The Secret is Out

          Pssst. Riley Martin here. Boss Lady doesn't know I've commandeered her blog and she'd be pissed if she found out, so you have to swear you won't tell. She's trying to be all "hush-hush" about what's going down, but I decided to let you in on the secret. She gets all anal about things having to be "perfect" before the world sees her stuff. She keeps holding "staff meetings" going over and over and over scenes, trying out different scenarios. All I want to do is get to the parts where I'm making out with Taylor. Finally, though, she got brave and made a decision.

At our usual Monday 5 AM staff meeting she made the announcement. Of course Taylor, Jax, and I, try to arrive early to get the best seats. She's got one of those desk chairs that spin and Taylor loves to tuck her legs under her chin and let me twirl her in circles until she's dizzy. I love when she stands up and has to lean into me for support. I try to keep her in my arms as much as possible. I'm seventeen. My hormones are on overload, and Taylor's gorgeous. What can I say? I'm a teenage boy. I'm the epitome of the cliche.

But this particular Monday, the cast from Designer Genes beat us to the office. The Jordan dude really bugs me. All suave, and tall with thick wavy hair and these eyes even Taylor gets lost in, which ticks the Marli girl off. I'd like to see a chick fight between them to see who kicks ass. Marli's from the future so Boss Lady probably gave her laser fingernails or something. Personally speaking though, Taylor beats out the Marli girl in the looks department. Especially on the "upper floor" where a couple of favorite body parts drive me insane. I'm sure Jordan would disagree, but I could care less about the silver-spoon-trust-fund baby's opinion.

When we were first introduced to the competition - Jordan, his cocky twin brother Jesse, and yes, his hot heroine, Marli, I'll admit to being jealous. I mean come on, Boss Lady gave the Jordan guy a Porsche for crying out loud! I got a used Toyota truck. What's up with that? His twin got a red Ferrari! Even my older brother Jax, got a cooler set of wheels than me. A Mustang Boss 302. Candy-apple red, a souped up engine, and chrome mags that blind you. My truck doesn't even have leather seats, and according to my dad, tires so bald they shine. When Taylor arrived on the scene in a blue and white Mini-Cooper, I developed some serious ego issues. Did Boss Lady have it in for me? Granted, she does allow me and Taylor some really hot scenes, which the "other team" can't have because the government owns them or something. Guess driving an old truck isn't so bad after all. Backseat works great.

Anyway, I'm already wanting to get in this Jordan's face because his brother is ribbing Jax about his fatigues. Hey, Jax is going into the Army. I figure Ferrari Boy has his tighty-whities in a wad because he wants his brother's girl. I don't even know their story, but the guy's crushin' so bad, it's pathetic.

Uh-oh! I hear Boss Lady. Quick, come close. I've got to whisper. You see, even though Designer Genes has all the fancy cars and lifestyles of the "rich and famous" they're going to have to take second position behind Riley's Pond. Yep! Boss Lady announced she's printing my story first! My. Story! (Okay, maybe Taylor and Jax say a couple of things, too.) Dude the look on the precious "first born" was priceless! "Country hick" with the used pick-up truck is going to lead the pack! Take that and stuff it in your designer jeans.

Just caught a peek of the cover.  I'll sneak it at the bottom, but don't say anything. I remember that night with Taylor - gets my heart racing just thinking about it.  Oops! Crap, gotta go!

Riley Martin! Did you tell? He looks sheepish and darling twisting in my desk chair. He's one of my favorite characters, although I do admit to blushing when he started telling me his story. He holds nothing back. That's what makes him adorable, frustrating, and vulnerable, with his heart plastered on his sleeve all the time. He gives me a wink and mimes a zipper closing his mouth just before he disappears. Such a tease...and a horrible liar.

Yes, I've made the decision to jump into the fast-paced, frightening, but exhilarating world of self-publishing. Not an easy decision, and made after a lot of sleepless nights and endless research. Our world keeps changing, and the publishing world is no exception. I predict soon the "big six" publishers of New York will be replaced by the "three powerhouses"... Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft (in case you haven't heard, there's been a digital marriage between Barnes and Noble and Microsoft). Anyone remember the little film depositories outside all the grocery stores, years back? Kodak is struggling to stay alive now that cell phones take pictures and videos without film. The stigma of self-publishing is almost extinct and I want to be on ground floor of this movement that is growing larger by the second, instead of scrambling to catch up late in the game. I've already seen enough changes in the four short years I've been an author to know the trends are shifting rapidly.

