Pay-offs, Subs, and Your Monday Fortune Cookie 10/28/13

ALL YOUR HARD WORK WILL SOON BE PAID OFF

SNARKY RESPONSE:  Yeah, and the check is in the mail, right?

All Your Hard Work Will Soon Be Paid Off

Talk about hard work!

Anyone who says writing isn't hard, hasn't been doing it right. At least that's what I've been told and, frankly, that's also been my experience.

Oh sure the first draft is a breeze! Caught up in the moment. Chasing that brilliant story idea down the pathways of your imagination...and over the cliff.

It's  not the sudden drop that kills you, it's the sudden stop.

That's the moment when you begin to realize that you have to worry about characterization, plot development, voice, theme, and grammar. All the fine details of continuity - names, physical characteristics, verbal tics. Is the setting easy to visualize and the world-building both invisible and convincing? Does the dialogue flow easily through the mind or off the tongue? No one can ignore the rules without paying the cost. 

You have to make a solid effort to provide your reader with the best story told in the best way that you know how. And that takes work. Time invested in choosing the words, the phrases, and the action. Time putting it down on paper and then reading it over and over as you fine-tune it. Then time re-reading it and revising it some more. Words in/words out/rinse/repeat.

And from my perspective, while it might get easier as you become more experienced, it never becomes automatic.

I've just pushed the SEND button on a submission to my editor. It's a terrifying moment knowing that it's gone out of my hands, and I'm not going to be there when it arrives to help clear up any mistakes or misunderstandings. Will that cold read by my editor be all I hope it will be?

I just know that there's gonna be something I missed. Something I didn't quite nail. Heck, on that final read through, after having read Aces Down until I was green around the gills, I still discovered some continuity issues, missing words, and unclear situations. I fixed all I could find and now I have to hope it was enough. Enough to help my editor fall in love with Norah and Tristan, and the rest of the gang at Aces Down.

Well, only time will tell. Fingers crossed.

Good News! Options, We Love Options!

Wishes do come true! Indeed they do!

SNARKY RESPONSE: That's not a fortune cookie fortune

Yes, Snarky Me has called me out, but she doesn't mind because we're throwing ourselves a little party today!

Why?

Because I just got official word that COLLECTOR'S ITEM is now available in paperback! Isn't it BEE-U-T FUL?

Alpha were-jaguar, Katarina "KT" Marant is trained to protect the pride so when her aunt disappears, KT naturally takes up the hunt. Her suspicion settles on the Collectors, humans who view shapeshifters as the ultimate big game.

Peyton Allers can't believe he's got to blow his cover to rescue a shapeshifter "princess." Even harder to believe is that she wants to stage her own kidnapping in order to catch the leader of the Collectors and find her aunt.

Everything goes sideways when KT is kidnapped for real and by someone she never suspected. Will Peyton find her before time runs out? Or will she become a true Collector's Item?

Available NOW at

The Wild Rose Press

 and on Amazon

It's truly yet another dream realized. I've got a book in paper!

Novellas in paper are generally not considered a profitable price point, which is why I resigned myself to not realizing this dream for a while. THEN, TWRP, who had granted my First Wish of publication, granted my Second Wish of print publication!

I have to thank my editor, Callie Lynn Wolfe, and my publishers, RJ Morris and Rhonda Penders at The Wild Rose Press, for what they do to support me and all the Roses.

I hope that if you or someone you know prefers reading physical books, you'll consider picking COLLECTOR'S ITEM to Place On Your Book Shelf!

Wow! I actually get to say that!

COLLECTOR'S ITEM can be put on your book shelf!

Happy dancing!

The Party's Over But One Thing Remains

Add caption

It's been great fun, but all good things must come to an end
The Virtual Release Party for
Collector's Item Ends Today


COLLECTOR'S ITEM has been released by The Wild Rose Press in all eformats. To get your copy in your choice of pdf, mobi and epub, just click this Buy Link or go to The Wild Rose Press Website and search for Collector's Item.

