Vote ANAEDOR For Class President...

Call me a politician - I lie. You can't vote the book for president, but Anaedor needs your support. The subterranean land bought to life by Kristina Schram for young and mature adults alike, could win an Amazon award... but only with your support!

Amazon.com took it upon themselves to make up a list of their "Essential Books for Young Adults", but this time they've opened up the ballot boxes to you for "Customer Selected Essential Books for Young Adults". If you've read it (or are willing to check it out, and end up liking it), Lavida and the whole Anaedorian population would appreciate your support! Head over to Amazon now and cast your vote.

It's quite simple -

Young Adult Book: Title and Author. (The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies by Kristina Schram)

Your Name: (email)

Your Email: (email)

Your Phone Number: (self explanatory)

If you haven't read it yet, get a GIANT free sample on Smashwords, where you can also buy it for your e-reader, or head to Amazon to get it in Paperback and Kindle.

I don't know how long this contest goes for, so don't wait! It only takes a minute, literally, to make your voice count. Oh, and did I mention that there are prizes to be had? Full details are on the contest page.

Let democracy reign supreme. Bring Anaedor into the light.

Thrillerfest - My Panel, and Wrap-up

You saw it right, I was in a panel! It was a last minute add, but I got to be a part of a panel. It was a great time. While the day panels were only an hour long, this night panel was an hour and a half - and boy did it go by fast.

CREATING MARKETING CAMPAIGNS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Sheila Clover English, Panel Master, with Stanley Tremblay

I didn't write a lot of notes while being on the panel, but a few of the things I did write down were:

• Write up a marketing campaign including people to utilize to help you. This could include people who can create a website, write up professional press releases, layout sell/fact sheets, and those who can create book trailers and other graphics/media. If you write it, you can hold yourself accountable to make sure that each point is met.

• Do not spam! Make sure you get permission from people before you start transplanting them on your Facebook group page, send out email blasts, and the like.

• People want to talk to you, not a bot or assistant. Make time for your fans, even if it is only a few minutes per hour during a regular work day. Showing them that you appreciate their support speaks volumes.

I of course brought up the eight posts that I had done a few months back:

Be a Presence in Your Community • Be Social • Be Unique • Be Persistent • Be Viewed • Be Your Brand • Put Your Best Book Forward • Be Humble

There was so much more that could have been said. As stated above, the time went by all to quick, and something as broad as social media cannot be contained in such a short period of time. I feel though, along with Sheila, that there was great conversation. I can only hope that with what was said, people can create a great 'home base' to expand from. While this panel was more geared towards self-published, or those who have limited budget or publisher help (which is most authors today), it's a place to start.

If you have ideas to share, please, I welcome them!

To wrap up this year's ThrillerFest festivities, I would like to start off by again saying thank you to all those involved at ITW and ThrillerFest. Being year three, I've never been disappointed with what they provide for their members - no matter how big or small a member you are. Each year I meet new people who end up becoming great friends. If you've not gone before, or have taken a few years off, I hope you make a real effort to go next year - as an author, the contacts you will make are priceless.

Congrats to all of the 2010/2011 ITW Debut Authors, including old friends Ethan Cross and Taylor Stevens, and new friends Paul McEuen and Tom "TJ" Waters. Congrats again to JT Ellison for her Best Original Paperback award for The Cold Room along with the rest of the award winners.

Thanks to you for reading along. I hope you got something out of this segment. There is a lot of great info to be gained from those bunch on the panels who have experience they have and are willing to share it. If you went, what was your favorite memory from the weekend?

Enjoy your weekend!

ThrillerFest - Deadly Sins

I think that everyone has heard of the Seven Deadly Sins - Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride - well these are the seven deadly sins (actually more!) of writing.

WHAT ARE A WRITER'S SEVEN DEADLIEST SINS?

D.L. Wilson, Panel Master, with Neal Baer, Lisa Gardner, David Hewson, M.J. Rose, and John Sandford

• Laziness - we are all prone to it. Don't go off of what you've already done, dig deep for new, interesting ideas.

