New blog and website coming next week!

It's about to happen -- the completely new lisashearin.com!

Today Webmaster Todd will begin switching my blog archives over to WordPress. While he's in in my site's cyber-attic shoveling four years worth of blog posts over to WordPress and my new site, I won't be able to update the blog, so no new posts this week. But you can still email me as per usual.

But the hammering and sawing will stop soon, and the new site will go live by next week.

It looks awesome! Some pages will still be "Under Construction" like my Greyhound Adoption page, and we'll be tweaking other pages, but next week you get to see the uber-cool new site.

Lisa

Bewitched & Betrayed snippet -- More Imala Kalis

Imala gave me a small, self-satisfied smile. "And do not concern yourself with Rudra Muralin. The ambassador will be unable to act on any of his threats for at least the next three days."

"Three days?"

Cute turned to fierce. "Rudra Muralin poisoned two of my people. They nearly died. Naturally, I retaliated. Three days is the length of time it takes to recover from a particular intestinal malady caused by a certain tasteless and odorless plant. Several of the ambassador's closest advisors have mysteriously contracted it and are spending most of their time in the privy." She smiled fully. "Whenever the ambassador wants advice, he has to go to where his advisors are. He's quite unused to carrying out a plan without his lackeys. Your secret is safe for at least that long."

Tam laughed. "Rudra forced to plot in the privy. If it weren't for the stench, I'd almost pay to see that."

"Unfortunately Rudra didn't eat the fish that night," Imala Kalis told him. "I knew I should have put it in the beef." She shrugged. "He has to eat again sometime. If he wishes to avoid an embassy-wide case of the runs, he will come to terms with me."

"Terms?"

"I will accept nothing short of his resignation, then I will personally see him on a ship back to Regor -- or to hell for all I care."

"Didn't King Sathrik appoint him personally?" I asked.

"As chief of intelligence, Imala outranks a mere ambassador," Tam informed me.

Nice.

"And Sathrik knows of your botanical activities?" I asked Imala.

The cute smile was back. "It is not my intention to tell him."

"You know who and what and how old Rudra Muralin is, right?" I asked her.

"I make it my business to know my enemies, Mistress Benares -- to know what strengths can be turned against them and which weaknesses may be exploited. I think I would refer to that creature as a 'what' not a 'who.' "

I grinned at her. I couldn't help it. I didn't know why Imala Kalis was here or what she wanted, but I had to admit that the lady had style. "Rudra with the runs; that would be priceless."

"Since he has a food taster whom I do not wish to harm," Imala continued. "I've now tainted his soap. He's especially fond of bathing."

How I choose which idea to develop into a novel

Today I'll tackle a question one of you sent me: How do I choose which idea to develop and write about. When I have several ideas, what makes me pick one over the other?

This is both an easy question for me and very difficult at the same time. Easy in that I tend to have a one-track mind; once I get an idea, it's next to impossible for me to let it go. Actually, any idea I've latched onto that hard, I've never let go of. As I've said in previous posts, I wrote two books that eventually morphed into Raine's story during college and in the next decade after. These were my "starter" books -- I was feeling around, finding my voice, screwing up, and trying to learn from my mistakes. I was also reading like crazy. That's the single most important thing that you can feed your muse -- words. Soak in words like a sponge. And don't limit yourself to just one genre; try others, even those you've never read before and don't think you'll like -- get book suggestions from your friends. Your muse just might devour it and spit out an idea for a fabulous project. You never know, and the results can be surprising, rewarding, and productive. Raine's stories are a combination of my love of fantasy, action/adventure, detective fiction, crime capers, mysteries, and thrillers. Hmmm, I think I just found another blog topic -- I should check out my bookshelves and tell you all what authors/books that have inspired me the most over the years; it'll give you a better idea of where my Raine stories came from.

