My Dog Ate My Manuscript

How and where to find good books

2012-01-14T08:34:00.005-05:00

I remember going to the library and spending hours browsing covers, pulling a book out, reading the back cover, putting some back, setting aside others and then toting home a stack that I'd sift through again when I had time to read the opening chapters. At the bookstore I often went with a favored author in mind, although I'd usually come home with just one or two books because of the cost. E-books now make browsing much easier and buying far cheaper. I can look for books at midnight or on my lunch break and download a sample to my Kindle.

Instead of getting overwhelmed at the library or having a bookstore's manager decide what to stick in the front of the store for you to see, it's easier than ever to browse in a customized and time-efficient fashion. Here are a few ways you can find new books and new authors that will suit your particular (or eclectic) reading tastes:

Also-Boughts
One very easy way to find books is to click through the Also-Boughts at Amazon. On any book's Amazon page, near the top you'll find a section that says "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought". The most frequent Also-Boughts appear first, but sometimes I go backwards through the list, just to be a rebel and see if I find anything brand new.

Blogs
Since I read a wide variety of genres, sometimes I like to be surprised by tripping across an interesting cover and book description. If you read strictly historical fiction, there are several HF book blogs in my blogroll to the right, but if it's variety you want, here are a few places you can find good deals for your e-reader - and most of them have a 'like' feature which means their daily listings will feed directly into your Facebook newsfeed. All of them feature e-books for under $10, some only books under $5 and all of them post FREE book finds:

Kindle Nation Daily

Pixel of Ink

The Frugal eReader

Daily Cheap Reads

E-Reader News Today

Cheap Kindle Daily

The Kindle Reader

(ETA:
Addicted to eBooks (Indie book listings)

Kindleboards (This is my favorite hangout! Check out the Book Bazaar and Book Corner, but feel free to jump into the conversation about Kindle Accessories, Not Quite Kindle and various e-readers here).

Word-of-mouth
Don't forget - word of mouth is the best way to share about books you've read and loved! How many times have you heard a friend mention a book and later checked it out? If you've enjoyed a book, tell your friends by posting a link on Facebook or tweeting about it. Join in forum discussions and let others know who your favorite authors are.

Reviews
Don't be shy about leaving reviews at Amazon or other online sites. You don't need to summarize the whole book, just say what you liked or didn't like about it and your overall impression. This helps other readers get a feel for what a book contains and how the story affects readers.

Tags
Interested in a specific topic/person/place? On Amazon, towards the bottom of a book' page, there is a section called "Tags Customers Associate with this Product". Feel free to add your own tag to help other readers find stuff. Or click on any of those to find related books.

That should keep all you readers busy for awhile!

Happy reading,
Gemi

So you've written a book. Now what?

2012-01-06T10:46:00.006-05:00

In the past year, I've shied away from posting about self-publishing, simply because there are so many good blogs that already cover that topic (some of which I've included in my blogroll). I'm going to renege on that practice temporarily, since I've had a few newly fledged writers recently ask me how I found readers. I hesitate to dole out advice about writing or publishing because my perspective is unique. It's not a one-size fits all. I can't, with certainty, say in order to sell books you must do this or this, because there are so many paths that will get you to where you want to go. My friend Lisa Yarde wrote a very insightful blog post called Truths About Publishing that is very worth reading no matter where you are in your writing career.

Furthermore, digital publishing is a very volatile business right now. What worked six months ago, may not work now or six months from now. If you want to be in this business (and yes, self-publishing is publishing), you have to follow what's going on out there, invest in yourself and occasionally take risks that follow no proven precedent. Or you could toss your book out into cyberspace and wait for lightning to strike. Your choice.

In the last post, I talked about why writers write. The most basic reasons are the same as they are for why we read: to entertain or be entertained, to inform or be informed, to connect or be connected. Stories can put life happenings in perspective or simply let us escape from life itself.

People become writers because they feel like they have something to say and they want others to hear it. They want to give someone else the same joys of reading that they have discovered. If you've written something, this is the point where you need to be really honest with yourself about what else you expect from writing and whether or not you're willing to overcome your fears and make the investment and sacrifices required to reach your goals.

Many people are in love with the idea of being a writer: either a reclusive curmudgeon who never gets out of his PJs, pounding out literary brilliance and claiming the Nobel Prize for Literature while avoiding the media, or maybe a bestselling thriller author who jets around doing TV interviews (Today Show, Tonight Show, Charlie Rose) and mingles with Hollywood elite. The reality for most writers is very, very different, I assure you. For most, it's a long road of dedication, giving up free time, learning the craft and persistence in the face of rejection and criticism. If you can't endure all that, pick another career.

Use (But Don't Abuse) Social Media:

This is perhaps one of the most useful and most overused tools for writers. You can waste huge chunks of time reading/writing blogs, debating the Oxford comma on forums and chit-chatting about American Idol on Twitter (not that I've done any of those things *cough*). Are you using social media for a much needed break after finishing that critical scene? Looking for or sharing valuable links? Or are you putting off doing something productive?

If you are willing to put in the time to learn, the best advice I can give is to hang out at Kindleboards. The Writers' Cafe there is a great place to get news about digital and indie publishing, ideas on marketing strategies and to find both encouragement and inspiration. The authors are wonderful about sharing what they did to achieve sales. I wish I had the time and gumption to use half of what I read there. If you do nothing else, read the threads and absorb the wisdom, but also be wise enough to consider the source. Listen to those with experience and proven track records.

Set up a Facebook fan page or e-mail newsletter. Through e-mail and Facebook, you can let readers know whenever something mildly exciting happens, like finalizing a cover or a projected publication date.

When on Twitter, BE SOCIAL. I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. It's fun and challenging to be entertaining in so few words and I've met some witty people there and others with similar interests besides writing. What I do get weary of is the constant stream of links from other writers about where to buy their book. Have a new release or a milestone to share - by all means mention it. But for Pete's sake, keep it to a minimum. Nothing's more boring than someone who talks shop incessantly and few things are more annoying than someone who's always trying to sell you something.

Be Professional and Nice:

This ties in with the social media aspect, but I want to mention it separately because it deserves special attention. We all have opinions, but remember that everything you write and send out into cyberspace is there FOREVER.

When it comes to reviews, if you get one that seems negative to you, never, ever, ever comment back. And don't complain on forums, even in general, about some review you got. Book bloggers and customers who take the time to leave reviews are simply sharing their take on a book. The review is meant for other readers; it's not a personal attack on you. Not everyone is going to love your book. If someone leaves a less than favorable review, it could actually help better define your intended audience. How? If I'm scanning reviews on a book I'm considering and I see that someone hates, abhors and loathes the fact that story is written in intensely emotional first person POV and has some action-packed battle scenes - Oooo, I'm sampling that one and maybe even buying it.

If you're an author, it's probably not a good idea to slam other authors or leave nasty reviews of their books. Doing so just makes you look petty, competitive and unprofessional.

Being a nice person won't lose you any readers. Being negative or nasty very well might.

Get Your Book in Front of Readers:

Many times, newly published indie authors will post links to their books repeatedly on social media, like Facebook or Twitter (see above). There's nothing wrong with letting your family, friends and colleagues know your book is for sale and where to find it. The problem with stopping there is that you're limiting your audience. Although your story and writing may be brilliant, your friends may not read the kind of books you write. Other writers are often busy writing and can only read so many books. Besides, flogging your book to the point of spamming just becomes more white noise in an already crowded stream of social media.

So how do you reach readers? Social media, giveaways (on blogs and at Goodreads or LibraryThing), and advertisements. Ohhh, but advertising costs money, doesn't it? Well, it can. Blogs that have a huge readership (in the tens of thousands, like Kindle Nation Daily or Pixel of Ink) and that are picky about what books they will and won't post can afford to charge money. If those blogs attract readers who like your genre of books, it can be a worthwhile investment. Publishing on a shoe string? There are other blogs that charge less and many times other authors will be happy to feature your book or have you guest blog, for free. Keep your eyes open. Again, Kindleboards is a great place to learn about opportunities.

Stay Focused on Writing:

All the above can be both distracting and time-consuming. Devote a little time to those things every week, but most importantly, you need to remain focused on WRITING. Often, someone will write a book, publish it and then get consumed with 'promoting' that book. If you've only got one book in you, that's fine. But if you plan on building a career out of writing, you need to write more than one book.

Yes, you need to spend time discussing and learning the business of publishing, finding ways to market your book, and it doesn't hurt to keep honing your craft. But at what point are you just procrastinating? Writing a book can take months or even years. Clicking through social media is immediately rewarding. Long term goals vs. short term rewards. You choose.

The more books you have available (but please, don't rush them to publication, take time to rewrite, edit and let them ferment), the bigger your potential fan base will be. And the more income you'll earn. Simple math.

Make writing a priority. Devote blocks of time to it. Set goals (like daily word count or how many books you plan on finishing this year). Surround yourself with like-minded people and those who will respect your dedication and encourage you.

There is so much more I could say, but the truth is there is more than one way to succeed in writing. And keep in mind that 'success' is a relative term. Some genres and story ideas have more potential to ensnare a bigger audience, so don't get caught up in comparing your sales numbers to Stephen King's.

Sometimes you just get lucky in life (like if Amazon decides to feature your book somewhere), but there are a lot of things you can do to increase your chances of getting lucky: like writing a fantastic book, writing more than one book, searching out readers and investing in your career. You have to decide your own priorities in life.

And on that note, I need to get back to editing. I'm almost finished with another book, but I'm already panicking about the next one.

Happy writing,
Gemi

Why do you write?

2011-12-28T13:00:00.000-05:00

I've had a few other writers ask lately how I sold so many e-books. I promise I'll get to that in another post soon - or at least give my best guess - but first I need to back up and explore something a little more basic.

The first question I always want to ask other writers is: Why do you write?

You see, I write because I have to. Sorry to get esoteric on you, but the truth is I write because I am an emotional creature, constantly analyzing why people do and say things. I learned long ago that while I couldn't control other people and events in my life, I could neatly arrange everything on the page, make sense of it all and find the closure that simply doesn't exist in the real world. A control issue? Hmm, maybe. But I think it's more about expression, about sharing the human experience, about bonding, sometimes with complete strangers (readers - yay!).

While I'm sure there are writers out there who can neatly build plotlines from formulas and find success that way, I'd imagine a lot of writers are just people trying to make sense of the world. We're made, rather than born. Life beats us up and being the overly sensitive creatures we are, we try to heal those wounds by living through our fiction. We create heroes because we need them. We make challenges and provide our characters with ways to overcome them. Really, we're just people with deep souls, chasing demons. And winning.

I love to be alone for at least part of the day. I love to think. I love to create something out of nothing. And I love the way words sound. Most of all, I understand the impact words can have if arranged in just the right way. They can inspire, paint vivid pictures in our minds, and teach; they can also hurt. They can connect us, in both good and bad ways, and they can drive us apart. Words are powerful - and that fascinates me.

Writing - and by the same token, reading - help us better understand and cope with the monsters in life. Cheap therapy, if you will. So, that's what I've been doing - writing. For a looong time. Like ten years. Trust me, if you keep writing, you'll end up having written more than a few books and you'll get better with each one.

If you truly have the soul of a writer, keep writing. Don't worry about whether or not you'll succeed. Don't worry about how much money you will or won't make. Don't get discouraged by criticism or naysayers. Don't let fear or perfectionism paralyze you.

Just write. From you soul. Say something worth saying. Write stories worth telling, with memorable characters in extraordinary situations. Exorcise your demons. Be funny, be informative or be poignant. Be you. And share that part of you with others through writing.

Happy writing,
Gemi

The Crown in the Heather - 99 Cent Holiday Sale!

2011-12-25T11:14:00.004-05:00

For all those folks opening up their shiny new Kindle Touches and Kindle Fires, The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy: Book I) is just 99 cents on Kindle for a limited time during the holidays!

Need a last minute gift for someone special? Just click on 'Give as gift' and your present will be delivered electronically.

Don't have a Kindle? FREE Kindle apps are available for PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry and other devices.

Here's hoping your holidays are filled with loved ones, peace, good times and great reading!

All the best,
Gemi

What a Difference a Year Makes

2011-12-22T14:37:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, dreams can be elusive. You pour all your energy into them, years go by and it seems you're no closer to than you were when you started. The bigger and bolder those dreams are, the smaller the guarantee that you'll ever attain them.

It can be a struggle. It can be painful. Hope appears unexpectedly and then gets dashed on the rocks into a million little pieces. Writers know this heartbreak well. Yet dreams spur us on, whisper in our ear to 'keep trying, keep trying'. Many times we talk sense into ourselves and settle for a safer, less frustrating existence.

I don't know how many of you are reality show junkies, but I shamelessly admit to being one. There are always contestants, particularly on talent shows like The X-Factor and American Idol, who step forward and share the story of their struggles: poverty, addiction, years on the road seeking out that one big break. Talent and persistence alone don't always equal success. Sometimes the missing element is just plain luck.

A year ago, I had sold an unimpressive total of about 400 e-books after six months and three books. It wasn't even enough to cover my start-up expenses. Satisfied, I'd given it a go, I signed up at the local community college for courses in biology and geology. I had bills to pay and I accepted that my life was headed down a new path - that of becoming a teacher. An admirable vocation and it was about time I put my neglected degree to use. For four months, I didn't write a single word. Encouraged by a steady uptick in sales, I continued to market my work, but I was thoroughly convinced there wouldn't be a fourth book. It just wasn't worth the effort anymore.

Fast forward a year later and not only is the fourth book out, but I'm close to finishing my fifth. By Christmas, I'll have sold a total of 30,000 e-books. So yeah, for now at least, it looks like this is my career. It doesn't touch what Amanda Hocking, John Locke or a dozen others (see here) have done in this rapidly changing world of publishing, but it's waaay more than I ever imagined possible.

I wanted to share this because I know a lot of writers who have published more recently or who are still struggling to increase sales. I can only advise patience and hard work. It's extremely rare for a book to take off out of the gate, especially a debut. It's crowded out there and it's getting harder and harder to get noticed. I understand the frustration, but if you chuck your dreams today, whatever they are, you may never know how close you were to reaching them.

Meanwhile, enjoy the journey. As Socrates said, "If you really want to get to Mt. Olympus, make sure every step you take is in that direction."

Oh, and Merry Christmas! In celebration, I'm going shopping because my brain is fried from reading medieval history.

Until later,
Gemi

Why I Haven't Enrolled in KDP Select

2011-12-15T09:18:00.003-05:00

I usually shy away from controversial topics, but here goes...

For those of you who haven't heard yet, Amazon recently offered a new program for authors and small presses who upload books to Kindle directly called KDP Select. In a nutshell, it requires that the e-books enrolled in the program be withdrawn from other retailers for the initial 90 days. This does not apply to audiobooks or print versions, just e-books. For buyers, the upside is that if you're a member of Amazon Prime ($79 annual fee) you may borrow one Kindle book per month for free, provided it's part of KDP Select. Authors whose books you borrow then get a per cent of a fund set aside by Amazon, based on the number of borrows. Authors may also select to offer any book in KDP select for FREE for up to 5 days.

Let me just say this has been the most divisive topic among indie authors that I can remember since I started indie publishing a year and a half ago. Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords and probably the first and biggest distributor of digital content to embrace indie authors, had his own understandable thoughts on the matter. He spoke about the possible far-reaching implications here, from both a broader business perspective and the potential effects for both authors and readers.

For many authors who weren't selling enough copies elsewhere to justify not joining in the KDP program, it made sense. With free books, there's a chance for fresh exposure to new readers. So far, I've not made any of my books free, but that doesn't mean I don't see it as a viable marketing tactic. It's just one more tool in the kit.

Added exposure is another allure of KDP Select. Amazon Prime members are voracious consumers/readers. What author wouldn't want to be placed squarely in their sights?

Frankly, I feel like part of the minority, because I didn't join. David Gaughran discusses the topic more thoroughly here in his blog. I had many of the same misgivings.

But what it really came down to for me is that MY READERS MATTER MORE TO ME THAN MY SHORT TERM GAIN. Indie author Kait Nolan gives her perspective as a Nook owner here.

A couple weeks ago, I had a lovely e-mail from a fan waiting for the final installment of The Bruce Trilogy to come out on Nook. The delay was primarily with me not getting a properly formatted book to Smashwords in a timely manner (too many irons in the fire, yeah, yeah). Eventually I uploaded to Barnes and Noble directly, so that lovely reader had his book just two days later.

I don't sell piles of e-books through Apple or B&N. Not even 2% of my digital sales are through retailers other than Amazon. But that 2% matters to me. I don't care what kind of e-reader you choose to own. I want my books to be available in as many places as possible. Variety and competition, I believe, enrich our lives by making our options more individualized.

There are many, many things Amazon does well and perhaps the greatest thing going for the site is that it is soooo easy for readers to search for new titles there. I have found so many fantastic new voices this past year since I first got my Kindle, that I've never been more satisfied as a reader.

As an author, I'd prefer to just sit back and see where this is going and how other retailers and distributors will counter this move. For now, everything is status quo on this end.

Until later,
Gemi

Imperfect Heroes: Tristan Vazante

2011-12-05T11:07:00.001-05:00

Today's imperfect hero is Tristan Vazante, brought to you by the author of Artemis Rising, Cheri Lasota -

*****
When my dear friend Gemi asked me to post about my “imperfect hero” Tristan Vazante, I thought: What a brilliant idea! We adore our fictional heroes as we read them and write them and daydream about them. Yet, oftentimes, we gloss over their imperfections and impatiently await the story’s happy ending—something we wish for ourselves vicariously through our characters. So much of how stories affect us comes down to reader expectation. Most genre fiction “requires” a happy ending (even series books) despite the sufferings and betrayals we put our characters through. But if we only wrote perfect characters, where would the story be?

We all go through experiences of deep betrayal and hurt in our lives, usually at the hand of those we love most. And much of what draws us to fiction is the ability to see how others deal with the problems we have had. How do they survive pain, cruelty and abuse and come out stronger than ever? Just as our dreams let our subconscious work out problem-solving situations, I attest that fiction does the same thing in our waking hours, albeit with a little more sense!

