpt and a larger version of the cover here.
I spent a few hours fiddling with this and I think we're live (it's my first time, so be gentle). I just put "Spoils of War" up on Smashwords here.
The cool thing is, you can set your own price. That means, you can download it for free if you choose "zero" as the price, and if you choose to pay, it has to be $0.99 or more (out of which Smashwords and the US tax authorities take their cut, too). Another project done.
Have a great Sunday!
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Risky Maneuvers: Contract and Blurb
I just updated my website - you can see the new page here.
And I went through the three print outs of the contract, signing and double-checking everything.
Without stuff signed, I can't really talk about this much more, but I can post the blurb:
Having been a mercenary for the past decade, Mikhail Volkov is a man without a country and that suits him just fine. Playing by his own rules, on his own terms, for the price he sets, is the way he likes it best.
But when a CIA contact dangles a carrot he can't resist to entice him into a clandestine search-and-rescue, Mikhail is brought face–to-face with the biggest foe he has yet to vanquish—his own loneliness.
Growing up, Devon ‘D’ Dearborn planned to follow in his father's footsteps as part of the Army's Delta Force. Once commissioned, D's own ambitions took root and he became a top-level tank commander, occasionally serving as a go-between for his CIA-employed brother and a sexy Russian mercenary.
When his doubts about his chosen career and his own desires impacted the perfection he demanded of himself, D resigned his commission and exchanged his Abrams tank for a 18-wheeler.
After six years, the last face D expects to see when he pulls his rig into a truck stop is that of Mikhail Volkov. D wants nothing to do with his brother's new cloak-and-dagger job, but the temptation of working alongside the Russian is too hard to resist.
Their complicated mission may prove to be their last, but neither of them will give in to their hearts nor their enemy without a fight.
And I went through the three print outs of the contract, signing and double-checking everything.
Without stuff signed, I can't really talk about this much more, but I can post the blurb:
Having been a mercenary for the past decade, Mikhail Volkov is a man without a country and that suits him just fine. Playing by his own rules, on his own terms, for the price he sets, is the way he likes it best.
But when a CIA contact dangles a carrot he can't resist to entice him into a clandestine search-and-rescue, Mikhail is brought face–to-face with the biggest foe he has yet to vanquish—his own loneliness.
Growing up, Devon ‘D’ Dearborn planned to follow in his father's footsteps as part of the Army's Delta Force. Once commissioned, D's own ambitions took root and he became a top-level tank commander, occasionally serving as a go-between for his CIA-employed brother and a sexy Russian mercenary.
When his doubts about his chosen career and his own desires impacted the perfection he demanded of himself, D resigned his commission and exchanged his Abrams tank for a 18-wheeler.
After six years, the last face D expects to see when he pulls his rig into a truck stop is that of Mikhail Volkov. D wants nothing to do with his brother's new cloak-and-dagger job, but the temptation of working alongside the Russian is too hard to resist.
Their complicated mission may prove to be their last, but neither of them will give in to their hearts nor their enemy without a fight.
Acceptance!
I just got the email that "Risky Maneuvers", which I co-wrote with Barbara Sheridan, has been accepted for publication. It'll need a slightly tweaked ending, but that's no big problem.
Whew. One is sold. Now I have to read through all the paperwork, update the website and calm down. :)
Whew. One is sold. Now I have to read through all the paperwork, update the website and calm down. :)
Friday, 5 February 2010
When slowly slowly has to do it
Writing motivation today is down; I have to re-visit an old story and change it, sharpen it, and this will already be the third serious rework. There comes the moment when a writer thinks that doing yet another re-write isn't worth it. The story has departed a long time ago, it doesn't live here anymore, and suddenly it stands in front of the door, the more-or-less well-aged ex you had a fling with a year ago, and demands to be loved again.
Woah, difficult. My mind is with somebody else. I have other things to do. Pressing deadlines. Stuff I want to WRITE rather than edit. The temptation is to say "fuck you", but it's not that easy, because I just know if it doesn't get done this time around, it won't happen. Turning that familiar stranger away might mean he's never coming back. And then the story is dead. If I don't fix it now, it won't get fixed. If it doesn't get fixed, it won't get published. If it doesn't get published, it's dead. Dead time, dead effort, dead characters.
But sometimes it's hard to drop what you're doing and taking the story back in.
In addition to all that, I got "Not America" back, which needs a rewrite/edit (theme of my life: editing) and the next chapter, 6, of TCaS is hard and complex and will mean lots of new writing. Sometimes it feels like I'm working too much, and not getting anywhere, really.
But the best way to get through the funk is do one thing after the other. Editing is mechanical, I can do it. It's just about sitting down, and doing it. Not rocket science.