• Good Student - it's one thing to study and do your research for a great, stable book, it's something completely different to just regurgitate facts. Your primary job is to entertain the reader, not show the facts. This can also bog down your pace, so be cautious of too many facts that make people snooze or flip ahead, loosing impact of what your book can provide readers.

• Emotionality - don't get involved with people in the business. No one will take care of you at the end of the day, you need to take care of yourself.

• Marching down your outline - creating an outline is a great tool for covering all of your bases, but following an outline to the 't' can take away life from your book. Don't ignore that fabric of life

• Gender hangups - no stereotypical male or female characters.

• Write your story - don't add filler just to get to a certain word count, it will show in the final product.

• Just write!

• Writing is simple - don't over complicate. Enable yourself to be artistic and creative.

• READ! Not reading can stunt your growth as a writer. You gain new ideas, vocabulary and creativity by reading other's works.

• While influence is great, imitation is bad.

• Take yourself out for a reward when you finish a novel, don't wait for others to reward you.

My Take - See, I told you there were more than 7! I'm no writer, but they all make perfect sense, and I'm sure there would have been more if the hour time slot was longer. Being 'sinful' in this case can be the difference between a book that succeeds and one that falls flat.

Have you been guilty of one (or more) of these sins? How do you combat these dark urges? What are we missing?

ThrillerFest - Support Your Troops

Probably the most rewarding panel of the weekend, the USO panel was amazing. It's no secret that I am a huge proponent of our men and women serving our country. Not only because one of our authors is a retired Army brigadier general, but also due to the fact that many of my family and friends have served, both in times of war and not. This, to me, was a no-brainer panel. While I cannot convey the same emotion the panelists did, I hope you enjoy my notes.

OPERATION THRILLER 1: How Was the USO Trip?

Jeff Ayers, Panel Master, with Steve Berry, Andy Harp, David Morrell, Douglas Preston, and James Rollins

For those of you who don't know, USO stands for United Service Organization, and was created to serve the troops with entertainment and support.

The idea sparked from Andy Harp's friend, an Army Ranger. Andy wanted to do something for the troops and from there contacted Steve Berry, who then 'rounded the troops' in the remaining authors.

Scheduling this was a bear with all of their conflicting schedules, but through sheer will they made it work.

The event started in Metro-DC area - Bethesda, MD at Walter Reed Hospital. They made the time to see 30-40 of our wounded warriors. These men and women - soldiers - who were ready to go back into battle despite their serious injuries never once blamed their conditions on a lack of support from their government, or citizens of the US, or any other source... they were all consummate professionals that had a job to do and lives to save.

When they went internationally, they spent time not only on bases, but also within Sadam's marble library, which of all things was turned into a bunk room. They were surrounded by war daily, hearing mortar rounds being dropped day and night. They were trained to listen for sirens to leave their beds and huddle into impact-resistant cases in the event the worst would come. A typical day would start at 5 am, fly to their destination, work until about 930 pm and then write the blog by 11. The blog would then have to go through the US government to make sure no information was given out that could compromise anything, and then would post the day's events. Each day they would find different ways to reach out to the troops - this wasn't a typical tour like a concert or comedy show.

This was a humbling and life-changing experience for all of them, and while they can't grab one thing in how it will change their writing it will stay with them all forever. There is a OPERATION THRILLER 2 coming as well with new authors giving their time to our heroes.

My Take: This was just awesome. Unless you've been there, no one truly understands what our troops go through. I think that what these authors are doing is incredible and they deserve the praise of the masses. The things that they got to see that most people don't want to think of - destruction of lives and property - will be something that they won't soon forget. While our government and residents want to place blame on the war for our economic issues, at the end of the day we need to support those who face imminent danger, who have lost limbs and lives, who will be scarred for life in more than just a physical way, who are our first line of defense when the smelly stuff hits the fan, no matter the cost! They lay their lives on the line day in, day out for a cause they believe in: the fact that all human life deserves a chance to live, even at the cost of their own. Thank you to all of you troops who are ready to die for the inequities of a flawed humanity, and thank you to Steve Berry, Andy Harp, David Morrell, Douglas Preston, and James Rollins for letting them know that their lives matter too.