Fiction may be fantasy, but it often explores the most raw and universal truths about the dark side of humanity. When we read, we work on these societal problems within the context and safety of a world that does not exist. This helps us to process situations we may not be able to face otherwise. Besides entertainment, fiction has had the power to move us to action within our own lives. It empowers, enlightens and reveals. The pen truly is mightier than the sword!

My young Azorean Islander Tristan Vazante is an amalgam of many different people: the Knight Tristan of Cornwall (Arthurian legend), the Greek God Alpheus (to add a bit more of a dark side), pieces of several different beloved characters from other novels and films, and even parts of men I’ve known throughout my life. Most importantly, I needed to make sure that his personality and beliefs matched the time period and location in which he lived (1880s Azores Islands): deeply religious, kind and welcoming, salt of the earth.

That’s quite a patchwork quilt of a character, eh? This was all quite purposeful, because I knew my tendency was to protect him from harm, as he was my favorite character in the book. When I create any character, there are a few specific characteristics I give all of them before I can really get a sense of who they are. Here were Tristan’s:

• Greatest strength: self-sacrifice
• Greatest need/desire: the heroine, Arethusa, of course! =)
• Childhood trauma: loss of mother
• Deepest secret: his origins
• Fatal flaw: lack of loyalty

Tristan’s traits needed to both compliment and contrast with my heroine’s characteristics, so the characters could attract and repel each other at different points in the story. Early on in drafting Artemis Rising, Tristan’s main flaw was that he had no flaw. So I worked hard at creating a more complex background and personality for him.

In the end, his fatal flaw—lack of loyalty—tested the characters’ love right down to its foundations. The scene in which it is most forcefully illustrated appears to touch my readers deeply. Could this be perhaps because they recognize and remember such pain in their own lives? Certainly that scene fulfills that purpose for me. I remember, too, how difficult that scene was to write. It brought me to tears that day and it still does when I re-read it. And for some readers it does the same. There is a catharsis in seeing our own experiences laid bare in the life of another, fictional or otherwise. It helps us make sense of the madness and frailty of human nature and accept it for what it is.

Later on Tristan’s loyalty is tested once again. And this brings me to an important point. Writers seem to know inherently that if a character fails his first test, he’ll need to be tested again. The second time, a hero has to learn from his previous mistake. Or if he doesn’t, he becomes more of an anti-hero.

The beauty in Tristan for me is that he is always a hero, despite his imperfections. He has a moment of weakness—and it’s big one—but it doesn’t destroy his honor permanently. For me, he represents the epitome of hope: despite our flaws we can still be redeemed. This is such an important message for me personally. He reminds me of this every time I think about him. And isn’t that a mark of a good character? You remember him long after the book ends. Here’s hoping he nestles in your heart as much as he did mine. *sigh*

*****
Cheri's Website

Artemis Rising on:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes and Noble
SpireHouse Books

Thanks so much for sharing about Tristan, Cheri!

Happy reading,
Gemi

Three 5-star Novels for Under $3

2011-11-29T12:26:00.005-05:00

Since I acquired my Kindle, I've read some of the best books in years! In fact, I've read more good books in the last six months than in the last six years put together. Even better is that there are a lot of excellent, well-written books out there you can buy for less than $3 and some at just 99 cents. While I don't believe in climbing aboard the indie train solely for the sake of doing so, I do believe in recommending self-published and small press authors who've written some amazing books that truly deserve a wider audience.

Being the sensitive idealist I am, I love a book that makes you think, cry, laugh or sometimes do all those things. Today I'm featuring three poignant and thought-provoking Kindle books by debut novelists who I can confidently count among my all-time favorite reads. To browse some of the top Indie books on Amazon, click here. Meanwhile, here are my three picks for 2011:

*****
Daisychains of Silence, by Catherine MacLeod

"Daisy’s story unfolds over three days of memories and misunderstandings during a visit to her mother, Ellen, who’s in the early stages of dementia.

An idyllic childhood in the highlands of Scotland ends abruptly when Daisy is sent to boarding school, but that’s just the beginning of her unravelling. Fall-out from her parents’ disintegrating marriage spirals her into chaos and the 1970s Punk scene, but childhood memories intrude.

Daisy keeps it all inside, but she has had enough. Forbidden contact with her family, she marries Jake, a musician, determined to build her life from scratch, based on honesty not lies.

All goes well for twenty five years, till Jake faces a crisis of his own. Daisy reverts to old ways of coping as betrayal and family secrets are exposed, loosening the threads woven so tightly into the fabric of her life.

Ellen is losing her already shaky grip on reality. If Daisy is ever to find out the truth, she must do it now. A gun and a bundle of letters at her mother’s house trigger a series of painful but ultimately cathartic memories, forcing Daisy to re-examine her past.

The story explores the bonds of friendship and the ties between mother and daughter, father and lover. Mostly though, Daisy’s story is about trust."

*****
The Silver Mist, by Martin Treanor

"Her dying father calls her unique, doctors have diagnosed her ‘brain is wired wrong’, most say she's ‘plain simple’ yet, in herself, young Down’s syndrome woman, Eve Hayes, feels only that she’s different. Then, on 21st July, 1972 - Belfast's ‘Bloody Friday’ - Eve encounters the captivating Esther, who ferries Eve on a sequence of illuminating, metaphysical journeys. In order to make sense of the slaughter that surrounds her, Eve must first learn the truth of her perceived difference, and therein unravel the timeless purpose of the silver mist. "

*****

Einstein's Shutter, by Vincent Yanez

"Einstein’s Shutter is a whirlwind journey into a decade of one man’s life, in New York City, during what turns out to be one of the most horrific times in U.S. History. It’s also a story about redemption, reincarnation and ultimately it is a story of the power of the human spirit in a man, and a city, finding the strength they need to rise again after the attack on 9/11.

Einstein’s Shutter is also a comedy, a romance novel and ultimately a memoir of one life, amongst millions, in the greatest city in the world. "

*****
Happy reading,
Gemi

Small Business Saturday - Support Cottage Industry!

2011-11-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

(Kindle sleeve from Downstairs Designs)

When Black Friday rolls around, I hunker down at home. No way am I venturing out to sit in traffic, elbow fellow bargain hunters at the clearance rack or shuffle forward one foot at a time at the checkout line. Not to mention stores opening on Thanksgiving evening is something I find to be, errrr, over-the-top commercialism. Please, give the poor cashiers a break. Let them gather round at the dining room table with nieces and nephews and in-laws, eating leftover pumpkin pie, while the fiftieth football game of the day plays out on the big screen.

While I'm not sure how this movement got started, I think Small Business Saturday is a fabulous concept! Something to counter the chain stores, give a boost to local economies and help keep small business afloat.

One bonus effect of the e-reader boom, besides the growing ranks of indie authors and micropresses, are all the cottage industries that have sprung up in an effort to provide diehard readers with bags and sleeves and covers to keep their Kindles/Nooks safe and protected. You can find tons of them on Etsy.com. I have spent HOURS browsing Etsy, so you don't have to, but do feel free to wander. This is quality, durable, handmade stuff at reasonable prices. The sorts of gifts that last for years and are truly unique. Here are a few of my favorite Etsy shops:

S olar Threads (Quilted Kindle sleeves) - I have an orangey-gold Kangaroo print sleeve that I adore.

Joe V. Leather (Everything from leather Kindle covers, to wallets, bracelets and belts. A great place to browse especially if you're shopping for some of the guys in your life.) - I'm frothing over the tree cover and the sun-face one. While leather covers do add a bit of bulk to your e-reader, they are excellent protection, while adding a touch of class. Plus, if you want your e-reader to feel more like a book in your hands, covers are the way to go.

Gardenour Leather (Leather selections from Kindle and iPad sleeves, to purses, wallets and checkbook covers.) - Someone on Kindleboards recommended this company and they have many admirers there. Slightly more affordable than some of the other leather covers you'll find.

Borsa Bella Design Co. (e-reader and electronics bags and purses) - Between my daughter and me, we own four Borsa Bella bags. Need I say more? If I were a millionaire, I'd buy myself ten more and then buy all my friends some. Fast, personalized service. Variety of sizes and patterns available. Stylish and practical.

Here are a few more:

Stephanie Kiker Designs - Whimsical, cushiony e-reader sleeves in bright colors with original artwork (marine life, dragonflies, butterflies, etc.).

BritGal Designs - E-reader sleeves and cases in an endless variety of patterns and colors.

OhKey - More sleeves and cases in bold designs.

That should keep you busy shopping for awhile!

Happy reading,
Gemi

Imperfect Heroines: Aridela

2011-11-20T09:30:00.003-05:00

Today, author and guest blogger Rebecca Lochlann talks about about her Imperfect Heroine, Aridela, from her debut novel, The Year-God's Daughter.

To view the YouTube book trailer, click here.

For time beyond memory, Crete has sacrificed its king to ensure good harvests, ward off earthquakes, and please the Goddess. Men compete in brutal trials to win the title of Zagreus, the sacred bull-king, even though winning means they'll die in a year.

Two brothers from predatory Mycenae set out to thwart the competition and their deaths as they search for exploitable weaknesses in this rich, coveted society.

Hindering their goal is the seductive and fearless Cretan princess, Aridela, an uncommon woman neither brother can resist, and ancient prophecies, which predict that any threat to her people will spark Goddess Athene's terrible wrath in a calamity of unimaginable consequences.

(Want to win a paperback copy of The Year-god's Daughter? Enter the giveaway at Goodreads, going on now!)

*****
"I would like to explore my heroine, Aridela, rather than one of my heroes, for one reason: current stories seem wont to portray women as flawless, lacking even the perfectly normal “flaw” of not having as much physical strength as males. In Aridela, I wanted to create a protagonist who is strong, yes, but real and believable. I wanted to show how she acquires her strength, rather than simply shoving her out there already formed, as if by magic.

Child of privilege, daughter to the Queen of Crete, she has never known want or suffering. She has never experienced betrayal, humiliation, subterfuge or fear. Renowned tutors educate her. She learns how to discern truth from lies in the Chamber of Suppliants. Ten years old at the book’s outset, Aridela is an indulged, sheltered princess. Adventurous, bold, and charismatic, Aridela is inherently ready, yet profoundly unprepared, to take the throne of Crete. The people adore her, her mother dotes on her; she impresses even the hard-nosed royal counselors. Like many of Crete’s citizens, Aridela reveres beauty and beautiful things. She doesn’t realize how shallow she is, because most around her are the same. The reader might be excused for thinking this child will grow up to be a spoiled, independent woman, emphasis on “spoiled.” But naturally, I wanted more for her.

When Aridela meets and crushes on Menoetius, it’s easy to understand why. He’s a gorgeous, charming, seventeen year old foreigner with a delightful accent. What ten-year-old girl wouldn’t fall for a guy like that? But he goes home. Aridela grows up and hankers after another youth—no surprise that the object of her affection is a dazzling, celebrated bull leaper. It’s when the warriors of the mainland converge upon Crete, determined to win the Games and become the next bull-king, that real challenges begin chewing away her comfort zone. Chrysaleon, the arrogant prince of Mycenae, introduces Aridela to passion. Again, it’s easy to see what draws her: he’s good looking and a prince. It takes her awhile to realize the guard he’s brought with him is none other than her first love, Menoetius, but a profoundly different Menoetius than the boy she knew. No longer beautiful, he is the first challenge Divine Athene sets in her path. How will she deal with this angry, wounded man? She has no experience with the kind of pain he’s suffered. Harpalycus, another mainland prince, introduces her to cruelty and shame. Harpalycus is Aridela’s first exposure to humiliation, to fear, to a sense of her weakness. He and the other mainland competitors lay bare the encroaching danger of the world outside her safe island paradise.

Aridela, a coddled princess, faces challenges that will either destroy her or incorporate the necessary components needed by all rulers from antiquity to the present: humility, caution, empathy, and compassion. Immortal Athene takes her child into the blackest pit where life no longer holds value. From that place, Aridela will survive and recover, honed by adversity, or become what her oppressors want. Either way, she will be very different from the child who brazenly entered the ring and joyously danced with a wild bull."

The Year-god's Daughter can be found here:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
OmniLit

Rebecca Lochlann's blog/website

*****
Bio:
Rebecca fell in love with the stories and myths of the ancient Greeks at a very early age. It took about fifteen years to research the Bronze Age segments of the series, and encompassed rare historical documents, mythology, archaeology, ancient writing, ancient religions, and volcanology.

"The Year-god's Daughter" is her first novel: Book One of "The Child of the Erinyes" Series. Its sequel, "The Thinara King," will follow in a few months.

Though she cannot remember actually living in the Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, the Victorian era, and so on, she believes in the ability to find a way through the labyrinth of time, and that deities will sometimes speak to us in dreams and visions, gently prompting us to tell their forgotten stories.
*****

Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!

Happy reading,
Gemi

Giveaways for The Honor Due a King

2011-11-19T11:16:00.005-05:00

I almost forgot to mention (*head/desk*) two giveaways that are running now:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Honor Due a King

by N. Gemini Sasson

Giveaway ends November 27, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Check out the Goodreads giveaway (signed paperback copy) above or hop on over to Unusual Historicals (paperback or Kindle copy)!

If you want to put a paperback of The Honor Due a King on your Christmas list, Amazon.com still has it at a discount for $12.25 right now. No guarantees on how long that will last, though.

Huge thanks to all those readers who have put The Honor Due a King on Kindle's Top 100 Bestsellers' List for Historical Fiction this past month.

Tomorrow, tune in for guest blogger, author Rebecca Lochlann, as she talks about one of her characters from her new novel, The Year-god's Daughter.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Imperfect Heroes: Archer Hamilton

2011-11-15T14:00:00.002-05:00

(Artwork credit: B. Lloyd)

Today, novelist V.R. Christensen is jumping in and telling us about her Imperfect Hero: Archer Hamilton from her book, Of Moths and Butterflies.

Blurb:

Archer Hamilton is a collector of rare and beautiful insects. Gina Shaw is a servant in his uncle’s house. Clearly out of place in the position in which she has been discovered, she becomes a source of fascination . . . and curiosity.

A girl with a blighted past and a fortune she deems a curse, Gina has lowered herself in order to find escape from her family and their scheming designs. But when she is found, the stakes suddenly become dire.

All Gina wants is the freedom to live her life as she would wish. All her aunts want is the money that comes with her. But there is more than one way to trap an insect. An arranged marriage might turn out profitable for more parties than one.

Mr. Hamilton is about to make the acquisition of a lifetime. But will the price be worth it? Can a woman captured and acquired learn to love the man who has bought her?

*****

"Perfect people are boring. I cannot understand them (because I don’t know any, myself) and I cannot sympathise with them. I do, however, have a deep appreciation for those who strive to be good, despite their weaknesses, despite their downfalls. A hero who is too good is unbelievable, and yet...one that is too flawed...well, they are difficult to root for. It’s hard to find that balance.

I acquired, several years ago, a very battered collection of George Meredith’s works, and I’ve been trying to read my way through them. He writes such amazing women, strong and good, if sometimes rebellious, which I like. That was quite a flaw in the Victorian era, female independence, you know. And his heroes? They are equally flawed. Perhaps more so. Richard Feverel (The Ordeal of Richard Feverel) for example is too obedient and it becomes a tragic flaw. And yet you follow him with rapt fascination toward and into that tragedy. Evan Harrinton, on the other hand, is what they call a ‘managed man’. His elder sister tells him what to do and where to go and whom to love and what to make of his life. And for the most part he does it. And when he doesn’t want to do it, he wallows around feeling sorry for himself and wondering why he cannot get up the gumption to stand up to her. I found him difficult to sympathise with. Perhaps because I’m a woman with a fiercely independent spirit. But it is, nevertheless, a truism that those who must fight for what they want appreciate it most, while those by nature blessed rarely take full advantage of their opportunities. At any rate, Evan was a difficult book to engage in.

And so I knew, when it came time for me to write of my own ‘managed man’ that I had to walk a fine line.

Archer Hamilton is young and he has much of youthful ambition and willfulness about him. And yet he doesn’t always use these to the best effect. He is controlled, manipulated by his uncle who has raised him, and who has raised him to believe he will inherit...if he observes his duty. And chiefest of his duties is to marry a fortune. This is all well enough until he meets the unfortunate Miss Shaw, who he later learns is a servant in his uncle’s house. He cannot marry her, and yet he is irresistibly drawn to her. He considers, and very seriously, breaking with his uncle over the matter, but then...he has no money of his own. He is powerless.

Miss Shaw, as it turns out, is not the penniless misfortunate she would like people to believe her, and when it is discovered she’s actually the unwilling beneficiary of a sizable fortune, Archer’s uncle arranges their marriage. Archer does not object, in fact quite the reverse, but the blessing of having the woman he wants comes with an enormous price. He is now his uncle’s puppet. Sir Edmund has seized the money and taken control of everything, and Archer is helpless now to do anything for himself. Neither has he the respect of his wife. And without this, perhaps the most important thing of all, he has nothing.

Archer is not entirely without strengths, however. From his mother he learned the value of earning the love and respect of others, which has been his primary motivation in remaining loyal to his uncle. Sir Edmund might, should Archer manage to please him, be the father he never had. More than anything, though, he must grow up, something he has so far not bee required to do, with everything he’s ever needed handed to him on a plate. He learns, and quickly, the value of worthwhile loyalty, and that family pride, money, tradition, the opinion of the masses, these mean nothing when you have not the love and respect of those most important to you. For these he learns to fight, whatever the cost.

As a work entirely fictional, it seems, and perhaps is, an impossible story. And yet there are parallels to modern life. The book is about the various forms of abuse, mostly (though not entirely) psychological, and about the barriers we allow to be placed in the paths to our own success and happiness. Those barriers are most often the direct results of our own flaws and weaknesses. We may blame them on circumstance or on others, but we always have a choice what we will do with the obstacles placed before us, and, too, with the opportunities. Sometimes they are not, after all, entirely different.

I am a champion of the underdog, of the honestly flawed. To have weaknesses and to be honest about them speaks of a person who is trying to do and be better, rather than pretending to be something he is not. I cannot help but respect that. It’s true we have too few heroes in this world, but I’ll take a flawed hero over a perfect one any day."

(Thanks so much V.R.!)