Woah, difficult. My mind is with somebody else. I have other things to do. Pressing deadlines. Stuff I want to WRITE rather than edit. The temptation is to say "fuck you", but it's not that easy, because I just know if it doesn't get done this time around, it won't happen. Turning that familiar stranger away might mean he's never coming back. And then the story is dead. If I don't fix it now, it won't get fixed. If it doesn't get fixed, it won't get published. If it doesn't get published, it's dead. Dead time, dead effort, dead characters.
But sometimes it's hard to drop what you're doing and taking the story back in.
In addition to all that, I got "Not America" back, which needs a rewrite/edit (theme of my life: editing) and the next chapter, 6, of TCaS is hard and complex and will mean lots of new writing. Sometimes it feels like I'm working too much, and not getting anywhere, really.
But the best way to get through the funk is do one thing after the other. Editing is mechanical, I can do it. It's just about sitting down, and doing it. Not rocket science.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Not America free for translation
A couple months ago, I wrote a little short story called "Not America", which is really my joke on the concept of "zombie banks" (my financial journalist is showing at times). The story will come out over in Germany in print, but some people have been asking to read it in English.
I just got the German publisher's OK that I am keeping the English language rights.
And, well, it's not very gay or explicit or anything, but it amused me, so it may amuse others. So I'm planning to translate it into English and put it up for a few cents on Smashwords, just for the hell of it. That's one of those little side projects I want to complete fairly soon.
Also, my list of 31 projects I have going has been reduced to 21. I'm hoping to get to 15 before the month is up. "Not America" is one of them. Another one is putting "Spoils of War" online, another short story (this one is gay and explicit).
I have a personal deadline for "Iron Cross", which is beginning of May. I did absolutely nothing on "To Catch a Spy" yesterday, and after a ballbusting day in the office (I'm just dropping the words: "workflow" and "new software/platform launch" into the room and leave it to you to imagine the horror encapsuled in those words) - I'm not sure I have enough energy left to do really anything.
I have an enormous desire to post a very angry rant about the whole "appropriation" debate going on in the blogosphere, where, doubtlessly, I'd make a thousanmd enemies and would probably puzzle a lot of readers. I'm not. I'm not posting about how the debate itself attempts to appropriate a writer's creativity.
In short - I have not emerged from an environment where writing was like parsing morse code to Mars to have anybody, and I mean anybody at all, decide for me what I write and cannot write or from whose perspective. If I want to write a novel from the perspective of a supernova, I will do that. The only people who get a say in any shape or form how I'm presenting my material, are my publishers and my agent. And that's it. Not my (dead) momma, or my (illiterate, also dead) grandmother, not some person on some blog or mailinglist. The only person who decides what I write and in what way, is...me.
There you go. It's easy. I call the shots. There is no thought!police that can kill my stories, because nobody else gets any say in the matter. Readers can take it or leave it (that's their privilege) and I can sell, self-publish, or put it on the internet. As long as I'm not violating any laws, that's the end of the matter.
And now, while people decide whether authors should have the right to make shit up, I am doing what authors do: write books.
Simple.
I just got the German publisher's OK that I am keeping the English language rights.
And, well, it's not very gay or explicit or anything, but it amused me, so it may amuse others. So I'm planning to translate it into English and put it up for a few cents on Smashwords, just for the hell of it. That's one of those little side projects I want to complete fairly soon.
Also, my list of 31 projects I have going has been reduced to 21. I'm hoping to get to 15 before the month is up. "Not America" is one of them. Another one is putting "Spoils of War" online, another short story (this one is gay and explicit).
I have a personal deadline for "Iron Cross", which is beginning of May. I did absolutely nothing on "To Catch a Spy" yesterday, and after a ballbusting day in the office (I'm just dropping the words: "workflow" and "new software/platform launch" into the room and leave it to you to imagine the horror encapsuled in those words) - I'm not sure I have enough energy left to do really anything.
I have an enormous desire to post a very angry rant about the whole "appropriation" debate going on in the blogosphere, where, doubtlessly, I'd make a thousanmd enemies and would probably puzzle a lot of readers. I'm not. I'm not posting about how the debate itself attempts to appropriate a writer's creativity.
In short - I have not emerged from an environment where writing was like parsing morse code to Mars to have anybody, and I mean anybody at all, decide for me what I write and cannot write or from whose perspective. If I want to write a novel from the perspective of a supernova, I will do that. The only people who get a say in any shape or form how I'm presenting my material, are my publishers and my agent. And that's it. Not my (dead) momma, or my (illiterate, also dead) grandmother, not some person on some blog or mailinglist. The only person who decides what I write and in what way, is...me.
There you go. It's easy. I call the shots. There is no thought!police that can kill my stories, because nobody else gets any say in the matter. Readers can take it or leave it (that's their privilege) and I can sell, self-publish, or put it on the internet. As long as I'm not violating any laws, that's the end of the matter.
