Jeri Smith-Ready

Tidbit Tuesday #1

Happy Tuesday, folks! I'm starting a new thing (and now that I've called it a "thing" I'll probably never do it again), Tidbit Tuesday (unless y'all prefer "Tuesday Tidbits" or something less cutesy like "Tuesday Trash," or more cutesy like "Tell-It-To-Ya Tuesday," or a Monday night feature called "'Til Tuesday"--hey, I like that one). I'll mention new book/music releases I'm excited about, plus news items I don't have time to elaborate on at the moment.

--First, the books! Two fellow Class of 2K10 members have their very first books out today and tomorrow (and another on Thursday, which I'll mention then). Today marks the release of Kitty Keswick's Freaksville. You can read more about it at her launch post, including a short interview with her brilliant editor at Leap Books.

Bonnie Doerr's debut, Island Sting, comes out tomorrow. I'm particularly excited about this because it features an environmental theme. I tried twice unsuccessfully to get a "green" novel published, so I'm cheering for this one to do well so we see more of them in the future. Also, she's a big fan of one of my favorite authors, Carl Hiaasen, so I know the book has to rock. There's a great interview with Bonnie over at Aurora's Reviews.

--Speaking of Class of 2K10, the Page Turners blog did a mini-interview with all of us, asking about our first lines, how and whether they changed from first draft to final.

--The last book I wanted to mention is actually a repackaging/re-release of three YA vampire novels, but it's very important for one reason. At the back of the second and final Christopher Pike Last Vampire compendium (Thirst #2) is...the first chapter of Shade!

Thirst #2 comes out today, but my copy arrived last Friday. Seeing Aura's words in bound printed form gave me the chills, and it wasn't just because I'd left the door open in my excitement to open the box. I'll probably wait until February to put the first chapter up on the website, so if you want to read Shade's first chapter, go check it out--the Pike books are excellent, too! Thirst #1 hit the New York Times bestseller list. If you haven't heard of The Last Vampire series, you're in for a real treat.



--I've started a new work plan for the new year. Yes, another Grand Masta plan that will make me more productive and happy! Here it is, simply put:

Instead of writing 2,000 words every day, including weekends, while trying to keep up with Stuff (blogging, e-mail, interviews, etc.), I'm going to start writing 3,000 words every weekday and take weekends off to catch up on Stuff and catch my breath.

This will allow me to have a more single-minded (some would say simple-minded) focus. Weekdays = writing; weekends (and some weekday evenings) = other. My brain likey!

So far so good after two days, but we'll see how it goes. Right now I'm off to play one of the two new Wii games we got for Christmas. After all, stress reduction is one of my goals for the New Year, and not making that goal will totally stress me out!

Yes, I'm certifiably insane.

Labels: class of 2K10, interview, writing life, YA series

• posted by Jeri @ 8:55 PM
• 13 comments

Podcast with my agent & WVMP e-book updates

My awesome agent Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd. just did a great podcast interview with Jon Armstrong of If You're Just Joining Us.

Aspiring writers, hark! The interview is a lot of fun and very enlightening. She discusses myths about agents (some of them aren't myths), the future of publishing (don't ask), her great Twitter conversion (yes, I told her so!), and how not to pursue an agent (hint: stay within the law and basic social codes).

I've also found the Sony eBook versions of my books, including the WVMP books, which as I mentioned last week, are also now available for the Kindle.

If you want the Adobe or Microsoft eReader versions, try Barnes & Noble or Fictionwise.

I've got some chunks of good news coming down the pike, including a big blog party next month. Stay tuned!

Labels: interview, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 9:31 AM
• 1 comments

First the forest, then the trees

This blog post started off as a brief hey-this-is-what's-new-with me post, and turned into a whole essay on the the different kinds of edits. This is why I have trouble finding time to blog--you cannot shut me up.

I turned in my rewrite of Shade on Monday. On Friday, my editor will give me her line edits, and the final version will go to the copyeditor on September 9.

What are line edits, you ask? (Let's pretend you asked, so that I don't look pretentious.) There are usually two stages to an editor's actual editorial work on a book. The first one is called...hmm, I don't know what it's called. Let's call it the Global Edit, because that sounds very impressive and sort of humanitarian. The Global Edit^TM tackles the Big Issues, such as:

-- Character X feels underdeveloped and pointless to the story; maybe s/he can be combined with another character to serve the same purpose? I mean, does the protagonist really need TWO drama-riddled, arachnophobic, Vespa-riding best friends? Hmm?
-- Subplot Y fails to be resolved. We never do find out who made those crop circles in the shape of Dick Cheney's head.
-- The pacing of Chapters 5-9 was so slow, I sold them to a pharmaceutical company as a powerful anesthesia agent (patent pending).

So the writer gets the Global Edit and spends at least a few weeks (God willing) doing a rewrite. For all of my books from Voice of Crow through Bad to the Bone, this stage involved giant overhauls to the plot and characters and took about two months each.

For Shade, this major rewrite wasn't necessary, and here's why: A month before it was due, I gave the oh-so-rough draft to a pair of beta readers who should be awarded medals of valor. It gave me the chance to see the big-picture problems with it, which I fixed to the best of my ability before turning it in to my editor at Simon Pulse (Annette Pollert) on June 1.

Anyway, then the writer submits the rewritten version to her editor (which I did this Monday). Sometimes the editor sends back this version with "line edits." At this stage, the editor flags specific details in the writing--clunky dialogue, weak descriptions, or other Things-That-Make-Her-Go-Eww. Usually he or she won't correct things like grammar or spelling--that's the copyeditor's job.

So if the Global Edit is the forest, the Line Edit is the trees. Books are made of trees, which come from forests, so...there.

Keep in mind that not every editor works this way. Some will combine the global edit (you're used to the term now, so we're switching to lower case) with the line edit. My editor at Pocket, Jen Heddle, does this. The lovely part is that I can then ignore half of her line edits because they apply to scenes that I've axed. Efficient (for me, at least)! She also does a second line edit on the new version, but it's combined with the copyeditor's review. So that manuscript will have notes for me in two different handwritings and colors. Pretty!

As for copyediting, we'll leave that for another post. I hope this has been an enlightening glimpse inside my little corner of the publishing process. As you can see, building the perfect book has many steps, several of which involve colored pencils.

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Now playing: The Distillers - Coral Fang
via FoxyTunes

Labels: writing life, YA series

• posted by Jeri @ 1:17 PM
• 4 comments

Workaholics and OCD vampires

What could these possibly have in common? More than you think (unless you're thinking, "Quite a lot," in which case, it's not more than you think).

I wrote an essay about writers and workaholism over at SF Novelists. I think I've already made the First Step by acknowledging I have a problem (the other Eleven Steps are kinda yucky, so I'm stopping there).

At Patricia's Vampire Notes, I expound on vampires and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, which is so central to my WVMP Radio urban fantasy series, I can't believe I haven't blogged about it before. Duh. Comment to enter to win a signed copy of Bad to the Bone.

Don't forget, you have through Friday to enter to win a copy of Danielle Joseph's Shrinking Violet, the film rights for which were just bought by the Disney Channel. Big congrats to Danielle!

Labels: blog tour, Contests, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 9:41 AM
• 2 comments

A 100% Jeri-centric NY Comic Con report

If you enjoy single-POV, tunnel-vision accounts of major media conventions, read on!

WHAT I DID (SPECIFICALLY)

Had brunch with my agent (the indomitable Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd.) and my brand-new editor (the ultra-sweet Annette Pollert of Pulse, which is Simon & Schuster's young adult imprint) at Trestle on Tenth, a cute little cafe where they made perfect over-medium eggs (something I can only accomplish about 40% of the time at home). Admired the gorgeous view of the Lukoil, the car wash, and the bank of pay phones (still only 25 cents in NYC--a bargain!).

Picked up my badge at Comic Con. Under my name it said, "Professional Creator," which I'm pretty sure is the title on the door of God's office.