V.R. Christensen's web site

Blog

Facebook

Of Moths and Butterflies is available at:

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

Happy reading,
Gemi

Imperfect Heroes: James Douglas

2011-11-10T17:31:00.005-05:00

In the coming month, I'll be featuring some Imperfect Heroes from fellow historical novelists. These are the guys who tip the scales, rise victorious from conflict and (hopefully) get the girl in the end, but they aren't without their flaws.

We could discuss the (exemplary) archetypal hero vs. the (contrary) antihero, but what about those protagonists who fall somewhere in between? As in reality, literary persona run the gradient of good and bad traits. For those of you who have read Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales, Uhtred Uhtredson of Bebbenburg, on first impression, is about as antihero as you can get. He's cynical, ruthless, and far from being the romantic type. But over the course of the stories, you see a clear pattern evolve - he keeps his word, he's courageous and he's more than willing to take action to get what he wants. And that makes him admirable.

Perfect heroes are boring. Let's face it - Prince Charming is very one dimensional. He's handsome, he's rich and his kiss alone can wake Sleeping Beauty from a seemingly interminable coma. All very convenient for our wilting maiden, but in fairy tales like that, it's external circumstances, not the characters themselves, that need to be overcome for a happy ending.

As we get older, we come to realize perfect people don't exist. And in real life, happy endings aren't always guaranteed. We can identify with flawed characters. We feel their angst, understand their fears. We root for them. Cheer when they succeed. Mourn when they fail.

When I started to write The Bruce Trilogy, the first chapter I put down was about ten-year old James Douglas, standing on the parapets of Berwick at his father's side, witnessing the assault on the castle and subsequent massacre led by the ruthless Edward I (Longshanks) of England. That event - the atrocities and his father's humbling submission - determined his life's path. It filled him with the want for retribution, hatred for his enemies, and the determination to put things right in the only way he knew how - by force of arms. Unfortunately, being so young then, he could only bide his time. How serendipitous that when he finally came of age, Robert the Bruce was making a bid for the crown of Scotland. He became King Robert's most loyal soldier and, renowned for his cunning and stealth, was given command at a young age.

Perfect? Hardly. He was right for the role he played in Scotland's history, but as a man he was an imperfect being. What few descriptions we have of him are that he spoke with a lisp and then not often. One gets the impression that he was shy with words, maybe even a little uncomfortable in social situations with the opposite sex, even though his male friendships were like Super-Glue bonds. I focused a lot on this awkwardness in The Honor Due a King, where his reticence keeps the woman he loves at bay, and his loyalty conflicts, more than once, with winning his life's love. Even as I was writing him, I kept wanting to grab him by the collar and say, "Speak up, man! How is anyone supposed to know how you feel if you keep pushing it back down inside you and denying it? You deserve her. Go for it, will you?"

In time, his loyalty and thirst for revenge became traits that even he began to question. Numerous times he recaptured, ruined and even razed his own boyhood home, Douglas Castle, because he did not want the English to have it.

As for the girl - well, I won't tell you if he gets her in the end. You'll have to read the book to find out.

P.S. The guy on the cover of The Bruce Trilogy books - that's James Douglas. But if you've been thinking all along that it's Robert the Bruce, please continue to do so.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Giveaway for The Bruce Trilogy over at Musings of a Book Junkie

2011-10-19T10:24:00.004-04:00

If you still need to catch up on reading The Bruce Trilogy, Allison over at Musings of a Book Junkie is hosting a giveaway for one copy of a book from the series (The Crown in the Heather, Worth Dying For or The Honor Due a King), your choice of either Kindle or paperback (and yes, international entries are fine). Contest deadline is November 1st - so hurry over and add your name and contact info.!

To enter, click here.

Meanwhile, The Honor Due a King has stealthily found its way into the Top 100 for Historical Fiction on Kindle and I'm spending my days in 14th century England, working on the sequel to Isabeau. My desk is being overrun by research books, highlighters and Post-It notes.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Razing castles

2011-10-10T13:39:00.002-04:00

Hi All!

I'm guest blogging over at Sarah Woodbury's on razing castles in the 14th century. Follow me over there and check out Sarah's incredible blog, filled with historical articles!

Best,
Gemi

The Honor Due a King (The Bruce Trilogy: Book III)

2011-10-05T11:54:00.003-04:00

It's been a marathon week and as evidence to that, it's nearly noon and I'm still in yesterday's clothes. I just finished a backlog mountain of laundry at midnight last night and the grass has grown a foot since last mowing.

The end result is that the final installment in The Bruce Trilogy, The Honor Due a King, is now available as an e-book at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Smashwords (for Nook, Ipad, Sony and Kobo). I'll post here again when it's directly available from Barnes and Noble, etc. The paperback should be available on Amazon well before the end of the month.

As I caught up this morning with e-mails from readers to let them know about the new release, I realized how the interest has snowballed over the past year and I got a little... misty. It's been a challenging year, both frustrating and rewarding in turns. But nothing worth doing is ever easy. So whatever your dreams and goals are - go for them! There are people out there who like to squash dreams by criticizing, dismissing or talking bad about you. Forget about them. As Oprah says: "Surround yourself with angels."

Now, here's the blurb for The Honor Due a King:

In the dawn of a kingdom, loyalties and lies collide.

The truth will change England and Scotland forever.

In the triumphant aftermath of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce faces unfamiliar battles. His wife Elizabeth, held captive in England for eight long years, has finally returned home to Scotland. With his marriage in ruin and hopes for an heir quickly fading, Robert vows to fulfill an oath from long ago—one which will not only bind his daughter to a man she does not love, but challenge the honor of his most trusted knight, James Douglas.

While Ireland falls to the Scots, King Edward II of England must contend with quarrelsome barons. Hugh Despenser is the one man who can give him both the loyalty and love he so desperately craves. War with France looms and Edward’s only chance at peace rests with his queen, Isabella—a woman who has every reason to seek her own revenge.

Tormented by his past, James returns to a solitary, ruthless life of raiding into the north of England. When a bewitching spy promises him the ultimate victory, James must weigh whether to unveil the truth and risk losing her love—or guard his secrets and forever preserve Robert’s faith in him.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Goldilocks and the Three Books

2011-09-29T08:48:00.003-04:00

Imagine Goldilocks rumbling through the Three Bears' house. She's bored and in need of something to read. She flips through the family-shared Kindle (because bears are too poor to afford multiple e-readers):

1) Finds a Stephen King book: "This is too scary!"
2) Opens a Nicholas Sparks book: "This is too mushy!"
3) Discovers Carl Sagan's Cosmos buried in a collection: "Now this is just right!"

After filling her tummy with Mueslix (hey, they may be poor bears, but they're health-conscious), and sipping some chamomile tea while trying out the different recliners, she finds herself getting nappy and looks for a place to sack out. Shortly after which the bears walk in and---

(Okay, that story needed to be brought into the 21 century, but I digress...)

*****

After a long night flopping around on my bed because the springs were digging into my bones and waking up more tired than when I went to sleep, I figured it was time for a new mattress. I've been contemplating one of those squishy memory foam ones. The Tempurpedic commercials have infiltrated my brain, you see. So of course I posed the question to my buddies on Facebook (because, next to Google and Wikipedia, that's the best place to gather collective wisdom).

Opinions ranged wildly. From "Love mine!" to "I felt like I was being swallowed by a marshmallow." After having my neck readjusted because I ended up sleeping with my head craned at an impossible angle towards my left shoulder one night, my osteopath said mattresses are an entirely individual matter. Just go with what's comfortable to you.

This made all too much sense. Heck, my husband thinks the firm support of the floor provides a restful night's sleep. Yeah, and I used to think it'd be a blast to be on Survivor until I realized that after sleeping on a bamboo mat on the ground for a few days I'd probably be so sleep-deprived that I'd go postal. Then after getting voted off because I couldn't cooperate with the resident Svengali, I'd watch the show and see myself muttering unintelligibly and wonder who that person who was wearing my face and clothes and using my name.

I'm still undecided on the mattress issue, but it made me think of how individual a lot of choices are. What's perfect to one person is anathema to another. And books, because they often provoke strong emotions, are a prime example of why we can all have distinct reactions to the same thing.

Recently I read a book that stirred some very poignant emotions in me and made me stop and think about life a little more deeply. I loved the dry humor the author used in telling the story, the little snippets of events that played into the bigger picture and the journey of self-discovery the main character traveled. So when I went to leave a review, I was surprised to see how some readers had a very different reaction - as in, they 'just didn't get it'. Had they been sitting in the same room, I would've been tempted to turn around, give them that creased brow look with a slight sneer and say, "How can you not 'get it'? This book is subtle genius, deeply philosophical and emotive. Were you expecting pyrotechnics, car chases and super models?"

But I'd never do something like that. Ever. Because what I do get is that we all have different needs in what suits us - whether it's books, movies or beds. What's right, brilliant and memorable to me will be the opposite for someone else. Everything's relative. The person who loved a book/mattress was right. So was the person who hated it. Offer me a Pepsi and I'll tell you I'd rather go thirsty (no offense, Pepsi fans). I'm a Coke girl. It's my elixir of youth.

This is why when I'm browsing for books, I skim reviews and while I may find them helpful, I never depend on them 100% for picking out my next read. I look through them for specific points that may appeal to me or repel me. If one reviewer goes on and on about how they hated the battle scenes, that's an automatic sample for me - because I LURV battle scenes. If one reviewer gushes about how much they loved the intricate detail - well, that may not be an automatic delete for me, but I'll keep it in mind, because I find too much detail a snooze. I want action, emotions, and characters that grab me by the throat and make me pay attention.

As for picking out books, mostly I rely on the blurb and sample. If I'm still sucked in at the end of the sample, then I buy.

So, Goldilocks had it right. She tried things out herself and came to her own conclusions. I do think the bears would've appreciated it if she had asked permission first, though. ;-) Meanwhile, I'm going to drift over to the furniture store, try to dodge the commissioned salespeople by avoiding eye contact and moving quickly, and test out some mattresses.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Sarah Woodbury - On Turning Medieval Drama into Fiction

2011-09-26T10:10:00.005-04:00

Today, I'm happy to announce a guest post by fellow historical novelist, Sarah Woodbury. I asked Sarah to tell us why she writes about medieval Wales and how the political intrigue there features in her books, including her latest release, a medieval mystery entitled The Good Knight.

*****

"Wales in the middle ages has been a focus of my research and passion as an anthropologist, writer, and amateur historian for the last ten years. One of the joys of working within this era is the extent to which history is stranger than fiction. Medieval Wales provides a wealth of opportunity for story-telling, with all the drama and excitement a novelist could want—without even having to make it all up.

The Good Knight is set against the backdrop of the rule of Owain Gwynedd, one of the most powerful and stable monarchs of north Wales in the middle ages. He was fortunate to have ruled during a time in which England, which had been trying to conquer Wales for a hundred and fifty years, was torn apart by the rivalry of two claimants to the throne: King Stephen and Empress Maud. Owain, in the fine tradition of Welsh royalty, took advantage of the strife in England to consolidate his rule and bring the other Welsh dynasties under his control.

In doing so, however, he engendered animosity among the other lords of Wales—and within his own family. With two wives, multiple mistresses, and a dozen sons, many of whom fought among themselves for power and favor, he created a legacy that would last until the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd at the hands of the English in 1282.

And made him a fulcrum of murder and mayhem in the middle ages."

*****

The Good Knight (A Medieval Mystery)

Intrigue, suspicion, and rivalry among the royal princes casts a shadow on the court of Owain, king of north Wales…

The year is 1143 and King Owain seeks to unite his daughter in marriage with an allied king. But when the groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride’s brother tasks his two best detectives—Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard—with bringing the killer to justice.

And once blame for the murder falls on Gareth himself, Gwen must continue her search for the truth alone, finding unlikely allies in foreign lands, and ultimately uncovering a conspiracy that will shake the political foundations of Wales.

The Good Knight is available now at Amazon, Amazon UK and at
Smashwords.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Artemis Rising, by Cheri Lasota

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Myth and legend unite in Cheri Lasota’s hauntingly beautiful debut novel, Artemis Rising. Even with such an intricate plotline, this book is a highly engaging read that will sweep you away with its lyrical passages.

The story begins as Eva’s mother is mentoring her in the pagan rites of the goddess, Artemis. Eva takes the name of the water nymph, Arethusa, and thus consigns her fate to the myth surrounding the nymph, who was pursued by the river god, Alpheus. But Arethusa’s father, a strict Catholic, discovers them and ships them off to the Azores. Soon, Arethusa finds herself the object of attention of the ship owner’s son, the darkly handsome and possessive Diogo.

When a storm wrecks the ship, Arethusa awakens in the arms of her shy rescuer, the soft-spoken Tristao. Now parentless, Arethusa must suffer the derision of her fellow orphans. Diogo soon appears at her bedside and Arethusa begins to believe that he is her Alpheus.

Soon, another legend arises in Arethusa’s life – the tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde. While struggling to unravel these two ancient tales and their often disturbing correlation to the events in her own life, Arethusa searches for the strength within herself to discover her own destiny.

While it’s easy to get wrapped up in the myth and legend that Lasota has so skillfully laid out here, this book is surprising in both its depth and its message. It gets even more intense as it nears the end. The characters are solid and true. Most of all, Arethusa is a unique heroine of uncommon strength who will have you rooting for her all the way. Artemis Rising is a love story unlike any other, making it even more memorable.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Saying Goodbye to Dragons

2011-09-08T18:56:00.005-04:00

I have shamelessly stolen my son's artwork (from when he was about 14) for this blog post. I hope he won't mind, but I'll find out soon enough. When he was a Buddha-bellied tyke with a bowl haircut, he had a fascination with dinosaurs and dragons. So when we moved into our rat-infested, cob-webby house, which we had blindly bought at a sheriff's auction, I figured after emptying and gutting the place I'd decorate my kids' rooms in a way that was uniquely them. My daughter got a mural with blue sky and green rolling hills dotted with sheep and horses. In my son's room, I stenciled a chair rail border of 2" high green, fire-belching dragons.

Those tiny dragons were there for ten years. Until this past spring, when we discovered he had allergies. So we ripped out the carpet, put in new wood floors and I woefully painted over those dragons - all 68 of them. There was something very symbolic about the process. A rite of passage not only for my now 18-year old son, but for me, as well.

After we packed him off to college, friends would ask, "Don't you feel like an empty-nester? Miss your kids?" Well, yes... and no. He was so stoked about going, how could I possibly have regrets about it? People used to ask me something similar when we raised puppies and they went off to their new homes. "Aren't you sad to see them go?" Um, do you know how many piles of poop 10 8-week old puppies make on a daily basis? Okay, kids can be messy, but not in that way.

The point is, I know if I've planned my litter, socialized it and done my best to hold out for good homes, things are going to turn out just dandy. I'll get reports for years from beaming owners about the fabulous things their dogs have done. If I've raised my kids right and given them the good sense to be able to go out into the world and make their own way, it's actually kind of exciting to nudge them from the nest, see them take wing and know that in time they're going to be okay. They might even do good things and make me proud.

It's like that with writing books. I labor over them for years. Eventually though, I have to let them go. I'm about at that stage with another one. I alternate between feelings of apprehension and excitement. What if someone hates it? What if someone loves it so much they want to make a movie out of it? Part of me wants very fiercely to keep it to myself and stay safely connected to the characters so I can go on living in their world. But a bigger part of me knows there comes a time when I need to trust in the universe and share it with readers.

The difference between kids and books is that there's always another book to write. I've run out of kids. And I have so many more books to write...

Until later,
Gemi

Places to find me (Facebook, Twitter, Past Times Books)

2011-08-21T09:16:00.005-04:00

I've recently joined a group of fine Historical Fiction authors over at Past Times Books. These folks are a mixture of independently and traditionally published historical novelists who've banded together to offer readers a selection of quality historicals. So drop on by the Past Times Books web site and check them all out.

And you can finally find my author-self on Facebook! Setting up a fan page has been on my to-do list forever, but it kept getting bumped. A wonderful reader who'd just discovered one of my books went looking for me there and couldn't find me (guilty!), so there I am now, at long last. If you 'like' my page there, you'll get all the important updates, like upcoming releases, blog posts and book signings directly on your FB newsfeed. It's a bit bare at the moment, but I'll continue working on it. I promise to save my 'Pop-Tart failures' and 'Kindle accessorizing addiction admissions' for my Twitter babblings, but if you really want to know, you can find me there, too.

BTW, if you Tweet me, post on my FB wall or e-mail me (imgnr "at" imgnr "dot" com), I do write back. I LOVE hearing from readers! One reader recently mentioned how much they liked a certain character -who is now going to return in a sequel, just because of that.

Until later,
Gemi

Must Reads for Self-Publishers

2011-08-06T02:27:00.009-04:00

Over the past year, I've been asked for tips on self-publishing. The ugly truth is that sometimes I'm just flying by the seat of my pants.

One thing I do is sit back and watch others - meaning I read books and blogs and forum posts on anything and everything about digital publishing. I take what makes sense to me and use it, following the lead of those who've gone before, but with the realization that what worked a year ago or even few months ago to gather momentum, may not work tomorrow.

Recently, I've come across a few authors who have done a fantastic job of gathering information on self-publishing in the digital age and the importance of social media for authors. They've already said it all so much better than I ever could. So rather than reinvent the wheel, here they are:

Let's Get Digital, by David Gaughran

"This guide contains over 60,000 words of essays, articles, and how-to guides, as well as contributions from 33 bestselling indie authors including J Carson Black, Bob Mayer, Victorine Lieske, Mark Edwards, and many more. It covers everything from how the disruptive power of the internet has changed the publishing business forever to the opportunities this has created for writers. It gives you practical advice on editing, cover design, formatting, and pricing. And it reveals marketing tips from blogging and social networking right through to competitions, discounts, reviews, and giveaways. If you are considering self-publishing, if you need to breathe life into your flagging sales, or if you want to understand why it's a great time to be a writer, Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish, And Why You Should will explain it all."

Let's Get Digital is a comprehensive look at the advantages of writers going direct to readers. For information on where to download this book, or to grab a free pdf, go to David's blog here. He was kind enough to include the story of my path to publishing along with 32 other indie authors, but you can learn something from each and every one, as well as gain inspiration.

Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author, by Zoe Winters

"This book is relatively short for its subject matter, weighing in at a little over 47,000 words. There is no filler, just straight talk in Zoe’s typically blunt writing style. If you’re tired of people selling you rainbow farts and butterfly dreams and want to know how to think and act like a business person, create a solid plan, and become an indie author, this book is for you."

