Lori Devoti, paranormal romance and urban fantasy author

Okay, I love his books, but then I saw this post on his blog, and I had a new respect for him.

What do I mean, you ask? Well, notice that the person writing him bought the CD on EBAY–USED. Oh, my….!! At least that is the way many authors would react–the nerve, then to write the author and ask something about the purchase? What arrogance.

For some reason this has always bugged me–yeah, authors make their money off new sales and new sales only. And yes, that means when you buy an author’s book used they get diddly and if everyone did that the author’s sales would go down the toilet and said author would soon be out of a publishing contract. All of that is true, but I have seen so many people get into snits over it to the point of lecturing people who really can’t afford to buy new–or at least as many books as they want to buy new. And I just get tired of the whole issue. Besides there is something to be said for good karma and building a following whether they buy new or not.

So, when I saw that Neil Gaiman had not only posted a message from someone who admitted buying his CD used and had answered the fan without even a sniff of “bad, bad, reader” I just had to comment on it.

Okay, now go forth and buy many copies of anything by Neil Gaiman new–you won’t regret it. :)

Oh, and he posted a link to help save bats–gotta love that too. Don’t you think?

Lori

Welcome to Michele Hauf, my second Nocturne author interviewee. Michele is a multi-talented author who has written historical romances, fantasy novels for Luna, Bombshells, paranormal romances for Zebra and now dark paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne. Visit her on the web at michelehauf.com.  

Q) First can you tell us about your Nocturne release?

M.H.) It’s my return to writing vampires! The hero is the lead singer for the band The Fallen, and he also happens to be a vampire. He’s taking a break from the public to try to get his dark addiction under control before he makes a mistake, like murder. But for a man accustomed to living in the spotlight, it’s going to be very difficult for him to ‘hide away’. He finds an intriguing challenge in the heroine, who is also hiding, but not purposefully, it is just her manner; the world does not interest her. It’s the first story I’ve written where I didn’t rely on ‘action’ to keep a hero and heroine together. I’ve put these two people in a house, and forced them to deal with one another. It was interesting, to me, to meet that challenge, and real torture for the hero. But then, I do enjoy torturing my heroes.

Q) Your hero is a vampire, does your heroine have powers too?

M.H.) The heroine is a not-witch. Basically, her father was a vampire and her mother was a witch. But neither vampire traits or witch traits developed in the heroine. Though, she has an innate magic, that she isn’t able to control. Witch’s blood is poisonous to a vampire. But, should a vampire find some way around that sticky little problem, then he can draw on the witch’s magic and gain immense power, by having sex with her. It’s the blood sex magic. Most vamps can’t do it. It’s that poison blood thing. Not easy to get around.

Q) Your hero is in a rock band. What made you choose this career for him? Does music play a role in the story?

M.H.) I love the image of the singer on stage, feeding off the adoration much as a vampire feeds on life. The rock star is the ultimate fantasy. Actually, the music had to take a bit of a backstage in the story. The focus is on the hero’s struggle with his addiction, and the love that develops between he and the heroine. But I couldn’t resist a scene showing him performing on stage. And of course, that is when the heroine really begins to understand what it is about a musician that turns woman on. It’s that superstar essence and a literal ’shine’ that beams off them from the stage to embed within the hearts of female admirers. Ha! Can you tell I have a thing for rock stars?

Q) Who is your favorite character in this book and why?

M.H.) I like my hero because he has accepted his vampirism (though it wasn’t his idea to become one; he was attacked). And he’s never lost his sense of humanity and possesses a good deal of humor. And he will always have that little-boy-lostness that I so love to see in bad boys. They’re big, they’re bad, but inside, they just need a hug. And he brings the heroine flowers! Lots of flowers.

Q) Who do you think is the strongest–your hero or heroine?

M.H.) I think they balance each other pretty well. Where the hero is weak, the heroine steps in to support him, and his strengths lift her out from a pretty dismal future.