ThrillerFest - Tricks of the Thriller Trade

How can you go to a Thriller Writers Conference and not pick up a few tricks of the trade? Well, in this case you had to - they had a whole panel on it! And while the competition was stiff in panels run by James Rollins, Peter James, and John Gilstrap, let's go ahead and see what made this panel so important:

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: Are There Must-Have's in Thrillers?

Karen Dionne, Panel Master, with Mike Cooper, Joe Moore, William Craig Reed, Larry D. Thompson, Norb Vonnegut, and F. Paul Wilson

• Tension, Pace, Momentum: All of these are intertwined and made up of many factors. Too much info and knowledge can be a speed bump on the pace. Starting slow and moving forward at an ever increasing pace, while it works, can burn out your audience. [Once again] Humour breaks the tension - but this can be used to ratchet things more. Make people care about the beginning and middle for an ending with more impact.

• What is the place of humor: It makes it more fun to read, and very well could be the key role in characterization [see Dean Koontz for a master in characterization]. While humor is fun, it likewise can be a pitfall if forced or done wrong! It can't just be jokes in dialog but humorous situations. Understatement can provide that humor.

•Romance: [though we've already hit upon this in a previous post] Romance can create a long-lasting tension, and it doesn't necessarily have to be in the main characters - subplots are a great home for romance.

• Raising Questions: Isn't that what story telling is all about? It keeps folks hooked into reading to find a conclusion. Just make sure you don't leave too many loose ends for too long! Everything must be wrapped up by the end of the novel.

What spoils a story: Poor characterization and a bad voice. Too much back story.

My Take: While this had some repeat from a few of the other panels, reinforcement is great... especially if you were on the edge about trying something out. The only way you are going to grow as a writer is to try new things, and if authors like Karen Dionne, Joe Moore, F. Paul Wilson, and the rest say it works for them, then do it up!

Have there been any writers that you have gained input from? What tricks of the trade did they share with you?

ThrillerFest - Social Media is Important

I hope you all had a great weekend and are back for more ThrillerFest goodness. Once again, we return to social media on this blog.

WHAT'S YOUR VISIBILITY? The Importance of Media

Andrew Gulli, Panel Master, with Kevin Kaiser, L.J. Martin, Meryl Moss, Zachary Petit, and John Raab.

Dialogue is key to building relationships, becoming visible, and getting reviewed - make an impact on people by becoming a household name on their computer before you do in their library. There is no 'silver bullet' to making things happen, so make things personal and intimate when talking to people or sending out review copies (for example: Don't just send a book with a press release!). Make sure to follow-up. *All Review Copies Should Go Out 4-5mo in Advance*. There is a decline in print coverage for reviews and reviews are hard to come by. Online reviews are just as important, but make sure you increase the quantity of your overall reviews to hit that broad-based readership that you may have originally see in one or two newspapers.

When it comes to your audience, be specific - no shotgun sales tactics. Engage your audience to peak their interest. Make them a part of the action! Empower them by having them vote on cover design, contests, etc. People want to be 'called to action' - allow them to click buttons to vote, buy, and be a part of the process of your success. Lastly, the author is the brand - you help sell the book, you are the content. Your back story helps build buzz if you have anything that stands out above the rest. Finding others that are interested in your back story will further reinforce those connections and create memories for fans/readers to come back to time after time.

My Take: I can't have agreed with them more! If you've read this blog in the past, I've said a bunch of these things. It's nice to get the feedback from the industry professionals that backup my claims. As much as we all may want a full page, four color spread in Publisher's Weekly or USA Today, that dump in money doesn't compare to the face-to-face time social media can gain you for the cost of internet. Be social. Make connections. Establish relationships. You'll thank yourself for it.

UnCOVER the Mystique

Let's take a short hiatus from ThrillerFest panels to answer a question... I've had a few people ask me about how I make my covers, and while I don't plan to give away any trade secrets, I will talk about a few things that you can utilize to make your covers step up to the next level. Please realize that everything I talk about will be done via Adobe Photoshop - if you use a different program try to find out if it has the functionality to garner similar results.