And now, while people decide whether authors should have the right to make shit up, I am doing what authors do: write books.
Simple.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
"Test of Faith" is live!
"Test of Faith" is now live, means, it can be purchased in paper. The ebook will be released on 3rd May.
I've just ordered a pile of reviewer copies, which I hope to send out in the course of the month, and copies for my collabotators.
This is the first book I publish via LuLu.com for a wider audience and I'm pretty curious how it'll turn out.
To celebrate, I'm giving away two copies - one for the subscribers to my mailinglist, and one for commenters on this blog post.
The winners' books will go out once both authors have signed the copies, and that's a bit complex, since Raev is in the US and I'm in the UK.
There's still plenty to organize and worry about, but yes, we have a launch.
I've just ordered a pile of reviewer copies, which I hope to send out in the course of the month, and copies for my collabotators.
This is the first book I publish via LuLu.com for a wider audience and I'm pretty curious how it'll turn out.
To celebrate, I'm giving away two copies - one for the subscribers to my mailinglist, and one for commenters on this blog post.
The winners' books will go out once both authors have signed the copies, and that's a bit complex, since Raev is in the US and I'm in the UK.
There's still plenty to organize and worry about, but yes, we have a launch.
Straight to failblog
This just made the rounds in the office and made me laugh despite deadline!stress.
Rumour has it, it was snapped on a phone today in London. I believe that tells you all you need to know about London authorities.
Rumour has it, it was snapped on a phone today in London. I believe that tells you all you need to know about London authorities.
Review "The Why Not" by Victor J Banis online
My review of "The Why Not" by Victor J Banis is online at Speak Its Name.
"I just went back through my Speak Its Name reviews and saw that I’ve only given one five star review, namely to Josh Lanyon’s how-to book. Well, make this another five star, then. I’ve read some excellent books as a reviewer here, and I’ve given 4.5 and 4 stars to books I really enjoyed. For me to give five stars, however, I want to read a book that grabs me and doesn’t let me go, that picks me up by the neck like a puppy and shakes me, emotionally, and then, either tosses me away or puts me gently down.
Victor J Banis’ The Why Not is one of those by-the-scruff-of-your-neck books. I was a goner after a couple pages, and I’m flattened after finishing it, part fearing to go back and re-read it again, part wanting nothing more than to read it more slowly this time round and pick up all the small things that I must have missed, even though I inhaled every line and felt every character echo in his own way, for a few moments."
Read the rest here.
In other news, I've edited chapter 5 of "To Catch a Spy" and am moving towards editing chapter 6.
"I just went back through my Speak Its Name reviews and saw that I’ve only given one five star review, namely to Josh Lanyon’s how-to book. Well, make this another five star, then. I’ve read some excellent books as a reviewer here, and I’ve given 4.5 and 4 stars to books I really enjoyed. For me to give five stars, however, I want to read a book that grabs me and doesn’t let me go, that picks me up by the neck like a puppy and shakes me, emotionally, and then, either tosses me away or puts me gently down.
Victor J Banis’ The Why Not is one of those by-the-scruff-of-your-neck books. I was a goner after a couple pages, and I’m flattened after finishing it, part fearing to go back and re-read it again, part wanting nothing more than to read it more slowly this time round and pick up all the small things that I must have missed, even though I inhaled every line and felt every character echo in his own way, for a few moments."
Read the rest here.
In other news, I've edited chapter 5 of "To Catch a Spy" and am moving towards editing chapter 6.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Quick update
I got a couple more things done (hardworking writer that I am). I reviewed Stevie Woods' "Conflict" (I didn't like it, for many reasons) for Speak Its Name yesterday after work. I started Emily Veinglory's "Dealing Straight", which is so much better, but which has already been reviewed at Speak Its Name, so I'll review it just for myself. But Dealing Straight has all the authgenticity and great writing that Conflict didn't have.
I wrote a completely new scene for "To Catch a Spy", featuring a lawyer (that's a theme at the moment - I'm writing a LOT about lawyers... maybe because that's the profession I escaped from in my second semester...). Anatoly, one of the thre main characters, is being a snake here, but hey, that's the intelligence business for you. That also means the chapter 4 is done and off to the betas.
For tonight, I'm going to tackle the re-write of chapter 5, which means more cutting and rearranging of text. At the moment, I can get through about 4k of text that way in an evening, maybe 5, if I cut down on sleep. I will have to write a few completely new scenes, of course, to get the spy plot both off the ground and flying and then land it safely, but on the whole I think this works really well. I'm getting more and more positive about this book, which is great. I think once the project here at work is done, I'll take a couple holidays and go for a four-day writing weekend for the last push on the book. Having four days doing nothing else usually gets me in the area of 10k of fresh text, and I may be able to edit 20k in the same time. Maybe. I'm hoping.