First and foremost a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this important week! It's been a lot of fun, and I hope that you've been entertained, intrigued, and enlightened by the various tidbits I've shared about Collector's Item. 


Alas and alack, tonight I must draw the curtain on the festivities.

Consider this your Last Call to participate in my Virtual Release Party Games!

SPIN THE MUG: The lucky winner will get a mug to create their own coffee-flavored kisses. I've been accumulating names and TOMORROW, May 24th, I'll pull a lucky winner for this delightful Collector's Item coffee mug filled with caffeine and chocolate.

 
This lovely 11oz, ceramic mug comes in a universally coordinating white to match any kitchen or office decor. The stunning cover of Collector's Item appears on one side and on the other, we pose the question on everybody's lips: 

 
To find her missing aunt, a headstrong shapeshifter joins forces with a cynical Alpha to investigate an illegal hunt club, but when their plan backfires can she escape a trap of her own making?

To earn entries in this contest, you just have to do a few things for me:

• LIKE my fb Author Page - Denise Golinowski/Author - 1 Entry
•  TWEET something about Collector's Item using BOTH @DGolinowski and #collectorsitembook in the tweet. - 1 Entry
• COMMENT on this blog post and mention that you did #1 and/or #2 - 1 Entry
• WAIT - I'll be posting the winner here on this blog on May 24th!
• EXTRA ENTRY - LIKE my fb Book Page - Collector's Item/Golinowski - 1 Entry 

Easy Peasy!

PICTURE PERFECT PICKINGS: Every day until May 24th, I've been picking random commenters, Likes, and tweets to win one of these signed Collector's Item Cover Postcards:

Vistaprint.com

Postcard winners to date:

Sharon Chalk
Andrea Cooper
Susan White
Amber Hall
Stanalei Fletcher
Suzanne (who commented on the party blog)

One more Picture Perfect Winner to go. It might be you!

Again, thanks for playing along and if you've made the leap to purchase COLLECTOR'S ITEM, I hope you let me know what you think.

Luck, Collector's Item Release Party, and Monday Fortune Cookie 5/13/13

YOU WILL BE SHOWERED WITH GOOD LUCK!

SNARKY RESPONSE: Wow! I hope it doesn't leave a stain.

You will be showered with good luck!

Actually, I'm feeling VERY LUCKY this week. Why, you ask?

Because on Friday, May 17th,

COLLECTOR'S ITEM is being Formally Released

by The Wild Rose Press in ALL eformats!

In case you haven't picked up my various posts, hints, blogs, and such about my new paranormal romance, let me share once more the totally fabulous cover and a little hint about the story:

To find her missing aunt,

a headstrong shapeshifter joins forces with a cynical Alpha

to investigate an illegal hunt club,

but when their plan backfires

can she escape a trap of her own making?

In honor of this momentous event, I'll be hosting an all day VIRTUAL RELEASE PARTY on Friday, May 17th! I will posting here, on facebook, and (gasp) tweeting all manner of things COLLECTOR'S ITEM related. And since I can't offer you libations or edible delectables via the www, I'm going to be offering a variety of fun prizes.



Also, All Week (May 17th through May 23rd), I will be offering chances to Enter to Win one of these truly Collectible COLLECTOR'S ITEM mugs filled with various forms of caffeine and oh so yummy chocolate. I'll be sharing all the particulars about the contest on Friday, May 17th here on this blog.

And, as luck would have it, I'll also be Guest Blogging over on the Delightful Delilah Devlin's blog that day! Talk about being showered with luck!




I hope you'll join in all the fun beginning on May 17th!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

A few weeks ago, I was invited by KyAnn Waters (http://www.kyannwaters.blogspot.com)to participate in this fun blog hop. When I saw the questions being posed, I was more than happy to play. I hope that you'll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

What is the title of your book?

