Reviews, views and sock puppetry

Psst! Hey buddy, wanna buy a 5-star review?

 
The internet has been aghast at the accusations of sock puppetry by best-selling authors (see JA Konrath's wonderful series of posts explaining all of it as well as the Guardian and Huffington Post articles). The problem?  Authors are alternately buying reviews of their books (like the mega-selling indie author John Locke) or creating false accounts to boost reviews of their books or denigrate other authors' books (see Stephen Leather, etc.).

It's tempting, when faced with low Amazon numbers or very few reviews, to bump up your own with some fake ones.  After all, a writer might tell herself that everyone else is doing it and besides, what could be the harm in just one or two fake reviews? I am not going to judge anyone for doing that because I can easily understand the despair one might feel.  Believe me, I would love to have more reviews on Amazon or B&N but hey, the ones I have are honest and well-written so who am I to complain?

I think that the people (mostly writers) who are outraged about fake reviews aren't considering the intelligence of readers these days.  We (I am a reader too!) are savvy about too many 5-stars - and by too many 1-stars.  I can read a review and tell if someone hasn't read a book and is posting a fake review.  And I can tell when it's a friend or relative saying really nice things just to be nice. Most readers can - they're not fooled by trolls.

Where I draw the line is with authors who are purposefully trashing their competitors. Hiding behind a fake name and online profile is cheap, mean, and cowardly.  If you have to say something nasty about a fellow writer (do you really?), then at least use your own name. Personally, when I read a book I don't like, I just don't rate or review it.  I don't believe in 1 or 2 star reviews. Why? Because I put my own name on the reviews and I wouldn't want a fellow writer to feel bad - like I would (and do) when I receive low ratings.

Retaliation is a poor substitute for honesty.  When a writer (or reader) posts a nasty review just because that writer angered them personally or because they want to make the writer feel bad, that's retaliation.  Anyone who claims they are "just being honest" is lying to themselves.

All that being said, I would like to post a link to a real review by a real reader of my novel, CHASING THE FALLS.  I submitted my book to Flamingnet Book Reviews to be reviewed but did not pay for it.  They gave me honest feedback (you will see how honest it was!).  This kind of review really touches my heart because I can tell the reviewer read the book and truly enjoyed it.  This was an intelligently-written piece that really dug into the meat of the book.  This is the kind of review writers cherish.  Thank you, Flamingnet Book Reviews and my teen reader!

"Who does that fat girl think she is?"

That's the strange comment I've read on some reviews of my novel, ALL ABOUT VEE.  Perhaps not quite as harsh but certainly I've read comments that express that sentiment.

Why?  I always wonder.  Why would a reader be upset that my mc, Veronica May, a plus-size actress struggling in Hollywood, has confidence in herself?  Plenty of other characters in other books know they are good at something, whether it's acting or painting or sports. So what's the difference between them and Veronica?

Her size. 

There's an attitude among a lot of people that overweight women shouldn't be happy with themselves.  They should want to look thinner.  They should not like who they are.  They should feel inferior to others.  Many readers who pick up VEE expect that Veronica will be sad or have low self-esteem and that, over the course of the book, she will learn to love her body the way it is (or change it and then be happy and get the guy!). They don't expect that the problems she has in the book are ones that other people impose upon her.

I've often told readers how I came up with my story about Veronica and her friends, Val and Ginny, the original 800 page book that was called FAT GIRLS IN LA. I had been walking on my lunch hour in Beverly Hills and saw a lovely young woman waiting to cross the street.  The neighborhood was filled with agencies for film and TV and this girl was overweight.  I wondered if she was an actress looking for an agent - or maybe she was a model or a writer. I thought about who she might be, where she might have come from.

And I thought about being a fat girl in LA.  You can never be too thin in this town, no matter what your profession. Even if you're a writer and you're attractive and thin, they can promote you better than if you're not.  Everyone, it seems, wants to be thin here.  But what if you came from a town where no one cared?  What if you were really good at what you did but you also happened to be overweight?  Why should that matter?