Your muse will let you know what project you should be working on (or at least which project you should tackle first). My difficulty is that I have a FABULOUS urban fantasy idea (set in modern times), but with the necessity of a day job, I can only write one series at a time. I could write two, but you all would have to wait even longer for Raine stories -- and I know you don't want that. But rest assured, my urban fantasy idea isn't going away. I have such a strong urge toward that story that I don't even read the notes for it. If I read the notes, I get excited about starting the project, and I simply don't have the time right now. So I just don't tempt myself. But don't worry, in a few years, you all will be reading it. ; )

Have a great Easter weekend!
Lisa

Ways to piss off an author

This was posted awhile ago over on the group blog that I'm a member of -- The Magic District. Diana Rowland -- awesome lady and author of Mark of the Demon and the just released Blood of the Demon -- covered three things that are virtually guaranteed to piss off an author. All I can say to Diana's post is AMEN!

On to the post:

I'm fortunate enough to be on a couple of email loops or private groups with a number of published authors -- some with extensive credentials and years of experience. This is terrific for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the chance to learn from authors with decades of experience in the industry.

But sometimes the best aspect of the email loop is the chance to vent, complain, bitch or just plain whine. As an author, it's often considered bad form or uncool to make any sort of complaint or negative commentary about certain aspects of the business. Make one comment about the stress of meeting deadlines, and it's guaranteed that some aspiring author will come back with something on the order of, "I wish I had your problems! At least you have deadlines!" And, sure, yes, many of the problems or issues we have are great to have since it shows we have contracts/deadlines/editors etc. But, damn, sometimes it really does feel just like any other job, and it's frustrating to not be able to vent, complain, whine, etc. Even if only for a few minutes.

But today I'll share a few of the tidbits (anonymized and generalized) that can piss an author off. (Note: these are not necessarily MY rants or vents, but they're ones that I hear quite a bit.)

Early releases.

Let's say that your book is scheduled for release on June 1. Now, if you're a BIG NAME author, it's most likely that you'll have something called a "hard" release. What this means is that the release date of June 1 is firm, and booksellers are NOT allowed to sell it before that date, or they'll suffer all sorts of dire consequences. (Don't ask me what the dire consequences are. I have no idea. But they must be dire for the booksellers to abide by the whole thing.) The reason for this is that the publishers of BIG NAME AUTHOR want as many as possible of the sales of HOTLY ANTICIPATED BOOK to fall in the first week of its release, because the bestseller lists look at the sales one week at a time. If a book sells 10,000 copies in a week, it's more likely to hit a bestseller list than if it sold 20,000 copies spread out over many weeks.

However, unless you're a BIG NAME AUTHOR, you'll most likely have a soft release, which means that there are no dire consequences for early sales, and thus the booksellers will usually put the books out on the shelves as soon as they get them in. If this happens a few days before the scheduled release, it's not the end of the world. But, if this happens more than a week before the release date, this can often kill an author's chances of hitting a list, since the sales will be spread out over a couple of weeks. I've been lucky so far in that my books seldom hit the shelves more than a couple of days before the release date, but right now I know of a couple of authors who are having FITS because their books are being shelved more than two weeks before the release. What can be done about this? Not a whole lot, unfortunately. But, as with anything else, venting to understanding ears helps a little.

The Fan Who Loves Your Characters. Too Much.

(Yeah, we're getting into Misery territory here!) Best way to piss an author off (and end up in their killfile) is to argue with them about the direction the plot is going, or the actions and motivations of their characters. Trust me, NO ONE knows the characters better than the author. It's one thing to write a review and point out flaws in plot/pacing/characterization or whatever, but writing an author and saying, "(character) would NOT have fought (bad guy). She’s not that sort of girl!" is a great way to earn the wrath of an author. Most authors I know create extensive character profiles for their major characters, including backstory, hopes, fears, desires, and all sorts of good things that will never actually make it into the book, except in the way the character acts and reacts to events as they happen. Again, it's very possible that the author slipped up and didn't write a scene to make the characters actions believable, but, as much as you might love an author's characters, trust me -- no one knows them better than the author!

The "ebooks should be free because there's no associated cost" argument.