Hung out with Annette at Comic Con and had a great time. We wandered about, looking at all the stuff, none of which I remember, for a reason that will become apparent below.

Finally found the S&S booth, met a few more Pulse people, including publisher Bethany Buck and editor Liesa Abrams. Marveled at how incredibly cool their covers are. Got goose bumps all over again at the thought of being published by them.

Shuffled over to Pocket's table, where I saw the cover for Bad to the Bone on a big piece of posterboard at the top of the display. Badass! I was told people had been asking about it all weekend.

Gave a brief interview to the lovely Clare Toohey at Book Spot Central.

Signed giveaway Advance Review Copies of Bad to the Bone. There was a line! Of people who had actually heard of me! I tell you, there is no finer feeling in the world than having one's book raved about while one's editor is standing right there. (In this case it was my brilliant Pocket editor Jennifer Heddle.)

WHAT I DID (GENERALLY)

Sweated. A lot. Because it's New York.

Got Javits Feet, a condition common to those attending NYC conventions, especially people like me who wear high-heeled boots so they'll feel tall and confident in the face of an intimidating situation. I recommend finding a safer source of confidence, such as liquor.

WHAT I DID NOT DO:

Go to panels.

See other authors or artists. I definitely did not see Joss Whedon (though I did see a corner of Amber Benson's head from a distance--not that her head is square).

Sleep the night before. I don't know why. Maybe it was just knowing that I had to get up at 4:30 am to leave at 5:45 to make a 6:45 train. Maybe it was the fact that Flogging Molly's "Rebels of the Sacred Heart" was playing at top volume in my head. Maybe I forgot to take my melatonin (I need one of those pill organizers, since I'm losing my mind). Regardless, I got a half-hour's sleep (3:30-4), after which I woke up feeling hot and sick.

So all day it seemed like I had a hangover, a sensation only slightly mitigated by the excellent coffee and food from Trestle on Tenth, but wholly mitigated by the wonderful people I was lucky enough to spend time with. It was definitely worth the trip!

If for some crazy reason you want an outside-the-Jeri bubble account of New York Comic Con, try today's Biting Edge, where guest blogger Krystn talks about all the free stuff she got. Books, comics, swag, etc.

Me, I got a God badge and a Twilight pen. And the priceless intangible of hanging-out-with-editors.

But seriously, New York Comic Con is great, definitely not just for comic fans. I highly recommend it, and next time, I might even go for more than a few hours! If you go, too, I hope to see more than a corner of your head.

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Now playing: Flogging Molly - Rebels of the Sacred Heart
via FoxyTunes

Labels: appearances, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:06 AM
• 3 comments

YA series sold!

*deep breath*

I only get to do this every two years (so far), so I'm taking a moment to savor......

..........................................

..........................................

Okay, moment over!

This sales announcement appeared in yesterday's Publisher's Lunch:

WICKED GAME and Aspect of Crow trilogy author Jeri Smith-Ready's first teen fiction GENERATION GHOST, following a 16 year-old girl on a quest to uncover why everyone her age and younger can see ghosts -- and her struggle to cope with her boyfriend's passing when he haunts her regularly, to Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown (World English).

On Monday, December 8 (yes, I've been sitting on this news for five weeks, wondering if it could be real), my proposal for a young adult urban fantasy series went to auction. It was a nerve-wracking, headache-inducing, productivity-destroying day that I would happily relive again and again.

As with every new series, I'm most thrilled at the fact that I get to revisit these characters I've come to love after only three chapters (seriously, they already have their own playlists).

A little more about them:

The Girl: Aura Salvatore's winter solstice birth marked a mysterious event called the Shift. Everyone born after the Shift can see and hear ghosts (who appear in violet, for reasons I can't go into here). She lives in Baltimore with her mom, whose law firm specializes in wrongful death suits. Aura translates for the clients, telling the ghosts' side of the grisly stories—not exactly the world’s funnest after-school activity. She's obsessed with figuring out what caused the Shift (or better yet, how to reverse it), and whether it has anything to do with her missing Mystery Dad.

The Boy: Logan Keeley is/was the lead singer in an Irish-flavored punk band he shares with his older sister and brother (think Flogging Molly, junior edition). He wants to be a rock star, and considers death just a speed bump (or maybe even the fast lane) on the road to fame. Logan might be right about that part, but his relationship with Aura is threatened by his new lack of...well, a body. But hey, no more curfews.

The Other Boy: Zachary Moore is a Scottish exchange student who seems to know more about Aura than she knows about herself. He and Aura work together to solve the puzzle of the Shift, which maybe involved a dark ritual at an ancient burial ground such as Stonehenge. In the battle for Aura's heart, Zach gets major points for being alive and very, very solid (and the accent doesn't hurt).

So there's music, mystery, mythology, and of course a megadose of angst, because I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh! Pertinent facts might help: The first book, Untouchable, will be released in hardcover in Summer 2010, and its sequel, Never Ever, will come out a year later. Both book titles are tentative, so pretend I didn't tell you, because one or both will probably change. But I think we're sticking with the series name Generation Ghost.

I'm very excited to be a part of Simon Pulse, as I've loved this line for years, ever since I started reading teen fiction in a serious way. Best of all, both of my series are now under Simon & Schuster (different imprints and different editors), so we can coordinate things like deadlines and release dates to keep everyone sane and happy.

Anyway, I hope you all give it a try. It'll be geared toward young adult readers, but my writing style really won't change (other than to be true to the character's voice), so my current readers of all ages should enjoy the books. After all, I was never much of an adult to begin with, in real life or on the page. So yay.

I'm sure I've forgotten a bunch of things, and this post is getting long and self-indulgent, anyway, so if you have any questions, let 'em fly!


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Now playing: The Treehouse Song - Ane Brun
via FoxyTunes

Labels: writing life, YA series

• posted by Jeri @ 9:01 AM
• 25 comments

Happy New Year!

Welcome back, all you lazy sods relaxed folk who took off the entire holiday season. Here's what you've almost missed:

My latest Aspect of Crow tie-in short story is now live in its entirety! All eight weekly chapters are posted on my publisher's site, so grab a cup of cocoa and read all of "Storm Reaper" at once.

- The first in a series of booze-soaked mutual interviews between Dante Baptiste and Ciara Griffin, along with a chance to win a signed copy of Adrian Phoenix's fabulous new release, In the Blood (and possibly an Amazon gift certificate, too!) You can read my review and find out more about the subsequent giveaways in the previous post.

- On Friday, Justin Gustainis gave us an entertaining look at The Future of Urban Fantasy. Comment on his post and enter to win his newest Quincey Morris Supernatural Investigations release, Evil Ways.

Now, for my 2009 goals. They're pretty much a knockoff of my 2008 goals, which I reviewed last week. The only difference is they're a little bit more attainable.

1. Write and rewrite Book One in YA series.
1a. If YA Book One sells, write first draft of Book Two (maybe as NaNoWriMo project)
2. If publisher buys more vampire books, write and rewrite Book Three.
3. Write at least 10K words of vampire Book Four (contingent on #2).
3a. If publisher doesn't buy more vampire books, write proposal for new series.
4. Write three more tie-in stories for Wicked Game (Noah, Regina, Shane)
5. Write 1000 words/week on new adult urban fantasy novel/series (unless #3a comes to pass, in which case, faster!)
6. Brainstorm with potential collaborator (you know who you are) about that paranormal romantic comedy
7. Blog at least once every other week on WVMPradio.com (or replace the blog with something better, like...I don't know. Suggestions, anyone?)
8. Have Ciara and Shane blog at least once every other week on their MySpaces
9. Start Twitter account for Ciara
10. Start Facebook fan page and Ning social networking site (only if I can get someone else--maybe a couple of Street Team members?--to maintain them)
11. Attend 5 conferences/conventions/book festivals and 5 non-conference appearances (signings, talks)
12. Sign stock at 25 bookstores
13. Do 20 online interviews/guest blogs
14. Read 50 books
15. Watch 50 movies
16. Foster 2 cats (not at the same time)

Overall, more writing and less not-writing, which makes everyone happier. And of course, much of 7-10 depends on #2 coming to pass. Hopefully I'll know about that in the next couple of months, and I'll shout it from the virtual rooftops if it happens.