Behold, the Vees were born.  Three plus-size gals from Arizona who were best friends and who wanted to make their lives more exciting so they moved to Hollywood.  Veronica was the actress and she got all the best roles in her small town - why shouldn't she be positive about her talent?  Why shouldn't she assume she could get roles here in LA? Ginny was the writer and Val was the model. They all suffered discrimination here.  Their friendship was tested.  Their self-confidence was challenged.

I think a lot of readers who have problems with Veronica's positive self-esteem have struggled with it themselves. They may want her to feel as they do and are disappointed that she likes herself the way she is.  They may have had people in their lives tell them they need to lose weight in order to be hired - or loved.  Make no mistake: Vee does not think she's the best at everything, that she's beautiful, that she should get every guy she meets.  That's the assumption readers place on her just because she's a good actress. She struggles too.  She just doesn't struggle with what you expect her to.

She's just like you.

In case you were wondering...

I got a Google alert not long ago that my name/book title/website were mentioned/linked/taken in vain and it turned out to be a book review blog called "Slightly Bookish." The blogger, a girl named Maddz, posted a super nice review of LOVE, MEG (thank you very much!) on her blog along with a photo of the title page with some scribbles on it.

Click here to see the photo.

She wanted to know what it said. So I wrote to her and I told her that was my signature. Somehow she had gotten a signed copy of my book at Books-A-Million. Now, when you're an author and you have a book in stores, you visit a lot of them and you sign stock if they have yours there so they can slap the "Signed Copy!" stickers on them and place them in a prominent location (you hope). I certainly did when my books came out - more so when MEG came out than when VEE did.

But here's the weird thing: I've never been in a Books-A-Million so I have *no* idea where Maddz' store got that copy. Any thoughts from anyone?

So there you go...a lesson for all of us: keep an eye out for signed copies of books even in chain stores. You just never know!

And if you're reading this, Maddz, thanks for that awesome review of my book. That was such a wonderful thing to read. It really lifted my spirits!

Guest review at The Page Flipper!

Chelsea at The Page Flipper - an awesome blog wherein Chelsea discusses all things book, writing and occasionally movie related - has begun a new feature: the Author Reviews.

This is an opportunity for authors to write reviews of their recent reads, favorite reads, or simply books that influenced them in some way. I am the first one! Ta-da!

One of my most recent and favorite books is by Janice Erlbaum, "Have You Found Her," a memoir of her experiences working with a teen runaway. It blew me away. Check out my review over at The Page Flipper today and I'll bet you'll want to read it too.

Janice, btw, was the very first author I wrote a fan letter to. As soon as I finished the book, I ran to my computer to look her up. I felt like such a fangirl!

Is this the WORST REVIEW EVER?

You tell me.

Alexa Young's Awesome Blog

A couple of years ago, I got this review from a teen reviewer for VOYA and it definitely left a lasting impression on me. So much so that when Alexa Young (author of the sunny, funny YA novels Frenemies and Faketastic - both titles which I love) launched her blog, WORST REVIEW EVER, I had to search it out.

Alexa has asked her fellow author friends to come forward with some of their very worst reviews, from professional reviewers as well as Amazon and Goodreads readers. And some are really horrible. They make mine look like a gushing fan fest.

But each of us has our threshold for pain. At the time I had gotten this VOYA review, it was just a couple of months after my first novel had been released so I was particularly sensitive to negative reviews, especially ones from teen reviewers since that was the audience I was trying to reach. Other people might think this was nothing; still others might collapse from its weight. Does anyone like reading that they are "annoying"?

So you be the judge. Check out the review at Alexa's blog and vote. If you have any comments, go ahead and leave them there and I'll respond if necessary. And for sure, that's the only place I will be posting the review; you certainly won't be seeing it on my website!

Thanks to Alexa for giving me the space on her blog to get that off my chest!

Blogger-Author Relationships

I have been following Kristi's and Steph's blog posts about the on-line relationships between book bloggers and authors. They, and their readers, bring up some really good questions and concerns. For instance, can we really call these connections "friendships"? If so, what happens when one "friend" reviews another "friend"? Must you be kind to them out of respect for the relationship?