Q) Nocturne is billed as “Dramatic and Sensual Tales of Paranormal Romance”. How does this tagline fit your book? What other one word descriptors would you use to describe it?

M.H.) Yep, lots o drama and sensuality. And sex! Hey, I think this is the first of my books that has quite a few sex scenes. It’s not erotica, but I got a chance to explore the vampire’s need for sex that always comes with the need for blood. You can’t seperate the two. Otehr words? Twisted. Sexy. Intriguing. Secrets. Rock n’ roll. Blood sex magic. Sacrifice. Ritual.

Q) Would you describe your book as dark? And what does that term mean to you?

M.H.) It is dark. I’m still not sure how to describe dark, other than to say it’s not light.   I think exploring the idea of a man who’s desperate not to become a killer, and pairing him with a woman who just may be a killer, does touch the dark a bit, eh? And the ending surprised me. It’s much less graphic than I originally wrote it, but it does go to a dark place, and the hero enters that darkness freely, thinking only of the heroine. I liked him for the sacrifice he wishes to make to save the woman he loves. It could mean his very life, but he goes there without question. That, to me, is the kind of man I want to fall in love with.

Q) Why do you write paranormals? What appeals to you about the sub-genre?

M.H.) Though I have written a few non-paranormal contemporaries, my heart belongs to the paranormal genre. I like to read beyond the normal, everyday stuff that goes on in a person’s life. I want it to be fantastical and over-the-top, and even impossible. I want to step into a world different from my own. What better way to do that than to write about vampires?

Q) Is this book part of a series? Can you give us a sneak peek on what else you have planned?

M.H.) Yes, and I think the title for the series will be Bewitching the Dark. I’m working on book #2 right now, KISS ME DEADLY. It features Ravin Crosse as the hero (she shows up in From the Dark as a vigilant vampire slayer) and I’ve a vampire phoenix hero, Nikolaus Drake. A vampire phoenix is one who has literally risen from ash, and survived a witch’s blood attack. (Because witch’s blood is poison to a vampire). It’s going to be a reverse romance, of sorts. And no, I’m not going to explain that one. ;-)

Q) You have written for a number of different lines-is there something >about >your books that holds true no matter what line or sub genre?

M.H.) Belief. It always comes back to what do you believe in. What are your truths that you would never violate? How do you function in a world where your beliefs cannot exist? Can you believe in the unbelievable? Can you go there? Q) Who are some of your favorite authors? M.H.) Jim Butcher, Susan Carroll, Alexandre Dumas, Kim Harrison, Neil Gaiman, Anne Rice.

Q) Where can readers find you on the web? And is there anything else you’d like to add?

M.H.) http://www.michelehauf.com Many thanks for supporting the Nocturne series, Lori! And soon we’ll be reading an interview with you about your own Nocturne! How cool is that?

Thanks for chatting with us, Michele, and yeah, I’m stoked to be part of the Nocturne line!

Fox Reality has started a new online fantasy game—Yeah, you heard me like fantasy football but for reality TV. How fab is that. Here’s the link.

If you sign up let me know–we can form a team! Yeah, baby–I have a problem….but this is the first step, right? Admitting it?

You have to check out this short video from Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. Share it with someone…

Thanks to Jessica Trapp for sharing it with me. :)

One of the best things about being on loops is all the crazy cr…stuff that comes your way. Yesterday it was the ad from the Greater Washington Initiative. (I think you can see it over at the Smart Bitches blog.)

Then today… a politician from Texas accusing his opponent of writing porn because in 1990 she had a romance published. Here are the links to his site….and to his case against her.

My favorite part is this quote (from second link) supposedly from her…

“I wrote the book nineteen years ago. I received lots of congratulatory letters. I’ve served with distinction. I’m sad that the book company is out of business because I won’t get any more royalties.”

Gotta love a woman with a sense of humor. I don’t usually vote Republican, but if I lived in Texas I would be sorely tempted.