What are your goals for this year? Are they like mine, simply tweaks and updates from last year, or are you doing a major overhaul of priorities? How do you measure your progress? Do you see goals as a chance to stretch yourself, or as a way to set yourself up for failure? Or both?

Have a great 2009! I'll see you back here next year! (Just kidding. I think I'll be back tomorrow with another guest, but I have to check with them.)

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Now playing: The Newlydeads - Cities In Dust
via FoxyTunes

Labels: Contests, guests, interview, short stories, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 2:34 PM
• 1 comments

Pretty good year

Hey kids, it's time for that annual self-flaggelation ritual--the Goals Review!

On January 2 I posted my writing/personal goals for 2008. It was fun to look at them this morning, because I hadn't actually given them any thought since, er, February?

With that in mind, let's see how I did:

1. Rewrite The Reawakened (non-negotiable, since it's under contract)

Done! (see completed book for proof)

2. Write and rewrite Bad to the Bone (ditto)

Also done (see Amazon page for proof--sorry, no cover art yet. Believe me, I'm just as anxious as you are to see the final version)

3. Write six tie-in stories for Wicked Game

I wrote three: Monroe's, Spencer's, and Jim's. I plan to write Noah's this week and get it up some time in January, then post Regina's around the end of February and finally Shane's on April 5. Due to contractual deadlines, however, I might have to skip Noah's and/or Regina's and come back to them later in 2009.

4. Submit proposal for more vampire books

Almost there--the proposal is finished and just needs polishing. My editor is out until next week, though, so I'll probably just wait until then to send it in. Or send it Wednesday so I can say I did it in 2008.

5. Submit young adult fantasy proposal (completed Book 1 and series synopsis)

Done! My proposal consisted of just the first three chapters and a series synopsis, not a completed book.

6. Write and submit proposal for new adult novel/series

Um, no. No time or need for that, though a new idea has wriggled into my brain. Maybe I'll work on that in 2009 if deadlines allow. Or I could toss something together by Wednesday and send it to my agent, just to annoy her on vacation.

7. Fix screenplay ending and begin submitting it to contests again

Wow, really? I never even thought about this all year.

8. Design and build WVMPradio.com website and blog for Wicked Game's release

Done! It features playlists by each of the DJs, as well as links to buy WVMP merchandise. The vampires haven't done much blogging yet. Okay, any blogging.

I also made a Pandora station for each of the DJs, so you can hear more of the types of music they'd play.

9. Build MySpace pages for WVMP and characters

Done, with modifications. Ciara and Shane have MySpace pages, and I barely have time to keep them up as it is, so don't expect to see seven separate MySpaces in the future.

10. Attend 5 conferences/conventions/book festivals

Attended 6!

11. Sign stock at 100 bookstores

Not even close. Maybe 10-15. In the future, I'm not going to make this a priority--it takes too much time and gas to drive around to different bookstores. It's definitely worth it if I'm in the area and it's not out of my way, but I literally never had a free day (or several days) all year to just tool around Baltimore/DC signing books.

12. Do 10 non-conference appearances (signings, talks)

I did 12. Will probably cut back on these next year.

13. Do 25 online interviews/guest blogs

I did at least 27 interviews (some written, some podcasts/radio, and one television), 2 online chats, and 13 guest blogs.

This was insane. It stressed me out big time--part of me is still burned out from the constant self-exposure. More important, it interfered with my ability to meet my Bad to the Bone deadline. On balance, my editor was happy, because Wicked Game sold much more than they expected, and they think it was due to my full-court press online. But this year, I'm sorry to say, I might not be able to grant every interview request, due to actual writing commitments. I will consider every request, however, so don't hesitate to ask.

14. Read 50 books

I've read 48 so far, and am more than half finished with two others, so no prob.

15. Watch 50 movies

Nope. I hope to make it to 28, which will be twice as many as last year. We spent most of our Netflixes on TV shows (Deadwood, Rome, The Sopranos, Arrested Development), all of which were better than most films, so there's that.

16. Foster 5 dogs (not all at the same time)

Sigh...between deadlines and Meadow's back injury, this was not to be. Our last foster dog was Tommy. I hope to start fostering cats in 2009, but they stick around a lot longer, so my goal will probably be closer to 2.

17. Do my part to make sure my candidate becomes President

Sadly I could only give a small amount of money and none of my time. But I nagged my husband into volunteering, and he was really good at it! Also, I rooted very hard, and this time it worked.

18. Never be satisfied with "good enough."

I think, in the end, I accomplished this goal. At some of the interim deadlines for both books, I turned them in in a state that was as good as I could do at the time, but at the final stages (copyedits/AA's), I was really happy with the results.

For instance, I sent back copyedits for Bad to the Bone a week ago Friday, and it was the first time I really felt like it kicked as much ass as it could. It's amazing what a few tweaks here and there will do for the quality of the prose and therefore the story. I believe that the little details add up to a better reading experience, that no matter how explosive and exciting your storyline may be, it can always be enhanced by finding just the right word to describe it.

I guess I should start on my 2009 goals now. Sheesh, I haven't even started Item #1 on Monday's to-do list! I can't tell you what it is, because it has to do with a Supah Sekrit project I'll be spending January writing. Item #2 is polish the vampire proposal, and Item #3 is watch a movie about Bob Marley and brainstorm Noah's story.

Hey, maybe those should be my first three goals of 2009. Instant win!

Did you set goals for 2008? How many did you meet? (Note: this is not a contest.) What did you learn from them? Do you now doubt the sanity of your January 2008 self?

Labels: craft, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:17 AM
• 2 comments

Novel Chopper, Beyond Her Book blurb (and John & Abigail play on our conscience)

Making this quick, as I’m heading into the Abject Panic phase of this Bad to the Bone rewrite. This always happens, because to make the book better, I have to dismantle and rebuild it. Right now it’s like an engine that’s been taken apart, and all the little pieces are lying around on the garage floor. If this were American Chopper, Big Paul would be screaming his head off and throwing wrenches at the head of his son Paulie and that other guy, the one I always liked (I looked it up, it's Mikey). There’d be a lot of bleeped words.

Anyway, yesterday Joyce Ann McLaughlin blurbed THE REAWAKENED for Publisher’s Weekly’s Beyond Her Book blog, saying,

The Reawakened concludes the Aspect of Crow trilogy, and fulfills the expectations raised in Eyes of Crow and Voice of Crow. I read and enjoy a lot of books, and series of books, and when I'm done, I can move along. Sometimes, though, there are stories that are special enough to touch me, and I will go back to them again and again. This is one of those. Aspect of Crow is more than just enjoyable; it is memorable.

Another Aspect of Crow fan who doesn’t want to kill me—yay!

Thanks to everyone who participated in Margie Lawson's guest blog appearance this week, and congrats to the winners of the lecture packets!

Today’s Voter Registration nag video (see below) was sent to me by fellow author Alex Bledsoe, who writes science fiction and horror for Tor Books. I had the privilege of giving a cover quote for his first vampire novel BLOOD GROOVE, which comes out April 1. Scary and funny stuff.

(Also, I forgot to give a hat tip to author Victoria Dahl for yesterday’s BotherVoting.org e-card site.)

Usual spiel: below are the states where voter registration is still open, and the blinking states close tomorrow, Friday October 10, Brett Favre’s 39th birthday,through Sunday, October 12, which is probably the next time you'll hear from me.


As always, visit VotersUnite! for rules and regs pertaining to your state of mind.