If you're considering self-publishing an e-book, this should be the first book you read. It's concise and understandable, especially if all the publishing jargon is new to you, but it really hits the important points without a bunch of fluff.

We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media, by Kristen Lamb

"Kristen's method is simple, effective, and helps authors find ways to harness the imaginatin used for writing and employ this creativity to build a solid platform designed to connect with readers. This system is designed to change the writer's approach, not the writer's personality."

I'm including Kristen Lamb's books because I think social media is the most misunderstood and misused aspect for many indie authors. Kristen not only gives guidance on what to do, but what NOT to do. Like, don't tweet 20 times a day that you have a book to sell (those are the first Tweeters I tune out and sometimes even un-follow.) Even for those of us who are inherently shy (moi), this book will help you more effectively and efficiently use your time.

None of these how-to books can replace putting in the time (usually years) that it takes to properly learn the craft of writing, commit to writing a whole book and then hammering it into shape, but once you've gotten to the point where you're ready to nudge your baby out into the world, they have all the information you'll need to set you well on your way.

So to all you hopeful writers out there - good luck!

P.S. If anyone has suggestions for similar books that they recommend, please feel free to share them in the comments!

Happy reading and writing,
Gemi

Summer Reading Recommendations

2011-08-01T09:10:00.012-04:00

Hi Strangers! No, I didn't fall into a Black Hole - although that would make for some interesting conversation. In between editing my next book and taking short jaunts around the country (vacation and track meets), I've been reading.

Since Kindle allows you to sample books before purchasing, it's rare that I buy a book anymore that I don't finish, simply because I don't punch the 'Buy Now' button until I've reached the end of the sample and am still hooked. Seems like ever since I got my Kindle this past spring, I've been finding more great reads than ever. Which is why I like to share my finds with all of you.

So check out these blurbs, sift through the reviews if you'd like, and download a sample. If they're to your taste, buy and read the whole book - then be sure to share the ones you liked with your friends. Word of mouth is very powerful.

Here's my summer reading:

The Last Letter, by Kathleen Shoop

I can't say enough great things about this book. I tripped across it on the Kindle Historical Fiction Bestseller Top 100 list when it was just entering the rankings. At 99 cents, who could resist? (Although I certainly would've paid far more.) It's now in the Top 10 there - and deservedly so. It reminds me vaguely of Anne Weisgarber's lovely The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, in that both books detail the struggle of young mothers as pioneers on the prairie as they battle the unforgiving elements of nature and reach for the strength within themselves to stand up to husbands who domineer or disappoint.

The Last Letter is at times stark and gritty, but seething with emotion and startlingly realistic. It takes place in the late 19th century on the Dakota prairie and alternates between the viewpoints of the daughter, Katherine, and the mother, Jeanie Arthur. You can read my full review here at Historical Novel Review. I'll remember this book for a long time, it was that powerful. (Price $.99)

Jack: A book about a dog where the dog doesn't die at the end, by Ray Braswell

I'm a huge, HUGE fan of both The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and A Dog's Purpose by Bruce Cameron, but they can both leave you a little heart-heavy if you've ever loved and lost a dog - which most of us have.

This is where Jack comes in at an entirely different angle. Humor is hard to capture on the pages of a book, but if you know the general personality of Labrador Retrievers at all, this book nails it. I was laughing my head off in bed at midnight while reading this. Whatever you do, don't skip reading the footnotes. They're just as hilarious as the rest of the book, which portrays tidbits of Jack's puppyhood from the perspective of his owner, who Jack refers to as Tall Guy, and Jack himself. (Price $2.99)

Broken Laces, by Rodney Walther

Don't be fooled - this is not just a book about baseball. It's a heartfelt story about a father trying to salvage his relationship with his son after a tragedy strikes and turns their world upside down.

In trying to move forward, Jack Kennedy does so many things wrong. Just about when you think he's going to be okay, he finds a way to mess his life up. What makes this story believable is that you just know Jack is only human and his intentions are wholly good. (Price $2.99)

Waiting For Spring, by R.J. Keller

Briefly, I'll say this was one of the most emotive books I've ever read: raw, sometimes gut-wrenching, layered, and yet imbued with traces of hope. From the outset, I cared what happened to Tess and those around her. I almost feel like I know her in person now, she was that real, albeit imperfect. Without a doubt, I am looking forward to Keller's next book with great anticipation. (Price $2.99)

I'm going back into writing/editing mode now, but I'll be sure to share more great reads once I compile another list. Up next, a few excellent references for the indie writers out there.

Happy reading,
Gemi

One Year of Self-Publishing

2011-07-05T14:27:00.002-04:00

Today, I'm over at Lisa Yarde's blog chatting about my first year of indie authorship. Check back at The Brooklyn Scribbler throughout the week to catch up with some other fledgling indie authors as they share their experiences of the past year.

Meanwhile, no, I haven't been kidnapped. I'm editing. Red pen squigglies freak me out - even when I'm the one who put them on the page. The only cure is to quietly and methodically eradicate them, surrounded by my trusty stacks of resource material. Am imbibing way too much caffeine these days.

Until later,
Gemi

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing - Is it really Us. vs. Them anymore?

2011-06-30T08:48:00.007-04:00

We live in a digital age that has democratized authors' access to readers - and that has caused a lot of debate in the arena of traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. With print-on-demand and e-books, the floodgates have opened up. Nowadays, it seems like everyone is writing a book.

Not too long ago I resigned myself to no longer engage in such debates. I'm glad I didn't say that out loud, because here goes:

Publishing is in a state of flux. The lines are blurring. We have writers like Amanda Hocking transitioning from self-published stardom to the world of traditional publishing in order to reach even more readers. We also have writers like Seth Godin going the other direction. Now we have the announcement that JK Rowling's e-books will be available, not on Amazon or B&N, but via her own designated web site and sold in 'partnership' with her publisher.

Then there are self-published authors like John Locke selling over a million units and yet others like Nancy Gardner and Victorine Lieske breaking onto the New York Times Bestseller lists.

There used to be a prevalent belief that if you self-published you'd obliterate your chances of ever becoming traditionally published (see Amanda Hocking, above) and never make any money at it (see Amanda Hocking, above). "Yeah, but . . ." you say, "she's an exception." You're right. The truth is that aside from the standouts in self-publishing, there is a growing sector of indie mid-list authors. And yes, my name is there somewhere. You also have the tens of thousands who never sell over a hundred books because 1) the writing/formatting/cover are awful, 2) they don't know how to promote, or 3) they just give up too soon once they realize the work that's involved. No debate there.

I've seen the perpetual arguments on writers' web sites and discussion lists for or against one side too many times to count; so much so, that I just have to roll my eyes. Those who are the most vehemently against self-publishing flooding online booksellers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble basically state that the midden heap will be so high and fetid that we'll never be able to find a good book again. All I can say is that is a very black and white view of the world. Blogger/author David Gaughran dismantles that myth and others in this post.

There are also those who say they've picked up a self-published book or two (or more) that was absolute crap. Yes, they're out there, plenty of them. But you don't have to sift through ALL of them like some squinty-eyed underling combing through the slush pile at a big literary agency. Amazon, in particular, has a system of recommendations that will weed out for you what others have already weeded out. So don't worry that the moment you get on Amazon to load up your Kindle that you're going to be buried by failed 6th grade English essays masquerading as literary brilliance. Trust me, no matter how picky you are, you'll find something worthwhile to read.

Let me summarize: Self-published works are not inherently bad. Some are, I agree. Some are okay. Some are very good. And some are are FABULOUS! Quality is a gradient. And value is subjective.

When I go to a local theater production, I don't pre-judge the actors just because they aren't graduates of Juliard or Hollywood actors with multi-million dollar contracts. And you know what? I've been bored to tears, mildly entertained, and blown away at different times.

Publishing will undergo some growing pains in the next few years as it catches up with technology. Authors - both those already on top and those working their way up from the bottom - are in large part affecting that change. But ultimately, it's readers steering the ship and picking out books. And for the most part, they don't care if it's Random House that publishes a book or Joe Smith's Garage Press. They care about the quality of the story inside and whether it provides entertainment, moves them to tears or laughter, or makes them think.

Maybe, just maybe, we should judge each book not by the publisher's logo on the spine (or lack thereof), but by the content within?

Happy reading,
Gemi

Milestones and Moments

2011-06-16T10:42:00.003-04:00

Earlier this month marked my one year anniversary into the world of indie publishing. In a couple of weeks, I'll have a guest post over at Lisa Yarde's The Brooklyn Scribbler, detailing the journey of my first year.

Meanwhile, I've finally cleared my schedule and am deep in wrapping up the first draft of the third book in The Bruce Trilogy - The Honor Due a King. After that there are still edits, proofing and cover to do (I sometimes forget how long that stage can take), but once I have a projected publication date I'll announce it here. I almost think I've been dragging my feet on this because I don't want to leave Robert, James and Edward behind. Authors really do get attached to their characters. After all, they usually lead much more interesting lives than we do.

The highlights of my first year:

1) Getting my first fan mail. Believe it or not, it came from a reader in Scotland. (Whenever I lose touch with my motivation, I glance at the letters taped to the wall behind my desk. Endless thanks to those who have bought the books, recommended them to others or left reviews and written to me. I urge all readers to spread the word about books that you enjoy. Word of mouth really is the best way for good books to find an audience.)

2) Being awarded the IPPY Silver Medal for Historical Fiction for Isabeau. (So, so wish I could've gone to the ceremony in NYC to meet other writers and publishers, but sometimes family takes precedence over business.)

3) Surpassing 10,000 sales in e-books. (That absolutely blows my mind, especially considering that in my first month of July 2010 I only sold 21 Kindle books.)

I'll have more to blog about when I emerge from my imaginary world. Until then . . .

Happy reading,
Gemi

IPPY Award for Isabeau and a Giveaway for The Crown in the Heather

2011-06-01T18:58:00.006-04:00

I'm excited to announce that Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer, won the IPPY Silver Medal for Historical Fiction! There were over 4,000 total entries for this year's IPPYs (Independent Publisher Book Awards). Medals were given out on May 23rd in New York City. Unfortunately I couldn't be there, but I'm looking forward to receiving my 'bling' in the mail soon. This is a great honor, as it's the only contest that Isabeau has been entered in and there was a lot of competition, so it's had me floating on a cloud for weeks now. For anyone who's wondering - yes, there is a sequel to Isabeau in the works and, um, yeah, it just might answer some unresolved issues about the whole Isabella/Roger/Edward thing. *grin*

If you haven't yet snagged a copy of The Crown in the Heather, here's you chance to win one over at Historical Fiction Obsession. Just click here, follow her blog or tweet the link and leave a comment.

I first found out about Kimberly's review of The Crown in the Heather via Google Alerts (technology is a wonderful, wonderful thing). She also did a review for Isabeau. To say that I'm thrilled to have such an enthusiastic advocate for my work in a prolific book blogger like Kimberly is a GINORMOUS understatement.

If you've already read and enjoyed CITH, share the link or tell your friends. Meanwhile, I'm going into my writing cave because there are people waiting on me. Oh, the pressure!

Happy reading,
Gemi

The winner is . . .

2011-05-27T08:16:00.003-04:00

The winner of Shayne Parkinson's Promises to Keep series is . . . Chris from NJ!

Thanks once again to Lisa J. Yarde (Sultana), Sarah Woodbury (Daughter of Time, Cold My Heart), Anna Elliott (Georgiana Darcy's Diary) and Shayne Parkinson (Sentence of Marriage) for everything.

Happy reading,
Gemi

E-book Giveaway: Featured Author Shayne Parkinson

2011-05-23T09:00:00.002-04:00

This week's featured historical e-author is Shayne Parkinson. Shayne was born in New Zealand, and apart from two years in England she has lived there all her life. At university, she majored in English Literature. She is married to her childhood sweetheart, who grew up in the farming valley that's the inspiration for the imaginary one where her books are set. They have a few acres in the countryside, where they have an orchard and a large vegetable garden, and a small flock of sheep to keep the grass down.

Shayne's book Sentence of Marriage is currently free on Smashwords and Amazon, but she has also offered to provide Smashwords coupons for the three remaining e-books in the series to one lucky winner! If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment. Entries close at midnight Eastern time on Thursday, April 26th.

"The story was captivating, the characters real, the dialogue crisp. I admit to having cried and laughed and even having wanted to murder a character and beat another one within an inch of his life — which is simply a testament to how well written these books are." - AmericanEditor.

I asked Shayne to share with us why she writes and what inspired her to write about New Zealand.

*****

"I'm fascinated by social history, particularly that of my own country. The late Victorian era saw significant social change in New Zealand, particularly for women. The Married Women’s Property Act of 1884 allowed married women to own property in their own right. Changes to divorce law meant that women could file for divorce on the same grounds as men. In 1893 New Zealand women gained the vote, the first in the world to do so. The attitude where a woman was seen as the property of first her father, later her husband, with only the most minimal of rights to her own person, was being undermined.

I’d never intended to write a sequel, let alone a series, but when I finished the three books that make up "Promises to Keep" I found that I missed the characters too much to leave them behind! That meant following them further into the early 20th century. So I wrote a sequel, and am still writing about these people. My current work-in-progress covers the years of the Great War. Finding out what it might have been like for those left at home during the war to try and cope when sons, husbands and brothers were taken from them is proving just as fascinating to me as the earlier periods were.

More background to the books' setting may be found on my website: http://sites.google.com/site/shayneparkinson/ "

*****

About Sentence of Marriage:

In 19th Century New Zealand, there are few choices for a farm girl like Amy. Her life seems mapped out for her by the time she is twelve. Amy dreams of an exciting life in the world beyond her narrow boundaries. But it is the two people who come to the farm from outside the valley who change her life forever, and Amy learns the high cost of making the wrong choice. Book 1 of "Promises to Keep".

*****

To find out more about Shayne Parkinson and her books, visit the following pages:

Shayne Parkinson's website
Shayne Parkinson's Blog - Notes from New Zealand
Her Amazon author page
Her Barnes and Noble page
Her Smashwords page
The book trailer for Sentence of Marriage on YouTube

(BTW, Shayne's books have been downloaded from Smashwords an amazing 30,000 times!)

*****

My thanks to Shayne Parkinson for sharing - and to past interviewees Lisa J. Yarde (Sultana), Sarah Woodbury (Cold My Heart) and Anna Elliott (Georgiana Darcy's Diary). I hope to host more emerging and established e-authors in the future, so readers out there can find new voices and stories to immerse themselves in.

Happy reading,
Gemi

The winners of Georgiana Darcy's Diary are...

2011-05-20T09:12:00.004-04:00

Chris and Susan!

The winners have been contacted and will receive a Kindle copy of Anna Elliott's newest book, Georgiana Darcy's Diary. Thanks to all those who stopped by.

Next week please visit and learn more about Shayne Parkinson's books. And yes, there will be another giveaway.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Friday Funnies - Do cats like baths?

2011-05-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

The answer to the question: Do cats liked to be bathed?

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
Gemi

Featured Author: Anna Elliott

2011-05-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

This week's featured historical fiction e-author on MDAMM is Anna Elliott. The author of Georgiana Darcy's Diary, as well as the Twilight of Avalon trilogy, published by Simon & Schuster (Touchstone), she lives in the Washington DC Metro area with her husband and two daughters.

Anna has generously offered to giveaway 2 free Kindle copies of her newest novel, Georgiana Darcy's Diary! To enter to win, simply leave a comment below. Entries close at midnight, U.S. Eastern time, on Thursday, May 19th. The winners will be announced Friday.

"Fans of Jane Austen will relish this captivating story. I loved the echoes of Austen's wit, the well-crafted drawing-room intrigues, and the engaging romance. Elliott's heroine is unique and believable, but totally true to Austen's original character. A delightful read!" -- Jules Watson, Author of The Raven Queen

I asked Anna to tell us more about why she writes and what inspired her to continue the story that Jane Austen began.

*****

"I've read Pride and Prejudice many, many times, and seen the various movie adaptations more times than I can even begin to count. (Colin Firth is my favorite Mr. Darcy!). I love Elizabeth and Darcy's love story, of course--it's a testament to Jane Austen's genius that it truly stands the test of time. Watching Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love, seeing the two of them overcome their initial first impressions of one another is as compelling now as it did 200 years ago. Maybe because that kind of love story truly is timeless. Isn't that the eternal magic of romance, that we're able to discover new facets of those we love--and that love has the power to transform us and our lives.

I could read Pride and Prejudice again and again, and be caught up in Elizabeth and Darcy's story every time. And yet, strangely, it's always been Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy's younger sister's character, that stays with me the longest, each time I read the book or watch one of the films.

Georgiana's character is almost a plot device in the book--proof of Wickham's villainy, since he tried to seduce her when she was only fifteen. She's described as 'exceedingly shy' and we never actually hear her speak a single line; any dialogue she has is summarized by the narrator. And yet I've always wanted to know more about her--how did she really feel about George Wickham? What was it like growing up as Mr. Darcy's younger sister? And most important of all, I couldn't stop myself from imagining what might have happened to her after the close of Pride and Prejudice. Did she ever find her own happily-ever-after?

Georgiana Darcy's Diary was born out of all my wondering. I chose a diary format to tell Georgiana's story, first because I'd never written a diary form novel before, and wanted to challenge myself to master the form. But mostly that was just how I heard Georgiana's voice in my head: a shy girl, pouring herself onto the pages of the private journal that---at the beginning of the story, at least-- serves as her only real confidant.

I absolutely loved writing Georgiana Darcy's Diary, and I hope fellow Jane Austen lovers will enjoy spending a little more time in the Pride and Prejudice world."

*****

About Georgiana Darcy's Diary:

Mr. Darcy's younger sister searches for her own happily-ever-after...

The year is 1814, and it's springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.

Shy Georgiana Darcy has been content to remain unmarried, living with her brother and his new bride. But Elizabeth and Darcy's fairy-tale love reminds Georgiana daily that she has found no true love of her own. And perhaps never will, for she is convinced the one man she secretly cares for will never love her in return. Georgiana's domineering aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has determined that Georgiana shall marry, and has a list of eligible bachelors in mind. But which of the suitors are sincere, and which are merely interested in Georgiana's fortune? Georgiana must learn to trust her heart--and rely on her courage, for she also faces the return of the man who could ruin her reputation and spoil a happy ending, just when it finally lies within her grasp.