Collector's Item

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've been devouring a lot of paranormals lately and wanted to try my hand at writing one. I've always written fantasy, so paranormal isn't that far of a stretch. When deciding what kind of paranormal, I chose shapeshifters, but not werewolves since they've been done a lot, and very well. I'm a cat person, so a feline shapeshifter made sense. When I imagined my world with shapeshifters living openly among the populace, I knew there would be folks opposed to/frightened by/violently against shapeshifters having a place in society. That lead to the thought of hunters which led to the Collectors and the concept that they saw shapeshifters as the "ultimate big game." And from there we had "lift off!"

What genre does your book come under?

Definitely paranormal romance with a slant toward suspense and just enough heat to make it spicy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

What a fun question! Hmm.

Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) would be KT Marant . Eliza has not only the look, but also the attitude I wanted for KT.

Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight, Hawaii 50) would be Peyton Allers. Alex has the ability to look tough, but remain sympathetic.

Jon Hamm (Mad Men) would be Douglas Torne. For some reason, he can look like he's Teflon coated and ego-driven.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When a headstrong female shapeshifter enlists a cynical Alpha take on the Collectors, can they bring the illegal hunt club down or will she become a Collector's Item?

Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

My publisher is The Wild Rose Press, an epublisher.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The first draft of Collector's Item took about seven months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm hopeful that my story would fall in the same category as Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Reading about Kitty and Mercy motivated me to expand my writing. And the idea that the transition period after the Big Reveal would be fraught with issues.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Oh my, that's a loaded question. I guess I'd have to say that I've put a little spin on the shapeshifter trope by giving the animal side of my shapeshifters their own personality and voice in the story. How this deeper relationship influences the behavior and reactions of my shapeshifters is something I hoped to convey.

Well, that's all folks! Thanks again, KyAnn for the invite.

Please mark your calendar for March 27th to check out the author I invited to participate with The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: Alexa Day

Alexa is not just a friend, but an awesome writer whose debut novel, ILLICIT IMPULSE is now available from Ellora's Cave. Please drop in next Wednesday to visit Alexa Day at her blog - http://alexaday.net/

A Fable for Read An E-Book Week, March 3 - 9, 2013

A fable...(or at least my attempt at one)

Once upon a time, a different form of publishing was launched upon an unsuspecting world and the Traditionalists in the publishing industry said, "it'll never catch on." Readers came to the Traditionalists for their daily reads and authors sought validation of their worth in the form of the rare jewel, The Contract. However, the authors who saw opportunities in this brave new world of Epublishing weathered scornful looks and hurtful words as they took their shot and staked their claims on this new vista. And the readers took notice.

The mighty publishers in their castles, high above their authors and readers, looked down on the constantly shifting sands of this newly discovered land and pronounced it "unstable and destined to failure." And yet, the pioneer Epublishers and authors held firm to their beliefs, discovering and discarding until they began to establish a headland, a foundation on which to build. And build they did, story by story, book by book, success by success until they not only carved out a place for themselves, but began to encroach upon the less carefully tended perimeters of the Traditionalists lands, where the disenfranchised lived in daily supplication to the great and mighty Traditionalists. And the readers read.

These neglected edges, these hopeful authors who could not gain the ear of the mighty, found acceptance among the brave pioneers and the world of Epublishing broadened daily. At long last, the Traditionalists, hearing the mighty roar of change, realized they would have to discover a way to reclaim their lost footholds on the public and began their own Epublishing houses. The Epublishers and authors watched the Traditionalists adapting to their new formats and knew their faith had been vindicated.

And the readers rejoiced.

Celebrate Epublishing and Read An E-Book this week!

Thank you to my epublisher, The Wild Rose Press for giving my novellas, Collector's Item and The Festival of the Flowers: The Courtesan and the Scholar a home!

I hope YOU'LL consider giving them a home on your ereader as well!

COLLECTOR'S ITEM - EARLY RELEASE TODAY!

OMG!

I knew it was going to happen this month.

I knew that my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, was putting my book on the Kindle KDP program for early release this month.

I KNEW it.

But knowing is not the same as SEEING!



And today--It's There! COLLECTOR'S ITEM is available for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

You know, sometimes reality IS better than imagination.