Alabama
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Dakota
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Labels: reviews, The Reawakened, vampire series, voter registration, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:47 PM
• 0 comments

Guest blog and giveaway at Paranormality

One day only! A chance to win a signed copy of Wicked Game. Monday I'm guest-blogging at Paranormality, discussing the supernatural things I'm skeered of and how I overcome these crazy fears through writing.

(And no, I'll never write about monkeys or clowns. I only dispel irrational fears through writing.)

Also in this guest blog post, I discuss for the first my new young adult work-in-progress. This should not be taken as a guarantee that it will ever see the light of day. After you read about it, immediately wipe your memory, or we'll all have jinxed its chances for publication.

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Now playing: The Prophecy - Howard Shore
via FoxyTunes

Labels: blog tour, Contests, Eyes of Crow, life, Requiem for the Devil, vampire series, writing life, YA series

• posted by Jeri @ 11:59 PM
• 0 comments

Guest blog/giveaway at the Maverick Authors

The Blog Whore Tour is back on the virtual road! Today I'm blogging over at the Maverick Authors about the Top Ten Signs You're on Deadline.

Everyone who comments gets put into a drawing for a signed copy of Wicked Game, so tally ho! You have until 3PM eastern time Sunday to enter.

Labels: blog tour, Contests, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 9:58 AM
• 0 comments

DONE! - and Happy Meadow Day

I finished Bad to the Bone! I "completed" a first draft at the end of February, but missed that feeling of elation because I never wrote the final scene. I just sort of...stopped.

But tonight, it's done! Tomorrow it'll go off to my editor and hopefully won't make her weep in despair. It's got at least one too many plot lines, but some space and feedback will help me figure out which ones stay and which ones go.

I'm taking Tuesday off, my first deliberate vacation day since December 2. Not that I'm complaining. Busy = employed. But too much of a good thing is....

OK, enough words! Say Happy Eighth Birthday to Meadow Sophia Ready, pictured here under one of our white pines (or, as Meadow thinks of them, The Tickle Trees):

Labels: pets, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:58 PM
• 6 comments

In other news...

A few updates:

After nearly a year of crushing deadlines (me), a pinched nerve (Meadow), and madcap traveling (me), we're getting another foster dog next week! Her name is Annie (web page TBA), and if things go well, she'll be joined shortly by her "sister" Beanie. Yes, we are making up for lost time.

I have a deadline next Monday morning for Bad to the Bone, the sequel to Wicked Game. I'm putting in all-dayers between now and then, so this might be my last blog post for a week, though I do have half of one I might be able to post tomorrow if I get a few minutes tonight. Also, don't get mad if I don't return e-mails right away. Do you want another vampire book or not? (Don't answer that.)

Also, the winner of a signed copy of Nancy Haddock's La Vida Vampire is...Diana Cosby! Yay! Diana, just send your mailing address to me at jeri AT jerismithready DOT com, and I'll pass it on to Nancy. Thanks to everyone who commented and made Nancy feel at home, and also thanks for all those great ideas for vampire hobbies (taking notes).

And now my last bit of news, which was originally going to be Friday's update....

Wicked Game was #4 on Mysterious Galaxy's paperback bestseller list for the month of May!

Thanks a million to all of you who pre-ordered the book to have me sign, or came to the Birthday Bash on May 10, or who have ordered it since. I appreciate the support for the book, but even more I appreciate your support for this phenomenal independent bookseller. These people work very hard (and have a lot of fun) promoting the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. They know their stuff and deserve all the success they get.

They should still have some signed First Editions of Wicked Game at the store, so if you'd like one (or more), go order today!

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Now playing: Fast As You Can - FIONA APPLE
via FoxyTunes

Labels: appearances, bookstores, Contests, foster dogs, guests, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:11 AM
• 4 comments

Best. News. Ever.

Wednesday afternoon I got two bits of great news, which I was going to mention today and Monday (when I'm on deadline, I like to dole out the blog topics one at a time, purposely stringing them out so I don't have a huge gap of silence, during which people wonder if I've died).

But Thursday night my editor gave me the two words an author loves to hear most:

SECOND

PRINTING

In that order.

So the other news will have to wait until Monday and Tuesday.

Less than a month after its release (23 days, to be exact), Wicked Game has gone back for a second printing. I'm told this is pretty fast.

What does it mean? First of all, it doesn't mean every copy has been sold. That would suck, because then people who want it couldn't buy it, and then people who have bought it would be knifed and punched in the street for their copies, and the last thing I want is for violence to break out because of Wicked Game.

(Okay, maybe it's not the last thing I want. I've got a wee bit of rock 'n' roll ego, after all.)

Anyway, there are still plenty of copies* in stores and in warehouses, but not enough to meet future demand. There are a few possible reasons behind this situation:

1) booksellers have put in new orders, more than originally expected
2) several thousand copies were eaten by termites
3) or fell off the back of a truck in North Jersey
4) or fell off the back of a truck in North Jersey and then eaten by termites

The publishing industry is shrouded in mystery, so really, it could be any of these. (We can probably rule out #4, unless we're talking about the heavily wooded extreme North Jersey, but things are less likely to fall off trucks up there.)

So to avoid the aforementioned shortage and mass muggings, Pocket has decided to print some more copies. Hopefully this will happen again and again and again.

To a publisher, the success of a book isn't so much about raw numbers of copies sold as it is about expectations. They're much happier with a book that sells 12K out of a 15K print run than one that sells 20K out of a 40K print run. I know, it seems weird at first, but when you think in terms of net versus gross revenue and getting a return on investment, it makes sense. (If this is confusing, let me know and I'll do a separate post. This one is getting long and way too self-congratulatory.)

See you Monday for Second Best. News. Ever. (Yes, I'm evil, and I'm okay with that.)

*of what is now officially the First Edition--get yours today before they're gone! I hear it's a bad year for termites.

Labels: bookstores, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 12:19 AM
• 20 comments

Three years ago today

Word for word, from my journal:

Got a new idea today, for a (God help me) vampire series. The titles will have Bad in them and be song titles, like "Bad Company," "Bad to the Bone," and "Bad Medicine," etc. The heroine works in a radio station where the nighttime DJs are all vampires, each of them stuck in the era they were vamped in. They can't learn anything new as vampires.

Yep.

Labels: vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 12:57 PM
• 4 comments

Happy Release Day to You!

Not me. You.

When Wicked Game officially hits the shelves across North America today, my work is done (except for the small detail of handing in the sequel this Friday). Release days are about the reader, not the writer. The reader finally has a chance to form his or her own relationship with the book, outside of reviews and ads and endless blog posts stretching back to the day the contract was signed (eighteen months ago, in my case).

Getting ready for a book’s release is sort of like planning a big party or a wedding. Prepare as much as you can, handle the variables you can control (which, in publishing, isn’t much), then sit back and take the rest as it comes. And just like with a party, don’t let the stress get in the way of enjoying yourself. (I'm of course a total hypocrite--I've been on the verge of a nervous breakdown all day.)

If you're stopping by for the first time, here's a bit about the book. If you're sick of hearing about it, skip down to the new stuff.

Late-night radio you can sink your teeth into

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.

Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station—and the link it provides to their original Life Times—the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.

To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around—next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher-and the perils graver-than any con game Ciara’s ever played…

Smith-Ready’s musical references are spot on, as is her take on corporate radio’s creeping airwave hegemony. Add in the irrepressible Ciara, who grew up in a family of grifters, and the results rock. — Publisher’s Weekly

A colorful premise and engaging characters make the author’s (Aspect of Crow trilogy; Requiem for the Devil) latest a fun read. Recommended for all urban fantasy and paranormal romance collections. — Library Journal

WICKED GAME is an urban fantasy thrill ride. Not only is the story incredibly entertaining and exciting—even a little romantic—but it's also sexy as hell. — Simply Romance Reviews

New news:

— A sequel, Bad to the Bone, will be released May 1, 2009. That’s just fifty weeks away!