*****

In addition to Georgiana Darcy's Diary, Anna Elliott is the author of a trilogy of Trystan and Isolde, published by Touchstone: Twilight of Avalon, Dark Moon of Avalon and Sunrise of Avalon (coming in 2011), as well as two shorts stories available as e-books: Dawn of Avalon (currently FREE) and The Witch Queen's Secret (only 99 cents).

For more information on where to find Anna's books, check her website, her Amazon.com author page or her Smashwords author page.

Many, many thanks to Anna Elliott! Next week I'll feature Shayne Parkinson, author of historical sagas set in 19th century New Zealand.

Happy reading,
Gemi

And the winner is . . .

2011-05-13T09:00:00.009-04:00

The winner of this week's giveaway of an e-copy of Sarah Woodbury's Cold My Heart is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debra Martin! An e-mail will be sent to you, Debra, with info. on how to obtain your copy.

Come back next week for an interview with Anna Elliott and another giveaway.

P.S. This was supposed to post earlier this morning, but Blogger seemed to be having a meltdown.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Book Giveaway and Featured Historical E-Author Sarah Woodbury

2011-05-09T09:00:00.003-04:00

This week's featured historical e-author is Sarah Woodbury.

Sarah has offered to give away a free copy from Smashwords of her Arthurian novel Cold My Heart. If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment below. Entries close midnight Eastern time on Thursday, May 12th.

I asked Sarah to share with us what inspires her to write and why she chose to write about medieval Wales.

*****
I have two historian parents, so I couldn’t help but develop an interest in the past. My dad has a Ph.D. and I went on to get more than enough education myself (in anthropology) and began writing fiction when the stories in my head overflowed and demanded I let them out. My interest in Wales stems from my own ancestry and the year I lived in England when I fell in love with the country, language, and people. I even convinced my husband to give all four of our children Welsh names. Now, I live in Oregon, which is very far from Wales, although I'm hoping to visit with my husband in 2012.

I started writing intensively five years ago. In about six weeks, during my youngest son's naps, I wrote an epic fantasy (with elves no less). That book will never see the light of day, although I raid it occasionally for characters and plot points, but I learned that I could write a book and that I wanted to write more.

The first book I wrote that I set in Wales was Footsteps in Time. I started it after I had a dream where I drove my mini-van into the Middle Ages. It was (obviously) a very vivid and memorable dream! My daughter and I had been doing research on our ancestry at the time, and reading lots of books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the country. Since then, I've set all five of my published books in Wales, and am even more in love with the country and its past than when I started.

*****

About Sarah's novel, Cold My Heart:

A vision of King Arthur's death at the hands of Modred unites two of King Arthur's companions in this historical fantasy set in sixth century Wales.

By the autumn of 537 AD, all who are loyal to King Arthur have retreated to a small parcel of land in north Wales. They are surrounded on all sides, heavily outnumbered, and facing near certain defeat.

But Myrddin and Nell have a secret that neither has ever been able to face. Now, with the end of all that they know approaching, they must finally admit the truth: each has seen that on a cold and snowy day in December, Saxon soldiers will ambush and kill King Arthur by the Cam River, crushing Wales once and for all under Modred's boot.

And both of them, separately and together, must decide what they are willing to do, and to sacrifice, to avert that fate.

*****

Sarah is the author of five novels of historical fiction, historical fantasy and time travel: Cold My Heart, The Last Pendragon, Foosteps in Time, Prince of Time and Daughter of Time. Her books are available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and at Smashwords. To learn more about Sarah, her writing and her books, visit her website.

Many thanks to Sarah Woodbury for visiting here at My Dog Ate My Manuscript! Next week's featured author is Anna Elliott.

Happy reading,
Gemi

'The winner is . . .' and Friday Funnies

2011-05-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

The winner of a copy of Sultana by Lisa Yarde is . . . *drumroll* . . .

NOELLE PIERCE!

A copy of Sultana is coming your way. Thanks to those who commented - and beaucoup thanks to Lisa Yarde for taking time out to appear here at MDAMM.

*****
She may be a camera ham, but Trim is very, very unhappy about sporting The Cone of Shame.

After multiple trips to the vet as a pupster, we finally figured out Trim is allergic to corn. If she eats ANY food with corn it (a single piece of cat food kibble, a stray kernel of popcorn that has bounced under the stove, even a cookie crumb with corn syrup in it) she gets itchy ears. Actually, just one itchy ear. Always the left. Sometimes, if we're not paying attention and she goes to town scratching it, she gives herself an embolism and has to go to that awful place called . . . The Veterinarian's, get her ear drained and stitched, and then get 2-weeks worth of antibiotics.

Possibly, she hates taking pills worse than wearing the dreaded Cone of Shame or going to The Vet. She can recognize the rattle of a pill bottle from three rooms away and will hide herself in a corner behind the chair. Since it's always one of two corners, we know where to find her. Just to put this in perspective about how brave she is, she also runs away from The Brush. And no, she has never been beaten with it.

As she has discovered, The Cone of Shame is terribly inconvenient, embarrassing and headache-inducing when it comes to a) snowdrifts, b) stairs and c) doorways.

*****
Tune in on Monday when I host Sarah Woodbury, author of Cold My Heart and The Last Pendragon!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend - and hug your pet today!
Gemi

Book Giveaway - Featured Historical Fiction E-Author: Lisa J. Yarde

2011-05-02T09:00:00.005-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that during May I am featuring an exciting line-up of authors of historical fiction e-books. Although many of these books are available as paperbacks, all are out in various e-book forms. It's a great mix of time periods and sub-genres. Let me start by introducing this week's Featured Author here on My Dog Ate My Manuscript: Lisa J. Yarde.

Lisa has generously offered to provide a copy of Sultana (your choice of e-book or paperback) to one random commenter. If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment and a way for me to contact you, in case you win! Entries close midnight Eastern time, May 5th.

I asked Lisa to share with us why she writes and why she chose the time period, setting and characters that she did.

"During my college years, I was fascinated to learn that there had been an Islamic presence in Europe. For seven hundred years, a diverse people known as Moors had ruled what would become one of the most influential Catholic nations. The thirteenth century in Spain was a brutal and turbulent era, as most of the medieval period, but it was also the flowering of an age of artistic, intellectual and architectural brilliance in Spain. Fatima and Faraj played pivotal roles in the history of that period, as did their descendants for another two centuries. I am truly fortunate that the primary setting of their story, the Alhambra Palace in the southern Spanish city of Granada still exists and is open of visitors. I hope readers will share my fascination with the Alhambra, the Moorish period, and Fatima and Faraj’s lives."

I'm 3/4 of the way through reading Sultana and am awed by the wealth of detail included about Moorish life: the architecture, the clothing, the food, the customs. Like me, I'm sure other readers will be drawn in by not only the uniquely exotic setting, but also by the vivid battle scenes, political intrigue, and poignant love story between Fatima and Faraj. Here is some more information about the story, its trailer and links on where to sample and purchase it -

About Sultana:

"Sultana is a story of revenge and intrigue, the bonds of family and the redemptive power of love. The story takes place during a turbulent period in thirteenth century Moorish Spain, when the union of a child bride and her groom, precipitates a civil war. Fatima is the young granddaughter of the reigning Sultan of Granada and Faraj is his nephew. Although the couple is part of the same renowned family, each has separate, sometimes contrary interests. Fatima is utterly devoted to her family while Faraj, who is ten years older than her, has one cause in mind – to regain a heritage lost at the brutal death of his father. The union between Faraj and Fatima has endangered both their lives. It has turned the Sultan’s one-time allies into powerful enemies. In addition, the Christian kings of Castile and North African Muslim rulers have their own designs on Granada. Fatima and Faraj have to overcome their initial mistrust and misunderstandings of each other. If they do not unite in the struggle against their common enemies, Granada will fall."

*****
Click here to view the book trailer for Sultana.

*****
Sultana is available in the following formats and locations:

Amazon.com (Kindle and paperback)
Amazon.co.uk (Kindle and paperback)
Barnes and Noble (Nook and paperback)
Smashwords (various e-book formats)

*****
Lisa Yarde is the author of On Falcon's Wings and Sultana. She is passionate about history and writing. Her love of the past inspires her to write historical fiction. Her favorite period is medieval, an interest that started when she wrote about knights and castles as a young teen. She currently lives in New York. You can find more information about Lisa and her writing on the website www.lisayarde.com.

Thanks, Lisa! Next week's feature will be on Sarah Woodbury, author of Arthurian historical fantasy and Welsh medieval time travel stories. Coming up later in the month - Anna Elliott and Shayne Parkinson.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Friday Funnies - Kitty Yoga

2011-04-29T09:00:00.003-04:00

New feature! Since I keep my sense of humor well hidden, I thought I'd give it some overdue exposure and share with you all some of my Facebook wall photos.

This week's installment is our cat, Trouble, grabbing a snooze on the deck railing - or practicing kitty yoga, I'm not sure which. In case you were wondering, his head is to the right and he was in this position for over an hour. He earned his name as a kitten when he used to throw himself on the driveway in front of the car when we came home.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
Gemi

Where to find good, cheap and sometimes even free books to load up your Kindle

2011-04-24T12:26:00.005-04:00

Whether or not you've gone hog wild and decked out your Kindle, you can easily recoup the modest investment by loading it up with very affordable, and sometimes even free, e-books. I'm going to provide some links to where you can find those books. In the few weeks that I've had my Kindle, I'm reading more than ever. With the price of gas nowadays, buying an e-book from Amazon or elsewhere can even be cheaper for me (who lives out in the rural farmland of western Ohio) than driving into town and borrowing a book from the library. So, since my husband is now referring to my Kindle as my 'crack', I've decided that I'll be the enabler and get more of you hooked on this wonderful little device known as the e-reader.

First, let me suggest that no matter how cheap the book, always download a sample before buying. It only takes a few minutes to check out the synopsis, skim over reviews and then read a few pages. If you like what you find, by all means click away. If not, press 'delete'. Check out reviews, but keep in mind these were written by folks who may or may not have the same tastes as you. This is why the sample is important. Sometimes even negative reviews can be valuable to you as a reader/potential customer. If someone writes in their review how the graphic battle scenes disturbed them so much they had to give up on the book, I'm going to download a sample - because I LOVE battle scenes! Just remember: sample, sample, sample.

Now, here are some links to check out:

BLOGS:

Kindle Nation Daily - News about Amazon, Kindle and Kindle authors, traditionally and indie published. Tons of information available here.

Kindle Author - A place to discover new voices in Kindle books.

Kindle Obsessed - A showcase of both indie and trad published e-books.

The Indie Spotlight - Features on indie authors.

Daily Cheap Reads - Kindle books for $5 or less, indie and trad published.

The Frugal eReader - E-books for under $9.

Indie eBooks - A blog focusing on indie authors.

Bargain eBooks - Another blog featuring $5 or under bargains.

Red Adept Reviews - Want an honest opinion? Check out this well-respected review site.

Pixel of Ink - More bargain e-books!

E-Reader News Today - Reviews and bargain book alerts.

Note - For reviews of historical fiction books, please check out my blogroll to the right!

SITES and FORUMS:

Smashwords - Type in keywords or check out the various genres and bestseller lists. This isn't the most consumer-friendly place to navigate, but if you use the right search words you can hit on the topics you're interested in. You can usually download the first 20% (or more) of books here and find different formats (PDF, EPUB, PDB, LRF) in case you happen to have a different type of e-reader than Kindle.

Kindleboards' Book Bazaar - Check here for Bargain book finds and the Master List of Kindleboards Authors by Genre.

KindleBook Forum - Admittedly, this can be a lot to wade through, but if you're looking for a diamond amidst the heap of coal, you just may find it here. Various threads here on books under $3, under $1, or for specific genres.

Amazon's Most Popular Free Books and Games - Start here. Yes, you can get games for your Kindle, too.

Well, that should keep all you Kindle-holics busy reading for awhile. Just don't ignore your family... or your pets, your house, your job. Power down the Kindle and go for a walk every now and then.

Happy reading,
Gemi

The Not-So-Amazing Race

2011-04-17T08:55:00.006-04:00

There are two things I remember most about airports: 1) Waiting at the gate for my flight, and 2) Going through Customs and Security. I wish I could sleep in airports like the contestants on Amazing Race do. I'd be a much less cranky traveler if I could, but my sense of fight-or-flight (no pun intended) in unfamiliar surroundings can't be overridden. I'm mortally afraid I'll either miss my flight, or that someone will abscond with my valuables, or worst of all that I'll start snoring and drool away my jet lag while complete strangers snap pictures of me with my mouth open. So I sit there, people-watching for entertainment when I'm not reading on my Kindle, one foot touching my carry-on bag and my purse snugly in my lap at all times. Needless to say, I arrive home from my vacations more tired than when I left.

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Belgium for a dog show judging assignment. On the trans-Atlantic flight over, I tried to fool my body into an early bedtime by popping a melatonin, since I lost five hours with the time change. I jammed my earplugs in and turned the movie sound down to a low buzz for white noise to drown out the screaming baby five rows up and pulled my sweatshirt sleeve over my eyes to blot out the glow from the TV directly overhead. But... my internal clock still said, "It's only 9 p.m., you fool. You don't go to bed until midnight." By the time I finally fell asleep, they were rumbling by with the breakfast cart. "What? Coffee at 2 a.m.?" Yeah, I attempted to caffeinate myself into a new time zone.

Two days later I was almost over the jet lag, when we went out to eat for supper after the show. Belly full, I was ready for a good night's sleep. Spent an hour in my room surfing the net, catching up at home, then a little reading. Started looking for my brush to tame the rat's nest that was my hair, when... I couldn't find my purse. Last I remembered, it was hanging on the back of my chair in the restaurant. But worse than my brush being in it, it also had my passport. Oh, #*%@!

So I laid awake all night replaying in my sleep-deprived mind where I might have left it. At the dog show? In the first car I rode in to the restaurant? Dangling from the back of the chair? Somewhere in the parking lot? In the second car I took to the B&B? This maniacal thought process was repeated about 50 times. It then became replaced with: What happens if you have a plane ticket home and no passport? Do they put you in a windowless room, interrogate and fingerprint you and then let you get on the plane? Or do they just turn you away at check-in and say, "Sorry, you are not allowed to go home until someone in the U.S. verifies you are who you say you are and then sends the proper documentation. That should take about three weeks."?

I woke up early the next morning to catch the person who had been my ride the night before and who happened to be picking up that morning's judge. "No, I did not see a purse in the car," she said. Just. Freaking. Great. I closed the door and slid to the floor, resisting the urge to bang my forehead on something solid until a developed a bloody gash. A trip to the hospital about now might make a good distraction. How could I not be more aware of where my most valuable possession was?

Five minutes later, an almost inaudible knock on the door brought me crawling back. I stood up and mustered a painted-on smile. I opened it. There stood the judge's wife, Shelly, clutching my purse. "It slid underneath the seat." Happiest moment of the whole week. I grabbed it out of her hands and gushed profuse thanks. From then until I got home, I kept checking for that little blue passport book every 30 minutes like someone afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

On the day of my return, traffic was light and so we made it to the airport extra early. Relaxed, relieved, I checked my bags and went through Customs and Security (jacket off, laptop out, Kindle out, put all those and my purse in little trays to slide through the x-ray machine, then collect them and arrange everything for ease of carrying). Then I ambled through the airport shops to buy some much-needed Belgian chocolate. Got to the gate, saw the flight was delayed an hour, so passed the time reading. Then some lady with a distinct Southern accent comes by and says, "The flight's been canceled." We all thought she was joking. Uh, no.

Long story short (since you were probably wondering when this was going to end and what the point of it was), they sent us out of the terminal, back through Customs and we had to pick up our bags and get re-booked. Our flight was full and three other flights that day had been canceled, so just imagine how long that line was. My heart sank when several people in line ahead of me at the ticket counter asked where the closest hotel was, because they couldn't get out until the next day. Luckily, I got routed from Brussels through London to Chicago and then on to Dayton, scheduled to arrive at midnight.

Problem is that only left me about 90 minutes between flights and I had to go through Customs and Security at each airport. There was no time for a bathroom stop. I do not kid. Of course, my gates at both London and Chicago were in different terminals from the ones I landed at AND my gate was the furthest possible one. There must be some universal law that when you have minimal connection time, your gates must be further apart, but if you have five hours between, they'll be right next door to each other. I was literally RUNNING down the corridor at Chicago, flapping my ticket over my head, as they were paging my name, the door already closed. By the time I sat my rump in my seat on the last flight home, sweat was pouring down my sternum. No need for a workout that day.

When I found out my luggage didn't arrive home with me, I was completely unfazed. I was just glad to BE home after that marathon day. The dirty laundry inside my bag could wait. Besides, I had my Belgian chocolate in my carry-on bag. I may not know where my passport is all the time, but I do not let my chocolate out of my sight.

In all my years of flying, I've been incredibly lucky. This was the first time I've ever had a flight canceled and I've yet to miss a connection - although I tried real hard this time. After this, I'm putting in for the Amazing Race. I've got the airport terminal dash covered.

P.S. Second best moment of the trip - I'm 90% positive that Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance) was sitting at the gate at Brussels, flipping through a newspaper. He had a shirt on, which is why I still had the smidgeon of doubt. Since I didn't want to stare and my camera was in my checked baggage, I must've looked 20 times. "Is that him? Yes, I think it is. Well, maybe not. Oh definitely, it IS him." He left after about 10 minutes. He was probably getting annoyed by the American twisting around to ogle at him.

Happy traveling,
Gemi

The Hidden Dangers of Buying a Kindle

2011-04-13T15:05:00.005-04:00

What? Did you think I was going to warn you about dangerous radiation waves emitted by your e-reader or how reading for hours into the night on a Kindle could lead to severe eyestrain, migraines and possible blindness? Uh, sorry, no.

My very first Kindle arrived just over a week ago. I had been planning on paying off some bills first, but with a 5-day trip to Belgium planned where I judged a dog show, I wanted a Kindle NOW so I wouldn't have to lug multiple books along. I am soooo glad I had it (maybe because my first flight home got canceled, so I spent 9 hours at the airport at Brussels, wondering if I'd make it home that day or not). I spent half as much on e-books as I would've on paperbacks and even browsed a few samples and got my next selections lined up. Makes me wonder why I waited so long.