Let me add my .03 (.02 adjusted for inflation):

I should clarify my comment on Steph's post, when I noted that I don't think bloggers and authors can be friends...of course they can be! Friendships are based on so many different things: favorite television shows, common classes, hobbies like knitting or dancing, dislike of Paris Hilton...and yes, favorite books.

What I mean is that *sometimes* authors hang out at blogs, commenting, becoming buds with the readers and blogger, in the hopes of getting a positive review from the blogger or selling books to her readers. A blogger can be forgiven if she thinks this author wants to be her friend. After all, she's certainly acting like one: she reads every post, she comments, she emails, she gets involved...but she wants something.

Now not all authors do this. I hang out at book blogs as market research for the most part and also because I find a lot of them very entertaining! They're fun, the girls are lively and opinionated, and they don't hold anything back when it comes to reviewing. I'm certainly happy when they review my books positively - and I make it a point to thank them when they do - but if they didn't, well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. I never thought they owed me anything and in fact, have worried that they wouldn't want me "hanging around." I'm an adult, after all, not a teen, and ya know, that can be interpreted kind of creepy.

Look, the thing is that the internet is a big place. There are lots of authors, lots of bloggers out there. Sometimes it's hard to navigate the waters and so you look for a friendly face. I know I do! That being said, if a reviewer trashed my book, I'd probably move on and find other blogs to read. I'd be hurt, sure, like any bad review hurts but I doubt I'd spread that word. Who wants to give anyone else any ideas? LOL!

I have enjoyed getting to know some of the bloggers aside from the whole book review process. I made Liviania a pair of leg warmers simply because she admired the ones I had posted pictures of on my blog - I pretty much love connecting with dancers or former dancers because that's the other part of my life that's important to me. I have emailed Chelsea the Page Flipper about her writing about Laurie Halse Anderson because I think good writing and a passion for writing needs to be encouraged. And I always make sure to read Taren's Chick Manifesto and comment on the brilliance that are her VC Andrews' recaps.

Are these 3 bloggers my friends? Ya know, I'm not sure I even know their real names. :) But I like hanging out with them. As I said above, there are a lot of blogs out there and I don't waste my time following ones I don't like. If I'm a follower of yours, it's cuz I dig you and what you have to say. If I'm not, then I might just not know you yet!

Judging a Book by Its Cover

C'mon, we all do it. We see a book or a DVD on the shelf and we read the jacket flap or the summary on the back of the case and we think, "Been there, done that." Or worse, "Been there, done that, hated it."

You don't think you do? All right, I'll go first:

A few months ago, I received a galley copy of a novel called "The Book of Unholy Mischief" by Elle Newmark. The jacket copy made the story about a chef's apprentice in Renaissance Venice who gets caught up in a murder mystery sound, in a word, lame. I was convinced the story would be overwritten, the dialogue stilted, the plot contrived and so it sat on my TBR pile for weeks without me even taking a peek at it. When I finally did - by accident, I think - I was intrigued from the very first chapter. It's a fantastic novel and I have since loaned my copy out twice and recommended it to others.

The same is very true of DVDs: we use Netflix a lot and often, the service will try to recommend movies for us based on which movies we have previously rated highly. Using a complex formula involving lots of numbers and some pixie dust, Netflix will tell us what film we should see next and how much it thinks we will like it.

Example: "Tropic Thunder," the comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. , Jack Black and Ben Stiller. We like all of these actors and Netflix told us we would love their new movie. We were skeptical and thought we would hate it; after all, lots of groups had protested it for many reasons and it seemed sort of weird: Robert Downey Jr. in blackface? How can that not be racist?

And we loved it. Unlike many comedies, it had no lapses in the joke department, no sudden sweetness producers throw in to make the movie perfect for a couple on a date. This was just a very funny parody on all things Hollywood.

I mention these examples because recently, the book blogger Thao Tran reviewed my book, LOVE, MEG on her blog, Serene Hours right here. She very honestly says she didn't think she'd like it - and in an email to me, she told me she had won the book in a contest but had, in fact, been hoping to win my other book, ALL ABOUT VEE. But a free book is a free book, right? (LOL - my words not hers...)