— The website for WVMP The Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll is now live! Visit WVMPradio.com to learn more about the DJs and hear their playlists, courtesy of the Playlist Project at Playlist.com. (Hat-tip to author Stephanie Kuehnert for telling me about the site.)

— WVMPradio.com also links to the station's official CafePress store, where you can now buy your own Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll merchandise.

— Our intrepid heroine Ciara Griffin is now on MySpace. Come friend her so she feels like a real person.

— Next signing: Borders Books in Winchester, VA--Saturday, May 17 from 3-5pm. Click here for directions, and check out my news page for more signings in the next few weeks.

And now, a humble request:

As with most series, the longevity of the WVMP vampires depends on reader enthusiasm, which is as it should be. So if you like Wicked Game, tell your friends, family, bookseller, librarian, and that guy/girl you’re always making eye contact with at the bus stop (no, not that one, the other one). That way, there'll be many more books to come.

Thanks to every one of you, whether you've known me since I was a wee bairn, or whether you've just heard of me for the first time this minute.

Now it's time for me to shut up and write. And let you read.

Order links:

Mysterious Galaxy

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Labels: appearances, MySpace, vampire series, website, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 5:00 PM
• 6 comments

Interview at Darque Reviews

My Blog Tour continues today, with an interview at Darque Reviews.

Find out which character I'm most attached to, why I hate first drafts, and how much potential I have for becoming a crack addict.


Beginning now, I'm taking a long weekend off to do some intensive work on Bad to the Bone. I'll fill in plot holes, untangle storylines, and oh, I don't know, maybe finally figure out what happens in the last chapter. And whatever happened to the disappearing journalist. And that other guy.

May your weekends be full of fun!

Labels: craft, interview, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 6:30 AM
• 0 comments

Just you and me, ChickLitGurrl...

I'm kicking off my Blog Tour with an interview at ChickLitGurrl's blog. Find out how I got the idea for Wicked Game, which three songs would be on the soundtrack to my life, and my single biggest piece of advice for writers.

Excuse me while I go follow that advice....

Labels: blog tour, craft, interview, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 11:52 PM
• 1 comments

Color me caved

It's that time of whenever again, folks, when I need to pretend the outside world doesn't so much exist. I'm in the homestretch of the Novel Possibly Known As Bad to the Bone, and then it's the rewrite of The Reawakened, and the the rewrite of TNPOKABTTB. All before March 31.

But never fear! This time I won't be leaving you entirely. I will give you an update each Tuesday on the latest Lucky Thirteen winner.

EVEN BETTER, I've got guest authors lined up, beginning Saturday with debut author Mark Henry, whose Happy Hour of the Damned comes out next week. Dude will make you laugh, guaranteed, and he'll be giving away a signed copy of his new 'zomedy' (that's zombie comedy, for you industry outsiders) to one lucky commenter.

Speaking of authors doing my work for me offering interesting things to read, urban fantasy/paranormal romance writer Yasmine Galenorn just put up the most phenomenal series of posts over on the Fangs Fur & Fey community, entitled "The Nuts & Bolts of Publishing."

I encourage every writer or friend/family member of a writer to read it for an informative reality check. (I think my loved ones suspect I'm a loser because my publishers haven't sent me on an all-expenses-paid book tour. Now they can see I'm oh-so-typical!)

Part 1: How a Manuscript Becomes a Book
Part 2: Advances & Royalties
Part 3: Sales & Promo

And now, for your viewing pleasure, an Australian cat sleeping with my book (click for larger version):


His name is Manny, and you can see him with other books that are actually out.

If you have a photo of your pet sleeping with (or eating, or vaguely staring at) one of my books, let me know, and I'll post it! Note: Children do not count as pets, and it's against my privacy instincts to post pics of people's kids.

----------------
Now playing: Don't Turn Around - Ace Of Base
via FoxyTunes

Yes, I like Ace of Base. Make something of it. I dare you.

Labels: guests, pets, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 6:02 PM
• 0 comments

Happy New Year!

(Quick reminder, since a lot of you were away doing whatever it is normal people do over the holiday: there's another Wicked Game ARC drawing this week. Scroll down to last Friday's post. There aren't many entries yet (slackers!), so your chances are excellent.)

=====

I read yesterday that the way you spend your time at midnight on New Year's Eve is the way you'll spend the rest of the year. I guarantee that I will not spend 2008 drinking too much champagne (how can 1.75 glasses be so intoxicating?) and staring at the blandly handsome face of Ryan Seacrest (how can 1 man get paid so much for doing so little?).

I took the whole day off yesterday, something I never do. Saw Sweeney Todd, which was amazing, the ideal marriage of men and material. When I heard last year that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were bringing the Sondheim musical to the big screen, I thought, "It will be perfect." And it was.

Then I spent the evening finishing A Rush of Wings by Adrian Phoenix, which comes out next Tuesday. I'll blog in detail about it over the weekend, but it was awesome--serial killers, vampires rock gods, FBI conspiracies, and fallen angels, all in one gorgeously written novel.

On to my 2008 Goals:

1. Rewrite The Reawakened (non-negotiable, since it's under contract)
2. Write and rewrite Bad to the Bone (ditto)
3. Write six tie-in stories for Wicked Game
4. Submit proposal for more vampire books
5. Submit young adult fantasy proposal (completed Book 1 and series synopsis)
6. Write and submit proposal for new adult novel/series
7. Fix screenplay ending and begin submitting it to contests again
8. Design and build WVMPradio.com website and blog for Wicked Game's release
9. Build MySpace pages for WVMP and characters
10. Attend 5 conferences/conventions/book festivals
11. Sign stock at 100 bookstores
12. Do 10 non-conference appearances (signings, talks)
13. Do 25 online interviews/guest blogs
14. Read 50 books
15. Watch 50 movies
16. Foster 5 dogs (not all at the same time)
17. Do my part to make sure my candidate becomes President
18. Never be satisfied with "good enough."

You'll notice that a lot of these are repeats/carry overs from my 2007 goals. I'm a work in progress.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2008? Do they involve booze and fake celebrities? If so, consider revising. Or hell, go for it.

----------------
Now playing: Sleater-Kinney - Start Together
via FoxyTunes

Labels: foster dogs, holidays, The Reawakened, vampire series, writing life, YA series

• posted by Jeri @ 9:08 AM
• 6 comments

WordWatch 2007 - The Final Countdown

(Psst! Scroll past this for a new ARC giveaway in Friday's post.)

December 29:

Great day yesterday, almost five thousand words. I wrote a disturbing scene that went a lot further than originally intended. Clothes that were supposed to stay on, ended up on the floor. Oops.

Words remaining: 11,154
Words per day to meet goal: 3,718

UPDATES:

December 30, 10AM:

Woo! Burning up the keyboard, plus I realized one of the Wicked Game tie-in short stories* I've started has almost 800 words, so I added that to the total. Also wrote 3,688 words, all before the football game. This could actually happen!

Total Words 2007: 293,315
Words remaining: 6,685
Words per day to meet goal: 3,342

December 31, 12:21 AM:

So close. Just found out we're getting a new foster later today (long, sad story, but it's kind of an emergency), but hopefully I'll be able to find five or six hours to write to finish off the three hundred thousand words. Problem is, I'm at the end of a scene and I'm not sure what's next, so it could be slower going than the last several days. Maybe something will come to me in my sleep.

Total words 2007: 296,713
Words remaining: 3,287

*to appear FREE on my website, one per month, starting with the release date

December 31, 10:52 PM

DONE!!

Total words 2007: 300,005

The champagne, she is a-poppin'. Happy New Year, everyone. I'm taking tomorrow off.


----------------
Now playing: Smile - Elastica
via FoxyTunes

Labels: vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:52 PM
• 9 comments

Another ARC winner and another chance to win

My box runneth over with Wicked Game ARCs, and the next one is going to Greg 'The Undead Rat' Fisher from MySpace for last week's drawing.