• Blending Options: It's very important that you learn to use these to affect the color, transparency, and overall 'oneness' look of your design.

• Color Layers: Putting different colors on separate layers while using the Blending Options can create some unique effects.

• Textures: Finding .jpgs that look interesing, add grit, and create dimension are a must! If you look closely, you will see a texture on each one of my covers. It just helps to give that extra oomph to draw the eye.

• Fonts: I cannot stress enough the importance of GOOD fonts! So many great illustrations out there are tainted by poor font choices or typography. Find books that you thought the cover was eye-catching and mimic those fonts, spacing, and look until you get comfortable. Also, be aware - if you are doing any of this commercially or plan to sell your title, make sure you have the rights to the font. Whether that is a certificate or explicit consent from the website you download it from. The last thing you want is to get sued over something silly like rights.

• Images: Finding images from Getty, iStock and Stock Exchange that look good, are high-resolution, and work with your book is, of course, a huge factor in the creation of your cover. Don't rush it! Find what works just right. If you can't find exactly what you are looking for, tweak your design or come up with a new cover. Until you get to the stage of taking pre-made images and making them look organic through blending multiple picts, you need to deal with what they offer you. Same goes as above with rights useage.

Now, a bit on training: I've been training with two graphic designers for a few years now, while before that I was dabbling. I still have a lot to learn to utilize the program to a higher level than I currently am. This isn't to deter you, but to make you realize that this isn't something that you will pick up overnight, nor in a week or two. This is something that takes time. While a few are naturally gifted, most go to art school for a few years. If you've read my posts before, you will realize that a lot of creating a cover and making it work is art theory - color, typography, using the eye to guide the image to a pleasing resolution in the mind. If you don't know the basics of that, start there. It will only make your designs better in the long run.

I hope that this is a great starting point for you. There are more things out there to do than the basic stuff I've laid out here, but this is a good place to start your journey.

ThrillerFest - Writing for Film

As much as we all may want to make a blockbuster movie deal, the truth is that only about 300 big screen blockbuster productions are made that go to the theater in a year. Considering the amount of books that are published which Hollywood would take from, that is a far cry 'a certain deal', but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to attain that goal! If you want to write screenplays (or novels to adapt to screen) enjoy the following:

WHAT ARE THE REEL SECRETS TO WRITING FOR FILM?

Jon Land, Panel Master, with Neal Baer, Peter Blauner, Melodie Johnson Howe, David Levien, Doug Magee, David Sakmyster, and James Strauss.

This was a star-studded panel! With directors from Deadwood and House, to Rounders, to roles with Clint Eastwood, these people knew what is going on in the industry. It was very rapid-fire, going from question to question, so I'll bullet some main points from the talk.

• While production staff need more experiences, Hollywood is typically unwilling to give 'green' staff a shot at producing/direction (big surprise!)

• Learn simplicity

• Never make your star seem insecure in the picture - they must be strong to stand out to the audience

• There are so many 'hands in the cookie jar' in Hollywood to cause some facet of the movie to fail... if you are going to enter the industry you need to learn to step back!

• The best thing to do to get into movies is just sitting down and writing. The more you write the better you hone your craft and the better the potential to be optioned (sounds familiar)

• Worst strategies to get into the movies: query letters, giving your idea to other writers, poor formatting

• Directors take to adlibbing, writers do not

• Putting life experiences in your writing adds to the realistic feel

• "Why are you doing this" is an overused line in horror/thrillers - don't fall into the trap (since more often than not the antag tells you why to begin with!)

• Keep your writing as an open ended as you can - don't sacrifice your title to pride for the better good as a blueprint

• You're document can be overwritten - the less writers that get involved the better, but it perhaps should not only be the original writer either. A small hand-full can find holes and give depth in parts originally lacking and unseen by the original.

• How can you best write your novel-to-film adaptation? Put the book in a drawer and the key things that you remember a short time later is what the movie should be made of.

My take: While I don't see myself as a writer of novels, let alone the movie industry, it seems as though there were a few golden nuggets among everything here. Take note and run with it - you never know what may happen!