Thao thought the story would be cliche, the characters uninteresting- she believed she had seen this before in other books so she really wasn't expecting to like it. She also wasn't crazy about the cover - it gave her an impression of the story being something she probably wouldn't like. Now, with all of that going against it, how can my little book possibly succeed?

But it did! When Thao read it, she began to enjoy it and you can read for yourself her review and how the book changed her mind. I love hearing this! It suddenly makes a 3 or 4 star review feel like 5 stars! While I would love to hear from a reader that she thought she'd like my book and then loved it instead, I will take the surprised reader too. I would so much rather surprise someone than disappoint them.

And this is not the first time this has happened in a review. Many, many times I read in reviews of my books, particularly ALL ABOUT VEE, that the reader thought she would be bored and was instead shocked at how much she liked the book. In these instances, I definitely want reviewers to say that: tell me, tell potential readers your honest opinion, let us know you thought you'd hate something but instead loved it. That will give other readers an incentive to give my books - and other books they thought they wouldn't like - a shot.

Thanks, Thao, for encouraging others to give MEG a chance.

The Tarot Cafe Novel: Review

Chandra Rooney, the author of "The Tarot Cafe Novel: The Wild Hunt," stopped by a couple of weeks ago to guest blog about the differences between writing for hire and writing an original novel. Tremendously informative post! This novel is Chandra's debut and it was, as she described, a work for hire. In her case, the editor at TOKYOPOP contacted her through her website and queried her about writing the first novel of a series that was based on a very popular manga called "The Tarot Cafe" by Sang-Sun Park. Together they developed the outline before Chandra went off to write it on her own.

[NB: I have always felt intimidated by manga, those Japanese comic books that are read from back to front and up-right to down-left or in a circle or triangle or something else equally frustrating. There is a short manga that is included at the back of this novel and it has written instructions for reading it! That was very cool and helpful.]

Since I'm not a regular manga reader, I wasn't sure if I would understand this novel: would it be based on long-established characters I didn't know? Would it be set in a world completely unfamiliar to me? Would I feel awkward or, worse, uncool? The answer is no to all of those questions.

First of all, even if you've never heard of manga or a light novel, you will have no trouble understanding this world. Rooney creates a London that is just slightly off-center, one that you will recognize: Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, the Tube, etc. but imbues it with an underlying darkness that no amount of sunlight can diminish. Many times, I felt the claustrophobia Bryn feels, the inescapable closing-in of my surroundings, simply because of Rooney's very precise word choice. She is a master at specificity.

Second, you don't need to know what Tarot cards mean, what each of the cards relates to, because the author deftly weaves in their explanations without the dialogue or prose ever feeling expository. Neither does she talk down to her reader, assuming you know nothing of Tarot. I think it helps to know why people would seek a Tarot card reader but beyond that, knowledge of the topic is unnecessary.

And third, the fantasy elements seem completely integrated into this almost-London. I can believe Bryn sees and hears the stomping hooves of the Hunt horses, smells the spittle and sweat of the dogs. That she has a supernatural ability to sense things a normal person cannot is absolutely believable to me. I never doubted her skills - or Pamela's, the woman who reads the Tarot for her.

The story: Bryn McAllister is a young actress whose star is on the rise; her fiance Jack is a painter who has struggled with success. Bryn awakens one day to find Jack has not returned to their shared flat. She leaves to attend an audition, worried about where he is and why she can't seem to reach him. Her visions of Jack being hunted by wild dogs, chased by a Hunstman and his demonic hunters, make her question his safety. When she visits Pamela, a Tarot card reader at the Tarot Cafe who has her own haunted past, she gradually comes to a conclusion about what she must do to help Jack.

The novel asks a simple question: what are you willing to do for love? Both Bryn and Pamela struggle with the answer. Bryn is young and impressionable; Pamela is older and presumably wiser. Both are deeply torn between love of self and love of other. I won't spoil it for you by telling you what choices are made.