Congrats, Greg! I assure you he was chosen via a random number generator and not because he loves The Pogues (one of Shane's favorite bands, as mentioned in Wicked Game) and agreed with me about the Bowie/Crosby version of "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth."

Now...

This week's comment contest will focus on New Year's. I accomplished five of of my 17 goals for 2007. Some of them were pie-in-the-sky--or more accurately, pie-in-outer-space. I'm considering making "creating realistic goals" one of my goals for 2008.

Tell me about the 2007 resolutions you achieved. How'd you do it? And most important, how do you reward yourself when you achieve your goals?

My Puritan soul makes me terrible at the last part. I tell myself that the accomplishment (and the temporary subsidence of guilt) is a reward in itself, and sadly, I believe myself when I say it.

Deadline will be noon EST next Thursday, January 3. I'll include the people who commented on yesterday's post about how I should reward myself for hitting 300K words for the year.

Words remaining: 15,975
Words per day to make goal: 3,993

----------------
Now playing: The Other Improv - Nirvana
via FoxyTunes

Labels: Contests, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 10:26 AM
• 4 comments

Hibernation alert!

The final novel in the Aspect of Crow trilogy, The Reawakened, is due November 1. Now that all my traveling is finished, it's time to curl up inside that world and write, write, write (and revise, revise, revise, as needed).

So it might be a couple of weeks before I blog again, or before I return non-urgent e-mail or answer your MySpace comments or write on your Facebook wall. Sometimes we have to stop being authors for a little while so we can just be writers.

(I reserve the right to extend this hibernation for up to two weeks, until November 15.)

So wish me lots of luck, coffee, and chocolate.

Labels: The Reawakened, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:39 PM
• 4 comments

Capclave Schedule

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, unless New Jersey counts.

Visited family last week in north Jersey and went into NYC to have lunch with my agent and both of my editors (not all at the same time). It was my first trip to a publisher's office, and even though on the inside it looked like any other office building, just seeing that SIMON & SCHUSTER sign on the outside of the building filled me with awe. I'm such a book geek.

Anyway, this weekend I'll be at Capclave, a science fiction/fantasy convention in Rockville, MD, put on by the ever-awesome Washington Science Fiction Society. Unlike previous years, I'll actually be staying at the hotel both nights instead of just commuting in for the day Saturday. So it'll feel less like a job and more like an adventure, mainly because there'll be drinking involved.

Here are the specifics:

Friday, October 12

7PM - Urban fantasy: Can a small-town elf make it in the big city? with Jim Freund, Michael Swanwick, Tom Doyle, and Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen.

11PM - Cover art: Why does my protagonist look like Julie Bell? with Roger MacBride Allen, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Michael Swanwick.

Saturday, October 13

10AM - Writer's Workshop with Allen Wold, with L. Jagi Lamplighter, and Edmund Schubert.

2PM - Romance and SF/F with Victoria McManus, Mary Jo Putney, Maria Snyder, and Bud Sparhawk.

10PM - Reading from Eyes of Crow, Voice of Crow, and possibly Wicked Game

Sunday, October 14

9AM - Writer's Workshop follow-up, with Allen Wold (the only other person crazy enough to get up for a 9AM workshop).

11AM -Autographing session

Check out the Capclave programming grid for more details. Hope to see you there!

Labels: appearances, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 9:55 AM
• 2 comments

Holy Moly another Guest Blog

I'm taking part in my publisher's Blog Bash--30 Authors in 30 Days, answering the question


Which was a lot harder question than I thought.

Stay tuned tomorrow to find out who won a signed copy of Maria Snyder's Poison Study from last Friday's comment-fest.

Labels: appearances, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:57 AM
• 1 comments

Beauty walked among us

The artist, if he is not to forget how to listen, must retain the vision which includes angels and dragons and unicorns and all the lovely creatures which our world would put in a box marked Children Only.
--Madeleine L'Engle, from Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

In my life I've only burst into tears upon hearing the deaths of three celebrities. The first was Senator Paul Wellstone, the second was Barbaro.

The third was one of my favorite authors, Madeleine L'Engle, who died Thursday of natural causes at the age of 88. She was best known for her Time Quartet, which began with the classic A Wrinkle in Time.

Unlike most sf/fantasy writers, I didn't grow up reading the genre. We were assigned A Wrinkle in Time in my gifted kiddie class in third or fourth grade; I couldn't finish it. I wanted to read about dogs and horses (and not talking dogs and horses--puh-lease) and little houses on the prairie.

Then a few winters ago, I read The Time Quartet in less than a week (my favorite, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, in one evening). Until Harry Potter, it was the only series I've ever read in its entirety. It was every bit as profound and passionate as it was famed to be.

But what brought me closest to the real beauty of L'Engle were her essays on writing and living: Walking on Water, Glimpses of Grace, Herself. She saw the act of artistic creation as sacred. She taught me to honor this thing we do, turning little black marks on paper into worlds and people that could change lives or give comfort or bring humanity a wee bit closer to a deeper understanding.

Enough of my words, which can't come close to honoring such a great mind and warm spirit. Maybe I'll make this a "Madeleine's Greatest Hits" week and pull out some of my favorite quotes on writing from her books. But I'll end with this today, again from the final chapter of Walking on Water:

Art is an affirmation of life, a rebuttal of death.

And here we blunder into paradox again, for during the creation of any form of art, art which affirms the value and the holiness of life, the artist must die.

To serve a work of art, great or small, is to die, to die to self. If an artist is to be able to listen to the work, he must get out of the way...And if we die willingly, no matter how frightened we may be, we will be found and born anew into life, and life more abundant...

I am mortal, flawed, trapped in my own skin, my own barely used brain. I do not understand this death, but I am learning to trust it.

Labels: reading, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 8:32 AM
• 0 comments

Friday Writing Quote of the Week

People are still asking me about the death of the book, and yet here I am and every day I go out to the biggest bookstores that have ever existed and are doing the most business daily of any bookstores in history.

It's the oldest and the first mass medium. And it's the one that requires the most training to access. Novels, particularly, require serious cultural training. But it's still the same thing --I make black marks on a white surface and someone else in another location looks at them and interprets them and sees a spaceship or whatever. It's magic. It's a magical thing. It's very old magic, but it's very thorough. The book is very well worked out, somewhat in the way that the wheel is very well worked out.

--Author William Gibson, "Through the Looking Glass," Washington Post, Sept. 6

Labels: reading, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 1:28 PM
• 1 comments

Insert incoherent noise here

I've been flying along on The Reawakened for six weeks now (and three weeks in March) without outlining, just having fun with the book, getting words down, feeling pretty good. Basically the opposite of the approach I took to Voice of Crow, because I spent most of the first draft of that book feeling scared and cramped and pretty much hating it.

Last night I realized I have about two and a half weeks before I want to have the first draft of The Reawakened finished. So I figured I should probably list the scenes I have and the scenes I have left to write (as much as I can).

I have just reached the 100K-word-mark on The Reawakened, and I'm not even halfway finished the story.

Heh.

It gets better.

I'm not even sure what the second half of the story entails, except three events at the very end and a lot of vague guerrilla war stuff before that. (I am counting on Mao Tse-tung to drag my ass out of the fire on that one.)

I don't worry that the book will be too long, because I know that at least 30% of those words are crap, just filler, some ambling conversations that consist of the characters taking my place to think out loud about the plot. Many of the words are just parenthetical musings about the worldbuilding or plot that I decided to count anyway, because I wanted to always be pushing forward, forward.

I don't regret using this method for this novel. In writing The Reawakened in such a haphazard fashion, I've stumbled upon many surprises and discoveries about the world and characters and plot. If I'd done a scene-by-scene outline ahead of time I never would have had so many serendipities.

But it's a mess. A magnificently ambitious mess that may someday turn into a halfway decent novel, but not yet. Not even close.