ThrillerFest - Digital Signing Devices

I absolutely loved this panel! The future for ebooks is pretty set in stone that they are here to stay... unless we have some alien intelligence shutdown our electronics devices, but that's for another post.

The two companies that came to talk were Autograpy (Tom Waters) and iDoLVine (Matthew Gibson and Margaret Atwood). While I feel more attached to Autography, I feel you should be checking both out depending on your needs.

Autography was born out of frustration with a huge digital industry and no way to personalize your titles. What is interesting is that you can create graphics like you would for your title page that are directed towards special events or even to spruce things up. This is also a great marketing device through being able to use social elements like Twitter and Facebook (hitting a button that *Likes* it stating "I just got a signed book from some big author on Autography).

The device brings the personal touch back to the industry that has been lost in book signings, and is cross-platform (providing epubs and .mobis). It is currently only available for use through an iPad app, but an Android app is in development for those tablets. The app costs you nothing, but you upload your titles to them you want to make available for signing and they do like Amazon (70/30) in royalties.

The coolest part of this is you can do either a sample with a signature, or a full version with a signature. If you send them a free sample, they can go back and get the rest later if they decide to purchase the whole thing! Talk about a hook. You can even do virtual book signings using Skype, uStream, or ooVoo.

In the event I did not make it clear: You upload your title to Autography - they do not go through Amazon, B&N, or any other distributor.

The only downfall I see to this is that you cannot sign previously sold titles from these other distributors, which makes sense since they are physically encoding your fresh copy in the final output format (epub, mobi, etc) with a jpg (or the like) image. It would be kind of hard to change the base code not having that copy of the title... but hey, you never know what they may develop! All things considered though, two thumbs up!

As for iDoLVine, while I favor the other product at this time when it comes to ebooks, this format allows you to sign things from across the globe as well - not only in eformat but also in physical things like books, ball caps, and shirts. Really, anything that is flat is fair game to sign.

Way back when, really not that long ago, but Long Pen started this digital signing revolution. It was being used by many top-notched businesses like Citizens Bank, mortgage companies, and other high security-high use brands. Now enter iDoLVine, an updated version of Long Pen. It works with DRM products as well as watermarked content, and everything is traceable and authentic. It's nice having that security and that range of items available for endorsing. This gives the author that much more that they can work with for give-a-ways.


My Take: Both are very interesting products that are a must to look into.

ThrillerFest - Thicken Your Plot

The title of the first panel I went to at this years ThrillerFest was HOW DO YOU THICKEN THE PLOT? Subplots and How to Make Them Shine. Wendi Corsi Straub, Panel Master, with Daniel Friedman, Mark Greaney, J.L. Hughes, Chris Knopf, Jeremy Robinson, and Emily Winslow.

This was an interesting panel since depending on your style you look at subplots differently. Some people use novellas to introduce subplots for their full-length stuff, others use subplots to create tension or reveal secrets, while a few use them to add twists or connect backstory tangents - the main plot may drive the story but the subplots add texture.

They weave these subplots by pace. What I mean by that is if it is too quick, they slow it down, and vice versa - don't burn out the reader. It is important to not change perspective when you weave subplots and confirm that things stay linear. When using flashbacks, make sure it is a memory that is theirs, not another character. And while you are deliberate with your subplots, they must look organic and not conveniently placed.

Being that we are talking about thrillers here, subplots are used to both enhance dark situations, but also to diffuse. They are both necessary to add effect, and fundamentally thrillers are a tragic read - death, sadness - but subplots can bring happiness and humor.

Romance is a common subplot in many titles, but it isn't right for every book. Throwing it in in an un-natural situation can make it very unrealistic and forced and may look as though you through it in just to add content not because it jives with the story. Some people have needed to take a good portion of their series to introduce love interests. But the great part about it is that it adds that much more emotion to attach yourself to the characters in the book. Not only that, but it can raise the stakes for the protagonist as the antagonist can threaten the love interest. Don't forget, just because it is a new book does not mean it has to be a fresh relationship - someone with a long-term romantic interest will seem that much more realistic since they were probably living their life long before that moment the story begins.