Chandra Rooney's prose is lyrical yet never purple. Her dialogue is fresh and hyperreal as befits a fantasy novel. I love lines like this: "[Bryn] uncapped [the turpentine canister] but found it empty - only a faint whiff of Jack left inside, as though he'd already started to fade from her life." (p. 73) I envy Rooney's skill at parsing the most succinct and evocative sentence - paragraph after paragraph, page after page.

Recommended to all readers, young adult and older, but especially to those who enjoy urban fantasy like Melissa Marr's "Wicked Lovely" and Richelle Mead's "Vampire Academy."

You can visit Chandra at her website or order her book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

4 Things I Wish I Had the Guts to Do

1. Contact people who give me crummy ratings or reviews and ask, "Why no love?" Why give my book a 2? Why say you hate the ending? Why make nasty comments?

In this age of the Internet, no posting is truly anonymous. I can easily email or message someone and ask them why they wrote or rated the way they did but what would that get me? Reviewers and readers should feel free to give their true opinions without fear of being stalked by a maligned author. But honestly, if you don't like something, it would be really great - and helpful - if you can say why.

I'm just sayin'.

2. Contact old boyfriends just to say, "Hey! How ya doin'? Ever wonder what happened to me?" Believe me, I am a happily married woman and I would not want to get in touch for any reason that's, shall we say, untoward, but I kind of just want to sort of know if they ever think about me.

Wouldn't you want to know if someone considered you "the one who got away"?

Again, just sayin'.

3. Stop posting at Facebook and Goodreads and Myspace for, like, a week.

Ah, who am I kidding? I can't go a day without looking at all those sites. Maybe I could cut down to once a day?

Oh please, yeah, that's not happening.

4. Stop weighing myself every single morning.

I'm a freak like that. I'm way into the numbers game: Amazon, my scale, blog visits, website hits. I wish I didn't care but I do.

Again, so not happening.

New (Zoo) Reviews

I'm sure no one in the blogosphere is old enough to remember the New Zoo Review, are they?

A show of hands? No? Okay, moving on then...

I'd like to take a brief respite from blogging about all the things I like and all the things I eat and all the things I do to mention some very cool reviews about, ahem, my books.

Seriously, I so love hearing from readers and it's just amazing the kind of feedback you get on the web. Where it used to be - before the Age of the Internet - you had to post a letter to an author you liked and send it to her publishing house in New York and then someone there would hold onto it for a year and finally forward it to the author herself, now it's just a click of a button and you can share your opinions with the world - or whoever happens to read your blog.

Good, bad, an author has no control over what people think or interpret or ultimately write about her books. And in the anonymous webspace, anyone can pretty much say anything with very few repercussions. So that's why it's especially satisfying to read positive reviews, like these:

Here is Chelsea the Page Flipper's review of ALL ABOUT VEE. She uses the word "surprising" which I have to say - and told her - many, many people say about my books. I would love to know why! Is it that they are expecting something completely different based on the title or the cover or what they've heard? And if so, what were they expecting?

Is that a question for the ages? I hope one of you amazing reviewers out there will enlighten me if you can.

Here is Frenetic Reader/Khyrinthia's review of LOVE, MEG. Again, she is also surprised at what she got. I'm so happy she thought the characters were realistic and I do love that she appreciated the ending - while most people love that it had a not-happily-ever-after ending, I've heard from a very few who didn't. And that surprises me. Thank you, K, for putting the book in the Realm of the Very Good.

And for just one more, here is The Book Muncher's review of LOVE, MEG on her site. Another insightful analysis of the book that thrilled me to pieces. I love that she said she could connect with Meg, and really, that's the character I put my heart and soul into.

While I can't speak for other authors, I know I appreciate thoughtful reviews that give context for what and why a reader did or did not like about my books. It's nice to hear someone loved a book I wrote, but when they can tell me why (or why they didn't), I both appreciate and respect their opinions and the fact that they took the time to give them.

Thanks to all of you.

Random Thoughts on a Friday

2 Fun Things to Do, 1 Very Cool Bit of Book News, and 1 Brand New VEE Review

1. Sunday, September 28, West Hollywood Book Fair. I'll be moderating (yes, me, that means I actually had to read everyone's fab books so I could ask them questions!) a YA author panel about writing about discrimination for teens. On the panel will be these 4 amazing authors: Lisa Yee (MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS and others), Joyce Lee Wong (SEEING EMILY), Janet Tashjian (TRU CONFESSIONS and others), and CG Watson (QUAD). We'll be there in the Fiction Pavilion at 1PM but come early and check out all the other fun stuff that's happening!