I just read a post over at Kate Elliott's blog about writerly insecurities that made me feel better, though. It's nice to know that so many authors I admire have the same fears and inner monologue/dialogue as I do. Right now I love every single one of them, even those I'm not sure who they are because it's LiveJournal and everyone has these cute but cryptic usernames that totally disguise their identities.

So I'm not crazy--and more importantly, I'm NOT ALONE.

If any writers are reading this, how do you deal with these moments of panic/insecurity? If it involves a one-way ticket to Fiji, can I come with you?

A-Z Update: momentarily suspended due to the demise of Natalie T. Steppenwolf's motherboard.

Labels: craft, The Reawakened, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 3:15 PM
• 12 comments

Seventy Days of Sweat

The revisions to Wicked Game are due tomorrow, but I wanted to stop in real quick and say that when I come back from Dallas I'm beginning a writing challenge called Seventy Days of Sweat, centered around the blog of Alison Kent.

If you read my comment on Alison's blog, you'll see what I'm up against for the rest of the year. It's brutal. 200K words--that's TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND words--need to be written by the end of November. And October will be spent revising the first 100K.

But first, I must hand in Wicked Game. I'm down to the very last proofreading pass on all but the last two chapters, which need a little more thorough work. It should take me tonight and all day tomorrow to finish. Then it's pack for Dallas and get up excruciatingly early Tuesday for a morning flight.

As Warren Zevon famously pronounced, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead." And now he is.

Labels: appearances, The Reawakened, vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 8:46 PM
• 1 comments

Phleah

I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.
--Oscar Wilde

It's been one of those days. Spent the morning fixing the first two paragraphs of Wicked Game. Spent the afternoon on pages 2-12.

You think it could be because I switched from coffee to tea? Or could it be the Summertime Blues catching up to me at last? Or maybe just some days are more productive than others.

Tomorrow both my agent and editor are out of the office, so I'm going on a one-day internet fast. See you Thursday!

A-Z Update: "K.C. Moan" by Memphis Jug Band

Labels: vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 9:08 PM
• 0 comments

Writer's hours

Writing is rewriting.
--Ernest Hemingway

In the past I have deluded myself into thinking that I'll have more free time when revising a book than when I'm writing it.

As I said, 'deluded.'

When writing a first draft, I work about four hours a day. This is plenty of time to get down 2000 words. If I try to produce much more than that on a regular basis, I burn out. Writing a novel is like running a marathon (several of which I've...seen on TV). At the end, you push yourself, ignore the pain, and focus on the finish line. Then you collapse. But you can't run the whole race that way.

Anyway, first draft, four hours a day, with the rest of the time devoted to polishing the previous day's prose, doing research, having a life, and taking care of business items.

Revisions, on the other hand:

When I did the gut-clenching, mind-warping, but ultimately successful rewrite for Voice of Crow, I worked 10, 12, sometimes 14 hours a day. Inexplicably, I have a lot more stamina for revisions than first-draft writing. Which is odd, when you consider that much of that revision involved writing brand-new material.

I can foresee this happening with Wicked Game as well. Which is my weaselly way of saying I probably won't be blogging much for the next four weeks.

I will, however, be having lots of fun.

A-Z Update: "Headful of Ghosts" by Bush

Labels: vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:39 AM
• 2 comments

Random bits of RT

1. Yesterday I had my first chocolate martini.

Confession: it was my first martini ever. I'm more of a straight liquor kind of girl--the fanciest I get is Coke with my Jack Daniels. And I hate gin, so I've always avoided martinis. Turns out, some of them, including chocolate ones, are made with vodka. Where have I been? I also found out that the moon is not in fact made of green cheese. It's made of Brie. Because the air is so dry up there, it never spoils, which is how it keeps that pasty white aspect.

2. Last night at the Ellora's Cave Moulin Rouge party, a palm reader told me that I don't let myself celebrate my success, that as soon as I accomplish one goal, I immediately turn to the next thing and focus on what I haven't done.

I don't know if she got that from reading the lines on my palm or by the underlying tension in my hand or face, but she pegged me. Bulls-eye. As much as I probably seem to brag here on the blog, I don't revel in any of it. None of it brings me lasting happiness (except for that Charles de Lint review--that kind of joy is eternal).

It reminded me of this recent post from JA Konrath's blog about Happiness and the Writer. He explores the professional writer's feeling that whatever we accomplish, it's not enough. We're always stretching for the next goal and never take the time to enjoy the fruits of our hard work. He said it's because, "Happiness isn't productive...You don't get anything done while you're celebrating."

This is why, Konrath goes on to say, we have to find joy in the journey, not the destination, because once we reach that destination, we look around, shrug, and keep moving.

But the palm reader told me to take the time to "run naked through the daisies." Instead I went and danced with a hundred total strangers (including, just possibly, a cover model or two) until my new shoes started to gouge stripes in my feet.

Which was about four songs. But hey, baby steps. I'm new at this celebration thing.

Labels: appearances, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 1:48 PM
• 3 comments

Pocketful of contracts

Last weekend I was happy--nay, ecstatic--to sign the Simon & Schuster contracts for Bad Company and its sequel.

When I signed the contracts for the Aspect of Crow series, my mom insisted that my husband take my picture. Somewhat embarrassed, I agreed (we have to humor moms--it's the law).

Since I take a lousy picture when I haven't the privilege of a professional photographer and makeup artist (Google my name under "Images" if you don't believe me), and since I hadn't so much as showered, much less dressed and suitably coiffed myself last Sunday when I signed the contract, I hired a stand-in.

Meet Gertrude:


Gertrude is the mascot for Pocket Books (scroll down if you click), and yes, I'm a big enough geek that I asked for a stuffed kangaroo for Christmas so I could name it Gertrude.

And no, I will NOT be inscribing this little marsupial into my skin as a tattoo. Cute though she is.

Labels: vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:51 PM
• 3 comments

Speaking of awards...

Uh oh
Waiting on
Waiting on Sunday
Waiting on Sunday to land
--Tori Amos, "Spring Haze"

I hadn't even realized until a few days ago that this coming Sunday around 1PM central time, the phone calls will begin. The Romance Writers of America staff will call the finalists for the Rita Awards*, which is supposed to be our industry's equivalent to the Oscars(TM). The finalists dress up in gowns, go to a lavish ceremony, get treated like a big shot for months and try not to cry onstage (or try to look like they're trying not to cry). That's as far as the comparison goes for me.

According to romance novelist Barbara Samuel, Sunday is nervous-making time.

And believe me, RITA day, as we fondly call it, is a day when cyberspace and telephone lines are afire. None of us get much work done. I think it’s one of the most exciting days of the year and I still cry when a friend who has been aching for that nod calls me screaming, or I read on an email loop that book I adored has made the lists.

By the end of the day, bitter tears are sometimes spilled, too. Because this matters desperately to us—making the RITA finals has meaning and power. Trust me when I say that it might feel great to make other favorites lists, but we don’t weep over not making them.

I can't imagine crying over not finaling for a Rita, or any award for that matter.

Writing-related things that could make me cry:

• Having a contract canceled (hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure I'd cry, assuming the three bottles of whiskey didn't dehydrate all the tears out of my ducts)
• Being orphaned (no, wait, that just made me stand there holding the phone with a blank look on my face for about ten minutes)
• Getting a bad review (no, wait, that just made me go -phhbt!-)
• Losing a sale because the eager editor who wanted desperately to buy the book was vetoed by higher-ups (who didn't actually read it) who thought it sounded like another book already out there, a book I'd read specifically to make sure mine was nothing like it (no, wait, that just made me throw things)

To me, getting published is the award. Any contest win is just a nice bonus. Perhaps I haven't been around long enough, or haven't raised my measurement of success to the point where awards matter. I don't think they matter to readers.