Holy crapsoly, but this one makes me grit my teeth. Yes, there's no printing or distribution cost, but that accounts for about a dollar of the final price. The rest of the price of the book goes toward silly stuff such as paying the author, paying the editor, paying the copyeditor, paying the marketing/publicity/sales departments. Oh, and the bookseller usually wants a cut -- whether it's Amazon, or Fictionwise, or Barnes & Noble. I'm not going to get into an argument here about what the specific pricing of ebooks needs to be, but just know that there IS a cost in producing them.

Anyway, my point (I think I had one, LOL) is that yes, being an author is pretty damn wonderful, and yes, there are many people who would kill to be in our shoes, but just like any other job, there will always be things that drive you crazy.

It's still the coolest job I've ever had. And I'm very glad I have a few places to vent on those rare occasions when it's less than completely cool.

Winner of 2nd Bewitched & Betrayed ARC

The winner of the 2nd (and my last) Bewitched & Betrayed ARC is Jagna18!

Once again, I selected a winner at random -- because all of the entries were great -- but it so happens that Jagna did a really cool job explaining why Tam is her favorite character.

Congratulations! Email me with your full name and mailing address and I'll get your ARC (along with signed book goodies) in the mail to you ASAP.

For everyone's reading enjoyment, here's Jagna18's entry:

My favorite character in your series is Tam. Besides for being really, really pretty, he is the biggest paradox, and the most realistic and relatable. Most authors write a flat bad-boy character. He's bad, yet he has this wimpy sensitive side that just shows up out of nowhere. Tam, however, is believable. He is not a black and white character, he is full of conflict and shades of grey.

He is a womanizer (not sure whether he or his son is worse) who is after a target, yet he respects Raine enough to let her set the rules. (Most of the time at least.) Despite a blooming love triangle, he does not PUSH Raine. He does what he feels is best for her, even if it means letting his competition get a handhold. (Umiatsu bond, anyone?) He also helps Mychael even though life would be easier for him if Mychael was gone. He values Raine's friendship and cares enough about her to want to protect her, yet he gives her the space to rush into a situation because she feels she has to. He will just be there for backup. He doesn't try to lock her up in a citadel. (coughmychaelcough)

Tam is responsible to a fault. He found out he had a son, and he immediately started caring and protecting him, by getting him a job, and making sure he goes to school. He made a "mistake" so he will clean up after it.Tam, despite not knowing his son, or having any inkling how to raise a teenager, loved him. If the Goblins would not have badgered him to deny Talon, he would probably have done it anyways. Most men that are Tam's side would not care about a child born out of a one night stand.

The part that I love most about Tam, however is his strength. He was a dark mage,one of the strongest ones there is. Dark magic is addictive, and to a Goblin who loves power even more so. Tam realized how wrong what he was doing was and he stopped and got help. Changing a bad habit is hard, changing a behavior trait is even harder, especially if it means that others might try to kill you for your sudden weakness. Tam is fighting temptation and refusing to give in because that is the right thing. That takes a lot of inner strength, and that is why Tam is my favorite character.

Last day to enter B&B ARC giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter to win my last Bewitched & Betrayed ARC.

Just answer this question: Who is your favorite character in Raine's world and why?

Email your answer to me at lisa @ lisashearin.com (Delete the spaces before sending the email. The spaces are only inserted here to confuse the Viagra spambots). The deadline for entries is today at 5:00 p.m. EST. I'll choose the winner tonight and announce the winner next tomorrow morning.

Time to pick your fav!

Come over to Romance Bandits for snippets & contest

Today I'm a guest over on Romance Bandits.

There will be two steamy snippets from Bewitched & Betrayed -- one featuring Raine & Mychael, the other with Raine & Tam.

And naturally, I wouldn't visit the Banditas without prizes. After you've read the snippets, answer the question: who should Raine choose and why (or heck, which guy would you choose and why)? Post the answer in a comment on the post and you'll be entered to win. Two commenters will be selected at random to each receive a Raine Benares Prize Pack: a copy of Bewitched & Betrayed with additional book goodies (postcards and bookmarks from all four of my books, plus a fridge magnet from Bewitched & Betrayed) -- all signed and personalized.

So come over to Romance Bandits, read the snippets, make your choice, and enter for a chance to win!