First off, I reek of salsa due to the fact when opening my newly procured jar from World Market it exploded on me. If I wasn’t so lazy I’d go change–but it’s a little cold and I had spin class today. Maybe after posting this blog. :)

Last night I watched the second Heroes. Who is watching it? I liked the first one, but I think it is getting even better. You guys seriously need to catch it. I’m watching on SciFi so I can use my favorite of all inventions the DVR.

What else…I am planning a pirate party. This is not a good thing. Think of me Saturday 2 p.m central time. I will need the good mojo.

Uh, Dead Like Me. Did any of you watch that show. When it first came out I didn’t like it. I think it was Jasmin Guy. I used to love her back in the what? Nineties? Anyway she seemed a bit stiff (no pun on the dead thing there). But recently (now that it is off the air) I’ve become addicted to the reruns. It really is a pretty darn entertaining show.

And true crime shows like The New Detectives or Cold Case Files (I really like that one). Great to watch when you are doing something mindless like folding laundry.

On the book front, I wrote 4 pages of the synopsis for Guardian’s Keep yesterday. It’s going to be good–of course I always think that at this stage–talk to me at around chapter 12 when it will totally stink.

On other people’s books, I have been very very bad about updating my sidebar–I will do that…sometime.

Oh, and My Space. It is a strange thing, isn’t it? What I love (not) are the bots people sign up with to invite 3,000 people at a time to join their webcam groups. ‘Cause I am REALLY dying to see teenage girls dance around in tube tops. (At least based on the titles I’m assuming that is the general subject matter.) It’s a whole new way to get spam.

But if you are a My Spacer, here’s my link. I haven’t prettied it up yet.

Till later!

Lori

p.s. I have heard more complaints that people can’t comment here. I’m going to try something and see if it makes it easier without opening the gates to spammers galore!

Hi, everyone. We have another speaker lined up for the Yahoo group Plotspot. Todd Stone will be stopping by the week of October 22 to 28. He is going to sharing parts of his Novelists Boot Camp– “Take 3 Steps Toward Story Line,” “Turn On Your Turning Points,” and “Develop Your Exit Strategy”. You can preview some of his posts here.

As always tell any friends who might be interested in joining us. Or if you want to be added to the loop, just post me a message here. If you put your email address in the normal field where it asks for it, I’ll get it so I can sign you up. In the body just indicate that you want an invite.

It should be fun!!

Here is Todd’s bio: From mystery to military to making better fiction, from a tour de force through wealthy suburbia’s wholesome facades and sordid realities to tanks and infantry, multiple award-winning author and screenwriter T.A. (Todd) Stone has made his mark on the book world. His acclaimed guide to the discipline and creativity of writing NOVELIST’S BOOT CAMP—101 Ways to take your Fiction from Boring to Bestseller (Writers Digest Books, April 2006) provides the writer who desires to complete a book-length fiction with proven techniques to “take command of your novel,” Stone’s most recent mystery NO PLACE LIKE HOME debuted to 4-star reviews. He is also the author of the Digital Literature Institute Best of Fiction Winner and INDIE Mystery Winner CLOSE TO HOME and the NY Times Review of Books acclaimed military technothriller KRIEGSPIEL. His second military thriller, THE BEST DEFENSE, has received bestseller status and acclaim from around the globe.

Stone is also a contributor to the best-selling Electronic Publishing, the Definitive Guide. His articles regularly appear in nationally know writers’ magazines such as Writers Digest and on writing websites across the Internet.

The Head Writer for the interactive mystery website Crime Scene, Stone is a member of the Author’s Guild, Mystery Writers of America, EPIC (the Electronically Published Internet Connection), the National Writers’ Union, the Crime Writers’ Guild, and is a graduate of his local Citizens Police Academy. He is a founding member of the Board of the internationally renowned mystery/dark fiction conference Love is Murder.

Stone also consults on corporate communications in Chicagoland, teaches craft of writing workshops at the College of DuPage, and presents at writers’ conferences throughout the country.