Naturally, I couldn't allow my Kindle to travel naked and unprotected, so I had to dress it up and layer it accordingly. To carry my Kindle through 4 airports in one day's time, I needed something to put it in. So I chose the fab striped e-reader Roo Bag (bottom photo) in Red Rock fabric from Borsa Bella. BTW, Borsa Bella's customer service is top notch. And just to let you know how impressed I am with the price, style and quality, I bought not just one, but two --- and I normally hate purse shopping. But this was for my Kindle, you see, and Kindles deserve to look gooood.

To fancify and personalize the actual casing of the device, I started looking at skins. Little did I know there are hundreds of designs available to suit even the pickiest consumer, like me. I'm pretty sure I spent something like 5 hours ogling skins at DecalGirls. I settled on Tree of Books in matte finish and also got the more colorful Aqua Burn. Skins here run from $15-20, but if you 'Like' them on FB or pay attention to their site you can get discount codes or special deals on shipping if you buy more than one. They also have skins for cell phones, iPhones, iPads and laptops. In the future I won't have to grumble about the fact that almost all laptops come in silver and only silver - I can simply order a skin and have it look the way I want it to.

To protect the Kindle from bumps, I ordered an Oberon leather cover. If you don't want a bag for carrying, a leather sleeve will double in purpose. At $69, the cover is a bit of an investment, but you don't get any better craftsmanship than Oberon's and it's so durable it will undoubtedly serve its purpose for years to come. Mine is called Tree of Life and I LURV it. Not only do I find the leather smell intoxicating, but the pewter clasp with a miniature tree on it is first class - and they even sent along a matching pewter charm that I plan on putting on a silver chain. The Kindle fits snugly inside the corner straps of the case, there is a wool pad on the opposite side to protect the screen and it has little pockets built in either side. Oberon also sells purses, wallets, jewelry

To read in the dark, I went to Target and bought a Belkin e-reader light for about $15. Stays in place and the light positions easily, but it is BRIGHT. I was afraid of waking up the other sleeping passengers on the plane and had to shield them from the nova glow. And because I couldn't bear to think of my laptop bag clashing, I bought the brown and robin's egg blue bag above for it. Must be matchy-matchy - it's an illness I have.

Above are the two ensembles that started with one Kindle purchase. And no, they are not both for me.

Happy e-reading,
Gemi

What is Cader Idris Press?

2011-04-10T03:00:00.000-04:00

View of Cader Idris, North Wales, 1878, by Sidney Richard Percy.

I've been asked on more than one occasion who or what Cader Idris Press is. Heck, once someone even e-mailed me their manuscript and asked if I'd consider it for publication. But the fact is, it's just me. And it will only ever be me. Unless you want to count my husband as my accountant, because I hate balancing the checkbook, so he does it or it doesn't get done.

When I started out on this self-publishing venture there was more of a stigma attached to it than there is now - and that's only been a year ago. But thanks to the e-book revolution and likes of Amanda Hocking, Joe Konrath, Victorine Lieske, Barry Eisler, Beth Orsoff, H.P. Mallory and dozens of others, that's not the case at all anymore. Successful and mid-list authors have come over to the Dark Side, and indie author entrepreneurs have made a dent in Amazon's bestseller lists. Isabeau and The Crown in the Heather have even been cracking the Top 100 for Bestsellers in Historical Fiction there regularly lately. That truly flabbergasts me and I' thankful for each and every reader, because for so many years I was never sure I'd have any.

Anyway, as to where the name Cader Idris (my imprint's name) comes from - there is a story about Cader Idris in Wales. Cader Idris is a mountain in Snowdonia National Park. Wales is one of the most beautiful places on earth and if you ever want to walk a little closer to Heaven during this life, go there. The legend is that those who fall asleep on the slopes of Cader Idris will awaken either a poet or a madman.

So there you have it. I'm crazy. I'm a writer - and a publisher. Check, check and check.

All my best,
Gemi

Gone too soon

2011-04-04T11:59:00.000-04:00

Last week I learned that a writer-friend, whom I'd met on Authonomy, had passed away. She'd had cancer, but it was a stroke that ultimately took her life. She was 55. Her name was Barb Porter, but most from the writing community knew her as BJ Alexander. She was generous with her time there and kind and constructive in her critiques.

Barb was also an enormously talented writer. Of the thousands of manuscripts I'd browsed through there over the years, hers are still among my favorites because she had a rare gift for imagery. I would've eagerly bought her books, read them and shared my enthusiasm for them with others, they were that good.

Last year we exchanged a few e-mails. She never once mentioned she was unwell. She didn't live far from me and I said in passing that I ought to drop by, next time I was in her vicinity. Sadly, I never did.

Her stories are very worth reading. There are still excerpts up at Authonomy. I'd like to share the links so you can see just how beautiful her writing is:

Silent Hoofbeats

Rodeo made him a star. A crippling accident and the life that followed made him a man.

His career destroyed by a crippling injury, former rodeo champ Joel Garrett unwillingly faces life outside the showring. Riding had once been as easy as breathing but now every step is painful, every breath an effort.

Desperate for a future, he finds himself at a rundown barn in the middle of nowhere. There, he meets an old man equally broken by life, a young man struggling under the shadow of abuse, and a horse that could restore them all.

Together they forge a dream of greatness, but nothing in Joel's previous life has prepared him for the destruction that follows his past finally meeting his present.

Whispers through the Aspens

A Colorado ghost town was only a tourist attraction until the death of a guest breathed life into a legend. Then a boy disappeared …

A young woman’s fatal fall from a cliff is only the latest in a series of unexplained deaths that have fed the legend of a Colorado ghost mining town for over a hundred years. But this time the victim’s family wants answers Will Adler, the head wrangler at Aspen Valley, can’t give them. And now her sister, Robyn, is there with an agenda of her own.

Only days later, Will’s young son disappears, sending his father on a frantic search up the mountain where he finds unlikely support in Robyn and then a clue that the mountain he’d always loved might hold a sinister secret—far beneath the surface . . .

Rest well, Barb. You're a good soul. I'm glad to have known you and humbled by your talent and selflessness.

Until later,
Gemi

Worth Dying For - Now available in paperback

2011-04-01T13:00:00.004-04:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Worth Dying For

by N. Gemini Sasson

Giveaway ends April 21, 2011.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

For those who have been patiently waiting, Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy: Book II) is now available in PAPERBACK! You can find it at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. It's now $13.99 at Amazon.com. The B&N price has been discounted to $13.06, but I can tell you Amazon usually follows suit shortly after their main competitor drops the price - so keep checking if you want to save a buck. It should be available at Amazon.co.uk within the next ten days. All the links will be up on my main web site as soon as they become available.

Or enter to win a copy at Goodreads.

Between the formatting, editing and file burps, it took longer than I had anticipated to pull it all together, but I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. If long periods of silence now ensue, I'm either toiling away in my garden or . . . finishing up the third Bruce book.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Paying it forward

2011-03-29T15:00:00.002-04:00

I believe every once in awhile you ought to give back to some aspect of life that has had an impact on you. We can't always repay the specific people who helped us along the way to grow, achieve and become better human beings, but we can always pay forward by helping others who are just beginning their journey.

Discovering the sport of running (track, cross country and road racing) taught me a lot about people, life and a little about myself and shaped me into who I am today. I hope that's mostly good, but I'm blessed to still be a part of that world and to see my kids, their friends and even people I don't know benefit from the camaraderie, the challenges and the rewards it brings.

My kids' high school, Yellow Springs, is trying to raise money to resurface and improve their track. The total estimated cost is $60,000. This school, belonging to the smallest division in Ohio (DIII), has won numerous individual and team state championships in track and cross country, thanks to the very involved coaches (shout out to John Gudgel and Vince Peters!) and community support for the program.

I will be donating the profits from my Kindle sales on March 30th to the fundraising efforts. It may not be enough to top the coffers, but every little bit helps.

Think of something that matters to you. Pay it forward. Make a difference in someone else's life today.

All the best,
Gemi

The Bruce Trilogy: Clearing up confusion on titles

2011-03-28T13:26:00.006-04:00

But isn't there another Bruce Trilogy - I mean, besides the one by me? Yes, there is.

Nigel Tranter also wrote a trilogy about Robert the Bruce in the early 1970's. Since this has caused some confusion, I'd like to address that matter. About ten years ago, I began writing a story centered on Robert the Bruce. As it often does, my research kept mushrooming and over the course of four years that story evolved until I had what I considered to be three distinct books.

When I sought out an agent for the first of these books, The Crown in the Heather, the agent who eventually took interest, upon finishing it, asked me if there was a second book and to please send it on. I did - and then he asked if there was a third. There was.

Between us, we started out calling the books 'the Bruce trilogy' and on the title pages we put the book's main title, followed by 'The Bruce Trilogy: Book I' (or II or III), so it would be clear that they belonged together and what order they went in. We shopped the books around as The Bruce Trilogy. It seemed descriptively fitting. It had been over three decades since Nigel Tranter's The Bruce Trilogy had been published, so we didn't feel we would be stepping on any toes. Not one editor objected to the title of the series.

It is a strict policy of mine that I only read non-fiction about the characters I intend to write about, no novels, because I want my interpretation to be unique. Thus, I have never read any of Tranter's books in full, although I'm sure they're quite good, since so many people still speak so highly of him.

There are also novels about Robert the Bruce (either recently or soon to be published) by Robert Low, Robyn Young and Jack Whyte, as well as many other novels set in Scotland during that time. I love it when there are multiple books about the same historical figures, because you're sure to find one that suits your individual tastes. The more, the merrier.

Neither book titles nor series titles can be copyrighted. Publishers and authors try as much as possible to come up with unique titles, but sometimes it's simply not appropriate. Many, many books bear the same title - the differentiation then is settled by the author's name, year of publication and, of course, content.

If you look up 'Worth Dying For' on Amazon, you'll find a dozen or more books bearing that as their title or part of their title. Right about the same time I released Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy: Book II), bestselling mystery/thriller writer Lee Childs had also just put out a book called Worth Dying For. I chose the title because it comes from a line in my book that encompasses what the story is about. ("And in that, I never saw more truth . . . than to truly live, was to have something worth dying for.") I wasn't trying to dupe any of Lee Childs' readers into buying my book any more than he or his publishers were trying to trick fans of Beverly Barton, who also had a book called Worth Dying For published in 2009, into buying his.

When a title is right for a book - or a series, for that matter - it just is.

To complete my (N. Gemini Sasson's) The Bruce Trilogy, I plan on releasing the third installment, The Honor Due a King, later this year. And yes, I've already Googled that title. It's not taken. Yet.

P.S. To those who may have wondered, yes, there is a sequel to Isabeau planned, as well. Who knows - there may even be a third book in that storyline.

Happy reading,
Gemi

#SampleSunday - The Crown in the Heather, Ch. 10

2011-03-27T09:42:00.004-04:00

I realize I haven't done #SampleSunday for a month! Where have I been? Finishing up courses in Anatomy, Plant Biology and Field Geology, that's where. As much as I love learning new things (or re-learning old things, in this case), I am sooo glad to be back, for tomorrow I shall sit at the keyboard, freshly brewed Chocolate Raspberry coffee steaming up from my special The Black Prince mug, and let my imagination run rampant in 14th century Scotland. Life is good.

The paperback version of Worth Dying For has finally gone to print - woo hoo! It should appear on Amazon.com within the week. Enormous apologies to those who have been more than patiently waiting for it.

Meanwhile, here is an excerpt from Chapter 10 of The Crown in the Heather. The year is 1300 and Prince Edward has been summoned to Windsor by his father, King Edward I of England (a.k.a. Longshanks). He's in trouble for having hunted on lands owned by a bishop without permission while in the company of his beloved, Piers Gaveston - a man his father considers a very poor influence.

I'm sure some readers wonder at first why the future Edward II is suddenly appearing in a book about Robert the Bruce. That's a valid question. For one, I wanted to show more of his father, Longshanks. Also, you should get a solid sense of what this dysfunctional father-son relationship was about. I can easily imagine Prince Edward on the Dr. Phil show, baring his soul and bemoaning the fact that his father neither understands nor accepts him as he is. Second, who could resist getting under the skin of a character as complex and misunderstood as Edward? Last, Edward's tragic life and how it intertwines with the Bruce becomes even more abundantly clear in the second and third Bruce books.

*****

I ENTERED THE ROOM where my father, King of all England and more, was taking his supper at a small round table. Bishop Langton sat across from him. I cringed inwardly, but kept a level chin and square shoulders. I knew, without being told, why I had been summoned to Windsor. Behind them, the chill air of a dimming sunset poured in through an open window, so they were but dark silhouettes before it. Black-robed judges ready to levy their sentence on me, with or without a trial.

Ignoring me as one would a menial servant, the king finished off his meal to the very last pea and chased it down with half a cup of wine from a jeweled goblet. The bishop’s stern eyes never left me. He leered at me like a nagging mother who stares down a disobedient boy before she can get across the room to tweak him by the ear and drag him outside for a beating. I so wanted to prance over to him, knock the bloody miter right off his fat, bald head and then strike him senseless with the gold crucifix that swung from his short, little neck. By Babylon, it must have been heavy enough to anchor a ship. I glared back at him, rolled my eyes and sighed with annoyance.

When your time comes, your grace, God will judge you, too, by your legion of vices. I hear your steward’s niece birthed your bastard not a year ago and her belly is already swelling again.

“What is it,” my father began, as he dabbed at his hands on a square of white linen, “about the word ‘property’ that you fail to understand?” With a flip of his slim fingers, he tossed a chicken bone to the floor. His lazing brindle greyhound snatched it up, growled as it passed me with its tail tight between its legs and then lay down across the doorway, as if to block my escape.

“Mea culpa,” I muttered, bowing low in Langton’s direction. “It will not happen again.”

“Indeed, it will not.” My sire dipped his fingers in a bowl of rose water and then wiped them dry on his lap. “You behave infra dignitatem, perhaps because of those you surround yourself with. You are confined to Windsor for six months. Your ‘friends’ may not come within sight of you during that time. That should provide you with ample time for reflection.” Beneath cold, gray eyes, he smiled smugly.

My heart froze in its rhythm. Six months? Six months? “But, sire . . . Brother Perrot? You placed him in my household at King’s Langley. You cannot send him away because of one little escapade. What harm was done that cannot be undone?”

“Much. You both suffer from poor judgment. You knew you were on Bishop Langton’s lands and yet you failed to seek his permission. You killed more deer than you could bring back and left a dozen carcasses in the forest to rot, spread disease, breed flies and stink whenever the wind blows. You have been a nuisance, a wastrel and a common thief. The bishop here urged me to be more lenient with you, but I think I have been far too lax until now. Punishment is overdue. It is time to alter your ways. You are a man now and should begin to act like one.”

With a sweep of his hand he dismissed me from his royal presence. I lowered my eyes and backed away, turning sharply about as I reached the door. The greyhound let out a yelp, jumped up and snapped at my shins. I had stepped on its tail—not by accident.

*****

Happy reading,
Gemi

When doing what you love isn't easy

2011-03-18T17:13:00.003-04:00

If we're lucky enough, we have discovered something in life that fills us with joy. Not everyone does and that, I believe, must be a sad, dull way to live. But if you have something that you love to do and can do, then you make time for it and you do it because it eases life's other challenges - even if the thing itself is challenging.

Some people climb mountains. Some race dangerously fast cars. Some people paint pictures. Some knit or read books. Others dance or sing or play a musical instrument.

The joy of doing that something isn't about whether or not you get paid to do it. It isn't even about being the best. It's simply about finding something that makes you excited to be alive, that brings you a sense of accomplishment or triumph, or that invites a brief period of peace into an otherwise stressful life.

So why am I getting all philosophical about life's little pleasures? Because up until a few years ago, I took them for granted.

I'm told that by the time I was ten months old I was running. Lucky me, I had a daughter who was exactly the same way, which meant we fenced in our front yard to keep her from running into the street. She liked to test at an early age whether she could outrace us. My son ran into doors as a toddler, but despite that early clumsiness, he turned out to be a runner, too. So is my husband. For fun sometimes, we pile into the car and all go running on the bike path. Now, this might sound like torture to the rest of you, but if so, as you read on just replace your favorite activity whenever you see 'running' in the following paragraphs.

I started running competitively in distance events in high school. I had to be talked into it by the coach, who kept telling me I 'looked' like a distance runner, but once I started to get into shape, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. And then I started to get good at it. Good enough to have several records on the board by the time I graduated and good enough to run on scholarship in college.

When I got older, other things (work, family, home) took over. Being competitive wasn't important anymore. Running became my escape. My thirty minutes of peace. My reassurance that my heart was still beating, my lungs drawing air and my muscles still functioning.

Five years ago I started to have muscle and joint pain. It got so bad that not only could I not run, there were many days I laid in bed and cried, I hurt so much. I was seriously sleep deprived, because the pain would wake me up frequently. I couldn't mow the lawn, bring in the groceries or move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. I was in my early 40's and felt like I was 90. I wrote almost all of Isabeau while lying on my stomach with the laptop on the floor in front of me.

The first doctor I went to told me I just had a muscle strain. I knew it wasn't. The second one prescribed pain killers. I used them sparingly and when that bottle was empty I went to a physical therapist. He only had one treatment and when that didn't work, he merely scratched his head.

This cycle continued for three years. I got tired of going to doctors. None of them seemed to have an answer. It didn't help that I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to moan publicly about my ailments, so I have a tendency to downplay my pain if someone asks how I feel. The truth was that most of the time I felt like hell. I wasn't me anymore. I had become my pain. All I knew is that I didn't want to live the rest of my life like that.

Finally, an osteopath discovered that I had a leg length discrepancy. My right leg is 1/2" shorter than my left one, which is a pretty significant difference. So for 40+ years I'd been walking around lopsided and had ultimately developed muscular imbalances. That did chronic damage to my muscles. Turns out I have something called Chronic Myofascial Pain. These are painful knots deep in my muscles. I will probably never be rid of it completely, but I have learned ways to manage it, like physical therapy exercises, massage therapy and acupuncture.