Other ways you can weave subplots is by showing capability of the protag, and awesomeness so to speak, without seeming cheesy or larger than life. Be sure to show the danger of the antag - nothing brings more urgency to the situation than the realization that the protag has a real problem on their hands. You can also bring a fatal flaw to the secondary character to help you learn a develpment the protag needs to know but dies pre-blabbing informing the reader that something important is on the horizon. Creating family connections is also a must to bring more fleshing.

My take: I think this had a lot of great basic info that can be used to really enhance your tale. I think the one panelist had a great thought in saying that while your main plot drives the story, subplots add texture and creates a more realistic adventure for the reader to come along for.

What is your input? Is there something you never thought of using and would like to try, or something you disagree with? Likewise, what is your favorite subplot device to use?

Back From ThrillerFest 2011

What a ride this year's ThrillerFest was! I'd just like to start off by saying a big thanks to Variance to have me represent the company, as well as all the people behind the scenes at ITW that I don't know but who deserve recognition.

Like I said, it was quite the ride. I was up at 4am on Thursday to meet up with Jeremy Robinson and head to the Amtrak station southbound to Boston-North Station (home to the Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins - Go B's!!). From there we jumped on the Orange line to Back Bay to head to Penn Station. We got to the Grand Hyatt around 3ish and started making our way around the lobby (which is being renovated by the way - can't wait to see the new digs next year!) and to the new meeting spot at the lounge, stage left at the top of the first escalator (old one also being renovated).

While I saw many repeat faces, this year was full of fresh authors coming in to meet, greet, and make some true connections with the folks of the ITW machine. As always, everyone is so happy to see you, so inviting into their conversations-in-progress, and so willing to give advice that worked for them to advance their career. If you've not gone to one of these events, make next year your first - you won't regret it. My typical day was 7a-2a, but hey, it only happens once a year and there are a lot of great people to connect with which make every minute of sleep-deprivation that much better. I ended up getting in the door last night at 8p, and while I was sad to leave, I was very happy to be home with the fam and back to country living.

I'd just like to thank a few people at ITW for making my stay at this year's event a memorable one: Steve & Liz Berry, James Rollins, Douglas Preston, Joe Moore, Jon Land, Karen Dionne.

I'd also like to give a huge shout-out to JT Ellison. I met her last year in the lounge, we stayed connected - she was even gracious enough to give us a great guest blog post back in the day - and she won this years Best Paperback Award. Well-deserved and congrats.

There are so many people who deserve shout-outs and thanks, but I don't want to make this only a name-dropping party, so everyone else I met with, spoke to, and congratulated - you know who you are and you are not forgotten or overlooked.

If any of you have followed us the last few years, I've gone 1/2 day by 1/2 day giving you my notes on each panel. This year I think I will go panel by panel. Some will be longer than others, but each deserve their own spot. I hope you check back in everyday to see what ThrillerFest panels I went to and what I got out of them. While I realize it's not the same as being there, I hope you walk away with something new to apply to your writing career every day - I've got pages of notes for your enjoyment and education. I look forward to your comments and hope you give input, as if we are continuing the panel, (1 hr panels certainly aren't long enough for some of these subjects) and why shouldn't we?

See you tomorrow.

Thrillerfest Nears - Two Days

With only a few hours left to countdown until my third Thrillerfest, I've made up my agenda for both Friday and Saturday. When I get back, be ready to expect notes from the following (click the links for descriptions):

FRIDAY:

How Do You Thicken The Plot?

Do You Suck Blood?

Publishing Numbers and What They Mean

Demo of Virtual Signing Products

Writing for Film

Importance of Media

Creating Marketing Campaigns Using Social Media

SATURDAY:

Do Series Have a Lifespan?

True Thriller Award Recipient - Joe McGinniss

Tricks of the Trade

Operation Thriller 1

Writer's 7 Deadliest Sins

If there is anything you would like to hear about other than what I have up here, make a request... who knows, maybe I'll head to that instead.

If you are going to be there, let me know, I look forward to meeting you. Take care, talk soon.