2. Saturday, October 4, Duarte Festival of Authors. I'll be hosting a table with my friend and fellow YA author, Liane Bonin (CELEBRITY SKIN) and later we will be on a YA lit panel, discussing our books and publishing and so on. You definitely don't want to miss us expounding on all that we know about that subject!

3. The magnificent author Eoin Colfer who wrote the super popular ARTEMIS FOWL books has been chosen to write the sixth book of the HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY trilogy, known affectionately among afficionados as HHGG. For those of you who only know the title as a pretty decent yet confusing movie starring Mos Def, the series was written by the late great Douglas Adams (who passed away almost a decade ago at a far-too-young age). I fell in love with these books when I read them originally and have since reread them about ten times each. I think of them as a literary equivalent of Monty Python comedy - funny and silly and very, very smart. But unbelievably funny. And amazingly silly. Colfer's novel will be published next year.

4. Reader Views Kids posted a fantastic review of ALL ABOUT VEE on their website (and cross posted very kindly on Amazon -thank you!). Check it out. I love how well-written and thoughtful the reviewer was and that she very specifically pointed out what she liked - and what she didn't like. I respect that as an author and I appreciate it as a reader. Thank you, Rachael and thank you, Reader Views!

And a P.S. Be sure to check out Harmony Book Reviews on Monday, September 29 for a guest blog by yours truly!

Random Thoughts on a Friday

The perfect storm of fat-positive publicity...

1. Rebecca Rabinowitz posts on Shapely Prose a list of children's and YA books that emphasize positive images about weight - and she promises to read VEE!

2. ALL ABOUT VEE is mentioned on Amazon's book blog, Omnivoracious, as part of its YA Wednesday post re: fat-positive teen books.

3. The AP reports that models on the 2008 Fashion Week runways are size 2-4, instead of size 0.

Outstanding...

In Bed With Books Likes Vee!

This is a fantastic review from Liviania at In Bed With Books. I have always enjoyed her reviews because they're insightful and unique. I never feel like I'm reading a rehash of a bunch of other reviews. She seems to find the nugget of truth within a book and reveals it for all of us to see.

Her review of VEE is just as special. I adore this review, not simply because it's a positive one, but because Liviania really got the book. She understood the important relationships in Veronica's life and that Veronica was not simply trying to find a job as an actress. And I especially love that the book surprised Liviania, that her assumptions at the beginning were challenged.

Not-so-positive reviews, I should mention, can also get the book but simply not enjoy it. When the two come together - the comprehension and the appreciation - as in this one, it really makes me feel good, like I've written a good book. And really, that's all you ever want as an author: to write a good book.

Thanks, Liviania, and thanks for the picture of the leg warmers! They look fabulous on you!

Random Thoughts on a Friday

Beachy Goodness!


Ninja Webmaster and I took a trip to the beach on Wednesday afternoon to clear our heads and get some perspective - the beach always helps that. The weather was fine but the water was oh-so-cold!


Here's the Ninja dipping his toes very carefully in the water:




And here he is, all close-up and personal, showing off his funny t-shirt:




(And no, this was not a purchased tee; just some hilarious swag from my days at the network.)


Of course, what is Leigh doing? Reading a book! The best time to catch up on reading:

In this case, I'm devouring Claire LaZebnick's THE SMART ONE AND THE PRETTY ONE, which will be released in a couple of weeks and you should all check it out.


Check this out too. Ninja's latest video...wish I could say it was my idea but I was there when it happened! Does that count?








A couple of important reminders:

--If you haven't already done so, make sure you enter a comment over at Chelsea's blog on ThePageFlipper.com to win a signed copy of ALL ABOUT VEE! Contest ends this weekend!