An avid motorcyclist, Stone is a former Army Airborne/Ranger Infantry officer whose military assignments included duty as an Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and his MA in English from Northwestern University. He lives with his family in a perfectly normal suburb outside Chicago, IL. For more information see http://www.storytellerroad.com

Amazon’s new review policy is causing a bit of a stir among authors and reviewers…

 Want to write a customer review?

To write a customer review: you must have used this account to complete a purchase* of an item from Amazon.com. Please wait 24 hours after your first purchase before writing a review.

If you have another account: and you have already used it to make a purchase, you can sign into that account to write a review.

I think I may be in the minority–but this makes perfect sense to me, especially from Amazon’s POV. Amazon has become something of a force in online reviews–and not just for books. Had you all seen this from the NY Times? Funny, yes, but an annoying expenditure of bandwith to Amazon? Probably. And how about all those “friends of” reviews? You know all the reviews reviewers will swear are written by friends of the authors? (and yeah, many of them are) Or the drive-by reviewer..the one who has some axe to grind and stops by Amazon to attack a book and author? There are plenty of those.

So, overall, I think it’s a good thing. Now when you go to Amazon you will at least know the person bought the product. That has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?

I thought it would be fun to interview a few aspiring authors–to see what keeps them going, why they write, and maybe to reinspire a few pubbed authors by reminding them of their original goals.

I chose Edie Ramer for my first interview, because Edie is one of the most upbeat people I know–and she is really putting her all into her pursuit of being published. Common wisdom is that it takes three things to get published: Talent, Perserverance and Luck. All Edie needs is a little luck and she will be on her way. 

Welcome, Edie!! 

Q.) How long have you been writing with the goal of publication?

E.R.) Lori, I’m thrilled that you’re interviewing me–although the “how long” question makes me squirm. I started writing about 20 years ago . I had an early success with short stories and sold eleven to print publications, all in the mystery field. My CPs say I write tight, and this is probably the reason. I wrote books too, but I didn’t sell. I quit for about 6 years and tried other things, but writing is what I really wanted to do. I couldn’t stay away. My reading tastes have switched to romances, so this is what I write now.

Q.) Why do you want to be published?

E.R.) Lori, you don’t do easy questions, do you? I’d say money, but if I’d put this much energy and passion into another career I’d be a wealthy women. (Besides, I can imagine my published CPs laughing hysterically at the “money” answer.) Maybe ego. I hope my work will entertain people, make them feel good inside. I want my son to feel bursting at the seams proud that his mother did this. I know I’ll feel that way when I see my books on the bookshelves. Or, better yet, some lovely person taking it off the bookshelf.

Q.) What do you write—has it changed over the years?

E.R.) I started writing romance before my shift to mysteries. I was reading more mysteries than romance, so it made sense. After I came back, I wrote a fluffy humorous ST romance. I quickly switched to writing romances with a little of everything in it. A mess. LOL. I’ve finally found out that I love writing offbeat quirky romances. My current book is women’s fiction, but it’s populated with quirky people. They’re in my life, so why not put them in my books?

Q.) Do you enter contests? If so how do you feel they help, if not why not?

E.R.) I try to restrain myself from entering contests. *g* I entered sporadically when I first started writing romance again. I won three, including the 2005 ST Molly. Contests validated my writing, but I can get my books on agents’ desks faster and cheaper by querying. That’s just my opinion. I would enter the GH, but quirky offbeat romance has zero chance of finalling.

Q.) Do you submit directly to publishers or only to agents? If you submit to publishers, is it totally cold or only through requests from conferences, etc. Any reason for this strategy?