Do you care if a book has won an award? Which ones make a difference to you? The Pulitzer? NBA? Hugo? Nebula? Edgar? What about movies--do you try to see every Oscar(TM)-nominated film each year?

*which, by yesterday's definition, is actually a contest

Labels: awards, Eyes of Crow, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:24 AM
• 3 comments

PNR Paraphernalia interview

My first online interview! My ramblings forever carved in pixels to embarrass me for the rest of my life. Yay!

I'll be participating in my first live chat on the same site on Monday night at 9PM eastern time.

In other developments, I've added a FAQ page on this website. All of them are true FAQs, not QWWPWA's (Questions We Wish People Would Ask).

A-Z Update: "Brain Damage" by Pink Floyd

Labels: craft, interview, website, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 7:50 AM
• 2 comments

2007 Goals

1. Write first draft of Wings of Crow (non-negotiable, since it's under contract)
2. Rewrite Bad Company and write detailed synopsis of Bad to the Bone (ditto)
3. Submit young adult fantasy (Book 1 and trilogy synopsis) to prospective editors before Memorial Day
4. Read 50 books
5. Design and build WVMPRadio.com website and blog for BC's release
6. Take a vacation with just my husband
7. Make marketing budget and actually keep to it
8. Finish Animal of the Month pages during the first half of the month
9. Make my MySpace page kick ass (or at least decrease its suckage)
10. Spend one day a week on marketing/promotion and reserve the other six days for writing
11. Begin proposal for new novel/series to submit in '08
12. Fix screenplay ending and begin submitting it again
13. Attend 5 conferences/conventions/book festivals
14. Sign stock at 100 bookstores
15. Do 10 non-conference appearances (signings, talks)
16. Foster 5 dogs (not all at the same time)
17. Enjoy the ride

That's mine. What are your goals? Do they make you stretch? Do they have measurable outcomes? Do they involve chocolate?*

I'm especially excited about #10 above. Promotional tasks have distracted me from writing, and conversely, I've made my writing deadlines too tight to afford time for promotion when it really counted (i.e., last October). It's all part of the learning curve, and this year I'll do better.

Happy New Year!

*"Eat more chocolate" definitely has a measurable outcome.

Labels: holidays, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 11:39 AM
• 6 comments

Slay those dragons

The new year's coming, and there's no better time to break bad habits, right?

The problem is, we can't break a habit unless we know what motivates it. Sure, through sheer will power we can force ourselves to (exercise, meet our writing quota, insert good habit here) or tie our proverbial hands behind our backs to keep us from (procrastinating, telling ourselves we suck, insert bad habit here).

But will power only lasts so long without a deeper understanding. That's where a class like Margie Lawson's Defeating Self-Defeating Behaviors can make the difference.

Margie Lawson is a counseling psychologist, so she knows all the tricks our heads like to play with us to avoid achieving our goals. She's a ton of fun as an instructor, but she also accepts no excuses. If you're really ready to change their work style, if you're frustrated with your inability to get things done, then I can't recommend a better class.

It's all done online through e-mails (which you can receive in a digest format to avoid deluging your inbox), so you don't need to "show up" at a certain time. You can fit it around your work schedule.

Here's a sample of topics covered in just one month:

• Address the three fears that paralyze writers
• Analyze your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
• Eradicate Faulty Thinking
• Redirect resistance
• Boost the impact of your Right Brain/Left Brain
• Manage your moods
• Duct-tape your Inner Critic
• Consider the Stages of Change. Where are you? Why do you get stuck?
• Stimulate creativity
• Protect your priorities
• Dig Deep--Think Bigger. Your books. Your writing career. Your joy.

You can register now at Writer University. At $25, it's a bargain that could change your life.

Labels: writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 12:09 PM
• 1 comments

Cocooning

[T]his discontent is the basic trait that turns a person into a writer. To become a writer, patience and toil are not enough: we must first feel compelled to escape crowds, company, the stuff of ordinary, everyday life, and shut ourselves up in a room. We wish for patience and hope so that we can create a deep world in our writing. But the desire to shut oneself up in a room is what pushes us into action.
--Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature, from his acceptance speech

After six weeks of putting myself "out there," promoting the new book, I'm ready to crawl back into my creative incubator and get some work done. First, the proposal for Wings of Crow, due Friday. Then a madcap two weeks in which I write ten pages a day of anything, anything at all, to make my 250K goal.

I might blog during that time, or maybe not. I haven't felt like it lately, as you can probably tell.

I'm tired of the world outside my head. Because I'm a lousy compartmentalizer, it's encroached too much upon my created worlds. My idle thoughts--while driving, showering, or housecleaning--have been turning to real life issues rather than those of my characters. When I hear a song on the radio, I hear it for me, not my protagonist. And that's just wrong.

So it's into the cocoon, without which there'd be no books and stories to share with you in the first place.

If we don't talk before then, Happy Holidays!

Labels: craft, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 8:54 AM
• 5 comments

Has anyone seen my marbles?

Clearly I've lost them, because I plan to be at the mall tomorrow at six a.m. Me, the woman who never EVER leaves the house on Black Friday.

It's work-related, though. I want to sign stock at the Waldenbooks so the books can be on display and sell, sell, sell!

It should feel insane, but I'm too full of food to care. Sigh...a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat.

Labels: holidays, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 8:59 PM
• 0 comments

I'm somebody!

Navin R. Johnson: The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here!
Harry Hartounian: Boy, I wish I could get that excited about nothing.
Navin R. Johnson: Nothing? Are you kidding? Page 73 - Johnson, Navin R.! I'm somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity - your name in print - that makes people. I'm in print! Things are going to start happening to me now.
--The Jerk (1979)

A dream just came true.

I received my Lunch Weekly Deluxe, the "deals" report that Publisher's Marketplace sends out every Sunday. Every Monday morning I read it and wash down the bile of envy with a cup of coffee, thinking, someday I'll be in it, hopefully before I'm too old to read the itty-bitty typeface.

This week I'm actually in it! My deal is at the top of the Science Fiction/Fantasy section:

EYES OF CROW author Jeri Smith Ready's BAD COMPANY, about a cadre of vampire DJs and the con artist trying to save their "lives," to Jennifer Heddle at Pocket...in a two-book deal, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown (NA).

"NA" means North American rights, which means my agent can sell the foreign rights separately (which is a good thing). Not that Canada isn't a foreign country, but generally when agents speak of "foreign" rights, they mean to non-North American countries.

And the "..." is the part where it says how much they're paying me. Because that's a secret known only to me, my agent, and the thousands of people who buy a $20/month subscription to Publisher's Lunch.


---

Last day to Vote for Meadow!

And check out Chapter Three of "The Wild's Call."

Labels: vampire series, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 9:36 AM
• 5 comments

The long-awaited lull

As you can tell from the sidebar, I'm working on* the proposal for the Aspect of Crow Book 3, Wings of Crow, which means I finally handed in Voice of Crow to my editor, only two days past deadline (which, everyone assures me, does not count as "late").

Then there was World Fantasy Con. Then there was Election Day(s). Then there was the Book Fair. And now...

The lull. The sweet, sweet lull, in which I might actually clean a sink or two. I have a To-Do List that measures in feet, not inches.

Lots of little tasks, such as getting ready for two booksignings and trying to set up several more. Such as sending thank-you gifts to various departments of my publisher to show my appreciation for all their hard work. Such as, oh, heck, why not--reading a book or two.

But I welcome the long To-Do list, because for the entire month of October, it was very short:

1. Finish book
2. Finish website

The lull ends tomorrow, when I start putting the Wings of Crow proposal on paper. It's due December 15, which gives me a month. I might even try that First Draft in 30 Days method again.

Now about those sinks...

*"working on" = tossing around ideas in my head until something feels right

P.S.: Look! It's Chapter Two of "The Wild's Call"

Labels: Voice of Crow, Wings of Crow, writing life

• posted by Jeri @ 8:25 AM
• 2 comments