--The lovely Harmony has posted her review of ALL ABOUT VEE on her website, Harmony Book Reviews. Yay! It still tickles me that she liked it so much and thought it was far deeper than she anticipated it would be. It does my writer's soul good to read that.

Teens Read Too Gives VEE 5 Stars!

Whoo-hoo! What a great review from Teens Read Too!

Here's an excerpt and honestly, one of my favorite lines ever about the book:

"ALL ABOUT VEE was, to use a single word, unexpected. I didn't realize there'd be so much depth in the novel, despite it's length. I figured it'd be something between GOSSIP GIRL and SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE, but it was something so much better than that."

Thank you, TRT! And thank you Harmony for reviewing the book! It's so great when a reviewer gets more out of the book than she thought she would - I'd so much rather be "unexpected" than "disappointing." I can't wait to get this review on my website.

Now I'm off to the beach! Cheers~

A new MEG review!

Holly at Woman Tribune has given LOVE, MEG an amazing review! 4 stars! She calls it "a fast, exciting and exceptional read" which makes me go, whoo-hoo!

Seriously, though, please take a look when you can and while you're there, check out her other fantastic articles. I happen to love Holly's site and I think she offers women a lot of tremendous advice about business and life, as well as her own reviews about books and movies.

Thanks, Holly!!

Random Thoughts on a Friday

Things I Wish I Knew Long Before I Knew Them (Writing-related)

1. You really don't need an agent until you really do need one and then you'll get one. I spent years - as do many people - thinking all I needed was an agent and then I'd be on my way to writing success. When I finally did get an agent, it was because I actually had material that other people might be interested in. Until then, though, I wasn't ready for one; all I had was junk.

Lesson: spend no time worrying about an agent until you actually have a finished product (or several) and have had that product vetted by friends and trusted readers. Just write the best thing you can. Seriously.

2. More important than a big advance is the marketing plan a publisher has for your book and you. So much thinking time is wasted on how much of an advance a writer is getting for her book. A large number would indicate a writer is more valued and to a certain extent this is true, if she is a humongous name like a Barbara Walters or a Jackie Collins. But aside from a terrific editor (who has a huge influence on your book), a visible marketing push is what you want from your publisher. That has far more of an effect on sales than anything else.

Lesson: ask questions of a publisher regarding their plans for marketing your book and be willing to take less if a competitor can offer more advertising, etc.

3. A publicist can be a good investment if you are not getting the marketing from your publisher. And sometimes even then, it's not bad if you can afford it. I had heard from other sources that you should spend whatever advance money you get on publicity and promotion yourself and I never realized just how true that was. I did a little of this with my first book but not enough with the second. Again, it's super important to have the lines of communication open with your publisher so you know what and when things are planned for you. And if things change, you need to know that too so you can jump on the promotion yourself. I could have started on this for my second book a LOT sooner than I did.

Lesson: stay in touch with your publisher and know exactly what is planned and then seriously consider a publicist of your own to promote the book, preferably 3 months in advance of the book's release. This is an investment in you, remember.

4. The Internet and blog reviewers are extremely important, especially if you are writing for the YA market. Jump on this right away. I didn't understand Myspace and Facebook and how to find bloggers who review books so when my first book was coming out, I hadn't been in touch with any so I could have my publisher send galley copies to them for review. And I spent very little time on their sites, thinking that my own website and blog would generate traffic to Amazon and the bookstores. Ha! No, not at all. I wish I had spent more time getting to know online reviewers so I could have sent them both books for review. That would have generated more buzz about me and my books than my own blog and site.

Lesson: before the book is published - or even purchased - establish a web presence and get to know your potential readers. Their input is immeasureable. Plus you can learn an awful lot from other authors.

More to come...

New Vee Review! New Website Video!

Not one but 2 very cool announcements:

Numero Uno:

Jocelyn at Teen Book Review has posted a beautiful review of ALL ABOUT VEE. I love how she describes the book and the main characters. She really captures the spirit of Veronica May. Check it out on her blog here. And while you're at it, take a look through some of Jocelyn's other fantastic reviews and author interviews. She's got a lot of great stuff there (and I don't say that just because I did a guest blog and because she had nice things to say about my book..;)). Thanks, Jocelyn!