Riley's Pond is going out the chute first. Sent the manuscript to my formatting genius in New York this morning. Sexy, funny, and heartbreaking, but in the end, a tale of compassion, forgiveness, and unconditional love. A romance told through the eyes of the boy who survives it and the girl who makes him fight to keep it alive.

You can stop worrying. I already saw that Riley attached the cover below. I should add "sneaky" to his list of talents. The cover is official, and yes, I too remember that scene.....

…is it love?

—Riley

Lust is easy, painless, but empty. Love is frustrating, scary as hell, yet totally awesome. Finding a girl who believes you can do…be anything is beyond amazing. It rocks your world. Of course, this from a guy who told Taylor Wilson "I love you" over the phone—inside a closet filled with dirty socks and underwear.

…or lust?

—Taylor

Love or lust? Two very different things and nothing like the movies. Every guy can pull off "lust," but it takes someone willing to risk everything for another, to make it "love." A superhero—one strong enough to remove his cape…and wrap it around you. Riley Martin.

…or a dangerous combination of both?

Riley's Pond

A place where worlds collide, sparks fly, and a kiss "goodbye" means anything but.

WACKY WEDNESDAY....Selling your wares.

 Current listen: "When We Stand Together" courtesy of Nickelback

Isn't she pretty? I borrowed her from Brooke London's Facebook page. My "Dreamweaver." It's a reflection of how I see myself...lost in dreams and whimsical fantasies...far away from reality. This also seems to be the way I function most of the time--lost in a daydream. Slightly disconnected from the world, elusive.

Or maybe the hormones are just out of whack again. I was really  this thin once, too. Again... damn hormones, or I should say "the lack thereof."

I consider myself a passionate person--one who doesn't back away from a good fight, whether right or wrong, usually saying the wrong thing at inopportune moments (size 9 mouth) and not checking my parachute before jumping. I try to alternate sides of my face when I "land" to keep things even. 

This weekend I joined in a heated debate on one of writing loops about self promotion, ending with a less than professional statement. Kind of like going for the dramatic exit after an argument with your teenager, slamming the door for effect and catching your finger in the doorjamb. Yes, this is a real life experience, costing me the tip of my finger and payback via 4 nerve shots between my fingers. Not my most shining moment. Once my hand numbed, I apologized for "shapeshifting" and thanked the priest for coming to perform the exorcism. I still slam doors in frustration, only I'm more careful. Half a lesson learned.

When I logged on to my email Monday morning, I felt much the same way. The loop had quieted after the public stoning and beheading ended and an awkward resolve had formed among the ashes. The issue still loomed as if a grenade minus the pin, but no one picked it up. We just cautiously moved around it, hoping it didn't detonate.

Numbers play an important part of boosting you up the publishing ladder. No one pays attention to the bright orange water ski flag waving in a sea of self publishers. I liken it to the floor of the stock exchange right before the bell sounds, closing the market. Brokers frantically punch the numbers, computer screens humming, fingers pointing, voices shouting...all wanting to be heard, their transaction concluded before it's too late.

Right now, e-publishing is EXPLODING. For those of  you who are not writers but happened by because you typed in "Harley Davidson" in your Google search, publishing a book the old fashioned way, which really only means a year or two ago, by submitting your work to an agent, who, in turn, offers you a contract--sells your story to a publisher--hands you over to an editor who polishes (or completely changes) your work--a cover artist (which you have no say in your book cover)--then eight to twelve months later, prints your book, is next to impossible for a new author. The days of agents/editors arranging book signing tours or spending a chunk of change on promoting you and your book have also vanished.