E.R.) I submit mostly to agents. With my last book I sent it to what I consider “the usual suspect” agents. And quickly got turned down by them all without any requests. This is the best book I’ve written, and I was depressed. Then I read the funny and inspiring blog Maria V. Snyder wrote about how she persevered through rejections and sold her Rita nominated paranormal, POISON STUDY, to Luna. This made me realize I’d given up too early. My book was out of the romance box, so I needed an out-of-the-romance-box agent. I went through Agent Query, then emailed and snail mailed queries. I got 3 requests for partials and I still have a lot of queries out there. I also have two requested nonfiction proposals out, so I’m crossing my fingers that something good will happen. I’ve only sent to one publisher, partly because two of my CPs sold to them, and after this they got their agents. It’s Kensington. (Lori can tell you this worked for her too.:)) Just last week I received a rejection on a previous book by a Kensington editor, but she said she’d love to see another one, so I mailed the full of my “out of the box” romance. If I start collecting a lot of agent rejections, I’ll start sending to more publishers. This book deserves a home.

Q.) Have you or would you at some point consider submitting to a small publisher? Why or why not?

E.R.) Yes, I am considering submitting to a small publisher with my latest. But only after I’ve gone through all the bigger hoops. Why? Because I want to be published. Like Maria V. Snyder, I’m going to try all the avenues available. I’m not sure if you mean e-books, but I’ve been hesitant to go that route for several reasons. Although I have sex scenes in my book, they’re not as spicy as the more popular e-books. With the exceptions of Ellora’s Cave, most of them don’t make that much money. (See Brenda Hiatt’s Show Me the Money ) Lastly, I don’t read many e-books. I might change my mind as e-books evolve.

Q.) Is there any one mistake you made along the way you wish you could go back and correct?

ER.) I wish I hadn’t given up writing about ten years ago. I truly believe I’d be published by now.

Q.) What is the biggest validation of your writing you have received?

E.R.) Having sold early was a validation of my writing skills. Now, it’s my terrific CPs who keep me motivated. Also, a lot of my rejections are the “good ones”, and that does help keep my spirits up.

Q.) What keeps you motivated to keep writing?

ER.) When I don’t write for too long, I feel itchy. It’s a need with me. When I stopped writing, I felt like I was missing something. Writing is the right thing for me to do.

Q.) What advice do you have for other writers seeking publication?

ER.) I’m guessing most of the people reading this are in RWA, so you’re already on your way.  Network. Read blogs and comment. It’s a great way to get friendly with other writers. Seek out great CPs, either at your level or above. If you can afford it, go to conferences. Keep up with the market. I subscribe to Publishers Marketplace for $20 a month. I use it to research agents, so it’s worth it to me, but they also have the free daily lunch. Write and send out your stuff. It’s my goal to make every book I write better than the previous one.

Q.) Do you have a web site or blog? If so, what made you decide to take that step?

E.R.) I have a website. A website isn’t necessary to sell, but I thought of it as one more tool. I emailed a question to Agent Kristin at PubRants (Kristin Nelson) asking if she looked at websites when she was reading queries. She replied that she often does, and they better look professional. I wanted a personal blog with my site, or course, but two of my CPs and I had already started Magical Musings. It seemed like the natural next step for us. We’re all on the cusp of selling, and this was a way to get our name out there. Theresa Monsey and LaDonna Paulette have recently joined us. We’ll be speaking about blogging on AskAnAuthorPro this next week. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us!! It was a pleasure, Lori. You gave me a lot to think about. Thank you for asking me.

Funny article by Stephen King–thanks to Laura Drewry for finding it.

The Gent has posted about writers who complain about literary agents in a rather unGently way. ;-)

William Shatner is hosting Show Me the Money a new game show for ABC. Any Captain Kirk fans out there?

And Miss Snark found this entertaining letter from Robin McKinley to people looking for responses to letters, and other things.

Who Wants to Be a Superhero has been picked up for a second season. Did anyone see this show? Did anyone want to see it again? I so didn’t get it–although I did really enjoy the dog attack scene. Loved that on Fear Factor too. I’m sure that says something very bad about me personally.

That’s it for now–anyone else find anything of interest out there this week?

Lori