Numero Dos:

My Ninja Webmaster has posted the interview I did with Connie Martinson last month for her show "Connie Martinson Talks Books." Yes, it's right here. And if this isn't enough for you - you absolutely have to see it happen live on your television or computer! - the show will air again on August 18 at 3PM and 11:30PM on Channel 35 here in LA.

Cheers~

Random Thoughts on a Friday

1. My episode of Connie Martinson Talks Books will be on television again here in LA on August 18, at 3P and 11:30P! And again, if you're not in the area or don't have cable (like me!) you can watch it stream live from LA City View Channel 35. I have all the info on my website.

2. Yesterday was my first earthquake! I was in ballet class, in the middle of plies, when the floor started shaking and the lights overhead began swaying. We all sort of looked around at each other like, "What the heck is this?" The guy at my barre waltzed on over to take cover under a doorway but the rest of us just stood there. It seemed to go on forever! But when it was over, our accompanist began playing and we went right back to plies. Dancers are pretty hardcore, I guess. It's impossible to get us to give up our class.

3. Check out this thread over at Reviewer X's blog. Not just because she claims I inspired the post with my question on an earlier thread but because I think there's a lot of great information i there. I am the sort of person who hates to bug people for reviews. Sure, I have gently cajoled my readers here about posting reviews at Amazon or on their own blogs but when I send books out, I kind of try to let them go and not worry. But I do! I am always anxious about people with my books. And I have a tendency to assume people don't like them if they're not responding right away.

4. This weekend is the big national convention for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Although I'm not attending for various reasons, I hear it's great and lots of authors, especially local ones here in Los Angeles, are going. So if you're trying to get in touch with your favorite SoCal writer, that's probably where they are.

5. I am still totally jazzed about the new book I'm working on. Still. That's a good sign.

The queue, the queue!

(For those of you in the Connecticut area, be sure to grab a copy of the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper today and check out the Women section - there's an article about me by feature writer Carrie MacMillan!)

Recent selections from the Netfix queue:

"Sweeney Todd" - I adore Johnny Depp, honestly I do, but I just could not get into this movie. Bloody yes, it was like "Hamlet," where pretty much everyone dies and I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that. Really, though, I don't dig musicals at all. Which is strange, I know, coming from someone who dances every day of her life but music, like Marge Simpson says, is none of my business. And speaking of The Simpsons...I don't like it when that show does musicals either. So although I admire Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman, this movie only got 2 stars from me.

"Semi-Pro" - B-ball in the 70s sounds like such a great premise, especially with Will Ferrell at the helm, but this was just not that funny. Again, HH liked this more than I did although we both agreed the romance between Woody Harrelson and Maura Tierney was completely lame and unnecessary. We fast-forwarded through some of it, to be perfectly honest. And who was the guy living with her? Her boyfriend? Brother? Either way, it was just plain weird. Another 2-stars from me.

"Balls of Fury" - Now here is what you do with a silly movie: expect nothing. And when you do, it's much much funnier! Dan Fogler is not Jack Black but he was very good in this. In fact, the scenes before he gets to the ping-pong tournament at Chris Walken's Central American estate are better than any of the others that follow. Great supporting cast: James Hong, Maggie Q, Patton Oswalt, George Lopez (who should have been given more funny things to do). Some LOL moments but again, expect nothing and you'll enjoy it.

"The Golden Compass" - We loved this movie. Again, we were expecting nothing. I had read the Philip Pullman novel and felt, eh, I don't get it. There was so much set-up in the first book and not a lot of payoff and I didn't get to the next book. Most of the time I kept wondering what Asriel was up to in the Arctic tundra and we never went back to him. The movie distilled everything down for those of us who are denser than the 10 year olds who read the book. Of course, the cast was fantastic: I love love love Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman and the little girl, Dakota Blue Richards, was amazing! I cannot believe they are not going to make a sequel to this movie! I had heard that it was not as popular as they thought, didn't make as much money as they had expected, and that the CG was way too expensive to do a second one. I hope they change their minds because I would love to see what happens next.

And when in doubt...watch BBC's The Office.