At this rate, I'll likely have a second draft hot off the press by mid-February, then obviously edits from betas, re-write the beginning, and then off it goes to agents and publishers. Print, too. Then I'll forget about it for a few months and focus on finishing "Iron Cross". Six to eight weeks should be doable for a first draft, especially if I get through my review pile in that time and then read only WWII stuff until Iron Cross is done. In a way, that book needs total immersion. I can read loads when I edit and rewrite, but strangely when I'm writing first draft, I prefer not being distracted by other voices in my head.
Next thing I'll do is sort out the print version of "Special Forces: Soldiers". That project's been forever in the making.
I'm also expecting the second set of print proofs for "Test of Faith" at the end of the week.
Everything's moving. Not as fast as I'd like, but moving nonetheless.
I wrote a completely new scene for "To Catch a Spy", featuring a lawyer (that's a theme at the moment - I'm writing a LOT about lawyers... maybe because that's the profession I escaped from in my second semester...). Anatoly, one of the thre main characters, is being a snake here, but hey, that's the intelligence business for you. That also means the chapter 4 is done and off to the betas.
For tonight, I'm going to tackle the re-write of chapter 5, which means more cutting and rearranging of text. At the moment, I can get through about 4k of text that way in an evening, maybe 5, if I cut down on sleep. I will have to write a few completely new scenes, of course, to get the spy plot both off the ground and flying and then land it safely, but on the whole I think this works really well. I'm getting more and more positive about this book, which is great. I think once the project here at work is done, I'll take a couple holidays and go for a four-day writing weekend for the last push on the book. Having four days doing nothing else usually gets me in the area of 10k of fresh text, and I may be able to edit 20k in the same time. Maybe. I'm hoping.
At this rate, I'll likely have a second draft hot off the press by mid-February, then obviously edits from betas, re-write the beginning, and then off it goes to agents and publishers. Print, too. Then I'll forget about it for a few months and focus on finishing "Iron Cross". Six to eight weeks should be doable for a first draft, especially if I get through my review pile in that time and then read only WWII stuff until Iron Cross is done. In a way, that book needs total immersion. I can read loads when I edit and rewrite, but strangely when I'm writing first draft, I prefer not being distracted by other voices in my head.
Next thing I'll do is sort out the print version of "Special Forces: Soldiers". That project's been forever in the making.
I'm also expecting the second set of print proofs for "Test of Faith" at the end of the week.
Everything's moving. Not as fast as I'd like, but moving nonetheless.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Productive weekend
I continue reading Stevie Woods' m/m novel "Conflict" and I'm bored to tears. I'm currently making notes and I'm hoping to get through the last 50 pages now. Thankfully, it improved a little towards the end, so my e-reader lives. For now. Up until at least the next book that makes me want to throw it to the ground and stomp on it. That's usually the point when I switch it off, slip it into its case and do something more interesting. Like, stare at my hands.
Bah, the agony of reading a boring book and having to finish it in the hope it might get better. But I'm trying to read one book a week, and I think I'm on track at the moment, mostly review-related stuff and books for friends, but still.
Saturday, I uploaded the tweaked covers for "Test of Faith" (thanks, Raev!) and ordered two more copies to see if the colours come out better. The covers are perfectly acceptable, but due to the printing process, the reds look like muddy browns. Not great.
Saturday also saw Barbara Sheridan write the last bit of our co-project "Clean Slate", which we submitted to publishers yesterday, after a quick last brush and polish.
Saturday, I completed the edits of chapter 3 of "To Catch a Spy", and Sunday, I edited another 4k, this time chapter 4 (the splitting means I now have 10 chapters of TCaS rather than 9...the work never ends). I will have to add a few scenes, too, to strengthen the espionage plot, and I hope it all comes together when it's done, but I rather expect another massive edit.
Oh well. Nobody said this writing thing was easy or fast.
Bah, the agony of reading a boring book and having to finish it in the hope it might get better. But I'm trying to read one book a week, and I think I'm on track at the moment, mostly review-related stuff and books for friends, but still.
Saturday, I uploaded the tweaked covers for "Test of Faith" (thanks, Raev!) and ordered two more copies to see if the colours come out better. The covers are perfectly acceptable, but due to the printing process, the reds look like muddy browns. Not great.
Saturday also saw Barbara Sheridan write the last bit of our co-project "Clean Slate", which we submitted to publishers yesterday, after a quick last brush and polish.
Saturday, I completed the edits of chapter 3 of "To Catch a Spy", and Sunday, I edited another 4k, this time chapter 4 (the splitting means I now have 10 chapters of TCaS rather than 9...the work never ends). I will have to add a few scenes, too, to strengthen the espionage plot, and I hope it all comes together when it's done, but I rather expect another massive edit.
Oh well. Nobody said this writing thing was easy or fast.
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