I still have some pain, but it's only a fraction of what it used to be. I can, at least, lead a normal life. Despite that I've had several health professionals lecture me on how I would better preserve my body if I didn't run, I do it anyways. Why? Because I can. Even though it isn't as easy as it used to be. Last year I ran my first 5K in five years. Then I ran another one. It was six minutes slower than my lifetime PR, but it felt FAST! Sprinting to the finish line felt like I'd just won the gold medal in the Olympic marathon.

Last year I went to the state track meet and sat next to a man who told me he was 76 years old and had gotten up at 6 a.m. to run his five miles early so he could get to the meet and see all the youngsters run. I said to him, "I want to be you when I'm 76."

Whatever it is that you love to do, find a way to do it. Life's too short to play it safe.

(P.S. The picture is my son. He has exercise induced asthma. He runs because he loves it, too. Even though it's not easy.)

Best,
Gemi

How to survive a book signing

2011-03-09T09:23:00.003-05:00

Did you ever get terribly anxious about an upcoming event (such as your wedding day, a job interview, a date), I mean so nervous that you wanted to hurl your morning coffee and Pop-Tarts and beg out on account of sickness? And you wouldn't have minded if your living room ceiling had suddenly collapsed under the weight of this past winter's snowfall and given you the perfect excuse to stay home? But then you went anyway, because you couldn't bear to fib and people were expecting you . . . and you discovered it wasn't so bad after all? Maybe, it was even a teensy weensy bit fun?

That was me last week before attending my first local author day, presented by the Enon Historical Society. (This is a picture of me signing a book and yes, it's little, because I'm pretty sure my eyes are closed.) There were ten authors total and a small, although steady stream of book browsers who showed up. The two hour event whizzed by.

A couple of friends asked me to blog about attending my first book signing and while I am still a complete newb at it, I do have a few ideas to share for the writers out there:

Try to learn beforehand how big the event will be and take the appropriate number of books. Yes, I know that's wide open. How much is too much? Well, you don't want to run out after ten minutes and you don't want to go home toting the same 50 books you brought with you. I knew this was the first year for this event and it was in a small town. I took a box of 20 books and sold 7. If I were going to the local Celtic festival with my Robert the Bruce books and staying there all 3 days, I'd definitely take more, since thousands of people attend that event.
Find out what you need to bring with you. I just took myself, my books, bookmarks and a couple of trusty pens. When I got there they asked me if I brought my own table. "Uhhh, no." I offered to call my in-laws, who were just around the block and could've brought me a card table, but they found a small folding table in the storeroom for me. Phew. It didn't dawn on me that since there were going to be several authors there that their supply would be limited. Next time I'll be better prepared.
Take change and a calculator, if needed. I sold my books for $10, so I didn't need a calculator, but I did have to make change.
Take something to display your books. Well, I didn't do this, but a few of the other (more experienced) authors had little book stands to prop their books up, so you could see the front cover. Nothing beckons from across the room more than an interesting cover.
Take a tablecloth and candy. Again, this was someone smarter than me, but I do think it's worthwhile to make your little spot look festive and inviting. I lucked out and got a replica of the log cabin behind me.
Bring business cards and/or bookmarks with your name and website on them. I handed out bookmarks even to people who didn't buy my books, although business cards will serve much of the same purpose. They're probably more likely to hang onto and use the bookmark, however (since they're buying books). I designed my bookmarks with my desktop publishing program, printed them on cardstock, cut them out and rounded off the corners (you can find corner-rounders at the craft store), then punched a hole at the top and tied a leather tassel to it. For $18 I bought enough bookmark material to last me for the next ten years. You need to give people a no-pressure way to remember you. Someone might leave without your book and go look it up and purchase it later.
Don't chase people down and shove your book under their noses. IOW, don't be a pushy used car salesman. Readers should be afforded enough time to read the back cover blurbs, the first few pages, and weigh their decisions without getting pressured into a purchase. If they feel pounced upon, they aren't going to come back to those events. Likewise, if they come up to your table and pick up your book, don't trap them in a conversation in hopes that they'll drop you a tenner, just so you'll let them go.
Don't hide behind your table with a scowl on your face and only answer questions with a grunt or nod. You want to appear pleasant and approachable (and hopefully you are). Somewhere there's a happy medium between being an aggressive sales person and a non-salesman. Since this was a multi-author event, I didn't assume that everyone who floated by my table was interested in historical fiction. It's easy to tell from my covers that's what they are. A few people stopped to ask what each story was about, which leads me to the next point ---
Have your elevator pitch prepared. People will often buy based on what the story is about. Boil it down to a 30-60 second pitch. If they want to know more, they'll ask. For instance, I would tell them "The Crown in the Heather is primarily about Robert the Bruce - you know, the Scottish king in Braveheart?" And for Isabeau, I described it as "a tawdry love affair between Isabella and Mortimer, who plot to overthrow her husband, the King of England".
Dress like a professional. Sure, most of us writers show up to work in our coffee-stained jammies and fuzzy bunny slippers, with our bed-hair pulled back into a ponytail so our bangs don't obscure our view of the keyboard, but I'd advise against that - although it would definitely get people looking at you (and probably wondering if you're a bit loopy). Depending on the venue, nice jeans and a button-up blouse are fine. You certainly don't have to come in a business suit. But do make an impression. Me, I wore my knee-high leather boots. I only break those out for special occasions.

Now that I've survived the first book signing, I can definitely say I'd do it again. Without hesitation.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Read an e-book week and more!

2011-03-06T09:14:00.003-05:00

Did you know it's read an e-book week? For more details, check out The Brooklyn Scribbler.

Today's Kindle Nation Daily E-book of the Day is . . . Worth Dying For! Of all the e-book-specific blogs out there, this is perhaps the most comprehensive and informative one of all. It's a great way to find out about bargain books and new releases. So sign up for it, you Kindle-addicts, if you haven't already. Hats off to Stephen Windwalker for doing such a professional job putting it together.

The proof for the paperback of Worth Dying For is on its way. Hopefully, it'll be completely error-free (yeah, right). There's an awesome lion rampant on the back cover. Graphic designer Lance Ganey rocks!

I'll be hanging out at the Enon Historical Society building (the old Enon Library, off Dayton Rd. in Enon, Ohio, behind the village offices) today Sunday, March 6th from 2-4 p.m. Grab a free bookmark and if you want to buy either The Crown in the Heather or Isabeau - or just have me sign a copy you already own, do stop by. Meanwhile, for the next few hours I'll be trying to think up witty and erudite things to scribble above my signature.

Happy e-reading,
Gemi

#SampleSunday - Isabeau, Ch. 8

2011-02-27T08:39:00.004-05:00

Isabeau

Ch. 8
Isabella: Tynemouth Priory, 1322

(Isabella and her damsels flee from an approaching band of Scots.)

Beyond the cliffs where the Benedictine priory sat, a rising wind lashed at the blue-black sea, churning the waves into foamy peaks. Against the ragged shoreline, the raging waves crashed in sprays of white. Then, broken and hushed, they retreated seaward in defeat. At the northern edge of the horizon, the sky had already begun to darken again.

I looked once more toward the priory, wondering if I should order us back to wait until tomorrow, but with a glance Patrice banished my thoughts. She did not want to relive York, nor did I.

My men-at-arms lifted the small rowing boat from behind a sand dune and carried it forward on their shoulders. I waited on shore while they rowed my damsels out in twos and threes to board the ship. The youngest of my damsels, Cecilia de Leygrave who was fifteen, hovered at my elbow, already blanched in complexion.

“You do not like to sail, Cecilia?” I asked cautiously.

Tremulous, she cast her brown eyes toward the lowering horizon. “Oh, I have not sailed much. Once before maybe. I was little then, so I don’t remember much of it. But I do not like storms, my lady. I do not like being wet or cold or standing out in the lightning. Ida told me once about her cousin who was struck by lightning—there was nothing left of him but a pile of ashes in his boots and the ring from his finger. And I have heard there are monsters in the sea that follow ships. That they especially follow ships with women on them.”

It was strange to see the usually witty and tittering Cecilia so terror-stricken. I hung an arm over her shaking shoulders and forced a laugh. “Was it Ida who told you about the sea monsters who devour women? She is full of silly stories. Well, I have never seen a sea monster, nor have I ever known anyone who has. It is simply a tavern tale told by old sailors to make themselves sound braver than they are. So you needn’t worry about monsters, Cecilia. They don’t exist. Besides, I have hired the best sailors and the fastest ship north of London. We will arrive somewhere safe sooner than you know.”

But I stretched the truth. The ship I had commissioned for our rescue was one that had recently been blown back by storms. A sodden and battered crew had crudely mended its sails, sliced by the gale. The hull had received a hasty caulking of moss and a spotty daubing of pitch. Its seaworthiness was highly suspect, but taking ship was no surer a fated death than remaining at Tynemouth.

She pressed her fingertips together in a hasty prayer. “I am to be betrothed to a squire from Oxford. A good man, I’m told. He sent me this.” She splayed the fingers of her left hand and wiggled them to show a ring of tarnished silver set with a milky blue stone. A pretty bauble, it was nothing of great value. To her, however, it was a treasure.

“Very beautiful.” I leaned close to peer at it. “So you have not met?”

She twisted the ring on her finger. Then, deciding it was loose, she switched it to another finger. “No, but he writes. I have one of the monks read them to me. It is . . . embarrassing sometimes, what he says, to hear a holy man say it. But he sounds most kind.”

Two soldiers each extended a hand to help us into the little rowing boat that reeked of fish. “A very important trait for a husband to have. You will be happy.” I hooked my arm through hers and together we walked into the foamy rush of cold waves that wrapped about our feet. The boat rocked as we each stepped into it. We plunked down on a rowing thwart in the front and the two soldiers took the back, leaving the oarsman in the middle. I hugged Cecilia close. As I did so, I saw, far to the south and high up at the edge of the cliffs . . . a line of horsemen, armed. Their silhouettes cut stark and ominous against a gray veiling of clouds. The tips of their spears jabbed at the sky as they rode hard and fast along the thin lip of earth.

The oarsman pulled hard, grunting, and we slipped away from shore. My heart tumbled in fear with each jerk of the oars. Most of my damsels, including Patrice and Juliana, had already boarded the broad-bellied merchant ship that would take us down the coast to safety, but three others still waited on shore for the rowing boat to return for them.

Cecilia bit fiercely at her lip as we lurched toward the bobbing ship, each wave knocking our tiny boat back almost as far as the oarsman could manage to advance.

“He will be in York, waiting for me.” Her voice was barely a whisper above the roar of waves around us. Rain began to fall suddenly, heavily, stabbing at my shoulders and back. Cecilia crouched down before me and tucked her head tight against my bosom to keep the rain out of her eyes.

I did not think to ask what her betrothed’s name was, so fixed was my attention on the horse-men now leaning back in their saddles to plunge rapidly down the steep trail toward the shore. “Do not worry, Cecilia. The brunt of the storm is to the north. Away from us.”

But there was a closer fate to the south, closing fast. The last of my damsels were quaking in a tight huddle at the edge of an angry sea. A remnant of my guard, four men, waited with them. A small garrison had remained at the priory, thinking that if anyone came to attack, they would approach by the road to the west. Lightning cracked overhead. One of the soldiers glanced up at the cliffs. In the flickering light, sword blades glinted. I could now make out the round, studded shields affixed to their forearms—the targes of Scots. And at the lead a man with wild black tresses that fell to his shoulders. With his sword thrust out before him, he raised himself up out of his stirrups and closed on those below like a demon of the night.
The garrison soldier let out a cry to stand in defense. The black-haired Scotsman cocked his arm back and leaned out hard to the side. His blade slashed through the darkness and severed the man’s bare neck. The soldier who had given the warning was forever silenced. His head bounced in front of the terrified clutch of women and rolled to the water’s edge. The man’s torso swayed until a gust of wind finally pushed it over.

Above the crash of thunder, I could not hear the screams that followed.

News and #SampleSunday

2011-02-20T09:15:00.004-05:00

Hi All!

A great big thank you to all those who have e-mailed me in the past few weeks to say how much they enjoyed the first two books in The Bruce Trilogy and ask when the third and final book will be available. I have a few more chapters to write and then edits and proofing to do, but I do hope to have it out sometime this summer. It's entitled The Honor Due a King and again follows Robert the Bruce, James Douglas and Edward III from 1314 to 1330. I love hearing from readers, so don't hesitate to contact me ( imgnr "at" imgnr "dot" com).

Also, graphic designer Lance Ganey is putting the finishing touches on the full cover for Worth Dying For. The paperback will be available by early March. I'll post here when it shows up on Amazon.

I'll be doing my first appearance and book signing ever on Sunday March 6th from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Enon Historical Society in Enon, Ohio. So come on by!

Last but not least, here's this week's installment for #SampleSunday, from Ch. 3 of Worth Dying For. Still pursued by the English, the remnants of Robert the Bruce's army are holed up in a cave near Loch Lomond whil they tend to their wounded. James Douglas has gone out to fish with another man and fallen asleep. He has a rude awakening.

*****

“Look ‘ere,” a gruff voice said. “A Scottish dog, good as dead.”

The dull fog of sleep lifted suddenly like a blanket thrown off. It was not Wallace’s voice, nor Robert’s. Neither was it Torquil’s.

Through barely parted lashes, I glimpsed a man with a bulging paunch standing over me. He grinned and flicked his tongue over lips pocked with sores. Drooping jowls rough with black stubble melted into a thick neck. The man had not suffered for lack of food, or from the guilt of gluttony. He reached beneath his oversized leather jerkin and scratched at this crotch. Then he lifted a nicked and rusty sword. Its point pricked the soft of my belly.

My heart thumped in a wild cadence. I curled my fingers around empty air. My blade lay tangled in the grass, only a few feet away. If I reached for it, I was dead. If I didn’t―I was dead then, too.

His mouth spread into a macabre smile of jagged yellow teeth and irregular gaps. A guttural laugh shook his flabby gut and gurgled out of his throat, making him sound like a braying donkey. “Scared, are you? Don’t worry, I’ll keep you alive long enough to get some sport out of you.”

I opened my eyes fully, gauging his quickness against mine. No contest. I would have skewered him in a heartbeat in an honest fight. Gutted him like the fat pig he was. That was when he pressed the point deeper into my belly, reminding me who had the advantage.

“Will, over ‘ere!” he bellowed. “Look what I found me!”

With every shallow breath I drew, the sword point bit harder, almost burning. I held my breath. Fear, or fate, whatever it was, held me entranced to observe the slow approach of my own death.

God’s teeth, I had always thought I would die in a furious blaze of glory, not like this. Not in such a pathetic, helpless way.

Behind him, twigs cracked. Footsteps plodded, then stopped.

He chuckled, this time scratching at his buttocks. “What do you say we should do with him, Will? Chop off his fingers, one knuckle bone at a time? Gouge out his eyeballs, maybe? I like that one, I do. Won’t be pretty no more, then, will ‘e?” He guffawed, amused by his own cleverness.

“Let him go.”

The pig-bellied Englishman stopped laughing. He cocked his head sideways, not daring to take his eyes off me. “What did you―?”

A thwack cut off his words. He stumbled forward, as if someone had shoved him from behind. But there was no one there. A line―wet, burning―trickled warm across my abdomen to pool in my navel. The sword had pricked my flesh. It slipped from his grasp and thudded to the ground.

His tongue popped from his mouth, red foam bubbling around it. He lowered his eyes to gawp at his chest, where the tip of a wooden spear point protruded. Bright blood clotted in the Englishman’s stubbly beard, spurted from the hole in his breast. Empty-eyed, he stared at me, making little croaking sounds―and fell.

*****

Happy reading,
Gemi

What was Robert the Bruce really like?

2011-02-15T10:12:00.002-05:00

On occasion, I have been asked if I would have liked to live in the past. Hmm, well . . . no. That seems an odd thing to say, coming from one who has spent the last decade studying the events of 700 years ago and writing about them, but let me put it this way: I'd like to be able to visit the past, provided I get to take my Universal Translator (like the ones they had in Star Trek, because how else would I understand what the medieval Scots were saying?) - and if I'm allowed to come back whenever I need to, because I would not want to be stuck in the Middle Ages interminably for lots of reasons. Having just spent nearly two whole days without electricity following an ice storm, I can honestly say that modern comforts have made a wimp of me. If I had to stumble through the Scottish Highlands in the dead of winter, sleeping on the ground in the open air, without central heating to thaw my bones, insulated Goretex snow boots, and hot Toasted Almond coffee that appears with the push of a button, I would be one major whiny-pants. This is why I have not applied to become a contestant on Survivor. I would probably draw blood in order to win reward after having to spend my nights sleeping on a bamboo mat under a leaky palm-leaf roof in a monsoon, while cockroaches the size of guinea pigs crawled over me.

One thing I would like to do is go back, for just a little while, and get to know Robert the Bruce. I mean, what was he really like? Not the king or even the soldier, but the man. Historians have done a great job of compiling historical documents from both sides of the war and giving us the English slant vs. the Scottish one. As a novelist, I don't believe my job is to repeat what so many accomplished scholars have already done. I believe it is my job to give a more human interpretation of what Robert and his contemporaries were like as people, not historical figures who made only political or military decisions.

Yet in doing so, I risk failing to meet the expectations of some readers - and I'm well aware of that. It is the inherent danger of writing biographical historical fiction. If a reader comes into the opening pages believing Robert was stoic, unfailingly decisive, and without regret or guilt, then I'm not likely to convince them that he may have been otherwise. My interpretation of Robert the Bruce is just that - mine. And if I can humanize him well enough, hopefully readers will accept how I have chosen to represent him.

So did I make all this stuff up about what he may have been like? Or did I find the Secret Diary of Robert the Bruce hidden in a spidery cave somewhere in Argyll? Uh, no, neither actually. I take the known facts, a smattering of legend and fill in the holes as best I can.

One thing we do know about him is that Robert the Bruce was an exceedingly forgiving person and a man who was willing to compromise for the long-term and greater good. For example, he later forgave and accepted into his service the Earl of Ross, who was responsible for capturing his wife and daughter as they were trying to escape to the Orkneys and then handing them over to the English. How many of us could have been that Gandhi-like? (I don't know about the rest of you, but I can hold a grudge forever.) Robert did so because he needed allies and he wanted Scotland to stand as one. If he had made a point of punishing his fellow countrymen regularly that would only have served to divide them further.