Authors are expected to do their own promoting--sell their own "wares." Authors spend their own money placing ads in publishing magazines and make the round of phone calls, hoping to get a date to set up a book signing table in a local bookstore, Costco, or Barnes and Noble. We become professional "street urchins," shaking our cyber tin cups shouting "Hey! Over here! Come buy my book." Our colleagues host book blog tours to acquaint us with their followers, hoping to land us a few coins in the cup. This advertising cycle applies to both traditionally published and indie or self-published authors.

Have you ever gone to a street fair or festival and walked through endless corridors of booths containing someone selling something? Sometimes, there's booths next or across from each other selling similar items. What makes you go into one booth, but not the other? Do you have a tendency to choose a booth crowded with potential customers, versus one with no one, even if the products are the same? Why?

Curiosity. Since we were small, we always wanted to know what others found fascinating. If classmates circled around something in the hall, we had to join. Our fear of being left out of something turns to instinct. Must find out. It's not that one merchant's product is better, but everyone is in their booth so you have to know why.

This tactic works with selling books, too. If you're browsing a bookstore and several books are stacked on a table, all the same title, we are drawn to the table...to pick up the book...study the cover...read the back. But what about the book across the aisle? Same subject, say "romance." But there's only a few of the same book and its stacked with a bunch of others. It doesn't have 'the numbers'...it's own table. Which book are you going to buy? Same thing in the electronic bookstore. Say you're in Amazon, perusing for a new read. You type in romance and a list (usually based on your past purchases) cascades down the screen...top selling first. Do we scroll to the end of the list first to see what that book is about? No. We look at the first one. The one everyone else is buying. The "crowded booth."


So how do you get the numbers up fast? A couple of my writing colleagues have discovered a trick. A "book bomb." When you set up your table in Costco, you tell your friends and bribe your family to be there at a certain time and gather around you, spiking the curiosity of those passing by to want to see what you're selling. If you don't use this tactic, switch. The "crowded booth." Same thing when you're indie publishing. Host a 'virtual' book signing--a "book bomb." Everyone gathers at Amazon at a certain time, their fingers ready to "whispernet" your product at the same time. It's amazing to see how you're thrust to the top of the selling list when everyone buys at once..."crowds" your booth. Maybe you'll fall a little in the days following, just the same as the second or third day after the festival's opening day, but when someone types in "romance" for a books search...you'll be at or close to the top. If you see your numbers slipping fast, have a "sale." Everyone loves a bargain, and some customers shop the last day of the festival to get the best deals.

Insert here. Check out Kristen Lamb's blog today:  http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/whats-the-problem-with-free/  She has an important take on giving away your hard work for "free." She touched on some issues I'd never thought of before and gave me pause in my own publishing quandry.

Now for a word of caution to be passed on here. Back to the heated debate. If you belong to a large non-profit organization (I'm thinking RWA or SCBWI), there are rules set in place by the IRS to insure they retain their non-profit status. As with everything in the government, the lines drawn in the sand are real blurry and subject to interpretation as to how the issue of self-promotion should be handled on an individual chapter level. So before you go shouting "book bomb" or send a mass email that could be construed as putting pressure on your fellow members to buy your book, check your chapter guidelines. I'm just sayin'.

Currently, my writing group's emails regarding announcements are relayed in creative "code," steering clear of the grenade in the midde of the room. Lots of "barbeques" being hosted. Personally, when I decide to "bomb" my book, I'll send out a message to visit my blog, possibly containing a threat of bodily injury if one doesn't pop over, and here is where I'll announce my "release bash" or as I put it in one of my debate replies, "a book 'bong' - a cheap $1.99 high." However I do it, be sure you'll all be invited to attend. It will be a B.O.B. affair, with preferred attire being jammies and bunny slippers so you can spread out over my floor while I tell you about my story.

I'm also sad to say, I'm shelving "Wacky Wednesdays" unless something really wacky happens. I have several author friends who have released some fantastic books and I want to have them over to help me clean windows and tell you about their books and themselves. Winter has us hunkered indoors and summer finds us lounging lazily by the pool or on the beach (ahhh...just the thought), but either way, I want to introduce you to some fun reads to add to your library so you're never caught without a good story. I also need the blinds cleaned.

Until then...have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for dropping in. You can go back to the Harley Davidson page now.