Another matter that makes me believe he was a man who loved deeply was his pursuance of Elizabeth de Burgh. He met and fell in love with her at a time when he was a declared rebel against Longshanks (Edward I of England). The sticky issue was that her father was still an adherent of Longshanks, so in order to marry her he would have to once again submit to the English crown. Which meant that to many of his fellow Scots he was an opportunist and not really on their side after all. Quite a dilemma. He desired Elizabeth, but he also wanted to be king. In the end, he chose the woman. Very romantic. (Swoon.)

Imagine the torment he must have suffered later when she was taken captive by above mentioned Earl of Ross and delivered into the hands of Longshanks himself. I don't think it's too far-fetched to say that he would have missed her terribly and maybe even have questioned how he could have kept her safe.

While many documents exist entailing the Bruce's political and military actions, we have fewer accounts of him as a private man. English chroniclers naturally tend to vilify him, while Scottish ones relay the legends surrounding him which paint a more heroic portrait. Here's an example from a 14th century Scottish chronicler John Fordoun:

"This man [Robert the Bruce] seeing them [the Scots] stretched in the slough of woe, and reft of all hope of salvation and help, was inwardly touched with sorrow of heart; and, putting forth his hand unto force, underwent the countless and unbearable toils of the heat of day, of cold and hunger, by land and sea, gladly welcoming weariness, fasting, dangers, and the snares not only of foes, but also of false friends, for the sake of freeing his brethren." (From Chris Brown's Robert the Bruce, A Life Chronicled)

I question that he suffered all those trials 'gladly' (perhaps ' with acceptance' would have been a better term?) or that he did so purely for selfless reasons, because he was an ambitious man who believed that the crown of Scotland was rightly his by birth. Clearly though his character was one of perseverance and brotherhood.

Did he ever question his goals or his actions? Let me wrap up this post with a quote that Fordoun attributes to Robert: "Were I not stirred by Scotland's olden bliss/Not for earth's empire would I bear all this."

Until later,
Gemi

#SampleSunday - The Crown in the Heather, Ch. 12

2011-02-13T08:42:00.000-05:00

Today's excerpt is taken from The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy: Book I), Ch. 12. The year is 1301. After visiting James Stewart at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Robert must at last say goodbye to Elizabeth de Burgh. His feelings for her are strong, but their future is a very uncertain one:

*****

It was the coldest of February days when Stewart, his wife, and Elizabeth gathered in the courtyard as the horses were brought out for Gerald and me. Brittle winter air shattered our frail words of farewell. Reluctantly, I handed my Marjorie back and she clung to Egidia’s skirts. Tears glistened on her pink cheeks. Coll padded across the slick cobbles, leaned against her leg and nuzzled her fingers.

I took Elizabeth’s face in my hands and kissed her sweet and long upon the lips. My mouth trembled not from cold, but from the wave of pain pulsing with every beat of my heart. For weeks, I had denied this moment would ever arrive. Now that it had, it was as though some emptiness threatened to devour me whole. Fool that I was, I thought I would be able to endure this parting bravely, like some eager young soldier venturing off to war. Instead, I felt . . . desperate. Or determined. I didn’t know which.

Once, ambition had consumed me. But for all that I wanted to pursue what my grandfather had begun, it seemed meaningless without Elizabeth. What I thought I had always wanted—it had changed.

“Say you’ll be my wife, Elizabeth. Say that you will and I’ll fly back the moment I can and take you in my arms and never let go.”

She looked down, as if she sought to hide the tears brimming over her long lashes. “Please, Robert, I . . . I can’t promise that. You know why.”

Gently, I lifted her chin in my fingers and stared into her eyes, as green and glistening as the Lothian hills after a spring rain. “I thought surely we . . . Oh, damn it, Elizabeth. Do not give breath to such murderous words. Give me reason to hope.”

She brushed my whiskered cheek with smooth fingertips. “We can but hope. That is all, no more.”

I pulled her in close—yet even as I did so, I realized I had brought this upon myself . . . upon us.

“We’ll find a way, my love. By all that is true and sacred, we will find a way.”

I meant it, more than I even knew.

I had mourned long enough for Isabella. I wanted to live again—truly live. Not for some tomorrow that might never come, but for now.

*****

Happy reading,
Gemi

#SampleSunday - Isabeau, Ch. 6

2011-02-06T08:00:00.005-05:00

When I began to write about Queen Isabella, the wife of King Edward II of England, the story at first was solely in her voice. But there were gaps in it - huge holes in time and plot. The only way to bridge those gaps and give the story the dimension it needed was to allow Roger Mortimer to have his own voice. So Isabeau became as much Isabella's story as it was Roger's. I'll admit, by today's standards he's a bit of a chauvinist, but he also felt strong connections to certain people in his life, one of them being his uncle, Roger of Chirk.

Here's part of a scene from Ch. 6 of Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer. Roger, his son Edmund and his uncle have submitted to King Edward II and been taken prisoner. They arrive at the Tower of London to await their fate:

*****

I was not spoken to again until we reached the inner bailey of the Tower of London. There, they snatched the blanket away and pitched me sideways from the wagon. My elbow and chest slammed against the cobbles. Air was sucked from my lungs. Before I could draw breath, Edmund landed across my legs, tumbled over, and banged his head on the stones. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out, but a long hiss of pain escaped his mouth. I choked and sputtered as I fought to breathe. Then I saw another shadow wobbling above me. There was an irascible grunt, followed by a spit and a curse.

They hurled my uncle from the wagon. My torso broke his fall; only he did not land with the lithe reactions of my son, but the dead weight of an old man stiff in the joints. I tried to inhale, but his weight crushed me. My lungs would not expand. Down low my ribs burned with pain, as though someone had plunged a flaming poker into me.

“Get . . . off,” I gasped.

They hoisted him to his feet and began to drag him away.

I tucked my right elbow beneath me to roll over, but the pain burst through me again. With my hands still bound, I could not push myself up with either of them. The scrape of fading footsteps urged me to try again. I lifted my other shoulder and turned my head enough to see, in the silver etchings of a winter night, my uncle being escorted toward one of the tower doors. A virulent sneer tore from his lips.

“May you rot in hell!” he shouted at me. His crackling voice echoed off the high walls like the shattering of glass. They shoved him headlong through the doorway. He cursed again. The door slammed shut. Then . . . the sound of a beating. His profane oaths were muffled by fist blows, until at last they faded to heavy sobs and drawn-out whimpers.

On his knees, Edmund shook his head. Slowly, he turned his face toward me. A trickle of blood traced its way from the indent of his temple to the ridge of his cheekbone. “He did not mean it,” he said barely above a whisper.

At that, one of the guards seized him by the back of his shirt, yanked him to his feet and slammed a fist into his belly. “Keep your mouth shut, you hear?”

Edmund crumpled against the wagon, his eyes squeezed tight in pain. Before he could recover, they hooked their hands beneath each of his arms and were taking him away, too. Had I any breath to spare, I would have called after him. With stoic courage, Edmund lifted his head, picked up his feet, and kept silent so they would not give him the same pummeling they had given his great uncle. He was escorted to the same door, but when it was opened there was neither sight nor sound of my uncle. Edmund dodged to the side to avoid being slammed into the doorway as they jostled him through.

Vaguely, I was aware of the clop of hooves, the wagon rattling away over the stones, a barking of orders, the groaning of a gate, and the slow murmur of deep voices from behind me.

“—the Lanthorn Tower. There is a room for him there. Mind you, no one is to speak to him.”

Measured footsteps approached me from behind. I felt a pair of hands lift me carefully up until I was sitting. I winced involuntarily.

A man in full mail and wearing the king’s red and gold stepped around me and sank to his haunches. His balding head, bare of coif or helmet, was fringed with close shorn chestnut locks and streaked with the first white hairs of middle age. “A bit bruised, aren’t you?” He began to probe about my head with lightly jabbing fingers and worked his way down my neck and shoulders. When he came to my last two ribs on the right, I clenched my jaw, but there was a little groan deep inside my throat he must have heard, for he drew his hands away and stood. “Take him away. And see to his injuries. ‘Tis the king who says whether he lives or dies, and when, not us.”

Silently, I thanked him for that grace, however morbid.

*****

Meanwhile, I'm the Guest Writer over at the web site of historical fiction author Fred Nath. Fred's book, The Cyclist, is a poignant tale of World War II France and is the first in a trilogy. It was an Editor's Choice selection in the February 2011 issue of the Historical Novel Society's Historical Novels Review and reveals a different (and very human) side of war. Check out Fred's web site for more information!

Happy reading,
Gemi

Whose baby is it, anyway? Or - How to cope with criticism

2011-02-04T12:16:00.007-05:00

No human being in the world is immune to criticism. Redecorate your living room in retro 70's to remind yourself of your childhood or buy yourself a fancy new outfit that says, "There's nobody else like me!" and chances are someone else will hate your choices. Unless we're talking about your mother, common social courtesy says we don't publicly pass judgment on others' tastes. We may have an opinion, but when we're face to face with our peers, be they friends or strangers, we don't tell them what we really think of their too short haircut and bad dye job, ugly new clogs, or the little black dress that looks like a Hefty trash bag the dog threw up on. We don't even dare hint that their newborn baby might be . . . ugly.

As writers, we pour so much of our souls into our stories that sometimes they feel like real babies to us - living beings that we carried in our wombs for endless months and then forced out in agonizing pain, only to be left drained and yet somehow . . . pleased with ourselves. Then, like raising children, we nurture that conglomeration of words and thoughts, trying to shape it into something better and respectable. Finally, we cut the strings and release it into the world: our book, our precious baby.

Only, it's not our baby once we let it go. And that's a hard concept to grasp.

Every writer hopes for praise. We bask in it when it does come along. We're motivated by it. Sometimes, we're just stunned by that someone actually gets it. But we all also get our fair share of criticism - and it can be devastating, if we let it be. The first bad review I ever got, I retreated into my shell for days, a worm of nausea gnawing away at my confidence. I re-examined my life goals. I felt guilty for selfishly hoarding time away from my family when I could have been doing something more productive with my time - like earning money at a real job. I admitted that maybe, just maybe, I had been deluding myself for years with a pipe dream.

Somehow, I found the courage to go on. Possibly, I am just too stubborn to admit defeat. Most of all, I felt I couldn't let down those who had believed in me, encouraged me and offered sincere praise. So I persisted.

The scariest part about writing isn't having the commitment to do it; it's having the guts to share it. So, it becomes a welcome surprise when people start to buy your book. And an even bigger shock when some of them tell you how much they enjoyed it. It's a special thrill when a complete stranger from halfway around the globe asks when the next book will be out, because they've already read all the rest.

It's inevitable, though: the more books you sell, the more likely it is that someone will buy your book and find it's just not their thing. If we all liked the same thing, there wouldn't be any variety in the world and what a bland place that would be.

A writer I very much respect once said that she figures once a book goes out into the world, it no longer belongs to her, the writer. It becomes the property of the reader and the reading of it becomes their experience. Not everyone is going to connect with it.

When I get a harsh review now, I read it once and never again. When I get a really, really good one, I print it off and tack it up on the cork board. It reminds me to focus on writing for the people for whom my writing resonates and not to dwell on those for whom it doesn't.

I may have started out writing for myself, but now the realization of a lifelong dream has finally sunk in. I'm writing for readers, the vast majority of them people I don't even know - and that both humbles and elates me. Thank you, each and every one.

Happy reading,
Gemi

#SampleSunday - Worth Dying For, Ch. 5

2011-01-30T09:11:00.004-05:00

Worth Dying For is on sale on Kindle for just 99 cents on Amazon.com and 71 p on Amazon.co.uk for one more week. Although this is the second book in The Bruce Trilogy, if you haven't yet read the first you should have no trouble jumping right into this one. For those who've asked, I'm preparing the final files for the print version of WDF and it should be out sometime in February. I'll post here when it's available. Thanks, everyone, for being so patient. Meanwhile it's available in e-book form on Amazon and Smashwords.

In the following excerpt, it's still 1306 and Robert the Bruce, self-proclaimed King of Scots, has sailed from Rathlin Island in the Irish Sea up the western coast of Scotland. In order to stand against the English, he needs money, men and ships. Christiana of the Isles has all those things, but there's something she wants, as well, and the task proves to be more difficult for Robert than merely asking for a favor.

It's been frequently reported that Robert was not entirely faithful during his second marriage to Elizabeth Bruce, from whom he was physically separated for many years. We often hear him spoken of in very glowing and noble terms, but like most everyone - especially those with ambition or who wielded power - he, too, had his flaws.

*****

I looked up to see a squat, gray castle hunched above a low cliff on an islet ahead: Castle Tirrim.

The tide being low, we beached the galley on the shingle-littered shore opposite the castle and trudged across a muddy bridge of land to the base of the cliff encircling the islet. Sleet had faded to a spitting mist. Arms wrapped about himself, Torquil led us to a breach in the cliff wall. Stiff with cold, we ascended after him, taking care not to slip on the moss-slickened stones. When Torquil scrambled over the top, he dropped to his knees, small stones crunching with the impact.

Before him stood a noblewoman in a hooded cloak, gloved palms open in welcome, and at her shoulder a glowering lord, his feet braced wide and one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Bending at the waist, the lady spread her arms wide, so that her cloak of crimson parted to reveal a green gown embroidered with golden knotwork. As she straightened, a rope of loosely plaited red hair swung from her shoulder, the end of it hanging to the inviting curve of her hip. Tall and imposing in presence, I was one of few men above whom she did not tower. She tilted her head and smiled pleasantly at me, ignoring Torquil and the dozen men huddled close and shivering at the lip of the cliff.

“A thousand welcomes to Tirrim, my lord king,” Lady Christiana greeted. “I have watched for you from my window for weeks now.”

“You couldn’t have known I was coming, my lady.” I took her hand, cold-wet with rain, and kissed her fingers just below the glittering facets of her emerald ring. “I sent no word. I dared not. Scotland is as thick with my enemies as there are pines in the forest. I must keep my comings and goings a secret, as much as I can.”

She laid her other hand over mine. “There are some things a woman knows, even without being told.” With a gentle tug she drew me close, her lips grazing my cheek with a kiss, her breath cupping my ear like a puff of steam as she whispered my name, “Robert.”

With every breath she drew, her bosom swelled against my chest. Fine droplets of rain on my face warmed, like a perspiration that has sprung to the brow with gentle exertion.

“Has it been ten years, truly? Not a day gone, judging by your beauty, I vow.” I bestowed a brief kiss in return. “And you’ve still not found another husband? How can that be?”

When Christiana had barely been of marriageable age, her father, Alan Macruarie, had betrothed her to Duncan of Mar. Perpetually drunk and quarrelsome, she could hardly tolerate him and leapt at any distraction. I had been one of them. It did not matter to her that it was her wedding I had come to attend. But barely in my first full beard then, I was mad for Duncan’s sister, Isabella.

“I’ll not have just any.” She poked a finger at my chest playfully. “You don’t know how despondent I was when I heard you had married again. Did you not think of me? Cruel of you, it was. My heart has yet to mend.”

The black-bearded lord cleared his throat. As I cast a glance at him, he raised his jaw. Finally, he dipped his head in acknowledgment.

“Reginald Crawford of Kyle . . . my lord.” His hand drifted downward from his sword, indicating he would unsheathe it in a breath if given cause.

Christiana snaked a hand beneath my cloak and up my arm to cling seductively to me. “Come, my lord. Let me show you to a warm bed. But first, a fire, a full meal and a flagon of wine to bring you back to life, aye?”

As she led us over the rock-strewn path to the gate, her hip swayed against mine. I had come duly armed with my honor, but already it was proving a challenge. It would have been easier to leave altogether, than to stay and deny such an enchantress.

*****

Feel free to drop into Twitter and search for more #SampleSunday excerpts. I'll be surfing there throughout the day and re-tweeting some of my favorite finds.

Happy reading,
Gemi

An Analysis of the Short-Term Effects of Creativity Deprivation on a Middle-Aged Individual Exposed to Textbook Overload

2011-01-28T09:36:00.006-05:00

I've been noticeably absent from blogdom the past two months, immersing myself in science classes at the local college. For fun, you say? Um, no comment to that effect, but in short I wanted to renew my teaching certificate and the powers-that-be said that I had to pick up 18 quarter credit hours of science or education classes. Silly me, I took the harder route and decided to jump back into technical subjects that I haven't studied for a very, very long time. It's true, your brain does turn to mush with non-use. To the benefit of my future students, this was probably a very good thing, but the short term effect is that I feel like my brain is being crammed so full of factoids that the creativity has been squeezed right out of my ear tubes. This has been augmented by the fact that I'm an overachiever and am convinced I'm not getting my money's worth unless I get an 'A' in every class. This makes for one very stressed (not-so-creative-anymore) writer.

If you could look inside my head right now it would look like those eggs in the frying pan commercial: Your brain on drugs.

My anatomy textbook weighs 8 lbs. and totals 1400 pages. Can you say 'eye strain', 'information overload' and 'weight resistance workout'?

And yet, I find this stuff interesting. Although I prefer to do it in smaller chunks, I hope I never stop learning. Being equipped with knowledge in the sciences has helped me make wiser medical decisions so I could become healthier, know which plants are likely to thrive in my garden (or die, as is often the case) and understand how different types of training benefit the competitive runner.

That's one of the things I LURV about historical fiction - you're learning about the past and the people in it without really being aware of the fact that you're learning. There are few things more mentally painful than having dry facts crammed into your cerebral matter. Learning should be a pleasant side effect of reading fiction. This is where I mention how thankful I am for my crit partners who gave me a good smack whenever I slipped into an infodump.

I also want to thank those readers who have given me a shout-out in the past couple of weeks. Thank you a million times over! A few folks have asked when the third book in The Bruce Trilogy is coming out. It is tentatively entitled The Honor Due A King and will follow James, Robert and Edward II through their final years (with some unexpected twists, I might add). I expect to have it complete by midsummer, the delay of course caused by above mentioned academic reasons.

Only 7 weeks of class left - yay! Halfway there. Meanwhile, I am proofing the final file for the paperback of Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy: Book II). A reader in Scotland is patiently waiting for it.

Happy reading,
Gemi